Cornell & Diehl Burley Flake #5
(3.33)
C&D's Burley Flake #5 is a robust, sweet blend of light and dark burleys, with zesty red and bright Virginias and just the right amount of dark-fired Kentucky.
Details
| Brand | Cornell & Diehl |
| Blended By | Cornell & Diehl |
| Manufactured By | Cornell & Diehl |
| Blend Type | Burley Based |
| Contents | Burley, Kentucky, Virginia |
| Flavoring | |
| Cut | Flake |
| Packaging | 50 grams tin |
| Country | United States |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Medium to Strong
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant to Tolerable
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Full
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
3.33 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 08, 2018 | Medium to Strong | None Detected | Full | Tolerable to Strong |
I’ll be frank and say that I do not enjoy Virginia or VA/Per blends. Therefore, I don’t review them or buy them. I also detest blends where the VAs just stand out more than, say, Latakia or the accompanying tobaccos. I need VA to just sit down and shut up for me to enjoy a blend.
Burleys on the other hand are my forte. I love when a company puts out a good Burley Flake or uses it well in English blends.
What made this blend sing for me is the way the flavors sing their own tune but find a way to harmonize.
For example, on the first light I immediately noticed the Virginia tobaccos but also tasted the Burley. I didn’t know what to think at first because the VA was there, no hiding that, but I tamped and re-lit the bowl and sat back and just enjoyed what this offered up.
The VA’s danced ever so well that it went hand in hand with the Burley which is also very well balanced as to provide enough of that earthy sweetness and nuttiness without being overbearing. Add in the fact that the dark fired Kentucky plays more of a condiment roll and what you have is a smoke that keeps your attention.
The spice that the Kentucky adds should be thought of as a good rye - it imparts a spice that doesn’t over power but doesn’t linger longer than it should but you know it’s there.
Another thing I really enjoyed about this blend is it isn’t overly strong as some C&D blends can be. I found the nicotine to be noticeable but less so than Old Dark Fired and much less than Irish Flake.
The only negatives I will give this blend are:
1. If pushed too hard this blend will turn bitter and unpleasant. It’s similar to Irish Flake in regards to this. Slow your cadence and this will correct itself.
2. The end of the bowl can get a tad one dimensional. I very much enjoyed the vast majority of my time with this tobacco but the final leg of the bowl just became a bit boring. Nothing terrible mind you, but it just seemed to lose that “wow” factor.
With that being said I don’t think it should cost it any stars because I will stock up on this and enjoy this very much in the warmer months ahead. ODF is my favorite blend like this and Burley Flake #5 came very close to beating it but will sit a close 2nd.
Burleys on the other hand are my forte. I love when a company puts out a good Burley Flake or uses it well in English blends.
What made this blend sing for me is the way the flavors sing their own tune but find a way to harmonize.
For example, on the first light I immediately noticed the Virginia tobaccos but also tasted the Burley. I didn’t know what to think at first because the VA was there, no hiding that, but I tamped and re-lit the bowl and sat back and just enjoyed what this offered up.
The VA’s danced ever so well that it went hand in hand with the Burley which is also very well balanced as to provide enough of that earthy sweetness and nuttiness without being overbearing. Add in the fact that the dark fired Kentucky plays more of a condiment roll and what you have is a smoke that keeps your attention.
The spice that the Kentucky adds should be thought of as a good rye - it imparts a spice that doesn’t over power but doesn’t linger longer than it should but you know it’s there.
Another thing I really enjoyed about this blend is it isn’t overly strong as some C&D blends can be. I found the nicotine to be noticeable but less so than Old Dark Fired and much less than Irish Flake.
The only negatives I will give this blend are:
1. If pushed too hard this blend will turn bitter and unpleasant. It’s similar to Irish Flake in regards to this. Slow your cadence and this will correct itself.
2. The end of the bowl can get a tad one dimensional. I very much enjoyed the vast majority of my time with this tobacco but the final leg of the bowl just became a bit boring. Nothing terrible mind you, but it just seemed to lose that “wow” factor.
With that being said I don’t think it should cost it any stars because I will stock up on this and enjoy this very much in the warmer months ahead. ODF is my favorite blend like this and Burley Flake #5 came very close to beating it but will sit a close 2nd.
Pipe Used:
Peterson Royal Irish, Neerup Ida
PurchasedFrom:
SP
Age When Smoked:
Fresh
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 04, 2018 | Medium to Strong | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable |
Great stuff... The burleys and dark fired add that nutty bold strength. I also love the red virginias... the sour sweetness is in perfect balance with the other leaves. Nic hit is noticeable. I like this one as much, if not more than Burley Flake #4 (which has latakia). It's strong enough that I have to pace myself, and could maybe only do one bowl a day... but my what a bowl!
