Tobaccos Mac Baren - 7 Seas Gold Blend

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Hunter (54)	2015-03-20		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I am trying out all of the MacB 7 Seas blends. This is my second tin after smoking through 7 Seas Regular.

At the tin, this blend has a nice, vanilla-caramel almost confectionery aroma. Soft, golden, not too moist, consistent ribbon-cut. Packs easily, but I've had a bit of a challenge getting it going after the charring light. Once it is going however, it is worth the journey.

Very pleasant room note, lightly aromatic. Plenty of tobacco taste, with just a hint of the topping coming through as you smoke. Easy to smoke and for me, I want more after the bowl is done. I don't get the gloopy comments. For me it burns fairly clean and dry.

Much better than CB Gold. No real chemical taste or aroma, and far better quality tobacco. Easy on the tongue and those around you. Leaves a sweet and pleasant aftertaste. Great for beginning pipers and all day smokers like myself. Will keep this one in rotation!

Pipe Used: Briar, meer

Age When Smoked: 6 mos.

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

Similar Blends: Captain Black Gold..

16 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3048)	2016-07-11		Very Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

The cavendish processed Virginias are tart and tangy citrusy, lightly grassy with minor earth notes, along with some honey, sugar and toasty bread. They form base of the blend. The burley may be processed in the same way as I notice less nuts, wood and earth than expected, and virtually no molasses from it. It shows more a little more after the half way point, but it's essentially a supporting player. The mildly applied toppings are a little hard to define, but I get some fruit (perhaps apricot?), a little caramel, brown sugar and a touch of vanilla. They tone down the tobacco just a little, less so than what you often see in aromatics. The strength and nic-hit are very mild. The taste is mild. No chance of bite or harshness. Not a complex blend, it burns at a reasonable pace, cool and clean with a mostly consistent, very smooth, light, sweet flavor. Requires very few relights, and barely leaves any moisture in the bowl as it easily burns to ash. The pleasant after taste and room notes are short lived. An easy going all day product that makes lots of smoke, but the taste is so mild it may not satisfy an experienced are smoker. Three stars in the very mild aromatic genre, and two stars for lack of flavor depth.

-JimInks

14 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipe4ever (204)	2013-02-16		Very Mild	Medium	Mild	Very Pleasant

Mac baren classic blends(such as Mixture, plumeCake, Va No1, etc...) are not made for new pipers, these tobaccos require a very experienced pipe smokers with good technique in packing the pipe and an extremely slow smoking pace, however, if you are new to pipe smoking then I would recommend you to start with the 7 Seas blends.

This is a bright Va processed in Cavendish, sweet, fragrant and mild, very enjoyable with minimum tongue bite for fast puffer, similar to CB gold, maybe with a bit more vanilla casing. Highly recommended for new pipers.

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ambush1964 (19)	2015-01-03		Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

This tobacco smelled wonderful upon opening my new tin. I get the aroma of apricots, no vanilla or chocolate like most others described shrug. Anyway it might have been just a bit moist, but I packed it lightly and lit'er up. It took to the flame and burned well, I did have to relight a few times, but oh well. It burned ok but I ended up with a bit of soggy dottle when I dumped my pipe. I think it would have burned ok to the bottom with a relight, but I had somewhere to be :(. I was pleasantly surprised with this tobacco and I enjoyed it very much. I have tried over 70 different tobaccos and this one rates in the top 10, maybe even the top 5 for me. I do enjoy my aromatics. I would highly recommend this tobacco. I loved it.

Pipe Used: Vintage BBB Tasman 725 billiard

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Stogie's B&M Billings, MT.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TXBulldog (74)	2015-11-15		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

I received this as a gift and upon opening the pouch I really couldn't discern what I was supposed to get out of it as far as flavoring. I detected a sweet undertone but to be honest can't say what it is. The gold and brown tobacco cut was very nice and packed easily. A fine looking cut. The consistency was perfect - Not wet, goopy, and quite frankly was just right. This smoke lit easily and really was quite enjoyable all the way through. A nice sweet essence was maintained and pulled through providing interest and enjoyment all the way through. Again, I was unable to determine a specific flavor note, but the sweet hue was definitely present. It didn't burn hot and certainly didn't have an over-the-top aromatic sensation like so many that try too hard. I have to say I was surprised by this smoke. I wasn't expecting much and never heard about it until I tried it. I almost feel like giving it 4 stars. You know what, I enjoyed it and if I feel like giving 4 stars, maybe I should. Pleasantly surprised. I think I found my morning and evening Houston rush hour commute tobacco for the next few weeks. Glad it was gifted, I probably never would have ordered it on my own otherwise.

Pipe Used: Bjarne Viking Sandblast Yellow#3

Age When Smoked: 6 mos

Purchased From: Gifted via P&C

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2015-03-24		Extremely Mild	Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant

It is unusual to find a Mac Baren's aromatic that processes Virginia into cavendish form, and that made this an interesting smoke. The Burley also came through for backbone but the sweetened leaf was pretty soggy and did not burn dry. I suspect this one was made to satisfy the aromatic crowd that enjoys the lightest of enhanced taste and flavors. It fell flat on its face with me. Not a lot of flavor, and not enough bottom to produce any interest at all.

