Gatlin-Burlier Gatlin-Burley

Today I smoked my second bowl of this blend and I find it to be an enjoyable smoke. If it had just a bit more Latakia to it, it could really be on my list of favorites. Of course this is easily remedied with the addition of some more Latakia, and I believe this blend could readily be used as a base for something very nice.

The flavor is, well... soft Burley with just a hint of Latakia. It is a mild smoke as far as I'm concerned, but seems overly moist and needs some drying before smoking, as it does tend to bite a little if not smoked carefully. It's the only tobacco in my current rotation that can produce pipe gurgle, and does have some trouble staying lit, especially towards the bottom of the bowl, where it seems to become quite damp. This blend smokes fairly cool throughout most of the bowl (again I feel the moisture at the bottom of the bowl causes a bit of harshness), burnes to a fine white ash, and has (to me) a pleasent room note.

Okay, as I've described above, this is not, in it's present incarnation, anything really special, just a good unobtrusive choice for an all day smoke. If I were a smoker of aromatics, this might be my non-aro eqivilent of 1Q. It will certainly have a place in my cellar for that reason, as well as use as a base for blending.

I hope this helps.

UPDATE -- Something about the recipe has changed over the past couple of years. The flavor is the same, but what was once a velvety smooth smoke has turned into something with a harsher texture and a bit of bite. I'm thinking the base tobaccos may have changed somewhat, and not for the better. I'm knocking off a star due to this, although in all fairness it's still among the top tier of American Englishes -- I just no longer feel comfortable describing it as the best of the lot.

ORIGINAL REVIEW -This is the best example of a traditional American-English blend that I've ever tried, and I have tried a LOT of them in my lifetime (although C&D has some comparable offerings). Gatlin-Burley is this B&M's "house blend." As I indicated before, it's an American-English concoction that somehow manages to become more than the sum of its parts. It seems to be the most basic of mixtures, consisting only of burley, a splash of latakia, and some kind of sauce. The burley itself is delicious: cool-burning, nutty and with a decent jolt of nicotine. The latakia (Cyprian, of course) is just powerful enough to make itself known, which is how it should be in this kind of mixture. Taken together, these components would create an above-average blend of its type but nothing spectacular. What sets Gatlin-Burley apart from the pack is the light topping that's applied. This top-noting, believe it or not, manages to lift this mixture into the realm of a four-star tobacco, a bona fide classic that represents the absolute best of its genre. I don't know what it is, but it works. It's not the least bit fruity, and seems to basically accentuate the natural flavor of the burley by adding some much-needed sweetness and enhancing the "nuttiness."

On the technical side, this is close to being the all-elusive perfect smoke, and I do mean perfect. It lights with no problem, burns at a medium speed and usually won't go out unless you set it down. This stuff doesn't bite at all, and it will satisfy your craving for nicotine, as well.

Is it the best tobacco out there? Lord, no. There are plenty of better mixtures that fall under the categories of Virginia, English, Balkan, Va/Per, etc. I can even think of a burley blend that I actually like to smoke more -- C&D's Old Joe Krantz. But for what this is, it can't be beat.

This may be the fabled "aromatic for non-aromatic smokers" that I've long hoped to find. The base seems to be a lightly cased burley to which an ample amount of latakia (Cyprian, I believe) has been added. The result is a thoroughly satisfying nutty-sweet-smoky experience -- think one of those round, Sara Lee butter pecan coffee cakes heated over a campfire. While moist in the bag, it burns well, and packs a noticeable nic-kick.

Ahh my first tobacco. This was the first blend I ever put in a pipe and love it still. It is burley with latakia and some topping. The result is a nutty sweet taste with a portion of smoke from the latakia. This always reminds me of my grandfathers tobacco barn. It is a fine, companionable blend, and is my benchmark for an all day blend. The blend however is nowhere near as fine, though, as the staff at the GatlinBurlier. They are friendly and learned to a man, making the shop a Mecca for all serious pipe smokers.

The guys at the shop say this is everyone's favorite. However, I must not be everyone because I didn't like it very well and I gave it the whole 2oz before I made my mind up. It is what the description above says but I would leave out "top-noted".

Somewhat recommended, IF and that's a big IF you love aromatics. This one is supposed to be heaven for aromatic smokers. For me, it's vanilla-flavored tobacco and I can't tell much else. Yeah, the latakia and burleys are there, but that cloying, annoying vanilla is just too much for me. Yuck. Maybe I should just accept that I don't like aromatics finally. I think I must. Ah well.

Gatlin-Burley is an aromatic Burley with flavor enhancements and some soft Latakia. It also has a fair share of PG on it, so drying it out to improve its burning characteristics only goes so far - it'll still be sticky after hours of sitting out.

In the pipe, it's a uniquely pleasant smoke with vanilla overtones and a distinct sourness which is more like a dill pickle versus the sour notes from a fine Balkan. (The Latakia makes it through now and then - it could use more, actually.) Strange, I know, but somehow all this works together to produce a blend that is a success on several levels: it's mild, it doesn't bite, it burns well (despite the PG) and oddly, it satisfies.

I really like G-B, but the "aromatic with English overtones" genre is a crowded field including some awesome offerings from Rattrays, C&D and others using a slightly more natural approach - hence the 3 stars.

This is similar to HGL, but it is not exactly the same (I don't think). This is cleaner tasting, more natural and with less topping. It would be a great introduction to English blends, because it is very easy to smoke, well behaved and with a nice room aroma, although the latakia is very subdued. A very good blend to start the day before moving on to that bowl of 965...

This is really a deceptively good tobacco! It's mild, has a sweet burly flavor with the occasional smokiness (latakia) and it burns well. I've tried it many different times, with a variety of pipes and I find it more consistent than most blends I've tried. Definitely a keeper..