Tobaccos Mac Baren - Virginia No. 1

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipe4ever (204)	2008-12-10		Mild	Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

Virginia No.1 is a beautiful, bright, golden broken flake, tin aroma and flavor is wonderful! Kind of dried cherries, with sweet honey/candy note, the smoke is sweet, fruity with hay flavor and it is a mild Virginia.

I am not sure if this tobacco is naturally sweet (as claimed in Mac baren website) or if there is some sweetener added on. However, in order to verify the claims about the "overwhelmed sweetness" and the "hot burns" of this Virginia, which has been repetitively mentioned by other reviewers, who prefers "naturally sweet Virginia", I have done a trial test by smoking 2 pipes at the same time, VA No.1 side to side with "the natural" Marlin Flake and I found that MF was definitely much sweeter than VA No.1. and of course, the bowl burns much hotter.

Virginia No.1 is good examples of how an excellent blend can be severely down rated in a snow ball mechanism of negative reviews on tobaccoreviews.com rating system. In fact, it?s all about a Placebo Effect when a reviewer is judging a blend, his judgment in largely influenced by the brand name, the price, the tin art, the opinion or other reviewers, his negative or positive expectations, the blend rank in the stars rating , and so many other factors and considerations.

Virginia No.1 is simply the best Virginia out there and it is my favorite Virginia smoke, this is a fact that I knew before even the existence of the internet or the tobaccoreviews website, this is what I have been smoking all day long since many years, I have tried most Virginia tobaccos available in the market and found Virginia No.1 was the best, I orders it in 1 pound plastic container or in 100g tin, I don?t recommend buying it in pouch or in bulk since I noticed the quality was much inferior.

My rating:

Bad Good = Excellent * Exceptional

61 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3047)	2013-10-08		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

The first thing that hits you when you smoke this is a honey and sugar taste with some acidity. After a few puffs, the tart, tangy citrus, tart lemon and grassy/hay flavor you expect from a mild dark gold Virginia broken flake makes itself known. The honey flavor becomes a bit less obvious later, though the honey is from the tobacco and not from a topping. There's also a bit of spice and a few floral notes that join with a hit of toast to offset the sweetness with just enough tang to keep this from being one-dimensional. I sense hints of rum and licorice toppings. May bite if pushed hard, though I have found that several years of age greatly reduces that possibility, and the acidity level in particular. The strength and nicotine are a couple of steps past the mild mark. The taste is just past the center of mild to medium. Has a few rough edges. Burns clean at a slightly slow pace with a very consistent grassy, sugary, tart and tangy flavor. Requires a few relights, and leaves little moisture in the bowl. Has a pleasantly lingering after taste, and room note. This tobacco was designed for the all day smoker who just wants a pleasant smoking experience. Also, it may be lighter change of pace for one who prefers stronger, darker Virginias. It's one of those Virginia blends that really benefits from age.

-JimInks

51 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Satc001 (67)	2008-05-09		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Virginia No. 1 is a good Virginia blend. The taste is sweet like dried cherries. The aroma is delightful. The bite is minimal for a Virginia tobacco. I really like this blend and will probably come back to it. The light casing adds a nice dimension. A nice, no nonsense VA.

UPDATE:

This has become a staple in my rotation. In fact, I smoke more of this blend than anything else. This is simply the best Virginia tobacco out there when you factor in flavor, smoking qualities, price (I buy it in bulk), and ability to age. Never mind the fact that you don't have to rub it out, pack your pipe and you are ready to go. The smoke is sweet and has notes of figs and cinnamon. The aroma is wonderful. It ages great! I have some of this that has be aging for almost three years and it is the best!

I have tried a lot of Virginias from almost every maker, the negative reviews here are largely unwarranted. This is as good as any Virginia on the market. As with all MacBaren blends, this has a stigma put upon it. However, just as with all of MacBaren's standard blends, it is of the finest quality and a delight to smoke.

If you like Virginia, buy some VA #1.

38 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SmokeDawg (82)	2014-08-12		Mild	Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

I'm going to bypass describing the look texture and smell of VA. 1. Others have already done so and described it well. I care how it smokes, so this is the brass- tax-bottom-line of my experience. MILD. VERY MILD and Simple. This is not an aged VA and is basically a purely rubbed out flake of straight VA. No thrills. No depth.

Mac Baren had to sugar water it to enhance the flavor or in other words, give it flavor at all. Very mild with added sweetener to help it along. This blend has the ability to scorch the tongue of someone with little to no puffing skills. It acted like it was going to bite me but it never did. Just leaves a weird coating on your tongue. I will finish this out, but would not purchase it again.

Update review: Oct 20, 2014. So far there are only 2 times I went back and edited my review by adding another star. I'll be a man about it and say I've been enjoying VA. No1. lately. I've picked this blend back up and I've been surprised. The blend IS mild but has a great aroma and a tasty sweetness to it that make it a pleasure to smoke. I'm adding another star.

Update review! Feb. 25, 2015. I missed on this review completely and I'm a Dawg crawling back with my tail between my legs. Va. No1. Has won my heart and become my top 1 or 2 favorite tobaccos. I can't believe something I gave such a scorching review to has become one of my all time favs. If I'm stranded on an island with just one tobacco and pipe. I want No.1 with my large Peterson XL305. Four stars!!!

Pipe Used: Peterson XL305 Peterson 312

Purchased From: Ansteads Tobacco

30 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	fr_tom (393)	2014-07-11		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is a very good, lightly topped Virginia. The tobacco itself is somewhat rubbed out broken flake and came at a great moisture level for me. I did nothing to prepare it and loaded the pipe straight from the tin.

Smoked, there is a honey flavor and a whiff of a spice I can't put my finger on. There is that citrus and hay you get with the sweet in a Virginia blend. It all works well. The flavors intensify as I go through the bowl. If you like Virginias and don't mind a little topping, I predict you would like this a lot.

This tobacco gets mixed reviews and the common complaint seems to be that it burns hot. I did not have a problem with this and found it easy to smoke slowly. If anything it burned cool for me and was easy to keep lit. As an advantage for the all-day or nicotine-sensitive smoker, this has a good flavor and is fairly mild in vitamin N.

This is a solid 3 on the rating scale. I am puzzled by the "burns hot" comments. Maybe this is groupthink, and there were "me too" comments after an early negative eval. Maybe it is differences in body chemistry.

30 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2003-02-13		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

A long-time classic from Mac Baren, Virginia No. 1 is loaded to the gills with quality cask Virginia aged flavor enhanced with a topping that is similar to that of Mac Baren's Navy Flake. In fact, it may be the same honey like topping, but the application to this totally different style tobacco made it a unique experience for me. Probably one of the finer Virginia aromatics ever to hit the market. Not a lot of strength, but plenty of depth of flavor that leads me to see why this is one of Mac Baren's top sellers.

28 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SmokeKing David (134)	2007-10-29		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

UPDATE: It's funny how buying a new pipe can lead me to try an older blend again, but that's how I started smoking Virginia No. 1 again. I bought an Ardor that looks kind of like a bee hive, and this honey-sweetended tobac came to mind.

Other reviewers on this site have recommended that one should let MacBaren blends dry a bit before smoking, pack it pretty loosely, and slow down one's smoking pace. I followed this in the past with other MacBaren blends and have had great results. Anyway, I had a 5-year aged tin, and I smoked right throught it. Well, the aged tin was magnificent. It was naturally sweet and I really liked it. I tried a new tin of Virginia No. 1, just to see if it was the aging that led to such a great smoke. The new tin smoked fantastic, too.

I have now smoked through yet another tin, and also throught many other Virginia blends to see how they compare to Virginia No. 1. Surprisingly, I like this blend more than every other Virginia blend I tried, including some prominent and very highly regarded Virginias and VaPers. Virginia No. 1 is sweet and light, yet I find it satisfying. I like it so much that I am finding it hard to get back to smoking my usual English/Balkan blends. I guess those other blends, which are now in Mason-type jars, will just have to wait!

A friend of mine once told me that you need to learn how to smoke a blend, and that you need to be more patient. This advice dovetails with the above-mentioned comments on this site from other reviewers. I am really glad that other reviewers gave us their tips on how to smoke MacBaren blends I am now a convert; in my opinion this time-tested blend is tops! I smoke this almost every day now and look forward to every bowl.

Virginia No.1 is definitely Number One with me!

ORIGINAL REVIEW: This is kind of a fickle tobacco; sometimes hot, sometimes cool. Sometimes sweet, sometimes bitter. Sometimes requires few matches, sometimes many. A pretty decent weed but even at its best it is monotone, and just too inconsistent. I'll get around to finishing the tin. But my taste buds say that MacBaren's HH Mature Virginia is superior.

22 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TabacFanatic (6)	2016-06-10		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

What would Epicurus smoke?

Mac Baren Va. No. 1 perhaps? The great 3rd-century-BC advocate of the happy, tranquil life was a champion of simple nourishing pleasures, not an indulger in sumptuous banquets and wild orgies as sometimes depicted. After all, the purpose of enjoyment is to be happy and contented. Why foolishly indulge and shortly thereafter end up with a blaring hangover and chronic indigestion?

Trying out a lot of different pipe tobaccos is a great idea. I do it myself, and advocate it heartily. But there's no doubt about it: after a long spell of mixed fare, the taste buds grow dull and adding even more variety seems to make things worse.

Va. No. 1 seems to work miracles when dullness sets in, reinvigorating the taste buds to their original keen state. I found it incredibly boring on the first try, but switching to large pipes and slowing down made the blend taste better and better.

A lot of pipe smokers mention the sweetness of MB Va. No. 1, but I don't get that at all. Undoubtedly the Virginia leaf has a lot of natural sugar, judging from the glistening hard cake it develops in the bowl. But the flavor to me is tart and dry, like fine ripe pears and apples. Delicious and invigorating.

I smoke a lot of this, so I buy it in bulk which is the same high-quality though much less expensive than the tinned version. I like to think that I enjoy it the same way Epicurus savored his daily bread with the occasional slice of cheese. Enjoyable, satisfying and nourishing, and no strain on the budget.

Pipe Used: Cavicchi Bent Dublin

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Online Vendor

16 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-02-12		Mild	Medium	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Whew! This one is a sweetie, and by that I mean it's like sucking on a popsicle! The sugar content in this must be extremely high. But it's a good tasting popsicle and, like a popsicle, when I'm in the mood for it, nothing else will do.

This has great flavor that lasts all the way down the bowl. It's sweet but it's great at certain times. This is one of my favorite blending tobaccos! I've blended this with varying amounts of latakia, perique, burley, stoved virginia and even some McClellands Red Cake (which didn't work out too well for more than a couple reasons!) and it's so heavy in flavor that unless I went totally overboard with the condimental tobaccos, this one took center stage. But it was graceful in victory! Stoved virginias and perique with Virginia #1 yielded some nice results. The stoved toned down the MacB's a bit and the perique added some spice to the sweetness.

But still this is a nice smoke on its own. I couldn't smoke it all day every day just as I couldn't eat chocolate cake every day but I always have some on hand when the mood strikes. If you like a sweet virginia, you should definitely give this one a spin.

16 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	colt25314 (42)	2009-04-07		Mild	Extra Strong	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I now know what we did with the left over Napalm form Vietnam. This stuff will flat out burn your taste buds clean off. It is a shame as the tobacco appears to be of the highest quality and I hate to be so down on a blend from a company that produces so many fine blends. I actually bured the rest of the contents in my fireplace as an offering to the gods of fire. Hot stuff!!!

14 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	thehorseman (1)	2017-08-28		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I'd have to say this is my desert island tobac. My first experience with it was a 12 yr old 9oz tin purchased from a b&m that was going out of business. At 9 dollars for the tin I figured why not. It was sublime. Since then I purchase in 1lb bulk as I like it aged at least a yr. Fresh is ok also just not as nuanced. Smokes cool and burns well I have tried several hundred blends and have at least 50 in the cellar but this floats my boat.

Pipe Used: various mostly briars but a few meerschaums

Age When Smoked: 15yrs to fresh

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HRB21 (1)	2017-01-25		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

As a beginner it was one of the first tobaccos I wanted to try, based on the different reviews and being one of the most popular virgina blends around. Of course as a fresh starter I managed to experience what bite is with this blend, but I assume other tobaccos would cause the same result at that time.

Later, as the time went by and became more experienced, managed to explore the different non aromatic tobaccos, I got to the point where I should give an other try to this blend. And what a good idea that was! What I remembered from the beginning, I liked the light casing on it and the pure tobacoo taste which I always serach for in any blends.

If you are able to find the correct briar for this blend and have the patience to smoke it slowly, you will get perect experience every time you reach for this tobacco especially outdoors. The taste of the different high quality virginias are in perfect harmony with the additional light honey/caramel taste. The casing has only a supporting role here - the main player will always be the belend of different virginias. Moisture level is quite good - in some cases it burns down without any religts. If puffed hard - it still can bite. Nicotine level not the highest - comparing to other virginia blends - so it can be a perfect all day smoke. Room note is quite nice - and could be tolerable for non smokers as well.

As being a Virginia blend I suppose it can age nicely. I will be able to find it out in a couple of years - I have different tins and jars in the cellar and will open one in every year to check the improvement.

If you get to to the point where you smoke at least a bowl or more/day and have a dedicated pipe for it, you can be sure that a perfect smoking experience is guaranteed for every day.

The bulk price is basically a gift.

Absolutely recommended.

ps. (for the home blenders - if you have some Solani Aged Burley Flake, give a try in a fifty fifty mix - heaven - )

Pipe Used: different briars - StanwellTrio207 is dedicated

Age When Smoked: fresh

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tabaco (112)	2014-12-29		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Wicked and nasty tongue bite, pH gone wrong and far too alkaline; a terribly grumpy Racoon with a sore penis.

My tongue noticed it first then my whole upper palate, cheeks too and this was just at the time of lighting. I swiftly dumped the bowl, the tin contents are now in the composter. Decades ago I would've soldiered on through the discomfort hoping for something good to arrive, much wiser now fully realising that persevering would lead to many days perhaps a week of no combusting due to an eviscerated palate.

New pipe folks please be aware when you encounter a blend which 'bites' upon lighting before your briar even rises to operating temperature, fire the ejection-seat. It's not your pipe, too much flame, nor your packing method simply the pH of that blend does not agree with you, this will differ person to person and occasionally your palate can change over the years: more sensitive maybe less. Blends often change too usually not for the better; however, off-batches do arise.

Overall I prefer the American style Virginias as opposed to these Danish blends many of which seem to have that unpleasant topping/casing, their style I suppose which is simply not for me.

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	GESJr (8)	2018-04-05		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This blend is not only the definition of a 'Straight' Virginia, it's also the quintessential definition of Mac Baren's unique blending style in my opinion. This is not an aged, ketchup/vinegary blend, nor has it been rounded out with Burley, Perique, Kentucky, Latakia or any other such nonsense. It's straight-up Virginia for Virginia lovers, and there ain't nothing wrong with that! #murica sips Kentucky straight bourbon

All kidding aside, Virginia No. 1 is a classic, and I recommend it especially as a great blend to get familiar with in your early stages of pipe smoking as a way to learn & recognize the notes of quality Virginia leaf - grass, hay, and earth as well as honey, sugar, and vanilla make-up the bouquet. This blend will sweeten up your pipe a bit, and for this reason I often finish off my break-in process with a bowl or two of No. 1 in my new pipes to keep them smoking sweet. Similarly, I use No. 1 to freshen up older pipes which may have lost some of their cake flavor; nobody likes stale carbon cake, and I find smoking a bowl of No. 1 works better than alcohol, sweetening agents, reaming out the carb. No. 1 is not so sweet as to alter the taste of future blends (i.e. it doesn't ghost), but sweet enough to bring old flavors back to life, in my experience.

The one caveat with No. 1 is the same for all Mac Baren blends - remember how I said it's a defining blend for the brand? It's because Mac Baren is (in)famous for adding sugar water to many of their blends; No. 1 is a prime example of what this does: adds a nice boost in sweetness, though it comes at the price of smoking a degree or two hotter than a comparable mixture from another blender. You gotta like the way Mac Baren does things and know how to smoke their blends in order to enjoy No. 1 over the long run, but you won't be disappointed if you put in the extra effort to keep it smoking cool.

Being a straight Virginia doesn't help No. 1 smoke cool either because there's nothing to mellow out the warm Virginia varietals out like a Burley would. This is the risk with smoking straight Virginias (much like drinking straight bourbons!), Mac Baren or otherwise, but No. 1 won't bite you unless you let her. Like I mentioned earlier, it takes a bit of finesse and patience to not let the bowl get too hot and runaway on you, but it's so worth it. When you get the temp right and puff slowly, you can smoke No. 1 any time of day. It's not overtly heavy on the nicotine or body, and it will keep your lips smacking with sweet grassy flavor, similar to a sugar-tipped cigar.

For me, No. 1 is a must have on hand at all times. I recommend rubbing it out a bit more before loading a pipe, and don't let it get too dry or it'll be much more difficult to keep it cool. There's gold in them hills (i.e. this blend), if you know how to find it. Cheers!

Pipe Used: Castellos, Dunhills, etc.

Age When Smoked: Fresh, bulk & tin

Purchased From: Briar Patch in Sacramento, CA

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2017-11-19		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Another classical, old-style Danish blend by Mac Baren. Light, typical Mac Baren casing with the Mac Baren honeyish signature aroma, and a quite pleasant roomnote.

A very sweet sugary start that develops into a more subtle sweet and grassy, haylike, overall round taste with the honeyish aroma always (safely stored) in the backseat. Not adventurous, but safe and nice. Somewhat like your favourite candy: nothing interesting about it, nothing new, but you always crave for it.

To me, this one was a surprise. Deeply hidden in the shadow of it's bigger brother, the Mixture Scottish Blend, this little sis has it's own merit. A light and very pleasing smoke. Everything fits a sunny day -whether winter or summer- to lift the mood - as I said, like a treat with your favourite candy.

The Virginia No. 1 goes very well with a Darjeeling first flush or a fruity (more greenish) Oolong tea. It's a good morning smoke, and also nice durig the day, maybe not the right smoke for the late evening.

This one is supposed to bite very hard, but surprisingly, I didn't have any problems with that. Very easy to light, easy to smoke, just very few relights, reasonable amount of moisture in the bowl. Smokes quite cool and slow, if you don't rubb it out further.

Overall definitely a recommendation for the sunny days in life.

A remark for my fellow German countrymen: in my opinion this blend has to be smoked without a filter. A filter kills IMHO the taste and joy of this tobacco as well as you'll tend to smoke it to hot.

Pipe Used: different briars, falcon

Age When Smoked: very fresh (about 2 month out of the factory)

Purchased From: local B&M

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NONSUMDIGNUS (11)	2008-12-10		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I can't agree with the negative reviewers of this tobacco. I find this tobacco to be delightfully tasty and sweet. According to Mac Baren's website the tobacco is naturally sweet and not cased with honey as some would tend to believe. I personally enjoy this sweetness and the toastiness that develops towards the middle of the bowl.

The consistency of the rubbed out flake is perfect in my oppinion and I have not been bitten anymore than any other virginia tobacco out there. Go slow and enjoy and you won't have any problems.

This tobacco stayed lit remarkably well and I had no problem in getting down to the bottom of the bowl.

My particular batch was an attractive golden-amber colored.

I highly recommend if you like the more sweet virginias.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Reagold (29)	2017-08-19		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

This is a dangerous tobacco: it can turn anyone in a dedicated pipe smoker. Anti-tobacco people must have nightmares with this kind of tobacco and if they could they would ban this from the Earth.

It's easy to understand: the broken flakes are beautiful, smell great and are easy to deal with. Come's in perfect moisture, so no trouble loading your bowl and once lit, just enjoy untill everything turn to ashes. It's not a complex or layered smoke, but it's a relyable, pleasant, simple and delicious one. This reminded me very much of Old Gowrie, wich is also a masterpiece. But OG cost more and is way harder to find.

Althoug I still like to try new tobaccos (who don't?) or revisit some old friends, this is the one I like to always have near. Now finally I understand that "desert island tobacco" talk.

Similar Blends: Rattray - Old Gowrie (British Collection).

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Haebar (52)	2015-04-11		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Went out on the back porch this evening and smoked a bowl of it in a Captain Black billiard that I just refinished last weekend. I watched a spectacular thunderstorm while smoking with my dog at my side. I smoked it right out of the tin. The first third of the bowl was very light tasting but yet substantial. I'm not good with comparing smoke to other foods or substances, but I thought I smelled or tasted a hint of honeydew melon along with the proverbial Virginia hay aroma in the first third. This first third was very refreshing to the palate; kind of the way you feel after taking a shower after a long, sweaty day at work. The smoke really came into full glory in the second third, like the sweet spot on a cigar. The light, subtle smoke of the first third slowly changed to a full-bodied delight. Virginias have a tendency to bite my tongue when I smoke them, but this tobacco is very mellow, yet tasty and satisfying. This tasted so good that I couldn't slow myself down, but still didn't get bit! This is my first experience smoking a really old tobacco and I was skeptical about the hype, but I must say that this was an exquisite smoke. The second third was so tasty I didn't want it to end. I didn't feel too great of a nicotine hit, but just what you'd expect from a typical Virginia. The third part of the bowl was almost as good as the second. Still, I couldn't put the dang thing down it was so tasty. It smoked all the way down to ash; I only had to relight one time.

