Solani 656 Aged Burley Flake: Myth or Legend?
- Thread starter MRW
- Start date
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
Site Sponsors
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
I agree with the premise it seems a bit short sighted to state "its burley, it won't age". A few months ago I asked a question What to Cellar for Improvement?. Now the question on cellaring changed from what to age to what do you want to smoke in the long run and got because of the question deeper into the topic. Tobacco is never one straight leaf. The example is a flake, so several plants have to be dried, shredded to ribbons, pressed under steam and then there is no chance a few plants or leafs will get in with a somewhat other consistency or sugar content? Doubt it. Also if I look at the flake I see specs of different colors.
Now on the question of if the leaf is aged.... Doubt it also. There are cigar brands like Padron and certain Habanos releases that guarantee you a cigar which is rolled from 8 year old pillons or from a certain plant stock, specially fermented and rolled by the most skilled rollers. But these come at a hefty premium, the investment costs upfront compared to a younger and shorter fermented leaf are quite big. A tin of this is for me cheaper than a tin of HH Burley flake (for example) with a 2 euro margin between both. So why put the Aged in it? Because of the 6 weeks of pressing? Don't think so.
On the tobacco; I first found it boring, just earthy and flat, no cocoa which I look for when smoking a burley. Persistent as I am I have a tin open 3 months without jarring it and it hit a switch with getting a molasses / brown sugar sweetness. I actually enjoyed it now more, which shows for me the effect on opening it for a longer time. Still not something I would cellar, but still maybe a here and there additional to a TAD/Cellar order.
Now on the question of if the leaf is aged.... Doubt it also. There are cigar brands like Padron and certain Habanos releases that guarantee you a cigar which is rolled from 8 year old pillons or from a certain plant stock, specially fermented and rolled by the most skilled rollers. But these come at a hefty premium, the investment costs upfront compared to a younger and shorter fermented leaf are quite big. A tin of this is for me cheaper than a tin of HH Burley flake (for example) with a 2 euro margin between both. So why put the Aged in it? Because of the 6 weeks of pressing? Don't think so.
On the tobacco; I first found it boring, just earthy and flat, no cocoa which I look for when smoking a burley. Persistent as I am I have a tin open 3 months without jarring it and it hit a switch with getting a molasses / brown sugar sweetness. I actually enjoyed it now more, which shows for me the effect on opening it for a longer time. Still not something I would cellar, but still maybe a here and there additional to a TAD/Cellar order.
It's a really good tobacco and has a great taste. On the con side I find it hard to manage, especially when it's fresh out of the tin and still moist. It requires a lot of drying time before I can work my way down a bowl of it.
It's not as bad as some of the SG flakes but not far away for me at least.
Wessex Burley Slice is fairly similar but it's also hard to get nowadays.
It's not as bad as some of the SG flakes but not far away for me at least.
Wessex Burley Slice is fairly similar but it's also hard to get nowadays.
One need only consider the outstanding quality of Edgeworth Slices, even after having sat dried for seventy years, for an understanding of the aging potential of good Burley.
HU - is this a European only product? I never see this brand when shopping.
"English is not my native language. I so sorry".
Aha, so you're American then
Seriously though, when I was able to smoke, ABF was a regular in my rotation....still have a few tins left I believe.
Regards,
Jay.
Aha, so you're American then
Seriously though, when I was able to smoke, ABF was a regular in my rotation....still have a few tins left I believe.
Regards,
Jay.
Burley matures as it ages but it doesn't change much per se. It mellows and becomes more full and sometimes more rich. The tastes of the other components in the blend will marry up with the burley and create a smooth smoke quite often. Haunted Bookshop as an example really rounds out over a few years in a jar. It becomes more complete in my opinion.
Burleys are less likely to mold. That's a good thing and makes long term cellaring a better bet.
Oh another opportunity to bash Aged Boring Flake. It’s boring. Not bad, just boring. A friend who was too bored of finishing his tin gave me a couple of flakes. Tasted like a mouthful of soil. Decided to let my own tin stay unopened and aged some more years. Opened it last year, after 3 years in the drawer. There are still some jarred flakes left of this ultra boring tobacco. The veneration on TR and here to an extent make it even more annoying to me.
The flakes are perfect, it is a K&K product so they know to make great flakes, the taste is non-existent if not dried to a crisp, and mouthful of soil if dried. So yeah, it’s aged, it’s boring, it’s Aged Boring Flake
The flakes are perfect, it is a K&K product so they know to make great flakes, the taste is non-existent if not dried to a crisp, and mouthful of soil if dried. So yeah, it’s aged, it’s boring, it’s Aged Boring Flake
In my mesgre time of actually looking at tobacco online I've seen it in stock once, so I console myself with the readily available HH Burley Flake instead.
