Tobaccos Mac Baren - Rum & Maple

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tleek (51)	2011-08-16		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I really enjoy this tobacco. I was expecting an intensely aromatic blend, but that is not what this blend is at all. There is a very odd but good tobacco taste, i mean you could tell this is an otc blend but it has a very odd but delicious taste, mostly burey, a little va and a little bit of taste from the topping. No rum really, but a little spiciness.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DenizBeck (323)	2017-06-28		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium	Pleasant

Rum and Maple was a real surprise to me the first time I smoked it. I bought this, because it was cheap and my father started out pipe smoking and I thought we can share the pouch. In the past I hestitated for a long time before buying this. At first i thought I wouldn't like rum toppings, but after I like Salty Dogs Plug, as well as Navy Flakes with rum that concern was gone. But Plante is very infamous here, known for making the most chemical and nasty tobaccos...so it took a while before I stuggeld through buying this blend.

R&M somehow is the exception under the Planta blends! Upon opening the very well and classy designed pouch (which is a pleasure for itself to me!) you get greeted by a rather chemical, yet bearable and intriguing scent of maple, that's accompanied by a citruys-fresh and slightly sour-tangy scent of what's supposed to be the "Rum". It doesn't smell like real rum to me, yet the smell from the pouch is inviting and even tho it's artificial, I find it to be not too aritficial. They managed to find the sweet spot here.

The ribbons look beautiful with colours ranging from golden-orange (Virginias), to brown (Burleys) and black (Cavendish). Easy to pack, easy to light, not a problem to keep lit. The pouch comes in perfect condition to smoke right away.

On first light I got greeted by a intense maple flavour, accompanied by the "Rum"-flavouring, which provides citrusy-sour, slighty spicy and fresh notes. I also perceive a slightly floral aroma. At first the flavouring is a bit overpowering to me, but it tames after a few puffs. The flavouring is consistent throughout the smoke, yet it leaves (some) room for the tobacco to contribute some notes to this composition. The added flavouring is the star player, which is supported by the tobacco. The Burley delivers a rich aroma of nuts, molasses and a gentle spice. The Virginias are rather tamed to me and support the citrusy-sour flavour of the Rum-topping with it's lemonlike, tangy notes. The black Cavendish contributes hints of vanilla and enrich the mixture with a fermented aroma.

Usually I prefer blends, where the tobacco dominates when smoking aromated toabaccos (which isn't very often), yet somehow this blend simply works as it is! Even tho the flavouring seems overpowering at the begining it slowly lessens and reaches a moderate and pleasant strenght.

Rum and Maple is rather mild, with not much of nicotine, so it's very suitable for beginners, whom like a aromated and mild smoke. Yet be aware, this is a full-grown aromatic, if you want pure tobacco this isn't your choice. If you're looking for an interesting (full-grown) aromatic, like maple and/or rum - this is a go-to blend for you.

Now I know the reason, why this tobacco does exist for this long - it's uncomplicated, widely available and even tho it's pretty artificial, it's simply palatable. Really not the climax of tobacco blending, but a solid smoke, which can be enjoyed all-day and also provides a pleasing room note.

3/4 stars for a surprisingly good classic blend. Not a tobacco I smoke every day, not even every week. But definetly a tobacco I'll happily come back to by times and enjoy a nice bowl of it, when I have a sweet tooth!

Pipe Used: Clay Pipes

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Hemlock (69)	2014-06-02		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

This review is based on the Planta Tobak version, German in a 100g tin. Nice everyday all-day smoke. Not a goopy aromatic at all. In fact, very neutral, natural tobacco, with a nice aroma for bystanders (this is an important point to consider for the modern day smoker). Primarily has a tobacco taste with a touch of sweetness from casing and topping. Although I can't say it is explicitly rum and maple, it satisfies the smoker with nicotine along with aroma and flavor that adds a dimension. Clearly, this is NOT cheap tobacco hidden by flavourings.. It is good quality tobacco from my observation, in texture and flavor. Good for a quick smoke in a small bowl. Texture is nice - relatively large cut blend, easy to pack and will burn a full bowl on its own without more than a couple re-lights if you ignore the pipe from time to time. I would buy this again.

Pipe Used: Dr. Grabow

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: German Tobacconist

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3048)	2014-07-26		Mild	Medium	Mild	Pleasant

The rum was a minor player at best; never really tasted it that much, as it was subdued by the light maple topping. The Virginia was grassy with a touch of citrus, and the burley was slightly nutty, wood, and earthy, taking a small lead. Hardly had any nicotine. The strength and taste levels were mild. It always burned a little fast, and had a tendency to bite unless you sipped it as you smoked. The flavor was fairly consistent. Left a little moisture in the bowl, and needed an average number of relights. Had a decent, short lived after taste. Was an all day smoke.

