Virginias, no question. But there are a handful of burley blends I wouldn’t want to be without
Do You Lean Virginia Or Burley?
- Thread starter mso489
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Burley. Or maybe I should say air cured? The only Virginias I like are the ones that may never have seen a flue. So I wonder if what I like is tobacco cured by air, not by flue.
Please name your poison. I'm curious.
Oh yeah, C&D: Pirate Kake....................i love this blend. I like both................
Before my throat got so bad that I had to set pipes aside till it heals…. I got some C&D Kellys Coins, which aren’t coins…. But, I loved it. When I cracked the tin, the smell was scatalogical, as John would say. But, the smoke is full robust burley, which starts off unsweetened chocolatey and moves to deeper earthy as the bowl progresses. I loved it!!! And, its readily available…. for now.
I like that it doesn’t have condimentals, just the purest unadulterated burley flavors.
That doesn’t mean that I hate Haunted Bookshop. I love that too, with the perique singing through the burley haze. It really gives perique a different “fiz” in the flavor. I almost think of it as Burley Flake #1 light.
But, Kellys Coin is a new favorite, and I can’t wait for my throat to get better to finish the tin.
I like that it doesn’t have condimentals, just the purest unadulterated burley flavors.
That doesn’t mean that I hate Haunted Bookshop. I love that too, with the perique singing through the burley haze. It really gives perique a different “fiz” in the flavor. I almost think of it as Burley Flake #1 light.
But, Kellys Coin is a new favorite, and I can’t wait for my throat to get better to finish the tin.
Burley benefits from added VA. Odd, since my favorite blend is a straight burley.
I’ve smoked many recommended VA’s in the past and sought out the baked bread descriptors and I enjoyed them. But they’re delicate.
I like the fullness of burley and burley forward blends. I prefer the nutty, creamy, denser smoke. Burleys that incorporate some Va are usually my forte. I don’t smoke Va straight. It’s tasty, but it’s a high note lacking bass.
Keep the Latakia. Hold the Perique.
I’ve smoked many recommended VA’s in the past and sought out the baked bread descriptors and I enjoyed them. But they’re delicate.
I like the fullness of burley and burley forward blends. I prefer the nutty, creamy, denser smoke. Burleys that incorporate some Va are usually my forte. I don’t smoke Va straight. It’s tasty, but it’s a high note lacking bass.
Keep the Latakia. Hold the Perique.
I keep wondering where that scatalogicalness comes from. I ordered a bag of big n' burley and it smelled like a barnyard. (the smell faded a good bit when I let it sit in a jar a few months). But all the Dark Burley I've gotten from them smells sweet, and their White Burley doesn't smell bad either. And so far as I understand, these are the main components of their burley blends. So why do some smell like that?
Hope you feel better soon.
I'd lean towards Virginias if I had to choose.
That's just the darker burleys as they break down and start to ferment. When I get sap from burleys on my hands when handling them as they grow, it has an acrid (bug juice) smell. Then as it hangs and cures, it's not a bad smell. Then, when I roll them into twists, they'll get that scat smell somewhat, but it eventually transforms into more of a leathery hide smell latter. My tin of Kelly's Coins was fresh, so it had just begun to ferment somewhat. I think that after five or so years it would have become more of a hide smell. But, thank God it it doesn't present itself in the smoke.
Definitely VA for me at this point (VAPer mostly). I need to devote some time to burley though, I generally like bolder, darker, earthier flavors so I’m not sure why I haven’t explored them more over the years. He nic strength of burley is part of what keeps me away. Any good dark/earthy burley blends that won’t turn me green?
I may not be the best judge of nicotine,as I smoke heavy hitters before bed, when I can smoke. But, I don't think Kelly's Coin if smoked in a smaller pipe would be a problem. And, I think it is the taste profile you just described.
Also, Briar Fox by C&D is a really good earthy blend of Virginias and Burleys that you don't see taughted much on here. It is a perfect hybrid blend for lovers of both. But, it doesn't have a OTC casing, nor the bright leaf sweetness that StoKkebyes Cube Cut has. It is very much on the earthy side. It's a pure tobacco flavor joy, IMO.
And, Briar Fox ages like a champ.
VaBurs for me. Though I wish there were more straight Burley options available in the UK. Kelly's Coins sounds amazing!
It is interesting how often forum members pick one or the other. I am firmly in the Virginia column as I find Burleys to be bland and mouth drying. Tried to like them ...
Don't
Don't
I only experienced burley from OTC, so my opinion is biased. I prefer Va.
Another vote for VaBurs. If I had to choose one over the other, I'd lean towards burleys.
Ok, I have to choose only one. Virginia......................
I can't blame someone for preferring Virginias... when I started growing, I was dead set on flue curing, because Virginias were my preference also. But, not to hard sell it... I think some of the misconception about burleys comes from experiences with aromatics and "bad" OTC's... or the heavily PG laden ones. Also, the misconception that burleys don't age at all, as if they just set in the tin in a stasis or something.
But, I believe that of one checks out some samples of C&D burleys, and tries aging some, in just a few years, you get a better hide aroma with less throat cloying around the edges of the flavor. It does mellow out. And, I would argue that Virginias don't become quite the nirvana eye rolling, sugar barrel that some claim. But, what age does is really in the eye of the beholder. I do have more aged Virginias in my cellar than burleys, but I'm working on that,
I just like the smoothness, and bolder flavors. YMMV
But, I believe that of one checks out some samples of C&D burleys, and tries aging some, in just a few years, you get a better hide aroma with less throat cloying around the edges of the flavor. It does mellow out. And, I would argue that Virginias don't become quite the nirvana eye rolling, sugar barrel that some claim. But, what age does is really in the eye of the beholder. I do have more aged Virginias in my cellar than burleys, but I'm working on that,
I just like the smoothness, and bolder flavors. YMMV