Tobaccos Mac Baren - Golden Blend

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2007-06-28		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

This is a favorite of mine in the MacBaren line. It is not too sweet and has a nice tobacco taste. Perhaps a bit bland for regular consumption on my part, but a nice change of pace.

One of the best tips I received regarding smoking Mac Baren's blends is to "take your time and puff slowly." A terrific article on Mac Baren's appears in the Summer 2007 issue of Pipes and Tobaccos Magazine. Most of these blends are extremely popular the world over due to the quality of the leaf and the attention to detail regarding curing methods and the cut of the leaf. Mac Baren's is one of the largest blending houses in the world and they obviously take pride in their product.

Again, as I find to be the case with most MacBaren tobaccos, a slow burn is necessary to get the most out of Golden Extra. It is nicely rubbed and will pack easily in any size pipe. Since the flavor and strength are not overwhelming, fire it up in a big Ben Wade or some other Danish freehand and enjoy a long, slow and flavorful smoke.

18 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3046)	2015-09-25		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

The burleys offer earth, wood, nuts with light sharp notes, molasses and a lightly more obvious chocolate as the lead component. The Virginia provides a bit of grass, tart and tangy citrus, and light bread and sugar as a secondary player. It acts mainly as a cooling base to contrast and smooth out the burleys. The mild honey comes from the Virginia. The chocolate and sugar toppings tone down the tobaccos just a little. The strength is mild, and the taste is a couple of steps past that mark. Has very little nicotine. It needs to be puffed moderately to avoid a slight warmness to the tongue, but it won't bite. Has a few minute rough edges. Burns fairly cool and clean at a reasonable pace with a very consistent flavor. Leaves virtually no moisture in the bowl. Requires an average number of relights. An uncomplicated all day smoke that does the job you require with a short lived, pleasant after taste and room note. Three and a half stars.

-JimInks

15 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jaybee (77)	2007-12-05		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Although burley blends are not my favorite, I am a big fan of MacBaren's burley. Although GE can smoke hot, I usually don't have a probem with being bitten. Golden Extra is easy to light and the flavor is full so I don't have to puff too hard to be satisfied. The taste is dark, nutty and creamy. For burleys lovers, and maybe even some that aren't, this is an excellent choice.

ADDENDUM: For those of you who like this blend, but have problems with bite, I have found that if you rub this into thin strands and pack it loosely, the burn and flavor are enhanced while the tendency to bite decreases dramtically - Excellent

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Patryk Georgevitch (11)	2013-09-20		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I have a pouch of Golden Blend, and I have been quite hesitant to smoke it. It has been on my deck for more than a year. Something made me go for it, and I must say: what a surprise! Strong burley presence through the whole smoke. Smokes good, no tongue bite, medium palate warmth (unlike the London Blend Burley) and taste is preserved all along. Voluptuous and straightforward in the same time. I definitely recommend it for a nice cool afternoon.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Clarkus (36)	2013-09-16		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Tolerable

In for a penny in for a pound. I love burley tobacco; I read the reviews and ordered a full pound. Why not, JR has it for the same price as 14 oz. of Prince Albert?

The tin note is fermented tobacco with what I perceive as unsweetened cocoa. The light cocoa doesn't present itself in the smoke though.

The tobacco lights easily and stays lit without effort - just fire it up and smoke. The broken flake cut (and a beautiful presentation it is) gives a decently slow burn. The broken flake really doesn't need much, if any, further attention. It produces billows of smoke. The flavor is very full and round in the mouth and while I don't really pick up the typical burley nuttiness it is definitely a burley forward smoke. There is very little sweetness and what there is may be attributable to the Virginia. On the bitter/sweet scale, it seems pretty neutral.

A point where I disagree with most of the reviews is the strength of the nicotine. At first I thought it might have been the bourbon I was sipping that put me on mellow street but subsequent smokes have shown it to be the nicotine. I don't think even 1792 has anything on this. That alone would keep this from being an all day smoke for me. I find it best just before bedtime - beautiful nicotine hit for sure. When I smoked cigarettes, I smoked Camels so I'm quite familiar with the feeling.

It is not a completely smooth smoke. It has just enough harshness to make it interesting - you know you are smoking something but the only time I pick up on it is when I exhale through my nose. Granger, I think, is harsher but still a very good smoke.

Regarding bite, I'm a moderate puffer so I don't get tongue bite from this but I'm sure if you got aggressive with it, it would get aggressive right back at you. It kept my tongue warm but pleasantly so.

Room note - I can't honestly tell since I'm the one smoking and I usually smoke outside if anyone is in the house and I like the smell of burning tobacco so I can't be a good judge. I expect it is at least tolerable though.

I prefer burley to any other tobacco and enjoy a number of drug store tobaccos. I've tried Virginias and just can't make peace with them - they are just too tangy for my taste unless blended generously with burley. I used to smoke English blends primarily but eventually tired of the overpowering Latakia. After 40 years of pipe smoking I've come to peace with traditional American burleys. They are simple, flavorful and easy to smoke and Golden Blend fits into that category nicely at or near the top of the genre.

For all day smoking, I generally prefer a milder tobacco with a bit more sweetness, Sugar Barrel or even Granger perhaps. Unlike tobaccos where you need to concentrate on the complexities or nuances of the weed, GB presents itself, in full, quite well without intentional focus on the smokers part. I suppose I would call GB a robust smoke.

I smoked Edgeworth Slice occasionally back when it was a drugstore tobacco ubiquitous in Virginia where I grew up and this is about as close to ES as I've found. From what I remember of ES, I like this better although I really miss those neat little blue tins with the hinged lids.

I'm giving this three stars now but will likely come back and revise it to four after I've gone through three or four ounces. I believe burley lovers will really like this one. Virginia guys maybe not so much. Also, new pipe smokers may want to avoid this one for a while as it requires a bit of puffing finesse for quiet enjoyment not to mention the prevention of oral meltdown.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2080)	2015-12-09		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Mac Baren-Golden Blend. Fantastic!

I fail to see how any true piper couldn't feel enchanted by the natural aroma from this. It smells like a blend of consummate class. Natural and untainted.

My pouch contains mostly broken flakes (I bought a pouch not a tin). Big enough to still require rubbing or can still be sort of folded.

From the pouch it's smokeable but if given a few days once the seals been broken it becomes perfect. Either way, I adore the smoke!

I get no nuances of underlying flavours. What I do get is a superb smoke that's pretty heavy with Burley. The Burley accounts for most of the flavour. I only get a very slight Virginia taste. It's a Burley lovers delight!!

The nicotine seems fairly present. It's not over the top but it stills airs towards strong though!

The burn is good; I started a bowl whilst writing this and haven't had to re-light it once!

This is a superb blend. Brilliant. Four stars.

Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Peterson Founders 2015

Age When Smoked: Three Month

Purchased From: Spain

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tantric (321)	2015-02-27		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

One of the best Burley's out there. I thought it would have that honey-on-toast sweetness, typical of many Mac Barens (and which some fellow pipe smokers abhor). But to my surprise this was a wonderfull natural tasting tobacco, very discreet yet flavorsome, easy to light and easy to smoke. Nothing spectacular, but very reliable, simple, and easy going. Strongly recommended to those who wish to try natural tasting tobacco or expand their Burley experience beyond Prince Albert and the like.

Similar Blends: Burley London Blend.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tmoney (25)	2012-03-25		Very Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

King Tut had a butt and, well, lets just say the color was Gold just like this Golden Blend.

I remember the day that I first discovered the color of King Tut's butt. It was many, many years ago.

Me and some of my old friends from the club in London had decided to go on an expedition to Egypt to look for lost treasure in the late of 1922. It was really more of an all inclusive vacation where we gave native children candy, shot exotic beasts after luring them in with bait, and committed adultery with young Egyptian women half our age, but we did decide to waste time and money searching for lost treasure of ancient kings. There was one thing that we were after, a treasure rumored for centuries by the natives; The Butt of King Tut. The legend had it that King Tut had a butt and that the color was unknown. There was much conjecture in the folklore; some said it was red, some said yellow and some even said blue. But the main-line legend went that King Tut's butt was made of pure gold and that he was buried with it. So we set out to find it.

What began as a short trip, quickly became a year long pursuit and dead end after dead end. I remember that fateful day when we stumbled across a door with an Egyptian inscription that roughly translated to "Golden Ass." We knew that we had finally reached our destination. My colleague, Harold and I wanted badly to open it, and couldn't wait to tell the others, so we had a native assistant (or "trap bait" as we called them) open it up, knowing full well that there was likely a lethal booby trap waiting to kill the one that would walk in first. And sure enough, after he pried it open, spikes shot down from the roof and skewered him in the similar fashion of a Kabob. We proceeded into the room and merely moved his dead, lifeless body off to the side... we had gotten what we paid for.

Once inside, we saw treasure beyond our wildest dreams filling the room to the ceiling in a chaotically organized way. And there in the middle we saw King Tut's butt. The butt was pure gold. The legend was true. King Tut's butt was real. Both Harold and I rushed towards it, hands touching the golden apple bottom at the same time. At that point we looked at each other and knew that only one of us was going to leave this place alive. Both of us reached for out knives and set 10 paces from each other to begin our battle. Harold began to come forward at me, but then I remembered the gun I had holstered at my side. A gun was something that Harold lacked. And since I was much richer than Harold, I had one. So I took it out and shot him in the leg. I wanted to savor my victory.

