Wilke Pipe Tobacco Nut Brown Burley

Among Pipeworks & Wilke's most reviewed tobaccos, Nut Brown Burley presents as just that: consistent, monochromatic brown ribbon. I must be in the minority here by stating that the jar note quite clearly reveals some flavoring: I get mollased sweet feed, candied dates, and even a touch of honey. The flavoring is applied, however, with a very light hand and dissipates quickly after the true light. My understanding is that the original blend description included Virginia and Oriental, and I would believe there's a hint of each given the burning characteristics (thanks, Oriental) and the capacity to bite (thanks, Virginia). But this is certainly a burley blend - and what a blend it is.

As the flavoring burns off, burley presents in all its glory: dry, late-season hay, molasses, parchment, and unsalted nuts. As mentioned in several older reviews, this one is best sipped slowly. A mindful cadence will bring out the natural sugars and that hint of molasses. Faster puffing dulls the blend, turning clean burley parchment into bland paper and drawing forth an unpleasant, salty bite.

There is ample nicotine in this blend, as may be expected of its style. But it's smooth and naturally sweet enough to be a perfect all-day smoke. Nut Brown reminds me of Classic Burkey Kake meets Burley London Blend, with the sweet flavoring of Classic toned down several (ok, "many") notches. It also reminds me a bit of Sir Walter Raleigh, absent the aniseed, though hand-blended with far better quality tobaccos. Must be the molasses.

The room note was described to me as very neutral, with the occasional hint of sweet. The burn is nice and slow, a bit hot, and the blend smokes very dry, as a good burley should. The only thing missing here is the light, dry, powdered cocoa flavors I've come to expect from a good, natural burley and which can be found in, for example, MacBaren's London blend. But certainly this is a great burley choice and make an excellent all-day smoke.

Overall a superior blend of this style, and it's no wonder why these reviews go back to many of the old hands of TR.com. A treat for those who enjoy a good, naturally aromatic burley without the goop and damp of so many of today's offerings.

Edit 01/16: Perhaps due to force of habit, I had been smoking this blend in a cob. That was a mistake. Smoke this one in a wide, shallow briar such as a prince or short pot to emphasize the base notes and tame the bite. Brings this one to 3 1/2 stars.

Edit 2020: Yet another blend lost to tobacco lore. What a shame.

I am working my way through four ounces of Nut Brown Burley, one of Carol's, at Pipeworks and Wilke's, best sellers. Many tobaccos achieve popularity, and not always because they merit it, but NBB is a fine specimen. I am not as well versed in burley as I should be so my comments can be taken or left...Pouch aroma is sweet and rich, rather like a pastry of sorts, with a myriad of cuts tumbling about the bag. Tobacco is humid, so I let her dry before I consume (a blend this interesting has to be a "her"). Lightup is at once sweet and mildly acrid, settling down very shortly into a solid continuum of dense and "creamy" smoke. This blend does not coat my palate in the sense of a Dunhill english, but rather washes in and out, like the gentle action of the ocean at dusk. Relights tend to be bitter but not for long. The flavor remains remarkably consistent throughout the bowl, gaining a smidgen of strength at the bottom, where the smoke darkens and wisps away. I understand that previous reviewers have found the key player (burley, burley, burley) a trifle monochromatic, but I find it a savoury reprieve after years of trying every blend under the sun. On a side note, the room aroma is entrancing, akin to burnt caramel coffee...Well done Carol.

Anyone wishing to try this lovely burley may do so at the Pipeworks & Wilke online store at the following website: http://www.vtpipes.com/

01/05/05 My half pound of NBB has been around for about six months now. I still smoke it occasionally. Its quality cannot be faulted. And I still smoke it occasionally. However, when I want a Burley, I usually choose McBaren's London Burley Blend, hence the demotion from "One of my favorites" to "smoke on occasion."

Without a doubt, the best Burley I've ever smoked. Mixed 50% with any good ribbon-cut Virginia, NBB makes an excellent half-and-half. Since I'm a Virginia tobacco snob, I seldom smoke NBB "straight up" but I smoke it daily as a blend component. The only Burley that comes close to NBB, in my opinion, is MacBaren's London Blend. I find NBB better for my purposes, though, since it has less casing than the MacBaren offering. I can't imagine the dedicated Burley smoker finding a better tobacco anywhere.

Update 9 Match 2006: Having smoked another half pound of NBB, I have found that it nearly always leaves my mouth with the same scoured feeling I sometimes get with McClelland blends. NBB remains tasty, and of quality, but it does not, apparently, agree with my tongue. Too bad.

Cut/Appearance: Cube cut brown burley with small strands of light Cavendish Virginias and some possibly small pieces of exotic oriental tobaccos for added spice.

Casing/Aromatics: Slight detection, but probably lightly topped. Difficult to detect what flavors may be used. It has that characteristically light, sweet Wilke background.

Pouch notes: Pleasantly aromatic. Deep, rich burley quality with notes of raisins and hints of spice and molasses. I detect a similar undertone in the more aromatic, sweeter Wilke Bohemian Blend and Gotham Court.

Room/Burn notes: Burley is most pronounced. Richness of burleys come to the fore, with a deep, beautiful scent of ginger snap cookies or molasses bread. A very American, light aromatic. Because this is perfectly blended, there is no heavy or sickening sweet aroma as is the case with most commercially produced and jarred blends ala Lane Limited.

Taste: Distinctly American tobacco. Rich, raisin scented Kentucky burleys ala Sir Walter Raleigh, but more skillfully blended with finer cuts of tobacco in a more thoughtfully prepared mixture. A little tongue bite as with most burley-based blends, but it leaves a delicious taste on the tongue and the palate begging for more. The only problem that really keeps it from being a superior tobacco is that it sears the tongue, especially if smoked a little too quickly.

Comments: Easy to pack and keep lit. This is a superior burley tobacco, probably the best I?ve ever smoked. It has down home earthiness. It?s warm, toasty and inviting, like molasses bread fresh from the oven. Though I have never been to Vermont, I can almost picture the quaint shop that lovingly prepared this stuff along with the rolling, snow-capped hills, dales and forests of the surrounding area. Though I?m an English lover, shying off from aromatics, this is one blend worthy of attention. It?s probably the standard by which all burleys are measured. This would probably taste wonderful with a caramel stout.

Three of five stars

I am not a regular burley smoker but I have really enjoyed Barbary Coast and Penington Gap. Nut Brown Burley is definitely a quality tobacco and is a great change of pace for me. I am a Va and Virginia/Perique lover. NBB is a very easy blend to smoke and is very enjoyable. It will not become an every day smoke for me but I will definitely enjoy it when I do. I would have to agree with Burleynut above on the qualities of this blend.