C&D Big and Burley; D&R Picayune

Log in

SmokingPipes.com Updates

New Cigars




PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Status
Not open for further replies.

beastinview

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 5, 2016
504
3
I've realized that my rotation is quite lacking in Burley--really, Five Brothers is the only blend that in my rotation that's really burley-based, so I gave two others a try in my last order: Cornell and Diehl's Big & Burley No. 103 and Daughters and Ryan's Picayune.
Tin Note and Preparation

Both were on the dry side, especially the D&R. The Big and Burley had a woodsy, smoky smell to it--the latakia was faint. The Picayune was similar, but with a bit more spiciness to the aroma.
The Picayune burned a little to fast on my first smoke, so I ended up stretching a rum-soaked paper towel across the lid of the mason jar and letting it sit overnight to rehydrate it a little. It didn't make much difference to the touch, but it did seem to smoke better the second time around.
Flavor:

I wasn't such a fan of the Five Brother's flavor all by itself. It just seemed a bit bland to me. Both of these blends, however, have some complexity.
Big & Burley

The C&D blend is said to be a mix of "Burley, Latakia, Perique, and Turkish" so there is certainly some nuance to the blend. I really enjoyed it. The latakia was very subdued, which I liked. It seemed to function more in a condimental fashion, as perique generally does. For my palate, latakia too often dominates the other leaf and obscures them. Not so in this blend.
Picayune

This was a very spicy tobacco. The ingredients are similar to the C&D, but with Samsun instead of latakia: "Burley, Oriental (Samsun), Perique, Virginia." Though there was a lot of spiciness, there wasn't the sort of rich flavor that I find in Virginia-based blends. But this was quite good for a change of pace--similar to the B&B, but with a little more perique and a little less latakia.
Both blends burn quite nicely, which is something I like about burley leaf. It seems much less fussy than VA.
Nicotine:

Both are very strong. The Picayune in particular will take your head off. I've mentioned this elsewhere, but the nicotine really seems to hit my mouth and throat. If I'm not careful, this can be unpleasant: the back of the throat develops a sort of sour taste and starts constricting. Most of the strong blends in my rotation are based on the African grown Virginia leaf that G&H, SG, and others use. With these, I get more of a relaxed, light-headed feeling, but don't notice it in the throat and mouth so much. These burley blends are the opposite: I really notice the nicotine in the mouth, but I'm not as lightheaded as with the GH ropes, etc.
In summary, the burley is a nice change of pace. I still favor Virginia-based blends, but I'm someone who likes variety quite a bit, so it's fun to change things up. I enjoy the strength of the burley, when it's not attacking my throat too aggressively.
Lastly, both are fairly cheap which is quite nice!

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
I liked Big 'n Burley, although I admit surprise that it had the Lat, Per, and especially Turkish. I get mostly the burley, but it is good.

 

newbroom

Lifer
Jul 11, 2014
6,088
6,406
Florida
I've yet to knowingly sample Picayune or 5 Brothers but I can attest to the full nicotine available in Big N' Burley which at first gave me hiccups and slight nausea (it was so good).

This blend gets your attention and will end your nicotine cravings for a minute or more.

If you use it with a codger blend like Carter Hall you can reduce the nicotine impact w/o degrading the smoke, but when you want to smoke a stout bowl of tobacco, this one works without fail.

 

newbroom

Lifer
Jul 11, 2014
6,088
6,406
Florida
kanse, welcome to the forums.

Nope. Not yet.

Lately I have been blending/mixing from a collection of tobaccos I got for the purpose of saving money and controlling my blends.

I haven't opened a tin in over a month or more.

 

beastinview

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 5, 2016
504
3
I haven't tried Storm Front, but it looks interesting.
I liked Big 'n Burley, although I admit surprise that it had the Lat, Per, and especially Turkish.

Yes, it is certainly still essentially a burley blend--the others are very minimal.

 

hawky454

Lifer
Feb 11, 2016
5,338
10,220
Austin, TX
I've been sampling a lot of the C&D blends as well and I've come to really like Big N' Burley. I'm also really loving Billy Bud! It has Lat in it but it doesn't over power the other leaf and works in harmony with the cigar leaf to make a very nice, spicy blend. Nothing beats Old Joe Krantz for me though, it's the king of Burley in my opinion! It has become my everyday smoke along with Dark Bird's Eye. I have noticed that the moisture level in OJK really affects how it tastes and I prefer it on the dry side, much like how Semoise taste better when it's crispy, when dried, OJK is simply outstanding and I encourage anyone who likes OJK to let it dry out. I put a large handful in a leather pouch and let it sit for a week before I will even touch it.
Beast, have you tried Semoise yet? If not, It's a must for you, I know you will absolutely love it.

 

beastinview

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 5, 2016
504
3
I have had my eyes on Semois for a long time. I've read that lovely New York Times article several times over. I will order soon, and it looks like I'll have to throw in some Old Joe Krantz. Both you and deathmetal have mentioned it a bit I think, and your palates seem similar to my own.

 

ericusrex

Lifer
Feb 27, 2015
1,175
3
Storm Front is one of my favorite blends but I wouldn't put it in the same genre as BnB (I haven't tried Picayune). BnB is stouter, and harsher, while Storm Front is a smooth, rum-soaked joy! Akin to Barbary Coast but so much better.

 

beastinview

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 5, 2016
504
3
One thing I'll add: last week I had my little pipe gathering. I have one buddy who always wants to smoke something strong to finish, and so far I've had him cycle through Gawith Dark Flake, Royal Yacht, Gawith Brown and Black Ropes, Five Brothers, Irish Flake, etc. He enjoys those.
This week I handed him D&R Picayune. He couldn't finish the bowl, and felt quite sick, which I've never seen from him. So, although Picayune doesn't seem to me stronger than those other strong blends, it seems some people react a bit more to the Burley than others.

 

cobguy

Lifer
Oct 18, 2013
3,742
15
Love that Big N' Burley and have jarred several pounds of it.
Try the Flakes too ... Burley Flake #1 and #2 are both really good! :puffy:

 

beastinview

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 5, 2016
504
3
Burley Flake #1 and #2 are both really good!

I've heard Burley #1 will put hair on your chest. Not that I'm lacking, but it never hurts.
OJK and Semois are on my Burley list, but I'm a bit behind on purchasing due to some cigar purchases for friends that set me back a bit. (Semois is technically a Burley, no?)

 
Picayune is one of those blends that people will claim to be harsh. But, to me it is just a VaPer on steroids, very peppery, tangy, and if your cadence gets ahead of you, it can be too much. The last half of the bowl, the flavors settle down into a more balanced tangy flavor, and becomes way more perfect VaPer, just as you float into the realm of the spirit world. At this point, no one else can see or hear you, so be careful out walking in the street, because you are way more likely to get hit by a car. In fact, after smoking this, I recommend people just stay on the couch. The spirit world isn't a safe place to be goofing about.
Burley Flake 1 is about the most flavorful, yummy blend ever made. I love it. My wife hates it. She will go off on a tangent about how it makes the house smell like a hundred dead farts. But, it doesn't bother me at all.

BF #2, I just didn't care for it much. Not horrible, just... eh.

 

beastinview

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 5, 2016
504
3
Yeah, Picayune is not even necessarily harsh in a bad way... it's hard to find the right adjective. It's like calling black coffee "bitter"--that's true, but if you like black coffee, you enjoy that bitterness, and adding sweetness would ruin it. That's how I think of Picayune--it may not be everyone's cup of coffee, but for those who enjoy it, the harsh/bracing aspect of it is some of the fun. That's actually what makes me reach for it.

 
Status
Not open for further replies.