Is Burley Taboo

[Amberbeth84]

+1 to D&R blends. Their two timer is an excellent and simple burley if one wants to experiment with it.

I just got a couple ounces of Two Timer today and I have to say I loved it. Thank you for the recommendation, @Davo. Simple, but very satisfying. I got a couple other D&R blends on this order, but so far I have to say the Two Timer is easily my favorite of the bunch. Now to try it blended with some Picayune before I call it a night.

 

[Davo]

I just got a couple ounces of Two Timer today and I have to say I loved it. Thank you for the recommendation, @Davo. Simple, but very satisfying. I got a couple other D&R blends on this order, but so far I have to say the Two Timer is easily my favorite of the bunch. Now to try it blended with some Picayune before I call it a night.

For a different take on simple burley, try C&D dark burley. It’s much rougher and more malty, and while I prefer two timer (actually nothing compares to home grown), the dark burley forms the base of my favourite blend haunted bookshop. For something more fancy, Wessex burley slice comes highly recommended. I haven’t tried it yet but have a couple of tins in the cellar. Also give Sutlif Edgeworth match and Edward G Robinson a go if you want some different OTC examples. Macbaren ODF is a must try, both straight and as a blend condiment. I also love newminster 403 and Kendall Kentucky. But honestly, Dons dark fired kicks everyone’s arse. If I could still import tobacco to NZ, with the exception of Lakeland’s blends and a few buffer pounds of two timer, I would only purchase stuff from WLT.

Edit: sutlif do a revelation match which really opened my eyes to the possibility of burley forward blends that use other leaves as condiments. I’m so glad I took the time to try a 2oz sample of a wide range of commercial blends before stumbling upon whole leaf

 

[CobGuy]

Burley is King … it doesn't get the love it should around here!
If you haven't already, give Uhle's Blend 00 a try as it's right up there with Two Timer, maybe even better.

~Darin

 

[Davo]

A question for you fellow burlephiles (burlites? Burlesques?), what are the significant differences you notice between homegrown/whole leaf and commercial burley blends? Taking the obvious lack of casings aside, I’ve found my own stuff, as well as purchased burley and Maryland whole leaf to have a much more cigar note to it. I get a lot more earthy and Cinnamon notes than the intense nuttiness. Do you have similar experiences? Is it Due to processing, aging/kilning/fermenting, the variety Used or casings and humectants involved?

 

[CobGuy]

Is it Due to processing, aging/kilning/fermenting, the variety Used or casings and humectants involved?

Yes.

Without significant aging, Burley can be fairly harsh and thus all the toasting / casing / etc.
For homegrown and whole leaf, about 6 weeks in the kiln with a few months rest makes it a beautiful smoke.
Also, variety of Burley and stalk position of the leaf makes a huge difference.
Those lower leaves of something commercial like TN-90 are much more vegetal / nutty than the upper leaves, IMO.

~Darin

 

[Davo]

Yes.

Without significant aging, Burley can be fairly harsh and thus all the toasting / casing / etc.
For homegrown and whole leaf, about 6 weeks in the kiln with a few months rest makes it a beautiful smoke.
Also, variety of Burley and stalk position of the leaf makes a huge difference.
Those lower leaves of something commercial like TN-90 are much more vegetal / nutty than the upper leaves, IMO.

~Darin

I should add that I am happy with the cinnamon/spice/almost floral vibe and I don’t find it harsh in the slightest. I was just curious about the lack of nuttiness. I might try toasting some leaf to see how this affects the flavour. In hindsight, it probably is mainly due to the variety I grew. While marked as ‘burley’ seed, I think it’s probably field/cross pollinated and actual could be Catterton anyways

 

[Davo]

Another factor I just thought of: I have only smoked homegrown/whole leaf burley based either stogies or processed in quite a coarse cut (Pressed into plug and then roughly chopped). Could the length/size of each piece of leaf that is burning give a different flavour nuance than say if it was processed as a ribbon? Just musing that’s all

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

I found that pressed Goose Creek (not a burley, but air cured nonetheless), like pressed to the point of squeezing dark brown goo out of it, has more of a cigar note than shredded Goose Creek.

 

[Davo]

I’ve been playing around lately trying to come up with daily burley blend which is along the lines of haunted Bookshop. I’m gonna start tweaking the individual components but I’m happy with the ratios - have increased burley up and down by 10% but I like where it sits now.

2 parts burley (used cube cut plug that had a bit of Maryland dac 88 in it too)

2 parts bright leaf (mainly want something red va forward, I used my ‘captain cook’ blend. A stoved va plug, sliced and rubbed out to ribbon. It’s about 60% red and orange leaf, the rest being lemon, va bright and double bright)

1 part perique (Roughly chopped/granulated loosely and then fully dried out)

Second half of the bowl really hits the spot.

 

[CobGuy]

Sounds good to me … maybe more like Old Joe than Haunted?

 

[Davo]

Sounds good to me … maybe more like Old Joe than Haunted?

Unfortunately I never got to try Old Joe. So I’ll have to take your word for it. Either way, I tried the match again this morning after it had been sitting blended for a few days and I honestly prefer it to the original. The toughness of the burley seems to have mellowed slightly and getting a bit more of that vegetal flavour too.

