Wessex Burley Slice

Does anyone remember the original Edgeworth Slices? The one that came in the Hinge Top Tin? It was sweet and nutty and had virtually no bite. Then came the Danish incarnation which I thought was OK. It had a sort of tangy aroma in the tin and displayed a good amount of bite.

Enter Burley slice. This is everything the original Edgeworth was: Nutty, Sweet old fashioned Molasses Flavored American Style rectangular Burley Slices. This tobacco does not purport to be anything more than a simple burley slice...and that is exactly what it is: A nod to the days of old fashioned Burley.

Sublime nutty sweetness. Simple, and it works. This tobacco is easily rubed out or cut and packs well. Moisture is perfect. Light and burns even to the bottom eith regular tamping. What more can one ask?

I Highly recommend this to anyone who misses the true flavor of old fashioned burley slices.

With the recent closing of Murray and Son's in Belfast Ireland, fans have been looking for a reasonable substitute for Edgeworth Sliced. Wessex Burley Slice is said to be a return to the original recipe developed in Richmond in 1903.

Being a Burley fancier myself, I just had to give it a try. I have enjoyed Edgeworth Sliced for over 20 years off and on. I noticed the changes in formulation over the years, the later recipe seeming to be a mixture of Burley and Virginia with a more powerful topping than that available when I first smoked it about 1980.

Appearance: A very beautiful and uniform flake tightly sealed in a rather ?plain Jane? tin of mottled appearance. Various hues of tans and browns of nice rich mature tobacco.

Aroma: This mixture has a deep sweet aroma very enticing. Immediately one smells a deep hay-like quality, freshly mown hay, slowly drying in the summer sun. Deep, sharp and earthy. Carmel tones and nuts are evident, as in grandma's molasseses. There is a darker scent to this as well leading me to believe that some of the leaf has been toasted in some manor. No hint whatever of Virginia or other tobaccos are evident.

This tobacco is nearly perfect in moisture the flakes are very pliant and feel slightly leathery, easily folded into a perfect ?folded plug? for inserting into the chamber. For this review I've chosen a well seasoned cob fully dedicated to Burley mixtures.

Lighting generally easy, at times requiring a re-light or two to get fully going, and with a friendly ?lighting tamp? I was well on my way each time. As expected, the initial flavor very Burley, with a thick silky mouth feel, with semi-sweet notes. Hay-like tones and smells and flavors of Autumn are abundant with deepening flavors of nuts and butter interplaying in a fascinating way. This seems much more to me like the Edgeworth of old, less sweet, less bitter the topping being more of the minimalist variety. Later production of Edgeworth seemed to me over-topped if anything, this is more a return to the refined version available at least 15 years ago.

Mid Bowl: Approaching mid-bowl, the fullness tends to build the toothsome mixtures of nuts and Burley develop in strength slowly along predictable lines. The topping flavor dissipates evenly leaving a slight sweetness which lasts for the remainder of the bowl. The nuttiness becomes more pronounced which is very agreeable. The mixture seems to gather a bit of strength as it matures, though I don't find it unmanageable at all. There is a moderate complexity of flavors, deep tones and high ones, hay-like, nuttiness and a slight sweetness with a rich molasseses or caramel flavor. This should bring a wide smile to many a grandfather's face recalling a great tobacco of old.

Home Stretch: As end of the bowl approaches, I am deeply pleased. This blend IS the ?Edgeworth Sliced? of old, full of character and simple class of a true classic mixture.. The final third has matured nicely with all the flavors working in deepening harmony. None of the recent later bowl harshness is there, just rich voluminous pure white smoke from beginning to end. A self maintaining mixture which may be enjoyed indoors or stand up to near gale force winds outdoors making it a favorite for puttering around in the garden, forest or plains.

