Absolutely fantastic and spot on review of ODF my friend!! This blend is in my current rotation and it’s one of my favorites! Nobody in the YTPC has ever explained the flavor profiles as good as you! You have a gift my friend! As I was listening to your review, I couldn’t agree more! I can actually taste your description! Your reviews are amazing! Keep putting out your great reviews and content my brother! Stay Blessed🙏

I like Latakia. I want to put that ought there. HH Latakia flake for instance is amazing to me. Sometimes however there is a specific bitterness to that type of tobacco. I really like how the Kentucky provides a nice flavour in this “English” blend and doesn’t have that possible Latakia bitterness. Squadron leader for instance, while full of flavour, sometimes does have that bitterness/sour flavour .

In hopes of manifesting colder weather and an early start to fall, I'm having my first bowl of ODF and watching this review alongside. Very entertaining and informative as always, Kevin!

HH Old Dark Fired is one of my all time favorite blends.

Nailed it! Couldn’t have said it better myself (which is why I generally don’t review tobacco’s)

This has to be the strongest-flavored tobacco I have tried to date. The barbecuey, smoked meats taste was outstanding! Unfortunately, that flavor faded pretty fast for me, even jarred. I'm happy to try it again, though!

It was quite fitting to listen to you talk about this blend with that pack of dogs in the back ground. I'm sure it wasn't intentional but it really was nice it took me back home to Eastern NC

I hope we get a chance to share a bowl or three, in this life time!

Salt, vinegar, tamarind, garlic, onions and anchovies. Worcestershire sauce. BTW, Carolina BBQ is the best 😂👊🍺

One of my favorites

Kevin-Imagine if a team of time-traveling Vikings decided to take a break from their usual raiding and pillaging to craft the ultimate tobacco blend, they’d probably come up with something close to Mac Baren's HH Old Dark Fired. This isn't just a tobacco; it's a hearty handshake from history, infused with the spirit of adventure and a hint of "we might have accidentally invented the concept of 'smoky'." Upon opening the tin, you're greeted not just by the aroma of the tobacco but by the ghostly whispers of ancient forests and a faint background noise that could either be a crackling fire or a Viking shipbuilder taking a coffee break. It's hard to tell. The scent is robust, with notes of boldness, a dash of audacity, and just a hint of "are you brave enough?" The flakes themselves are pressed with the kind of care and precision that suggests they were intended as currency for buying off marauding invaders or possibly as a peace offering to the gods of harvest and herring. When preparing a bowl, the flakes ask you, "Are you man or mouse?" to which you bravely respond, "Neither, I’m a discerning smoker looking for a good time." Lighting up HH Old Dark Fired is akin to igniting the beacon fires of Gondor - it's a signal to all within smelling distance that something epic is about to go down. The first puff is a hearty slap on the back from history, a blend of strength, character, and a subtle reminder that you probably forgot to renew your gym membership. The smoke itself is as complex as a Norse saga, with layers of flavor that unfold like chapters in an epic. There's a robustness that speaks of longships and even longer winters, a spiciness that whispers of distant lands, and a depth that suggests it was aged in barrels made from the wood of trees that witnessed the signing of the Magna Carta. In conclusion, Mac Baren's HH Old Dark Fired is not just a tobacco; it's an experience. It's the kind of blend that makes you want to don a helmet, grab a longboat, and set off into the sunset, or at least tell your friends you’re thinking about it while you enjoy another bowl. It's for those who like their tobacco like their history - rich, complex, and with just enough mystery to keep you coming back for more.

I've been thinking of trying this. Totally going to do it now. Thanks for the video.

As a Brit your pronunciation of Worcestershire is very good 😉

I really enjoy the HH line of blends. Very nice descriptive review as always.

I cant wait to try this! I have some on order

Great video. Thanks, I’m going to go watch all of your material.

Excellent video, thank you. I learned a lot.

A delicious review, for sure! 👍

Great review! Thanks for sharing ... a blend I definitely want to try ... Cheers! and Have a great day!

Awesome. Flakes sounds good.

HH Old Dark fired is one of the top 5 tobaccos that stays in my rotation at all times. I absolutely love it, and sometimes mix it into other blends that I feel needs a little boost. One particular mix I like is 50% HH Old Dark Fired and 50% HH Latakia flake. Pressed, and allowed to cellar for 30-60 days. All Briar'd Up turned me on to this blend. He calls it "Mordor"

Always great content, Kevin 👊🏻

Also one of my absolute favorites. ODF is just flavorful smooth smoking. Maybe not an all day smoke for me, but once a night/day, I can smoke it everyday. Also I’m really glad I found your channel. Has quickly become one of my favorite pipe tobacco channels on YT.