Pipestud

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2081)	2017-04-07		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Mac Baren - 7 Seas Gold.

Another of my early reviews where I decided I could do a better job:

After a few bowls the one descriptive phrase that comes to mind is 'hard work'. The added flavour's mild, but gives the smoke quite a harsh top-note: citrus with maybe a hint of nectarine, or something of the like. The burn from 7.S. Gold is horrendous, unless it's packed very loosely; without doing so mine won't stay lit. The tobaccos' taste fairly decent, but as light as the topping is, it ruins the flavour. The smoke's medium in temperature, and it can give me a slight bite.

The nicotine qualifies as being mild, and the room-note's pleasant to tolerable.

I bought a new pouch to re-do my first review, now I wish I hadn't bothered!

Not recommended.

Pipe Used: Cob, for this, but various over time.

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: My Smoking Shop

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Roberto (2)	2013-05-01		Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

Blend really good, it burns well and does not burn your tongue. In the room is a very good smell for the wife .... one of my favorite tobacco. 4 stars

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	albfneto (184)	2012-06-29		Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Very Pleasant

It is very mild, slighly chocolate smell. in the Room note, but during smoking, not very flavoured.

good for begginers, Tt seems (is similar or related) to certain Borkun Riff Blends, but better quality,

Not dried,unless, is wet in the just, desired point (as Essence of Vermont).

Compared with the Captain Black Blends, is much less sweet.

I agree with wenkrush: have much more flavour than taste!

Good tobacco.

Only one not good issue: It burns so hot and fast.

I revised my point of view: Although this is a excelent aromatic tobacco (Merits even 3 or 4 stars).

Unfortunately, it cause severe tongue bite after 2 or 3 bowls! (other MacBaren's Blends also!), from this, I`m obliged to reduce score to 2 stars!

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	bangalbhuut (7)	2015-11-24		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I am new to pipe smoking. And the only reason I thought of posting my comments was to say that it appears like I am smoking a whole different blend. The 7 Seas Gold pouch was fairly new. The bowl stays lit and the tobacco is easy to pack. But man is there some bite! After two bowls, I felt like someone had steamed my tongue! Taste wasn't bad I think, but honestly I was trying to avoid the bite and concentrating on just that. I am going to let this tobacco sit for a while and see how it is a few weeks later.

Pipe Used: Peterson Churchwarden

Age When Smoked: New

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Witold (11)	2015-09-08		Mild	Medium	Full	Pleasant

Mild and delicate tobacco that tastes like some vanilla or toffee. Room note is good and I've been told that it smells like baked cookies.

Great for beginners, easy to smoke.

Pipe Used: Missouri Corn Cob

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Steden (100)	2015-01-23		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

7SG has a great smell in the pouch which makes a smart presentation, the golden/brown Cavendish base is correctly moist and ridiculously easy to keep lit, mild on the tongue and a very easy going in every sense. The flavouring is a mix of vanilla and fruits very pleasant to the nose, it is applied with light hand but it’s rather chemical and it lasts for ages in my mouth with an unpleasant feel. Still I surely prefer this one over its cousin Regular, none the less I can’t give it more than two stars because of that bad chemistry feel.

Pipe Used: Briars, cobs

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TallPuffO'Burley (633)	2014-01-15		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Well, it is not the worst tasting vanilla aromatic I have ever tasted. How is that for the start of a review. I have had the tin for two years and was happy to finish it off the other day. I suppose their is some decent tasting Burley notes when you get down to about the last third, but the preceding thirds are typical heavy chemical taste.

The room note is great, I will give it that much. I have received some compliments in that regard. I like the tin art and there is no need for wasting a jar on this one as the humectants will keep it in its moist state for at least two years in the tin.

As to how to recommend, I will give it two stars. Better than a captain Black, but far short of a Peterson or even a Stokkebye Aro.

Pipe Used: Savinelli Rust bent Roma Bulldog-best.

Age When Smoked: tin date 7/2010. opened early 2012

Purchased From: local B & M

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2013-11-30		Very Mild	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Unnoticeable

Well it comes in pouches here. Easy to burn and easy to smoke, gives you something unoticeable about in your mouth. The vanilla flavor is lost during the start. Without filter it comes the flavor that they say. With filter some stiches comes from the nose but boring.
The pouch after several openings make the tobacco dry which at my opinion needs to happen because this is moist enough.

Easy to smoke... sometimes to boring to puff puff.
Maybe if i have nothing to fill up my pipe i buy it again,

Anyway.

