I went back forth on whether to give this 3 stars or 4 stars and finally settled on 4 stars. Over the past several months, I've found myself reaching for it on a regular basis .... It's easily my favorite of C&D's new line of burley flakes, and I'm not sure I've ever sampled anything quite like it from an American company. Anyway, here's my take on it:
The ingredients are easy enough to summarize: Nothing here but burley and a splash of deep red Virginia, just enough to add (as the tin description says) a little sweetness. The flavor is bold and rich, reminiscent of coffee or dark chocolate, and deepens as the smoke develops. Although the taste intensifies as the bowl progresses, don't expect much complexity here other than a gradually building sweetness. C&D has finally mastered the art of manufacturing gorgeous flakes, and if you smoke them intact you will have a very long, relaxing smoke.
This blend appeals to me for other reasons. One, it has close to zero tongue bite for me, which I consider to be a huge plus. Also, the nicotine content is higher than found in most C&D or GLP blends. Old Joe Krantz, Billy Budd, Haddo's Delight -- none of them pack the wallop that Burley Flake #2 carries, so I'd recommend using a small bowl. It's probably not overly strong for those of us who smoke Lakeland flakes, but I would NOT recommend this to a newbie or aromatic smoker.
If I have a complaint (and I'm not sure that I do), it's that for all this blend's power there is still a certain delicacy to the flavor that requires a dedicated pipe, which is unusual for a burley. Put another way, while "complex" is certainly not a term I'd use to describe BF#2, there ARE some subtle notes that get lost if you don't devote a briar to it.
I was very pleased with this blend, and more than a little surprised. I wasn't expecting a clone of Edgeworth Sliced or other American classics, but I had expected something that at least would evoke their memory. However, this doesn't remind me of any American flake or burley I've ever tried, as it lacks the sweetness of even the plainest of those. Heck, Prince Albert can be fairly described as a heavily-cased aromatic compared to this! In fact, I think I'll summarize my review by saying that BF #2 seems basically to be an American interpretation of British classics like Stonehaven or some of the darker English flakes from the Lakeland blenders, only with no hint of added flavorings and less of an emphasis on the Virginia. There were times, in fact, when I was inclined to think of this as a "lite" version of G&H's unscented Dark Flake --the quality and attention to detail is certainly there, but the overall effect is a bit gentler.
I loved it, but YMMV.
The ingredients are easy enough to summarize: Nothing here but burley and a splash of deep red Virginia, just enough to add (as the tin description says) a little sweetness. The flavor is bold and rich, reminiscent of coffee or dark chocolate, and deepens as the smoke develops. Although the taste intensifies as the bowl progresses, don't expect much complexity here other than a gradually building sweetness. C&D has finally mastered the art of manufacturing gorgeous flakes, and if you smoke them intact you will have a very long, relaxing smoke.
This blend appeals to me for other reasons. One, it has close to zero tongue bite for me, which I consider to be a huge plus. Also, the nicotine content is higher than found in most C&D or GLP blends. Old Joe Krantz, Billy Budd, Haddo's Delight -- none of them pack the wallop that Burley Flake #2 carries, so I'd recommend using a small bowl. It's probably not overly strong for those of us who smoke Lakeland flakes, but I would NOT recommend this to a newbie or aromatic smoker.
If I have a complaint (and I'm not sure that I do), it's that for all this blend's power there is still a certain delicacy to the flavor that requires a dedicated pipe, which is unusual for a burley. Put another way, while "complex" is certainly not a term I'd use to describe BF#2, there ARE some subtle notes that get lost if you don't devote a briar to it.
I was very pleased with this blend, and more than a little surprised. I wasn't expecting a clone of Edgeworth Sliced or other American classics, but I had expected something that at least would evoke their memory. However, this doesn't remind me of any American flake or burley I've ever tried, as it lacks the sweetness of even the plainest of those. Heck, Prince Albert can be fairly described as a heavily-cased aromatic compared to this! In fact, I think I'll summarize my review by saying that BF #2 seems basically to be an American interpretation of British classics like Stonehaven or some of the darker English flakes from the Lakeland blenders, only with no hint of added flavorings and less of an emphasis on the Virginia. There were times, in fact, when I was inclined to think of this as a "lite" version of G&H's unscented Dark Flake --the quality and attention to detail is certainly there, but the overall effect is a bit gentler.
I loved it, but YMMV.
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