After shooting him, Harold begged me or mercy and begged that he might have the Butt for himself. He gave me a pity story about how he was penniless and needed the money to save his children from starvation. I merely told him that i had more important things to think about; like glory and egyptian prostitutes.

After removing the Butt from its sacred resting place, the room began to shake and the doors began to close from the inside. At this point I truly was faced with a choice. My friend Harold, or the Legendary Butt of King Tut. Naturally I chose the butt, glory and prostitutes. Harold's bones I'm sure are rotting there to this day.

Everytime I smoke this blend I gaze once more upon the butt that sits above my mantle and remind myself of the glory days.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dubinthedam (133)	2009-03-02		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

This is another packet MacB I will be adding to my rotation. A nice burley in the continental style. This is not Old Joe Krantz, a great strong classic burley, or Barbary Coast! But none the less a very nice mild one, without any casing, just that honey on toast taste you get from all MacB's. They don't mention any of their Cavendish in this blend, so I guess they can add that 'honey' taste to any blend. It is nutty, but one of the least 'nutty' burley's I've ever smoked, it's more Brazil nut than walnut.

This gets a strength level of 3, according to their own rating. I find all MacB's fairly mild, so the other level 3's I smoke are Plumcake, Dark Twist and Navy Flake. The only exception is Mixture which is a level 2.

I love MacB because they set a benchmark for price and quality when it comes to Drugstore packets. I love the hassle free nature of the packet, and the price being mostly 30% cheaper than a tin is a bonus, hence I'm always ready to try another MacB. I'm glad I did on this one. I find she DOES have that MacB bite, take care and you will have a nice all day smoke that won't break the bank and makes a nice change from aromatics and VA/pers.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SmokeKing David (134)	2008-11-09		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I am surprised at how satisfying this blend is. And the quality of the leaf is noteworthy.

This tobacco is pleasant; it's not wimpy and it doesn't overwhelm. The light honey casing complements the burley tobacco quite well.

I had been smoking VaPers, VAs, and English & Balkan blends and had the urge to try something else. So I turned to a one-year-old tin (labelled "Golden Extra") sitting in my "cellar." Maybe the small amount of aging has something to do with it, but for whatever reason, this burley blend really did the trick!

I enjoy many types of pipe tobacco; this hobby seems to offer a veritable smorgasbord of options. I had in recent months smoked few burleys. But Golden Blend out-did several really good Virginias over the past few weeks.

A creamy mouthfeel, along with a hint of honey and chocolate, accompanied a natural tobacco taste...when I dried it a little and "sipped" without puffing too vigorously (a technique properly advocated by many learned reviewers on this site, particularly Sasquatch).

Golden Blend (a.k.a. Golden Extra) gets a gold medal. Four out of four stars.

Govern Yourself Accordingly,

SmokeKing David

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Greekpipesmoker (201)	2018-10-16		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I was in search for an all day blend and this one seemed right.once the tin opens a nice sour,fruity and cocoa smell comes out.the blend is consisted of broken and rubbed flakes wich are in proper moisture to pack easy and light with some effort.some further rubbing might be helpful to avoid relights.while burning the flavours are simple and natural.burleys are the main player being sweet,sour and a bit spicy.molasses,sugar,spices and lots of cocoa notes are combined very natural with the virginias wich are in the backround offering some grass and citrus notes.generally the blend flavours are simple and smooth.burns slow and medium hot to perfect ash with a lot moisture at the filter.nicotine level is under medium and the aftertaste is pleasant.room note is somewhat pleasant.an easy going all day blend.recommended.

Age When Smoked: Fresh

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Room Note Professor (44)	2015-03-03		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Delicious. My favourite burley. Burns easily and smokes cool when packed loosely. Tin note is mainly tobacco leaf with just a whiff of yellow sultanas and cocao. Mouth feel is excellent with no bite. Slightly sweet with just enough tang. The taste of natural tobacco takes centre stage but a host of nuances add to the appeal: earth, wood, cocao, a touch of honey and even leather. On the smoker's nose, the smoke is delicious too. For bystanders, the room note is relatively light and non-offensive. In my book, just a great tobacco!

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SopwithCamel (255)	2005-09-24		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is the quintessential Danish blend. Take excellent Burley, age it in cakes, flavor it gently with honey, rub it out just a bit, and voila! You have Golden Extra. This is the only MacBaren blend I can smoke without worrying about tongue bite.

Burley London Blend was too bland, Navy Flake was too sweet, Golden Extra seems to be Just Right. Smooth, nutty, slightly creamy and sweet. Excellent first thing in the morning with a cup of hot tea, or black coffee. This blend smokes beautifully right down to the bottom of the bowl.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	North State (72)	2020-03-22		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

And another good, basic tobacco blend from Macbaren.

By now it has become apparent that I'm a bit of a sucker for burley. And Golden Blend is not letting me down in that department, being a good, solid burley-based mixture. The smoke is wholesome, with that satisfying earthy, woody, slightly dark-chocolatey burley tang; and won't bite unless you're careless. It does seem to burn quite hot at times, so again, don't try to rush it, choose another blend if in a hurry.

If I go to a random kiosk and find that amongst all the supermarket brands there sits for some reason a row of Golden Blend, I'm a very happy man.

Pipe Used: various

Age When Smoked: Fresh from pouch

Purchased From: Kiosk in Visby, Gotland Sweden

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	raybrown55 (46)	2018-02-08		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

It's simple, it's good, burns easily with no bite and no attention required. You taste mainly nutty burley and a little bit of Virginia and chocolate topping. It's not heaven on earth, but I find myself reaching for it very often for an easy and satisfying smoke. Very recommended.

Pipe Used: Pascucci

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Local Tobacconist

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DenizBeck (323)	2017-07-31		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Different than I expected it to be, yet pretty damn delicious and worthy to be a classic still in production! I was expecting it to be much sweeter, yet I'm pleasantly surprised this one comes along pretty natural.

I like to compare this to Solani's Aged Burley Flake, as this is like his "tad sweeter, more nutty toned brother". Whilst ABF is dark, rich cocoa, like chocolate with 80% or more cocoa in it, with excellent, tobacco-y aged white Burley, Golden Blend is more on the nutty side. With slight honey sweetness, but really not much. GB is milk-chocolaty at best. I don't get too much chocolate from it, more rich tobacco-y Burley taste reminiscent of nuts, dark bread and pleasant, moderate spice. The Virginias are really just flattening edges on this one, I can't really detect them much, guess they give the honey-ish sweetness in the back. Typically for Burley heavy blends the flavor profile doesn't offer to much diversification, but the few taste-dimensions it offers are from excellent aroma and highest quality.

Comparing it to other Mac Baren blends this is not as sweet as Navy Flake or Scottish Mixture f.e

It really compares very well to ABF, and will definetly accompany ABF in my tobacco bar, as my two go-to Burleys. Even tho ABF is rather dark, and GB more bright toned in taste, they not only "live in the same alley"....they "live in the same house", using this fitting metaphor.

I like smoking this in a well seasoned "dedicated to Burleys" pipe (corn cob in my case) with rather small bowl size, so the chocolate and nuts gets toned up a little by the other blends smoked in it.

Not too mild, even tho I got told this to be very mild. Mild+, close to medium for me. The Burley has some power, but it's very suitabel for beginners/smokers who prefer a mild smoke and as a first bowl in the morning.

3/4 stars - not the most complex blend, but solid as rock "All-Day-Every-Day-Smoke", that deserves being around for some more decades. ABF is a tad better to my personal taste. This is "pipe tobacco" I imagine to be smoked by generations, by all and sundry with joy. There's a reason that it's around since 1952! It's classy in all aspects.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CharatansMake (18)	2016-02-02		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Burley dominated tobaccos are a rare event...unfortunately! I think there should be much more burley dominated blends on the market and that the whole potential of this great nutty wheat is still far from being fully discovered.

Here we have one of only few burleys out there and this one is simple and honest in the best sense of these words. There is nothing 'special', 'terrific' or 'extraordinaire', just mostly burley and some Virginia to give it some sweetness - and that is absolutely enough! I love this honest tobacco taste with hints of nuts and dark chocolate provided by mother earth and good craftsmanship.

Pack it loose and smoke slowly!

4 stars!!!

