I enjoy burleys in all their simplicity and utility. I also find that bright Virginias don't always agree with me and tend to bite me pretty hard. I wasn't sure what I was getting into when I ordered some Burley & Bright but I figured it was worth a shot just to try it.

The smell from the bag was absolutely heavenly. A nice earthy burley along with some sweet notes provided by the Virginia and toppings that seem to have been very discretely applied. The cut is a nice thin ribbon bordering on shag. Other reviewers have compared it to cigarette tobacco but I don't think it's quite that fine or even smells like cigarette tobacco. This could be a versatile RYO or pipe tobacco but I wouldn't waste something like this on RYO.

Packing is an easy affair just like any ribbon cut. Just be sure that you don't pack it too tightly otherwise you'll end up with a hard draw and a wet heel from smoking too hard to keep it lit. This blend burns quite well and there have been no issues keeping it lit due to the fine cut. The first light produces a nice volume of smoke that gives an initial burst of sweetness followed by the earthy and slightly nutty burleys. The bright virginias chime in just a bit and provide a nice sweetness. The vanilla and chocolate that have been noted in the description really only seem present (and only very slightly) in the room note and when you breathe the smoke through your nose. Definitely more of a suggestion or feeling of those components and in no way out of place or intrusive.

The nicotine is in the solidly medium range and while the smoke is full bodied and mild in taste you know you've had a smoke after a bowl of this. I think this makes the perfect morning smoke along with a cup of home roasted coffee. I'm still surprised that G&H has such an offering that is almost like a Lakeland take on Half & Half or Prince Albert. This blend has very high quality leaf in it and it has earned a place in my rotation next to the likes of Prince Albert, C&D Pegasus and C&D Junkyard Dawg. Well done G&H, you've make this burleyphile a happy man.

The flavor was a very light sweetness along with a fair amount of body and "zing". The burley and virginias merged seamlessly. If I were a morning smoker, this would be a good start to the day. It burned nicely, if a little quickly, due to the shag cut. I didn't taste vanilla or chocolate but admittedly my taste buds for things outside of tobacco are a bit lacking when I'm tasting a tobacco blend. As I mentioned, there was some sweetness that isn't in straight burley or virginia tobaccos, so there is definitely some added casing. But it wasn't enough to make this an aromatic. This is a more robust smoke but not strong with some sharp flavor that isn't overwhelming. A good, occasional blend for when I want a pick-me-up.

This is a delicious and good quality Burly/Va, especially for Lakeland tobacco fans.

Burley was the dominant leaf I detected, not the Virginia. I never tasted Chocolate either but Vanilla (in its bitter, pre-processed state), might be an accurate descriptive.

For those pipe smokers among us who enjoy Prince Albert, this blend will probably be a marvelous step up in class. Personally, I thought it smoked a lot like the newest morfing of Half and Half which is another Burley and Bright blend that has been around for eons, but has changed in taste after being yo-yoed from one blending house to another.

There is a faint irish-spring freshness in the blend along with almond-joy sans chocolate tastinuss.

I like burley - I don't mind this mixture.

Images evoked include a skeleton of a chipmunk being animated by a puppeteer's strings to an audience of lobotomized criminals.