Pipe Used: 6

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	rafalgdansk87 (12)	2018-05-05		Mild	Very Strong	Full	Pleasant

After smoking great Royal Blend, i was curious about other 7 Seas tobaccos. I've tried Golden Blend and it really dissapointed me. It's very sweet but not in the natural way. It's owerwhelming, chemical sweetness. Aroma is flat, it taste just like pure sugar for me. This tobacco is also very wet, leaving sticky layer inside the pipe. Worth trying only if someone is looking for very sweet tobacco.

Pipe Used: Chacom Bent

Age When Smoked: Fresh

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	canvas (337)	2018-02-06		Mild	Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Sort of smelled like a dusty box of gingerbread cookies and graham cracker crumbs. Nothing terribly sweet here, just a hint of spice wafting over some uninspired wet cardboard aroma.

Sparked up great and burned pretty quick. It was a simple smoke, yet lacked the initial aroma for taste once lit. It did leave some spittle in the bowl, and at times got caught in my throat with an odd bite, which was odd since everything about it was mild and unremarkable.

It was an OK smoke, but for an aromatic it was one dimensional and flat.

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	mxcn (2)	2017-10-20		Mild	Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

So the description here says that it's a Virginia Burley, but in the website of Mac Baren it's stated that a "touch" of black cavendish is added. I do think that this is noticed throughout the smoke, specially because the burley never truly predominates the background.

It is a really mild mixture. It has a slight caramel-like vanilla flavour, and some honey too. Although the honey comes and goes, and is lost in (or enhance the...) caramel-like sense of the general smoke.

I think it's a good mixture for beginners, and a decent one for long-time smokers that not necessarily like strong case aromatics. Now, for aromatics lovers this might go as a little plain. I, myself, am a regular english smoker, but when I go for an aro I like to go for something with a stronger flavour and aroma. So for me it got a little boring around halfway of the bowl.

Doesn't need a lot of relights, and the moisture was actually on point. I don't know if this is a good thing though , since the tin I smoked from was a friend's and he said that he opened that tin a long time ago ("months ago, maybe a year") but that he didn't smoke that often, so I'm gonna assume that brand new from the tin the tobacco might come a little too wet.

In general a good smoke. I'm going to give it 2 stars mostly because for me it was a bit boring. But I think it's a really good one for new smoker

Pipe Used: a Pearlwood pipe and a Corn cob

Age When Smoked: a few months

Purchased From: local tobacco shop

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ciaran (7)	2016-03-30		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

I purchased an ounce of this because I really enjoyed Mac Baren's 7 Seas Royal blend and thought I'd see if any of the other blends in the series were just as enjoyable. I wasn't disappointed!

There's a nice light vanilla caramel smell when I opened the bag--not too strong, just noticeable. I found the moisture content to be just about spot on. I first tried Gold in a Peterson Deluxe 5s System pipe. I loaded the bowl with a gravity fill (which I always do), lightly tamping the first fill until it's about halfway down the bowl. Then continued this method until the tobacco was a little under the rim (I do this to keep from damaging the rim from the burning tobacco). The char light was simple enough using my Xykar pipeline pipe lighter. The taste of this tobacco was ever slightly sweet, complimented the smell quite well, and continued throughout the smoke. In other words, I felt like the tin note and the taste matched. I've found a lot of the time, tobacco never tastes like it smells but that wasn't the case here.

Since that first bowl full, I've tried this blend in several Peterson pipes with the same result. In fact, I just smoked this in a 314 System pipe that I hadn't used in a long time (perhaps over a year). The 314 is a smaller pipe and I thought that 7 Seas Gold might burn a little hot but it didn't; that same slight sweetness stayed the entire bowl.

All-in-all, Mac Baren 7 Seas Gold has been a consistent tobacco no matter what size bowl I use--slightly sweet; very nice room note; a consistent taste throughout the smoke; finished off with a nice dusty, white ash. I highly recommend this wonderful blend.

Pipe Used: Different Peterson's

Age When Smoked: A couple of weeks

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	hopyut (1)	2015-12-16		Mild	Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

I liked its taste. Room smelled so nice. You should try this. This was my firt tabacco and it has not been too long since i started but i liked it best.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Aro Lover (13)	2015-11-18		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

A nice aromatic tobacco. I get a sweet maple and brown sugar taste when smoking it. About 3/4 through the bowl, the maple and brown sugar flavor fades and is replaced by a sweet natural Virginia tobacco flavour. Room note is of tasty baked cookies or pancakes. No artificial taste. But as with most aromatics, it should be properly dried before smoking (~30 seconds in the microwave is the quickest and most convenient way). You will also get a nice little nicotine hit at the bottom of the bowl. Complements MacBaren's Seven Seas Regular nicely. Beginner and veteran smokers alike really can't go wrong with this delicious and affordable tobacco.

Minus one star because this blend really isn't an all-day smoke. Even after proper drying, it still starts to burn my tongue after 3 or 4 bowls. It would be better if they put less propylene glycol on it like Amphora Red.