Pipe Used: Charatan Special pot

Age When Smoked: new

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Antihero (17)	2015-01-02		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

well, this one was a pleasant surprise!

when i was a beginner i came across the inevitable mac baren blends pretty soon and they gave me enough pleasure to stick to it. but soon i got tired of a) the ever present honey-like casing in almost every blend and b) the annoying tongue-bite whenever i got a tiny bit careless for a millisecond.

long story short, i discovered enough other good blends that were not so demanding and touchy and offered way more variety and i have been abandoning the mac barens altogether since then.

recently though i became inquisitive about burleys which i had neglected so far for no real reason resp. because of its reputation as a mere aroma carrier due to its spongue-like structure. so i considered it boring.

having learned (i thought) from my beginner's mistakes i decided to try some quality weed right from the start and purchased a tin of solani's aged burley flake because of all the good reviews it got here. ABF is far from bad, BUT it's a very demanding tobacco imo (exactly what i tried to avoid...), mainly due to its moistness which is ridiculous, and i have a hard time finding the right amount of drying time. when it's still too moist it's almost impossible to let it stay lit, but a wee bit too dry and it's going all bland and ashy. ok, i'm exaggerating a bit, but considering the prize, ABF really is not what i had expected.

what i do enjoy about ABF, however (i.e. the taste, on the rare occasions it burns well; it IS a quality weed after all), i find to a large extent in mac baren's golden blend as well: richness, nuttiness, mouthfilling creamyness. and, a big surprise considering it's a mac baren, it's almost impossible to get a tongue bite at all!

it comes with the right moisture and is fit to be smoked straight out of the tin, although i would recommend to let it get some air which takes away a little of what i suspect to be some sort of preservative (??). by that i mean: open the tin for maybe 5 mins, close it and wait , say, 2 or 3 days before you smoke it.

it's easy to lit, stays lit easily, the taste is steady until the very last puff. since it is a ready rubbed it tastes better in bigger pipes. i reserved two pipes for my burleys and it shines in my brebbia fat bob.

a satisfying smoke for hot, mild or cold days, reliable, not boring despite its straightness.

oh, and i forgot the virginia in it! good quality as well, acts as a (slight!) sweetener and adds a (again, slight!) tangyness to an otherwise possibly too smooth a smoke, but definitely lets the burley call the tune.

i think it's also a good recommendation for beginners who are used to aromatics and want to try something natural, because it is so easy to handle and, though not really "sweet", has that certain, well, gentleness (for lack of a better word), which they might be missing in other non-aromatics.

highly recommended!

Edit: Re-visiting my ratings I have to downgrade this one to 3 stars. Otherwise you could get the wrong impression, e.g. because I gave Dunhill's 965 "only" 3 stars also. Golden Blend is not better than 965, but I don't want to give 965 the full 4 stars because there are better Latakia Blends imo. So, I still highly recommend Golden Blend, the downgrading is only for clarity and plausibility.

Pipe Used: Brebbia Fat Bob, Some No Name italian Apple

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Dan Pipe, Lauenburg, Germany, http://www.danpipe.de

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sailorjack (57)	2008-02-16		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable

I like burley but I don't like this one. I find it bland and boring. There is nothing here to hold my interest at all. There are plenty of much better burley blends available. I am not even going to finish the tin I have.I'll just give it away but then again I wouldn't do that to a friend!!

NEXT!!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2005-08-13		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

This is a favorite of mine in the MacBaren line. It is not too sweet and has a nice tobacco taste. Perhaps a bit bland for regular consumption on my part, but a nice change of pace. As I find to be the case with most MacBaren tobaccos, a slow burn is necessary to get the most out of the blend and to prevent tongue bite. It is nicely rubbed and will pack easily in any size pipe. Since the flavor and strength are not overwhelming, fire it up in a big Ben Wade or some other Danish freehand and enjoy!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	musicman (131)	2020-11-07		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

This is another hide and seek blend for me.

A hide and seek blend is a tobacco that every once in a while presents these fantastic flavors, that are really enjoyable, but it seems to come and go. Then I have to spend time slowing down and focusing to find it again. If that great, full round sweetened burley taste was consistent the whole time? This would be a four star tobacco for me.

I have a love hate relationship with burley. For me, burley is all or nothing. I am mostly a Vaper lover, and about 90% of the time, I know if I will like a Virginia blend, just from reading the tin. This is not the case for me when it comes to burley blends. Sometimes I love em, sometimes they are pretty flat for me. This makes trying burley blends exciting, but sometimes leading to disappointment.

This is a nice blend. It is like the gentrified version of Carter Hall (which is a favorite of mine). The taste characteristics between this blend and Carter Hall, are slightly similar. This tobacco is slightly fuller and richer than than CH, but it is also a bit more temperamental. Smoke it slowly and with concentration, and it produces great flavors. Take your eye of the ball however, and it can be a little harsh and lose its pizzazz. Carter Hall requires less supervision.

This comes in a broken flake. The tin note is fantastic. Sweet and Bready. It rubs out easily and behaves well in the pipe. It is good stuff. The topping is a background compliment, not a in your face flavor.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pipelicidad (26)	2020-07-18		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

This is very good burley. The craftsmanship of this blend is really superb: both the quantity and the flavour of the chocolatey toppings/casings perfectly match the tobacco, resulting in an overall great taste. I would describe this taste as very refined. It has the usual burley earthy/slightly astringent notes with some nuttiness. There is also a bit of some subdued sweetness that could be the result of the Virginia leaf. It is somehow similar to Prince Albert and Carter Hall, but not as nutty nor sweet. Another difference with the latter is that there´s no trace of that plastic like taste that some people attribute to humectants like propylene glycol. You could say that this is like the premium counterpart of PA and CH, like regular chocolate and a fancy chocolate. It is somehow similar to other Mac Baren traditional blends (e.g. Mixture, Navy Flake), but this one is better, in my opinion. Not as aromatic, less sweet, and more elegant. It is very closed to London Burley Blend, although this one was bolder than GB: more earthiness and even more austere. Burns well but can bite if pushed. The room note is nice.

Pipe Used: Blakemar Bullcap

Similar Blends: London Blend.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	B&D Pipes (9)	2020-04-14		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Mac Baren Golden Blend/Extra Review

I was born thirty years after the release of Golden Blend (Extra here in the states). Being a pipe smoker for only just shy of three years I have been fortunate enough to have collected over three hundred different prepared tobaccos. If I was forced to guess in my short time being a pipe smoking, I have been able to try around five hundred different blends. Due to such variety I have never set myself in a specific rotation. I found it unnecessary and a bit silly. I would simply choose what I wanted at that that particular point and time or something I haven’t smoked in a while if I was feeling a bit indecisive. I never understood the reasoning behind smoking the same old stuff when you can always mix things up.

Starting out I was an English smoker. I know most people start as aromatic smokers. I personally never had a taste for them, although I can admit they are nice every now and then to break up the monotony of Latakia forward blends. After trying my hand at blending, disaster struck. I burnt out my palate. I simply couldn’t enjoy Latakia as much as I used to. I am thankful for this partly because I was able create something that I can be proud of. An English blend that I named 2B. But I am really thankful because it forced me into the realm of Virginias . . . and eventually to Burleys.

Fast forward a year or so and my Tobacco Acquisition Disorder caused me to randomly order a tin of Mac Baren’s Golden Extra. The very first time I opened the tin I smelled a bit of vinegar, bread, and a very mild sweetness. My first smoke of the tobacco was in my favorite Kirsten. A first-generation M with a modified valve to accept o-rings, a slightly bent stem with a broken ramrod from a second-generation C, a “Get Bent” adapter made by Doug Bisbee, as well as a Briar bowl made by Mike Brissett. I will never forget that day. It was the day that I genuinely fell in love with a tobacco.

When you smoke Golden Extra you are greeted with that almost herbal note (for lack of a better way to describe it) of the Burley tobaccos. The Virginias are always in the back seat throwing a little sugar on top of the Burley as well as adding some hay and citrus. Every now and then you will get a touch of chocolate from the Burley and/or possible toppings. It is a very straightforward blend unless you have mastered your smoking cadence. If so, then she opens up like a willing virgin on Prom night and will give you the most sublime of smoking pleasures. The Burleys will then offer a bit of nuttiness, earth, and a touch of wood. The Virginias will give a bit bread and grass and possibly even some honey. When you taste those notes from this blend . . . you know you have reached smoking bliss.

As I have previously mentioned, I never once understood the reasoning behind a blend rotation. But I would absolutely scoff at those old men that would come in to my local tobacconist and buy a pound of 1Q, BCA, or Vanilla Custard. I would watch them and wonder what type of simple life they must live that they only smoke the same blend over and over and over again. I now understand that I was a fool and that their wisdom is in their simplicity. I have purchased a couple more tins and three pounds of bulk Golden Extra and told my local tobacconist to keep it stocked. For the past six months I have smoked Golden Extra every single day. I simply cannot stop myself.

Earlier I used an analogy of a virgin on prom night so I will continue that mildly sexist trend with comparing tobaccos to women in general: Sure. It’s nice to get ahold of the most beautiful girl in your area and take her out every once in a while. But she is expensive and not readily available (like some of the blends that we all know and love). But there is that more modest girl around the corner that is always there for you and will never let you down. Rarely bites you and always comforts you when you need her. That girl for me is Golden Extra. And I think I am ready to settle down and enjoy the rest of my life with her.

Thank you Mac Baren for making this fine tobacco. It has not only brought me endless hours of comfort and enjoyment, but also taught me a life lesson or two along the way!