Pipe Used: Captain Black billiard

Age When Smoked: 35-45 years old

Purchased From: Ebay

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ArmedOctopus (20)	2013-12-16		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I really enjoy this tobacco. The more I smoke of it, the more I like it.

TIN: Smells a lot like dry hay, but not terribly strong. The tobacco has a perfect moisture level...I only needed one light.

TASTE: A mild/medium blend, naturally sweet and pleasant. It isnt complex. It isnt groundbreaking. It's just plain good tobacco. Puffing too hard may deliver some tongue bite but relaxing and taking it slow is a good remedy. I'm pretty sensitive to nicotine, and to me this was a medium nic blend. The flavor also wasnt sour like some VA's tend to be. I have to say, when you puff this slowly, it produces some wonderful room notes. This is also one of those blends that gets better as you smoke through the bowl. It developed a rich quality not unlike dark chocolate or toast.

This for me is a great all-day blend. It is terribly consistent through the entire bowl, which is much appreciated. I will say though, you will smell like smoke after enjoying this blend, so if you dont want to communicate that you're a smoker by your scent, you want to smoke this after you're done for the day.

Oh and in closing, if you want the best experience, smoke in a cob.

Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum

Age When Smoked: New

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	flagg1122 (15)	2009-04-28		Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I wanted to try a straight virginia and decided to give this a spin. Upon opening the pouch I was meet with nice aroma and was looking forward to the smoke. Afterwards my tounge felt like it had been run over by a mac truck, I was smoking way to fast and outside on a windy day. I took it a bit slower the next smoke. Not bad at all. Wont be smoking on a daily basis, but as the weather gets warmer its nice to expand the taste buds to the virginias. I am now mixing this blend with a little full Balken flake. The result is quite delicious.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jose Ruiz (7)	2015-03-05		Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Hello everyone this is Jose Ruiz I hope your all having a great day.*:-h waveHere's another review for you to enjoy in your pipe smoking adventures. Today I'm going to be reviewing :Mc Baren's Virginia No.1 ready rubbed.

Cut: Small pieces of pressed tobacco Tin note: Raw honey comb/faint scent of bourbon/herbal grass notes Tin size:3.5 oz. Rating: 3 Strength: medium light/medium Room note: Pleasant to moderately pleasant/grassy herbal/citrus notes. Taste: Slightly honey sweet from the aged Virginia with a hint of bourbon/rum notes in the background, like a very lite caramel after taste. Nice herbal notes as it smokes Smooth cool burn. Notes: Ready to light right out of the tin, not to moist or dry. Has a dry hay/herbal note to it which I find pleasing to the palate with the natural sweetness. Stayed lit through out the bowl. Have a very nice richness coming through it without getting to strong at the end, has more complexity, robustness half way through the smoke with out much bite. I find coffee works well with this smoke for a good drink. This blend I personally think is great with a good corn cob to heighten the natural sweetness of the Virginia leaf and the natural sweetness of the corn cob. If you never tried a good corn cob I highly suggest you get one for your rotation of pipes to enjoy!!

As an added review from a non pipe smoker, I have my wife add her review as to the Room notes as I think most reviewers never actually add a opinion from a non pipe smoker. I personally think this is important *;) winking

Virginia #1 This pipe tobacco burns light and airy compared to others I've smelled. My husband lit this one and it reminded me of burning dry grass on a hot summer day as a kid with a magnifying glass. It also had hints of honey in the comb, an almost citrus odor. I would classify this pipe tobacco as summery for those reasons. So put some freckles on my face and plaster an old fashioned Hee-Haw straw hat on my head and I will still be, The Pipe Smokers Wife

Pipe Used: sav bent briar

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: Sutliff

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	sge (2)	2014-10-22		Medium to Strong	Strong	Full	Pleasant

Rather a strange one this. I smoked the first bowl and thought 'Meh, a decent virginia smoke but nothing special' but over the next few days I found myself reaching for the tin more and more often. Ten days later and the the 50g tin is looking rather empty.

There is a sublety to this blend which does not emerge immediately, but it's mild enough to smoke at any time of the day. I found it tasted a little better in a meerschaum pipe for some reason.

It does smoke hot, as some other reviews have said, and there is a constaint threat of bite but I don't mind a tobacco which takes a little more work.

I would certainly buy again and regret not buying in bulk.

Pipe Used: Peterson 'Golden Princess' Meerschaum

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: liberté 56, Luxembourg

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BigNick (59)	2014-10-13		Medium	Extremely Mild	Full	Very Pleasant

Out of the benevolence of his good nature, a friend gave me this amazing tobacco. I fell in love with it. It was so hard not to constantly engross myself with this blend. It was down to earth and hearty. It reminded me of summer and wheat. It's a very simple tobacco, it consistently stays the same from start to finish. It burns into a a nice white/light grey ash. Simply put, sinfully delicious. I highly recommend.

Pipe Used: MM Mizzou, MM Legend, Savinelli ASH

Age When Smoked: N/A

Purchased From: Gift

Similar Blends: Peter Stokkebye - Luxury Navy Flake.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	erthbound0 (10)	2014-08-26		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

This tobacco is a solid 3 star tobacco. The taste was good, but more mild than I usually like. There is some tongue bite, but not too much. It smoked well.

Normally, a tobacco like this would be a one tin and done deal. However, there is one thing about this blend that makes it very worthwhile, the note. It smells phenomenal and this really adds to the flavor. The room note was very pleasant. This is a great non-aromatic tobacco to smoke around other people. If you are conscious about those around you and want them to have a good experience too, this is the tobacco for you. A Virginia with a room note better than many aromatics. It is for this reason I could see people smoking this blend all day every day, especially if they live at home with a wife etc. If room note is important to you, give this blend a try,

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TallPuffO'Burley (633)	2012-02-21		Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

EDIT 2/5/2016

I just got around to finishing the tin that I opened a year and 4 months ago. I have decided two stars to be a good rating, but it is tottering on the three star mark. Here is my justification for choosing two stars. It is a fine Virginia, but it does have a light topping to it. I think this is what makes it such a firepot to the beginning puffer.

The topping is good, kind of a honey sweet type topping. I would prefer a bit more citrus ala a Dunhill Flake. The topping slightly reminds me of the topping that is on Peter Stokkebye's Luxury Twist Flake, but I like that Virginia better than this. This is problematic as that is a much more attractive leaf for several reasons. One of which is the cool flake presentation, another would be the price for that cool flake presentation. .

The topping of LTF is likely a little stronger applied than that of VA 1, but I find it to be a more pleasant smoke. I believe I only rated LTF at three stars as I prefer my Va's to not be topped or very lightly so, like a Dunhill Flake. Thus this will remain a two star in my book, but I did enjoy the experience in retrying it. I just won't be buying more.

EDIT 10/6/14

The dangers of writing a review when you are a new smoker. Three years into pipe smoking, I decided it was time to reevaluate this one. My earlier review tells you how this will effect the beginner's palate.

I had my first bowl of the new tin yesterday and it smoked fine. It is bitey, but did not do the harm as the bowls I had when I first started out. It tastes hay sweet as Virginia should. After one bowl, I can't really give it a three or even a four star as of yet, but I am adding one star as it is better then the one star I previously gave it.

Also, still not recommended for the beginner.

Original Review 2/21/12

The only thing good that I have to say about this blend is that it led me to this site.

My baby steps into pipe smoking started with some store blends in bulk from my local B & M that were terrible, followed by the popular OTC brands that had taste and aroma but nothing of substance. The owner of the B & M, who has little knowledge of pipe tobacco, suggested this as he said it was a popular one. He had a lot of it and I wonder if he was really just trying to get rid of it to a naïve fool like myself.

The appearance was that of hay. I rubbed it like an amateur and smoked away. It was ghastly and strong and it torched my mouth. So much so that I started to search the internet to see if I had a serious medical condition. And this is where I learned of tongue bite. In a narrower search for Tongue bite, I happened upon TR and the rest has been smoking bliss.

I tried blending this with several mild OTCs in hopes that I could somehow salvage this diabolic blend, but to no avail. Into the bin I pitched the remainder.

I have since learned how to puff lighter, but I can't imagine it would have much of a difference with this weed. I have also smoked much finer Va blends and have realized that Va does tend to irritate my tongue a bit so, although I enjoy them, I must restrict my use not to exceed one bowl a day. For that bowl, I would prefer something much better than this. Right now that something lies in the Esoterica Line by Germain.

I see that some other reviewers do enjoy this. I imagine you must have mouths like leather. Perhaps the types who could down a gallon of tabasco and not feel it. People much tougher than me. lol

Purchased From: local B & M

Similar Blends: PS LTF.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2010-08-02		Mild	Medium	Mild	Pleasant

This baby is Suh-weeet! Yeah it's a MacBaren's and it'll smoke hot on ya. However after 'learning' how o smoke VA it's wonderful. When I first opened the tin I was impressed. The stuff smelled realy nice. I'm not very good at labeling aromas but after reading several reviews on different things I have to say it's a sweet, dreamy, haylike aroma in the tin. The really nice part that I like is when firing up a bowl of VA #1 I get a nice full feeling/atmosphere, calming and very pleasant and comforting. Continuing to smoke 'er slowly/sipping/breath smoke style, this blend just keeps on giving. VA #1 needs some drying time in my opinion, almost to slightly crispy then she'll spark to life. I'm giving this one a strong 4 STARS.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Vuki (5)	2021-12-30		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

If You wanna try siple, straightforward , sweet Virginia, then Va no.1 is perfect. My favourite non-thinking blend. No bite, simple, sweet, creamy, burns to ash and leaves little moisture in a bowl.

Pipe Used: MM Cob, Stanwell Royal Prince, my own pipes

Age When Smoked: Fresh to 1 yo

Purchased From: Local shop

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	porshcigar (44)	2018-09-08		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

This is a very good Virginia tobacco. It loads well into a pipe. It lights well and burns smoothly. It has the sweet taste of a very good Virginia and is refreshing after smoking heavy Latakia blends.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JackalMike (7)	2016-06-01		Very Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

I purchased a 3.5 oz. tin of the ready rubbed variety a few days ago. I'm really trying to like it, but I don't think it's going to happen.

First the positive...

Presentation upon opening the tin gave me high hopes. I was greeted with light brown pieces of ready-rubbed flake. The aroma is sweet, reminiscent of fresh-cut hay with a light note of honey. Perhaps just a touch of molasses as well.

Here's where it went downhill...

I loaded it into my briar and lit up. I noticed immediate biting that did not let up. I did the best I could with it. But it was a losing battle.

My second attempt today was somewhat better. But it still smoked hot and had noticable bite. It improved about 2/3 of the way through the bowl. I managed to get a little bit of airy sweetness. But I had to baby it so slow that the reward was hardly worth the effort.

I have decided to try drying this a bit to see if it helps. But I would find it hard to recommend this tobacco to someone I liked.

After further research I learned that Mac Baren blends are reputed to smoke hot and bite. And to be fair, Virginias are notorious for it as well. Perhaps it is just my personal chemistry.

I hope this improves with time, but I'm not optimistic.

Happy Puffing,

Mike

Pipe Used: Briar and Hardwood

Age When Smoked: 3.5 oz. tin produced 10/2015

Purchased From: Feerick's Candy & Tobacco Joplin, MO USA

Similar Blends: Napalm?.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2010-10-15		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

After reading certain bad AND good reviews about this tobacco, I decided to make up my mind about it and to give it a try. I must say that I was very satisfied with Virginia No.1. It's a straight, mild and sweet Virginia of high quality and thats exactly what I'm looking for. The moment you open the pouch, you are welcomed by a decent, slightly sweet, hay- like smell. Very sympathic and somehow very present, but not overwhelming. Packing goes easily, as being a ready- rubbed one. Just don't stuff it too tightly! Beautiful, medium blonde, broken flakes. Its moisture level was very good, not really dry, but not too moist either. Despite all the negative reviews concerning its burning qualities, I had no problems to light it (twice worked pretty well) and to keep it lit. It burned down evenly AND COOL. I didnt have any problems with tongue bite, but I didn't push it too much, as I'm a slow smoker, smoking the pipe for relaxation and enjoyment. Taste is medium, rather sweet and full, giving the distinctive, natural- sweet note of a beautifully selected Virginia. I detected some flavouring, but it matched the tobacco taste very well. It offers a pleasant room note, reflecting the smoking taste beautifully. After smoking, I wanted one more bowl, which is unusual for me, as I dont smoke for nicotine. I find it a bit strange that some smokers have problems to handle it. I experienced it very positive. Seems to be a more demanding blend. Might become an everyday smoke for me. Now I know why this is a Mc Baren classic. 4 stars.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2002-08-22		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

See lustra's review above, but stop right before the part about this being irresistable. There is obvious quality in this tobacco, you just can't get near it. Picture a really nice bottle of red wine, from a Grand Cru chateau, a great year. Now add some really nasty blackberry brandy to it. Get the idea with this? This is just about the hottest tobacco I have yet experienced. The wonder of it all is that MacBaren hasn't put out a non-cased version of this, since everyone seems to think this stuff would be better in its natural form. I actually threw this tin away, a very rare thing for me (that was before PIF was around...)

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ticktocker (9)	2020-09-07		Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

If you are a lover of Virginia tobacco and you don't like this, something is wrong. It is the epitome of a wonderful Virginia tobacco. Sweet with slight tastes of fruit and sugar without being cloying or wet. The best smoke is derived from smoking gently and slowly and savoring the incredible aroma, just as with any good Virginia. I currently buy it in bulk and have used it for decades from the tin and I can not notice a difference in taste or quality between the tin variety and the bulk.

Pipe Used: Many different sized pipes and bowls

Age When Smoked: From fresh to several years old

Purchased From: Sherlocks Haven and 4Noggins

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	mariusK (33)	2019-10-16		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I guess the critics of this blend might have smoked it too fast, hence reports of its burning tongue and palate. It is good, but not exceptional, which is no reason not to smoke it. A solid if somewhat one-dimensional blend. Its taste lingers on, quite a pleasant sensation.

Addendum, 6 Nov. 2019: You have to try this one in a corn cob. A perfect match, in this pipe it is really sweet and very tasty. Upgrading my rating by two notches.

Update, July 2022 I have been smoking this tobacco for a while now, in various pipes and it is excellent and bite-free. One of my favourite VA blends.

Pipe Used: Ser Jacopo Oom Paul, Missouri Meerschaum

Age When Smoked: 1 year

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Cleonides (21)	2019-10-14		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

A mild, sweet, aromatic straight virginia. It is topped with various sugars, PG, rum, licorice, and unknown flavoring as per the German BMEL website: https://service.bmel.de/tabakerzeugnisse/index2.php?detail_id=104932&site_key=153&stichw_suche=Arnold+Andr&zeilenzahl_zaehler=164&NextRow=50

I think it is all bright virginias and they are very good. Flavor is mild and some added sweetness from the casing/topping. You also taste some of the added flavors in the background throughout the bowl. The virginias are a little muddled by the added flavors, but it is still a pleasant, smooth, mild smoke with a touch of spice. Very mild nicotine.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Vegastone (1)	2018-12-10		Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Hay, Grass. I was searching for a no-nonesense, no pretence simple clean tobacco. Far away from the snobby other tobaccos. And this is it. It's like a Fender Stratocaster.

Pipe Used: Corn Cob, Stanwell Canadian 60's

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HabaneroHardy (403)	2017-08-06		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Every time I smoke this I wonder why I do not try this more often. One of my favorites using the ole corn cob. It has a wonderful aroma and a nice sweet taste that mellows out to a pleasant grassy note. Slightly bites but not really enough to matter. My Nov 2012 lb bag says it was introduced in 1955 vice 1957 as stated in this web's description.

Pipe Used: General Corn Cob

Age When Smoked: 5 years

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CherchezLaghost (52)	2017-07-13		Very Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This was one of the first blends i smoked. One of them. I mean, it wasnt my very first bowl of borkhum riff original, and it wasnt one of the myriad aromatic house blends i picked up from the tobacconist when i asked for something "smoother than borkhum riff original" either. It wasnt even frog morton (mind=blown). So, come to think of it, i guess it wasnt one of the very first blends i smoked. What i mean to say is that i smoked this blend in my very early piping days, back before i knew my castellos from my caminettos (or comoys, for that matter). Before i had a pipe or three dedicated to my favorite blends, before i knew you should dedicate pipes to similar genres, or that there were genres of pipe tobacco. So i mean, a while ago. At that time, i thought that this was a cigarette like, hot, bitey catastrophe. Into a mason jar it went. Life went on. I kept smoking my latakia bombs and reading pretentious reviews of nightcap here. Suffice it to say, that if one is lucky, with time and experience comes growth. I learned to smoke so not to scorch myself. I learned that sometimes simple and inexpensive are not synonymous with crap. I learned to follow my interest and tastes where they led me. I tasted Carter Hall! Long story short, i picked up the jar again. So glad i did. I find it now to be fairly cool burning for a mac baren va product. Certainly it could bite if puffed, but i have not been bitten. It is very nearly my favorite straight virginia to date. A mild, hay like plum and spice experience. Perfect moisture content, very easy to stuff and light, very enticing odor in the jar. It is quite sweet, but i feel some of these reviews overstate its sweetness by a good deal. It is not cloyingly so, overall the spice note seems to balance the sweetness nicely. There is a sourish fresh piquancy that i adore, like the dryness in one's mouth from biting into a tart crab apple. Its not an over the top smoke, it is subtle, sweet, pleasant. A year of age makes it a thing of beauty, so much so that i have a pound aging presently. If you appreciate such a classic offering as Orlik Golden Sliced, i cannot imagine you would not be satisfied with this. I will hopefully never be without it.

Pipe Used: Cobs, meerschaums, briar

Age When Smoked: New to 3 years

Purchased From: Smokers Haven

Similar Blends: Eric Stokkebye 4th Gen: 1855, orlik golden sliced.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stinkypipe (155)	2017-02-20		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Oh how we forget the good ole basics. This blend uses some really top quality Virginias in its blend. The tin opening reveals a beautiful palomino color hard cast Virginias. The aroma is that grassy earthy aroma. After a good rubbing the tobacco breaks down very easy. Light up was fine and as you would expect burn is quick and fairly hot as you would expect. Taste is that slightly sweet hay and grassy taste. This is like it was back in the good ole days before all these fancy aromatics and super blends. This is just a good ole basic Virginia blend that must be smoked slowly not to destroy the flavor not to mention a huge bite if you lose control of the smoke. You usually don't need a relight but that's OK 👌🏻 if ya do as it means you smoking nice a easy. The room note is outstanding with a light sweet smoky hay aroma that is very pleasing. This is how it was five decades ago when there were just simple straight forward blends. I truly enjoyed this smoke. Would it be in my rotation? No but it is worth a nice slow smoke from time to time.

Pipe Used: Meerschaum

Age When Smoked: Fresh

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Backwoods Piper (70)	2016-02-05		Very Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Tolerable

A revised recipe or different components are used to make this blend from what I recall. It has been at least 10 years or so since I have smoked this Mac Baren/Sutliff offering. I agree with Pipestud it is topped with something but for me it doesn't diminish the quality of the Virginia's too badly. I give it a thumbs up and I think it's a pretty fair offering though a bit expensive. Yes there are better and more economically priced Va's available but I would smoke this one in a pinch Perhaps a few years down the road if it's still around I'll pick up another tin.

Pipe Used: Briar

Purchased From: P&C and Smoking Pipes.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	dieubussy (7)	2015-10-11		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Experienced pipe smokers will recognize that the sizes of a pipe's bowl and packing methods, in their wide variety, deeply affect the smoker's ability to take pleasure from a blend of tobacco.

Most Mac Baren blends, and Virginia no. 1 is certainly no exception, are usually best smoked in medium to large-sized bowls, so as to allow for very loose packing of the blend. I believe that the overall impression that this and other blends from the same manufacturer produce tasteless, hot smoke comes from an inability of finding a suitable way of packing the pipe.

Because Mac Baren produces blends with an unusual diversity of cuts, often the inability to recognize the best packing method immediately condemns the blend for the smoker who is thus incapable of obtaining any gratification. This is a disgust I know first-hand, having wasted several ounces of their tobacco as a result of similarly poor experiences.

