The cocoa scent is present in the tin. I don't know if it is natural or a topping applied to the tobacco, but I don't taste it in the smoke.

There is only the slightest hint of sweetness to this otherwise one-dimensional smoke. There is no Virginia tongue bite to deal with, so it is an easy smoke. Presentation of the flakes in the tin is quite nice. Nicotine content is medium.

Peterson Irish Flake, by the same company, has a similar appearance to the flakes, but has enough Virginia in it to make it more accessible. If you prefer English blends or Virginias and VaPers, then steer clear of Aged Burley Flake.

I recommend that you smoke it quickly because it will become bland within 2 weeks of opening.

The best Burley I have smoked!

I thoroughly enjoyed this tobacco. Upon opening the tin, I was greeted with a strong chocolate smell that was reminiscent of baking chocolate. Upon touching match to tobacco, however, I was greeted with a pleasantly mild, sweet chocolate taste. It does tend to smoke a bit hot, but with a burley flake this is to be expected. Respect it and take it slowly, and it will reply in kind.

room note: smells like i'm trapped in the middle of a bog fire. (if there's ever such thing) i'm not familiar with many different burley notes quite yet, but this one is much more strong, mossy and musky than the others i'm acquainted with as of now. put yourself on top of a mossy roof next to a stone chimney billowing with smoke in the middle of an overgrown, muddy swamp somewhere in the humid, deep south.

and i've never complained about the "burley bites" for if i have been bitten it was because i deserved it. the aged burley flake smokes cool and evenly if packed correctly and smoked at an appropriate pace. even after a re-light, although i had some issues getting reunited with the flavor, i still had no problem getting a cool smoke. so once again with a completely different blend, i'm still failing to understand everyone's problem with the "harshness" and "bitterness" of burleys, and like i said, i'm still new to non-aromatics.

i notice that ABF has a 4-star rating overall. i hope that i haven't found the best of the burley blends already, and although this may not sound like a great review, so far i've enjoyed this blend more than the others. only problem i really have is the price. i find it hard to believe this is 50g, even after rubbing it all out and relocating it to a 3-ounce jar, it still appears to be half the amount i receive of other blends. i'm counting how many bowls i get out of it...

side note: decent nicotine kick about knocked me on my ass. don't smoke on an empty stomach ha ha.

pps: it's been 20 mins and i still taste roasted moss. and yes, i love it =)

definitely recommended.

It's obviously high quality tobacco, just not for me, probably. Keep in mind that the tin is not very good at keeping the tobacco fresh and moist, so transfer into a jar if you won't smoke it within 1-2 weeks after opening

I like having a burley on hand for when I've destroyed my VA palate with latakia. Makes for a nice change of pace. ABF is expensive, though. I don't know if I'll be buying any more.

Arrives in a square tin containing 18 or so chewing-gum sized sticks of tobacco, each perfect for a pipe full. The tin aroma is primarily of aged tobacco, but also cherry and a little chocolate. But those flavors are solely from the tobacco itself, as there seems to be no added flavor or casing to this.

Fresh, this blend burns well after being fully rubbed out. It loses nothing by some drying time (which is good, because the tin design makes moisture preservation impossible short of putting the whole thing in a humidor). In fact, letting this blend dry to a crisp seems only to enhance the smoking experience.

This is a burley, clearly. But it's flavor seems to have as much to do with the tobacco quality and treatment as anything else. Closest comparison I've found is to Marlin Flake or other aged/stoved Virginias. Is it monochromatic? Yes. And that's a wonderful thing.

tobacco tin smell: smells like chocolate...wonderful. sweet chocolate.

Perfect moisture right out of the tin, into the bowl. Fold, twist and pack...that easy.

after lightning: The smoke is smooth smoother the smoothest. Very subtle sweetness, subtle nuttiness, and boy....i taste some chocolate.

Conclusion: A very elegant tobacco, honest,pure in flavor...overall dark-flavors. It's hard to describe, what do i mean with dark-flavors?!....transformed into musical terms: minor-flavors. little tart-flavour, earthy, humus-flavor. Natural...fantastic if you like this kind of blends!

give it a try.

****Update***** Another baccy, which made in on my Hall-Of-Fame-List!!! ABF is like Nate King Cole's voice: smooth & entertaining

i dont wanna miss this anymore...THANK YOU MR. SOLANI!!!

****update*** i did some research. There is a very gentle chocolate-casing. me love chocolate!!! ...just smell the tobacco...if you dont smell chocolate...i dont know, give your nose a salt-treatment ;)

***another update**** January 9th, 2010 this blend is marvelous! Thank you Mr. Ruediger!!! Enjoy this blend accompanied with a nice mellow redwine. Fits together, just like Mike Tyson and a some red boxing gloves...5 Stars.

Let it begin, then. Opening the tin, the slices resemble the cut of University Flake in compactness and packaging. The tin aroma is completely different, though: Burley is immediately identified by its inherent cocoa-ish note with traces of brown cane sugar and good coffee. A hint of fruitiness makes it more interesting.

Just like UF, this blend is pressed very tightly; it's nigh impossible to light folded; rubbed out it takes to the match readily and burns slowly and smoothly right down to the very bottom of the bowl.

