Cornell & Diehl Burley Flake #3

(3.42)
Burley Flake #3 is a blend of cool burning burley and rich, dark fired Kentucky which team up with a bit of fine Virginia for the natural sweetness and welcome fragrance. Lastly, C&D added a dash of perique for additional nuance.

Details

Brand Cornell & Diehl
Blended By Cornell & Diehl
Manufactured By Cornell & Diehl
Blend Type Burley Based
Contents Burley, Kentucky, Perique, Virginia
Flavoring
Cut Flake
Packaging 2 ounce tin
Country United States
Production Currently available

Profile

Strength
Strong
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Tolerable
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Full
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming

Average Rating

3.42 / 4
31

16

8

0

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 55 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 11, 2013 Strong None Detected Full Tolerable to Strong
The sweet and sour burleys provide a ton of of earth, wood, nuts, toast, dry sharpness, some spice, slight molasses and cocoa. The dark fired Kentucky offers a burst of spice, floralness, earth, wood, some herbs and vegetation, and nuts as a strong player. The aspects of the Virginia are grass, bread, tart and tangy citrusy sweetness that take the edge off in a condimental role. I think there's more than just a "dash of perique" in this blend. The earthy, woody perique adds a very noticeable spice, plum and raisin hit. It’s a couple of notches above the Virginia. Won’t bite, and has some moderately rough edges. The strength hits the strong threshold, and the taste is full. The nic-hit is just past the center of medium to strong. Burns cool and clean and a little slow, and requires some relights, but the bold, rich flavor remains consistent to the finish. Leaves little moisture in the bowl. Has a lingering after taste, and stronger room note. Obviously not an all day smoke, but the deep taste may cause you to revisit it sometime during your smoking day. I recommend a slow to moderate puffing cadence. It won't hurt to have a little food in your stomach, too.

-JimInks
42 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Apr 04, 2010 Medium to Strong None Detected Medium to Full Pleasant to Tolerable
Several things about this blend jump out at me. First, this is the quickest I've ever gone through a tin of tobacco, to the best of my memory. I got going and could not put this down.

Second, this is indeed a lighter version of Old Joe Krantz, as has been mentioned. It is also OJK's much more refined younger brother. Where OJK blasts full steam ahead without a whit of elegance, BF #3 subdues the harshness of its sibling and provides all the flavor. No asbestos tongue or iron lungs needed.

Finally, I had read about "cigar notes" in pipe tobacco and indeed even made reference to same. I did not know what I was talking about until I smoked this. This takes the medium-full flavor of burleys, virginia and perique and the sum is all that AND the robust smoothness of a fine light wrapper Honduran... not too strong, but with a nice cigar-type boldness. The combination was captivating! I've been excited about a lot of blends over the last couple of years but this is one of the three that I can't say enough good things about (C&D's Epiphany and McC's Royal Cajun Ebony being the other two).

Try this if you enjoy burley with a sprinkling of VA and perique, and if you occasionally enjoy a fine (mild) cigar.
32 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Aug 31, 2014 Very Strong None Detected Full Tolerable
If I was asked to describe this blend in one word that word would be "strong". In every sense of the term. The tin I got was only a few months old but the tin had already started bulging, so my guess is that it would age like a dream. Out of the tin it smells like a pre-hamster hamster cage, like fermented wood chips with a little sweetness. Definitely off-putting to non-smokers and noobs. Packing a bowl of this is easier with the rub method as the flakes sort of disintegrate as I pick them up. The taste takes a big departure from the tin note. You can definitely tell it's a burley blend but the flavors are beefed up. It has a taste like potatoes and marinated steak (in that order). Sounds silly but I'm sticking with it. The vitamin-N will definitely knock you on your behind, but in a small bowl it's easy enough to handle. I normally HATE high vitamin-N blends but this is the exception. It hits you hard about halfway into the bowl but doesn't really increase from that point, so if you can survive the initial hit you're golden. The room note is not a winner because it retains that hamster cage smell, so this is a solitude smoke for sure.

Side note: I wrote this like lightning after smoking a bowl's worth, so if you got thinking work to do this blend will be your friend.
Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum Pony Express
25 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 14, 2015 Extremely Strong None Detected Full Tolerable
Just finished this tin that had been sitting around for a while. My thoughts on this blend is that it is a bulldozer, which is not a surprise as it is made by C&D and the purpose is to highlight the burley.

This is one thing I do like about C&D blends, they will never let you down in the nicotine department, but this one also has a good amount of perique in it which just puts it over what I can enjoyably tolerate. If you think OJK is too strong, don't even bother with this one, it will knock you out.

As to the taste it is nutty and a little "raisiny" due to the perique, but it will take a very slow cadence to get there. This will turn ashy at the slightest provocation and any rushed smoking will also accelerate the already heavy nicotine in this one. I really didn't like this too much and likely won't buy it again, but will still have to try the other BFs as this is the only one I have had to date. So I somewhat recommend this to the person who just needs a lot of nicotine. As for burley itself, I would prefer Pegasus over this blend as I think it nuttier, still strong, and overall a more pleasurable smoke.