Update 5-7-2019: I smoked the 1950s version, made by the Rum & Maple Tobacco Company according to the tin. The freshly opened tin provided moist tobacco. The nutty, earthy, woody burley was a little more prominent in this version than in later productions. The Virginia was grassy with some citrus as a secondary player. The maple was a little more obvious than the rum, and both toppings tone down the tobaccos to a moderate extent. No bite. Light on the nicotine. Mild tasting, clean and cool with a very consistent flavor that translated to the short lived after taste. Left little dampness in the bowl, and made an easy gong all day smoke. I give three and a half stars to this particular mixture.

-JimInks

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2009-08-04		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

My review notes that I've wrote down, dates early 2003. After that date I didn't give this tobacco another chance. I couldn't finish a tin of 100gr. A sweet taste, hot burning, nothing about rum, nor maple. Just a flavored sweet, and cheap aromatic tobacco.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	constantsmoker (65)	2007-10-30		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

A very pleasant Burley and Virginia combination at an affordable price. This has been a mainstay tobacco for many smokers (including myself) over the years. R&M may not have much evidence of either rum or maple, but it is an appealing, light aromatic that makes for a great, every day smoke. Remember, just because it is sold in a drug or variety store does not make it 'bad', tobacco snobs notwithstanding. You could do far worse.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Italo Svevo (26)	2020-11-21		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Considering the pace at which pipe tobacco recipes and brands change their owners and manufacturers, checking the latest reviews is always a good norm, since those with more likes can be often outdated. This old recipe is not produced by the German Planta factory anymore, rather by Mac Baren, although still in a factory in Berlin as it seems. As is often the case lately, MB is doing a good job keeping old brands alive (e.g. Capstan, Amphora etc.). This is not a Danish-style aromatic, rather an American/Dutch-style mixture. The aromas of molasses, maple, vanilla are quite distinct, but do not overwhelm the earthy burley taste. Requires an average number of relights, and never burns or tickles the tongue. Overall a mild and spicy allrounder, sold in Germany at a very reasonable price and in virtually every tobacconist with pipe mixtures.

Similar Blends: Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) - Park Lane No.7.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	brusaerba (8)	2022-02-03		Mild	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

A very nice Virginia/Burley/Cavendish mix with a pleasantly sweet rum note. I can't really tell always it's maple syrup but... The flavor is pleasant and the room note too. It smokes slow and doesn't bite. I smoke it from time to time and it is definitely one of those I'd buy again.

Pipe Used: straight billiard

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: Online store

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2003-04-04		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I figured I might as well give this a try after reading Eulenburg's review. And I was indeed surprised.

The pouch aroma was very nice without being too sweet. The rough cut tobacco was more dry than moist. That too, was a good sign.

Upon lighting, I did detect some sort of flavoring but I sure never would guess Rum or Maple. It tasted mostly like Burley tobacco -- and while not world class Burley, it certainly wasn't bitter. Well, it did make me pucker a bit toward the bottom of the bowl, but nothing I couldn't live with.

Cheap and good!

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	North State (72)	2020-03-27		Mild	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Finally an alcohol-laced blend that lives up to the promise.

Having met a few cheap brands that claim to be spiced up with a type liquor and then said liquor being nowhere to be found, this was a pleasant surprise. Rum and maple, they said, and both are there in abundance; opening the pouch and taking a good sniff gives a heady scent of rum, instantly making one want a Mojito or Cuba Libre to go along with the bowl. The taste does not betray this promise either, the maple sweetenening the rum as both complement each other nicely, and the choice of tobaccoes (burley and cavendish) has been successful too as this concerto plays well together indeed. Smoke a bit on the lighter side, lights up and burns well with few relights required, but it does have the tendency to bite a bit if you push it as you imagine palm trees in the Caribbean swaying in unison with the maples of Canada. (And HA! As it indeed shows in the pouch art :D)

Overall a smooth, satisfying aromatic blend with character, but the main character does come from the tobacco blend and not the aromatics. Will definitely buy again, given chance.

(I'm resisting the temptation to list this is as "similar to" Caravelle simply because both are (or, in the case of Caravelle, claim to be) rum-enhanced because that would do no justice to R&M at all.)

Pipe Used: various

Age When Smoked: Fresh from pouch

Purchased From: Souvenir shop in Prora, Rügen Germany

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BROBS (67)	2017-08-09		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is a not-too-overly-cased aromatic that allows the tobacco flavoring to shine. For the price, I don't know if you can get a better aromatic that's so widely available in Europe. Does have a bit of natural sourness to it, maybe it's the rum? Maybe the tobacco? I can taste the Maple for sure and it has a pleasing aroma to the masses. I wish we could get this one here.. not sure why we get so many other Planta offerings but not this one which is in my opinion their best? Burns well but can burn hot if you puff way too hard. I would buy it again but I'm not going to fly to Germany to get it!