Virginia no. 1 has long been presented as a broken flake, perhaps too easily rubbed. The most pleasurable bowls I had with this blend were those where I did little rubbing. Depending on the size/height of the bowl, two to three generous portions off the tin or packet should suffice, with little or no pressure of the finger applied between layers. Perhaps a sprinkling of crumbs from the bottom of the packet on top may make it easier to light the bowl.

The packet version of the blend comes most of the time with the right degree of humidity, requiring little or no control of this factor upon opening it. When packed correctly, the blend offers a modest but pleasurable and sincere range of flavours; between hints of honey and hazelnuts for the first half, to a more grassy tone near the very end.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CTS (138)	2014-04-15		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Very good VA. A touch of sweetness, particularly when sipped, with the spice most noticed on the retrohale. VA/brown notes more pronounced than Royal Yacht, which comes across as consistently sweeter, more full, and stronger. VA No. 1 burns clean and smooth through the bowl. 4-*.

Pipe Used: Italian Basket 35+ years old, MM

Age When Smoked: Tin dated SEP 2013

Purchased From: CI

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dubinthedam (133)	2009-05-08		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Almost finished my first 100g tin...just bought another today. I love the stuff! I delayed opening the tin due to reviews talking about bite. Actually I found for a VA and a MacB blend this was very smooth...it's a great price, and a great blend. Don't let the Anti-MacBaren squad put you off buying this simple, honest and fruity VA. I didn't find it too sweet either, just right on the sugar level....top marks to MacB...again....dub

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2008-07-18		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

I consider myself to be an experienced Virginia smoker in all of its formats, be they ribbon, ready rubbed, flake and all of its delightful breedings...red, bright, stoved, brown, golden...

To my palate, this is the tobacco equivalent of Globalistic Warminating. For those of you in Rio Linda, this means HOT.

Not just the bite factor, which is significant, but also in the bowl warming realm, which is off the charts trying to keep this lit. I've tried it dried to the point of being brittle, breath smoked it. You name it. It still burns hot.

Good raw material, handled with professionalism. Just not to my liking.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2008-04-24		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

UPDATE: Couldn't help but noticing that 4 stars had become my default rating so I decided to do updates. When I came to this one there's only one thing I can think to say. What was I thinking? True to the brand, this stuff bites like a kicked dog and the taste probably resembles what smoking an orange or lemon peel would be like. While it is certainly true that straight virginias are much more high maintenance than my beloved burlies, this one truly abuses the privlege and technique just doesn't seem to matter. I even mixed some of this with 8% perique and aged it for a bit over a year. Still it barely exceeds piss poor moving into the low end of mediocre. If you insist on a straight Virginia, there are much better out there, Old Gowrie, SG Full Virginia Flake, and St. James Flake (a VA/PER) to name a few

ORIGINAL REVIEW: Being primarily a burley smoker, my friendly neighborhood B&M talked me into a round of Virginia #1, to be honest, Virginia smokers seem to be such a fanatical lot, I was curious to see what all the fuss was about. For a burley smoker, initially at least, there was an "off" taste to this blend. Not a bad or unpleasant taste just not what I was used to. A very odd, variation between the grassy taste and the citrus, sweet and sour taste, neither of which I had ever encountered in a burley. Light up through about half way down the bowl I thought "Gee, this is....different" by the time I had finished my first bowl I thought, "I could probably warm up to this." Well, that was about 3 ounces of this stuff ago and warm up to it I have, it has taken a spot in my regular rotation and the different taste is one I have grown to like. I enjoy this tobacco a lot and can see myself returning to it often. No, I've not turned my back on my beloved burlies and can't imagine becoming a Virginia smoking tobacco snob but the truth is that Virginia is a nice change of pace from Burley and/Latakia blends that constitute a more predictable portion of my tobacco regimen. I may not smoke Virginia #1 daily but there are days when this is all I want to smoke and on those days I consistently marvel at how nice and tasty a blend it really is. This is Virginia #1's niche in my rotation. If I smoked it all the time it probably wouldn't be near as good to me as it is but employing it in this way seems to make it very enjoyable and a good intro to Virginias in general. While I didn't experience the severe tongue bite of other reviewers, I did find this blend much fussier than the old school burlies I'm used to. It was very sensitive to how fast you smoked it or how it was packed. If puffed too quickly it became hot and if packed too loosely it would become a bit bitey and fussy. This being the case, it demands a bit more attention and definitely doesn't make my "mowing the lawn" tobacco list (this is mainly the old school burley blends PA, Granger, Edgeworth and the like that are more set it and forget it). Overall though, I found this a good change of pace smoke as an occassional treat. More importantly though, I think it probably peaked my curiousity to do more indepth experimentation with Virginia blends (Old Gowrie is probably next) These lighter, Virginia blends will probably become more routinely smoked as the spring and summer roles along.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2008-01-09		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I consider myself a fan of Mac Baren tobbacos, being a regular smoker of some of their blends. I tried this in a pouch initially and whilst I wasn't overwhelmed by it, I considered it a reasonable, good value, everyday virginia that did the basics - decent consistent sweet flavour, not too strong and little bite.

I subsequently bought a tin of it and it seems to be a different tobacco. Drier, with a more monotone "salty" flavour that burns exceedingly hot. I was reading a good book and before I knew it the tobacco had bubbled the finish on the high gloss Vauen billiard I was smoking it in. I quickly dumped the load and let it cool. The pipe was a well worn number of mine with good cake that I have smoked many tobaccos in - luckily the finish didn't blister and pop but now it no doubt has a weak spot.

Not to be put off I next tried No1 in an unvarnished, stained pipe. Sipping the smoke still made it burn uncomfortably hot to the touch. This stuff is just too much hassle.

Warning - this tobacco can seriously damage your pipes.

UPDATE - I dried some of this tobacco out overnight and it was better - smoked a lot cooler and less harshly but still a slightly acidic dry smoke

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sasquatch (90)	2007-09-12		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

I think Mac Baren flummoxes a lot of pipesters, and I don't know if it's a body chemistry thing, or a pace thing, or a dryness thing. Yes, this tobacco can bite. But it is very sweet, very easy to smoke, and does NOT bite if you dry it just a bit and smoke it slow, just like all the other MB products. They can git ya. But if you slow down, and look for the subtle flavours... man, Mac Baren makes damn good pipe tobacco.

This is like a slightly sweeter, slightly spicier Orlik Golden Sliced. Smoke volume is nice, and it's a satisfying pipe (and yet I am left thinking immediately about that sexy sweetness at the top of the bowl... maybe I'll pack another...).

Nothing overly exciting, though, and I doubt that a really experienced Va smoker is going to be putting aside the Marlin Flake for this product.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	romaso (45)	2006-08-09		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is just what I've been looking for in a summer smoke- lighter than my usual red Virginias but still tasty. Virginia #1 has a similar citrus tanginess as the Mac Baren's Scottish Mixture, but the golden Virginias are much lighter than the Mixture. I also find this to be less sweet than the Mac Baren Virginia Flake, and haven't had problems with either of them biting. For me, this is a perfect smoke on a summer morning.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2006-05-18		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

When I was in that "tweener" stage of moving from all-aromatic blends to trying out more "real tobacco" blends, VA #1 was suggested by my pipe-smoking mentor. Out for an evening of imbibing good liquor and enjoying a good pipe, I gave it a whirl and was interested.. so much so that the next day I bought one of the 100g tins. This was an immediate mistake, as the tobacco right out of the can is a bit too bright, a bit too bitey on the tongue and somewhat flavorless. So I cellared it.. for about 5 years...

... 5 years later...

My goodness! What a change some time can make! The tobacco has mellowed out very much from it's out-of-the-tin state. Visibly, the leaf has gotten a bit darker, the aroma a bit richer, not so sweet and honeyed as it once was. In the pipe the flavor is stronger and more complex, less cloying, the bite nearly all but gone(it will still bite if you're a huff-n-puffer). This definitely isn't your dark matured or stoved VA, but it is much changed from what came out of that 100g tin five years ago.

I can't recommend this as-is, but if you're willing to put some away and while your time with other pipe-fillers, VA #1 will serve your taste buds well at some point down the road.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	rylandbrown (9)	2022-01-07		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

This is one of my favorite VA blends! It smells like honey on dried cherries and smokes dry with a fruity sweet flavor.

It's a great blend for anyone who likes VA tobaccos but is okay with a light aromatic, even though I wouldn't categorize it as an aromatic.

I wouldn't consider this a complex blend but it's a wonderful one-note smoking experience. Highly recommended after years of experience with VA #1.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Berzerker (28)	2017-07-26		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This straight Virginia is very sweet and tasty, smoked slowly it has a slight and rewarding degree of complexity. However, for some reason I can't seem to get a consistently enjoyable smoke because it can and does at times get wet and hot. Even when paying particular attention to packing it lightly etc. I don't know about this one, I really don't. It smells beautiful in the tin and tastes great when smoked but this one might be too temperamental for me to buy again I think. I recommend you try it though because it is different to anything I've tried before in the 'straight virginia' department. It has a unique flavor.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevePiper (2)	2016-11-07		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Very Pleasant

Truly superb tobacco! A welcome wash to reset the palette after the heavier Latakia English blends. One of the few blends that I feel taste like the tin note. Lots of sweet grain in the tin note, and a lot of that making its way to the smoke itself. Slow your pace while smoking, and you'll avoid the bite. Too fast, it'll get you. I was instantly impressed with this blend, and it became an instant staple in my rotation.

Pipe Used: Cassano fishtail Italian briar.

Age When Smoked: Fresh bulk

Purchased From: Tinderbox Tacoma wa.

Similar Blends: Drew Estate Gatsby luxury flake.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2015-11-16		Mild	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Fantastic, ready-rubbed straight Virginia with something in addition to Mac Baren's standard maple sugar casing. I will readily admit that your temperature regulation technique must be on point before Virginia No.1 makes sense, but the payoff is excellent if you will smoke it cool.

If I were running a pipe smoking school, this would be the final exam.

Age When Smoked: 4 months

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Witold (11)	2015-09-07		Mild	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Va no. 1 is a hard tobacco to smoke. It burns very hot, produces a lot of moist smoke and can bite a bit.

There are better Virginias out there. Try SG Full Virginia Flake. Tastes better, burns better.

Pipe Used: Missouri Corn Cob

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Braed (18)	2014-10-10		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

The tobacco is a 100% Virginia blend. The taste is mild and the room note is pleasant. I couldn't taste the honey flavour. But I think this is a solid tobacco for people who love smoking original tobacco without extreme flavoring. Also I detected a little bit of tongue bite but not extreme.You should give the tobacco some air to dry a little bit.

A perfect all day tobacco.

Edit: Best pipe forms for a smoke is a Bent Rhodesian or a Prince for me. Love this to a cup of good coffee or espresso.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Old Nate (17)	2014-09-01		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

On some days Virginia no. 1 is a 2 star smoke and sometimes a 3 star smoke for me. One of those blends that is not in my regular rotation but something I do reach for on occasion. You can definitely taste the sugar and vanilla casing which isn't too bad in this blend. Definitely smoke it slow. This allows the Virginia flavor to come through and plays nicely w the flavoring put in the blend. It isn't anything out of this world, just a mildly sweet VA with a nice little topping. I try to pack about a half bowl with this one because the flavor tends to subside if I go at it any longer than 40-45 mins, but I don't keep track... It could last a little longer than that. The flavor is definitely reminiscent of vanilla but there is also nice Virginia sweetness that brings out a nutty side to the blend. And that's about it, which isn't a bad thing, just not a great tobacco. It's solid and sometimes that's just what I need.

The tin aroma is exactly as expected, vanilla, sugar, and a hint of citrus somewhere in there. If you're put off by the ketchupy vinegar smell associated with some Virginia's then this is one positive with this blend because I don't get any of that here.

Generally a mild smoke, but it does burn hot, so smoke her slow. If you like a sweet forward Virginia, this one might be right up your alley, and the room note is pleasant and doesn't linger. A nice 2 or 3 star smoke for me. I'll go ahead and give it 3 stars as I'd recommend it to those interested in the style.

Pipe Used: briar

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: B&M

Similar Blends: Orlik Golden sliced but with toppings.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Brukspatron (14)	2013-12-29		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Tolerable

This s##t really bites and I mean really HARD worst tongue bite ever. But if one ignores the tongue bite it was a decent Virgina blend

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	fireball (36)	2011-01-31		Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

It does exactly what it says on the tin: 'golden, sweet'. Initial tin note: honey. Or rather: 'HONEY!' Nice looking and feeling thick rubbed strands, came a bit moist or rather 'sticky'. I was initially delighted by this mix. Smooth, sweet, all VA taste. But them I smoked a bowl too quickly out on an early morning walk. It bit me hard and made my stomach growl with hunger. We fell out because of this, and on my next smoke I wasn't feeling so generous. It was thin, too sickly HONEY monsterish, no depth. I could taste the honey for hours afterwards. We reconciled our differences by my throwing in a tin of black cavendish, with the Va 2:1 dominant. Bite has gone, taste is filled, honey has taken a back seat. Now that mix is one of my regular evening aro mixes.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2008-12-28		Very Mild	Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

I have tried several of Mac Baren?s offerings and I hadn?t previously found anything I particularly liked, aside from Dark Twist Roll Cake. I don?t typically smoke aromatics, though smoke Haddo?s Delight by GL Pease, Luxury Twist Flake by Stokkebye and Hartwell?s Evening Stroll. Certain SG and G&H Lakeland scented varieties score high points with me. #1 Virginia seems topped or cased with some vague slightly artificial tasting honey flavoring used in many of their products with maybe a hint of whiskey.

Appearance: This blend has a beautiful presentation, being comprised of Bright and Golden Virginias in a ready rubbed format uniform in cut.

Tin aroma: This is a mixture of matured Virginias, with a light topping of artificial tasting honey. There seems to be a complete lack of complexity There is a slightly nutty quality as well, together, it is a fairly nice smelling combination, though not something that I'd say I have a strong preference for. The tin aroma also tells me to proceed with caution as with many other Mac Baren offering, this could be tongue bite in a tin.

The sample I'm reviewing was gifted by a friend and dates from July of 2003, I had hopes that the amount of aging would help tame the tongue fry I'd experienced smoking this in the past, no such luck. The pipe is a Jan Zeaman POTY 2004

This tobacco definitely benefits from air drying for at least ½ hour before smoking. Lighting is usually temperamental seeming to require repeated application of flame to get going, once going try to keep your smoking pace way down, as tongue fry is nearly inevitable. As expected, the initial flavor is very tangy VA and very sweet (almost sickening) and this develops into what I term ?monochrome?. The topping/casing agent never yields it?s dominance but allows the monochrome nature of the Virginia to come through. The topping/casing never completely leaves, adding a sweetness and a slightly generic and artificial taste to an otherwise natural presentation.

Mid Bowl: Approaching mid-bowl, the fullness tends to build and while this blend is not complex, just drones on an on in monochrome getting hotter and hotter as the smoke progresses. There are subtle changes here and there but hardly what I've come to expect in a 'pure Virginia mixture'. While not particularly strong in nicotine, there is plenty of flavor and body to this mixture. The tobaccos used in this mixture are of obvious quality, why then Mac Baren chose such an odd topping/casing agent is beyond me. It seems to be a nearly uniform choice in toppings for Mac Baren.

Home Stretch: As end of the bowl approaches, the strength of this mixture has built to it's peak of flavors and fullness. The pervasive sweetness and artificial taste is somewhat annoying, often masking what appear to be fine quality Virginia tobaccos and constant threat of tongue fry does not help. It has so much going for it, that what little I hold against it is probably not enough to bother most smokers. There are way too many other Very Fine Virginia mixtures out there for me to waste any more time trying to enjoy this.

Supplemental Notes: I would recommend this to seasoned Virginia smokers for a change of pace smoke. If you are looking for a true Pure Virginia, look elsewhere, this isn't one. Rating for those interested in numbers *

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Xeneize (275)	2008-03-05		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Very Mild	Tolerable

Unflavored Virginias that cross the boundaries of subtlety into blandness. It delivers its share of nicotine, but that's where the pros end.

Not a particularly terrible tongue biter, but the lack of taste leads to overpuffing, with dire consequences.

If you enjoy Virginias and you're a fan of Mac Baren, try HH Mature Virginia. If the latter isn't the case, you have dozens of better choices.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WillardFan (90)	2008-02-10		Mild	Extremely Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant

I've written a few other reviews on Mac Baren Tobaccos, and have come to the conclusion that you should give their products a wee bit of time to dry out, before smoking them. The tin I bought of this Mac B. Blend is no exception. Upon opening the tin, I noted a scent, not unlike Ketchup, kind of a vinegary smell. It didn't taste that way though, in fact it was milder in flavor than what I was hoping for. It rubs out easy enough, and packs well. I didn't have any trouble lighting this up straight out of the tin. One pre-light, then a tamped re-light was all I needed, as I started to smoke a medium sized bowl of this blend, till the tongue-bite began to rear it's ugly head. I'm gonna let this one sit for awhile, before I give it a Yay or Nay rating...

2/10/08 Well, I'm back and I have to say again, that this stuff wouldn't smoke cool, even if you packed your pipe in ice for a week. Besides the tongue bite, I just don't find this to be a flavorable tobacco. The flavor's too mild, and the tongue bite is just awful. Other reviewers have said they detected no tongue bite. Well the tin I have is a fire-brand from Hell. I've tried this stuff in several different pipes, all to no avail. Hot, hotter, scorched beyond words...

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jaybee (77)	2007-11-21		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This nuclear concoction has fried my tonsils more than once. The taste is great, although on the mild side. I have no problem in packing or lighting it, but I now believe I would have to be comatose in order to keep it from biting. Too bad,,,, a nice, quality,and easily available tobacco that I can't come to terms with.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2007-10-27		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A cloyingly sweet Danish-style topping which happens to be sprayed onto ready- rubbed(!) sub-par (musky, bitter) virginia tobacco. Whatever this is, it was not blended by a VA lover, and I will not buy it again if I can avoid it.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2007-08-12		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

This tobacco gave me a very rough start. It bit me every time I lit it up. Once I let it dry out a good bit, and I puffed very slow, I enjoyed the sweet taste it provided. However, I still had a hard time keeping Virginia #1 burning.

As a newbie, I have developed a taste for Virginia's, but this will likely be my last tin of this variety.

I will revisit this tobacco on a later date. Maybe with some experience under my belt and some jar time, I'll have a different opinion. As for now, I do not recommend this for a newbie.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2007-06-24		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Update: 06/24/07 I just finished a recently purchased tin. It's hard to believe this was VA #1. The tongue bite was awful. I thought my tongue was on fire. The tobacco harsh and bitter. What did they do to this mixture? I really doubt I will ever buy it again.

Original review: Every so often I get a taste for Virginia #1. At $ 10 for a 100 gr tin, plus driving 30 miles one way to purchase it at a tobacco shop far away, the cost exceeds the pleasure. However, sometimes, when you gotta have VA #1, you gotta have it.

Very light, sweet flavor. Age it a bit, and it becomes an even better smoke. Recommended.

Wish it was more available.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2006-07-27		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I've tried to smoke this stuff for years now but no matter what I do, I cannot change or modify this blowtorch. I've tried age in the tin, perique, pressing and even Dubeck but to no avail. The first third of the bowl leaves me with the knowledge of what it must be like to smoke newly cut hay. Just at the moment where I'm ready to give it up, I do get a sweet Virginia taste that it really quite pleasant. By this time, my mouth has been bitten so badly so as to make everything else seem inadequate to justify the price I've paid. I will not do this again.

Meerschaum Man Smoking a CAO Dunhill Man Pasha

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2006-05-08		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I'm finished wasting money on MacBaren tobacco...this blend was the last straw...

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2006-04-15		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

As a returning piper, I found the initial package scent so enticing I could hardly wait to get the honeyed mixture into a briar for a go. Right away it bit me, as others have noted, even in a small Yelo Bole. After a few more nips, I hit upon the idea of mixing it with some of my remaining stash of Macbaren's latakia blend, and voila; no more bite. I mixed it 1 part to 3 parts latakia. It makes both blends easier to take.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2003-07-12		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

This tobacco was a little misleading at first as I could not detect any aroma other than the sweetness of the Virginia, maybe cause I also love a good aromatic. I also found that I needed to rub this tobacco before packing my pipe, once rubbed to my satisfaction and packed my pipe I had no problem in keeping it lit.

I found that smoking this in my Bajarne, a medium sized Brandy Glass that this tobacco smoked slow and easy with no IMHO tongue bite. The sweetness of the Virginia became more predominate as the tobacco reached the half way point of the bowl, although the aroma was never overwhelming in the room.

This like any Virginia needs to be smoked slowly and with Mac Baren's Virginia # 1 maybe a liitle slower that most to enjoy the fullness of the blend itself.

