Wessex Burley Slice

A tried and true European treatment of burley. Were it not for the high nicotine content which gets me slightly in the throat, this is a monochromatic, yet fine all burley flake. In this vein I much prefer the Peterson University and the Gawith Chocolate Flake. It doesn't make a great impression at first and its a bit stringy when rubbed out, but it opens up very nicely after about the first third of the way down. Aroma is toasty, bright and pleasing. I'm smoking this in early summer, but this would probably be a fine smoke during winter in front of a comfy fireplace. Like most European tobaccos, I believe this flake is now produced in Germany. Burley lovers will find Wessex a true gift. Unpretentious and genuine, WBS is a distinguished, highly enjoyable flake.

Three and a half of five stars

I generally agree with kilted1's fine review below. Unlike him, though, I found that the flakes arrived far too damp for my tastes, and smoked much better, with less bite, after some serious open-air drying. As kilted1 mentions, this is a cool, slighty sweet burley that opens with the taste of molasses. Down the bowl, I taste pepper and butter, but by bowl's end, this is just plain old earthy, slightly bitter Burley. That's fine by me, as the Burley is of excellent quality.

This stuff can be a bit dull for me by the end of a larger bowl (But I am much more a Virginia smoker, so mark my bias.) The blend is quite well made, burns well once dried, and smokes well in just about any pipe. To my tastes, it ranks with Mac Baren London Burley Blend as a preferred smoke for Burley lovers.

Finally! A reasonably competent replacement for the recently-departed Edgeworth Sliced.

Upon opening the tin, you are greeted with the familiar ES smell, although not quite as strong. The slices are moist but not at all wet and rub out easier than Edgeworth

At the match, this blend welcomes the burley smoker home with the expected taste and room note. It, like the nose of the tin, is not as strong as Edgeworth but is certainly in the same family. The smoke is very smooth and exhibits no sharp edges. Surprisingly, despite the taste being somewhat muted, the nicotine content appears to have been raised somewhat. I wasn't able to detect a sweetness from any additives but the leaf is unusually mild for a burley. It doesn't appear to have any propensity to bite either.

The fact that Burley Slice comes in 50g tins is a bonus from the standpoint that it's not likely to dry out before consumption. However, the pricing makes it a premium blend so a larger tin would be worthwhile for economic reasons (I paid $10 for 50g vs $16 for 100g of Edgeworth). Unless something truly remarkable comes along, this will be my sliced burley fix for the foreseeable future.

Prep: Nicely formed flakes that may need a bit of dry time.

Notes: It's a burley flake, so if you have a desire for molasses, earthy, coffee notes, you'll be satisfied. The dark fired addition brings extra strength and a spice that hits you through the retrohale. I'd still prefer ABF myself but this isn't far behind. The quality is evident! 9/10

https://youtu.be/B_evTJVblzo