 

[Indianapiper]

Burley is a monster to novice DIY cigarette smokers. Most people have heard of it and its name recognition is its downfall. Like with Flue Cured types of tobacco, people think all they have to do is shred, stuff, smoke. Nothing can be further from the truth when is comes to Burley. Because Burley requires so much work to make it palatable, we just don't carry it, but offer Maryland 609 in its place because Maryland can get close to the effect Burley has in a blend without all the work.

This might help add to the confusion of classes and types.

Detailed explanations of Classes and Types of Tobacco

Class. One of the major divisions of leaf tobacco based on the distinct characteristics of the tobacco caused by differences in varieties, soil and climatic conditions, and the methods of cultivation, harvesting, and curing. Type. A subdivision of a class of leaf tobacco, having certain...

fairtradetobacco.com

What about it makes it so much harder to be palatable? I notice people grow it here, but I have no skill in a garden and have bad clay pack soil. ‘

What is the flavor of Maryland like as compared to burley.

 

[deluxestogie]

Most of the burley grown commercially is purchased by cigarette manufacturers, who toast it, roast it, and cajole it, for blending into their cigarettes. So commercially grown burley is not routinely fermented (or kilned) like cigar tobaccos. When I obtain commercially grown burley, or with my home-grown burley, I always kiln it before use. That makes all the difference in the world.

Burley varieties tend to consistently possess an aroma usually characterized as "nutty". Aside from that attribute, Maryland is similar in its blending properties, and its effect on the final blend's smoke pH, which determines mouth feel, tongue bite, etc.

Bob

EDIT: Also...Welcome to the forum. Feel free to introduce yourself in the Introduce Yourself forum. Check out the WLT Wiki (link above) for discussions of various tobacco types.

 

[Indianapiper]

Most of the burley grown commercially is purchased by cigarette manufacturers, who toast it, roast it, and cajole it, for blending into their cigarettes. So commercially grown burley is not routinely fermented (or kilned) like cigar tobaccos. When I obtain commercially grown burley, or with my home-grown burley, I always kiln it before use. That makes all the difference in the world.

Burley varieties tend to consistently possess an aroma usually characterized as "nutty". Aside from that attribute, Maryland is similar in its blending properties, and its effect on the final blend's smoke pH, which determines mouth feel, tongue bite, etc.

Bob

EDIT: Also...Welcome to the forum. Feel free to introduce yourself in the Introduce Yourself forum. Check out the WLT Wiki (link above) for discussions of various tobacco types.

Thank you sir, I’ll get to the introduction forum as soon as I get off work.
So your saying most commercial burley isn’t Milner or fermented? Even pipe blends like C&D burley’s? Is WLT dark air cured better prepared from its manufacturer’s than burley?(kilned or fermented)

When you say aroma are you talking about smell or taste? I have little care for smell but a nutty taste is to my liking.

 

[deluxestogie]

Commercial burley is not kilned or fermented.
How tobacco is handled and processed by blenders, like C&D, is usually a well kept secret.
WLT dark air-cured is more potent than burley, and is used for its purposes as is.
The sense organs of taste are limited to salt, sweet, sour, bitter, and umami. "Nutty" is always a smell. Sorry.

Bob

 

[Indianapiper]

Commercial burley is not kilned or fermented.
How tobacco is handled and processed by blenders, like C&D, is usually a well kept secret.
WLT dark air-cured is more potent than burley, and is used for its purposes as is.
The sense organs of taste are limited to salt, sweet, sour, bitter, and umami. "Nutty" is always a smell. Sorry.

Bob

Nuts have a distinct taste to me. I thought that the taste bud differentiation thing was a myth that was busted.

Regarding the wlt dark air cured does it suffer the same problems as commercial burley? I know it is slit stronger but how is it’s taste compared to burley.

I’m sorry for being stuck on this as the commercial burley I like is nutty and earthy and is a taste I want to shoot for. Thank you for the discussion and information sir, I appreciate it.

 

[deluxestogie]

how is it’s taste compared to burley

I'm afraid I can't answer that. While many folks use food analogies with regard to tobacco, it's all so subjective and non-transferable that you will just have to give them a try. What is the sound of one hand clapping?

Bob

 

[Indianapiper]

I'm afraid I can't answer that. While many folks use food analogies with regard to tobacco, it's all so subjective and non-transferable that you will just have to give them a try. What is the sound of one hand clapping?

Bob

Of course you are correct I’ll need to try it myself, I was just trying to get an idea of what I was in for. lol I guess I’m just spoiled by jiminks tobacco reviews.

I downloaded your e book and can’t wait to blend my way through it!

 

[plantdude]

What is the sound of one hand clapping?

I was going to ask the tree, but it fell in the woods while no one was around Couldn't just leave that one out there

So do burley varieties ever have any use in cigar tobaccos?

 

[deluxestogie]

do burley varieties ever have any use in cigar tobaccos?

I have rolled many a cigar with kilned burley red tips in the blend. Very light colored burley used to be a common cigar wrapper in the US, prior to the 1970s. I believe that Munimaker Connecticut Cigars Judges Cave used to be wrapped in burley.

While a small strip of burley in a blend provides a nice flavor, burley tends to be more hygroscopic than cigar varieties, so the butt can become soggy. The same happens with a burley wrapper.

Bob