Pipe Used: Vauens, MMs

Age When Smoked: direct from tin, also pouched. 6 mos

Purchased From: Tabak Sommer Megastore Munich http://www.tabak-sommer.de/

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2011-12-20		Mild	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

The maple is the predominant flavor here; the rum is very subtle. A very enjoyable aromatic. Lights and burns well right out of the pouch. I would buy it again.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	whitebriar (31)	2010-07-28		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

this is basically a burley tobacco--if you are a consumer of English or Vapers blends, and compare everything to those tobaccos, don't bother with R & M--you may as well stop reading--

if there is any aroma of rum at all it is very light--i find no real maple aroma--whatever casing that is used is very light--just a slightly sweet taste upon lighting up--the tobacco is pretty dry in the tub--about one quarter way down the bowl, the burley really begins to shine--

it packs well and burns right to the bottom of the bowl--NO GOOP--

it has a robust burley taste--those who grew into adulthood smoking the codger blends will most likely enjoy it--this is not a blend with a large assembly of flavors waiting to be discovered--what you taste is what you get--it is an easy blend to enjoy regularly, if not all day long--easy to smoke; no fuss keeping it lit--

if you are a burley man, try it; you'll like it--

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2009-02-24		Very Mild	Medium	Very Mild	Tolerable

Okay so I say not recommended, but I recommend it to. I recommend this to a new pipe smoker. I loved this tobacco when I started smoking a pipe. It seemed flavorful and the room note was decent. I would have kept this as an every day smoke. However I have been spoiled with very good tobaccos from MacBaren, Esoterica, McClelland, Dunhill, Butera, and Orlik. Since then this tobacco went down the toilet.

Today I find it burns to hot, the flavors once there seem very subtle now. The tobacco causes more pipe juice than most that I have smoked. Today I would go for something else that is for sure. However I still recommended it to a new pipe smoker as an introduction to aromatics. My Personal note Rating is a 3.1 I try to keep some around because it was my early favorit but I doubt I'll smoke a bowl more than once a month.

I have also done a video review of this tobacco. view it at

http://www.myspace.com/elemental_pipes

http://www.youtube.com

just search Lane Limited's Rum And Maple

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	jankoez (69)	2008-09-28		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild	Pleasant

I must confess - I purchased this blend simply because I have smoked it once some 25 years ago, when it was at that time quite rare in my part of the World. Then it was something different... But today it is good looking, nice smelling tobacco without any thrill in smoking. Pleasant memories turn into big disappointment.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Buster Bluth (56)	2006-03-24		Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

I keep a couple of little "Bent Bobs" and "Cobs" and a can of Rum and Maple in my desk at work. It is light, fragrant and makes friends easy. I'm a young single guy that smokes a pipe. This is seen as rare and weird by the uninformed. However, Rum and Maple is a lady killer as far as pipes tobaccos go. Non-smokers and cig smokers like to be around and describe the aroma as like toasted marshmallows. Furthermore, I've gotten new pipers in my age group started with a ziplock of this stuff

In the comfort of my home, I'll have a Churchwarden full of something English from a tin, or a bulldog with something Flaked and Virginian. At work or in the car, it's Rum and Maple. When fishing or woodworking, it's Granger. Complex hobby, isn't it??? However, I can't be snobby, and buy what works.

It's not a complicated tobacco. However the casing isn't over the top and you get some good tobacco flavor. It's relatively dry and doesn't goop. It's become a "go to" for me in the past year.

I found it interesting that this was once advertised containing Syrian Latakia. I did my own little mising experiment, and a little smokiness beefs it up, althougfh it does just fine by itself.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Eulenburg (193)	2003-01-02		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

A most agreeable surprise.

I paid all of $2 for a one-and-three-eigths-ounce packet of this old stand-by, and fully enjoyed it!

There is some large, bright leaf, and a somewhat darker, broken-cake, tan leaf. I also see something darker still, probably air-cured Kentucky burley.

The Kentucky gives this a bit of oomph down below, but mostly I taste something that reminds me of roasted peanuts. Our esteemed "Morleysson" would probably call it "the real taste of tobacco", by which I guess he means the taste of burley: buttery-smooth burley, in this case. I taste no rum or maple, just a gentle, plain-spoken, well-balanced American blend.

This is one of the best-kept secrets of the country store byways, and, unless you are totally bigoted against such products, you ought to try RUM & MAPLE. You won't regret it.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WorkingClassChap (197)	2021-10-07		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Smoking now:

This looks and smells like an old school burley aromatic. If your grandpa smoked a pipe this might have been in it. Moisture is fine. Comes in tan ribbons that smell like burley tobacco and sort of like rum and maple syrup.

