By Russ Ouellette
"I don’t get no respect, no respect at all!" If you’re 30 or older, you can’t read or hear those words without seeing the image of Rodney Dangerfield straightening his tie. Well, from my perspective, Burley is the tobacco equivalent of the late comic. Let’s take a look at this mistreated leaf.

Burley is another strain of nicotiana tabacum, which includes virtually every type of tobacco used commercially. The leaves of this plant are moderately sized, and the plants are grown widely from the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S., through the south and into the Midwest. In addition, Burley is cultivated in Canada, Malawi, Brazil, Mexico and Argentina.

What characterizes Burley are its low sugar content, high oils and moderate to high nicotine. The dark strains of the plant are earthy, spicy and cigar-like, and have a heavy vitamin N jolt, whereas the lighter Burleys (generally referred to as White Burley) are nutty, sometimes with a bit of a cocoa note, and a more moderate nic kick.

So you’ve been thinking of trying a pipe but you’re not sure of which tobacco to try? Perhaps it’s time to stop pondering which tobacco to use and just take the plunge and buy something that the tobacco store clerk recommends.

You see the fact is that the type of tobacco that a pipe smoker uses ultimately comes down to their own personal taste and what suits them. Just about every one of us has started off with a tobacco that was recommended by someone else but I would wager that almost none of us are still smoking that brand or blend of tobacco that we first started with.