Smoke it slow, enjoy it longer

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Nathaniel (38)	2022-02-19		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

My tin came from a tobacconist that apparently doesn’t sell much of this blend. The outside of the tin was dingy (though the seal remained intact), though I tended to think of that as an asset rather than a disadvantage— a pre-aged tin, as it were. No date code on the tin, but the gent behind the counter noted that they didn’t get much call for this mixture. Is it just me, or are Virginias getting harder to come by in brick and mortar stores. Anyhow, I was pleased to take it off his hands. A lazy Saturday came along and I was growing tired of the Latakia I’d been smoking, even though it’s February and still cold out, which usually means an English or Balkan blend for me. I had a new-to-me pipe handy as well: a pretty Dustin Franc bulldog which I scored from eBay. Well, well. Pry open the tin and am happy to see a well-packed mass of reddish-brown ready-rubbed flake. Tin note is quite prominent at first, then fades away fairly quickly: a bit of cherry, a bit of sugar. Packs nicely, and I didn’t feel the need to rub it out any more than it was. Actually, I used the air-pocket method to fill my pipe, kind of twisting a plug into the top of the bowl. Takes the flame readily and unfussily. Smoke pours from the bowl and my tongue is flooded with the flavor profile of this tobacco immediately. It’s kulfi: that Asian dessert that I detested in my childhood, but here find immediately beguiling: a creamy, milky sweetness. I haven’t consumed any dairy in the last 10-odd years, but the sweetness is decidedly dairy-like. Creamy, thick and sweet. An undercurrent of woodiness and a slight sourness is barely enough to provide a counter note, but it is there. Mostly just waves of sugared, milky sweetness.

It’s like that the whole way down the bowl. I’ve come to associate straight Virginia with a certain complexity, but this is not complex. Just sweet creaminess. This is smack-dab in the category of a dessert smoke. I had poured a finger of bourbon to accompany, but I put it away as the sweetness became a little too much. Nicotine levels are medium-ish, though my perception of that is likely skewed by the bourbon.

A few relights, but not a bother. Flavor is consistent and smoke is plentiful, and also consistent. By the end of the pipe, I’m happy and satisfied. Will I smoke this daily? No, but then I don’t eat whipped cream for every meal. However, sometimes, I’m in the mood for a spoonful of cream straight from the tub. And I’m always happy when I sneak it.

Pipe Used: Dustin Franc bulldog

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PaulMcCoy (78)	2021-12-22		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

I found a few aged tins from 2018 at my local tobacco shop. It’s pretty smooth. I'm sure age has largely contributed to that, though I’ve never had it fresh. I didn’t pick up on any honey flavors like some other reviewers mentioned, but there is a subtle flavoring I catch from time to time in the background. I mainly tasted hay, grass, toast, tea, and sweet bread. The retro-hale is soft and smooth. Definitely worth a go.

Pipe Used: Peterson 80s

Age When Smoked: 3 years

Purchased From: Local B&M

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Poodlejuice (51)	2021-09-20		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Been on a Mac Binge as of late and of course had to give the straight VA a try. Solid looking broken flake. Smells like honey and hay. Takes a light pretty easily and has all the great quality characteristics of your average MB blend.

I taste a little bit of fruit, hay, and sugary sweet honey. I think there's a little burley in here too as I can get a bit of cocoa and wood as well. Pretty simple. Mild body and nicotine. Pretty much a one/two note smoke. Does bite if your not careful. Burns downs easily with little trouble like most all Mac Baren blends.

My only problem with this blend is that I found it quite boring. I think there are simply other cheap/bulk all-day VA's that I prefer (see similar too), however it's definitely worth a try if you like straight VA blends. The body was just a little bit too light for my tastes. I found myself craving a bowl of golden extra or Scottish mixture halfway through this smoke because I think it does everything here but better (of course with the addition of more toppings and burley). If you want straight VA from MB I think your better off with the HH blend, which adds a lot more body for just a few dollars more.

Similar Blends: C&D derringer, Newminster No.400, PS402, Sutliff VA slices.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ATW (110)	2019-12-31		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Very Pleasant

This is a nice Va flake but it is very mild and does scorch my mouth due to wanting to over do it. It has a sweet bag aroma. The flavor is light sweet brights with a slight nuttiness. Burns cool and clean.

Due to its mild nature I decided to give it a little more flavor by adding 15% c&d cigar leaf. Still has the same flavor profile but with more body and flavor of the cigar leaf.

It would be a good choice for a beginner but it works better for me as a blending base

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Just-smoking (7)	2019-04-03		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A great smoke if smoked very slowly, you have to learn how to tame it. Very sweet virginia from mac baren. Probably my favourite of MB blends. It's the tobacco to always have and easily available at least in Europe. Tin aroma very sweet, reminds me of honey...

Pipe Used: Various

Purchased From: Local shop

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mikefu (20)	2018-09-24		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Nice broken flake out of the tin, light yellow with a few darker strands included. Age makes the color darker all around. Tin note is of raisin toast and butter. Sweet honey bread notes dominate, but there is some cinnamon and a touch of dark fruit. Needs a bit of drying time, I find 30 minutes works well. Then I simply break it up a bit more and stuff and light. After a couple expansion inducing chars and tamps, it remains lit very well, usually requiring only 1 or 2 relights. Initial taste is sweet bread, and a bit of grassiness and hay. As the bowl progresses, more notes of butter fade in and out, along with some raisiny and cinnamon depth. A good Virginia tang is present throughout, and varies in intensity from barely noticeable to quite tart at times. With a more aged bowl, some pumpkin pie flavors develop by the end of the bowl. If smoked with patient pacing, I experience absolutely no tongue bite or burn. I can see how, due to the sugar content, it could bite and burn hot if puffed with vigor, but is really a tame blend if you take time with it. Pleasant room note, quality leaf, and wonderful light VA flavor makes this an easy 4 Star blend. I’ve smoked this fresh, at 3 years, and at 12 years, and It just keeps getting better with age. I like it so much I just purchased two more pounds to add to my cellar for aging into buttered raisin toast perfection.

Age When Smoked: Fresh, 3 years, 12 years

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BROBS (67)	2018-06-22		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

A delicious, figgy raisin-esque tin note translates to a very similar smoking experience. Lights similar to a flake but a bit easier and smokes sweet and cool. Has a light spice and gives you a sour (not bad sour) flavor with great natural Virginia tobacco coming through. Leaves a tangy aftertaste. I would compare this to many flake Virginias, only this one is better than any I’ve tried yet. I do not believe there are any additives besides maybe some moisture (sugar water? Vinegar?) when it’s pressed into a cake? My tin was made in 2014 so maybe this one needs to cellar to smoke its best? I was pleasantly surprised as I hate the 7 seas line and truly expected nothing from this tin. It really is undeserving of all these bad reviews. I’m guessing some of these reviewers smoked brand new production lots smoked sopping wet out of the tin. If it’s wet put some in a pouch for a while. Be patient!

Pipe Used: Cons and Briars

Age When Smoked: 2014

Purchased From: National Cigar Store Waterloo Iowa

Similar Blends: Mac Baren - Raw Organic.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	rafalgdansk87 (12)	2018-04-23		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

Great virginia for a great price. It's very, very sweet with some sour, citrus notes. Excelent choice, for new smokers, as well as those more experienced.

Pipe Used: Mr.Brog - Churchwarden

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Smoke Shop, Gdansk, Poland

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2081)	2016-04-01		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Mac Baren - Virginia No. 1.

As others have said, the contents of the pouch/tin are very similar to a broken flake. It's not been pulverised to a shag or left so chunky it needs rubbing; it's just as I like to smoke my flakes. I get little in the way of an aroma from the unlit blend, nothing that brings many toppings to mind.

Onto the smoke: For me, the first thing to jump out is the heat; it burns too hot and it's a shame, this takes the edge of the enjoyment of the flavours. These flavours are quite good, nothing great but they would be enjoyable if it weren't for the heat; I get mainly a slight sweetness from the honey and the natural Virginias character but any extra spiciness eludes me. I find the nicotine quite mild; it's not 'beginners level' but still, it's below medium.

This isn't a bad smoke, nor do I find it a particularly good smoke. I'd say it's worth about two and a half stars.

Somewhat recommended.

Pipe Used: Peder Jeppesen

Age When Smoked: 4 Months

Purchased From: Spain

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	oldcodger (74)	2015-08-21		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

MacBaren Virginia No. 1 Ready Rubbed has a coterie of Virginia loving advocates. It also breeds a minority of pipe smokers who decry it as being a tongue scorcher. I belong to the first group.

Opening the tin (in the U.S., it is also found in pouch form in other areas, and is widely available in bulk form) and you will find a rather coarse cut ready rubbed tobacco of a light to medium brown hue, and a pleasant aroma. There is the characteristic slightly sweet with a tinge of citrus Virginia smell. Those who decry the fermented "ketchup" odor of some Virginia offerings (such as those provided by McClellan among others) will appreciate the absence of that tang.

As with most tinned tobaccos (and my experience with MacBaren in recent years has been only with tins) it performs best when dried out a bit. Although the ready rubbed form offered here is fairly coarse, I do not have trouble getting a good light. When I smoke this while giving my full attention to the pipe I do not have to relight. But while piping and doing something else (such as surfing the internet or working in the yard) I do have to relight occasionally.

The room aroma is pleasant and of a natural tobacco nature and will not elicit objections except from those who object to all tobacco smoke. Virginia No. 1 is mildly flavored with the characteristic MacBaren honey-like taste (which is actually primarily maple sugar water). This flavoring merges very nicely with the natural Virginia taste. There is no complexity here. The various Virginias used do not provide layers of flavor which vary during the smoke. Nevertheless, although this is in fact a one dimensional tobacco, I do not find it tiring, even in a large bowled pipe. With a large bowl, this will offer quite a lengthy smoke. As various Virginia blends go, this is on the mild side. The nicotine punch is low.

Using a proper puffing cadence, I do not experience tongue bite with Virginia No. 1. Some pipe smokers do, and the number of these is too large to blame those who experience bite problems entirely on overpuffing. Hold in mind: one, many who enjoy Virginias (I smoke them about a quarter of the time) enjoy this tobacco immensely, and they help make MacBaren a very big seller world wide; two, those who are sensitive to tongue bite may find this a challenging smoke. I give fair warning to potential smokers of this tobacco who have sensitive tongues. But for others, I give an enthusiastic thumbs up.

In my last tin I used a variety of pipes which I reserve for Virginias or Virginia/periques. The one I used most was a Sasieni 4 Dot which is not a cosmetic gem but is a very good smoker.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tomspeed (23)	2015-07-04		Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

This wonderful tobacco is one of my favorite blend that always should be present at my home, once tried it like it so much, its burn fine, the test and aroma are very delightful ,sweet, mild and tasty, this the best mild golden Virginia in the shop, I like smoke this excellent tobacco for all the time

Pipe Used: Dunhill root DR* - Dunhill shell

Age When Smoked: 39

Purchased From: Davidoff shop Brussels

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Young Piper (304)	2015-03-06		Mild	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Virginia No.1 is closely tied with Plumcake as the No.1 Flamethrower blend in the Macbaren stable. Although I enjoy both blends they do smoke very hot even with slow puffing and a filter. I absolutely love the color and aroma of the tobacco when I open a fresh tin, the tin note is honey and Redman chewing tobacco. It's interesting how Virginia's from different manufacturers can differ so much and how even blindfolded I could tell a McClelland blend from Macbaren. When you grab a pinch of V No1 from a freshly opened tin it sticks together like a pinch of chewing tobacco so you can tell that it needs some drying or else you will hear sizzling and popping which spells tongue bite and wet V No.1 will burn like a furnace. Really nice toasty sweet Virginia flavors but she needs to be smoked at a smolder, on the verge of going out and a Grabow filter or European 9mm filter really helps guard against tongue bite. This blend being made in Europe was designed based on the fact that Europeans use filters in their pipes (I was told this by several tobacconists in Düsseldorf and Copenhagen as I travel for business) and that they use a lot of Honey and Sugar flavorings to get past the filters, those burned sugars bite the hell out of our unprotected American tongues. I really enjoy V No.1 as long as I have the time to really concentrate on my technique and temperature of the pipe or else I pay the price of my distraction.

I really enjoyed reading Jose's wife's room note review below, what a great idea they had showing what the flip side opinion is of our hobby. I do hope they include these in the future, Thanks guys!

Pipe Used: Anything filtered

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Nicotiana_rustica (23)	2014-03-14		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

A mild/medium blend, naturally sweet and pleasant. Puffing too hard may deliver some tongue bite but relaxing and taking it slow is a good remedy. The flavor also wasnt sour like some VA's tend to be; when you puff this slowly, it produces some wonderful room notes. This for me is a great all-day blend. It is terribly consistent through the entire bowl, which is much appreciated. It reminds me on SG Golden Glow although it is much better and not so harsh!

Similar Blends: Samuel Gawith GOLDEN GLOW; similar but much beter....

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WmZiggy (81)	2010-11-08		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I don't know why I waited so long in trying this rubbed out VA Flake. It is wonderful. It has a nice level of sweetness and measured spice. It burns well, difficult to get hot, and does not bite. I find myself craving it. It has a light casing, but who knows what it is, unique to MB. Highly recommended to the VA lover.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	OSR (78)	2009-03-25		Very Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Another Mac Baren blend that tastes good, smells good but bites like no other. Lovely tobacco that will have your tongue fried within minutes.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	doc'spipe (242)	2009-02-07		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Another foray into the "World of Mac Baren" has me sampling Virginia No. 1. My sample comes from a 250g tin I recently purchased. Tobacco has a nice light to medium blond color and is a partially broken flake; which is how I would describe Mac's version of a ready-rubbed. The tin aroma was spicy sweet and the tobacco was not as moist as in the 100g tins. I loaded this in a taller, straight stemmed bulldog that I reserve for straight Virginias. Lights with a charring and after a tamp, an additional match. No moisture in the pipe to speak of and no problem with "bite". Just smoke it slowly and you will be rewarded with a tasty smoke. There was a nice peppery sting to my lips upon lighting up, but this quickly settled down to basically nil as I consumed the bowl. A very mild flavor to my palate with a definite Virginia tobacco taste evident throughout. It had just the right amount of natural sweetness in my opinion. It is not grassy either, which is what I prefer in a Virginia.

A very pleasant smoke that has entered my weekly rotation and I would have no problem smoking it on a daily basis. A very enjoyable smoke indeed! One of the few tobaccos where after I finish a bowl, I immediately want another of the same. Different enough from Mac's Virginia Flake offering to include both into rotation. 4 stars across the board!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Fernalgas (9)	2009-01-23		Mild	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

This is the first Virginia that I smoke...to me it has a sweet orange taste..I get lots of smoke from it...you do have to smoke it slow to get a real feel for it...unlike many other people I get no bite from this

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	arpie55 (77)	2009-01-12		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

although this is obviously good quality tobacco i found very little variation in flavor and was not impressed at all with the "bright side" of va. flake flavor that it did have. i also found it to be a tongue scorcher. as for packing,lighting,and keeping lit- no problems.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2008-01-02		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I really like pure virginia, especially the sweet ones, and this could be one of those. But this one don't really taste that much and the tongue bite is really cruel. I don't know whats wrong with McB but they do have a problem with producing a baccy that don't make you feel like sticking your tongue in melted led. It is a mystery to me that they are the biggest producer of pipe tobacco

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gae (46)	2003-01-10		Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Very Full	Tolerable

I smoke Virginia tobacco quite regularly & when I want a stronger taste only Virginia No1 meet's every criteria I'm looking for.Easy to light,strong sweet taste,the tobacco is thickish & burn's beautifully & slowly.And it doesn't bite me.(But for new comer's)'Puff slowly' just in case! The ash burn's down nice & clean looking,& when I've finished a bowl,I alway's want more.There may,very well be better out there,but I'm yet to discover it!This gem get's 4 star's from me.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2002-12-03		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

It took me 5 years of off and on smoking to be able to handle the tongue bite this blend gives out...but it was well worth it. From the first try, I knew I enjoyed the flavor and aroma, but didn't have the style of smoking down to enjoy it much. Now it's a staple tobacco, along with Scottish Mixture, in my rotation. I think the quality of tobacco is top-notch in VA#1, the price is pretty good, the availability is excellent and with unhurried puffing, the blend is fantastic. I've always been a sucker for Danish Style Aromatics, and this is right up there as one of the best available.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2001-03-11		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

A Mac Baren staple. This is ready rubbed, but I like to give it a good final rub out before packing. The tobacco is dark reddish in color and has a very sweet smell. Packing was easy, however keeping it lit required work and patience. Flavor was unmistakably VA. Smoke was lit but flavorfull. This is a good classic VA that should be in every cellar. I have had some that was aged and it seemed to do better.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Carolus (29)	2022-10-13		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

The tobacco is hard to light and requires relighting. A mellow and soft blend, the added sugar and honey come through noticeably. A mild experience in strenght and taste.

Age When Smoked: new

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipefitter (51)	2022-06-29		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I used to get puzzled at reviews of MacBaren products that refers to the company as “ MacBurn” as I I have a sneaking suspicion that the problem lies more with a smoker’s technique than with MacBaren’s tobaccos……As with all my tobacco, I immediately un tin it and put in Mason Jars . This Virginia #1 is dated 4/2020, I bought it 2/2022 and jarred it and am smoking it now, 7/22. That time was apparently enough to mellow any “ so called” rough edges. Virginia tobaccos also benefits from a slow smoking cadence to keep the temperature at bay……..it takes some patience, but we’ll worth it. I’ve smoked several straight Virginia flakes over the years and have enjoyed them all, this one is no exception as it’s mild yet satisfying, slow burning, slightly sweet, as complex as a straight Virginia gets. Grassy, haylike, caramel like, smooth, earthy, I would call that description complex so I would disagree with a reviewer that calls this tobacco one dimensional….. Anyway, buy it, jar it, age it, and enjoy the tobacco that so many consummate blends are based on.

Age When Smoked: April 2020

Purchased From: Smokers Discount World in N. Windham Ct.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	MonsieurSemois (2)	2021-12-02		Very Mild	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable

This seems to be one of those tobaccos I don't agree on in regards to most people here.

To me, it's pretty much a base tobacco. By which I mean, I would use it to blend or for a mindless smoke while working on something. When I feel like a pipe but don't care for frills.

I have experienced almost no tongue bite. Others seem to think it's the fiery pits of Hades in a tin. You should probably try this for yourself. My local tobbaconist offered me this as what it is, straight pipe tobacco. It's pretty bland, has a bit of tartness. Burns to the hotter side and seems to hold quite a bit of moisture, by which I mean it produces quite a bit.

I've smoked this in a briar, a corncob and a corncob without filter. Without filter, a lot more the moistness comes with the smoke, producing a rather more tartness/sourness than with filter. I'd recommend you smoke this with a filter. In a straight corncob.

I smoke this quite slowly too, I sip the smoke and rebreath. Any real taste comes from retrohaling. Again, the tartness. I have noticed NO sweetness whatsoever.

All in all, it's ok. Nothing special. Don't smoke it quickly because that will actually ruin the experience and will produce tongue bite as well as quite a bit of dawdle. Other than that, in my mind it's something of a working tobacco. Simple, straight, no frills. I spent 2 hours on a bowl in a Missouri Meerschaum the other day, letting it go out, relighting and doing various things, just taking it slow.

Yeah. I don't know what else to say but that the only reason I reviewed this was because of the quite unbelievable claims of other reviewers on here. I simply don't notice very much about it. It's like the tap water of tobacco. Nice to have at home when you pretty much don't care for something flavourful.

But it seems that there are many varying opinions and tastes, moreso than otherwise. That's why I somewhat recommend it. On the whole, I don't think it's worth going out of your way for but it's one of those things you'll just have to try for yourself.

It has to be said that I'm an ex-cigarette smoker who likes strong coffee and am used to stronger tastes. I've also smoked a variety of cigars and cigarillos and am new to pipesmoking. So, perhaps my tastebuds simply aren't as developed as those of others.

Pipe Used: 3

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: Local B&M

Similar Blends: Water..

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Honest&Simple (25)	2021-10-28		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Good solid Virginia.

This is a straightforward Virginia that has a medium to full taste. The tin note is nice, light hay and fruit. Presentation is great, cut ribbons of flake. Love the cut.

It packs well, takes a few relights but pretty well behaved. You get the grassy hay notes with a side of citrus sweet.

This does not bite at all. I think if you do get bit you may want to slow down.