The taste is mainly burley. I’m sensitive to burley so I’m going to have a negative bias towards this. Has that old time codger feel that I associate burley blends with. Does have a nice molasses, woody, earthy, nutty flavor that is sweet with mild hints of maple on the retrohale. The rum is the dominant top flavor and it’s enjoyable. I definitely noticed the rum. I did enjoy it however I wouldn’t go back to it.

All and all it’s not bad. I smoked this very slow because this would bite me. Very front porch during the fall sort of vibe from the blend. If you like burley aromatics then I would very much recommend.

Pipe Used: Briar

Purchased From: Local BnM

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Rohann (16)	2020-01-09		Medium	Medium	Mild	Pleasant

A wonderful blend. Among all the reviews, the flavouring is noted to not be overwhelming at all. I myself only get the maple part of it in the pouch note as well as the taste, yet the room note is a healthy mix of both the rum and maple.

Packs easily, burns a tad bit hot (for the beginner I was at the time) and stays lit fairly well. All these elements are highly uplifted when blended with other tobaccos, something I highly suggest when it comes to this blend. It goes well with a surprising amount of other tobaccos.

Pipe Used: Dr Macnab Selected Briar

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Spar

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Briar Piper (89)	2018-12-06		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

They used to sell this, and a few other drug store blends at the local grocery store when I was in my early 20's. It was very lightly flavored, and had a pretty strong tongue bite, if not sipped very slowly.

The tobacco was alright beneath the toppings, but nothing to write home about.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Room Note Professor (44)	2010-07-11		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Despite being discontinued in the US, this blend is still available in a number of countries.

I was pleasantly surprised after buying a pouch on a whim. I tried this tobacco a long time ago in my first weeks of pipe smoking and found it extremely bitey, irrespective of how slowly I smoked. I also found it too lacking in sweetness. Today, as a somewhat more experienced piper, the bite has turned into a pleasant, tangy mouthfeel and the lack of sweetness has turned into a positive.

The smell in the pouch is of burley, raisins, oranges, sherry and earth. Despite its name, this is not a rum cased tobacco. Once lit, the taste is of tobacco mixed with a non-sweet, almost spicy or incensy maple. This is a very unique taste.

The room note is old fashioned and manly. The tobacco aroma mixes well with the spicy maple; the tobacco aroma doesn't disappear as with, for example, Dan's Blue Note or Peterson's Sunset Breeze. A lot of non-smokers like it despite the fact that Rum & Maple is not ashamed of being a tobacco.

A little tidbit: Rum & Maple is the trademark tobacco of Thabo Mbeki, former president of South Africa.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	doc'spipe (242)	2009-12-29		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I smoked this during my early days of pipe smoking (over 33 years now) and was not impressed. No taste of either rum or maple and no tobacco taste for that matter. The reason I am reviewing this is that it has been said to be discontinued by Lane Ltd. However, while perusing the Dan Tobacco Catalog, I noticed it is listed (page 96) and available through them for those who are so inclined. The tin description is clearly the same, but is fancier than what we have been used to here in the USA.

Here's the link to the Dan Pipe website: http://www.danpipe.de

Go to the right and click on "English help." You will be directed to a page where you can download their entire catalog - a whopping 180 pages! Even when the Tinderbox produced their gorgeous full-colored catalogs back in the 80's, they weren't as good as Dan's. For all serious pipers, Dan's catalog is a gift! You won't be disappointed.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SopwithCamel (255)	2006-07-16		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I first tried this blend years ago, when I could buy it at local drug store. I remember if you bought the big tin, it would smoke a bit sharp until it dried out a bit, which was a common phenomenon with the OTC blends

I find the taste and aroma to be delightful. It is exquisite with a cup of good coffee. It smokes quite dry as well.

An amazing aside: If you go to the excellent site pipepages.com, you will find that this blend once contained Syrian Latakia! This should give us all an idea of how these old blends may have changed over the years!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RobbieZA (12)	2021-06-04		Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

One of my favourites! When you open the package you get a sweet smelling tobacco. I and smell the rum and maybe a little bit of peach... Smooth smoke, it does not scratch your throat at all. No tongue bite either. I enjoyed this with a glass of sherry and was very impressed. This was perhaps one of the first tobaccos I tried, once again recommended by my local tobacconist.Easy to light and doesn't go out when you don't want it to and there is no bad aftertaste either!

This tobacco can be enjoyed every day or kept for Sunday afternoons (special occasions). I think this is a good edition to anyone's humidor!

Side Note : I have also mixed this tobacco with Jock (popular South African brand) and it is a wonderful mix!