~ Barry

Pipe Used: Multiple

Age When Smoked: Fresh to 6 months (Tin and Bulk)

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars, Local B&M

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pope (9)	2020-04-07		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Edit: this tobacco has gone from 4 to 3 stars for me, after having tasted many others (as happens)

Do enjoy this slow-smouldering blend. The almost unflavored, deep inherent sweetness of this blend softly strokes and envelops the smoker, leaving them in a near high. It is a honey-ish tobacco that smokes thick but pleasantly and consistently. Slow puffs with eyes half closed.

Just don't hold your fingers over the bowl for too long or they'll turn brownish yellow..

Pipe Used: One of those cheap-ass 10$ cherry-wood pipes

Age When Smoked: From pouch and 1 year on

Purchased From: Local dealer

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RingGrain (10)	2019-07-23		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

One of my favorite products from the brand. I love Vi-Bur and this is a good kind of. It is not too sweet and has a nice tobacco taste. Perhaps a bit bland for regular consumption on my part, but a nice change of pace. I found it very little bitey, very unusual for a Mac B. It needs to be rubbed a little more, then it will lit with no problems and burns slowly and regularly. Taste is really nice, it's even spicey and sometimes - just sometimes - it reminds my of my beloved Navvy Rolls... As many tobaccos in pouch, it usually comes a little too dry, so I use to rehydrate it for some day. More, it's cheap and you find it everywhere, so it's worth a try.

Pipe Used: Savinelli Punto Oro, Savinelli Silver

Similar Blends: Half & Half, Clan Raw Blend.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	L'Italiano (233)	2017-04-30		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

For Burley ‘s lovers. Folks, if you want to taste an excellent Burley, with just a hint of natural sweetness, try this one and you won’t be disappointed. This mixture consists of Burley and a little bit of Virginia. There is no casing and no top dressing (both extremely mild). We can consider it a top natural mixture (an unflavored blend of high quality). So, if you like tasting a natural Burley, this is certainly for you. Great Mac Baren. In my personal rating system (from 1 to 10) my score is 10 and four stars. N.B For the American pipe smokers the name of the blend is Golden Extra.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-05-26		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

it's the most humble and elegant tobacco that i've ever smoked... it wants nothing, but gives you a LOT! a simple tobacco for simple smokers, that have touched me with it's simplicity... like a sage one said: "i think that some types of tobacco disapear because some types of smokers disappear..."

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Steden (100)	2009-12-22		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

GB is a fine straight Burley monodimensional. The hue is attractive and the smell is subtle and natural, mild in strength, not too sweet but never sour, it does not bite the tongue and it becomes bitter only if you puff too fast. Starting from the second half it develops a mellow mix of flavours: woody, salty, chocolate, roasted chestnuts; everything is subtle and agreeable, It posses the elegance of the sobriety often associated to a fine Burley. A very versatile tobacco with an almost no existent room note, it may be useful to all: a diversion for fans of Virginias, Latakia, Aromatics, a good habit for lovers of pure Burley and an interesting ingredient for fans of blending. Three very solid stars recommendation for you and a tobacco added to the rotation for me.

Try to match with a Belgian beer by Trappist monks.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	doc'spipe (242)	2009-07-31		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

According to Mac Baren, this is the same as their Golden Blend. Golden Blend is the European name and Golden Extra is the name for USA distribution. My reviews for each are the same:

I have re-introduced myself to Golden Blend (my tins read Golden Extra) after a lapse of many years. This review is of the tinned version (stamped Oct 2008) and freshly opened. The tin note is a tad sweeter than Mac's London Burley Blend which is a favorite of mine. Moisture level right for me, packed and lit easily. There was no problem keeping this one lit. I would say that it is similar to Mac's London, but differs in that it is not as full-bodied as Burley London Blend. There is no typical honey casing as with many of Mac's offerings. What I detect is the very mild presence of chocolate, and bittersweet. If any honey is present, I can not detect it. Although the tin description lists it, I do not detect the inclusion of any Virginia in Golden Blend. Slow smoking reveals a mildly sweet tasting Burley. It is more astringent/sour than BLB but not bitter or harsh on the throat.

Before lighting my pipe, I like to suck through the stem to taste the tobacco and rate its flavoring. As stated, this one had a very decided chocolate taste before lighting. After lighting, the chocolate presence took a back seat, but not in a bad way. The solid tobacco taste was the front runner. There was no bite whatsoever. Sometimes the Mac's produce a slight sting to the tongue, but not with this one. I puffed on it fairly aggressively to test this out. I eventually settled to a more paced smoke which was very enjoyable from start to finish. Golden Blend is a pleasant smoke. Although I find BLB fuller tasting as a Burley, Golden Blend is a nice change of pace for when I want a lighter Burley with a touch more sweetness. Truly, a superior smoke.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Beer (345)	2009-04-25		Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

I am exploring the world of MacBaren tobaccos, and so far the Navy Mixture has been my favorite due to its good balance and sweet but natural taste.

Golden Blend seems similar in composition, except that it's more rubbed out than the Navy Mixture, and it has a slightly less sweet/honeyed smell.

This is a tobacco that packs easily and doesn't require particular care, that burns regularly, slowly and cool to the bottom of the bowl. Truly well behaved, a nice all-day low maintenance smoke. And, quite incredibly (considering MacBaren's reputation), it doesn't bite one single bit. Navy Mixture was much more bitey in comparison!

What I like about this blend is that it tastes natural, with some nice nutty and fragrant quality Burley and a decent measure of bright Virginia. The casing is very unobtrusive, probably just a touch of sugar/honey and some cocoa (at least that's the smell I get from the tin... and may I say a heresy if to me it smells a bit like Dunhill's Royal Yacht?): not artificial at all. On the other hand, it has a rather dry, woody, earthy taste. A bit like Edgeworth Sliced, but less woody and much more delicate. And, most importantly, though it isn't particularly sweet it doesn't get bitter either. It stays very consistent to the bottom of the bowl. Which of course also means little or no flavour development... and this is my main complaint. The other is that it's rather mild in taste (while the body is rather satisfactory), while on the other hand Navy Mixture was way richer and more complex.

Overall, a fine blend: not particularly exciting, but neither is has serious faults. Good to smoke once in a while, quite pleasant to those around you (my wife doesn't like aromatics, and confirmed that this blend has a very subtle and unoffensive room note) and it DOES taste of tobacco.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipe4ever (204)	2009-03-08		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

This, for me, is one of the most enjoyable burleys, it has a great mild nutty flavor for an all day long smoke, it has a slight chocolaty taste that comes from the burley and a light honey/toasty flavor which is typical to all Mac baren offerings, it is less nutty but less bland than Burley London Blend and has a distinctive chocolate flavor.

Golden Blend would be a perfect 4 star burley if it has a little bit more body.

I would rank Mac Baren Navy Flake as the best Burley ever made, golden blend and BLB comes just next in my list, with many other good burleys from other makers.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Buster Bluth (56)	2007-10-02		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

This is my first review. I've been smoking for 10 years (since college). After the preliminary 2 month course in 'house blend' aromatics of the cavendish variety, I moved onto tinned English blends. Never did the "drugstore tour" in my early days. Sad to say I was never exposed to good 'ol Burley.

I picked Golden Extra up at a local tobacconist and find the subtlety of Burley a welcome change of pace from full-bodied stuff like Fox Bankers.

I smoke it in a capacious apple sandblast. It stays cool and tasty, if you don't chug to hard. A slight nutty chocolate note to the room, family found it pleasant. But no doubt it's a very one dimensional tasting tobacco, although quite refreshing and consistent throughout the bowl.

I could've done better, and I could've done worse on my 1st foray into Burley blends. I'm gonna explore the full spectrum of offerings, and definitely keep one in my rotation.

====Update 10/2/07====

This tobacco has become a staple of mine. I never tire this blend. Others comment that MacBaren burns hot. I find that MacBaren blends burn on their own, like a cigarette. It isn't necessary to maintain a cadence to keep it lit. Slow, deliberate, and gentle puffing is the way to go with this blend, or any other. It is always rewarding. The room note is always a crowd pleaser.

I've upgraded to 3 stars, as this is my absolute favorite burley alongside good 'ol Granger. However, I prefer this blend in bulk. It always tastes creamier and nuttier in bulk than in tinned. Otherwise, I'd give 4 stars.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	orka (66)	2007-07-09		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Unnoticeable

If you've ever thought of Mac Baren blends as hopeless tonguescorchers, give this one a try. It smokes remarkably cool and effortless. Actually I think it's one of the coolest smoking- and burning blends I have ever tried.

It comes in almost flake form in the pouch, and as usual with Mac Baren, just stuff it down your pipe and light up, and think no more of it, and you're off to a very enjoyable and long lasting smoke.

Tastewise it is cool, clean, nutty and with a wholesome milk chocolate tone. The sparsely used virginia creates hints of subtle sweetness here and there throughout the course of the bowl.

The only thing that is preventing me from giving it full score is that it lacks somewhat in body and nicotine to be just perfect.

Definately recomended.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ruffinogold (112)	2006-04-18		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Golden [extra] blend is one of the best burley blends on the planet!Again,you guys that smoke heavy latakia stuff won't like this.For the rest of us who like burley .... wow !