Excellent virginia that's available in bulk

Will buy more

Pipe Used: Cobs

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: P&C

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	King Weed (228)	2021-05-22		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Virginia No 1 has been on the market for five years longer than I have been smoking a pipe (1955 v. 1960) and I remember it always being around everywhere my pipe and I went in the old days. Yet, I have no conscious memory of ever buying a tin until I bought a three-tin shrink pack to stash in 2018. Needing a Virginia for blending purposes, I opened one and began using it and it blends really well. The real surprise was in smoking it straight out of the tin. Speaking of the tin, No 1 makes a handsome image on opening with a range of color from gold to ruddy brown. The tin aroma is distinctly Virginia and the tobacco was only slightly too moist to smoke and I gave it thirty minutes. Here is the surprise - this Virginia is a relatively stout smoke and gets stouter in the bottom half of the bowl. I only experienced tongue tingle if I pulled too hard too many times in a row and adjusted my pace accordingly. I'm not a frequent Virginia smoker and the fact that I didn't pine for something stronger right away told me everything. While not quite a four star blend, Virginia No 1 is solidly three stars and I recommend it as an "old reliable".

Pipe Used: Charatan Special 44

Age When Smoked: tinned May, 2018

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: I'm not experienced enough in Virginia smoking to answer this question adequately. It smoked in a somewhat stouter way than many other Virginias I've tried...

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	rattdogg99 (53)	2021-05-14		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I don't recall trying this during my forty years of pipe smoking and that is such a loss. This is a wonderful smoke. I'm not going to run through often repeated hay, citrus, etc. flavors again but just say that I get a rush of toast with sweet cream butter. That's a very good thing in my opinion. I didn't get the tounge bite that many reviewers complain of but I can see that pushed too hard this tobacco could deliver a slight burn. I say savor it with a slow cadence and don't huff it like a run away steam locomotive. This is a fabulous smoke at a bargain price if bought in bulk. Go for it!

Pipe Used: Canadians

Age When Smoked: Fresh

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JKOD (30)	2021-05-09		Very Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

Plenty of reviews explaining all the flavors, hay, sweet, etc. So, I’ll maybe explain a different way.

I have difficulty smoking straight Virginia’s like I have difficulty drinking light beer. It’s OK and can get the job done, but there is simply better stuff out there for my tastes. I find Virginia’s to be better on hot summer days when I want to smoke something but could use a lighter fair. They seem to require a magic touch in cadence and draw because I struggle to find it. They also tend to burn too hot for me - regardless of how slow and easy I go. So, maybe I’m just not meant for Virginia’s.

What I have done is take some Virginia no. 1 and mixed with Mac Baren vanilla flake. Not a huge fan of either individually, but do like the mixture of them together better. Still not a go to by any means, but a nice light smoke. I tend to stick to smaller bowls when I smoke Virginia’s and aros. I keep trying to smoke them in hopes of someday enjoying them, but I haven’t made it yet. Virginia’s to me are good to make blends with, not smoke straight.

If light and fluffy are your thing, then this is probably up your ally. My personal preference lies elsewhere. I can’t give this more than 2 stars because I don’t like it so much, but can’t give it less because I could recommend it to the right person.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PipeDragon (44)	2021-04-23		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

As this is a Mac Baren blend, you can bet that they will put good quality tobaccos in it. But what do those leaves bring to the table?

As with many Virginias out there, this one is simple, yet not one-note. It's mostly a bright, golden Virginia taste, with some dark tones here and there, especially in the latter half of the bowl. Unlike other bright Virginias, this one has a slight mature feel to it. I get hay, with some honey and fruity notes. Maybe there's a topping added, but I can't put my finger on it, so it's not intrusive, even if it's there. There's also a bit of a cinnamon-type spiciness, particularly in the retro. It's a sweet smoke without crossing into the area of being too sweet.

People talk about that famous Mac Baren bite. Well, after smoking several bowls of this one, I must say that not once have I experienced it, not even a sting. And that's even if I raise the pace or pairing it with a sugary beverage. Of course, the flavor is fully enjoyed if sipped.

I can see why some people will make this their daily go-to straight Virginia. It's definitely an all-day smoke, mild, subtle, simple, not monotonous and not pretentious. You don't have to think about it, just enjoy it. A really good, mid-range straight Virginia.

Purchased From: Mohilla store (Vienna)

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrNapoleon (10)	2021-04-10		Mild	None Detected	Very Mild	Pleasant

Virginia no 1 is definitely an interesting budget introduction for someone who would like to switch from aromas or English blends. However, after testing other such tobacco, it is at best mediocre. Tin note is very characteristic of pure Virginia, with a sweet hay aroma, but not too intense. The taste is dominated by a delicate sweetness and a grassy note and... that's about it. No depth, no surprise, no vinegar twist. Halfway through the pipe it starts to get boring. In addition, there is a sting that is very clearly characteristic of both Virginia and Mac Baren, which bites on the tongue with every careless breath. On the other hand, the most pleasant thing about it is after taste. I am glad that I have a beard because it stays on it much longer. All in all, if you're new to Virginia and want to see what all the fuss is about then light up Virginia No 1 in your spare time and puff carefully. If you want more serious smoke, you'd better get yourself a SG FVF or SG BBF.

Pipe Used: Vauen

Age When Smoked: 1 y

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Knightsmoker (218)	2020-06-01		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

Mac Baren VA #1 has a jar note that is very light. I get some honey, sweet spice, and a soft hay note but nothing else really stands out. The smoke starts out with the sweet spice note leading the way. I am not sure what this is but it is nice with the hay note way in the background. At about the 1/2 mark the honey note that I noticed out front in the jar comes forward and takes the lead behind this is the note of hay and here and there I get a hint of tang and maybe a slight floral note. Honestly, the floral is so faint and does not develop beyond hints that I had to really focus on the smoke to find it. The sweet spice has dropped more into the background at this point but remains noticeable. The flavors do not intensify or develop beyond this. The nic level is very mild almost not noticeable at all. The room note was light enough to be considered okay by others as well. A good lightly aromatic VA but it is a little to mild for me personally and while I do smoke milder VA's from time to time I find that this one is not as enjoyable as others that I have on hand. Still recommended overall and worth a try if you are really into the milder side of VA's.

Age When Smoked: 8 months

1 person found this review helpful.

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

"Sweet Virginia, mountain mama, take me home, country road..."

An easy, pleasurable smoke and yet another good basic tobacco blend from Macbaren. Lights and burns easy and has a no-nonsense Virginia aroma with a little bit of sweetness reminiscent of honey or light maple syrup. Light tobacco, would recommend for beginners.

If I'm in a mood for a light, easy smoke I'll surely pick up either this or maybe Original Choice for a bit more taste.

Pipe Used: various

Age When Smoked: Fresh from pouch

Purchased From: Mall kiosk somewhere between Stockholm and Nynäshamn, Sweden

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	canvas (337)	2019-03-15		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I appreciated the ready rub cut here. If you are in the market for straight Virginia, may as well make the experience primal with thick tendrils to rub apart. There was certainly some kind of sugar topping at work here, since the typical barn/hay oder came across too sweet to be natural, though it was a pleasant aroma all the same. Something akin to having Grape Nuts cereal but with spoonfuls of sugar and milk added, until what you have is closer to candy.

The thicker cut takes an extra moment to light, but really keeps a strong ember once rolling. The first few puffs are as sweet as the initial bag aroma, followed by a few somewhat bitter and unpleasant moments, finishing with a sweet residue that lingers in the saliva. The wheat germ taste I associate with a Virginia was hidden under whatever was sprayed on.

I dunno, it felt like they forgot to wash the pesticides off before processing the tobacco. Rather than smoking something natural, I spent the whole time questing if i needed to clean my pipe instead.

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	brunoo (3)	2019-02-16		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Honey, lemon, grass, hay. Those are the top 4 notes I get from this tobacco. Reminiscent of sweet tea, for some reason. To me there's something very Summery to it. When it starts getting sunny and warm, I find myself craving for these flavors, and MacBaren Virginia No.1 delivers.

As any straight Virginia, burns a little hot, so be sure to take it slow, or the flavor turns sour and you'll scorch your tongue. Don't get any tongue bite from this one, odd as it may sound.

It's a dessert kind of Virginia. Yummy!!

Similar Blends: Mac Baren - Capstan Original Navy Cut.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Greekpipesmoker (201)	2019-01-22		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

If you want a nice mild blend based to an ald recipe this is your choise.when the tin opens a nice florall and spicy smell comes out.the bright/brown virginias are formed into broken flakes with a little moisture wich makes it ideal for packing and lighting without much effort.some futher rubbing might help keep it burning without many relights.while smoking the flavours are natural and pleasant.virginias are citrusy,grassy with some tea and hay notes.their sweet flavour is enhanced by the mildly applied spicy topping of honey and sugar.the flavours are proper and consisted from the beginning till the end without being overwelmed.generally it tasted very pleasant and natural.burns somewhat fast and medium hot to ash leaving a fair amount of moisture at the filter and mud at the bowl.nicotine level is low and the aftertaste is sweet.the room note is tolerable with some chances of tongue bite if pushed.if smoked peacefull some harsh points also appear wich is the only negative i found.it is an all day smoke and an ideal one to accompany your coffee early in the morning.generally i was pleased from this blend and i recommend it.

Age When Smoked: Fresh

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ernstlbert Hegersbacher (18)	2018-11-22		Mild	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

im just leaving my personal score for this tobacco here, for more information just read some of the many already available 4-Star reviews for this tobacco

edit: - down one star this tobacco developed a chemical tongue bite after some months somehow, i dont really know what the cause is.

Pipe Used: Molina Churchwarden

Age When Smoked: fresh from tin

Purchased From: Schwarzenbohler Otmar e.U.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Haddock (6)	2017-05-07		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

All day smoke from Mac Baren. If you love virginia with sweets then this is the one for you. As the most Mac Barens tobacco blends, dont smoke this fast but sloooooow.

I would smoke this for time to time, but its abit boring in the long run for me. I need some more power.

Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum

Age When Smoked: New from pouch

Purchased From: Local shop.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Papasuarass (1)	2017-04-29		Mild	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I have been Loving this since 1978, My professor Lonnie Roberts, Smoked it. I borrowed some on a field trip, was loving it, I may try other blends, but always come back

Pipe Used: Ugly worn out Dr Graybo Billard. with filter.

Age When Smoked: Bulk 1lb bag.

Purchased From: Most recently JR Tobaccos, but for 15 yrs Outwest Tobacco, now closed.Gene Crawford ( retired man

Similar Blends: None this smooth.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	brashboy (84)	2016-08-18		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I have an old tin (from ebay) of V#1 that is from the 80's and maybe the 70's. It was a bit dried out and needed some TLC. Keep that in mind as you read on. It still smells good, as real Virginia should, with a pronounced sweet, tart cherry in the tin (not Sweet-Tarts), which is very promising and may come from aging, but I'm not sure. I do not taste that cherry in the smoke or smell it in the room note, though. If pipe smoking was all about the tin note, my aged V#1 would be top of the heap.

I have not tried a more recent vintage of V#1, believe it or not, and perhaps should, but it is not calling to me that strongly. It is still a bit bitey, after all these years. I can smoke two bowls in an evening, but not three. Push it and it will push back; even old age don't make it toothless. The Virginia is pretty good, a bit grassy and actually somewhat refined. If you have had great Virginia, this is not on the same level in my opinion but is notches above drugstore tobacco. I don't mind smoking it now I've got it and would smoke it again, but would not buy again -- there's just too much out there. Yeah, age may have deadened its charms but might also have improved it. I bought an old dried tin of Burley London Blend, which also tended to bite worse than BLB normally does.

MacBaren non-HH blends either bite you or they don't. If they bite, and a lot of Danish tobaccos do, you hate them. If they don't, they're pretty good and really hard to beat for the price. If you are on the fence about trying MB tobaccos, you have to try them--only way to know. There is a reason that blends like V#1 have been popular since the 50's, trust me.

Age When Smoked: 30+ years

Purchased From: ebay

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ronnstein (29)	2016-08-13		Very Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Packs and burns very well, a nice virginia, but a little rough around the edges for me. I'll stick with va. flake instead, much smoother smoke.

Update: 7/31/17:I learned with this one, very important IMO, do not buy in bulk. I get the 9oz. tin/250g. Nice sweet, natural va. Nice one for in one of the corn cobs while working around the yard or garage. Since it is pure va. it will just keep getting better with age. Upgrading to 3 stars, will always have around.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tcolley (2)	2016-03-14		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Upon opening the jar of this aged bulk buy I get the aroma of a straightforward sweet virginia. The broken flake is a mix of brown and golden virginia that is not too wet or dry. If i pinch a bit of it together and let it go it separates fairly quickly; just perfect for packing.

Pack this tobacco lightly by just sprinkling the tobacco in and making sure there are no clumps and tamping as you fill (standard method of very light, light and medium firm tamps). charring light, tamp and relight and it will stay lit pretty much all the way if you are concentrating, otherwise just relight and tamp as needed. SIP, Do not Puff this tobacco! Keep a pipe cleaner handy as the cumbustion produces a lot of water.

Taste on initial light is a light, sweet hay flavor. The smoke is alkalinic in the beginning and it will bite if you puff. If you are patient these light, small sips will reward you with a subtle flavor. About 1/3 the way down the bowl the tobacco has stoved a bit and you an take a deeper sip. The taste is a bit fuller and can be felt on the nose exhale but it does not lose that sweet hay flavor. The last third of this is what all the patience you have exercised was for. If you have been an attentive student you will be able to puff to your hearts content (within reason of course) and the flavor of bite-free sweet virginia will come bursting through leaving you wishing you had reached for that extra large bowl. When smoking this tobacco i tend to hold the pipe to my lips and take constant little sips (the first 1/3-2/3) and pace according to taste and bowl heat. If smoked this way the bowl and smoke will remain cool throughout. Smokes all the way to the bottom to a dry and grey/black speckled ash with no dottle.

I like this tobacco and reach for it when I just want to smoke and clear my mind by concentrating on the smoking process. I think this is a great beginner tobacco for those new to virginias. It is mild and you will learn how to pace your sips or this "teacher" will smack your tongue with its biting ruler. Master this tobacco and the world of delicate virginias and orientals will be a brand new tasting experience.

Pipe Used: Nording freehand

Age When Smoked: 5 years

Purchased From: Can't remember but it's bulk

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Capt (339)	2016-02-09		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

It is amazing to me how I can smoke one company's Virginia tobacco, but not another one, in terms of tongue bite. There are very few MacBaren blends that don't just absolutely scorch my tongue.

The tin note of this Virginia is totally sublime. Notes of sweet honeydew, sorghum, and rich fermented tobacco. Lights and packs easy, and the initial portion of the bowl is super sweet, and produces a great aromatic room note!

However, this blend truly burns my tongue. I've tried many pipes and many methods to cure the dreaded MacBaren bite, but at some time I need to face the realization I cannot smoke MacBaren Virginias anymore.

3-3.5 stars if this doesn't bite your tongue!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2016-01-26		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

VA No. 1 comes off as over-cased with too much sugar. It's kind of sticky out of the tin and similar in bulk. That's not a real promising sign at all.

The flavor is appropriate for a Danish straight VA, and the cut is excellent. It can be made to burn cool, but why anyone would expend the effort is kind of beyond me. It is not tolerant of distracted puffing and will remind you quickly that it's in the pipe if you forget. I hold the bowl constantly when smoking this, any spike in temperature a warning sign to back off.

Erik Stokkebye has shown with his marvelous 1855 that a straight VA in the Danish style with appropriate smoking characteristics can be built, it's time for Mac Baren to retire VA No. 1 in favor of a contemporary recipe.

Pipe Used: basket pipe

Age When Smoked: fresh, bulk

1 person found this review helpful.

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	Old German puffer (106)	2015-12-07		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

As of late I have gone back to this tobacco. It is sweet and easy to light. Packs ever so nice into my pipe and leaves no bad after smell. In all it is a nice change for me in the smokers lounge.

Pipe Used: Captain Black

Age When Smoked: Tin - 2 years plus

Purchased From: WASH. DC

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	mnadz (69)	2015-11-13		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

From someone that normally prefers english blends, every once in a while I will find a Virginia that I enjoy. MacBaren's straight Virginia is a simple, mild, enjoyable smoke. I do not detect any flavoring, just the simple natural sweetness of a straight virginia. Although I think there are a couple virginias that deliver more taste, I would not pass this one up. Funny, I smoke like a chimney I had no tongue bite. My wife loved the room note. Packs and smokes well. Worth a try.

Pipe Used: Ben Wades

Age When Smoked: Fresh

1 person found this review helpful.

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	TigerSoul (5)	2015-10-22		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I walked into the JR outlet that happens to be on my commute home, looking for something 'new', and ended up with something quite 'old', that is, MacBaren's Virginia No. 1, which has been in continuous production since 1957. Having never tried this classic, I gave it a whirl. I have a special affinity for Mac Baren's Scottish Mixture which was a great fill-in for those times when I could not get my hands on the "Scottish Ribbon" blend from the late, great Connoisseur Pipe shop on Sixth Ave in NYC. ... V No. 1 has a similar slice cut, which has a certain heft and richness that is very appealing. The smoke, as described by others, can "bite if pushed", very true. It has a wonderful tin smell, but opens up if you transfer it to a ziploc. It is sweet up front, but gets a bit heavy as things heat up. It's a great smoke for a colder day, and should be enjoyed very slowly.

Pipe Used: $17 Italian briar from the discount bin

Age When Smoked: New tin, day of purchase

Purchased From: JR Cigar retail outlet

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Appalachian Scholar (34)	2015-08-02		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Pretty straight forward Virginia. I detect a hint of honey. Smells like burn bread, but otherwise okay. Should be smoked in pipes with wide draft holes or will otherwise gurgle. Can lead to tongue bite if not careful.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	coldmoon (24)	2015-06-14		Very Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

There is fresh hay like aroma from the tin. The tobacco is in broken flake form, mostly golden in color with a few darker pieces. I had to dry it out for 30 to 40 minutes before packing it into the pipe because it was a bit too moist for smoking it right out of the tin.

The packing wasn't terribly difficult but I had to pay more attention not to pack it too tight or too loose than most of the other blends.

This needed two charring light for the tobacco to settle but from then on it was going fairly smoothly.

Right from the first light you get the sweet honey on toast taste which pretty much doesn't change during the smoke. I think the tobacco has a slight casing of honey or sugar but it's very subtle. The strength is very mild and the nicotine amount is low. The VAs are high quality. It can give you tongue bite if puffed too fast.

The room note is very noticeable but not unpleasant.

Easily an all day smoke for me. I love this tobacco. I admit, it is somewhat one dimensional smoke but I like it a lot. Also the price is very good.

Pipe Used: Stanwell Year Pipe 2013

Age When Smoked: Fresh

1 person found this review helpful.

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	pipedrum22 (15)	2015-02-25		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

If you are looking for an every-day Virginia tobacco, look no further. I read some of the reviews on this tobacco and I was shocked to see as many negative reviews as I did. This tobacco burns perfectly and does not bite at all. The flavors are an incredible balance of natural, sweet Virginias mixed with a touch of honey and some light fruit notes. I cannot speak highly enough about this blend. It's truly something I look forward to smoking at the end of a long work day. I would highly recommend this to the Virginia lover as well as the beginner pipe-smoker.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Spitfire1 (15)	2015-01-10		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I came back to this tobacco after trying several other Vaper type tobacco and initially I was quite negative towards it. After a few popes I had to revise my opinion and I was beginning to like THE initial simplicity of this brand. You have to be patient while smoking it and at mid bowl a very broad band of various sweet tastes is coming in. The brand is toen building up his taste up to the end of the bowl, only leasing Some grey ash in the pipe. I keep this tobacco in my rotation, just have to check how it evolves throughout aging.

Pipe Used: Peterson year pipe 2013

Age When Smoked: Fresh

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	chuckt808 (8)	2014-12-30		Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Most of the other reviews cover this pretty well. It can bite the tongue. It is a very mild smoke, especially if you smoke it slow enough to not bite. I tried drying it out to keep the bite down but that did not help. Once very dry, it loses much of what little potency it once had. It smells wonderful and what flavor does come through is very nice, as other have mentioned; notes of grass, honey, hint of chocolate etc. It's just too mild to want to overcome having to deal with the harshness of the tongue zap. I ended up ditching about a 1/3 of the tin after it became bone dry because I just couldn't smoke it anymore.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Flinthills Tex (27)	2014-12-27		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Upon opening the tin, I am met with a delicious scent reminiscent of dried figs. There is no detectable top note or flavoring. The ready rubbed Virginia flake is golden brown in color and is ribbon cut. The individual strands are long and still caked together somewhat, so you will need to rub this tobacco some more, before filling your pipe. I would recommend using a wide bore bowl to smoke this. The moisture content is just right, so that this tobacco can be smoked right out of the tin. After a charring light, the tobacco lights nicely, but you must be careful not to tamp you bowl too tightly, or you will not get an adequate draw. This tobacco has a typically smokey-sweet Virginia taste which is very pleasing to the smoker. The room note is pleasant and decent. The tobacco smokes dry down to a fine grey ash, leaving no dottle.

Pipe Used: Vauen Churchwarden, St. Claude Prince

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Local Tobaccoonist

Similar Blends: Amphora Prestige.