Proper dryness and air flow is the secret to getting the most out of this tobacco (and most aromatics). Here's a step-by-step guide on how I recommend smoking it:

1. Properly dry it out. Upon first opening a new pouch, the tobacco will be quite moist. It should be dried some before smoking. I dump the full pouch out on a large plate and spread it thin. I then microwave it on high setting for ~30 seconds. After that, I remove the plate from the microwave and let it air cool for about 45 minutes (more humid conditions will require a longer drying time). Then back into the pouch it goes. This drying out process only needs to be done once for each newly-opened pouch.

2. Gravity fill your pipe just below the top of the bowl. (I recommend unfiltered half-bent pipes for a cooler and more flavourful smoke). When I say gravity fill, I mean dumping the tobacco into the pipe. No packing or pushing. None. Zero. Now after the first gravity fill, lightly tamp the tobacco using only the weight of the tamper. Now gravity fill again a second time to just below the top of the bowl. By filling the pipe this way, you will get maximum air flow. The tobacco will burn better, and the smoke will be cooler and more flavorful.

3. Light the bowl. It will require two or three charring lights. After the second or third charring light, lightly tamp the tobacco down only using the weight of the tamper. Don't push it. Now light it again and it should stay lit for quite a while. I find that matches work best for the charring lights.

4. Dump ash as needed, but don't push down hard with the tamper. Only use tamper weight.

5. Stir it. Near the bottom of the bowl, you may need to stir the tobacco up a bit to burn the last of it.

Pipe Used: Half-Bent briar (unfiltered)

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Young Piper (304)	2015-06-14		Extremely Mild	Medium	Very Mild	Very Pleasant

Pipe4ever is so right in stating that the 7 Seas blends are perfect for new pipers. They have none of the gloppy PG mess that the Captain has and are very forgiving of a fast over puffing. The Gold has the least topping of the 7 seas blends I tried and has the most tobacco flavor. Mildly sweet Golden Cavendish with a light Vanilla topping make this a great choice and for a topped Golden Virginia, this has to be provoked to bite. Really a 3.5 star blend in my opinion, not quite worthy of 4 stars, but very tasty though!

Similar Blends: Captain Black Gold.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	gam86 (49)	2014-01-08		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

My first Mac Baren but didn't like it at all. The taste was insignificant and after smoked it the bowl was so dirty that it tooks me 5 minutes to clean it properly. I've tried few puff of other tobacco of Mac Baren and was very pleased. Maybe was just misfortune.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	hubup (14)	2013-09-02		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Nice burning tobacco with a mild aroma. Try this blend instead of spending money on Aromatic-Cherry- Vanilla Choice blends...

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2013-02-03		Mild	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

This is one of the best blends I've ever had! From the moment I opened the tin, I knew I would love it. It smells great not burning and when smoked. The tobacco is nice and moist out of the tin. I'll be trying the others!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	meerkat (64)	2011-07-27		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Can't fault this.

Lovely caramel, sweet topping, lightly applied to high quality golden leaf tobaccos.

Mild but entirely pleasant to both the smoker and bystanders. Is incapable of biting and strikes a wonderful balance between the tobacco and the added sweetness.

I usually like 'em stronger but this just works. I could easily smoke this all day long. Especially at the price it sells for in the UK.

A massively pleasant surprise.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sons of Reagan (9)	2011-01-08		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Very Pleasant

A really nice smoke that goes really well with a cup of coffee. I taste nuts and coffee in this wonderfully mild and pleasing smoke. Great compliments from the wife always help and no bite is a much added plus!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dubinthedam (133)	2010-12-24		Extremely Mild	Strong	Mild	Very Pleasant

A good well priced aromatic, nothing new though. In no way memorable.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kapone33 (1)	2023-03-31		Very Mild	Extremely Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Unnoticeable

Oh my god a tasteless tobacco. Leaves you with a bitter aftertaste. Fortunately its not a hot smoke.Traces of sweetness over half of the bowl.Another mac baren failed tobacco. Definitely not recommended even for a newbie.

Pipe Used: Savinelli 603 deluxe

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Greek tobacco shop

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	nach0 (35)	2022-02-22		Very Mild	Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I feel it too wet for me, seems a diabetes soggy pancreas when packing, hard to make it get a good flow. In the pouch smells good, like cocoa (not chocolat) but the artificial flavoring end up hiding the tobacco flavor and also it still unrecognizable, i barely feel any molasses taste, only sugary-sweet taste. no honey, no vanilla, no chocolat, nothing but "sweet". It also leaved my mouth covered in a thick layer of PG, really unpleasant. Can overheat your bowl and bring the devil to dance in your tongue so sip it slowly!! Again it has a good smell in the pack and nice tobacco color but at the end what is important is the pleasure when smoking, what this blend doesn't gave me. Captain Black gold is way better IMO.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2012-08-07		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

This is a really pleasant blend. It starts off fairly sugary, reminiscient of Captain Black and other aromatics. About one fourth of the way into the pipe the aromatic flavour disappears, and you get a great burley flavour for the rest of the pipe.