Pipe Used: Angelo & Falcon

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Tobacco City Klerksdorp

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	MJG (17)	2017-02-19		Very Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Leaf: Ribbon cut, dark gold and brown, much more Burley than Va, moist in the tin and definitely wanting drying time. 10 seconds in the microwave wrapped in a paper towel dried a bowl out for me just fine. Smelled amazing when heated up too.

Tin Aroma: This was great, not really rum like...or maple like either. It did smell like a fruit cake or some sort of sweet Christmas pudding or similar, maybe a little maple which gave it the sweetness, but no rum that I could detect. The tobacco itself is nice and it definitely smells like quality leaf, I don’t typically smoke Aros so the topping aroma may seem more powerful to me than it actually is. It smelled like I could eat it out of the tin as a dessert, I may still try this in an effort to see if there is any actual flavor in there.

Taste: Sadly not a lot to say here, very little if any of the aroma comes over with the taste, the tobacco itself is fresh and has no nasty tastes or unexpected difference to the usual Codger blends with Bu or Va, The burley is nutty and bready, the Va’s are noticeable and fresh and grassy, but nothing shines here, it is a little sweet presumably from the maple topping, no rum that I could find. I cannot say there is anything wrong with this blend, there just isn’t anything particularly good about it. If it was flavored more strongly it could be great.

Smokability: Mine has been in the tin since Xmas day and is still wet despite being opened constantly for me to take bowls out, definitely benefits from some drying time. Not very nice when smoked wet, so avoid it as usual. When it’s dry it packs easy, lights easy, stays lit, and surprisingly doesn’t bite at all if you smoke sensibly. Very easy to smoke and a fine all day blend if you don’t want to get mentally invested in your smoke.

Summary: Nothing to write home about but nothing to complain about either. This blend is as middle of the road as it comes, which is a shame, if it was flavored more it would be great, if the tobacco taste was more pronounced, it would be great. As it is, both are pretty unremarkable. The room note and tin note are great though, no denying that. Easy all day smoke for mindless bowls while you plod around doing things or just need a quick smoke, short of that I can’t see a reason to smoke it. I’m not an aro smoker but I don’t think there is enough flavor here to appeal to you if you are, and there isn’t enough of anything else going for it to recommend it to anyone else. I am sure the number of bulk “Rum and Maples” out there from any number of companies would be as good as or better than this if you were inclined to have some.

I will happily finish this tin as the kind of OTC you use when you are in a jam, but look forward to getting back to better tobaccos.

WOULD RATE 1.5 STARS IF POSSIBLE

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2012-03-22		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

i like this tobacco but it was much to mild and did not have enough flavor. i did not get a hint of maple but it tasted nice enough and didn't bite so overall its very mediocre.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	paulw (76)	2010-06-11		Mild	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

I got excited about trying this.I bought a can smoked the can, bought another. Slowed down long enough for the second purchase to actually notice that I didn't like the finish and the after taste

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2010-05-09		Mild	Medium	Mild	Very Pleasant

As I begin to graduate out of the Aromatics, sometimes I just need to take a step back to simpler times of the pipe when I was still just a newbie at the whole game. This reminds me of my first smoke, and I'm pretty sure it was.

The flavor begins with only hints of sweetness at the very beginning of the bowl, and as time goes on the casing burns off and the flavor becomes a nutty-dry flavor that while pleasant, is not what I'm looking for in a pipe any more. It didn't bite, but it didn't really appeal to me either.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2009-02-07		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

= Lane Limited ceased production of this blend, along with various others, in July 2008. Whatever you see left in stock is all there is. =

Original Review: This blend packs and lights like most drug store tobaccos. It is sweet and the rum flavoring is very evident. It smokes "ok" but packs some horrid tongue bite. It may be suitable as a mixing component, but on it's own the sweetness of the flavoring used and resulting tongue bite is far too intense for me.

There is a reason that a tin still sits on the shelf at my local smoke shop even though it was discontinued several months ago.

Update:

I bought a tin of this that sat on the tobacco shop shelf for a long time hoping that it would serve well as a blending agent, knowing that smoking it by itself is a hot, bitey mess. In the end, I found this blend's true purpose. Mixing it with on to two parts Prince Albert provides a bite free and flavorful smoke that is very enjoyable. I suspect that any ribbon or rough cut burley may provide the same results, although I only tried it with PA. Upgraded to three stars for it's blending attributes.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CornCob (94)	2009-02-01		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Well Ive always loved this brand and im sad to here it has been discontinued. I find it packs very well in the pipe and stays lit all the way to the bottom. To me this mixture blends well with almost anything and is great by itself(it says something similar on the can)In my opinion you have to be a drugstore aficianado to apprecaite this blend. I always have some on hand amd find my self craving it a couple times a week.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Loboatomy (41)	2009-01-15		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I had smoked many a pouch this a few years ago when I was still learning how to smoke a pipe and formulating my preferences and I remember liking it but not being overly enthused secondary to it's "blandness" compared to some of the other tobaccos I was smoking then it sort of "dropped off the radar" and I wasn't able to find it in any of my local stores. I then moved onto other things and trod softly in the world of the virginias, made the leap to perique and fell in love with a black lady named Latakia...