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Spike (296)	2005-06-12		Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

What a great way to start the day! A one-note performance but very enjoyable. It is hard to believe this is just Burley it is so tasty. If you normally avoid Burley tobacs, give this a try.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gae (46)	2003-01-24		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

For a Burley blend this is "delicious".It has just the right amount of sweetness & creaminess to it,without being boring!Doesn't bite the tongue & make's a good all day smoke.I smoke this alot when I can get it in Australia.The tin aroma is superb & it's easy to light & smoke.Leave's a nice clean grey ash & doesn't leave any goop.I consider this to be one of Mac Baren's finest.It can be smoked straight out of the tin.In it's class-I'll give it a strong 3 out of 4 star's.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Beetle-JUS (1)	2022-11-02		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

I'm a smoker now since 3 months. I started, as usual for beginners, with several aromatics, but I soon found out, that I get only a chemical taste of what they promise. Trying pure tobaccos with several Virginias, also Blends with Lakatia, I was not so happy. I was close before to stop smoking. Then I found Mac Barens - Golden Blend. Giving the first time fire to the tobacco, I knew at once, thats my new favourite. The mouth was full of smooth and well tasty smoke. Nothing was biting with the first heat. The taste was like toasted walnuts. This natural taste was kept upto the end, because it was really natural. The room note contains also this walnut taste and is very pleasant. The tobacco was easy to smoke upto the bottom without additional firing and does not punish you for a hot pipe (as a beginner does sometimes). This is a great tobacco and I can only recommend to try it. I will have a look to other blends and want also mix up pure tobaccos by my own (such pure tobaccos are offered by e.g. Dan Pipe). But I'm not sure, if another one can win this competiton.

Pipe Used: Vauen Deluxe DL 066 N

Age When Smoked: When smoked fresh

Purchased From: Internetshop

Similar Blends: not yet found.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Buckeye (2)	2019-01-24		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is my everyday, go to smoke as such gets my highest rating. MacBaren's Golden Blend (or Golden Extra in the US) is a great burley based blend. As a committed Burley smoker, it is mild, tasty blend with a pleasant room note. It has a slight hint of fermenation/topping to give it a more pleasant flavor and smoothness than domestic drug store burleys such as Prince Albert or Red Cap.

Pipe Used: Briar, Olive, Corncob, Meerschaum

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars; originally from a small shop in Amsterdam

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sim40 (8)	2018-07-01		Medium	Very Mild	Full	Pleasant

This is the taste I expected and was looking for when I started smoking a pipe. I wish somebody had pointed me to this one in those days. It's very easy to smoke, burn well, doensn't smoke hot. The taste may not be very complex, but it's very good. Something between the ideal taste of a cigarette and the ideal taste of chocolate. That said, I once had a pouch of this that bit no matter how slowly I smoked it. I had to throw it away in the end.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2017-07-10		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

The composition is something like 20% Virginia and 80% Burley. The most intense aromatizant is cocoa, with a little of honey/sugar. It has two 'burning-phases': during the first one, the taste is sweet, with a strong predominant cocoa taste and honey notes; in the second one, it has more body and the taste turns to something nutty and less flavored. It's a good quality tobacco (it let your pipe quite sticky inside), but I like other types of Burley (surely, Rattray's Stirling Flake).

Pipe Used: Many briars and olive wood

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Local tabacconist

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sybariten (61)	2015-09-25		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

It's a sweet and nutty taste. The sweetness makes me suspect a mild topping but I can not say for certain. I can however certainly say that it burns really hot and wants to bite you. That's too bad since I enjoy the taste, but this sadly is not smokeable.

Pipe Used: Cobs

Purchased From: Gotteftermaten

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipenick (28)	2015-02-09		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Golden Blend...one of the regulars.Mild easy to smoke Burley based:The taste is little bit nutty...sometimes you'll get the cocoa flavor too.Personally I get the taste of cocoa when I'm using old MM Diplomat(around 4 years old).Smoked in briars and meers too.The pouch version can be sometimes too dry so smoke the tin stuff if you had to possibility to choose.Perhaps if you're new smoker or aromatics are more your cup of tea the bite might come to visit...I never had a problem on that field.Nice all day tobacco with decent prize tag on it.

Smoked three years aged Golden Blend ana I must say it was marvelous. Stout burley taste had more chocolate taste and slight sweetness came more forward.A quality blend.

Pipe Used: Briars,cobs and meers

Age When Smoked: Straight from tin

Purchased From: Local tobacco store

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pantera (8)	2013-09-22		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I give four stars if smoked in corncob pipe and three in briar pipe.

An oldtimes and simple Burley based tobacco and unusual to be a Mac Baren it is completely unflavoured

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2013-02-27		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Same problem as faced on all Mac Barens for me. Intriguing aroma off the tin but very disappointing experience in the bowl.

Burns quite hot and bites quite a bit too.

For me smoking MBs has become just an exercise for temperature control and just not pleasant.

would not recommend it at all except that i can't give it 0 stars and i think the MB vanilla is even worst

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JustOneforMe (28)	2012-04-26		Very Mild	Medium	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant

I have now smoked several Mac Baren offerings and will not review them any further since they are extremely not to my liking. If interested in my thoughts about their line of tobaccos then just see my review on Burley London, it pretty much sums up this vapid weed give or take a slight aromatic difference (vanilla, cherry etc...).

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pipealicious (21)	2010-04-03		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Full	Tolerable

My first Mc Baren product was plumcake, which I needed to get used to and learn to appreciate. Now I like it a lot. This blend is less complicated but absolutely delicious Burley. The broken flake cut is excellent, the moisture content out of the package is perfect. Stuffed loosely in the pipe it starts off at first light. The taste is a lightly sweet, toasty, chocolate high quality Burley. Top product and a delicious no-nonsense tobacco. My go-to blend at the moment.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-05-11		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Definately not a bad smoke, but at the same time this one just didn't do much for me. It burns very nicely and doesn't bite. The flavor isn't bad, but it is very one dimensional. That isn't always a bad thing, however I personally got bored with it. The room note is pleasant during and after the smoke but it is one of those blends where is isn't so nice the next day. Like I said, not bad but just didn't do it for me, worth a try though.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	strongirish (249)	2009-03-16		Extremely Mild	Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I am very much a burley lover so when I received this tin I could not wait to dig in and try a bowl. I packed it lightly into a large pot that I just smoke burleys in. The tobacco smelled sweet and natural upon opening the tin. It is ready rubbed and looks liked it was a slice upon manufactuer and then rubbed out. Reminded me of what Amphora Brown used to look like and feel. It lit very well on first light and I settled in with it as it's a slow burning tobacco and was very mild and tasty. I never had to light it again and it vurned down to a grey and white ash. It had the flavor a a nutty burley but no harshness or bite at all. Very enjoyable and burned all the way to the bottom without changing it's charactor. Only when I got almost to the bottom did it get stronger but was never harsh. I like this alot and will smoke all ot with pleasure and I do see buying more of this.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Skando (203)	2009-03-08		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

EDIT MAR08/2009:

during the working week just ended , I have been in good company with Golden Blend and Mixture by McB. It's been a true pleasure indeed, far much more than I did expect!

They both will be in my regular rotation, and I'm starting to think to some mix between them and more...

*

It's quite hard it happens I go to OTC blends (and even less to aromatics). Two fellows I visit on occasion are from McB, one being Golden Blend, the other is Mixture. I'm glad I did with GB, maybe the only almost Burley blend available in Italy, considering that american B's blends of the like of Edgeworth have disappeared so many years ago... Tobacco was much dry inside the pouch, the cut similar to a flake roughly broken, with long pieces of flake. Smells approximately nothing but a very faintly sweet and natural tobacco, and so the smoke, which I have appreciated. Oooohhhhh, unlike several of the McB's, this is not burning you mouth! This is something to smoke without thinking at the pipe, nevertheless it delivers a honest smoke, of course the risk of boredom is just round the corner ... so, at half the pouch I have mixed it 50/50 with McConnell's Scottish Cake, and got a really all-day mixture. I'm giving GB two stars and half, the other half to get once I find a younger pouch with more flavour. Anyway, thank You GB !

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	7formy1911 (37)	2009-01-30		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I received two ounces of this from my favorite online 'baccy dealer and thought it would be a good stop in my search for a decent burley. It had a solid tobacco smell in the pouch with a hint of honey sweetness. It was very inviting to my senses and I couldn't wait to load up a straight apple and get a match to it.

As soon as I put match to tobacco my tongue was struck like a cobra waiting for me in the elephant grass on safari. I can't recall having ever been bitten so hard! I'm usually a virigina and VAPER smoker and haven't had any problems with tobaccos that traditionally bite if puffed too hard like Hal 'O the Wynd. I use the Frank method for packing my pipe and never puff too hard. A slow, gentle draw now and then keeps every other tobacco I've ever tried from biting. I don't know if it's the casing, the humidity (the tobacco felt on the dry side actually) or the humectant.

