Did You Like Burley From The Start?

[sandollars]

No amount of palate training is going to get me to like English blends that taste like I’m licking a firefighter’s armpit after a 8-alarm fire, or cigars that taste like gas station egg salad.

EEW..... And EEW!

 

[olkofri]

.....

@ your avatar!

 

[SoddenJack]

Not into Burley. Tried HB when I was first getting into pipes and hated it. Recently I thought “let’s give it another go” and still disliked it (less so than the first time). Just tastes like Marlboro Reds to me. Not sure if I don’t like burley or just HB, it I’d rather spend the little cash I have on a tin of a blend I know I’ll like .

 

[Moonbog]

Not into Burley. Tried HB when I was first getting into pipes and hated it. Recently I thought “let’s give it another go” and still disliked it (less so than the first time). Just tastes like Marlboro Reds to me. Not sure if I don’t like burley or just HB, it I’d rather spend the little cash I have on a tin of a blend I Thereknow I’ll like .

I'm not sure HB is representative of Burley in general. I've had quite a few burleys and you nailed it as far as describing the flavor. HB was my favorite Burley when I first got into pipe smoking and not coincidentally I started pipe smoking to help quit smoking Marlboro cigarettes. HB hit the spot then. Now, I still enjoy it, but not nearly as much. Anyway, plenty of other tobacco out there to enjoy.

 

[Country Bladesmith]

Burly really adds something special to an English blend if you ask me. But it seems to elevate the burly in a way that's hard to explain.

I like Burley in Englishes too. It adds some backbone, and a little change of pace. Perique will do the same, but in a slightly different way. Seattle Pipe Club’s Hood Canal is a good English with Burleys. So is C&D’s Tuggle Hall.

 

[username]

I hated burley at first. Now it’s mostly all I smoke. Really like the codger blends.

 

[Country Bladesmith]

Not into Burley. Tried HB when I was first getting into pipes and hated it. Recently I thought “let’s give it another go” and still disliked it (less so than the first time). Just tastes like Marlboro Reds to me. Not sure if I don’t like burley or just HB, it I’d rather spend the little cash I have on a tin of a blend I know I’ll like .

The thing about Haunted Bookshop (and Old Joe Krantz) is you have to smoke them super slow. Slower than you’d smoke other blends. You may just simply not like it, but to me those two blends are very tasty if you barely keep them going, but quite sharp if you smoke too fast.

 

[CoffeeAndBourbon]

I tend to get an acrid, old ashtray flavor when I smoke HB and OJK. It's not the main flavor, but enough to turn me off.

 

[madox07]

To answer you straight I did like it from the start, although I tried burley based and Va/Burs rather late in my smoking journey. I think burley is quite overlooked, some smokers missing out on some simple but great tasting blends available out there.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

85 comments, good lord. All of the threads seem to be huge lately. So, to be honest, I didn't read ALL of the comments, so... be that as it may...

When I first started going to The Briary, every guy in that place would swear to me up and down that burley tastes like soap or a candle or yard leaves... I never picked up on any of that, except maybe some aromatics... I think that some burleys have so much casing that I can't actually taste the leaf... But, I was never repulsed... except for codger blends, but I don't consider them to be burleys, just heavily cased burley-Virginias that suck.

But, when I delved into better burleys, PS Cube Cut, Burley Flake, Semois, Two Timer, etc... I found that I really liked them. I like them about as much as I do a Virginia, which I barely ever smoke these days. But, yeh, I am still picky as hell. I hate that Aged Burley Flake that everyone seems to like. And, while I do love Fire cured Kentucky in a VaPer, I really don't want it close to my burleys. A burley in a VaPer is excellent, IMO. There really should be more burley perique combos.

But, really, since McClelland has tits upped, I just don't waste my time with Virginias much. That doesn't mean that I won't come back to it. I mean... my cellar has a few hundred pounds of it, so... not throwing it away.

Maybe burley is like cilantro... some people taste it as it is supposed to taste, and other people have a gene that makes them stupid, ha ha.

 

[mso489]

If you can smoke burley and tolerate it, there's a chance you may soon find you really like it. If you smoke it and find it harsh or upsetting to your stomach, don't fight it, just leave it alone. It is polarizing that way. Some can't taste it; some dislike it from the first puff; and others find it delectable. Some like it only as a condiment but not for itself.

 

[madox07]

If you can smoke burley and tolerate it, there's a chance you may soon find you really like it. If you smoke it and find it harsh or upsetting to your stomach, don't fight it, just leave it alone. It is polarizing that way. Some can't taste it; some dislike it from the first puff; and others find it delectable. Some like it only as a condiment but not for itself.

You know mso, I find what you say to be particularly true. Some Kentucky is so strong for me that it actually gives me the hiccups. But at the same time, some are bearable .. for example I picked up this aged opened tin of Mac Baren Dark Twist Roll Cake lately, and it's quite alright. While I smoke toscanos, which are made of fermented Kentucky, I can't simply smoke its pipe counter part - the Forte blend. Lately I have tried Old Iron Side, and that Kentucky is unbearable in an unfiltered pipe. I suppose you ought to know your limit, and go with blends that you know are in the ball park for you. I know, this means that you may hit an miss sometimes, stumbling over a strong blend that will end up being jarred for a longer period of time you feel comfortable with, but then again this can happen with aromatics as well.

 

[ak2000]

Big Burley fan here, though OJK and HB are harsh to me. Pegasus is a staple as is Kelly's Coin. Love C&D Burley Flake No's 1 and 3 though never really got into the Wessex or Solani flakes. GLP Jackknife Plug and Triple Play are pretty awesome as well. Lots of great Burleys out there and it's my favorite type of blend.

 

[newbroom]

Thing is, having a trained palate doesn’t determine if you enjoy a blend or not. All it does is give you the ability to detect and discriminate between nuances or pick out certain notes.

exactly. By training, I suppose I should maybe have said more 'experience'? as in; continued experimentation with a blend. The experience being the 'training'. I'm not tawkin jimInks style palette here.

 

[newbroom]

The subject has really motivated me. I got some Big 'n Burley yesterday? and I have been getting re-acquainted with my favorite C&D blend. It's got Latakia in it though. I guess misanthrope wouldn't like it, even though, I had to read about its presence before I knew it was there.

 

[Akousticplyr]

Honestly? Burley hasn't clicked with me yet. But I remain optimistic!

 

[fightnhampster]

I think so. I recently bought a tin of each of the different types of Burley Flake from C&D. Well, all except the one with Latakia.

I'm slowly making my way through them and really like them. I have had 2 and 3 so far. I don't think that I would have liked them several years ago. They are definitely different from Virginias and VaPers.

 

[pantsBoots]

I like it as a change of pace, or to heal the tongue after too many bowls of Virginia. Solani ABF & Semois scratch the itch, as do Mac Baren's ODF & Bold KY, if we're counting those.

 

[CoffeeAndBourbon]

I just ordered a sample of MacB HH Old Dark Fired Ready Rubbed . We'll see how that goes.

 

[mso489]

I find Amphora Burley a good version of the leaf. It's rough cut and rather moist, but it is full flavored but not at all overbearing to me. It rewards some drying to avoid relights, but it burns well.