| Pouch Aroma: This is such a sweet, marshmallow-like smell that it?s hard to believe it is not topped with something. It is presented as an English blend, which should mean that no toppings are included. I simply do not have enough experience with Burley blends to be able to tell.
Appearance: Brown tobacco in mostly long pieces. My sample is just the right moisture for smoking.
Initial flavor: Great Burley flavor on the first match. Just a little astringent with a hints of sweetness, mostly evident when the smoke is exhaled through the nostrils.
Mid bowl: I let the pipe go out mid-bowl to see what a re-light would do for the tobacco. The second lighting brings forth a rush of sweetness to rival the aroma of the tobacco in the pouch. It is very smooth, sweet, and well-behaved, with no sign yet of the much-discussed ?Burley curse.? The tobacco has a nutty flavor mixed with the sweetness. Again, the sweetness may be a flavoring of some sort. The nicotine content seems to be pretty high here.
Finish: The tobacco does seem to lose its flavor near the end of the bowl. It finishes in a small amount of black and gray ash. I didn?t get tongue bite from this tobacco, though it seems as if it could bite if smoked too quickly.
Summary: If there is a ?Burley curse? involved with this tobacco, it is limited to the waning of flavor at the bowl?s end. The room aroma should be please everyone around you. Overall, it is a very nice, uncomplicated tobacco. A small bowl of it is a good change-of-pace from the Latakia blends I normally smoke, and I will be buying this one again. Highly recommended.
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