I cellar both the flake and ready rubbed versions and yes, the flake burns cooler and with slightly more intense flavor. The ready rubbed is awfully convenient for the pipe roll, though. A top 10 for me. Solid review.

One of my next tobacco to have. Great review!

I never thought of me as a minority lol. I've been dipping and smoking for a long time. I started smoking a pipe several years ago and have never had a nicotene hit from pipe tobacco, and I've tried different kinds of tobaccos. But then again I don't get buzzed by dip or cigarettes really at all either anymore. The only thing that I get out of stronger pipe tobaccos is getting smoked out after smoking several bowls from a strong tobacco. I've forgotten what it's like to feel the way you do about nicotene. I ordered some of this stuff the other day and can't wait until it gets here.

I just kick back and relax and enjoy your videos buddy!

One of my favorites! I have yet to have the bulk, but love the flakes, especially when it’s fresh!

This is a Top 5 blend for me. Great review on a great smoke.

Oh yeah that's the good stuff!

Great video 😉 Keep up the amazing work 🥃

Wonderful review! As a Tennessee boy who worked in the burley patch as a young man and now smokes ODF as my daily blend I loved this review. Well done and yes- respect the ODF👏👏👏🙏🙏👍🏻

Your tasting notes were spot on for me. I have a hard time picking things out of pipe tobacco, but I was able to find just about everything you mentioned. I was also getting a BBQ potato chip.

Yes. I saw those curing barns in the southern Connecticut River Valley, holding Connecticut shade-grown leaf.

I'm smoking some ODF from a tin I stashed away in 2012 and it does age well. The tins tend to rust after several years due to vinegar being used as a preservative. No harm to the tobacco, though. One of my all time faves since I started my pipe smoking journey in 2011. Your review was right on. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Hope you're having a great week so far, brother.

Heck yeah man! My favorite tobacco, buy it by the pound when I can! Love your channel brother!!

Old dark fired from HH is a great pipe tobacco for sure. Cheers from Greece.

Great review

Been loving this stuff since November. My first introduction to dark fired Kentucky. I appreciate the detailed explanation of that process. I got a soy sauce note, but I can totally see that as Worcestershire. Tin: bbq’d mushrooms. Forest floor. Soy sauce. The pages of a book. 👅 the bbq is prominent. We’re throwing steaks and big ol portobellos on there now. Theres black pepper on there as well. There’s a grassy sweetness that comes through more and more as I slow down and get into the bowl. Brown sugar rubbed on the meat and borderline red apple.

I opened a tin to join you and I agree. KC BBQ with a glass of sweet tea. I am having a glass of sweet tea as I smoke and it is delicious! Thanks for the review.

I look forward to giving this tobacco a try thanks for giving a review and where I live in Tennessee seen one of those barn fire's

Great review, I think you discerned both the flavor and gave the appropriate description of the nicotine hit.

Thanks for the HH info. My favorite HH blend is the Pure Va. but the ODF is in my wheelhouse also.

I saw this I knew I was in for a good time! Never clicked so fast on a video. Anytime anyone's talking about HH Old Dark Fired I'm in! This is probably one of maybe two blends that I have any right to talk about in detail, but I got to say this video was spot on. From the description of smell and taste. Now I will say I have little to no experience with tea (well "proper tea" anyway) other than what I've watched videos on. So as far the taste of I'm not entirely sure myself. So there is something extra there I wasn't quite able to put my finger on. I can smoke this one all day except when I'm working and unfed. I a couple times while at work smoking I've gotten sick. Happens I suppose when it's hot and I haven't eaten anything in a few hours and that nicotine just slams me all at once. BAM! Then I got to set the pipe down for a while cuz like you said once you in there's no leave until it's done lol Great stuff Kevin!

Good morning Kevin. Good choice to review. To me that tin note is carmelized BBQ sauce. In fact it reminds me of what it smelled like outside the Original Famous Dave's in Hayward, WI. Unfortunately it burned down some years ago. It's a good blend to smoke while cooking something on the grill. I have Stockton going in a MM Mark Twain cob but now I'm going to have to break out some ODF later on. I really do enjoy those HH blends. Have a great day!

I've really enjoyed the Old Dark Fired myself. The HH blends have been pretty good in general that I have tried. Definitely on the bold side. Fortunately I have a pretty high tolerance for nicotine but I can see how one would want to take it easy on it. I find it delicious and enjoy at least one bowl a week of it. Great review!

Hello Kevin i am jose luis from argentina great video and HH are great tobaccos.In this moment i smoke star of the east flake and i enjoy it.I prefer flake tobaccos.Thank you for this video and good smoke.

