Cornell & Diehl Big n' Burley

Holy Mother Nightshade! This tobacco is a punch to the forehead and cardiovascular system with its unholy levels of nicotine. I regularly smoke ropes and flakes, and this one yields nicotine at the level of a Peterson's Irish Flake or a Gawith Hoggarth Brown Bogey.

This one confused me. Is it a burley? Is it an English? Would this be a crossover?

As it seemed to be what I was seeking at the time, and based on high reviews and low availability, I jumped at the chance to buy a half pound when www.smokingpipes.com put all their C&D bulks on a 15% off sale.

I hope this ages well, because straight from the bulk bag it was very rough around the edges. It burns well and relatively cool, leaves nearly no detritus at the bottom of the bowl and is generally well-behaved. My wife never complains about room note, even when I smoke strong English mixtures...but this one nearly got me evicted from my own home. I don't find the room note to be disagreeable, but I am the one smoking it.

I believe that if jarred and aged for a year or two, this one will improve and become much easier to smoke. For now, this will be reserved for those rare moments when I'm trembling from nicotine withdrawal. 2 stars; I see the potential here, but for now it has been relegated to my cellar.

12/6/2004

I agree with the esteemed and eloquent reviewer to the north. I will only expound a bit. This tobacco is, indeed, a full, heady blend with cigar-like overtones. Unless you are a cigar lover, I wouldn't consider this an all day blend. I could not handle B n' B in the morning hours. For me, I found it best after a full meal, just like a good cigar.

Update 3/21/2014: Upping to four stars. The more I smoke it the better I like it. But, then again, I am a burleyophile, now favoring the medium to strong burley based blends.

A cigarette is to be smoked. A cigar is to be enjoyed. A pipe is to be savored.

I rate this tobacco 9.5 out of 10.

Well, at 5 in the morning prepping to go to a golf outing I dumped what I thought was just some of my jar of Big n Burley in a bag. After golfing all day and sharing this with a friend golfing with me who couldn't get enough of it, I just gave him the bag thinking I had plenty back at home. Imagine my surprise when I realized that was all I had.

I did like this blend, but I am happy to pass it on to a good friend who, I believed, liked it more. This is another so called American English Blends that has a lot of components included in a stout blend. The name Big n Burley seems to be an odd name when you look at the components and I bought this blend not knowing what the elements were. What I expected was A burley heavy blend with a touch of Virginia and perhaps a light topping.

In any case, Burley is the star in this blend and there is no mistaking that fact once you light it up. For a blend with Latakia and Orientals this one is a pretty nice one and may be more eligible for the all day smoke than most blends of this type. It is nice and nutty and has a pretty good spice element from the perique. I find the lat to be pretty light in this one and maybe that is why I find it better for an all day smoke as Latakia tends to tire my palate.

It is a good blend. It did not blow me away nor did it overwhelm me. I may buy more of this one, but am not sure as I have recently reached what I think is the end goal in my cellar, but definitely recommended for those looking for a different take on a strong Burley blend.

This blend combines all of my most favorite leafs and styles... Burleys and and a hint of English to it. A whiff of Perique, some whisperings of Orientals, a bare hint of Latakia and lots, lots of Burley goodness... it just works so wonderfully and I find the abence of Virginia rather pleasing and refreshing!

The scent is delicious, yet rather musty and most natural. Lots of earthiness, some delicate nuttiness and spice, as well as some "damp mustiness" which shouldn't fool you - the smoke is smooth as silk! It packs, lights and burns like a champ and is best to be smoked rather crispy dry for me.

First quarter of the bowl starts with a nice, earthy and stout aroma which also has some harsher, cigar-ish notes from the burley, even if you puff slow - which one should with this blend, as it only reveals its magic when puffed slow for me - but they aren't unpleasant at all to the lover of tart, hearty and stout flavors.. Progressing through the bowl the seasoning tobaccos begin to develop tasty nuances that - in interplay with the warm burley aroma - really shine. A very 'warm' taste with a bread-y aroma and delicate, sweet and tart nuttiness are the Burley's merits in here. The Burley remains the star in this all the way but is seasoned by the mild, yet effective nuances of a peppery Perique which has no fruitiness for me, some Oriental leafs that are spicy-tart, ethereal-dry and just a hint of woodsy smoke by the smooth Latakia. If you puff too fast flavors get muddled, but if you puff slowly (breathe smoke works excellently for me) you get a most delicate, very warm and nuanced smoke of which I like to pack bowl after bowl.