In any case this is a tobacco I cannot recommend. No burley should bite this hard. Heck, I can't even think of a virginia that has ever bitten this hard. If by some strange miracle the bite goes away then I will revise my review. Even with the bite I could tell there was some flavor there along with a sweet grassiness usually associated with virginias. It's just hard to taste it when your taste buds are scorched.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	mo (81)	2007-09-19		Mild	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

This tabac has a really great taste similar IMHO to Old Gowrie, I cant recommend this because my conscience wont allow it. It burns so hot that it has blistered one of my pipes, it burns hot even with careful puffing and goes off all on its own. Too bad tho, it tastes really good and the price is right, just goes to show that you cant buy a Mercedes with bmw money.20/09/2007 Update and upgrade. Please refer to my review on Golden Blend

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-01-11		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I just recently obtained a sealed 7 ounce tin of this blend on Ebay that is around 30 years old. I was excited, thinking maybe, just maybe, the older incarnation, with age, will be much better than the current. It smelled absolutely wonderful upon opening the tin, a nice grassy aroma. Sugar crystals on the tobacco from aging made me hold out hope. I then packed a vintage Kaywoodie Prime Grain Billiard, and lit up. Boy, what a disappointment!! The old incarnation, like the present, bites like a rabid dog, and no matter how gently I puffed, the tobacco heated up the bowl to the point that I had to hold it by the shank! Great flavor and room note, but the roof of my mouth and my tongue need skin grafts!! It is a shame, but they don't jokingly call it MacBlowtorch for nothing! On the upside, I only paid $10 for the tin, and it is a nice looking tin! Maybe I will put it on display with some other vintage tins I have.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Captain Pete (83)	2006-09-17		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Okay, I hate doing this, but I have to come back and rewrite my review. After letting this tobacco set for about a week, until the funny topnote has nearly disappeared from the tin, it is smokable. I am beginning to believe that either the humectorant or the topping that MacBaren uses is what causes the notorious blowtorch tongue. And, once aired off, the tobacco produces much less bite.

The first few times I tried to smoke this, I just couldn't pick up any flavor due to the overwhelming taste of the topping, and the tongue bite. Underneath the topping it tasted rather carboard-ish rather than nutty or chocolatey. Now I can definitely pick up a nice chocolate note, and a mellow sweetness running underneath the burley flavor. It still lacked the "creamy" feel to the palate that I'm accustomed to with burleys.

I am still suspicious of this tobacco, as it did tend to want to take off and burn all on its own. So it had to be very carefully nursed along. Smoking it required a lot of work, but there was a reward at the end. I'm just not yet sure if the monochromatic flavor is worth the extra effort one has to put forth with this blend. Were it but less work, or more taste, I think it would rate two and a half to three stars. As it is, two stars for burley smokers (if you love virginias, just go ahead and forget about this stuff). ________________________________________________________________

Flat and flavorless; bites really bad really easily; absolutely no "note of chocolate" as good burleys are supposed to have. I think I will change my handle to 'I hate MacBaren'.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-11-23		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Much better than the Virginia No.1, probably due to the burley in the blend. I tried this in a sampler format, and while it's more of the same honey/heathery MacBaren, it's a bit toastier & cooler. Rubbed out into long strands, it packs & behaves well. Again, so far, at least, Mixture Scottish Blend is MacBaren's representative work of art, though I hear Dark Twist is a worthy contender. The rest of their offerings, including Golden Extra smells & tastes too much like everything else they make: honey, toasty caramel & hints of chocolate. It's strange that McClelland & Cornell & Diehl have their characteristic signatures, yet each of their blends has measurable variety & contrast. Such is not the case with MacBaren, which is all basically the same thing amped up or down a notch or two.

Two of five stars

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-06-11		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

A sweet, monochromatic taste throughout the entire bowl. It's simplicity is its strength and it does simple very well. An easy and smooth all day smoke for burley fanciers.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2004-09-20		Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Tolerable

-Hot, tongue bite (well surprise, surprise) -Too mild for me, lacking flavor and aroma is insipid. -Good price for amt. of baccy. -Packs well and burns ok but only after 12 hours of drying time...and not enough volume of smoke...its more like steam since it burns so hot.

If you like a light aromatic which will test your patience re: pacing yourself and is a step up from many of the drug store fodder....give this a try...otherwise not for me.

My last MB foray will be the Burley London blend....should be here soon..I'll let you all know what I think.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Dottle (162)	2004-06-14		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Similar to but a couple of notches below the highly regarded Mac Baren Burley blend as regards my personal taste preferences. A great smoke nonetheless and a nice change of pace.

I rate this tobacco 9.6 out of 10.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2004-06-01		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Since I like burley of course I like this one and have nothing bad to say about it, with one exception. I prefer a smaller cut more like a flake over the larger rubbed pieces in this blend. I like the flavor which is a nice simple tobacco taste with a creamy quality. It is not as sweet as golden sweet but that makes it more of a every day smoke. It is popular enough to find at least two places locally at reasonable prices.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Hmoya (38)	2022-12-30		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Another good Mac Baren blend. The presentation and moisture of the flakes is correct, and it is possible to smoke directly from the pouch. The flavors are smooth and doesn’t decrease the own tobacco aromas. It evolves during the smoke and increase the complexity of the blend. It is possible to distinguish Virginia’s and burley’s from the mixture. In resume, it is recommended for a long smoke.

Pipe Used: Peterson Aran Smooth Nickel Mounted

Age When Smoked: 1

Purchased From: Cigarworld.de

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Robin Söderström (6)	2021-07-24		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Very Strong

First impression of the cut did not say tobacco, more like grated dark brown carrot, a vanillish note, a rather nasty taste, very much in the "sweaty hunting boot" category

Pipe Used: My friend bent billiard

Age When Smoked: Semi fresh

Purchased From: Crummy gas station

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Italo Svevo (26)	2017-02-26		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

UPDATE: I resisted the instinct to throw the bag in the garbage, as I hate wasting things, and decided to try with an active charcoal filter. It definitely helps against tongue bite, and fights the chemical taste. Another suggestion I can give: leave the bag open for at least two days. The smell and taste will surely improve. I'm upgrading to two stars, as I see that this can be an acceptable no-frills tobacco when you need sonething that burns well and stays lit. *

I usually don't write a review after only two bowls, but this stuff is not going to visit any of my pipes again. Chocolate? Nutty? This is just cheap burley with some cheap artificial casing. It tastes flat, scorches your tongue and mouth, and leaves virtually no aftertaste. Only the room note is ok. I'm pretty sure this is not the mixture anymore that raised smokers' attention in the 1950s. Folks, stay away from this.

Pipe Used: Stefano and others

Purchased From: Local tobacconist

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Swiss-smoker (87)	2016-11-11		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

In my country it is one of these cheap, drugstore and fuel station pipe tobaccos, which does not imply that it is bad. After all GOLDEN BLEND is on the market since 1952. I categorize this as a Danish Mixture, not as an Aromatic. Artificial flavouring is very obvious. It does not produce a specific obtrusive flavour, it’s just too much in total for my palate. I am generally scared away by (obvious) artificial flavourings and can always identify these chemicals immediately. On top of this, I find it often difficult to identify their intended aromas.

Here it might be some citrus or fruit, and occasionally I think I get some sparkles of honey or tonka bean, among several other flavours that I am not able to name. I can definitely not pick up any cocoa/chocolate as the overhead introduction states. And believe me, being a Swiss I could most certainly make out (good) chocolate aromas.

Besides the mentioned flavouring, Burley is the leading tobacco in this mixture, donating a pleasant tobacco flavour. I guess Virginia plays a technical role only. It might help to cool down and tame the Burley, but the typical aromas of Virginia just don’t make their way through. GOLDEN BLEND comes as a Ready Rubbed in acceptable moisture, burns well and provokes no tongue-burns. Over all it is a simplistic, mellow, everyday/anytime mixture that may please a lot of smokers, especially beginners. Not me, though. I prefer more natural tobaccos with less or no flavourings and toppings. Unfortunately this mixture did ghost my pipes used.

Age When Smoked: New.

Purchased From: Local corner shop.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Nicotiana_rustica (23)	2015-12-20		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I have been smoking Golden Blend- Golden extra for many years. Moisture level is perfect for me, packed and lit easily. There was no problem keeping this one lit. There is no typical honey casing as with many of Mac's offerings. What I detect is the very mild presence of chocolate, and bittersweet. Slow smoking reveals a mildly sweet tasting Burley.

Golden Extra (sold as Golden Blend in EU) is perfect in a small corn cob (pride, legend, filtered with white elephant or Denicotea 6mm filter). It provides simple, almost mono dimensional pleasure of Burley's mild but honest tobacco flavor, and is buttery and nutty with an occasional hint of sweetness. It's really the perfect all-day, anytime smoke.

Relights are minimal to non-existent, and I regularly smoke this to ash in one go. The flavor is deep enough to reward you for slow, attentive puffing, but it is mild (mild to medium) enough to smoke all day! Being a Burley based tobacco, I find that this burns substantially faster than Virginias or English-style blends.

My favourite blend from MacBaren line! Its a straight on burley flavor that is milder than most with the added chocolate/cocoa topping. It's a burley that anyone can smoke . The quality of leaf is excellent. The room note is indeed pleasant. An classic all day smoker!

As far as Burley blends go , it's top quality! An all day- everyday blend . 5 STARS !!!