Hello! Very nice Video and Tabako 👍

This is the one I tried that gave me a buzz. I have a super high nic intake. I'm going to try that rustica I appreciate you bro.

Outstanding. A great review. That great BBQ experience. I love ODF in the summer, especially when it has some age on it. A fantastic blend, you just can't go wrong with it - even if your particular to just 1 or 2 types of smokes IMHO.

My #1 go to. I bought the 1 lb. box of flake. I had zero tongue burn. Side note: the flakes from the 1 lb box fit perfectly into the 1 pint ball mason jars with no cutting, not the wide mouth, with about 3/16" of space left. A friend of mine tried it with the wide mouth 1 pint ball mason jars, and had to trim the flakes down because they were a little too long. Great review!

My first experience with Kentucky Dark Fired was with HH Bold Kentucky. Every bowl I had, it completely knocked me on my butt and I don't think I ever got past half a bowl. Then I tried Newminster No. 403 which I felt was flavorless and dry. I then tried HH Old Dark Fired and it taste amazing! I plan to keep this in my regular rotation and I've only tried the ready rubbed so I'm excited to try the flake when I need to order more.

Just bought a tin of Old Dark Fired. I also have some bulk, about an oz, that I open a few times a night just to smell that fantastic aroma. I am collecting a lot of Virginia Flake tobaccos and they are marvelous.

I have smoked this on and off for some years. I get the bbq, i get the leather, i get the camp fire, but i have noticed the sweetness. I will have to open my last cellared tin soon 🙂

I’m a new pipe smoker, maybe around one year into it now. The first time I tried this tobacco, way too strong for me, so I jarred it up. Looking at this review, I decided to try it again and it was… fantastic! Delicious taste. However, I’m a huge BBQ fan, I smoke brisquet, pulked pork, etc, you name it and I smoke it. But… no notes of BBQ for me in this tobacco. Don’t get me wrong, I just finished my second bowl and it was great, but I don’t have much experience in this blend. I can totally taste the leather though, and it is certainly different than Latakia. I like Latakia and I also liked this second bowl I smoked while listening a second time to this video. I did get a bit of a throat irritation. A word of advice to anyone inhaling pipe smoke, do not try it with this blend, it’s horrible. I normally do, but I abstained this time and the smoke was really fabulous. Thanks for the video Kevin! Been watching lots of your videos lately and I especially like the fact that you review the codger blends (learned that word from you! Lol) and your smile and big eyes when you emphasize a point you want to make. Your videos are all great, can’t get enough!

Hmm, my 4 prominent BBQ hues was (in no particular order): - Texas - Kansas City - St. Louis - Carolina(s)

Great review. I really enjoy this blend very much after a hearty meal and with dark roasted coffee. Definitely agree the nicotine can sneak up on you. I find the Bold Kentucky a tad bolder/stronger hence the name. Both great blends from MB. I missed out on the rustic release.

I absolutely love ODF. I usually find myself craving very strong type blends for example Jackknife plug, Pirates Kake, Sea Dog and Haunted Bookshop are some of my favorites then I have a aromatic on rare occasions.

Ive been having fun mixing Old Dark Fired with Orlik Golden Sliced.

Mac Baren HH Old Dark Fired is one of those rare tobaccos that just doesn't agree with my mouth chemistry (it gives me a really prickly burning feeling in my mouth and throat that I can only imagine is what smoking poison oak might feel like) but your mentioning of respecting the nicotine content reminded me of the one and only time I ever got nicotine sickness. Weirdly it wasn't from anything typically considered strong, I can puff my way though a bowl of Old Joe Krantz or Nightcap no problemo, but the first time I smoked G&H Ennerdale flake a few months ago... oh boy. It went just like you said, I was having a great time puffing away on it for about half an hour and feeling good, then all of a sudden it was like the floor just dropped out from underneath me and my head was spinning! I put down the pipe right away then proceeded to spend the next 2 hours laying in bed feeling all sorts of queasy and nursing a pounding headache, sipping water and just waiting for it to pass. I've since revisited Ennerdale a few times and really enjoy the unique Lakeland essence flavor, but I always have to stop and put down the pipe after about 20 minutes because it really hits me like a freight train every time. I don't know if I just got an especially strong batch or what, but there's something about Ennerdale that just cuts through my nicotine tolerance like a hot knife through butter. Apparently even someone who has been a pack a day cigarette smoker for two decades like me isn't immune to nicotine sickness, and Ennerdale has more than earned my respect and caution.