1 person found this review helpful.

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	slashes (16)	2014-12-10		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

This is one of the first tinned tobacco's I tried and really enjoyed , I still smoke it on almost a daily basis. The flavor is mild and lightly sweet ,not much complexity. It can bite if pushed so best to take it slow.I recommend it to anyone looking for mild all day virginia.

Pipe Used: Cobs and Briars

Age When Smoked: Fresh out of the tin

1 person found this review helpful.

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	Mr. Motoyoshi (68)	2014-11-27		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a review of 2 oz of the bulk version.

It says ready rubbed but there are bits of flake tobacco here. Has the typical hay like smell of VA with a bit of sweetness. Came a little dry but packs very easily and lights just the same.

There is a nice sweetness at the beginning of the bowl. Through the smoke there are high and low notes. High being the honey and lemony flavors and low tasting like a graham cracker. I would swear there is some white burley in here that provides the cracker flavor and helps it smoke cool.

The slower you puff the more honeyed cracker/bread flavor your get. This will bite if smoked too fast and you'll only get the lemony citrus notes.

Burns to a nice ash with little to no dottle at the bottom of the bowl.

Not a bad smoke but for the same money you could get a nicer VA IMO. I probably won't be buying this again.

Pipe Used: Briars, cobs and morta

1 person found this review helpful.

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	WillBrown (137)	2014-11-03		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Here's yet another tobacco that I've really mixed feelings for. When I first tried this tobacco, it blew me away. That is to say the first half of the bowl was magnificent, then, around half way through, the experience changed—a green three-headed monster appeared and took a sudden violent slash at my throat! The taste and side stream of this baccy are one of the best I've ever had, up front that is, but by the back end it delivers a harsh burning bite which can really put a guy off. If this tobacco had better overall smoking characteristics it would be an easy four stars, still, if you can manage to take it slow and easy, Virginia No. 1 delivers a good enough smoke for three stars.

A pity, this tobacco could have been a real meat eater!

Pipe Used: Viprati bent "big bowl"

Age When Smoked: ?

Purchased From: Iwan Reiss

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	MrPiper (31)	2014-11-01		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Well, this one is all virginias right? Smoked briskly this and all others of this ilk will bite and burn too hot. That said, this is a really nice tobacco. There is really not a topping or casing I can detect. The flavor is of earth and tobacco. Smoke this very slowly and perhaps even in a cobb or morta if you just can't slow down and enjoy. A rich and tasty smoke with a gentle aftertaste.

Pipe Used: Several

Age When Smoked: new to 5+ years

Purchased From: Several

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Flatticus (24)	2014-10-31		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

When I first smoked this blend, I had the same reaction as a lot of the reviewers here. It burnt like the sun, was full of humectant, and compared to other straight virginias it wasn't the preferred choice. I came back to it with a little more patience later on, however, realizing by then it wasn't a straight virginia but a danish aromatic, and I have to say my opinion has changed a good deal. Yes, you have to sip it very slowly. Yes, there's PG a plenty. But you also basically can't dry the stuff out too much and if you smoke it nice and slow it burns beautifully and has a lovely sweet and nutty taste to it. This is another tobacco that rewards the slow smoker and puts a heavy hurt on the quick puffer, perhaps to a greater degree, but that's nothing new. It's a very reliable smoke with a good flavor. Just don't smoke it when you're paying attention to something else or you'll set your tongue on fire before you know it.

Pipe Used: Meerschaum, Briar

Age When Smoked: 2 months

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ravkesef (12)	2014-07-16		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

One of my favorite tobaccos precisely because of its light, mild taste. I don't find this to be overly cased, nor at all hot as some did, but rather pleasant and cool when sipped slowly. To avoid the risk of repeating what has already been said, I shall simply add my observation that I find this blend to be somewhat monochromatic when smoked in a large pipe.

1 person found this review helpful.

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	rsvp2rip (27)	2014-07-13		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

You can read all the other reviews here and get a fair representation of this tobacco. I would not be able to add anything new. It is a very pleasant blend that is a staple for very good reason. If you are still on the fence, go get some and I feel you will enjoy it for all the reasons already expressed.

1 person found this review helpful.

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	Marker (10)	2014-03-15		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Best thing I did for this blend was let it breathe for a couple weeks before smoking a lot of it. Right off the tin it will smoke a little hot and lose some sweetness. Let it dry and the citrus sweetness is much better.

I agree with some others using a med-large bowl is best to let it smoke slow. The harder you puff the less sweet it is.

If you are looking for a citrus Va blend this one does it extremely well. It is similar to veermaster without the perique kick added. If you enjoy mild yellow Virginias this one will give you what you need.

Pipe Used: Kaywoodie billiard

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: Sutliff

Similar Blends: Veermaster, without the perique kick..

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	arfenhouse (6)	2013-12-20		Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

A straight VA with multiple 'personalities'. VA No. 1 in the proper bowl and smoking technique can be a satisfying, rich, and sweet smoke. This blend is prone to getting hot and having tongue bite.

The room note is very sweet and pleasant honey + VA aroma. Rubbed out with some drying time, this tobacco will ash almost completely.

I give it a rating of 2 since it's problematic, but it would be a 3 when it's at its best.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	musicman (131)	2013-10-19		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Sometimes simplicity can be a beautiful thing.

This is a blend that you will find in the cellar of many experienced pipers. When it comes to pure straightforwardness Virginia this one hits the mark nicely.

This blend comes very dry, and is a very light color, even lighter than most VA's.

It is presented in a very broken flake kind of manner. Just chunky enough to make you wonder if you should rub it out or just run with it. It has a lovely mild Virginia flavor. Not a complex smoke, but very enjoyable just the same. Very nice.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	bigterr (21)	2013-09-26		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Although this is my first review it is not my first Mac tobacco. I came to Mac's mixture back in the 70's and smoked it exclusively throughout my undergraduate years. Then for reasons unfathamable I stopped pipe smoking for about 5 years and switched to cigars. Since I'm living in Canada ALL tobacco is taxed beyond belief and even a crappy cigar is in excess of $5.00 a stick (stuff like that smoked by George Burns doesn't count) so a few years back I again took up the pipe but found that finding a quality tobacco was a difficult proposition unless one travelled to larger cities (e.g., Toronto). One time while in Toronto looking for something other than cornerstore pouch blends (almost always dry as dust)I could not find my Mac Mixture. The tobacconist suggested I try V#1, albeit with the warning to smoke s l o w or it might bite. Great advice which I chose to ignore on my first couple of bowls - took over a week to heal. I've since re-learned that all tobacco is better smoked slowly (don't know how I forgot this). This tobacco is a delight to smoke, a subtle taste of citrus and sour is what I find to be the flavor that keeps this as my goto tobacco. I just opened a tin I bought in 2007 and it was still moist and the aroma was of fresh hay and almost lemony. I broke the "ready rubbed" out a bit more and gave it 15 min to breath. Packed in a castello old antiquari 1/8 bent large pot packed with the 3 stage technique I've been pleasantly puffing for about 40 minutes (one relight needed) when it occurred to me I should do this review. I believe this is one of the finest straight Virginia's available and a a price for 100 grams that most other tobaccos cost for 50 grams everyone looking for a nice clean straight forward smoke should not let fears of "bite" deter you from giving this a try. But as other reviewers and that wise Toronto tobacconist informed me smoke it s l o w l y! My rating 3 out of 4 stars only because it will bite severly if you puff with too much vigor.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2013-09-21		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Very Pleasant

So I was out of tobacco to switch to after smoking a great deal of latakia based blends and this was the only thing available. I know, I know, I had sworn off McB, but I was desperate and did have one good experience with McB (Navy Flake) so I thought, "why not?" and I gave it a try. This stuff did indeed disappoint. It was sticky to the touch (sugared) and upon lighting this torched my tongue. I was gentle with pace, but this still burned my tongue and mouth. To make matters worse, it was almost a tasteless blend. Ugh! Well, I should have known better. I hear the HH series is more refined, perhaps I'll give it a go after my tongue heals. :)

Smoke in peace, brothers and sisters of the leaf.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cigarcohiba (36)	2013-08-09		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Needs to be smoked very carefully. It requires the attention and concentration of the pipe smoker. A tobacco that requires effort in order for one to identify and absorb its taste characteristics. It usually gives off a mild hayish taste.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Huskies4 (7)	2013-07-29		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

My 7oz tin was from the 80's so it was almost 30 years old. I have yet to get my new tin in the mail, so I will do a review of the new blend when I receive it.

The 30 year old tin: The bite was horrible, whether puffed slowly or quickly the acidic bite was too much to handle. The Virginia sweetness was present but subdued compared to a modern blend. My recommendation is to let this tobacco age 10 years but no more, 30 years and this is over the hill. Perhaps airing out this tobacco and letting it breathe some oxygen over the next month or two will solve the bite, I will update when I get to that point.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2013-07-18		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Very Pleasant

I've become a Mac Baren fan. I like their tobaccos. I love the broken rubbed presentation, similar to another quality tobacco Mac Baren Golden Extra. I agree that a different approach should be taken when smoking this virginia. In my opinion, one has to coax this smoke along gently because it will bite. Take your time .....no problem. I think it becomes better further along in the bowl. For me, it's slightly sweet toasty taste. When pushed a little that tangy virginia note is detected. Decent nicotine hit. Prefer this tobacco in a cob. I can't detect any casing ... if it does ... it's extremely slight. I dry the smoke out at least 30 minutes before I smoke it ...seems to help the experience. This smoke is one of my regulars along with Golden Extra and P.S. Luxury Navy Twist. If you like "foo-foo" tobacco .... this probably will not be your smoke. However, if one likes "straight up" virginia, smooth tobacco taste ... this is another example of Mac Baren's dedication to quality tobacco leaf. Good stuff!

Update: I've tried several virginia tobaccos .... and have grown fonder of this tobacco. I've realized that this tobacco is trully a classic. At first I was not sure ...thought it was good ..but nothing special. I think one has to spend some time with this tobacco and learn how smoke it. This has become my favorite ...... it is just outstanding. I see why it's called Virginia #1. The more it ages ....the better it becomes. This virginia does not take a "back seat" to any virginia. It's mild ...tasty ....and I highly recommend.

1 person found this review helpful.

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	CubanPiper (13)	2013-06-10		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

good tobacco all in all. I'm doing a review on a 8 years old tin, so I guess the years have add something good. It does not burns hot and it does not bite. Smells good, tastes good, burns good, what else can you ask for. It's not the best virginia out there but its pretty good nonetheless.

1 person found this review helpful.

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	Grumpynuts (9)	2013-04-23		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Very Pleasant

When smoked lightly and relaxed this is the most enjoyable smoke I have had. I am normally a Latakia smoker, and this is nothing like a Latakia, but this one will quickly become my "go to" smoke. I once smoked this too quickly and it bit, so after letting it cool down a bit I was able to enjoy the remainder of the bowl. Relaxation is the key to enjoying this tobacco.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Taraban (9)	2012-12-06		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

Awful, never again! // I can smoke it, I won't buy it // = Quite good, worth trying // * Must-have, I'm happy

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cedeks (8)	2012-12-03		Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Excellent, high quality tobacco. As good as you can expect a tobacco to be. I think MB puts a lot of efforts to keep their quality as high as possible. The only reason to get 3 stars rather than 4 is that it is a very hot tobacco unless extremely slowly sipped. Take care or you will definitely burn your mouth or hands. It is not the kind of tobacco that can be smoked while busy with other stuff. You have to sit, relax and enjoy sipping this tobacco slowly. Does not have the expected MB tongue bite.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pipelicidad (26)	2012-11-23		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Virginia no. 1 is a ruthless blend. If smoked with extreme caution (very easy sipping and very paused), its great: hayish, woodsy, honey-like, fruity, sweet and mild. But if the carefulness ceases even for one second, problems arise: an overheated bowl and tremendous tongue bite. As this blend is pitiless, it doesn't deserve a benevolent rating, but because of its ambivalent nature, I have a love-hate relationship with it.

Addendum 2018:

Recently tried the tinned version. The good parts where accentuated and the bad reduced. I think the changes in my perception of this blend are due to the level of humidity in the tobacco (pouches are not great for preserving the factory intended humidity) and some improvement in my smoking technique.

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
	RyeWhiskey (43)	2012-04-11		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Tin note is a nice smell of Virginia with a note of honey. I always love the smell of this tin, but the downside is I smoke to fast for this blend. It burns hot for me and I don't have the patience to smoke slower. It blends with others well and imparts a good virginia to others as a blender.

When I happen to get some good out of this, it has a nice taste, but nothing complicated, just virginias with a touch of sweetness. It has a nice price for the amount you can get in a tin, but I don't see me buying it again. Maybe one day I'll give it a retry, but for now, it has become a blender.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Thbg (29)	2012-04-04		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I get why people are frustrated with this mixture.

It is pure bright virginia that is fairly dry and has a honey topping. Which means that it will dance all over your tounge if you puff like crazy on it.

I was very gentle with this and thought it was great. The honey topping kind of covered for the newness of the tobacco. In more aged blends the tobacco itself provides the sweetness.

It is very mild and smells ok in the room although there is a slight cigarette-ish smell that is left behind (likely due to the fact it is a young viginia).

I like this blend and recommend it with a note that it is not for aggressive puffers.

Cheers. thbg

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	William H. Hardy (95)	2012-03-27		Mild	Medium to Strong	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I loved the smell of this stuff in the 2 oz bag that I got in bulk. I lit it and really enjoyed the flavor; sweet, grassy, hay-like.

It bit me like a rabid beaver... How can something be so sweet and earthy burn you so remorselessly? It's like going out with a a beautiful, well-meaning sadist. She wants to be sweet and make you happy, but it's just in her nature to inflict pain. Yes, she's wonderful to look at and she seems genuine, but once you get to know her, she knees you in the yarbles and sends an uppercut to your mouth on your way down.

No matter in what pipe I tried it and how carefully I smoked it(and I allowed it ample opportunity), it would leave a small, amusement park-version Gehenna on my tongue. I tried sealing it in a mason jar and letting it mellow, but this didn't help, either. Try it if you want, but be warned.

Overall impression: Mac Arc-Welder...

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Connoisseur (47)	2012-03-02		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Mac Baren has a long history and a dazzling array of tinned tobaccos, available almost everywhere, with the aim of providing something for everybody. However something bothers me about Mac Baren tobaccos in general: Firstly, they almost always smoke a little hot. Secondly, most are a little too mild and one- dimensional in my opinion. Virgnia No.1 really should be better than it is. Unarguably the Virginias are of excellent quality with a sweet and subtle but tasty dressing. Once again, it's the lack of strength that lets this otherwise fine tobacco down.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	modelmanmodels (12)	2012-02-13		Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I've rotated this stuff in my appeal to add it to Price Albert on a 50/50 blend. It's quite good and I'd say try this...However, straight in a corn cob, being respectful of the potential bite issues, this is delicious! Take it slow and relax. I feel that those that experience bite on ANY Virginia is because you are just going too fast. This is a blend that you have to budget time for and relax with small draws and savor the development of mid-bowl. I've also had this straight in Meershams. I recommend it but you have to understand and "learn" how to smoke it.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	jediokie (6)	2011-12-06		Mild	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

I was privileged enough to buy a tin of this yesterday. I've been wanting to try a straight Virginia to help me better dissect the English blends I love so well. But there are so many Virginia's in their own right that it was kind of overwhelming. Nothing for it but to dig in and no1 seemed the best place to start.

It's apparent when opening the tin that this is good stuff. That smell that greets you is amazing. It's a 'ready rubbed' flake which isn't anywhere as fine as I like my tobacco but it's pretty close. Got a good pinch and worked it a little more before loading up the bowl. It was a booger to get lit but once it was finally lit it stayed so until the end of the bowl. Great sweet Virginia taste from start to finish. If anything it got more sweet towards the end. There was a mellow after note that stayed with me for hours after I finished the bowl.

I would say this is a great special occasion tobacco. It isn't bad in anyway, but the straight sweet note was dominating and could be too sweet for others that are looking for a more complex smoke. It's like that extra piece of cake. It's too sweet for everyday but man on those special occasions it's a rock star.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Henry Mars (21)	2011-09-24		Medium	Medium	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable

Over the years I have tried several tins of this straw. I really wanted to like it. There is just one or two problems. It burns as hot as a gas furnace and it bites like a rabid dog. It may be my body chemistry, I can't say for sure. It takes a week for my mouth to heal after smoking a third of a bowl. It is so painful that I can't really taste a thing. It is like trial by ordeal. I'll pass on this one. I really can't rate the taste unless there is a category for pain and discomfort.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TK Pipe (101)	2011-09-23		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

McB Va. No 1 … Danish style Virginias were never my first choice, but of the ones I've tried Va. # 1 is pretty good, especially it's reasonable cost. I found this stuff can get harsh and irritating to the tongue if not smoked sloowly, and for me a bowl or two, once in a while is about the extent of my use of this tobacco. I don't see myself buying any more of this stuff, when I finish this tin. There are too many other VA's I enjoy more. IMO this would not be a good choice for a beginner. My personal rating, 1/5

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SiChange (45)	2011-08-21		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

The treat is the last third of pipe, reaching oil-rich tobaccos, which is very sweet and rich. I am able to smoke this to bottom of bowl with two relights after initial light. Smokes well and long in small pot. If I sense a difference from long ago (1980s and earlier) it is that the fruity tin note may be less intense and perhaps the overall experience not quite so stellar. Mac Barens is one of extremely few brands that tobacconists of 30 years ago (and more) stocked that have genuinely survived to the present in the sense of unchanged manufacture. V. good value for high quality.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Big (321)	2011-07-06		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Well after 45 years I tried this again and it's still nice. This was the first non "drug store" blend I could get back then and it was my favorite. Now I realize how much Mac's bite , but this one is somewhat of an exception considering it is straight Virginia. Upon opening the tin you can smell the strong honey topping over the light Virginia. The taste is wonderful , sweet honey hay. You do need to sip it or you will get some bite. I find the price very reasonable in comparison to other straight Virginias and is worth keeping around. For something extra special, blend 50% Virginia #1 with 50% 5100 Red Cake. This seems to make the Red Cake more interesting and at the same time eliminate the bite from the V#1.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2011-05-21		Medium	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

In the tin, the heavily broken flakes smell distinctly of honey, toast, and grains.

This is basic. Well-aged, clean and sprightly golden virginias are topped with a gentle coating of honey and, seemingly, nothing else. I suspect that there is the tiniest touch of oriental in this. The finish is, expectedly, clean.

Virginia No. 1 is an easy-to-use and immeasurably tasty bright virginia flake which eschews subtlety in favor of ingratiating simplicity. A classic. This went best in a narrow to medium gauge chamber.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kilmarnock Piper (251)	2011-05-17		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Aged sample, from 1985. HONEY! Yes, this is one of those honey-cased MacBarens. I get it even in this 25 year old sample. Even so, it is a nice, albeit honey-cased Virginia. I really don't know if newer production would bite me (I have noticed the infamous MacBite with about half the MacBarens I have sampled), but this doesn't bite me, at least. I find it a pleasant (though not sublime) Virginia in the Danish style. Quality all the way, and I seem to remember it is a good value. Since it is not nipping me too much, and is a nice Virginia even if it is not the best I've had, I recommend it!

Edit 12-6-12: I've now had two other vintages of this blend. One is a 1999 3.5 ounce tinning, and it was a bit different, but as good as the 1985 I originally reviewed. I think that 1985 I had first was from a 3.5 ounce tin as well, because when it comes to aged Mac Baren, the 3.5 ounce tins seem to be quite different from the 7 ounce cans that were sold in the same time period...

I avoid them like the plague! I think they have some kind of additional humectants added, because I get bite from the late 80s 7 ouncer of VA #1 I recently aquired. It's not enough to make it unsmokable, but it's there.

Not as bad as the 7 ounce tin of Symphony: I considered that blend the worst biter I had ever had for quite some time, because I tried it from an aged 7 ounce tin first. When I got a tin of the very same blend from the very same time period (mid to late 80s probably) in its 3.5 ounce version, the bite wasn't there, and I enjoyed the blend enough to seek out another three tins!

Update 2-21-23 Despite what I said above (a decade ago), upon revisiting this blend from the tin that was still unopened from those three 1999 tins I bought, it does tend to bite me. I have found a good way to use it, though. Had a pound tin, twelve years old, of Cornell & Diehl Briar Fox that I opened in early December of last year, and have been going through it rather fast, as it has at least for now become my favorite all-day smoke. Now that my Briar Fox supply is dwindling, with about four ounces left, I have been combining it in a 2-1 ratio with Virginia No. 1, and then, the Virginia No. 1 loses its teeth, and does not bite!