Pipe Used: missouri meerschaum corn cob/ pride, legend

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: https://www.pipe-shop.net

Similar Blends: IDENTICAL TO GOLDEN EXTRA!.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	gam86 (49)	2014-06-10		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

I couldn't agrre more with the review of Steden. It's a good tobacco ready to smoke and gives you a pleasent smoke, an all day tobacco

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Doctor Max (29)	2011-02-06		Mild	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

This was my first pipe tobacco, and what a nice introduction to pipe smoking it was... The tobacco comes in a coarsely ready-rubbed form, sometimes with a few intact flakes on top (I wish it came in a flake version!), which is very easy to pack and light. Tin aroma is very pleasant, a nice burley with fig, raisin, date, hazelnut, almond and cocoa notes with a slight sweetness. Flavour comes through from first light and is very true to tin aroma, with addition of a distinct biscuit note and a very pleasant, discrete sweetness. The flavour develops a cocoa-like bitterness and that Mac Baren maltiness as I go through the bowl. Room note is a pleasant, slightly sweet note of slightly burned biscuits, almost no hint of smokiness. This tobacco burns incredibly cool. Nicotine content is quite low. All in all a straight forward, excellent burley. Mac Baren really hit gold with this blend.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-07-24		Mild	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Very similar to Harmony but a little less honey casing on it. Very decent puff.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-07-19		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I fired up a lightly packed bowl of this in a big Aldo Velani and, since I read ALL of Pipestud's reviews on tobacco I want to try, I sat down in the workshop, ignored all the tasks that called my name, and puffed slowly...and was not disappointed! I'm not experienced enough yet to understand how many "dimensions" there are in a tobacco...if this one is "one-dimensional" or "multi-dimensional", I don't know..I just know it tasted like tobacco, had a little hint of sweetness, and was overall an enjoyable experience. I'm finding I really prefer the Virginia blends better, but this is a good smoke.

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	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-06-10		Mild	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I'll make this review rather brief. Let me say that Pipe4ever's review is absolutely on the money. This is indeed one of the best burley blends on the market. The aroma in the pouch is outstanding. Chocolatey, nutty, and a slight hint of honey. Just superb. Practically no bite ( unusual for a Mac Baren blend ), easy to keep lit, consistent pouch after pouch, and the room note is enticing.

The only drawback so to speak is that it is very light and one dimensional. Albeit, it would make a fantastic after breakfast smoke. Very well done Mac Baren.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-12-17		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

I'm thinking that Golden Blend is now labeled Golden Extra under Mac's logo. I've tried to submit a review before but must have done something wrong. (Big surprise!) But what ever I might have said then I need to tell you now I'm starting to understand the term "all day smoke". It's a little difficult to deal with out of the tin but in bulk it performs GREAT. No need to rub it out any more than it is. You'll be tempted to rub it down because it seems a little to course to pack but go for it. In a medium to large bowl I use the simple 1/3-2/3-3/3 easy draw pack and often never have to tamp or re lite and taken slow and easy my pipe never gets hot to my hand nor the smoke to my mouth. True, it's not an exciting smoke or a "complex" smoke with flavors bouncing off of every corner of your tongue but it's my first comfortable "all day smoke". Not quite enough to make me turn my back on the rest of the cellar but close.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-10-12		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

(This review is for a tin of "Golden Extra" bought back in the summer of 2002. I rediscovered it last month in a tupperware container in a forgotten corner of the basement.)

This burley is better than I remembered. The topping/casing is not very strong and the quality of tobacco is very good. I have not had much trouble with bite, but I must concur with the other reviewers regarding heat. This stuff burns pretty hot. My old tin is anything but dry, but you have to be mighty careful. I can definitely see how this tobacco could blister a pipe.

Also, this tobacco is described as "ready rubbed". Well, maybe I am over-doing it, but I rub it out also. My additional work may be preventing bite, but it isn't preventing all that heat.

"Recommended" with caution: Go Slow.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-09-17		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Less incendiary than most Mac Baren blends. The sweet casing goes well with the burley. I liked this back when I first started smoking, but I don't bother with it now. Danish blends are for girls.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-02-08		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I really like this blend. It has that nutty choclatey taste that good burleys do. The tin aroma is somewhat fruity, perhaps even sweet and sour. It burns relatively effortlessly, but pay it due care, as it can get hot. I didn't really get any bite, but I can see how it may have the potential to bite. I had to force myself to give it a rest when it got my pipe too hot, but that's easier said than done as it is a thouroughly enjoyable tobacco. If it weren't for this blend's high temperature burn, this smoke would most likely have received that elusive fourth star.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-10-08		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I got me a tin of this a few days ago. Enjoying a bowl in my GBD Rockroot with a big smile:-). It reminds me of Mac Baren's Harmony, but with a little bit more personality. The room aroma is pretty good in my opinion.

If you are exculively a fan of majorly sweet aromatics and HATE anything else, You may as well reach for the can of Blue Note on the next shelf. If you want to try something different, with flavor, grab a tin. Don't smoke it out of the same pipe as you do your Cpt. Black (if you smoke it like me).

I am a fan of both Aromatics and non aromatics. Aromatics such as Blue note is like having a chocolate sundae, Blends like Mac Baren is like having a steak. (not literally, but figuratively). Either one should be savored and enjoyed depending on mood and personal taste.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	mo (81)	2007-09-19		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I do enjoy the taste of this blend. The hidden tastes when smoked slowly is rewarding, it packs easily and the smell of the tobacco in the tin is good too. But boy does it burn hot. Even with really careful packing and puffing, it seems to burn all on its own. Very disappointing indeed considering how good it tastes while smoking. The volume of smoke is also not good at all. Great taste but very hot indeed, it blistered my pipe 20/09/2007 Hmmm, seems as if I am suffering from foot in mouth disease again. After reading the reviews on this tabac again yesterday I read that this blend smokes best in a big bowl, I then visited the MacBaren site and read somewhere that the bowl should be packed fairly loose. The result was a stunning smoke from first light to the last puff. Please bear in mind that this tabac has been extensively aired out and was just right for a smoke. I doubt I will get the same results from a new pouch or tin. I left the best for last, would you guys believe that this blend did not bite??? Enjoy, Mo, South Africa

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-08-24		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Update

Whoops! I got this one wrong with Golden Extra... _________________________________

This was the first MacBaren blend that I purchased, in a department store: it just started to be imported in Canada.

When I breaked the seal, I was impressed by the broad, long cut ready-rubbed flakes that were inside. The smell was nutty, the leaves a nice medium brown, very similar to Scandinavik regular.There wasn't much golden shades in there.

The taste,after lighting up, was a big like cereal, a bit nutty and rather rich. unfortunately for me, I wasn't ready for several steps up because I decided to stick with my old Captain Black...

I wonder how I would like it today...probably too much on the mild side.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-08-24		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

This was the first MacBaren blend that I purchased, in a department store: it just started to be imported in Canada.

When I breaked the seal, I was impressed by the broad, long cut ready-rubbed flakes that were inside. The smell was nutty, the leaves a nice medium brown, very similar to Scandinavik regular.There wasn't much golden shades in there.

The taste,after lighting up, was a big like cereal, a bit nutty and rather rich. Unfortunately for me, I wasn't ready for several steps up because I decided to stick with my old Captain Black...

I wonder how I would like it today...probably too much on the mild side. But I might give it a try, I still remember, 15 years after, the beautiful bakkie and the nice smell and taste of the tobacco.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-06-27		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I really like the flavor of this one.

Unfortunately, it doesn't take long for the inevitable Mac Baren horror show to begin.

Do we have any native Danes on the reviewing crew? If so, does Mac Baren, translated into English, mean BURNS HOT & BITES ?

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	bird dog (2)	2007-05-04		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Like MacBaren Navy Flake, the base tobacco is light and grassy. The flavoring is one I can't put my finger on....some write chocolate...maybe, I guess. A pleasant smoke and can be rubbed out a little more or pack it just like it is....smoke gently, and will give you an honest smoke. An occasional choice for me, somewhat prefer the honey cased navy flake when I want a little more flavor. 3-4 stars...combined it 1/1 with some mature red cake, and I liked the combo.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-04-16		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Tolerable

Opening the tin, as typical with MacBaren, the tobacco is well presented; aroma, appearance, moisture content. Having smoked Golden Extra in smaller pipes, today I decided to try it in my Ardor Sherlock. Although I found it to be a good smoke in standard size pipes, I must say that in the larger bowl this blend is much more satisfying.

It is labeled as ?ready rubbed?, I?m not sure of the origin of that term but felt it worth noting that I found this to be partially rubbed rather than fully rubbed. Without any further rubbing I lightly loaded a wad into my pipes leaving an air gap at the bottom of the bowl. That with a light, and an enjoyable smoke ensued (no tamping required).

Observations include: a very pleasant room note through the entire bowl, that being a subtle aroma of a "chocolate cake baking" and "coffee brewing" on the fringe of a tonic leathery bass note. Flavors were also of the same notes.

This blend does contain some Virginia leaf. That Virginian sweetness peaks through midway through the bowl (if one is puffing gently) and like a child wanting attention, keeps coming around time and again, giving a little nudge to the Burley.

