Burley Round Up - What do you like and why?

[DrumsAndBeer]

I have been exploring burleys a bit more and I have to say, there's a ton of diversity out there in the way a burley based blends, way more than I expected. But at the same rate, I can't think of another tobacco type that I have such extreme opinions of, both positive and negative.

I enjoy burley blends that are simple, slightly sweet and flavorful, I am not such a big fan of the bitter, ultra earthy side of the burley flavor spectrum. Two of my favorites are Solani Aged Burley Flake and Old Dark Fired. I do like Storm Front and Peretti Thanksgiving Day as well.

Beyond these blends, everything else I have tried has been what I would categorize as good, just OK and just plain bad.

Anyway enough of my blibber blabber, Burleys: What blends do you like and why?

 

[joshoowah]

I find most burley based blends to be bland. I think they are better for supplementing blends, but that is just my opinion. More of a latakia guy.

 

[Richard Burley]

They are "bland" in the way that cigars are "bland." I'll take Stormfront for now; gotta try that Solani. Next order, fer shore.

 

[joshoowah]

They are "bland" in the way that cigars are "bland." I'll take Stormfront for now; gotta try that Solani. Next order, fer shore.

I didn't say all, I said most. ODF is great, Heinrich's version is great, though those are mixtures, Solani's is good, even Semois is good. I have not tried Storm Front. Perhaps I will.

 

[monbla256]

Sadly just about ALL Burley BASED blends and my system do not like one another! If I try and smoke something such as the Dark Fired or any other blend which is Burley or Dark Fired Kentucky predominate I start sneezing violently! Even the scent in an opened tin will bring on a fit of sneezing !! And if smoked will not be a pleasant tasting smoke! Small amounts in a Virginia dominate blend it's not as bad but I still get an overall sour taste sensation in the mouth! So it's sweet Va's and Va based blends/mixtures for me !! :twisted: :twisted:

 

[Anonymous]

Burleys have required a lot of patience on my part, before I could say that, today,  I enjoy them a lot. My favorites are Wessex Burley Slice; Mac Baren Symphony and ODF; Peterson's Irish Flake, University Flake, 3P; C & D Exhausted Rooster; and Solani Aged Burley Flake. But darn, it took me a few years to get to really appreciate them.

The first time I smoked a BU dominant blend was MB London Burley Blend. I nicknamed it London Burley Bland. The first smoke I had from it, I could not taste nothing! Wondering if my tastebuds were screwed up, I packed another pipe the next day. Same thing, I could not taste anything.

I was ready to throw the tin out or give it away; but something, I don't know, stopped me. I had bought it because of the numerous positive reviews on TR. So I figured I was missing on something. I reloaded a pipe, smoked at a slower cadence and, eventually, I started getting nuances of coco and nuts. Very pleasant, but subtle.

Pipeful after pipeful, I could taste it more. I progressively became a fan. And, today, BU dominant blends are among my top favorites. Funny, eh? :cheers:

 

[Puff Daddy]

With the exception of cube cuts, I find burley is best smoked slowly in small pipes, indoors. Not a big fan of the uber strong stuff or the gimmicky mixes, but there are a few simple burleyweeds that shine when savored carefully. The notion of simple burley shoved into a cob or a big briar and puffed away mindlessly while working in the yard probably works for some, but not me. It just becomes a very dull, featureless smoke.

I have a few pipes dedicated to a few burley tobaccos, Stanwell Featherweights, HCA's and a couple of small bore Golden Danish. My go to blend in these is Stokkebye 702 Pressed Burley, but I also enjoy MB Golden Extra, Wessex Burley Slices, Uhles CWB. I prefer them as my early morning smoke at the kitchen table with a cup of black coffee. Calm, still, patient smoking and the stuff just comes alive.

[But then this basically covers my default smoking style in general. I'm mainly a morning smoker, prefer indoors, prefer sipping from small pipes, and only smoke a handful of tobaccos anymore]

For cube cuts like Uhle's Perfection Plug, Pease Barbary Coast or Peretti's BPC, a medium sized pot or bent brandy works well.

The keys to getting the most out of burleyweed, imho, is to not give a **** about how many relights it takes to get her going, to let the pipe go out often, to sip the tobacco like you'd sip a snifter of brandy and to never let the pipe get too warm. Burleyweed tends to pay dividends when slowly smoldered and throws bitter, flavorless tantrums when packed large and puffed hard.

But then I'm just a tempermental old fart, rather like the tobacco I smoke.

 

[ftrplt]

My Burley collection includes Solani ABF, MacB Golden Extra & Golden Blend, GLP's JK Plug, PA, CH, and my dearly-bequeathed Edgeworth Slices plus two large tins of Edgeworth Sliced. I want to venture to Uhle's and Peretti's, but right now I have no need of more 'baccyweed :evil: My cup runneth over :twisted: FTRPLT

 

[huffelpuff]

Until recently burley was all I smoked. I like burley but in my opinion what's being sold now hasn't been aged long enough to be a good smoke yet. Most of the current burley out there that I've smoked is bitter, very bitter. So I smoke mostly very, very old OTC burleys. They range in age from 40-80 odd years old. The difference between the old and the new is night and day. That being said Solani ABF is quite good. But it's something I'm inclined to hold onto for quite a few years before I find it's really ready to be smoked.

PD is spot on in his analysis that burley requires technique. Vary from that technique and you will be punished severely. If you're interested I can send you a sample of some of the older OTC blends to try. I'm pretty sure it will be an eye opening experience.