I think the bite problem so many pipe smokers experience with Mac Baren is due to that ubiquitous honey casing they use, and have used for decades. Somehow, though I can't prove it, I think a honey casing can cause bite in a pipe tobacco. Save your honey for your bread and butter. When I case tobacco, and stove and top it, I use molasses with water or booze. Molasses is an extraordinary casing for tobacco; very heirloom, very old-school. Try it, you'll like it...

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	bence (34)	2011-04-15		Very Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I used to dry, and crush it when i open a new pack. A star minus because of the added aroma, and its lightness. (The flake version a bit sronger and more natural.)

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Peppino (74)	2011-04-09		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

From the first light to the last puff, this is a good Virginia that burns well with a natural sweetness. The flavor gets better as the bowl burns down to a medium grey ash. The honey flavor is in the back ground but is a perfect balance with the sweetness of the Virginia. I did rub it out quite a bit to get the cut the way I prefer it which I would recommend to anyone trying this out.I see where it could be difficult to light and keep from over heating if you don't. Keep the tobacco smoldering or sipping it as others have said and you will be rewarded with a great smoke!:) UPDATE: The more I smoke this the more I enjoy it. 4 stars for sure and a great value!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2011-03-26		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This Virginia falls into the category of exquisite for me. It is all VA of the highest quality and it's cavendish cut provides easy loading and lighting. This blend had been in my regular rotation for months now and it is my go to blend for lighter fare. Smoking less than days of yore - I've been moving back to milder blends that still deliver satisfaction. That may very well be good way to describe a good deal of the MacBaren line-up.

Since it is a relatively mild blend, pipe selection for me, is very important. It is not unusual for this to be completely unsatisfying if matched with the wrong pipe - my choice generally is a large bowl billiard (Savinelli Hercules) or similar. Because this is not particularly mature VA - it can burn fast, so respectfully, it needs to be sipped. Best enjoyed just above a smolder.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Denevei (58)	2011-01-08		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

People often complain about the aroma of McClelland's tobaccos when they open the tin. To me, the tobaccos to complain about are MacBaren's. Why? Their tobaccos always have a sort of rancid, fermented smell to them. But as I've said to those who complain about McClelland's blends, hold your nose and try it.

Virginia #1, unlike other MacBaren's tobaccos I've smoked, is almost dry when freshly opened. It is ready-rubbed, but coarse. Because of that, it can be difficult to pack until you get used to it. It's been a number of years since I've had to repack a bowl, but I had to with one or two of this blend. I learned to rub it out a bit more before packing.

Virginia #1 has a strong initial flavor to it. It lights extremely well, though. The charring light holds, and while I used a second match there was probably enough fire in the bowl without it. After the initial strength of the light, the tobacco develops a rich sweetness typical of good Virginia tobaccos. But smoke this slowly, because it'll bit the end of your tongue right off if you get aggressive with it!

Overall, this is a good, sweet Virginia. The somewhat fermented aroma comes through, to me, in the initial lighting, but adds a nice flavor once through the first third or so of the bowl. Like most Virginias, Virginia #1 DGT's well, becoming even sweeter after sitting overnight.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2010-10-11		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

So how exciting can a tobacco be which comprises solely of Va's. Not very is truthful answer. There are numerous reasons which I should be no friend to Virginia No 1; it lacks complexity, it's one dimensional, its temperamental, can handle poorly, be a pain to lit and like most Mac Baren blends can bite like a wronged mother in law. And yet I find that I increasingly reach for this blend. Yes it has all of the above faults but it has one gloriously redeeming virtue; it's a straight forward no nonsense, does exactly what it says on the pouch tobacco. Here's blend that's not so outrageously complex you that you end up tittering on the brink of nervous exhausting jest trying to figure out what's happening with the flavours. No. All we're dealing with here is an easy going tanginess. Which lasts from first to last puff. Mellow heaven.

Yet despite all my waffle about the beauty of its straight forwardness, I don't think this one will make my regular rotation. I do like a little mystery in my blends. But it defiantly one I'll indulge in from time to time. So all in all this is a fine Va blend which lends its self beautifully to long summer evenings puffing away in blissful contemplation. One of Mac Baren's finer blends.

A word of warning; quick puffing will destroy the flavour and leave tour mouth tasting of hot ash. Take it a little slower and you'll be rewarded.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	slightlyfermentedvirginiaflake (11)	2010-07-14		Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

I simply love MacBaren's blends (except for their aromatics, which are horrible; as are most aromatics). I suppose the tongue bite issue is different for every smoker. I personally have never had tongue bite issues with MacBaren's blends....although I was always told that I would. Several of the MacBaren's blends can become "everyday" and "all day" companions; Virginia No.1 certainly qualifies. OK, it is a simple virginia blend with the most typical virginia traits. For an "all day" or "go to" smoke; this is a good thing. Sure, it does not deliver with the "complexity" of flavor that many "higher quality" (and higher priced) virginia blends offer. HOWEVER, as I have posted before, so many other blends leave me feeling as if I had just eaten a whole german chocolate cake. This is alright once in a while, but all the time...NO! That is why Virginia No.1, Mixture, Navy Flake, Golden Extra, Symphony, etc. are all wonderful blends. These are all "go to" tobaccos, for me. I save the over-expensive, over powering and over complex blends for once in a while.

As posted by many, you have to have good smoking technique to really benifit from MacBaren's blends. If you "sip" or smoke slowly, and try exhailing the smoke through your nose, the better MacBaren's blends can offer a rather delightful smoke!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2010-07-10		Very Mild	Extremely Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant to Tolerable

One of the most tasteless balnd tobaccos on the market today. Will bite your tounge like a viper. If you think this is good Virginia, more power to you.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Planet Scott (66)	2010-06-09		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

A solid tobacco. Not extraordinary. I like this slightly less than Original Choice as it lacks complexity. Still, I enjoy smoking this blend.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2010-06-09		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

great tobacco,in my opinion, one of the best in croatian market. sweet and nutty, this bright virgina is good for belnding,too.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	kidwithgun (10)	2010-05-15		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

this was my first try at a virginia blend, and although i have yet to develop an insistent taste for burley, i find it quite comparable to mac baren's golden extra in certain ways. i enjoyed the scent of it as i opened the tin and relocated it to a jar. smells a lot like "winner's edge", the lamb feed i had my sheep on before they went to market. and as it smells, with the first quarter-bowl after lighting it seemed to have a zesty, grassy flavor to it which i actually enjoyed. it stayed lit well and burned evenly. while the golden extra burley has the same spicy intake, it differs from the virginia no. 1 as it blossoms into a chocolatey exhale. and while the golden extra isn't complicated by any means, the virginia blend seems not to stray too far away from it's original flavor, yet it does have a gradual shift from "grassy" to "woody" as it gets nearer the bottom of the bowl. this is when i really began enjoying it and even after a relight it managed to stay cool and burn even all the way to the bottom as well as mildly flavorful. and i personally enjoy it now more than the golden extra.

i can understand why and how some people have a problem with getting bit by these blends, but i assure you, if you are out on a calm and cool summer night after dark on your porch or deck with a clear head - keep your watch and your cell phone inside - keep all your focus on smoking it patiently and evenly, let the flavors develop and come to you, and you will be rewarded and satisfied.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	strongirish (249)	2010-03-17		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I am a MacBarons fan and I have never experienced the complaints of others that MB blends are flame throwers but I will have to admit, I can see if one is a fast smoker and over puffs this could be a biter. This has not been my experience, I enjoy smoking it, but if I do push it, I can feel the heat come on. This is a nice VA blend, it has the traditional hay like sweetness, a nice aroma and it stays consistant all the way down to a nice medium gray ash. It comes in the tin in an almost rubbed out flake, I do like to rub it out a bu=it more in order to pack better in my pipe and the tin aroma is a nice sweet, hay like scent, very fresh smelling. It is a touch to moist for me out of the tin, so I do set it out for a few hours to dry or it's too hard to get lit and stay lit. Even then, I have to relite this blend often. The smoke is rich and creamy, and cool on the tongue as it is slow burning. I can't say this is the best VA I smoke, but it is a decent one. It is also very easy to find. Not for a beginner though. I recommend this blend as a nice change of pace.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	sirchud68 (60)	2010-03-04		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Same cut and feel as their Golden Extra, which is nice. Seems like a nice Virginia, but burns a little hot for me.

Update: the secret to this blend, to me, is age, age, and more age. When I first tried this it burned the hell out of me so I put it away with a " Uh, I'm not gonna do that." a year later I tried it again and was really impressed. Maybe I learned to smoke better, but I think the tobacco aged so well that the flavor came out. I'm putting a couple tins away.

Yes, I would have to say that if your first impression of this tobacco is that its too hot and too tasteless, give it a try later down the road. Maybe not the best Virginia for a first try but it is a nice sweetly mild tobacco.

I smoke this all day, everyday and can hardly believe I once thought this tobacco burned and bit.

A wise man (on Youtube no less) once said pipe smoking turns your tongue to leather and that patient smoking comes whether you want it to or not. Cheers!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2010-02-27		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I like this one a lot. Funny it only gets a 2-star average. Not really much to add that hasn't been said: smoke it slow, great price, ranks well with the other Virginias out there.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2010-01-31		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

My review is based on a bulk sample.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but in retrospect, this blend almost ended my pipe smoking career before it truly began. I had a lot of trouble with tongue bite in the early months, and mostly chalked this up to par for the course, plus later decided that my smoking a new briar was part of the problem, and also that my smoking technique was bad.

Well, here it is two years later, I'm not a great pipe smoker but a lot further down the road than I was, and have smoked two bowls of this recently, one more or less full bowl in a pipe I don't know well, and a small amount of a bowl this morning in one of my best smokers.

The smoke is acrid, hot, and bitey, right off the bat, and doesn't settle down within the first quarter bowl or so.

There are some lovely Virginias out there, this isn't one of them. This combination of what appears to be immature bright Virginias plus a bit of sweet topping is lethal to my tongue.

I cringe to look at the bag, which once contained one and a half ounces, and realize that there is probably less than a half ounce left... I must have smoked ten or fifteen bowls in the first three to six months of my pipe smoking, and I recall the ongoing prolonged fight against tongue bite that I dealt with then.

If you have a friend starting with the pipe, get them a really neutral OTC burley (Prince Albert, Carter Hall) or a cool smoking English blend... keep them far far away from MacBaren products, especially this particular blend.

I suspect that someone with expert smoking technique and a willingness to deal with some bite, or different body chemistry, might feel differently about this blend, but with excellent matured VA from McClelland and lovely tobacco like Red Ribbon and Union Square, I see no point in fooling around with this one.

Inexpensive for a reason!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Beer (345)	2009-12-14		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable

A good Virginia offering from Mac Baren. Sure, the tin aroma smells very cased... with lots of honey and sugary notes. But the smoking experience is not bad at all: good fruity sweetness with sour and grassy notes, very consistent to the bottom of the bowl.

Sure, it's not the most groundbreaking Virginia out there, and it may be a bit harsh if pushed too hard. It's not completely natural, but the flavoring (while evident) does enhance the experience and complement the tobacco flavour quite well.

Actually it's not a sticky aromatic: it tends to dry rather fast in the tin, crumbling to fine dust. But it packs well, it's easy to smoke and has a rich taste.

Overall, similar to other Mac Baren blends... but among the best ones of them.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-10-05		Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

MacBaren did it again! A very nice selection of Virginia leaf cased in MacBaren's way, with honey I guess this time, and reached to be a biting, harsh burning, far away from a natural sweetness of true Virginia pipe tobacco.

An elegant tin, good moisture level and it packs and lights good. Burns completely and effortless, leaving a clean, whitish grey ash. You need to smoke it slow because it gets hot and you think you loose the pleasure. In fact it offers some less pleasure even if you are smoking it slowly. It has a somehow honey sweet taste far away to be a natural sweet Virginia with full tobacco taste. I even checked several times if the pipe is lit! Hopefuly I have good eyes enough to see the smoke! A nice cloud of pipe smoke without the enough taste of true tobacco.

Instead of buying this tin put some more money and buy a true, full taste, pure Virginia blend!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	newmission (14)	2009-05-24		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Packed loose and smoked slow this is a great smoke. If smoked in haste it will burn and you will not enjoy the body and flavor of this great sweet and bright tobacco. Give it some time to breath and it gets better with every pull. This is a must for any Virginia lover.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	orka (66)	2009-04-18		Very Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

This is a quite pleasant virginia mixture, unmistakingly Danish with its mild addition of the sugary honey Mac Baren casing. This blend has been with me for a number of years, even if I've wandered off into all sorts of different directions over the years, I still enjoy this one from time to time.

The tin aroma is very sweet, and grasslike. It is quite exactly just as the description says, very sweet "golden" taste. No real surprises, though; on the verge of monotony in fact. But on the other hand, it is very accessible for both new and old and certainly has its moments.

I often use this blend to break in new pipes, and it does an excellent job at that, since it leaves very little flavour in the pipes, is ready rubbed and easy to handle and smoke, have a good price and good availability makes this a good value tobacco which is well worth a try.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JLong (36)	2009-04-07		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I just wanted a plain no nonesense Virginia with a little sweetness and nuttiness to it without overwhelming candy flavoring. That is pretty much what I got.

As others posted, opening the tin was like walking into a haybarn. It is pungent in that respect. It packs and lights well straight out of the tin and stays lit leaving that little grey dottle behind. It did take a few bowls for the sweetness to kick in and it is there for me. This is not a mouth party. For me, it is a soothing, mildly sweet smoking tobacco with no bite.

Edit: This tobacco smokes cooler after drying a clump out for 30 minutes. Should curb the tounge bite as well.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Fofo (81)	2009-03-01		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is an interesting virginia, somewhat mild. Typically, I prefer fuller virginia flakes, but this is good. I found that the "grassy" or "hay" flavors characteristic of virginias are, although present, somewhat toned down here and the honey casing does not really come out until the last third of the bowl.

It is a fairly simple and enjoyable smoke which I'll recommend to people who are experimenting with virginias or those who like the fuller versions but feel somewhat overwheelmed. I probably won't buy it again since I like "spicier" virginias, but I can see how some guys could adopt this as an all day smoke. I burns slow adn evenly, it's easy to light and it does not bite. I've never experienced the severe bite that some reviewers here experience with Mac Baren Blends.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Skando (203)	2009-01-13		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I received as a gift a 100grms tin of this six months ago, from a friend coming back from Holland, in place of some Escudo I asked him to find, but he wasn't able.

My review is so based on the last half of the tin. The humidity is just perfect, the colour is bright and medium brown. The pipe is a bend rhodesian, filtered with 9mm balsawood, medium bowl, Brebbia. This pipe has smoked exclusively this, and few others virginias.

Vno1 chars good and steady: until mid bowl the strength is mild, the typical McB "honey on toast" is present from the very beginning both on the tongue and the nose, really very pleasant, just a faint metallic note on the tongue tip. Leaves a sweet tongue. The palate is not scorched, even in deeper sips, just a bit acidic note, nothing so annoying.

From mid bowl to the end, everything melts fine with no aggressive notes, just a bit sourish. The strength develops to mild to medium. Reaching the end the smoke is pleasantly piquant, seems a VaPer... and the strength is medium.

Never a goorgle, no sharp notes, just the pipe a bit on the hot side (like all the Va's). Everything runned smooth, pleasant and satisfactory. I just wanted one more bowl.

Compulsory condition: sip slow and short.

Four stars.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Fly ticky (26)	2009-01-11		Very Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Well it need to age a yr. or two then maybe it will be smoother just a little rough right now.Ill give it some time its sweet enough i will say that.But like most golden flakes it bites abit.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Duke (41)	2008-11-25		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Dry, Dry and Dry some more for those who complain of Mac Bite. I reference my review of Navy Flake and the accidental over drying that, for me, removed the stinging nature often labeled on Mac Baren tobaccos. This time I bought a fresh tin of #1 Virginia and quickly smoked a bowl resulting in that old familiar sting. Mac Baren?s tobaccos are of great quality, never meant to harm, so I had to find how to smoke it. So I left the lid off the tin for a good week or two. No kidding. I found a moderately cased Virginian that tastes great in a singularly varietal way. Also, I found it was great in an Old West (Tim West) conical bowled Zulu/Skater(?). It really intensified the flavor and yes the pipe could get heated. Heated because the magnifying flavor caused me to quicken my smoking pace even more- Oh my gluttony. I found tangy Virginian taste with a whisper of brininess. I didn?t get the honey flavor mentioned here in the reviews. The room note of tobacco pleased me as a smoker, non-smoker?s pound salt. A bit more nicotine would be welcome, but certainly not detriment to this blend. I understand the gripes I?ve read, but I?ve found renewed enjoyment in the Mac Baren line. Try it again, just this side of crispy.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2008-07-03		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I tried this after reading reviews and ratings, and a couple of helpful postings... I am newly acquainted to all the various blends but my experience with Virginia's and MacBaren had been "bittten once, twice shy." But I took my time with slow leisure draughts and found the sweetness surprising and tasteful. No bite, and the sweet taste stayed with me long after I finished the bowl.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stacey (40)	2007-12-24		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

A very nice middle of the road, straight virginia smoke. For a step up, choose Old Gowrie, or better still, Full Virginia Flake. Still, if you find those blends too sweet for your palate, this is your blend.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Moe (46)	2007-11-12		Very Mild	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

MacBaren VA#1 is a really mild,sweet,tastey smoke. However, like all Mac's, if it bites ya......... dry it and re-try it. Thats the only way I can smoke them. And since I discovered this. I really like MacBaren.

I gave it 3 stars but if it had some nicotine in it. Id giver 4

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipepundit (168)	2007-06-27		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The tin aroma is of somewhat sweetish hay. The cut is nearer broken flake than ready rubbed, and it requires no particular care in packing. My body chemistry must be suited to Mac Baren products as I experienced no tongue bite.

The smoking experience is comparable to that of Virginia Flake from the same stable, though I prefer the flake version. Virginia no 1 is a mild mannered, soft spoken virginia which leads to no epiphanies but is a pleasant all day smoke. Experienced smokers may detect its virtues earlier than those new to pipe-smoking or those new to virginias. Recommended.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Captain Pete (83)	2007-02-20		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

*I rated this a two star blend, mainly due to its being so mild and one dimensional. However, given that this stuff is so inexpensive and easy to find, those merits could rate it another star if you are looking for a mild va. without high expectations.

I recently was afforded the opportunity to sample an ounce of this, and I'm afraid that it didn't quite meet my expectations. It is, as the manufacturer claims, a mild smoke. The pouch aroma is faintly sweet and grasslike, but there was no detectable topping to my nose.

Lighting was easy, and once charred the tobacco stayed lit. Absent was MacBaren's predeliction to bite the tongue while attempting the char, so this was a pleasant surprise. Also absent, however, was the charactaristic spiciness of a young virginia, as well as the deep rich overtones of a ripened virginia.

Overall, the mild temperament of this tobacco may make up for its lack of richness for the novice piper. For those seeking a rich va. experience, you may wish to take a pass on this one.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Philo Beddoe (221)	2007-01-07		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

You could do much worse than MacBaren's Virginia No. 1, it was a decent, pleasant smoke, that smelled good in the tin, packed well and I would smoke it again, if offered. That being said, it doesn't really compare to the Rattray's offerings as far as body and flavor are concerned.

When I want a bright Virginia with a mild sweet taste I will always turn to Old Gowrie.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pgmrdan (5)	2006-09-24		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

"Tongue bite" is the name of the game with this one. I've smoked 6 bowls. Four bowls were smoked as gently as I could and I've had significant tongue bite every time. If you aren't gentle with it this one will really punish you.

It smells very nice in the container and is easy to pack into the pipe.

I found it just a bit stubborn to light but not bad. Once I had it lit it continued to burn very easily while leaving a nice ash all the way to the bottom of the bowl. It did begin to gurgle a tiny bit a few of times during every bowl. I usually do well having 1 pipe cleaner available during a bowl of other tobaccos but with this one I needed 2 or 3 for every bowl.

The taste was alright and I can understand how some others would really like it. If it weren't for the tongue bite this could be one of my regulars.

I plan on leaving the remainder of this tobacco in the cellar to see if the taste improves after a year or so. At this point I see no reason to purchase any more. Perhaps when I revisit this tobacco I will change my mind.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	kylepoet (18)	2006-06-06		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Heck, I thought I might as well chime in on this one. It was thrown in as a 1 oz sample from Milan Tobacconists(petty darn good tobacconists, BTW), and I thought I might as well give it a try. Yet... instead of picking up one of my VA briars, I rubbed it out a little more, until it was almost hair-fine, and packed it into a clay. Why waste a good briar on something that's been panned in the "tobacco press" was my thought. Good gosh, this blend smoked sweet and cool, with just the barest hint of honey to interweave with the Virginias. It's not a blend I'd go out of my way to stock up on, but if I needed a sweet VA smoke, and saw a tin of this out on the road, I wouldn't hesistate to pick it up. It's a mild, soft-spoken VA that's good for a short smoke, or for when I don't feel like the complexity of my favored English/Balkans. A solid three stars.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SopwithCamel (255)	2006-02-05		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a very light, honey sweetened Virginia. It has a nice toasty sweet flavor, but alas it always bites the ever-loving daylights out of me. Too bad, because for a mild Virginia it tastes good. My advice for the daring is to smoke this in a small billiard. Sip it very slowly. It tends to burn hot, so as soon as your pipe gets on the hot side, just stop for a while. Keep some water on hand, and sip between puffs. Perhaps you will have better luck than I did...