Somewhat bready and richly earthy Burley with a smooth sweet nuttiness as a backbone is seasoned with pepper, ethereal dryness and just a hint of woodsy smoke. It works so damn well, really! Oh! Did I mention how well it works for me? ;-P Even though the Latakia is elusive, and both Perique and Orientals are rather in the background I find them to be important condiments, that make out the character of this blend and underscore the Burley's character perfectly - especially the Turkish leaf! Looking for a stout, yet nuanced and deliciusly 'warm' Burley flavor? Well.. here it is! All-time-Favorite and one of the finest and natural burleys out there for my palate.

**Edit:** I agree with JimInks - this blend REALLY benefits from 5-6 months in a jar after cracking the tin! Somehow the nuances develop much more intense like this and the burley gets noticeably sweeter and nuttier to me. Worth waiting, this is the way I'll be smoking this - jarring some up 5-6 months beforehand!

This is described as a light English, but much more is going on here. The mixture of Burley and small amounts of Orientals, as in "Prince Albert," creates a slight sweet-sour balance to the bready, nutty and warm Burley flavor, and then the Perique adds just a bit of tanginess to that which comes across not as fruity but instead enhances and amplifies that piquant flavor. Latakia, as a minor player, adds a smokiness and sharpness, but remains a minor enough player that it does not dominate. The result brings out the power of a classic Burley blend but transmutes the flavor into something unique that really utilizes the power of the Orientals without allowing them or the Latakia to become overwhelming. Would love to see a version of this with dark fired Kentucky in place of the Latakia. Really a great tobacco that can be a comfortable all-day smoke, and one of the Latakia blends that stretches your taste buds instead of walloping them.

Wowzers my friends, this is some alkaloid-rich leaf! The alkalinity of the smoke makes for a great nic kick without any need to inhale even the smallest amount of it. The high pH of the delivery vehicle results in an optimal absorption of the psychoactive constituents via the capillaries which line the mouth. This is very similar to the way nicotine is absorbed while smoking a good strong cigar. Biochemistry and human physiology aside though, this is an exceptional smoke if you are into rich, bold Burley tobaccos. The condiments are used so sparingly that they are virtually unnoticeable. Occasionally I get a slight essence of Cyprian Lakatia in the room note but that's about it. Otherwise this blend completely lives up to it's namesake. It's big. It's bold. And it's Burley!

After Picayune was discontinued I have been looking for a substitute that contains perique. Not that this is it, but Big 'n' Burley seems quite good in its own right. The tin note is sort of vinegary and has a nice fermented tang to it. My bag came in the post quite moist, and it smokes great as it is. This is a full-bodied burley blend with nice caramelized notes, and it packs quite of a nicotine punch. The backbone of the blend is dark burley, but the perique is quite noticeable as well. The fermented and tangy characteristics seem to come from the addition of Turkish leaf. It contains latakia as well, but this profile is more pushed back and barely noticeable. My advice is to smoke this blend in small pipes as it tends to overpower the smoker because of its high nicotine content and flavour profile. Highly recommended if you are a burley lover like myself.

The burley provides a solid nutty base. The dominant flavors are wood and leather. When I settled into my normal slow pace, I found a nice back and forth of sweet and sour, spice, smoke, and raisin on every puff. I had to relight a few more times than I’m used to but it detract too much. A pretty good English blend that I will smoke again.

There is some nicotine, so this is not for an empty stomach.

While most C&D Burley blends are just too strong and harsh for my taste, this one, for some strange reason, isn’t. I love it and can smoke multiple bowls in a row. It’s a unique blend in my mostly Va, VaPer, and VaBur rotation, but when I’m craving it, it hits the spot. Not a four star blend for me simply based on my default flavor profile.