Jim

 

[DrumsAndBeer]

I appreciate some of the tips and suggestions here. With PD's approach in mind, perhaps I have been going about certain burley mixtures in a careless fashion. For one, I have a tendency to puff-away with a bit too much fervor. I'll try applying a more conservative pace. Funny because burley has such a big pipe reputation. I know how to go about tackling the potent stuff, Dark Flake Scented, Birdseye, (small pipe, easy does it), but the simpler burleys seem to have a reputation for being fodder for bigger pipes. I'll also give smaller pipes a shot.

Also, is it just me or do most of C&D's burley's have more than your average amount of nicotine? Old Joe Krantz in particular had me swooning..

 

[fsu92john]

Also, is it just me or do most of C&D's burley's have more than your average amount of nicotine? Old Joe Krantz in particular had me swooning..

They're on the stronger side of things to be sure. Some burley blends that I like from C&D are Night Train, Burley Flake #1 and #2, and Exhausted Rooster. I have a tin of OJK that I haven't opened yet.

If you like ABF, which is superb, you'd probably enjoy Wessex Burley Slice, which is a lesser tobacco but in the same vein.

I also like Weybridge from 4Noggins.

 

[KevinM]

Carole at Pipeworks and Wilke has a mighty tasty burley.

I'd also put in a plug for Prince Albert which I find very easy to like, and I've been enjoying all winter in my cobs out on the deck. Nothing like sipping a cup of tea laced with a bit of Powers Gold, while enjoying a pipe and watching the snow come down on your own 3/4 acre. Of course, right now I'm fully prepared for the snow to cease and desist.

 

[Ozark Wizard]

I have found that Burley is a popular choice for two big reasons. Nicotine content, and it's ability to hold flavours for aromatics. Most every aro out there is burley based, and most Cavendish is burley.

As you know, sir, I started in Burleys and aros, and those composed most of my blends. I have only in the last few months gotten into VAs and Orientals. I will say after my intense exposure to Virginias, I now find Burleys a bit on the heavy/smooth side. Maybe when the seasons switch back so will I....

 

[monbla256]

I see after reading all the replies to this Post that Burley's and Burley based blends will now be THE fashionable blends/mixtures on Bob ! :twisted: This same thing used to happen with the smokers at B&Ms back in the '70s as folks would start smoking all Va's and va based mixtures then move to Burleys and Burley based blends then back and forth during the years !! I'll stick with my ginny weed blends thank you ! :twisted: :twisted:

 

[DrumsAndBeer]

I see after reading all the replies to this Post that Burley's and Burley based blends will now be THE fashionable blends/mixtures on Bob ! :twisted:  This same thing used to happen with the smokers at B&Ms back in the '70s as folks would start smoking all Va's and va based mixtures then move to Burleys and Burley based blends then back and forth during the years !! I'll stick with my ginny weed blends thank you ! :twisted: :twisted:

Ha, Ha.. Well I don't know that I would take it that far monbla, but I am always looking to expand my horizons. I am a "variety is the spice of life" kind of guy, forever curious. I try to remain open minded of the potential of things regardless of my initial experiences with various tobaccos, food, drink, whatever.. So that's where I am coming from.  Trust me, I am no young "hipster" :lol!:

 

[juanmedusa]

I like those strong burleys. I think it's because I need to have a burley tobacco that's at least strong enough that I don't smoke it too quickly or it'll bite. OJK is strong so I can sip it. If I have some kind of light burley, I'll puff it too much and miss all the flavor but none of the bite. I like Burley flake #3 but haven't tried the others in that series though I have a sample of #2 to try. ABF was heavier in my rotation awhile ago and enjoyed but I'm going to revisit it since my techniques are improved and thusly I'll reserve further comment. I like the Semois, I can smoke it straight or often I'll add it to stuff like a blending burley.
I got some Edgeworth ready rubbed in a box pass and enjoyed that. Night Train has been mentioned and I love that stuff too. It may be similar to many tobaccos on paper but I find it to be quite unique in how it smokes. So smooth but not underwhelming. Folks should give that one a try and make up their own mind IMO. Stormfront is the newest blend I'm familiarizing myself with and that stuff is certainly not lacking any praise. Burley is its own journey, enjoy it. I consider myself an avid burley fan and haven't tried so many of the things other Brothers have recommended. I've never seen a Perretti or Uhle tobacco. I haven't tried the PS burleys yet though I think I was bombed with some. Perhaps I'll try that today!

 

[juanmedusa]

I went through my burley bag from my bombing and found an 8oz bag of Peter Stokkebye Burley. I smoked a large and rewarding bowl of it in my Savinelli Pigna. Add it to the list of burleys I like. I think it's straight burley. I got a couple hints of VA and Perique but I'm pretty sure that was just from the tin of triple play I had put through the pipe before this.

 

[Brewdude]

Night Train and Stormfront figure regularly into my rotation. Need to get back into the Wessex Burley Slices soon. And Peretti's Somerset Slices.


Cheers,

RR

 

[juanmedusa]

I went through my burley bag from my bombing and found an 8oz bag of Peter Stokkebye Burley. I smoked a large and rewarding bowl of it in my Savinelli Pigna. Add it to the list of burleys I like. I think it's straight burley. I got a couple hints of VA and Perique but I'm pretty sure that was just from the tin of triple play I had put through the pipe before this.

Upon research (I looked it up after having smoked it) I think the PS product I smoked may have Cavendish in it and not be truly straight burley. This is not a problem. Just a note.

 

[DrumsAndBeer]

Some more good suggestions here, thanks for your time.

John (fsu92john), you made mention of Wessex Burley Slice as a "lesser tobacco" compared to ABF. Do you mean lesser in quality, flavor, strength? Just curious. At the price I might not bother if it's not up to ABF's level of goodness. If it's milder and sweeter I might like it.