Burley vs. Virginia Taste Evolution

[ParkitoATL]

Sometimes you hear people talking about the "Burley Bite." What seems to be more common is to hear about "Virginia Bite." When I first made the switch from cigars to pipes about eight months ago (man, have I smoked some bowls since then!) I found that burleys seemed more agreeable to me and Virginias tended to bite. Over the last few months I have really grown to love Virginias and am now finding that Burleys are too harsh and alkaline for my tastes!

Has anyone else experienced a similar evolution in their tastes? I keep reaching for the Virginia flakes and some VaBurs that are light on the Burley because Burleys keep tearing up my mouth. I have been smoking an average of two bowls a day for eight months now. Weekends are often 4-5 bowls a day. Maybe I just need to take a few days off. :-o

 

[mso489]

I've always been a burley devotee. I seem to tolerate its edge with ease with most burley leaf. Lately I've come around to some real enthusiasm for Virginia blends, notably lately Esoterica Tilbury with burley as a condiment and SH&Co's Squadron Leader special edition with Perique.

I'm glad to not completely miss the Virginia blend parade. And I still love that burley. Peterson Irish Flake and 3-P, GLP Barbary Coast, and so many others,

 

[Call Me Late]

I enjoy Virginias more than Burley even though the later give me bite more. But I find my pace of smoke affects the bite likelihood even more than the leaf itself.

 

[Skippy B. Coyote]

I've never had Burley blends or red Virginias bite me, for me it's always been just the bright Virginias. Everyone's mouth chemistry is a little different though and I wouldn't be surprised if it can change a little over time.

One thing that might be worth trying though is to smoke one of those Burley blends that's been biting you in a long stemmed churchwarden pipe and see how it goes. For me I've found that if I put a bright Virginia that would usually bite me the like devil in a churchwarden I won't get any bite at all when I smoke it, and I seem to pick up more of the subtle flavor nuances as well. I can only guess that the long travel time up the stem not only cools the smoke but somehow mellows whatever chemical components in the smoke my tongue would usually find abrasive.

 

[sardonicus87]

I've personally only been bit by some aros (particularly the goopy ones).

Neither burley nor virginia has never bit me, though I have burned my cheek (on my face, not inside my mouth) once before and burned my lip twice when I accidentally got some juice to my face after smoking a burley (note to self: don't hold used pipe cleaners with your lips while cleaning up when you don't have a free hand, just leave it and come back later). Not a bad burn, just could feel it sting a little.

 

[captpat]

Over time I've migrated from Latakia blends to Burleys, VA and VA/PER have remained as consistent staples.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I switch between burleys and Virginias, one after the other. No bite at all. But, I am also a slow smoker... and I've been smoking 10-12 bowls a day for many years. I'm also really good looking, so maybe that explains it.

 

[krizzose]

I started smoking a few burley blends well after I became a Virginia devotee, but I never noticed any more or less bite with burleys. There are some burleys that I find harsh, particularly C&D cube cut, but that’s back of the throat irritation, not tongue bite. Must be body chemistry