However, I was browsing through a tobacconist a few towns over who had several packages on the shelf and I picked up two of them on a whim and tossed them onto the "drugstore pile" for later evaluation. My father happened to be over tonight and noticed one of the packages sitting in my tobacco nook and marvelled at it for a minute...turns out good old Blend #53 was his favorite pipeweed during WWII when he served as a merchant mariner in the pacific. He stopped smoking a pipe shortly after the war was over and re-started again in the late 70's at which time he moved on to "bigger and better" things. Of course, I broke it open, dad hauled out his big Grabow and we lit up.

To be candid, I took a two year long hiatus from pipesmoking from which I am emerging after a change in career/living arrangement etc. It's a wonderful experience to re-experience all of the tastes emerging from the tobaccos that I've had stashed away for all this time, but what is equally as interesting is that the break has enabled me to pinpoint more clearly my likes and dislikes in a way I wasn't able to when "in the jungle" of sampling and smoking many different types and styles of tobacco during a given week.

I've realized that I love the "American burley drugstore blends" even more than I thought I had before, and Rum and Maple turned out to be excellent on my second trip around. Only a slight hint of flavoring, mostly noticed as aroma when opening the pouch, the tobacco gravity filled the small Kaywoodie prince I had chosen (burleys smoke best out of a narrow bowl that is more tall than wide)and tamped with ease.The tobacco was at the perfect humidity and seemed to be mostly a cube type cut with a few stringy pieces thrown in, all golden brown to umber in color. Lighting was easy and positive, and the first couple of puffs contain a wonderfully light, "boozy" perfume that is more smelled than tasted. No hint of maple was apparent to me, but there is a discreet rummy note throughout which complements well the creamy nutty aroma of burley. From there, the tobacco burns well, and when smoked lightly gets neither wet, hot nor "bitey" though it does burn quicker than one might expect. As is characteristic with these types of tobacco, it got a bit "brash" towards the last 1/4 bowl at which point I usually do the dump. Burleys seem to be so low in natural sugar that they don't stove in the bottom of the bowl as do virginias and most of the casing dissipates during the preceeding 3/4 of the bowl making the ending harsh. At $2.50/pouch I feel that this is a worthwhile sacrifice.

I smoked two bowls of this tonight, and the now opened pouch will ride in my pocket tomorrow for further evaluation.If I like these two pouches as much as I did the smoke I had tonight I'll be purchasing a tin of this (also stocked by this same tobacconist) sometime soon. My father stated that after almost 60 years he really couldn't recall how similar it was to what he used to smoke back then (he's a confirmed McClelland man these days), but he liked it well enough and packed himself another big bowl "for the morning" before he left.

Could this be the proverbial "all day smoke"? Possibly, it's light, inexpensive and easy enough with a decent bit of nicotine, but I suspect that this will take a place in my "drugstore" rotation along with Middletons Cherry Blend, Revelation, Prince Albert, Hickory and Granger all of which I find myself leaning towards during this second incarnation as a pipesmoker.

Recommended, if you can find it...

UPDATE 1/15/09: Hickory is all but gone--a sad loss of a peculiarly american flavored burley. Now it's getting harder and harder for me to find this stuff and I fear that it's next on the list. I hadn't smoked it in probably a year so I opened a fresh pouch the other day and loaded a nice deep billiard and went for a drive. Still nice, still that whisping nuance of maple through most of the bowl. It's amazing how once you get onto a real burley kick that you start really noticing the delicacy of the flavors in these blends. Still reccommended.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BigSwede (93)	2009-01-14		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Update I acquired a couple of no name canadians with large bowls this summer and noted that most of the codger burleys smoked very well in them (i.e. SWR, PA, etc). I recently dug out my tin of R&M, purchased over a year ago and tried it in the simpler pipes. VERY different smoking experienc. The flavor increases and while difficult to describe (almost but not quite sweet, smooth, kinda "marshmallowy") is more definite. Mostly its a pleasant burley base that seems to come through. These blends were developed, I think, for guys who smoked drugstore pipes and I think R&M smokes better in them. I'll be smoking this regularly.