As for the perique element, I would go OJK or haunted bookshop over this blend as they are more forgiving to technique and still strong, but I would rather smoke Hal O' the Wynd to any of them as I feel Perique better suited against a majority of Virginia to Burley on the whole, but we all have our different tastes and some do love this blend. Two stars for me and the quality of leaf that is in all C&D blends.
17 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Oct 25, 2012 Strong None Detected Full Pleasant to Tolerable
I have read and been told that C&D knows their burley. This is the first burley flake of theirs that I've tried, and if this is what their burley is like, then the rumors are true. I thought I usually found burley to be pretty boring and sometimes hard to even taste. Not this blend. This has a very robust flavor. It is a beefy tobacco, fully of body, flavor, and nicotine. Normally I'm not a fan of hard hitters in the N department, but this blend is an exception. Much like Jackknife Plug, I have to make sure I've eaten a full meal before I smoke this. But when I have, I can't wait to smoke it. I don't see this tin lasting very long.

If you're new to burleys, or haven't yet tried them, this is a great one to try. There is enough VA and Perique in there to sweeten it slightly. It has just the perfect amount of moisture, in my opinion -- soft to the touch, but not in the least bit moist. The somewhat broken flake falls apart, but I still leave it in thick "stalks", and I have no problem at all keeping this lit. This is actually the easiest to keep lit flake (or broken flake, in this case) tobacco I've smoked.
11 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
May 07, 2017 Very Strong Extremely Mild Full Strong
Cornell & Diehl - Burley Flake #3.

Of the four Cornell & Diehl Burley flakes I've only reviewed #1 to date. Here's my thoughts on #3:

The blend is presented as dark flakes that are beginning to break apart, making for easy filling. The moisture looks good, and it gives off a sharp aroma.

The smoking quality: lighting #3 is easy, and the burn's good. Out of all of the leaves the one I get the most of is the Kentucky. On my first bowl I found it too much, but after a few I began to notice more flavour: an almost sticky, sweet, quality. I find the Perique quite far down in the profile, and the same goes for the Virginia; but even further down. I get no tongue bite from it, and the temperature of #3 is cool.

The smokes build is of a heavy weight, making the room-note bad, and the nic's very strong.

Could I smoke B.F.#3. regularly? No way, far too strong, in flavour and nicotine. But it deserves more than one star, based on quality:

Somewhat recommended.
Pipe Used: Eric Nording, and Pete'
PurchasedFrom: Smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: Five months
10 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 05, 2016 Strong None Detected Full Tolerable
Conclusion: A fantastic smoke; consistent, complex and always a winner. If you are looking for something flavourful and strong this will rock your world.

Taste: Surprisingly floral, if I did not know better I would have thought that it was topped. It is not sweet, though, and the herb-like notes are most likely due to the perique. That same perique plays very well with the burley in adding some heat and spice to the smoke, I would almost compare the experience to having a plate of thai food; there is a burn that stings ones mouth and sinuses initially, but once that initial burn mellows out it reveals a lot of flavour. These flavours include said floral notes, but also a somewhat salty taste from, I suspect, the burley and a tiny sweetness coming off of the virginia. As I said though, this is not a sweet blend, the virginia sweetness is pretty much embedded within the perique. So I would say that the perique is the main player here, it dominates without blocking out the other flavours. One can quickly tell who is in charge, I can't think of a better way to put it, and I have no problems with the boss! This is the best use of perique that I have so far encountered, I like VaPers just as much as the next man but this BurPer brought out something extra from the perique. I have smoked this both rubbed out and "folded" (the flakes come broken so folded means "not rubbed") and I find that the latter makes for a more complex smoke. It also makes for a slow burning, rather long smoke so make sure to have some time to spare. This is a full bodied smoke.

Mechanics: Burns clean and needs very few relights, a dry smoke, no bite and heavy on the nicotine.
Pipe Used: Cobs and briars
Age When Smoked: Approximately 8 months
7 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 18, 2021 Medium to Strong None Detected Medium to Full Pleasant to Tolerable
The tin note is a dark fruit with some earthy tobacco. It smells really good. The "flake" is mostly rubbed out pressed medium ribbon in shades of dark brown and a little tan. It comes a little more moist than most C&D blends. I crumbled it with my fingers into my palm and codger scooped to load. I smoked it as delivered and did not dry it before smoking.

Smoked, this is burley forward as you might guess from the name. I am getting an earthy full taste from the burley. The dark fruit in the tin note comes through slightly in the smoking, and there are a few sweet notes that are the perique/Va contribution. There is a nose tickle which I attribute to the DFK. Mostly this blend is burley goodness.

I found this very good and suited to my tastes. It is only available in a 2 oz tin, and so the price point will mean it is relegated to a treat or change of pace. This is an easy 3. I will get more. If you are a burley fan, you will enjoy this.

Note: This is probably my favorite of the the C&D Burley Flake blends so far. I have not tried #5 yet.
6 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 25, 2018 Strong None Detected Full Strong
I could not put my finger on it but one reviewer said sourdough as the tin note and it's spot on. I've had Kentucky from other companies before and didn't much care for it, but this is different. It doesn't taste or smell like the HH line of dark fired. This has a more natural flavor, although it's still bold. The Virginia proportions are perfect with the burley. This is rich and complicated. Good stuff.
Pipe Used: Briar and Cob
6 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
May 26, 2016 Medium None Detected Medium to Full Pleasant to Tolerable
I think people who say they don't like burleys owe it to themselves to try Cornell & Diehl' s Burley Flake series. They have mastered this leaf. #3 is my favorite strictly for my fondness of Perique, because it has plenty of it. BF #3 IMO, is a more smooth and refined version of Old Joe Krantz, making it a more palatable blend to a wider range of smokers. BF #3 gives you a full, nutty flavor with a nice tang from the virginias. The Perique adds the nice plum notes along with plenty of the wonderful pepper sensations. Being burley based, it is a full tobacco blend that will definitely satisfy. Beautiful mottled flakes and a great tin note.
6 people found this review helpful.
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