Reminds me a little of BLWB, but with more of a tobacco tste.

Does not bite much, and my only complaint is that it can be difficult to keep lit. Other than that, I have nothing but praise for 7 Seas Gold, and have been stocking up.

It certainly is loaded with something, because a two-year old open pouch in my office desk drawer is nowhere near dried out.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SteelCowboy (685)	2011-09-02		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

I enjoy a very wide range of baccy and tongue bite is very rare for me. However, not only do I find this blend to bite, but it's down right harsh. The pouch aroma is inviting and the light tan tobacco has been well cut. It arrives a tad moist, but based on the pouch scent, I couldn't wait to dive in, but i gave it some dry time. That's where all enjoyment ended. If nursed very carefully, there are some nice flavors here, but with the wide range of aromatic offerings on the market and only smoking aro's about 10% of the time, for me it's not worth the effort. I seem to find this harshness with MacBaren's blends in general so it may be just me. It you a one that gets bit by MacBaren, this blend will not offer any relief. I do think that smokers of their aromatic blends will enjoy this blend but it won't be occupying any space in my cellar.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TheOtter (72)	2023-02-15		Very Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I am not going to waste too much time on this one:

Tastes of stale shortbread cookies. Did not enjoy it whatsoever. Gave it away to an undiscerning smoker who seems to appreciate it more than I do.

Age When Smoked: 2 years

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pie Eyed Piper (22)	2022-11-19		Very Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

A light Virginia aromatic. Soft vanilla flavor and aroma. Smokes a bit quick as most gold Cavendish does so slow down a bit if you're patient. To my palette it leaves me hanging a bit, not enough going on for me. This is a good starter tobacco.

Pipe Used: Kaywoodie

Age When Smoked: New to a year old

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

Similar Blends: Gold Block, Captain Black gold, and various golden Cavendish aromatics..

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	musicman (131)	2022-07-24		Mild	Medium	Mild	Very Pleasant

Bob Ross once said " We don't make mistakes. We just have happy accidents". Read on to see why my "Happy Accident" can greatly help you enjoy this blend.

I am not the best source of reviews on this type of tobacco. Not my style, rarely enjoy them. That being said, when I see blends I have never tried.... I just have to try them.

My first run ins with this blend was exactly as I expected. Meh. Tin smells like heaven, pipe heel looks like hell. Wet, goopy, burns hot, you know, the status quo for this type of stuff. Don't get me wrong, this is a way higher quality than most of the blends in this category, but at the end of the day, when it comes to heavily cased aromatic blends? It is what it is. A sweet background, a slight chocolatey note, but, meh.

Just finished my last bowl before I decided to write this review and had quite a different experience due to my "happy accident". There are many blends out there (not just aromatics) that need a little drying time to shine. In fact, for me, it is pretty rare I find a blend that couldn't use a little airing out. Do I always have the forethought to do this? No. But that is my fault, not the blends. Most blends need maybe 30 minutes to an hour. On the real super goopers, I will lay them out the night before. Thats what I tried to do with this blend. I put some out at bedtime the night before to smoke in the morning........and then forgot about it for 3 days. Yup, 3 days later I walked in the man cave and there it was. Surprisingly, this did the blend wonders. Most non aromatics would have hit the crunchy stage. This stuff was actually still moist. That being said, it burned better than it should have, it didn't bite as much as it should have, and the real stunner for me? No pipe cleaners needed at all during the smoke. For me that is a wonder. Sometimes I feel I spend more money on the pipe cleaners used to smoke these blends than the tin itself.

Do yourself a favor, give this lots of time to dry out, and it will be at its best.

Pipe Used: Designer Berlin Sandblast

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pipe_lusitano (3)	2022-05-03		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

After trying the 7 Seas regular blend which I'm quite an enthusiast, I decided to order this one from USA to try it out being the fact that the rating and feedback about this blend was quite interesting.

The first time I tried it out I really didn't like it (don't want to say that I hated it, but I really really disliked it), Unlike Regular Blend, Gold blend was harsh, no flavour was scented or tasted and left a burnt sensation on the aftermouth.

So I put it away on a very well sealed glass container for cellaring, since I had decided at that moment tha I definetly wasn't going to try it out ever again.

After 18 months of cellaring, and as I was moving all of my office stuff and furniture to a different location, when setting my new pipes and tobbacco space, I decided "I'm going to give it another shot, what else do I have to loose?". This tobbacco had built quite a vacum inside the jar and it took me a while to get it opened.

And I'm glad I did it! It was quite a surprise. The flavours that had built while cellaring rose, leaving a room note very interesting of mostly vanilla and enhancing the virginias on this tobbacco. The aroma and room notes were quite pleasent even to the non pipe smokers around me and the tobbacco was very easy to smoke and very pleasent and soft leaving the harsh sensation from the begining in the past.

Will buy it again, hence the 4 stars!