Previous review: This is a pleasant, inoffensive and comfortable smoke. Like some of the other reviewers I found the flavor milder (from the 14 oz tin) than expected. Couldn't detect any rum and maybe found somethiing "mapley". I find it difficult to describe the flavoring. Some have compared it to Capt Black and while in the same ballpark, I found the R&M flavoring milder and less obtrusive. Burned a little fast but dry. I will smoke a pipeful of this from time to time and will enjoy it in that context, but it's not a tobacco thats likely to produce enthusiasm. If you enjoy mildly flavored burley mixes, its worth a try.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2008-03-19		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I should point out that the version of this I am reviewing is made under license in the EU. Packaging is the same though - orange pouch, tin or can.

I am really pleased with this tobacco. For a non-aromatic all day smoke I normally smoke Gold Block (a UK burley blend) and fancied trying some other burley blends. This is a good, straight tobacco with a hint of either honey or maple syrup in the pouch. I couldn't really detect any rum in either the aroma or taste. Whilst smoking it is fairly smooth and inoffensive with the faint hint of apples that I associate with burley blends. I reckon it possibly could bite if you puff really hard but it's not an issue for me as I use 9mm filter pipes. You can really switch off whilst smoking it which is why it is so popular I guess. I've been smoking it a lot.

Love the slogan on the pouch - "Men like its flavor. Women love its aroma"

Given it's low price I may be buying more of this.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	mo (81)	2007-08-10		Mild	Mild	Mild	Tolerable

This tobacco is a very honest product. I tried it when I bought my first pipe and never liked it because I was yet to learn the art of packing, tamping etc. For some reason I bought a pouch a few weeks ago and really do not regret it.It is not over flavoured, its not drop dead delicious, its just perfect for smoking when you cannot decide what to put in your pipe. I like to think of it as the tabak version of your little run around vehicle or old pair of really comfortable jeans... you get the picture. It does actually mix really well, 50% RAM and 50% Rhodesian makes for a no fuss smoke. Regards to Pipestud, Namaste to Pipepundit and greetings wise Eulenburg, you guys help me make great tobacco choices, ps Eulenburg, I love University Flake, lol. Mo, South Africa. tbd@polka.co.za

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2007-07-06		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I have smoked Rum and Maple for years, and I always have this blend around. It is mild burns clean, and has a hint of maple. Can be smoked all day long as I often do. I think the only way you can buy this is in 14OZ cans, so if you dont like it you are stuck with a lot of tobacco. This is a old standby blend that I really enjoy, try some.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2004-03-24		Very Mild	Extremely Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant to Tolerable

I tried a pouch of Rum & Maple a while back.

Moisture was OK, packed easily. Lit well. Pouch aroma was mild, again, no hint of rum or maple.

While smoking, I didn't detect anything to suggest the rum, but every now and then I did catch a bit of what could have been maple. Not enough to say for sure.

It smoked well, didn't bite, and didn't leave the bowl all goopy.

My wife said it was very mild to her, sitting in the car with me, but she didn't detect much of an aromatic scent either.

This tobacco didn't do anything to offend me, but it didn't do anything to make me want to go out and buy more either.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2003-07-18		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Not even nostalgia, which is as good a reason as any to like a tobacco, can help me with Rum and Maple. The stuff simply sears my throat. I don't suppose this experience is common--Rum and Maple has, after all, gotten some decent reviews here--but this tobacco might as well be laced with phosphorous so far as my throat is concerned. No stars.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2002-09-23		Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium	Tolerable

This was offered to me as a repacement to my beloved Edgeworth slices. Which is no longer availble in the UK due EEC rules on casings. Not really anything like but in the same style I suppose, rum flavored tobacco and thats it.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2010-04-30		Extremely Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I haven't had the honor of experiencing a grandiose amount of tobacco yet in my lifetime, but this stuff just seems to leave a want for something deeper. It yields a somewhat dry, nutty smoke (not rum or maple as the description reads), but it smells absolutely wonderful both in the bag and in the air. An excellent choice for beginners, as it is both mild and won't leave as much of a wet dottle in the bowl compared to Lane's 1Q. Overall, it has a somewhat flat flavor, but what flavor is present is definitely not unpleasant. Be wary of the occasional tongue bite!

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2008-10-18		Very Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Cheap tobacco but the Price/Value rate is enough good.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2008-08-21		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is another House of Westminster/Larus/Lane Limited blend. It has been around since 1937. Back then, on the package, it stressed " Not too Sweet " and it's still like that today. This is a very mild, tasty, buttery like, soft smoke. Excellent aroma. It's predominatly a Burley base, with a little VA mixed in. This is another " Good Old Blend ". A Codger Burley! Soft but Satifying. I like this tobacco. 4 Stars in my book! Nostalgia and A good smoke, rolled into one. Good Nic Kick to Boot too!

