Burley: Devil or divine?

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cakeanddottle

cakeanddottle

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As a newbie pipe smoker I am trying to soak up all the info I can from various forums when I am not succumbing to PAD and TAD.

I know what I like, and that's Va/Pers and English/Balkan blends. Aromatics, not so much, although my tin of Sillems Black is growing on me.

What I am gathering from the forums is that Burley blends have a somewhat disreputable aura surrounding them. I've seen burley blends referred to as the "Dark Side" on another forum. I am sure there are many who smoke predominantly Burley who would disagree. Is this somewhat cautious treatment of burley blends on the forums due to the leaf's history as a medium for drug store blends, or is it something else?

I was thinking about ordering some of the Solani Burley flake just to try it. Curious what you have to say about this sometimes maligned leaf.
 
Well, I'm a fan and always have some in my regular rotation. The Solani Aged Burley Flake is one of the best. Others that I like and smoke regularly are Wessex Burley Slice and GLP Cumberland. But only you can tell if they're for you or not. :)
 
Over the years I have tried many different tobaccos and blends. Currently, I am smoking mostly Virginias and Virginia flakes and probably will stay with this, having said that, I have over the years been enamoured of various blends and try to keep a sampling in my cellar for the times that I need a change. For a burly, I keep Stokkebyes square cut, which is a blend of burly and virginia. I find that the fact that most burlys have some casing of flavoring added very offputting, but this blend seems, IMHO, togive the best of both components in a very natural flavor. I recommend it, particularly if you are a Virginia/Vaper fan.
 
Back in the 70's when I started smoking, burley was definitely "that other stuff" you could put in a pipe but no one with any sensibility/taste did. So I avoided it (basically) because The Experts Said So.

I finally tried it about five years ago and never looked back. It was what I was looking for the entire time but didn't realize it. Now fire cured burley (along with fire cured VA) is all I smoke.

Definitely tune out the catcalls and give some a test drive. Stick with quality brands, though. (Solani is one of them)



 
The Solani is good, but to my tastes can be rather subtle and takes some effort and attention to really get it to sing.

My "go to" burley blends are Uhle's 300 and Crushed White Burley. Just simple, friendly, easy and damn tasty. The descriptions on their site might lead one to think they are more towards the aromatic end of the spectrum, and I guess they are really since they have mild casings and include some cavendish...but when you smoke 'em there is no doubt that it's the little cubes of burley that are the heart of the blend. Their blend 00 is just burley and doesn't have any fancy flavoring or anything as far as I can tell. It is also really good but I've only had a handfull of bowls worth.

Since you dig Va/pers and English/Balkan stuff, you may want to give a chance to a few blends of that sort that sort of have burley as an "also featuring" kinda addition, if you find the "straighter" stuff like Solani ABF too boring or one dimensional.

C&D has several that come to mind (3 friars, junkyard dog, old joe krantz, haunted bookshop. Alot of "straight" virginias have burley in them for depth anyway...Orlik G/S, McB Navy Flake, etc. There may well be some in some burley in blends you already enjoy, and it may well be a significant part of why you enjoy those blends.

The things that some blenders do with burley these days puts drug store stuff to shame in my opinion.
 
OK, let's do this the 'right' way...let's pick a few REALLY good items for the boy.

And while we're at it...the reference to "the Dark Side" is likely due to the fact that Burleys often represent the darker, stronger aspects of pipe smoking in terms of flavors and strength...not always, but often.

Anyway...lets pick just a couple of goodies for y'all:

So you like VAPers...then ya gots ta try C & D's "Exhausted Rooster", Butera "Kingfisher" (which is now available for the first time I can remember in a long, long time). Both classics. And kinda unique in that they really show what the use of DARK Burley with Perique can do - as opposed to the VA leaf. The VA ends up being brighter and lighter, the Burley deeper and darker. Try 'em & you'll see what I mean.

 
I am not crazy about the taste of burley-heavy blends, but I do like some virgina/burley blends like Peterson University Flake and Orlik Golden Sliced.
 
Thanks for all the recommendations. I think I will order a couple of those C&D tins in addition to the Solani.
 
Burley is a fine smoke. It has a long and honored place in the history of pipesmoking, and I always keep some on hand.

I suggest getting yourself a pouch of Prince Albert. See if you like it. Then, try some of the other wonderful suggested tobaccos. One I would suggest is Barbary Coast from Greg Pease. It is a superb burley blend.

Mike
 
Well, I made my little contribution to the 'group speak' thing above...now I gotta chime in on my own.

If you really want to know what Burley is all about, and if you're not afraid of those 'dark side' flavors and a Vit N hit...try the following favorites that really show the essence of B U R L E Y:

Wilke's Nut Brown Burley
John Patton's Storm Front
Esoterica Stonehaven

There's a trio to draw to...all Burley blends and each one different from the other. Facets, if you will, of the Burley gem.
 
Interesting timing, just found a quart jar packed tight with P&W Nut Brown Burley from '06. I haven't smoked it since then, so I guess I had better get reacquainted? Love their Dummerston as well, but few others do.

My #1 vote for straight cubed burley or any burley based blend is also Uhle's. My only complaint is several of their blends mix cube cut burley (and rather tightly packed little cubes, I might add) to a basically wild cut blend, and the cubes don't burn at the same rate as the loose cut leaf. I always end up with the bottom 1/3 of the bowl being primarily half-burned burley "B-B's". Not bad, mind you, but it makes for a very different bottom of the bowl.

Natch
 
Yeah those little burley "bb's" are kinda annoying sometimes. I once filled a bowl full entirely of left over barely burned dottle cubes of uhle's 300 and smoked it. It's definitely better the first time around...lol.


To cakeanddottle: send me a pm with you mailing addy and I can send you a few bowls worth of the uhle's #300 if you like. I've got enough to spare a few bowls and will be ordering more soon anyway. May have some other burley blends lying around I can include as well.
 
Making the Burley rounds. Haven't opened my tin of ABF yet. So far I would give top honors to Peretti's Cuban Mixture, followed by C&D Old Joe Krantz, with Uhle's 300 bringing up the rear.

Going to order some more from Peretti's. Wasn't crazy about Blend 333, it had a casing that I found soapy and perfume-y, much like you guys describe Lakeland.
 
oh and Brother Frost, much thanks for the care package. You really helped me dive in and get a feel for Burley. I promise to repay the favor to someone someday.
 
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