Pipe Used: James J. Fox

Age When Smoked: 18 Months

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ray24 (8)	2022-04-26		Mild to Medium	Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

Tin note on this blend is pleasant but after smoking it I found it to be a bit lackluster. It smokes cool and burns well. There's not a lot of flavor and even less in the bottom half of the bowl. What flavor is there is a type of vanilla or confectionary type flavor. This would be a good blend for a beginner pipe smoker, but it doesn't do much for me.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	wintermute (90)	2021-09-27		Very Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

First, this is a Cavendish tobacco in the European style. That is, the Cavendish is Virginia based rather than Burley based like those made in the US. The Cavendish is more earthy and way less nutty. When you open the tin there is an earthy, honey, vanilla type aroma. Some would say that it comes too moist, but it is just fine by me. It packs well and takes a light very well. The smoke is somewhat less than you would find in many Burley based aromatics. The taste is mellow and there is a bit of a honey sweetness. When smoked slowly, there is not tongue bite. It does provide a nice hit at the back of the throat, however. This stuff really does taste like it smells. The room note is pleasant, but not as sweet as you might think. The taste stays the same to the bottom of the bowl and the ash is fine and jumps out of the bowl when you finish. The word here is mellow. There is enough taste to enjoy, but it is subdued. Overall, it is like a Summer day; warm and slightly sweet with just a hint of earth. Some say that this is Mac Barren's version of Captain Black Gold. CB Gold is stronger than this stuff and 7 Seas Gold is a lot closer to CB Round Taste (Ultra).

Pipe Used: MM Dplomat 5th Avenue

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

Similar Blends: Captain Black Round Taste.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	North State (72)	2021-04-27		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

For all intents and purposes, a somewhat lighter version of the Regular; almost everything I wrote on that applies here too, except that it's a bit lighter (both in consistency and as a smoke) and the burley is pretty much non-detectable, the centre stage being taken by the combination of the haylike virginia and the sweetish vanilla from the cavendish.

Still willing to try out the others, though; I've yet to encounter a MacBaren that would have been a total bummer, so I'm curious.

Pipe Used: Falcon meerschaum, Chacom, corn cob

Age When Smoked: Fresh from pouch

Purchased From: Kiosk in Ustka, Poland

Similar Blends: Mac Baren - 7 Seas Regular Blend (7 Seas).

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Modestos (5)	2020-12-21		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

My first ever tobacco. This tobacco made me in love with this thing. I believe this is a great starter tobacco. If you never smoked pipe before this is what you get. Compared to the next I smoked it was still decent. Highly recommended if you are a beginner pipe smoker.

Pipe Used: Savinelli

Age When Smoked: 18

Purchased From: Tobacco Shop in Cyprus

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Amarelo (25)	2020-07-02		Mild	Medium	Mild	Pleasant

Good, very delicate with lovely honey/caramel notes. You won't be able to find many things higher than this in an affordable price in brazil. The "sweetness" makes it almost like a dessert tobacco, so not pleasurable to smoke all day long. My favorite 7 seas blend.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ramo (14)	2020-02-24		Mild	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant

The aroma is almost a toffee/butterscotch, which smells amazing. The smoke is pretty unremarkable. It's not terrible, but there are better blends out there. I can't justify recommending this.

Pipe Used: Bones Squat Brandy

Age When Smoked: 7 months

Purchased From: smoking pipes

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Theocharis (38)	2018-12-11		Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

An ok blend, but nothing really spectacular. Vanilla-like flavor, mild, with a very nice room note that will leave non smokers happy. Watch out for tongue bite though! Dry it thoroughly and smoke it slowly.

Pipe Used: Briar

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	dustoff56 (10)	2015-06-12		Very Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I bought this after I smoked a tin of 7 seas regular. It wasnt bad.very mild. burns too fast for me. I like cavendish blends because they burn slower and and have more flavor. not bad but isnt my type of tobacco.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cigarcohiba (36)	2014-07-22		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

This pipe tobacco is a lot different than the seven seas Royal and Regular blends. It is not as much as aromatic as the ones mentioned above. It is a blend on the more "neutral" side. It does not seem to be an easy smoke, seems a bit complicated to get it running.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2012-06-27		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

It is the first Mac Baren I've ever tried, and it tastes good! Its flavoring is, in my opinion, very discreet, evident not so much during the puff as in the 'aftertaste'. It indeed lights easily, but it is also put out easily (I repeat, I am a beginner, so it might be me- however, other blends I've tried burned more ). I liked the fact that it is almost natural flavor (it says 'with notes of vanilla'), and I might buy another pouch in the future. For the time being, I think I'm still a Borkum Riff 'fan'. :)

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2012-06-25		Very Mild	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Hits on all fronts. Easy to load, easy to light, smells enticing out of the tin, and carries a cool flavorful smoke a long way.

Burns dry with no residue and subsequently delivers a relatively clean pipe for an aromatic.