I have become a fan of Old Dark Fired over the last two years. Always had the flake form but I think I need to give the ready rubbed a shot as a taste test. Also thanks alot for making me hungry lol

A fine, detailed review and analysis, Kevin. A 'dramatic experience' may be the best understatement that I have ever heard especially about a tobacco like this. Just a note on dealing with a serious nicotine hit. A (relatively) quick remedy is dark or milk chocolate. Eating a regular size bar will diminish the effects. A number of YTPC long time pipe smokers have endorsed that method. Well, my friend, it looks like your weather has improved a bit. I'm sure that has been a welcome change. Be well and be awesome, my friend - peace

You're so right about that sneaky nicotine effect with DFK. I've been nicotine bombed a few times myself that way.

Yet to try a clay pipe. Not sure I will since you can’t get a filter in one. This one seems too much for me, but amphora Kentucky is just right. Thanks for the review😊

Aristocob has mentioned that a good remedy for nicotine sickness is a piece of dark chocolate. I can’t speak for it, but it always in the back of my mind just in case.

Love this blend. I find it to smell exactly like when you make a homemade (perhaps sweet) bbq sauce. Right when you add 3 ingredients, ketchup, honey, and vinegar, and start to whisk those before adding spices, this stuff to me smells exactly like those first 3 steps. That fragrance is amazing. I think anyone who enjoys a good backyard bbq has to love the smell. I have 4 oz. of ready rubbed. After two years that smell died down a lot. Don’t know if that’s the case with the flake. Man though this stuff will smoke forever. So slowly. Considering a lb. of the flake is only $5 more than a lb. of bulk, why would you not buy the flake in my opinion in huge amounts. We’re not known for our BBQ in Northern Michigan, but we do alright lol

I just tried this. I have the ready run version. It was amazing. Had a cocoa flavor. I had a hard time keeping it lit.

For some reason for me, KY tips to that licorice/aniseed spectrum of flavor prophile that makes my stomach queezy. I don’t think it’s the nicotine content that gets me. I’ve tried this blend but it put me on the sofa for quite a while, 😂 So it’s a no go for me. Thanks for the video and the wonderful story!😊✌️

I have a tin coming possibly today. Lookin forward to firing some up!

The way you’re describing the taste is reminding me of Islay whiskies. Smoke, leather, and some sweetness sounds like Lagavulin to me, haha. Anyway, great review as usual!

All the Hh blends are stellar. Bold Kentucky is the only one I can’t get on with because of the amount of nicotine. It always makes me sit down 😂😂😂

Sounds like a really good tobacco. Been to find a good Smokey blend. Been getting burned Out with aromatics and Virginia blends. Might be a good change of pace. I live in texas and love BBQ. I bet that blend go great after eating BBQ. Thanks for the heads up on the nicotine content.

Great video and review Kevin. By the way, I named all of the BBQ locations correctly...LOL Of course, I love BBQ and the KC BBQ especially. I also love to BBQ on one of my many pellet smokers or stick burners. Just one of my many (to many) hobbies. Watching your video while enjoying some Lane 1Q. I still need to get you some "Winding Road". I tried to order some from smoking pipes to send to you but they were backordered. I may have to send you some out of my cellar. I will shoot you an email tonight.

I just picked up a tin of Old Dark Fired. I am aprehensive about opening it being that the tin is stamped Jan 2016.

Got my first taste of HHODF today. Found that if I drink Guinness with it, the sweetness of the tobacco comes out. Like tea made with brown sugar. Makes me wonder what it would be like if mixed with Lane 1Q. Which I also got for the first time today.

Dumb question: Why would the ready-rubbed not age well in a jar? Would it help if it were tightly packed? I usually cram 4oz in an 8oz jar. Thanks!

Great tobacco review. But my friend, now I want to research your bbq variety. 😂😂

I havent tried dark fired yet but it is on my list! Im sensitive to tongue bite, so i am wondering if most Kentucky blends burn as cool as most English blends do?

Great video. I recently picked this one up. Are there any other BBQ tasting pipe tobaccos that you really liked? I'm on my hunt for them. Thanks for all you do!

I have about a pound between the flake and ready rub. I’m wondering how well they will age over time, with just the small amount of Virginia. What’s your opinion?

I have ordered myself a tin and a 16oz steak to eat before 😅

If I could get someone to smoke the first half of the bowl for me I could remotely enjoy ODF. Still love your reviews Kevin, this blend has just never done it for me. It’s a good thing we don’t all like the same blends or there would be a lot more that are hard to acquire.

Just ordered some - they should put you on the payroll Kevin. 😄

Great review. Are you smoking a clay pipe? Cheers

15:40 🤨🤨🤨