Burley Negatives; Why Not Burley?

Log in

SmokingPipes.com Updates

Watch for Updates Twice a Week

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Status
Not open for further replies.

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
I enjoy burley; it's an infatuation. It's nutty, rich, often pleasing by itself, and great in many blends ... for me and burley lovers in general. But many avoid it. Here are the objections I've heard: 1)Just too much nicotine, so you miss any flavor for the buzz, and fill nauseous, or even throw up. 2) Just too coarse and harsh. 3) Not a pleasant flavor, nutty or not, just not a good taste. So burley avoiders, here's your chance to make it clear to us burley junkies, why it just isn't your thing. I'm asking this just to make clear how differently we experience particular leaf. One man's or woman's pleasure is another's despair. So, burley just doesn't work for you because...?

 
Jul 28, 2016
7,564
36,059
Finland-Scandinavia-EU
cant help myself but I can't do without Burleys, they won't bite and are full and round in taste, perhaps this assessement has something to do with My Ryo cigarette smoking habit during 25 year It was only Kentucky fired leaf Van Nelle Zware Shag)

whereas Virginas can cause me some irritation and frustration so easy, regardless of the brand, But I'm keeping learning hard

 

bassbug

Lifer
Dec 29, 2016
1,112
905
Burley, and in particular, Mac Baren Golden Extra has a regular spot in my rotation, but I've found there are only 4 times during the year that I can actually smoke it.
Spring

Summer

Fall

Winter

 
May 4, 2015
3,210
16
Don't look at me, I love it all!
Same. It really depends what I'm in the mood for. If I'm just wanting a robust, no-nonsense smoke, I'll load up a C&D Burley and enjoy it thoroughly. Most of the time now I smoke a Virginia because that's the flavor I most want, but occasionally only a Burley will do.

 

aldecaker

Lifer
Feb 13, 2015
4,407
42
I'm a burley lover myself. As much as I like the taste of Va and VaPers, I have to limit myself with them because they don't agree overmuch with my mouth chemistry. As for nicotine, I've never noticed the burley blends I smoke having any more nic than the Va or English blends I smoke. Sorry, no burley negatives here!

 

bluegrasspipe

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 13, 2017
621
192
I am of the same mindset as pipesmokingtom, I enjoy vapers. When the mood strikes I really enjoy burley blends, but I don't have a lot of them. 3 nuns is one that I enjoy, (technically VaBur).. MSO what are your favorites, or must try suggestions?

 
Jun 27, 2016
1,273
117
There's just something about Burley that I don't like. I didn't enjoy stuff like Stokkebye Amsterdam and Norwegian because of the DFK and Burley in them, and didn't really enjoy any of the McClelland bulk Burley blenders that I have tried. Usually I would like the tobaccos at first, but eventually I would identify things that I really didn't like about them. A lot of the time, the first portions of the bowls would be good, but by the ends of the bowls, I would not really like it. Either the flavor would not agree with me, or sometimes, probably mostly with the A-dam or Norwegian, the smoke almost seemed to carry a greasy/oily characteristic to it that I didn't like. Those two were also harsh on the throat. It's been a while and I can't remember if the McClellands were harsh or not, just mostly not liking the flavors after mid-bowl. :puffy:

 

jaytex1969

Lifer
Jun 6, 2017
9,517
50,591
Here
I, too, am diggin' the Burleys.
As per my recent inquiry for non-VA blends, I think I may favor the Burleys, Kentucky's, Cavendishes, etcetera.
I listed all of the blends I've cellared over the past 2 months (over 50 already, thanks to you enabling bastards :nana: ) 22 of them contain Burley.
I've also found that the Burley does an excellent job of mitigating the VA's for me. In fact, one blend I'm really enjoying at the moment is Gawith & Hoggarth's North Star, which is simply VA & Burley in a shag.
You know how many are VA free? 2. The Black Frigate and its cousin, Pirate Kake. I think that's why I joined the Frigate crew so readily. Before I even knew what was what, my taste buds had blindly guided me in.
jay-roger.jpg


 

krizzose

Lifer
Feb 13, 2013
3,100
18,014
Michigan
I'm only sort of the target audience for OP. Burley blends are only a small part of my rotation, but not because I don't like burley; I like it a lot. I just like Virginias (I'm including straight vas, VaPers, and VaOrs in that term, but no lat for me) more, and thus smoke them more. However, when I do smoke burleys, they're a great change of pace.
I will admit that I do like my burleys with a little topping (CBK, Mac Baren Mixture Flake), or with another flavor in there (Crooner) rather than just straight. I have my Vas cellar to the point where I can start using some of my tobacco budget on trying some new to me burleys. With that in mind, does anyone have a recommendation for burley blend that's not too strong and with a touch of molasses or brown sugar flavor profile?