This is an extremely comfortable blend that has earned a place on the shelf as an every day tobacco.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dr.sadik (120)	2012-06-02		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

although people might compare it to captain black gold (which is similar in the color and cut) however i found it to be more similar to the lane 1Q cavendish as oppose to taste however the latter have more flavoring to it (which is more appreciated by me). the blend is very light and have smooth sweetness to it and the flavorings are not overwhelming, it burns perfectly and the room note is pleasant indeed.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2012-03-08		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Good beginners tobacco. Mild a bit to sweet for me.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tom Bombadill (121)	2012-01-27		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Nice solid, standard, entry level aromatic. Moist, ribbon cut very much like Capt. Black. No problem with tongue bite. I'd rate this 3 stars for a new pipe smoker. I'd give it 2.5 stars for a veteran smoker because 7SGB is too similar to a decent drugstore blend: not too interesting but pleasantly smokable.

1 person found this review helpful.

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	gunner525 (66)	2012-01-09		Mild	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

Another homerun from Mac Baren in their 7 Seas American-style aromatic line. Upon opening the tin I was greeted by another vanilla and butterscotch smell. The tin note carried over wonderfully into the taste, as all MacB 7 Seas blends have for me. It burns very well, but is a bit moist at first. Drying time will probably be welcomed by most. Though on the moist side, this blend didn't give me any tonge bite. After having so many MacBaren blends not bite I'm perplexed as to why they're "known for their bite". All in all a great aromatic. Definately one to keep in an aromatic smokers rotation.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Xeneize (275)	2011-09-01		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

The best way to describe 7 Seas Gold Blend is simply by taking Captain Black White and tone down the flavoring, turning it into a nobler version: one where lemon Virginias stay in front, with Burley and the woodsy flavoring rounding up an enjoyable smoke. As with its counterpart, tongue bite is an issue only when smoking recklessly.

If you like Captain Black White, give this blend a try.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	renwardhoop (177)	2011-08-26		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

A tobacco to come back to like an old friend.

Superb pouch aroma as noted by others. Sweet caramel mmm nice.

As we all know this aroma very rarely follows through on the smoke and once again this isn't an exception although the initial burn is quite tasty.

Retains its moist character in the pouch provided. The pack I have says its 40gs which is an odd weight. If I hadn't have checked I wouldn't have known.

Given its moistness its a bit of a bugger to keep alight, but smokes evenly down the bowl without the old bitey. Indeed you'd have to try very hard to get it to frizzle the tongue. Probably best in a big old pipe.

A good quality aromatic a shade above supermarket brands but lacking the complexity of more expensive brands. Think a stronger version of Davidoff's blue (no idea what Captain Black, which some reviewer have compared this with, is like as we can't get it in the UK).

Not bad, not bad at all.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	arpie55 (77)	2011-08-25		Mild	Medium	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant

has a good tin appearance and presentation, packs okay, the color is good and the aroma of the tobacco itself is great, but the smoking is boring. will not make my regular rotation.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2011-06-10		Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

not a bad aromatic blend. a lot of people complimented this blend on its room note. tried this after getting a tin of 7 seas royal and like the royal blend more but found this to be a very worthy tobacco to bear the macbaren name

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2011-03-27		Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

I received a free sample of Mac Baren's 7 Seas Gold Blend in an order from an online store. I very rarely smoke aromatics... probably because of my bad experiences with aros thirty-five years ago when I first took up a pipe and bought nothing but over the counter drug store brands. I went ahead and tried out the 7 Seas Gold and I'm glad I did. It is really a very pleasant blend; the flavor for me seemed buttery/nutty with a faint hint of spice. My wife very much enjoyed the aroma (as I habitually smoke blends heavy with latakia I'm not surprised she found the room note of 7 Seas Gold to be pleasant). Here's what I found different comparing the 7 Seas to the aromatics I smoked many years ago: it didn't goop up my pipe; it didn't smoke wet; it didn't bite and it did not leave a foul aftertaste in my mouth. 7 Seas does leave a damp dottle but then so do many virginia blends; however, when I go ahead and fire up the dottle and smoke it down, the flavor remains pleasant, not bitter as I experienced with the drug store brands. Will I buy some? It would be good to have a tin on hand when we have company and I know they'll find the odor of my usual latakia blend offensive. I think this would also be a pleasant outdoor autumn evening or early spring evening smoke.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	morphijuana (17)	2010-12-24		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Currently one of my favorite tobaccos. I love everything about it, from the smell you get when opening the can (lovely sweet tobacco/raisin smell). To the excellent smoking experience it provides. This one is a go to for me. A must try.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Skando (203)	2010-12-19		Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I come to review a couple of the new Mac Baren blends under the 7seas line: the Regular Blend and the Golden Blend. They have striked me much more than I expected. The GB is a mix of Virginia and Burley, non-contrasted golden colour, medium-large ribbon. The RB is a mix of golden Burley and Black Cavendish, very dark in colour with some lighter specks, broaden cut. Leaves are good quality with no sticks. Both are aromatics of the same league, the “vanilla/pastry” constituents are clearly detectable but delicate, very different from the typical Mac Baren standard. Vitamin N present in traces… Unlike any other aros, they burn surprisingly cool & smooth, and the flavour actually reflects the pouch aroma. The GB displays a more true tobacco aroma than RB, nevertheless I found myself more fascinated with the latter. In fact, the RB offers an intriguing sweet/toasty/smoky flavour which is comparable to a EM. The GB is also sweet/spicy, but in a higher scale spectrum. The quality/price factor is very remarkable. Three stars.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2010-12-12		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

