Respectfully, they are generally minimally cased, and seldom topped.I’ve heard the burleys C&D use are typically uncased. I wonder if this causes people to think they’re underaged.
But I think your point is well-made. I am an unapologetic C&D devotee. I like their house style. Others may not, and draw erroneous conclusions from their preferences.
When I step outside the C&D portfolio to smoke something like Orlik Golden, Escudo, Hal, or even (gasp) Esoterica, I find the additives (including flake/coin binding agents that affect the burn if not more) quite obvious and apparent