First Impression: Amphora Burley Blend

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jaytex1969

Lifer
Jun 6, 2017
9,517
50,591
Here
I made it to the local pipe club meet Thursday for the first time in forever.
Our prez (pylorns/James) handed out pouches of this tobacco, along with evaluation forms he had been sent. Seems the manufacturer or distributor is doing some focused research.
I've been getting into burley flakes lately. HH Burley Flake, C&D #3, some old, discontinued LJ Peretti Somerset Flake. I'm familiar enough with the genre to know what I like and give a halfway informed opinion by now.
My childhood memories of Amphora were of pinching some from my parents' landlord. He actually let me use one of his pipes when I helped him do house repairs in my mid teens. I think he enjoyed observing my suffering.
At that time, I had a cigarette habit and no income, so choosy I was not. I remember it as stringy, rather unpleasant, but still "free" and something to smoke. With these memories coming back, I opened the pouch with trepidation.
I saw not the stringy mess I recall, but a rather attractive broken flake.
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My sniffer does poorly with tin notes, but I got the good burley smell. Paired with the unexpected visual treat, my outlook was improving.
It felt near perfect in moisture but I decided that 20 minutes of airing wouldn't hurt. No tactile clues of humectant. Another concern dismissed.
My go to burley pipe lately is a BriarWorks Poker, so I stuck with the program. Coffee on the side.
Made in Denmark by MacBaren and imported by Sutliff, Burley Blend contains Burley, some Virginia and a touch of Dark Fired.
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Perusing the reviews, it currently has 7 posted, with 6 of them being 4 stars (including Jim's). Another notch up in my enthusiasm...
A couple of lights to get it going and off to the races. Burley. It's definitely lots of burley, and good burley. If you like the afore-referenced flakes, this will fit in your range.
There's a deep sweetness to it that I'm struggling to name. Jim gets some of the grassy and citrus tones. I can't say that I do. I get the wonderful nutty/cocoa notes paired with a deep, maybe molasses like scant sweetness that accentuated the burley without making it a trip to the candy store.
My first bowl at the pipe club had me searching for the Dark Fired influence. I had just finished some Newminster Norway in that pipe, which may have obscured some of the Amphora's traits. Today, I think I get it. It adds a "dry" note to the smoke, a little spice that refuses to override the balance of the burley and Virginia. It's seemingly the perfect amount. My hat's off to the blender.
As claimed, no evidence of a topping is revealed. Still no sign of the usual pouch chemicals. This Amphora is punching above its weight class. You may have to worry about it drying if you take too long to consume the pouch but you won't be stuck with something that NEVER dries due to additives.
Going through the bowl, it is insanely smooth and well behaved. With a good cadence, it doesn't extinguish. No thermal overload. Light tamps, dump the ash once at the 2/3 mark. No sticky flake remnants on the wall to chisel and scrape down like my beloved Old Dark Fired. Just an orderly and rewarding slow burn, like when you're half drunk on a nice day and the Weber grill chugs that perfect stream of mesquite smoke from the lid vents.
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Restating the obvious, I am very pleasantly surprised. It's nice to have a pouch option that aspires to tin level quality. Approaching the end, maintaining the cadence, no ciggy notes creeping in. The taste profile, in fact, is very steady through to the dottle. Nic is present by the end of the bowl at a comforting level. You won't find any chromatic swings in taste or mouth feel. Where you start is very close to where you end. In this case, that's a very good thing.
Verdict: GET SOME!
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cortezattic

Lifer
Nov 19, 2009
15,147
7,637
Chicago, IL
WOW! I don't usually come by reviews so well organized, well written, and nicely illustrated. Thanks for taking the time and effort on this. There's a pouch in my shopping cart right now, but I think I'll up that number.

 

jaytex1969

Lifer
Jun 6, 2017
9,517
50,591
Here
I enjoy doing it.
I'm waiting for Kevin to tag me for some site content but he seems to be busy with other matters... :nana:
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mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
A member sent me a sample of this from the Chicago pipe show and I too found it extra good, and I'm a burley devotee. jiminks also found it good. I will likely order it next time I pretend I'm running low on blends. I think it would be a good introduction to burley if a new pipe smoker finds some of the milder OTC burley's acceptable. Some can't taste burley; some really dislike it and can't smoke it; and some enjoy burley greatly, like me and so many others.

