BriarWorks International Country Lawyer

A fairly stout and tasty blend. The core of this consists of the earthy, nutty, woody, and smoky notes of the DFK, Orientals and Cigar Leaf. Those are surrounded by notes of hay and dark fruit with a fair amount of sweetness and spice. A wide array of flavors and nuances. Burns a little quick, but stays cool enough. A lovely smoke.

Body is mostly medium, but pushes the upper limit. Taste is medium to full. No added flavorings. Near perfect burn.

Ive been enjoying cigar-leaf blends lately. This jar is from 2016 and has developed substantially from the first few smokes. The charring light has a rich syrupy note from the black cavendish but settles down. The musty/earthy cigar leaf is present in every puff but is complemented by the floral notes of the Izmir and woody notes of the Kentucky leaf. The Virginia is sweet and earthy. Originally I found the black cavendish out of balance in this blend but after some time in the mason jar it has evened out. It helps keep the smoke cool and adds a nice brown sugar sweetness. There's some spice to this blend with cinnamon and black pepper notes popping up now and then. Better room note than most cigar-leaf blends too. This blend really grew on me and now I'm constantly chasing that exotic cigar leaf flavor!

This is unfair on my part but I wanted to get this out there...as it is based on a single bowl...so call it an "initial impression" rather than a review. This blend falls into one of my favorite genres...what I call a Turkish melange. In other words a mix of base plus condimental tobaccos, in this case VA as the base plus Turkish (likely Izmir) and Cigar Leaf. It reminds me of several John Patton blends, notably Crossroads, Oriental Dusk & Darkhorse. The VA is there in ribbon and Flake so the burn is slowed (note: very long burn with a good volume of smoke) and the flavor notes of the Turkish and Cigar Leaf play back and forth. Delightful. Slight salty flavors, a iittle sharp as opposed to round. But yes, the Cigar notes were pretty much ever present. Comes dry and burns well. Although the flavors were evident I didn't feel this was a STRONG blend in that regard. I thought the N level was medium or a bit lower. Not a blend for everyone...but for me, gangbusters. No Latakia! Loved it. Very impressed with the tobaccos used, the jar & the balanced touch. Very nice.

Deep, rich, pure tobacco taste with a hefty nicotine punch. The powerful, spicy orientals are, to me, at the centre off this blend. It's like a camel on crack with some smokiness from the DFK. Naturally sweet from the VA, more earthy and bready than citrusy. The only downside this blend has can give you a rather unpleasant and dry aftertaste. If you're drinking something and puffing slowly it shouldn''t be a problem though. NOT an all-day smoke. Save this one for the evening or after a big meal with some drinks.

Taste remains full & varied throughout the bowl assuming you smoke slowly and don't relight an absurd number off times. Easier to spoil the taste that way than with most blends. If you burn it too hot it starts tasting way too much like a cigarette. Perfect moisture. Mostly burns evenly to gray dust but there's usually a few twigs in there (very few, doesn't ruin anything imo).

Highly recommended for fans off smokey and spicy blends. I have a theory that long time snus consumers like myself (or cigar smokers, but that goes without saying) will enjoy this more than most.

It is what it is. A cigar flavored pipe tobacco. Does it taste like a cigar? To some extent. It’s not a cigar either. The cigar leaf gives some pepperyness (a’la maduro) but not overpowering. Jar note is sweet, almost Raisin like. It’s listed as an aromatic and there might be topping but I can’t detect what (maybe a hair molasses?) It’s an earthy flavor with hefty cedar notes. Not too overpowering or punchy. Maybe the smoke is a little cigarette like. It’s a great slow smoke, the flavors open up well if you pay close attention. The base tobaccos settle well on top of each other, creating a well-balanced flavor. No description of the base tobaccos, I do detect unsweetened cavendish, burley, maybe aged virginia. Smoked in a broken in pipe and a barely used one, about the same. No bite unless you smoke it too hard, little bite sometimes on re-lights. Strength is around MB Scottish mixture but more spice and less lingering sweetness. Nicotine can fool you as it can creep up on you 2/3 through the bowl, even in a smaller pipe. It’s lack of overpowering sweetness made it one of my top favorites.

