This is the first of a line of pipe tobacco reviews Im going to do, maybe it will turn some of you on to the wonderful world of pipe smoking.

Mac Baren Navy Flake:

This tobacco rubs(breaks-up) very easy if you choose to do it that way, I just fold it and put it in my pipe. I find the flavor much richer and fuller leaving the flakes whole.

This flake lights easily with one or two trys.  It stays lit with little tamping and maybe one or two re-lights.

The flavor starts mild and sweet with a touch of nut and honey. Smoking slow keeps it from biteing your tounge. It burns slow and cool giving just the right amount of nicotine kick. I get a taste of fruit, maybe dates or raisons as it nears halfway. I think this tobacco gets tastier towards the bottom of the bowl. It becomes earthy and rich with a good twang of bitterness.

To sum it up this tobacco is very pleasant on the palete and the nose. The room note is tolerable. Mild flavor with a medium body. Nothing to harsh or overpowering. A great nutty tobacco flavor all the way to the bottom. This mild, easy smoking tobacco would be good for a beginner or the seasoned palete. One of the best out there IMO. 4 stars  Now I need a pipe emoticon!!!

Tim,

I recall seeing a post where you were saying there are pipe tobaccos that taste like cigars.  Where can I find more info on these tobaccos. please?

K

Any english blends will be simmular to a cigar.

Here is one blend Ken, there are plenty more that use some cigar tobacco. Ive seen a place that had about 10 different cigar blends, Ill keep my eye out for it. When you look on pipe tobacco websites search for "cigar pipe tobacco".

http://www.tobacco-barn.com/p-6143-mcclelland-dominican-glory-maduro-cigar-blend-pipe-tobacco.aspx

Thanks, I'll take a look at it.  OH NOES!!!! ANOTHER EXPENSIVE HOBBY!!!!

Pipe smoking is way less expensive than cigars though. You can buy most pipe tobacco for under $10 an ounce some way cheaper. An ounce, depending on bowl size, will last about 15 bowls, each bowl lasts a half an hour to an hour. I think pipe tobacco is as good as any cigar tobacco, its different but just as tasty IMO. Plus you dont have to worry about humidors, bad burning and drawing as much, its way easier to maintain.

Another thing is that there are thousands of different blends, just like cigars, its fun to try different blends.

sounds tasty!  next time I'm at the shop I think I will have to look for it.  And yeah there are a lot of pipe tobacco out there that tastes similar to cigars, I've got some of the McClelland Dominican Glory Maduro, it's pretty good.  Like the idea of pipe tobacco reviews, I think it will help me out a bit making the switch from aromatics.

I think once you smoke a few non aromatics and English blends you will never go back to aromatics. I know I havent looked back. There are so many great tobacco flavors out there. I think there is a trend toward non-aros on the market right now, Im lovin it!!!

I find this to be quite educational as back when I was smoking a pipe it was the pipe tobacco in a pouch. I can remember any of the names but one because of the joke about it. Sir Walter Raleigh.  I might have to go back and obtain some quality tobacco like the type you just reviewed and get it a try.
Thanks for this review.

I dabbled in pipe smoking briefly about 20 years ago, before there were internet brethren to lead me along.  I have considered picking it up again.  If I had a pipe I would smoke it.  I have a friend in Iraq and I know where he can go to buy  Turkish meerschaum pipes.  May be just the nudge I need.  

QuoteHot Stuff x - 2/21/2009  6:54 AM

I dabbled in pipe smoking briefly about 20 years ago, before there were internet brethren to lead me along.  I have considered picking it up again.  If I had a pipe I would smoke it.  I have a friend in Iraq and I know where he can go to buy  Turkish meerschaum pipes.  May be just the nudge I need.  

I have a Turkish meerschaum I got as a gift from a flight nurse friend in Ankara.  Don't think I would smoke it though as it's a bit ungainly.  When I was at NATO HQ in Izmir there were Turkish guys in the Konak Pasar (marketplace) who could turn a raw block of meerschaum into a beautiful pipe, and other objects, in no time at all.  They used basic tools like pocket knives, old files, and flattened nails for scrapers.  They polished the finished product with fine sandpaper and gave it a luster with a scrap of leather.  

I must say the idea of smoking cigar tobacco in a pipe is intriguing.  The last time I smoked a pipe was back in my early college days.  I'm not saying how long ago that was but I graduated from my first degree program before Nixon quit.  Cherry Blend was the going tobacco at the time and all the cool guys smoked it.  As I recall, it did such a good job of burning my tongue that I gave up the pipe in favor of cigarettes until I quit those in 1982.  Maybe I'll give a pipe another shot.

K

If your not sure if you want to smoke a pipe but want to try it one of the best smoking pipes out there are Missouri Meerchaum Corn Cobs. You can buy one for under $5, then you can get yourself some Carter Hall or Prince Albert from the drugstore. This way for well under $10 you can give it a try. I have 3 Corn Cobs in my rotation right now, they smoke great. Another good thing about corn cobs is that you dont have to let them rest too long between bowls. Most people say you should let a briar pipe rest at least 12 hours between smokings. I sometimes smoke mine twice in 12 hours but never more.

Carter hall is a pretty good tobacco and some people like Prince Albert, they are cheap drugstore brands but tasty.