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2005-12-23		Mild	Mild	Mild	Tolerable

If you want a flavorlful Virginia and are willing to give up smoking for several days while your tounge heals, by all means, give this one a try.

I'm VERY prone to tongue bite, but in answer to cholly howl, the previous reviewer, Virginia's don't have to bite. In fact, I am aware of at least 2 dozen that have no bite at all. A good place for the novice to start is with any of the Rattray's.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2005-12-06		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

One-match light, subtle, honey note, burned hot, unpleasant bite.

~~~ Don't invest.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2005-11-23		Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Excellent Virginia tobaccos & rubbed out thoughtfully enough to make this a one match light for a slow, even burn. Problem is, the curing process made the Virginias too sugary & hot. My tongue was seared immediately upon lighting. Luckily this was a sample pack & enough to fill only a small bowl. The taste is one dimensional & the aroma characteristically MacBaren, with its honey/heather topping. It's really just more of the same. This reminds me of the fiery 'Solent'. Try the delightful 'Mixture' for a better representation of MacBaren's art.

One of five stars

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	dprovons (11)	2005-07-19		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I bought VA No 1 in a smoke shop I saw while on a road trip because it was the only tinned pipe tobacco the poor guy carried (more of a discount cigarette place). I really didn't know what to expect. I have read on these forums that Mac Baren tobaccos bite terribly and always have some kind of awful topping on them, etc, etc. Needless to say, I was a bit apprehensive. I was also VERY pleasantly surprised.

I really like this blend. It is pretty mild to my tastes, but has a very nice subtle flavor to it. Others have described it here as a honey taste and I think that is pretty accurate. Is it a flavored topping? Beats me. But I like it and it doesn't overpower as the dominant, lingering taste of the tobacco. I especially like this in the morning, before I've eaten anything spicy or heavy (after that, it's Latakia time!), when I can most detect and appreciate it's mild taste and subtle nuances of flavor. Incredibly (based on some reviews here), I have not experienced tongue bite at all. I would really have to be working this tobacco pretty hard for it to bite. It was also the first tobacco I've tried that made me want another bowl right after. I think that's a pretty high recommendation.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Dottle (162)	2005-06-07		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I found this to be a somewhat sweet and relatively bland one-dimensional blend. It didn?t offer much to get my taste buds excited. This is probably due to the fact that it does tend to burn hot and this will dissipate and diminish its flavor. There are better VAs available that will please much more than VA #1 and that won?t require your full attention.

A cigarette is to be smoked. A cigar is to be enjoyed. A pipe is to be savored.

I rate this tobacco 6.0 out of 10.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Effluvinator (60)	2005-05-31		Very Mild	Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

I have been smoking this on and off for about 25 years. The original VA #1 was a bright yellow, "lemon" VA. MacBaren seems to have changed it at some point; I don't remember when I first purchased a tin of this that was like its present configuration, but it has been quite few years back. I recall the original had a sharper taste, and if anything, bit more than the current offering. It was good, though. I find the present blend to be a friendlier tobacco and have less nip, although you still have to be careful with it. I think there is some added sweetness here, but not all that much. If you buy a tin of this and find it to be too bitey, try mixing it one half with MacBaren Burley. It makes a great tobacco, similar to their Golden Extra. I don't smoke this often, but always like to have some on hand. It's not complex like a British flake VA, but neither are many other good Virginias. It smokes good in a cob or small briar. If you enjoy something such as Golden Sliced I recommend you try VA #1.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lbarraa (29)	2005-05-29		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Virginias with a flavor... is a good ready rubbed tobacco, a litle harmfull to the tongue, but very sweet and taste. Poor complexity is the defect of this tobacco. Ideal for Virginias`s lover who wants a straigth blend, with out sorpises.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2005-03-12		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

This is one of my favorite premo brand name pipe tobaccos... Normally I smoke house blends of the local shop where I buy cigars and pipe tobacco...

As for the Virginia No. 1 by Mac Baren. Its a very enjoyable smoke... Has hints of honey in the taste of the tobacco... Friends of mine said there are also hints of melon I could not determine that... Over all its a very pleasant smoke...

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Spike (296)	2005-02-27		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I have about 4 ounces of this I bought in bulk. I will probably try mixing this with some good Burley to salvage it. This would be good without the honey topping. It is too bitey for me. Sometimes these tobacs can be enjoyed after some of the flavor evaporates. Rating: About two and one half stars.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tantric (321)	2005-02-26		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Tolerable

Yet another review of this rather odd Virginia!

It proudly carries the nose-tickling-tongue-burning trait of most Mac Barens I've tried. But, unlike some of the esteemed colleagues who have also reviewed this blend, I do not find it to be particularly sweet, at least not in an artificial sense. It has that natural, molasses-like sweetness of many Virginias. However, it lacks the winy-raisin undertone present in Dunhill's Light Flake, Astley's 44 or most Rattrays'. Maybe that accounts for the honey on toast impression of Virginia No 1.

I am sure this is the same Virginia used in Mac Baren's Mixture. On its own it has a more palatable structure than when it is mixed with Burleys, Cavendish and the like. Not only because it is a Va., but because it is a Mac Baren, extra care has to be taken to avoid scorching the palate. If such thing is possible, then this can be a very tasty smoke, with a peculiar toasted undertone, a wheat or oats like flavour, and that very mild sweetness that seems to be at once, like the esteemed Lustra has pointed, repulsive and addictive.

It is a pity Virginia No.1 bites the way it does. This could be a magnificent morning smoke, invigorating and friendly, along the lines of, say, Orlik's Golden Sliced or PS Navy Flake. As it is, it's cute and all, but in the same sense a ferret is: be careful!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Darth 69 (117)	2005-01-10		Very Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Despite the tin description this is strong, hot with a bite. Despite that I like it and smoke it on occasion. Ripe and bright golden virginias with a sweetener added. In fact this really is a cavendish tobacco. But the sweatness is not cloying or the blend overly moist like generic cav. with humicants. Imagine the blender sweetening a product like this almost up to the point of too sweet but not over, this is the case with this tobacco. Knowing many Mac Baren products and the information provided by the firm they use sweeteners along the lines of real brown sugar, honey and the like. This has a distinct honey/brown sugar tin aroma and smoke, with golden virginia flavors, as to be expected.

- recommended

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2004-12-15		Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant

I would be ashamed to produce and sell such an awful thing as this. A furnace of no flavour.Make sure you have the burn center's telephone number ready,because your tounge will be injured. This crap isn't even good enough to mix with. Ye who say you really like this aparently have never tried real Virgina tobacco.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2004-12-09		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Mac Baren is a strange company. They have top flight production facilities and use high quality leaf. Then, seemingly in an effort to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, they do something to every blend I've tried to ruin it.

This can be terrific stuff, if, and only if, it is sipped very slowly. How slowly? We may never know, because it is so blisteringly hot that it challenges the technique of the most advanced smoker (you may pat yourself on the back at this point if you have mastered it). It is the pipesmoker's version of Zeno's Paradox- one can never smoke a bowl of this, because first one must smoke half a bowl, which in turn must be preceded by a quarter of a bowl....

I quite enjoyed the last bowl I smoked, but only because I was in the midst of preparing caramel, and had plenty of molten sugar with which to sooth my tongue.

Like to save seven bucks? Simply touch your tongue to the engine casing of an idling Harley. Voila. You've just experienced VA#1.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	UncleGar (110)	2004-12-08		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Hmmm. I disagree with some of the above.

The tobacco that I opened up has the lightest color I've ever seen, unlike that described by earlier reviewers. It has the semi-rubbed out flake appearance of Old Belt, but is very light tan. I wonder if we are smoking the same thing.

Agreed, it is sweet, even a couple notches above the saccharine Marlin Flake, but it doesn't come from honey or any other casing: this is just a very high sugar leaf, consistent with the light color. Delicious it is! The baklava of virginias. (I know... baklava is honey sweetened.) Maybe I should call it a "danish". I can understand the accusation of honey topping. In fact, there are even unique clover-y nuances there, reminding me of late spring. Very tasty! The room note is even socially acceptable.

As for heat, I notice my pipe does indeed get uncomfortably hot, but I smoke it in what I guess is called a 'system' pipe with a metal protrusion on the tenon. It must do its job as a heat conductor because the smoke is thick, rich and cool. It has been a while since I've huffed hard enough to get tongue bite, I now consider it an artifact of loading and puffing methods. No, this hasn't bit me, but I do want to brush my teeth afterwards. I suggest leaving it as little further rubbed as practical to slow the burn rate.

Yes, it does burn quickly, and therefore I don't dry it. I do have to use a pipecleaner half-way to mop up the condensed steam, but it's no worse than many other favorites of mine. It has its own demands, including the aforementioned pipe, but once I learned them, it is a great smoke. (One needs a dedicated sweet pipe for this anyway, unless you like sweet balkans...) Marlin Flake is still my all-time favorite VA smoke, but sometimes I just have to reach for this one.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2004-10-20		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Reading other reviews, I was surprised many people find this a tongue-biting blend, as I don't find it worse in that refard than most other blends when smoked to hot; recently tried a tin of Three Nuns, and found this much more difficult to smoke.

Anyways...first bought this on a day when I couldn't get hold of Yellow Capstan, and was pleasantly surprised to find it similar in taste, albeit with the addition of the famed MacBaren honey casing. Upon lighting, it is indeed quite hot as if you have to burn some of the moisture from the casing out of it or something; primary taste is mild virginia and honey, but smoke it slow and taste with both tongue and nose ( as you would with wine) it emits an interesting range of aftertastes ranging from smoky to flowery.

Usually I rub it out a bit before packing; there will be a bit of moisture if you smoke to fast, but not a particular problem compared to many other blends

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2004-02-07		Mild	Medium	Mild	Pleasant

I smoked this twice. I had a whole can "gifted" to me by a fellow pipester. This stuff is heavily cased in honey, it's incredibly sticky. I've seen chewing tobacco with less sugar than this. It was hard to get lit. Once lit it had very little flavor. And it gave me horrible tongue bite. Needless to say, I don't smoke it anymore.

With blends like MacBarens, cased in honey and sugars excessively, is it any wonder that Danes have to resort to using charcoal filters in their pipes?

There are many better Virginias out there if that's your thing. Personally, I find them too light usually. I'd recommend any of McClelland's flakes over this one, or even better, Best Brown from Samuel Gawith (honeydew Virginia done right... simply sublime).

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pounder 5000 (178)	2003-10-28		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is another pleasant tin of weed from our fellow Brothers of the Briar- MacBaren!!! They are certainly one of the most consistent tobacco manufacturers out there. I find their tobacco to contain some sentinmental factor that takes me back to the time before I smoked a pipe and just wished that I did whenever I was around someone who was. That being said, this is a tasty VA with just a touch of honey, very similiar to the technique they used with Burley for Navy Flake. I still prefer NF more, but this is a nice change of pace. Although MB blends do smoke a little warm sometimes, I am amazed at their reputation for tongue bite, especially when compared to some other brands out there like McClelland. This is good pipe Baccy!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2003-08-20		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

As I am just starting to experiment with Virginia blends I was eager to try this. I have to say however, that I am disappointed. It tastes nice and is definitely sweet due to the honey casing but that is about all there is. I was hoping for a more profound tobacco taste from the Virginias but it just wasn?t there for me. I found the tobacco taste to be rather bland and covered up by the sweetness. I?m a puffer and this does smoke a little hot but it wasn?t a problem for me, good thing I?ve scalded my tongue over the years with strong cigars. My local tobacconist has turned me on to one of their own blends of Red Virginias and a touch of Perique. I think I will stick with that, it is much more flavorful and without the casing.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2003-04-16		Medium	Extra Strong	Very Full	Tolerable to Strong

One of the worst tobaccos I ever smoked- that sweetnes can cause vomiting. Never again!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2003-02-15		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Nothing remarkable about this blend, aside from the minor fact that I get more bite out of this than a handful of hot peppers. It?s not bad in a mild sort of way, provided you beware ? draw lightly and infrequently, otherwise you?ll not have taste buds for a week. A bit on the over sweet side, probably due to the addition of additional sweetening agents. I like to blend this with a blending Latakia or Perique. Adds a bit more dimension. Price is relatively reasonable to make it ideal for this sort of thing.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2003-02-12		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I have just recently begun smoking a pipe, and I have tried quite a few blends. I have found that heavy aromatics are not for me. When I asked a local tobacconist what would be a good, sweet, non-aromatic smoke, he pulled out a huge bag of Virginia #1. I took one smell and knew I needed it.

It doesn't disappoint. Perhaps my tastes aren't as developed as some smokers, but I can say that this is the only tobacco that I smoke regularly. Every other tobacco is on a trial basis with me.

The taste is very much a light virginia taste, but very sugary. I would not say that it is topped with anything, but I would say that the Virginia has quite a bit of natural sugar in it. If it is topped with something, it still smokes quite cool for me, and is particularly pleasant on the very back of the throat. That is where I notice the flavor the most.

-Ben

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2003-01-17		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I enjoyed this tobacco, even though I am an aggressive smoker. I did have to forego playing cribbage with the boys at the tobacco shop in order to focus on my puffing.

I tried this one in a fairly large, 1/8th bent Danish Sovereign Rhodesian.

The initial lighting was work, but once it got going, there were only occasional relights.

The taste was sweet Va enhanced with (?) that tasted very similar to the flavour enhancer in Original Choice. I liked the combo.

As for tongue-bite, I didn't notice any at the time, but today is another day (ouch). Not as bad as I thought it would be, but be careful.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2002-12-31		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Virginia No.1 was my first experience with a full VA tobacco. The shock of the tin aroma in the cab of my little Ford Ranger was totally unexpected. My wife said it smelled like a barrel of rotten or sour apples.

Upon the initial light, I was well pleased of the VA kick... The taste, at first, was a solid sweet VA... It eventually settled down a hair into an enjoyable smoke. I smoked it the rest of the day. This was the tobacco that got me into the VA's.

Watch your puffin' cadence!

*Although a good tobacco, I've somewhat left this blend for MacBaren's Dark Twist, Roll Cake and Navy Flake.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Eulenburg (193)	2002-09-19		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I believe the word is incendiary.

The pyrolagniac propensities in me love the sensation of caramelised sugar burning into my flesh, and every time I get the urge, I know Mac is ready to oblige.

If, for altruistic reasons, I wish to spare my tongue, I smoke this with a Peterson bit; it then leaves the loveliest blister on my palate.

Virginia is for lovers.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2002-09-17		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Book #1, Chapter #1, In Which God, Through the Agency of the Mac Baren Tobacco Company, Plays a Dark Joke Upon the Virginia Tobacco Smoker...

So why not, after all, given that God has a great sense of humor, take a beautiful broken brown flake, for which any Virginia smoker would fall down and praise the heavens (ah! the quality! ah! the cut! ah! the consistency! ah! the deep rich taste!), and add HONEY to it? Or sugar, or some other infernal Danish black-magic sweetening agent, --and turn that beautiful broken flake in one's pipe into napalm on a stick? Make it not only good and bitey, but make sure overlying all that luscious Virginia flavor, is nice treacly sweetness a la your average garden-variety Ameerican aromatic? And for a final trick, once you've rendered this beautiful tobacco incindiery and sweet as a Pepsi, why not just go ahead and make it IRRESISTIBLE. Yup, that's it, the dark joke to beat all dark jokes. This stuff is great! Everything in me, all of my hard-won purist natterings, go by the wayside when I'm around this tobacco. I invariably smoke some, I invariably love that weird combination of pure sugar and meaty Virginia taste, and I invariably burn my tongue, even if only a little. And I invariably want another bowl as soon as I'm done. Somehow Mac Baren gets me with this stuff every time and God gets a good laugh as I sputter again, for the hundredth time, all the reasons I should hate this stuff. And I just keep on smoking it. I suppose Virginia #1 is the way I work on my Virginia technique. One day I will perfect it, and I won't need Virginia #1 anymore. But I'll probably still smoke it. And every time, I'll wonder why as I load yet another bowl.

(In all fairness to this tobacco, it only bites the unwary smoker like a crazed wolverine during the first half of the bowl. The second half is quite nice and cool, you'll think as you smoke it--but be warned, of ye of child-like trust, that you'll wake up the next morning and realize you've burnt away the tip of your tongue, again.)

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2002-08-06		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

This is not bad. If you smoke this stuff slowly, with small puffs, you will really enjoy it. If you puff it quickly and aggressively , you will get tongue bite. Flavor is Virginia, with some honey taste.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2002-08-02		Very Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I'm a rather new pipe smoker, having done so for about a year now, so my opinion should probably be taken with a grain of salt. The first virginia I ever tried was Dunhill Light Flake and I really loved it. I bought this tobacco hoping that it would be more like a ready-rubbed version of that, but to my disappoinement it is not. While in some objective sense I can appreciate that this is a reasonably high quality tobacco, I feel that the Virginia taste that I was looking for just isn't there in sufficient quantity.

This tobacco seems to want to be smoked cool in order to bring out the flavor, and even then I don't feel like the effort to do so is well rewarded. For me anyway, it's difficult to smoke this stuff cool without it going out constantly. It's also a little more moist than I would really like, and I'm guessing that has something to do with the casing. I just smoked half a bowl of it in my Savanelli churchwarden, and it's pleasant but just not that captivating for me.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NEWMAN (305)	2002-03-17		Mild	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

Being ready rubbed to an ideal size and with a perfect moisture content, this brownish tobacco packs evenly which results in a uniform burn. The sweet tin aroma was transformed into quite a tang that bordered on harshness @ the beginning of the bowl. Smoke this blend in a large bowl to minimize its tendency to burn hotly. It seems that the VA flavors have been enhanced (??) with honey or some sweetener that I just didn't enjoy. Although no where near an aromatic, I feel that other straight VA tobaccos or VA blends offer me a richer and more enjoyable smoke.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2001-12-29		Medium	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

This is a scrumptious Virginia tobacco. The tin aroma is very sweet. Although the tobacco is ready-rubbed, some folks might prefer a bit of rubbing out before smoking.

At any rate, the packing and lighting were no problem. After a few minutes, the smoke settled down to a cool, delicious experience.

This tobacco burned all the way down to a nice white ash. I did not detect any excessive moisture at all.

I like it and it a staple in my active rotation.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2001-10-08		Medium	Mild to Medium	Full	Pleasant

As both a MacBaren fan and a lover of Virginias, Virginia No 1 is a nightly smoke for me, usually in a fairly large-bowled pipe in the Moretti, Don Carlos, Vipratti family. The tobacco is dark reddish/brown, with a strong, sweet pouch odor. It packs well with only a quick rub, and lights easily. After an initial slight harshness, it settles into a smooth smoke, sweet and rich enough to stand up well to coffee or tea. It is not overly prone to bite, but does not appreciate aggressive puffing. Highly recommended to those who favor a sweet Virginia experience.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bushido (27)	6 days ago		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Sweet , tasty, delicious. A couple years even better. Has become my number one Virginia over Capstan blue and MF. Does it burn hot? In my experience not more than many other good virginias.

Pipe Used: Trim Dublin

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	rick5iron (20)	2022-11-16		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

bought this in bulk . not much happening in this smoke plain ol Virginia. jarred it up check on it next year. probably wont buy again

Pipe Used: cob

Age When Smoked: 3mths

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Paganelius (11)	2022-10-21		Very Mild	None Detected	Medium to Full	Very Strong

Tobacco itself smells strange. Smoke smells like burning hay litter from a chicken coop. The taste is not so far from the smell. I couldn't finish a bowl because decided not to ruin my pipe.

Pipe Used: briar

Age When Smoked: straight out of a pouch

Purchased From: local tobacco store

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SoundsOminous (11)	2022-04-17		Mild to Medium	Mild	Very Mild	Tolerable

I have smoked a lot of this in the past four months. The tin note is reminiscent of a reassuring Grandad, but in the bowl my Gran's saying that "The proof of the pudding is in the eating" tells a different tale. Despite pristine packaging this MacBaren offering falls short of its potential. It burns hot whether moist or dried out. There is not the complexity of other houses' Va's. There is little bite but it's blandness means I shall have difficulty remembering what it tastes like.

Pipe Used: The lot

Age When Smoked: Fresh pouches

Purchased From: Aachen

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