The taste is not nearly as flamboyant as my favourite VAs, nor as sweet. There is the cocoa note typical of Burley, together with the accompanying dry room note which is not bad at all; as in the tin aroma, traces of sugar and coffee are in there, too. The smoke is remarkably cool, though.

Overall, a pretty good smoke; for a pure Burley, it is purely excellent. Alas, I cannot give four stars to a blend this expensive that has so little excitement on the palate to offer compared to, e.g., Marlin Flake or many pure VA flakes, which are also much more affordable. Recommended because it is truly exceptional for a Burley, and it handles very well.

The body is very nice. The smoke is silky and smooth, not harsh and hot like most other burleys that I have experienced in the past. The maker here is clearly a very skilled and careful craftsman. There is truly a nut-like quality that has eluded me with earlier burley attempts. And a level of sweetness that is light but tasty. There are NO rough edges here.

This one pairs nicely with a strong cup of coffee in the morning, or whenever you need a refreshing break. Easily an all day tobacco, except for the price. But I am not one to mark a great tobacco down for the price. No matter what my pocketbook says, this is great stuff.

People talk about "nutty" flavors, and I agree, but to me it's the earthy kind of nuts like brazil nuts and a hint of filberts. The first half of the bowl was pure earth, like fresh garden dirt. It warmed up to a combination of nuttiness and earthiness and was just plain good all the way down. To be honest I've forgotten what it tastes like fresh, but I can vouch that it's good even when crispy dry.

I have more tins, and hopefully I'll be trying some soon that's fresher. Regardless, this is a really good, tasty blend. For me it's meant for sipping. It is not overly complex, but it has enough variation and nuance to keep it interesting to the bottom if you slow down and enjoy it. Easily a four star burley.

As far as the smoking experience, they both were smokeable right out of the tin. No problem with packing or lighting for me. In both cases re-lights were minimal for flakes that were so fresh. There was no initial soapiness upon first light that I sometimes experience with BS. What I did find after several smokes of each is that the BS has more in the way of molasses flavoring; having a bittersweet taste, not cloying, adding just the right amount of sweetness to the blend that I find satisfying. I can't say that I tasted any molasses or top dressing in ABF. The ABF also was less stout in flavor and produced no throat harshness; something I at times experience with BS toward the last one third of the bowl. I have also found ABF to be mildly sweet and it was less nuttier in flavor as compared to BS. They both produced a minimum of moisture in the heel of my pipe after the first few minutes of smoking, but this soon vanished. I have found that some drying time in the tin eliminates this from the get go. Nicotine kick was stronger with BS. I conclude after many bowls of each that ABF and BS are definitively different from one another. In the short end, had I smoked both without any prior knowledge of leaf type, manufacturer, etc., I would say that ABF is a "milder version" of WBS. ABF is smoother without any inclination toward Burley harshness - even if pushed. All in all, ABF is a delightful smoke and a solid 4 star blend.

UPDATE 10-20-09: After smoking ABF and Wessex Burley Slice over the past few weeks, I tend to favor Wessex BS over ABF by a narrow margin. Where ABF is consistent from begining to end, BS starts off with that great molasses flavor I enjoy so much. Also, I find WBS to be a fuller tasting. I tried adding some molasses to some of my ABF strips which did enhance the overall flavor by adding a bit more sweetness that I would have preferred in the straight ABF. Both blends are very good and I can recommend both. I find them both to be nice variations on a Burley theme. Their noticeable differences add to - rather than distract from - my pipe smoking pleasure! In my book, both of these two fine Burleys each rate 4 stars.

UPDATE 12-30-09: Yet another update. I have a tin of ABF that I purchased 3 months ago. I popped the vacuum seal on it after purchase, closed it again and let it sit for those 3 months. After opening it today, I have found ABF to be certainly drier than when originally opened, but yet at a perfect moisture level for smoking. I'd have to say that this has greatly improved an already 4 star blend. It smoked with such flavor that I can't seem to get enough of it and smoked it all day in several different pipes. No need to add molasses to this one! Just pop the seal, close it, and let it sit for a few months and you will be in for a real treat. The sweetness certainly came to the forefront; not bittersweet like WBS and by no means cloying. I can now appreciate another reviewer's comment that ABF is sweeter than WBS in taste. All of this in addition to a full, beautiful Burley flavor. No heat or bite, and never harsh. Now that it has earned that 5th star along with Wessex Burley Slice, my biggest problem is which to choose from when I want to smoke a Burley flake. It actually reminded me of Stonehaven in flavor (minus the Champagne-like taste), and I was so surprised by this, that the difficulty in finding the elusive Stonehaven no longer bothers me in the least! If I want Champagne, I'll soak a strip or two of ABF and let it dry out before smoking.

UPDATE 4-15-10: For those interested in such things, my last 2 ABF were arranged differently in the tin. My first half dozen tins had the tobacco slices stacked atop one another in 2 rows, side by side. My last 2 tins have the slices lying side by side as bacon in a package - identical to the way K&H packages their Wessex Burley Slice. Don't worry though, as the new arangement is definitely ABF! ABF and WBS are my two favorites and there is a definite difference in taste that I have become quite accustomed to.