I'm trying this blend for the first time. I purchased it at a locally owned non-franchise tobacco store in the local mall. I'm not going to say which one because I don't like the owner and I don't want to give him any free advertising. Anyway, I think this is one of those blends you have to smoke really really slow and patiently look forward to the complex tobacco flavors that emerge around mid bowl. Also I think this might be one of those tobaccos that doesn't like to share seasonings in your pipe with other tobaccos smoked previously. And I think this is more than just an "aromatic" blend meant for people in the room to enjoy the smell. I think Mac Baren has some real quality aged tobaccos in there with wonderful natural flavors which will overpower the casings around mid bowl if the smoker is truly patient. I learned with Mac Baren Scottish Mixture, that some Mac Baren blends are truly not designed for big huge puffs of smoke unless the smoker just really enjoys having a burnt mouth. Truly the secret to smoking Scottish Mixture is to keep it just barely lit and then your mouth will get just barely burnt. LOL But this 7 Seas blend is not anywhere near that bad. Keep this blend barely lit and your mouth won't be burnt at all. And give it the ten bowl challenge in the same pipe so that your pipe has a chance to get seasoned to the subtle flavors of quality aged tobacco that Mac Baren has cleverly engineered into this blend.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TK Pipe (101)	2010-12-09		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

7 Seas Gold... Came in a handy Fold-up pouch that upon opening had a low keyed mild vanilla aroma. The packaging calls it a aromatic blend, so I guess that's what it is. Easy to handle ribbon cut, that lights easy, and stays lit. I found no bite issues, in spite of me pushing it a bit. Overall, I can find nothing to complain about, or find anything special to rave about, that would make me insist on this stuff over others. . Would I buy more? Sure, if I found some locally. But here is the rub, the notch filled by this rather common blend is crowed, and many in this crowd, can be found locally. If you happen to find some, give it a shot. 2.5 stars.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2010-07-29		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I am relatively new to pipe smoking and I tend to lean more towards non aromatic blends. Friend of mine picked 2 pouches of this blend up for me and I decided to give it a shot.

Upon opening the pouch, the tobacco is not too moist. The cut is long ribbons and a nice mixture light and dark colored tobacco. Tin note is pleasent and not over-powering. In fact the casing is extremely mild for an aromatic tobacco, which suited me. Cannot really place what the smell is but it is reminiscent of chocolate coated raisins.

Packing and lighting is a breeze. After the initial charring light and tamp, the subsequent light produced a nice volume of smoke. Initial taste was of tangy virginias and a hint of dark chocolate. Halfway through the bowl, the taste got stronger, nuttier and the malty chocolate taste was still there. It stayed that way till the bottom of the bowl. Tobacco stayed lit almost all the way down and only needed 1 relight towards the end. Burned to a light grey ash and left no goopey gunk after the smoke.

Did not bite my tongue, but I must admit that no Mac Baren Blends have caused me any tongue bite.

One of my favourite aromatic to date. 4 stars!!!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	rick5iron (20)	2022-12-09		Mild	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

another very good aromatic from Macbaren , high quality, stays lit and a great room note, so far 7th seas black and gold are winners, certainly any aromatic smoker will enjoy

Pipe Used: cob

Age When Smoked: 1year

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2012-04-24		Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

Mild. That is the word that comes to mind when I think of this blend. This is a nice tobacco to smoke on a hot summer day because it doesn't bring too much to the table as far as strength. The tin note and the room note are both wonderful. The problem is that, for me, this tobacco is all aroma. Very little taste.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2011-01-05		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I decent tobacco for a decent price. MacBaren did a fine job opening into the American style Aro market. I have found this is a great all day smoke, nice mild and no bite. As for it being a treat style smoke it has a bit to be desired. One big negative is that it is a very moist tobacco and should be dried for a bit to cut down on the goop.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2010-12-24		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I got a tin of this about 2-3 weeks ago. The tin aroma is nice it comes farily moist so it took a few lights to get it going. But when i tryed it i hated it!!!, i couldnt even finsh the bowl just gross. Yesterday i thought i'd give a second chance. Packed my bowl gave it a good ligt and wow!. It was awsome a nice mild cool smoking and great smelling blend. I thought i tasted some vanilla in the background. This is a great aromactic tobacco, i dont know why i hated this 2 weeks ago. I do use matches so maybe i didnt let the sulfur burn off. When said and done its a great aromatic all day smoke.

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