 
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alaskanpiper

Enabler in Chief
May 23, 2019
9,348
42,225
Alaska
A great review as usual, Jay. Thanks for sharing! It'll probably be a while until I come around to it though. My Palate hasn't developed to the point yet that Burley blends are super enjoyable. So far Solani 656 is my favorite one, but even that I'm never inclined to smoke before literally any other type of blend. For some reason Burley just doesn't seem to do it for me like other blend types do. I'm hoping with more experience my palate will come around. If it's like beer or whiskey, my palate and associated preferences will change repeatedly over time (and even with the seasons) regardless of experience, so I'll keep my spirits up that one day Burley and I will get along better. If that day comes, Amphora may make an appearance.

 
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JimInks

Sultan of Smoke
Aug 31, 2012
60,846
553,689
JayTex: That was a superior review. I congratulate you! :clap:
MSO: When Per Jensen gave me a pouch of the ABB in Chicago (he had put it in his coat pocket and carried it all the way from Denmark just to give it to me), I spent much of the weekend smoking it. I knew I was going to rate it at four stars before I got home.

 
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danimalia

Lifer
Sep 2, 2015
4,385
26,440
41
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
Awesome review, Jay! How would you say it compares to HH Burley Flake, which I believe I enjoy even more than the Solani.
I've been meaning to grab a pouch of this since I saw Mso's high opinion of the blend. Probably will wait until the Amphora Kentucky comes out and grab both at the same time. I feel like I've become a sucker for this type of blend. Burley w/ maybe a light cocoa/molasses/rum flavoring. Like Solani ABF, HH Burley Flake, Watch City Slices, Classic Burley Kake, Lane Ready Rubbed.

 
Jul 28, 2016
7,564
36,058
Finland-Scandinavia-EU
Thanks for taking the time to share your experience with this fine blend, now I'm waiting for their Kentucky blend release here in EU, must confess Burley forward blends are my meat and potatoes, everyday staple, good, purely simple and satisfying taste. somehow I like starting off my days with these kinds of tobacco , midday past I use to switch to blends with more virginias,and then again back to Burley or Virginia/Kentucky blends

 
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jaytex1969

Lifer
Jun 6, 2017
9,517
50,591
Here
The HH Burley Flake and the Amphora are not twins but they could be brothers.
I'd have to find two hours to sit and smoke the two back-to-back in order to TRY giving a more detailed response.
I feel confident in saying that, if you like one, you'd like the other.
I'll defer to Jim and other more experienced palates to offer a better answer.
jay-roger.jpg


 
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JimInks

Sultan of Smoke
Aug 31, 2012
60,846
553,689
They could be brothers. The Amphora is more rugged, stronger and a little less sweeter. The dark fired is a step more obvious in the Amphora.

 
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trubka2

Lifer
Feb 27, 2019
2,470
21,640
That's a damn fine piece of pipe writing, Jay, probably the best I've read anywhere recently. Thank you. I'll look forward to the next one.

 
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Jul 28, 2016
7,564
36,058
Finland-Scandinavia-EU
Funnily enough, now this is starting to seem that I may even be liking this Their Burley Blend better than the Original Brown or Mc barens Golden Extra in that matter,ok,granted it is a bit harsher,but not overly so, I'd say a bit rougher in overall taste,but that does bot detract me much, and yes HH Burley is more refined and perhaps milder in all aspects

 
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npod

Lifer
Jun 11, 2017
2,942
1,024
I just ordered some (and a pouch of some other Amphora blends) based on your review, Jay. Good job.

 

samw74

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 28, 2017
567
249
New York , NY
Thank you for your excellent review. I believe this is just below the Solani ABF/Wessex Burley Slice level. It’s also a bargain compared to Solani or any other high quality burley.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
Just ordered a pouch of Amphora Burley, along with a couple of other tobaccos, in one of my notoriously modest TAD attacks. The stuff just has a straightforward taste that is bound to attract burley smokers.

 
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