Mac Baren St. Bruno Ready Rubbed Pipe Tobacco

This is an excellent blend. I highly recommend

Just discovered this baccy. Smoke mostly English blends.nice flavour vacation.

It doesn't get any better than St. Bruno.

Two first for me. My first dark fired kentucky and my first fake tobacco. This it the best tobacco ever. Smokes cool and no tongue bite at all. Was a bit moist right out of the pouch but was no liquid in the bowl when done. The taste is that of a very well rounded, and balanced aged tobacco, I got some tang and fruit and at 1/2 bowl chocolate came out. I really like g. L. Pease haddos delight but this has become my #1 favorite. I will buy again and again. This tobacco is what pipe smoking is about. As for flake reddy rubbed, a bowl lasted me almost a hour, smokes so slow and so good. Flake last a lot longer than any ribbon cut i have smoked. Thanks again to tobaccopipes.com for the extremely fast service. You guys are awesome.

If you like dark fired Kentucky this blend is a must try. The topping, at least for me, is very mild. In my top five, I recommend this blend.

This is one of the best blends on the market IMHO.

I enjoy the Flake version more, but this ready rub is amazing as well.

I had a pleasant recollections of St. Bruno flakes (decades ago, I must confess) as something robust. This ready rubbed tasted somewhat tame, though not unpleasant at all.

St. Bruno Flake has been around for decades and is often included on must-try Virginia lists. You may have even seen one of the old TV commercials on YouTube, they're quite funny. Or, maybe you've heard that St. Bruno was the patron saint of pipe smokers, though I could not verify that one. What we have here is a Ready Rubbed version of that famous Virginia and dark fired Kentucky Flake where the Virginias seem aged to perfection. It is very Virginia forward, with the Kentucky in a supporting role and carries a somewhat sweet flora aroma in the pouch. Deep red to brown in color, this is not a bright Virginia of grassy notes, but rather a rich and tangy flavor comparable to ketchup or BBQ sauce. That's not to say St. Bruno tastes like either, but it has that same sweet and spicy combination with an obvious vinegar aroma. In my opinion, the uniqueness of St. Bruno's flavor comes from their use of vinegar as a preservative. This does nothing to harm the Virginia though, in fact, it's all the better for it. It helps cut the bite of the Kentucky and mellow the overall flavor into an always cool tasting smoke. I've actually tried to smoke this as hot as I could and never came close to tongue bite. So, how does it compare to St. Bruno Flake? As near as I can tell, this is identical to buying St. Bruno Flake and rubbing it out yourself for a lot less money. The Flake version often costs half again as much as the Ready Rubbed pouch where the work's been done for you. The pouch actually works well to keep the tobacco fresh too, maybe even better than the square-style Flake tin. The tobacco comes moist but smoke-able, but I let mine air-dry one or two full days just for ease of lighting and keeping it lit. This tobacco can hold it's moisture for a lot longer, so don't be afraid of it drying out quickly. Both versions of St. Bruno age superbly. The sugars in the Virginias combine with the vinegar easily making this sweet enough to smoke anytime of day or even as a palate cleanser between smokes. With a little age it smokes much sweeter too, like you'd expect from quality Virginia. Whether you've had St. Bruno Flake and wished it didn't cost so much or you're just looking to try a unique old Virginia tobacco without the hassle of prepping flakes, St. Bruno Ready Rubbed could be just what you're looking for. Enjoy.