Recommended for those who wish to experience what a burley with few other additions tastes like. Just don't expect something along the same chocolatey lines as Solani Burley Flake (which is a milder, sweeter, lightly cased burley blend).

Originally purchased for adding some zing to otherwise tasty but thin blends, that on occasions left me wanting in the nicotine department, I found a pinch of #2 (IMO) solved that problem nicely.

I also found this blend has a delicious all tobacco flavor on it's own, and I frequently have some in a small bowled pipe, because this one has a little more kick than I’m used too, a small bowl does the job.. .

Overall a excellent but stronger burley blend, with no added topping that I could detect, in it's aroma or taste. I also found no tongue bite, and #2 is easy to manage. Probably because of #2's strength, there was no “need or want”, to get aggressive with this stuff, those two issues seem to take care of themselves! As is, or as a enhancer, I would think most burley smokers would find this stuff both interesting and satisfying.

My first tin seemed to sour about halfway through, morphing into something that tasted very bitter and smelled similar to cow dung - literally. I contacted C&D about this and they quickly replaced it with a new tin, which smelled and tasted fine. I am constantly impressed with C&D's committment to customer satisfaction.

The tobacco seems a bit moist when the tin is first opened but I've had no problem getting it lit and burning. The crumbly flakes are easier to rub out than to smoke whole to me but I've smoked it both ways. I have heard a number of people say that burley does better in a large bowl, so this is what I initially used for BF2. I was not very impressed - mostly a flat taste with bitter notes toward the bottom of the bowl. It wasn't until I tried breaking up the flakes and smoking them in a smaller bowl that the blend really came alive for me. In a medium-sized Kaywoodie or Grabow billiard, I get a smooth, consistent burley with not a little Virginia sweetness throughout the bowl. I enjoy this blend enough to keep coming back to it and it's in my regular rotation.

Without hesitation, I'd recommend this blend to all burley lovers as they will likely be prepared for what BF2 delivers. I'd also recommended it to other smokers who wish to try burley with the advice that their results may be somewhat dependent on the pipe.

If you need the nicotine kick and don't mind somewhat bitter tobaccos, this might be for you.

The flakes are familiarly C&D—that is, fairly thick in the slicing and more loosely pressed than most other flakes. Tin aroma is slightly grassy with a mild, chutney-like sweet-and-sour quality. Moisture levels were well-nigh perfect and I decided to rub out the flakes on most occasions.

Truth is, nothing I did seem to make any difference with this flake. Rubbed out, folded and stuffed, rolled into a plug, fresh from the tin, dried, aged for six months…Burley Flake #2 remained irredeemably dull. On the palate, the smoke remained a little bitter and a little astringent. The smoking qualities were fine—dry, biteless, pleasingly smoky—but the flavors are painfully muted. I confess that I consigned the last half dozen bowls of the tin to rolling papers, and it seemed to fare much better there. Burley Flake #2 now occupies the top of my list in the cigarette-ish pipe tobacco category.

It’s entirely possible that my expectations were too high for this flake from the start. I’m a huge fan of numerous C&D blends and C&D Burleys in particular—Epiphany and Old Joe Krantz, for example, are favorites. I suppose that in those tobaccos the condimental leaf rounds out the Burley base in ways that are more appealing to me than does the red Virginia in this flake.

It’s also true that in the back of my mind, I may have been looking for a local competitor to my all-time favorite Burley, Solani’s Aged Burley Flake. If so, Burley Flake #2 falls way short of the Solani standard. Where the Solani product benefits from the aromatic hangover of standard Burley casings such as cocoa and coffee, Burley Flake #2 seems pale and thin tasting because of their apparent absence. Some will no doubt prefer #2 because of this. But I'm afraid that I'm not one of them. I prefer more richness, depth, fatness, oomph...whatever you want to call it.

I’m still looking forward to hearing the rest of the quartet, but I can’t say that Burley Flake #2 has lit a fire under my easy chair and inspired me to pop them open any time soon.

The ingredients are easy enough to summarize: Nothing here but burley and a splash of deep red Virginia, just enough to add (as the tin description says) a little sweetness. The flavor is bold and rich, reminiscent of coffee or dark chocolate, and deepens as the smoke develops. Although the taste intensifies as the bowl progresses, don't expect much complexity here other than a gradually building sweetness. C&D has finally mastered the art of manufacturing gorgeous flakes, and if you smoke them intact you will have a very long, relaxing smoke.

This blend appeals to me for other reasons. One, it has close to zero tongue bite for me, which I consider to be a huge plus. Also, the nicotine content is higher than found in most C&D or GLP blends. Old Joe Krantz, Billy Budd, Haddo's Delight -- none of them pack the wallop that Burley Flake #2 carries, so I'd recommend using a small bowl. It's probably not overly strong for those of us who smoke Lakeland flakes, but I would NOT recommend this to a newbie or aromatic smoker.

If I have a complaint (and I'm not sure that I do), it's that for all this blend's power there is still a certain delicacy to the flavor that requires a dedicated pipe, which is unusual for a burley. Put another way, while "complex" is certainly not a term I'd use to describe BF#2, there ARE some subtle notes that get lost if you don't devote a briar to it.

I was very pleased with this blend, and more than a little surprised. I wasn't expecting a clone of Edgeworth Sliced or other American classics, but I had expected something that at least would evoke their memory. However, this doesn't remind me of any American flake or burley I've ever tried, as it lacks the sweetness of even the plainest of those. Heck, Prince Albert can be fairly described as a heavily-cased aromatic compared to this! In fact, I think I'll summarize my review by saying that BF #2 seems basically to be an American interpretation of British classics like Stonehaven or some of the darker English flakes from the Lakeland blenders, only with no hint of added flavorings and less of an emphasis on the Virginia. There were times, in fact, when I was inclined to think of this as a "lite" version of G&H's unscented Dark Flake --the quality and attention to detail is certainly there, but the overall effect is a bit gentler.

I don't believe that VA afficiandos or those who prefer sweet smokes will like this very much, but those who like their coffee black as pitch will likely fall head over heels for it.

This has excellent if monodimensional flavor. I have not yet smoked #3 but this one is not nearly as complex as #1. In this one, the inclusion of virginia seems an afterthought but I do believe it provides some of the flavor. But essentially this is a burley blend - hefty, full and robust. As someone else hinted at, this redefines what a straight burley can be. It lacks all but the slightest hint of sweetness and surprisingly doesn't really taste of the usual "nutty burley" to me. It seems more earthy to me (yet another traditional burley descriptor) and in that respect, this could be considered bland by someone reading this review. Somehow this blend escapes that designation but I'm clueless as to how.

Recommended for those who love burley. In fact, for those who love burley, this is a "must try" blend. 3 stars for my own personal taste, 4 stars for what I believe to be a stroke of blending genius.

I give it a light rub out, and stuff it in, packing loosely. With about three lights, it cruises to the bottom of the bowl. Very smooth smoker, with no bite, but a very full burley flavor. So far, I think this is the best burley I have smoked. You have to be a lover of stout burley blends to like this, but highly recommended.

To me this may be the "mildest" of the three (No. 1, 2, and 3 of C&D), but is still on the strong side.

Here burley again dominates, but I taste more of the white or milder burley used in blends years ago.

Maybe closer to UK Edgeworth Slices (no, not the same), but rubs out more easy.

So far my favorite as it is milder and can be puffed more often if one choses.

What a treat if you like burley.