 

davidintexas

Part of the Furniture Now
Jun 4, 2013
673
209
The Sutliff match for Edgeworth ready rubbed is right up that alley. I have some and think it's a great burley smoke. Not too strong.

 

kodos44

Starting to Get Obsessed
Aug 29, 2012
104
0
I will admit that I do like my burleys with a little topping (CBK, Mac Baren Mixture Flake), or with another flavor in there (Crooner) rather than just straight. I have my Vas cellar to the point where I can start using some of my tobacco budget on trying some new to me burleys. With that in mind, does anyone have a recommendation for burley blend that's not too strong and with a touch of molasses or brown sugar flavor profile?
I'm exactly the same in this regard. Looking for some suggestions!

 

irishearl

Lifer
Aug 2, 2016
2,146
3,762
Kansas
When it comes to oriental blends, I prefer burley-bases over Virginias. Seems like blends of that sort are scarce, though. 1 of my standard blends I smoke, C&D Odessa, may be 1 of the few like that out there.

 

voorhees

Lifer
May 30, 2012
3,834
937
Gonadistan
Early on I tried avoiding burley. Hearing how it was harsh or strong or cigarette like. Furthest from the truth. I like it in several blends.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
A long list of burley and burley blends I enjoy, but to name a few old favorites: Tabac-Manil Semois thick or medium cut; C&D Billy Budd; C&D Old Joe Krantz; PC Midtown Chestnut; Iwan Ries Three Star Blue; Edward G. Robinson; PC Russ O.'s Log Cabin; etc. Most blends with burley are at least tasty to me, and the ones I especially enjoy tend to be my favorites. Though I have to 'fess up, I also like Virginias and Va./Pers, English and Balkan Blends, and various Virginia based aromatics as long as they are tobacco forward. But I do have a weakness for burley.

 

drennan

Can't Leave
Mar 30, 2014
344
3
Normandy
I'm not a burley fan boy. I'm prone to finding it harsh and rough in the mouth and I'm not a particularly keen on taste either. I avoid straight burleys and tend to avoid burley heavy blends, having said that one of my favourite blends is Germain's Rich Dark Flake a topped VaBur so go figure.

 

kanse

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 9, 2016
548
5
I like Burleys, although Peretti's Burleys destroyed my mouth.
What's the difference between dark and light?

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
drenna, that's interesting. I think there is a never-burley contingent, and burley fans like me, but also discerning burley smokers who don't like it generally but have specific blends with burley they enjoy. Which makes sense to me.

 
May 8, 2017
1,593
1,627
Sugar Grove, IL, USA
I'm on the burley train! I appreciate that most of the burley blends I have tried are not overly flavored. They don't seem to have any chemical reaction which my mouth, either. There's always a pleasant tobacco (not cigarette) flavor. In fact, I have about a pound of a burley blend that I got as part of an absolutely fantastic bundle of pipes, tobacco, and accessories. I LOVE it, but the seller didn't remember which burley blend it was and although I've tried samples of several blends, I haven't found what I believe is the same one. The Lane Burley Light looks and smells almost the same, but doesn't taste the same. Maybe that's just simple variation in a natural product.
As for the nic hit, I've only experienced it once. It's hard to be certain which of the several tobaccos that I was trying that day did me in (or just the accumulation of several), but it was while smoking Peter Stokkebye Luxury Bullseye Flake that I felt like I had just belted down 3 shots of whiskey. I don't recall ever feeling a big nic hit from the burley blends and I'm not a heavy smoker, by any means.

 

hawky454

Lifer
Feb 11, 2016
5,338
10,220
Austin, TX
Where do you keep hearing all this negative stuff about Burely? It shows here that there are very few people who dislike it and the vast majority are riding on the Burely band wagon.
As for myself, I like it all. I'm not picky but I do tend to swing towards sweet VA blends over the nutty Burley blends but I'm certainly not opposed to anything tobacco.

 
Status
Not open for further replies.