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2008-02-10		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild	Tolerable

Its perfume is very nice without being very sweet. The rough tobacco is drier than liquid. That was also a good sign. I felt a very aromatic taste but definitely I wouldn?t guess that there was rum or maple if it was not written on it. Cheap and good. That says it all.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2007-07-11		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Oddly named tobacco, as it tastes of neither rum nor maple.

This is a fairly benign blend that smells pretty good.

If your choices are limited to drugstore offerings, you could do worse than this one but I wouldn't buy it again.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2007-03-02		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Funny how things run in circles. This was the first pipe tobacco I ever smoked back when I was 15. My mom was in the next room and I was sure she wouldn't smell it (oh the ignorance of youth)so I sat back with my feet on the desk and filled the room with thick clouds of Rum and Maple smoke. Guess what, she smelled it. I recently saw a tin at a local tobacco store and since the burley monkey is firmly on my back, I thought I'd buy some just for old time sake. Lately I've been smoking a lot of Carter Hall. I must confess that the taste of the two is somewhat similar. The nutty, bread type taste of the burley is pronounced in both blends but I find R&M to be a bit more cased and a bit sweeter. I've adopted it as my breakfast blend and a good one it is. Like most of the old school burley blends, if you're looking for sophistication don't bother. It's a satisfying, no frills smoke that is very user friendly and a good general purpose blend. It's generally easy to pack, light and smoke but I found it a bit bitey if agressively smoked or loosely packed. The rum and maple casing is understated at best, there's a sweet somewhat fragrant something there that cannot be easily identified as either rum nor maple but it's not unpleasant and overall it is very tasty and satisfying. Contrary to the name, it is not an aromatic blend and is dry down to the last smoke. no goop no aftertaste just a good serviceable old burley. You either love it or hate it and I love it

Update 03/02/07: Rum and Maple is not a daily smoke for me but when I'm in the mood for it it is still very good. For a fantastic hybrid mix it 1:1 with BLWAB. Now that's the poo! A really good semi-aromatic with a real nice room not and an overall fantastic smoke

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Philo Beddoe (221)	2006-11-15		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

This is a decent Burley based aromatic, nothing to get excited about, just a rather plain tobacco. It has a decent room aroma and the flavor in the pipe is sort of tasty for the first few puffs. Try this if you enjoy Captain Black Gold.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2006-05-28		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Of all of the drugstore blends I have smoked, this is definitely one of the most smokable. It smokes cool, tastes great and has real tobacco flavor that isn't overly masked by the rum and maple casing. Most of all, the price is right. $14.00 for a 14 ounce tin. The only downside is that is is aromatic and bites, thus not a good candidate for an all-day smoke.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2005-04-20		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is not my favorite cheap tobacco with this taste, I like the one from Dreamcastle a little better. I am not fond of its smell and I find it a little rough of a smoke. Interesting on occassion.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Spike (296)	2005-02-17		Mild	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Strong

There are a number of blends called "Rum & Maple". I can't find a pouch of the original anywhere in the western U.S. The big cans are available through the mail but I don't want 14 ounces until I can try a sample. The bulk versions I have tried are both "pancake syrup" types.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2004-10-29		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

As a new smoker, I found this blend to be right up my alley. I've tried several OTC blends and this is by far one of my favorites. I tried Captain Black first and was nearly choked by the strong vanilla and gooky residue. For a new pipe smoker I would recomend this stuff, as a 14oz can is only 16.99!

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2003-12-01		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

An honest smoke, seems to be mostly a dry burley. I'm not really sure if there really is any topping at all or if this is just the blends of the tobaccos. Well behaved in the pipe, but it needs to be smoked low and slow.

This is a decent smoke, and I will enjoy the rest of the pouch on occasion, but I am looking for something with some real honest maple taste, and this really isn't it. For a good maple favor, I prefer House of Windsor's "Mapleton."

Two stars, as much as for what it isn't as well as far was it is.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2003-04-02		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Rum and Maple is a robust American blend. Its simplicity and richness is a sharp contrast to my usual cavendish. Although I detected no rum and I have doubts that any maple is present, I appreciated this tobacco's honesty. The sharpness of flavor inspired me to experiment mixing with mellow cavendishes; yielding a pleasant, deep smoke. That which makes Rum and Maple a suitable mixer is what will make this tobacco only an occasional treat for me. If you've got a lonely weekend to burn, alleviate your boredom with a mixing marathon; you are sure to discover a satisfying new blend.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2002-10-09		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is one beautiful old tobacco. Another childhood smoke of mine. Original Blend No.53

No berry blast. No smothering in vanilla. No choking on chocolate. Just a light hint of something in the background. I reckon it's the maple? I can't detect the rum.

A nice smooth burley. This stuff never did get sour or bitter. It never did smoke wet. No gurgles.

Refer to Eulenburg's review above. He's given this blend justice where justice is due.

I paid $2.09 for mine.

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