My first burley smoke

[bassbug]

I guess technically, this belongs in the tobacco review section, but I'm really not qualified to do a "real" review.
Last weekend I got together with a fellow forum member, dottie warden and we shared some good conversation and a smoke. We also exchanged a couple of blends. One of the blends that he gave me a bit of was MacBaren Golden Extra and I just had the chance to finally smoke some. I was a little timid because of hearing that primarily burley blends are not as sweet as virginias and this particular blend is classified as "almost" an aromatic.
Well... it turns out that I'm a burley lover....it was a pleasant smoke, full of flavour. It tasted nutty with the slightest hint of something sweet, but very slight. I did not miss the sweetness of a full aromatic blend one little bit. I'm definitely going to keep a tin of this stuff around at all times.
Is this indicative of most burley blends?
To most of you experienced smokers, this may be a "zzz, I've heard it before" post, but for me, as a newbie, it's kind of a milestone. I'm very quickly falling in love with this hobby and the best part is, I have not touched a cigarette in days.

 

[pagan]

...ummm, I like Burley

 

[tschiraldi]

Burley is wonderful! Try a Virginia/Burley blend... Even better!

 

[mso489]

Burley is interesting tobacco. It is harsh and bites to some. Some people can't taste it. Some people find it an unpleasant taste, and still others really like some burley blends and not others. But if you love burley, you are very lucky. I find it mostly delectable. Cornell & Diehl are probably the most innovative and various blenders of burley blends. Another real burley treat is the Belgium burley variant Tabac-Manil Semois medium and thick cut, but not all burley lovers love it. Congratulations on being one of the lucky folks who enjoy this sturdy old leaf. Generally unlike Virginias, burleys do not improve with age so much, but they do not deteriorate either. They make a great companion to Virginias, Orientals, cigar lead, Latakia, Perique and many other base and condiment tobaccos. So relax, explore the genre of burley, take your time to explore them, and enjoy. Buy different blends in small quantities to discover what you like. Don't buy in quantity for a year or two, until you know what you like, and see if you continue to enjoy particular blends, and save the ones you don't like in sealed jars -- you may grow into them.

 

[Perique]

I love burley. And a good burley blend is quite a thing. Too bad Mac Baren stopped making Burley London Blend
Pick up some Solani Aged Burley Flake.

 

[curl]

The first time I liked burley was from a tin of War Horse loose cut.

 

[thomasw]

I share the love of burleys because I find the nuttiness so delicious and full of subtleties. So many great options exist, yet my favourite is the Solani ABF mentioned a few posts above: it is one of three my desert island tobaccos. I'll also chime in a recommendation for Storm Front, Butternut Burley, BIG N' BURLEY and a couple Mac Baren's burleys, HH Old Dark Fried and HH Bold Kentucky, as well as the delicious Peterson Irish Flake. If you wish to try a wonderful slightly aromatic burley, Boswell's Premium Burley is very flavourful with woodiness and nuts, and it is mild which makes it great for someone new to burleys.

 

[seagullplayer]

Bassbug, I predict that the longer you are off the cigarettes the more you will enjoy the pipe.
You have great times ahead.

 

[bassbug]

Thanks seagull player
Gotta ask..what model Seagull do you play?
I have one the older M6's and I think Seagull offers one of the best values out there today for guitars (Canadian company too )

 

[didimauw]

Burleys are the only kind of tobacco I can smoke without getting bitten. I also won't think of trying Virginia blends, unless half of it is burley.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

Yes, Burleys are interesting and especially when Dark Fired is added into the blend with some minor Virgina, as for Mc Barens Golden Blend personally I don't consider it being as aromatic-rather a Base Burley blend

 

[oldreddog]

Howya bassbug, Solani Aged Burley Flake is great smoke.

 

[simong]

Loads of great burley blends out there. Even when described as Kentucky, which is what it is.

 

[dottiewarden]

I love the Honey Nut Cherrios taste of Golden Extra. This blend allowed me to distinguish the Burley taste in a blend. For me it does not bite and the taste is sublime. I'm also a big fan of Peterson Irish Flake, but it's too high in the nic department for me to smoke often. I look forward to trying some of the Burley forward "must tries" like H&H Old Dark Fired by MacBaren and one called Haunted Bookshop that sounds intriguing.
Glad you're enjoying the Golden Extra/Golden Blend!

 

[perdurabo]

C&D Burley ::

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

Yes theres many great Burley especially in Americas,I find burleys can be very nuance rich if good quality leaf is used, I become to love them boldness,yet minimum bite,nevertheless I need some lighter tobacco to rotate in between,

 

[krizzose]

If you don't mind a mild aromatic, try Mac Baren Mixture Flake. It's a great Va/Bur flake. Sweet, nutty and mild. It's aromaticness comes much more from the standard Mac Baren maple sugar casing than from any sort of heavy topping.

 

[grue]

Howya bassbug, Solani Aged Burley Flake is great smoke.

This ^^^
Although not an everyday smoke for me I save it for the end of a particularly stressful day. Delicious stuff.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

for first time in my entire life discovering the Three Nuns Tobacco,pretty impressive, I not a wonderful smoke

 

[shutterbugg]

Burley encompasses a sizeable variety of tobacco. The good stuff is great, smoked straight or in a good-quality blend. Why it has a bad rep is because the lion's share of flavored aros and most OTC's are based on burley, because it is very good at absorbing the flavor of whatever it is blended, cased or topped with. As such, the aforementioned blends typically use the cheapest crap burley they can buy since it's basically used as a combustible sponge.