Having acclimated my technique with MacBaren Blends, I experienced absolutely no tongue bite. A slight gurgling, once or twice through the bowl reminded me to lighten up my draw and my pace. MacBaren tobaccos are excellent if you know how to draw out their best behaviour.

I give this tobacco four stars, it?s a masterful blend and a high quality product. I believe it to be best in a larger pipe, but find it enjoyable in the standards too.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SopwithCamel (255)	2007-02-11		Mild	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Really a very nice, toasty sweet burley. One of the few Mac blends I can enjoy without destroying my tongue. Give it a shot!

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	LV9 (85)	2006-12-07		Very Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

excellent burley blend, it's a one note blend but an excellent one! there is some chocolate taste to it but very mild, the nicotine is just right not a all day kinda of smoke but is a good change of pace for me since I mostly smoke Vapers, no tongue bite what so ever as of yet, it goes great with a cup of coffee. I started smoking it in the summer but definetly goes better now during the winter (I have to smoke in the porch). It does take time to appreciate the subtleties of the burley.

Update I have to downgrade one star to this great blend because it does not behave well in small size pipes as my tongue has come to know, beware this thing can bite!!, anyways it baheves like a champ on my Macarthur corn cob and bigger size pipes.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2006-10-28		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a pretty good smoke. Sweet and grassy from start to finish. Its good and solid. Personally, This is like the second cousin to the Scottish Mixture (which is far superior in my opinion.)- But this is what makes horse races- Try it, It might be your thing.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2006-03-21		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

It's no accident that this Burley based blend is still going strong over 50 years since it was first introduced by MacBaren. Made up of predominantly cask aged Burley, small amounts of Virginia leaf are also added, producing a cool flavorful smoke.

If you like Burley and haven't found this one yet, I don't think you'll be disappointed. Although labeled ready rubbed, you may have to rub some of the larger flakes out further to obtain the size you prefer.

The taste is nutty with a hint of sweentness and a noticable chocolate flavor. Like most MacBaren tobaccos, you need not be all that careful in packing, and the blend will in most cases burn to the bottom of the bowl leaving only small amount of light grey ash.

If you're not a Burley smoker, it could be you just got ahold of one of many Burley blends that are, for the lack of a better word, bad, and you may find this Burley blend will give you an idea of what a good Burley can taste like. Recommended.

F. Prefect

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	Emeritus Account (30167)	2006-03-14		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is my first review---I have returned to smoking a pipe. I start off where I left off -almost 25 years ago. My very relaxing time of pipe smoking has returned. My first pipe full-brought back so many wonderful memories and smells of a fine tobacco-not changed much in those many years. -Still packs easily and burns evenly. I decided to introduce my new Peterson 303 bent with Golden Blend. What a wonderful combination.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-12-31		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

This is actually one of the better Burley blends that I have tried recently.

It has been said that this blend bites. If you smoke it too fast, not only will you get bitten, but the flavor will all but disappear. The way it comes out of the tin, it isn't smokable - too damp. Let it dry a bit and you will have a decent smoke. Nothing to get excited about, but decent.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RickPiatt (16)	2005-06-12		Strong	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

As with Burley London Blend I tried this tobacco after it was recomended by many on ASP as a possible replacement for Edgeworth Sliced. And, as with Burley London Blend, it doesn't make grade. While the flavor of this tobacco is substantially better than BLB, the strength of the nicotine again kicked me for a loop. Unfortunately, today is day two of holding my stomach after smoking too much of this tobacco and I still can't smoke for fear of wretching again. I feel very badly about this since to be quite honest, I like the flavor and had high hopes in each of my test pipes (this is test #4 - a group 4-ish Karl Erik 1/4 bent apple) believing if I could only find that magical combination of the right pipe for this tobacco I'd have a winner. I would have kept testing but each test left me holding my guts with the larger bowls being worse than the smaller of course. So, Flavor - nice. Tin Aroma - very nice. Stomachability (if there is such a word) - wretchingly terrible ... BUT IF YOU CAN HOLD IT DOWN, it's a nice flavored tobacco. I'll likely test it again in a couple of years hoping my stomach can take it at that time.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-04-28		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Packs easy, burns clean and even. This is an absolutely delicious Burley blend with the perfect combination of sweet, creamy and nutty flavor without biting the tounge or becoming boring, therefore a great all day smoke. The aroma is sweet,creamy and nutty as well.

Since it comes in bulk, I got 4 ounces of it to try. I enjoyed it from the first bowl so much that I smoked it bowl after bowl until it was gone. When I finished the last bowl, I couldnt get to the tobacco shop fast enough to buy a whole pound.

At such a reasonable price, this has replaced Burley London Blend as my favorite MacBaren offering.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2004-11-06		Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is - as others have stated - a very nice, lightly flavored Burley. It examplifies what can be done with just the right amount of topping. It provides a sweet, creamy aroma and texture over the nuttiness of Burley tobacco. Reminiscient of Union Leader but perhaps a bit more flavorful than that. Good for cool days when you want a bit of that "toasty" flavor and mood in your smoke.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2004-06-16		Mild	Very Mild	Medium	Unnoticeable

I like to think of myself as a humble, no-bs kind of guy. That's why I avoid all tobaccos that try to convey an aura of wealth, privilege or aristocracy. Any blends with names like "Gold", "Luxury", "DeLuxe", "Royal" or "Club" are banned in my book.

However, the one exception that confirms the rule is Mac Baren's Golden Blend. GB's a nice, easy and undemanding smoke -- a nice change of pace for when heavier and more complex blends seem a bit daunting.

GB has a sweet, uncomplicated taste that stays the same pretty way all the way through the bowl. The only major drawback is the inevitable presence of Mac Baren's cardinal sin, excessive moisture upon opening the pouch. So crack it open the day before and let it air out.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2003-12-01		Very Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

Next to Mac B's Burley London being the number 1 spot, Golden extra is In my Humble Opinion number 2. Excellent sweetned Burley tobacco. Both White Burley,and Golden Burley leaves make up this mild all day smoke.The sweetner,which of course is honey, is not a tounge biter here. Wonderful aroma,clean pipe,non-sticky,darn good backy.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2003-11-15		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Mild, nearly unadulterated and nicely mellowed tobacco here. A welcome change after a longer stint with aromatics and Va's.

Golden Blend offers a tasty, slightly roasted (or rather, toasted) and cool smoke. Slightly sweet, in a very nice way. Not a bit stingy. This is very much straight tobacco.

Smokes well and clean. Mild and pleasant, and will leave your tongue in peace. Then again, this can get very hot. So puff easy and Golden Blend will give out her better qualities.

Lights up easily, charring light is of course needed, and burns well and steady even in a bit of wind.

There isn't much progress in taste as you go along, save for a deepening of the taste at mid-bowl or so. If you're using this as a pace-changer, that's a neat plus.

All in all, a good relaxing straight burley blend that offers a welcome change of pace. This makes a good one for those summer cabin early morn, sunrise smokes. And isn't bad at a pub either.

(As the blend was previously sold under the name "Golden Extra" you might want to check reviews under that name too)

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2003-07-22		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

What an excellent change of pace in tobaccos, I generally smoke aromatics and Virginia tobaccos. I'm not really too fond of straight Burley Tobacco for smoking, but Golden Extra went a step further in presenting a mild smoking tobacco with a pleasant aroma. Although, do not let this tobacco fool you into believing it will not burn hot for it will get a bowl very hot to the touch if smoked too fast.

Upon opening the tin you get that fresh mildly aroma of sweet burley. The ready rub was not that ready rubbed IMO, as I just had to rub it a little more to my liking. It packs well in the pipe, lights up easily, and smokes like no other Burley I have tried.

I smoke this in a Larsen Port French Egg style bowl, but because of the mildness one could go to a larger bowl with no difficulty.

No tongue bite, mild smoking, extremely mild flavoring, with no offensive overwhelming aroma. This one has earned a place on my Occasionally smoked tobacco shelf

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2003-02-15		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Toasty, mildly spicy-sweet and good to the last ash. MacBaren tobaccos are some of the hottest I have smoked (and I smoke Va flakes) but this one is fairly well-behaved. You may want to rub it out a little but it packs just fine right from the pouch. For non-aromatic smokers in a situation where "room note" or "significant others" are an issue, reach for this one instead of a pouch of vanillacherryhoneydewmango as it will deliver real tobacco flavor and you'll be OK in the smell department. As for nicotine, this weed doesn't have a whole lot of it, so I don't reach for it when I'm looking for a little fix--or else I'll puff like hell and get the famous MacBaren bite. Good mid-day smoke, perfect for a sunny drive.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NEWMAN (305)	2003-01-24		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I previously smoked this blend regularly. However, from my exposure to VA flakes, I've grown to prefer many of them to this burley blend. I also now favor the taste of MacB's Navy Flake which is also Burley based but more mellow and in true flake form. GE is one of the better rubbed out burley blends but had a tendency to burn hot for me and torch my tongue especially @ a high burn rate and/or if smoked all day. Although a good smoke, not a great one and I just now prefer others.

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