Here’s an underappreciated gem that I am pleased to share! Nestled in its re-sealable Mason jar(!), Briar Works’ Country Lawyer is composed of short, slight ribbons ranging from golden tan to mid and darker red-ish browns, to very dark brown, with some black chunks. Jar note is woodsy, slightly musty and sweet, dusty oats with damped cigar notes way over faint meadow grasses, with ethereal peach. This blend arrives ready for smoking. I pack it firmly, and it lights and burns down without a fuss. Whatever pipe I choose, the ghosts of Latakia or strong KY are anathema to CL, and the best prep for a bowl of Country Lawyer is a bowl of Country Lawyer. So far, this blend has been a changeling. It’s always good, but each bowl has differed somewhat from those before. Generally speaking, the soft-(for KY)-but-dominant KY comes off like Burley, melding with the Orientals and the Perique, and the smoke smells like fragrant woody incense over rye blend bread, with soft, light, savory and cigar spices. Tastes parallel the scents and add nutty, bitter (Burley/KY) and sour (Perique and black Cav) over any VA sugar. The Orientals add savory spices and their own brand of “woody”. While I quite like the balance this blend strikes, I suspect that those who dislike Burley or bitterness will not care for it. As for the Cavendish, I’m thinking it softens this blend somewhat and ties it together loosely, smoothing the smoke, while the flue cured VAs stabilize and “center” the blend without demanding my attention, and the aftertaste, if nothing else, is proof that VA sugar was there all along. Strength is just over mild. Tastes are just over medium. Room note is OK. Aftertaste is a terrific best of the smoke, and it gets sweeter and sweeter as it lingers on and on. To my senses, although all the varietals in Country Lawyer factor in the final product, it’s more about Burley/KY and Orientals than it is about cigar leaf, and the Cav, the Perique and the VAs play their parts but hang back. All in all, it’s a fairly complex and sophisticated blend that is none the less easy and relaxing to smoke. Beginners proceed with caution and determination. 4 stars.

As I seem to lean toward full flavor blends, this one got my attention. Nice real honest tobacco taste! It is strong but not over powering,at least for me. If you are sensitive to stronger blends, you might want to approach this one carefully at first. Also if you don't care for cigar leaf in your pipe best avoid this one. The second you open the can the first thing you smell is the cigar leaf. As I also love cigars, that is a good thing. This line of pipe tobacco is actually put out by C&D. I like the fact that it already comes in a mason jar and comes generously filled to capacity. I don't think one more shred of leaf could be fit in. This is a winner in my book. Thank you Briar Works (C&D) for producing this fine blend!

Unfortunately, the packaging I bought does not come with the old drawing of the cigar on some leaves. Only the name of the brand and the mixture appears and everything else is health warnings.

After opening the bottle, a rustic aroma appears, perhaps a little farm. Once the pipe is lit, in my opinion, the cigar leaf predominates, which I like, since I like to have different tobaccos for my rotation. I am not a cigar smoker but I would bet that someone in the know would confirm the good quality of the leaf. The Kentucky is subtly noticeable, giving it a woody touch. The orientals appear very discreetly. Burns perfectly from start to finish with fewer relights than average.

A different mix and in my opinion one of the best with the cigar leaf ingredient. A whiskey is a good companion for this one…

I really like this one. It packs well. Lights easily and I rarely have to relight. I don't recall ever having any bite from it. Not that the flavor is like real maple syrup but it does have that quality. A little bit of sweetness with a richer flavor. Just a real nice tobacco flavor from start to finish.

If the cigar leaf turns you off from this blend try C&D Or L'yom (Daylight).