Pipe Used:
Mark Twain Cob
PurchasedFrom:
Smoking Pipes
Age When Smoked:
New
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 01, 2018 | Strong | None Detected | Full | Strong |
This one took me a while to really enjoy... when it arrived the tin-note was very sour and strongly of vinegar, which quite confused me! I packed a bowl nonetheless, but in the smoke the same: Vinegar all the way :-/
After letting the tobacco sit in the tin for a few days the vinegar faded remarkably in the scent, so I dared to stuff 2 flake-chunks in a cob. Sour vinegar is almost completly gone, C&D's d.f. Kentucky tends to be a bit sour for me, but that's just fine. I've puffed quite a few bowls by now and it's a "smooth strong smoke" ;-P
Now, that the vinegar is gone, it's a very solid smoke! The Kentucky is quite prensent, giving a rich smokiness to the blend, that is perfectly outbalanced by a very mellow, yet everpresent sweetness, prolly from the Virginias in here. The Burleys play silently, being the foundation, but they do harmonize well and its earthy and woodsy notes melt perfectly with the dark fired Kentucky! There's also a slight nutty and sharp edge to it all the way through the bowl, which I find quite pleasant and refreshing, opening up the rather "dark" and tart flavor profile BF#5 offers.
For lovers of dark fired leaf a wonderful treat! But also fans of the Burley Flake line will find joy in this, it's a great after-dinner smoke. Hearty, full-bodied, with that raw and untamed charme of a Kentucky blend. Bet this one pairs well with a spicy drink, such as a scotch or rum!
|| Personal rating: 3-stars | Rated for what it is: 4-stars! ||
After letting the tobacco sit in the tin for a few days the vinegar faded remarkably in the scent, so I dared to stuff 2 flake-chunks in a cob. Sour vinegar is almost completly gone, C&D's d.f. Kentucky tends to be a bit sour for me, but that's just fine. I've puffed quite a few bowls by now and it's a "smooth strong smoke" ;-P
Now, that the vinegar is gone, it's a very solid smoke! The Kentucky is quite prensent, giving a rich smokiness to the blend, that is perfectly outbalanced by a very mellow, yet everpresent sweetness, prolly from the Virginias in here. The Burleys play silently, being the foundation, but they do harmonize well and its earthy and woodsy notes melt perfectly with the dark fired Kentucky! There's also a slight nutty and sharp edge to it all the way through the bowl, which I find quite pleasant and refreshing, opening up the rather "dark" and tart flavor profile BF#5 offers.
For lovers of dark fired leaf a wonderful treat! But also fans of the Burley Flake line will find joy in this, it's a great after-dinner smoke. Hearty, full-bodied, with that raw and untamed charme of a Kentucky blend. Bet this one pairs well with a spicy drink, such as a scotch or rum!
|| Personal rating: 3-stars | Rated for what it is: 4-stars! ||
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jul 11, 2020 | Strong | None Detected | Full | Tolerable to Strong |
To me, this pipe blend is like an old Harley; you have to kick it to start. When I lit the #5- filled Charatan 44, I was met with an eruption of tobacco strands and a small mess. When I tamped down, the mess got bigger and spilled onto the counter top. On the relight, I got a couple of puffs in and it went out again. The second tamp was not quite as messy as the first and, on the third try, it started. The tin appearance is of a rich and ruddy medium brown interlaced with golden flecks. The tin aroma is, at one and the same time, both familiar and strange; familiar as in we all have smoked a Burley/Virginia blend and strange in the absence of a tobacco that has become so wide spread in use today - Perique. Instead, you get a dose of dark fired Kentucky and have to shake the feeling that something is wrong. I shook off that feeling right away and accepted C&D Burley Flake #5 for what it was; a strong and stout Latakia-less and Perique-less VaBur that yields a ton of pleasure. It never bit and the room note, though not a prize-winner, was really enjoyable to walk back into from another room. I feel this blend would age rather well and I intend to age some in my stash. I'm just beginning to use #5 in micro blending and, so far, that has worked-out really well. I'm amazed at how many of our reviewers rated this smoke as too light. In fact, it is a strong and in your face four star blend.
