Burley Blend Recommendations
28 September 1999

Decker's ASP
Extracts

Mark Shelor

I'm planning to devote the fall and winter to an exploration of burley tobaccos.  Burley seems to be agreeing with me lately, and I look forward to discovering its range of flavors and aromas.  My current experience in this area is limited, but I do enjoy Edgeworth Slices.  Stonehaven is also very agreeable, although I realize it isn't composed entirely of burleys.

I'm looking for recommendations, and really appreciate your guidance.  Someone commented favorably on 'Nut Brown Burly' a while back but I'm not sure who makes this and how to order it.  I've also heard great things about Peretti's burleys, but there seem to be quite a few of them.

Jeff Schwartz

CVS Golden Burley. 1 and a half oz. for about a buck ninety nine and 12 ounces for about 8 bucks. A great burley at an unbelievable price. If you have a CVS chain store near you just check out its cigars and tobacco shelves. I love the stuff in one of my MM cobs. As a matter of fact it is the only tobacco I smoke in my cobs. There is a great synergy between the two. I especially like it as my first smoke of the day along with some freshly ground and brewed Brazilian or Colombian coffee. All burleys give a nice nicotine jolt and this one is no exception; just the thing to turn the engine over in the morning.

Toren Smith

I've enjoyed a very high-grade burley semi-rubbed flake available from Sherlock's Haven in San Francisco (415-362-1405) under the name of Devonshire.  It has an unusually high sugar content for a burley and can be messy to rub out, but smokes very smooth and makes a great blending tobacco.  However, it's not always available, as the burley used has to be an exceptionally high grade.

Robert Alexander

For those who smoke a Meerschaum Mike Butera says that burley turnes them a dark Golden color.

I have seen his pipes, and they are FINE examples of colored Meerschaums, and the ones he mainly smokes burley, are super rich and golden.

Mike Jacobs

Stokkebye cube cut is a good burly blend. Also, you might enjoy Squadron Leader or Perfection. These are all very high quality. For lesser quality, can you go wrong with Lane blends? I don't think so.

BlueMax

MacBaren's Golden Extra, and Burley "London Blend" are two burley blends that I enjoy a lot.

Paul Szbady

I've long had a thing for burleys and in general these just might be the most difficult tobacco type to get right. I'm speaking of "The Burley Curse" - the tendency of many burley tobaccos to start out absolutely wonderfully and then, sadly, at mid-bowl, or after a re-light, to turn harsh, sour, nasty, and 'cigar-y'. So, while the road can be fraught with disappointment, but is still worth the effort.

The other problem is that most burleys will be flavored or cased, so fondness for the flavoring is essential to enjoy the tobacco.

Edgeworth Sliced gets my vote as THE premium burley tobacco, so in some ways you've started at the top!

Some excellent standard burleys worth trying:

MWR

These are my notes on Peretti's W blend, a burley mixture I have come to like very much:

Before you light this blend you are greeted with a broadside of the nuttiness which emerges from the inhaled bowl flavour. The distinct granular cut makes it very easy to fill the bowl and tamp it to its proper density.

Burley burns easily and is undemanding on the smoker. But this very quality as a less complicated smoke also makes it easy to miss out on the complexity which can be hidden in a good blend. Peretti W has no dullness which craves to be enhanced by flavourings. The nut-like aroma of the pouch is equally present in the smoke and one senses, rather than experiences, the presence of the latakia in this blend. Unusually, the burley takes centre stage here and one begins to appreciate the qualities of this leaf in an unadulterated form. There are no highs or lows in this smoke, its taste has a reassuring steadiness without being in the least monotone. Even here, a cool, slow and steady smoke rewards the smoker. The smoke, exhaled through the nose, or puffed is mild but not boring. In a larger bowl it burns cool and effortless but the lessons of slow puffing, acquired elsewhere, pay off here, too.

There is no hint of sweetness, and yet. As I am smoking it in an older large bent Savinelli Autograph, at no point does the smoke turn harsh or bitter. The latakia does not assert itself but rounds this  blend to a wholesome, even goodness.. Burley is not thought of as a tobacco that benefits from long aging but one is tempted to believe that the tobaccos in this blend have had a good long time to meld into each other. There is a wholeness of flavour with no territory staked out for one or the other.

The flavourful smoke allows easy puffing without having to crave for a strong sensation. It is full and satisfying. Yet, for a burley, I find it very mild with no headstrong presence or a nicotine rush. It makes a good companion to reading a captivating book, the easy burn takes care of itself and does not ask for careful nursing. Still, its easygoing nature should not be mistaken for lack of strength. A large bowl dispenses enough nicotine to remind the unwary that it is, indeed, burley that is being incinerated here.

As it would, the flavours intensify towards the end of the bowl. In a well-seasoned pipe this toback will burn dry to the end end leaves a fine medium gray ash.

My rating? A well deserved 12 out of 20 overall and 2 extra points for the rarity of a Burley surprise. Well done, Peretti.

Alan

Lane's Burley Light has to be the mildest burley I've ever encountered. It has a very nice, but not overbearing, aroma of vanilla or coconut (not quite sure, maybe both).  It's pretty light on flavor and nicotine, though.  The stuff burns dry but like wildfire, so don't puff it too hard.  I go through a very tightly packed bowl of this stuff in 1/3 the time it takes me to smoke a bowl of any other tobacco.  I like it when I'm reading or watching a movie and want to smoke but don't want to be distracted too much or stink up the house with a cigar.

Fred Schnitzius

For a burley blend, I recommend "Barking Dog". Very mild,  just a kiss of latakia, and is cool burning.

 

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