Supplemental Notes: This blend will certainly occupy a regular part of my rotation and should make many a lover of Edgeworth Sliced very happy indeed Rating for those interested in numbers four full stars****

Wessex Burley Slice is another keeper from my 2018 BurleyQuest. In the tin are two short stacks of well-formed flakes, medium dark brown mottled with lighter flecks, smelling of dark cocoa over traditional brown bread. These flakes can be torn to length, rolled and loosely stuffed for a long, satisfying smoke. I prefer to dry it a little before loading to make it light easier, which improves the initial tastes, IMO. Lit, scents include some non-musky earth, smoked meat, and fragrant, floral, woody resins. Tastes include an earthy variety of smoked turkey (as opposed to beef jerky) from the dark fired component, some cashews, and a woody quality that intensifies down the bowl. There is also a hint of some serious, salty Dutch licorice along with a breath of unsweetened, dark chocolate. Typical of Burley, this stuff is tannic, and it gets bitterer as it is smoked down. Think craft IPA. Meanwhile, the licorice is not so much recognizable as such as it works quite well to temper the bitterness without resorting to sugar. There is substantial (but still somewhat diffuse) body for an all Burley blend, likely due to dark fired leaf. The tastes are well-melded, also fairly consistent top to bottom, to the point where it seems monochromatic if I smoke it often. With tamping and poking it burns down to some black char that is better tossed than smoked. There is plenty of smoke. Strength gradually builds past medium. Tastes are just over medium for this Burly lover; however, it might seem more intense to those who don’t like bitter. I thought at first the room note was pleasant, until I got a whiff of my shirt an hour after smoking some WBS. Aftertaste is a lingering best of the smoke.

Wessex Burly Slice is pretty “natural”, also fairly distinctive, if that appeals, and I think it would be worth a go for anyone who wants to try a first class, pure Burley blend. After some experimentation I prefer it in group 4 pipes, max. 4 stars.

The nice looking burley flakes are neatly stacked inside the tin smell heavenly. These flakes need to be dried for a bit. The smoke has a nice molasses taste. It's not harsh nor bitey. Goes great with coffee. A real Saturday morning smoke but it's good all day long too.

I haven't tried Solani Aged Burley Flake as yet.But if it comes in COOEE of this one it must be one of Gods favourites.Wessex Burley Flake really is a must for all lovers of Burley.

Having sampled 20 or so blends this year, this one has definitely stood out from the crowd. I concur with Sir Claude's taste notes below, though I would put this blend in the medium-strong nicotine range.

I smoked some of this blend right out of the tin a few months ago and found it to be an ok burley, pleasantly sweet to me as, yes, I like bright virginias. But a bit rough at the edges. Good relaxing smoke, yet... Meh. After a few weeks in tightly closed mason jar, however, voila!

No casing other than a sweetness that melds perfectly with the solid burley and which I found ravishing but not cloying. Smooth (and I mean smooooth), clean smoking experience with mouth-filling flavor and, as we frequently say, no hint of bite. I'm sensitive to high nicotine blends, so for manageable nic and for flavor I would have to give WBS the edge, albeit slight, over Edgeworth Ready Rubbed, which I also like and also have. I prefer to smoke WBS in my full bent grade 5 Hungarian shape. It's a great morning smoke with a mug of coffee.

This is a nice no-nonsense Burley flake that is beautifully prepared. It's got a rich, earthy but slightly sour tin note that is very pleasing. It lights easily and burns dry and slow. There is a bit of that Lakeland essence while smoking and unlike a previous reviewer, I got this note all the way through. It's not really off-putting unless you just can't stand Lakelands. I would put the strength closer to the middle between mild and medium. Towards the end of the bowl the strength picked up a bit. The aroma is pleasant and There are no rough edges but I am always a sipper. No bite at all. I smoked this with 2 years of age on it but I am not so convinced that age has any effect (or minimal) on Burleys. This one will stay in my rotation. 3.5 stars from me.

This review is based on fresh and aged samples.

The sturdy flakes are neatly aligned into two rows. They are comprised of mainly very dark brown and light as well as dark brown tobaccos. There’s a pleasant sweetness to them. They are moist, but do not need to dry. Lighting requires little effort.

I tasted nuts, wood, and molasses. It’s both sour and sweet. At times, it’s slightly spicy. There’s also a little cocoa/chocolate taste .

In my opinion, WBS smokes best in a cob. It’s never harsh, even with quick puffing. It’s a medium, smooth bodied blend. I felt the presence of nicotine throughout the bowl, but it’s not overwhelming.

I highly recommend WBS to all pipe smokers. It’s an exceptional tobacco and can be smoked all day.