Pipe Used:
Charatan black sandblasted 44
PurchasedFrom:
Smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked:
tinned 10/24/19
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Nov 03, 2019 | Medium to Strong | Extremely Mild | Full | Pleasant |
IMO, C&D are masters of blends I call “artful codgers”, which build upon and improve their codger progenitors. And their Burley Flake #5 is yet another great example of this sort of blend. The tobaccos here are well melded, presented in the tin as broken flakes, moist in my young tin and smelling of slightly earthy, yeasty, dough-y bread with very faint dark fruit compote, some fermented zing and a muted edge, the colors ranging from medium red-ish brown to dark brown and khaki. I like to at least try most of my pipe tobacco at tin moisture, and BF5 tastes very good smoked this way, albeit it takes patience to light and it requires numerous relights to smoke it moist. In terms of pipes, after a little rest this one smokes great in the same “small” (looks tiny but it’s a #4) poker I now use exclusively for another C&D Burley, their Burley Flake #3. BF5 starts out as a “serious” VA, with country bread and dark fruit from stoved red and surprisingly deep lemon VAs that are also grassy and slightly “effervescent”, with the light and dark Burleys steadily rising to deepen and quickly take over the blend as they add more and more mixed nuts and bitter tannins to the natural VA and added sugars. The KY is spare but it certainly factors in, contributing a little smoke and that buttery quality that I so enjoy when it’s present. Aromas are savory and bitter sweet, running with the tastes, along with some wood, meadow grasses and faintly floral whiffs. Great stuff. Strength the way I smoke it builds close to strong, with full tastes. Room note is actually pleasant. Aftertaste is a lingering and even sweeter best of the smoke.
Hard to second guess other smokers, but I suppose this one is “geared” to veterans. However, the added sugars might encourage newbies to stay with it, and they might just learn to like it. I surely do. 4 stars and hats off to C&D.
Hard to second guess other smokers, but I suppose this one is “geared” to veterans. However, the added sugars might encourage newbies to stay with it, and they might just learn to like it. I surely do. 4 stars and hats off to C&D.
Pipe Used:
various briars; #4 poker preferred
PurchasedFrom:
Liberty Tobacco
Age When Smoked:
fresh from young tin, then rested a little
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jan 02, 2021 | Strong | None Detected | Full | Tolerable |
If Jeremy Reeves and G.L. Pease were working on similar blends and debating their differences, G.L. would make Jackknife and Jeremy would make this one. They’re similar but each has the thumbprint of a different master blender. The Burley Flake has a subtle floral note that’s absent with the Jackknife both from a freshly opened tin and that note is present in the flavor, otherwise the two blends compare well for my taste and I might have either of them going for one of my extended drives through the New Mexico mountains...likely have both tins with me for a subtle change of pace. Best in a tall narrow bowl after a vigorous rub out. Lights and burns well and with a nice rich smoke that’s definitely got some DFK to accompany the Burley and Red VA. If you’re a Burley lover, you should be in good company with this one.
Pipe Used:
Various Peterson Arans
PurchasedFrom:
Smoking pipes.com
Age When Smoked:
18 months
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 14, 2020 | Medium to Strong | None Detected | Full | Strong |
Burley Flake #5 is a tasty, savory, smooth, full bodied, natural earthy tobacco blend. It's consistent, not overly complex, but rewarding in its competency. The tin note is really interesting with the red Virginia and dark fired tricking the senses into perceiving something akin to sweet, nutty chocolate covered cherries. It's well behaved in the pipe and smokes wonderfully. The Burleys are manly with dominant earthy notes of espresso, walnut, carob, bitter cocoa and cigar. The carob, cocoa note strengthens in the later half of the bowl. The dark fired doesn't offer much smokiness but plays that consistent cigar note and spice on the retrohale. The bright and red Virginia add a noticeable grassy hay note throughout the bowl, sweetening and balancing the earthiness of the burley. The mechanics are solid, lights easily, stays lit and produces volumes of smoke. For me, Burley Flake # 5 occupies a unique spot between cigars and pipes. It satisfies my cravings for both. Some reviews say it's not as strong as the other BF#s in the series but believe me the nic hit is strong. This is a meaty, savory blend. In the cigar world it would be considered full bodied and robust.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Aug 22, 2021 | Medium to Strong | None Detected | Full | Strong |
This hits the sweet spot. Easy to light, pack, smoke. Robust flavor, high quality leaf. Leans heavily on the darker end of burley, with a perfect amount of VA for sharpness and sweetness that helps highlight the burleys. The Kentucky is perfectly in balance to add oomph and bass notes and a touch of occasional spice. It's a heavily applied condiment. I had been casting about for a blend like this one and bought it based on descriptions, and holy cow this is almost perfect. I could smoke this exclusively if i had to. Healthy amount of nic to match the flavor. It has everything.
Pipe Used:
Cobs
PurchasedFrom:
Pipes and Cigars
Age When Smoked:
Fresh
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