Cornell & Diehl Big n' Burley

When I opened the page for this blend I was surprised to see the relatively high rating it had received. Big 'n' Burley reinforced my long-held dissatisfaction with many C&D blends. This one was peppery (not in a good way) and I caught a few whiffs of cigar (which I don’t like). The smoked tasted dusty. The aforementioned and the big nicotine hit led me to discontinue smoking after a third of a bowl. I will not re-visit.

Cocoa or chocolate mixed with the orientals is the tin note. It’s a bit off-putting for me. The tobacco itself is very dry, and so is the mouthfeel of the smoke. Although It burns fast and comes pretty dry, it’s still tries to go out if you don’t pay it constant attention. There is something about a cocoa and oriental tobacco fusion that just doesn't work for me.

As a multi-decade burley smoker, I looked forward to trying this blend after reading all the glowing reviews. I was disappointed. It's aroma before loading was good, it packed and lit nicely, but I found the taste to be harsh and not at all pleasant. I tried several loads in medium and large bowled pipes, trying both rather loose and semi-tight packing without favorable results to my palate. While I am perplexed regarding my experience, I decided to pass it along for whatever it might be worth to anyone thinking about trying this blend. For perspective, I currently smoke Solani Aged Burley Flake and SG FVF almost exclusively.

I won't bore you with what my expectations were, what my hopes were that this blend would be. The only way I can describe this would be to imagine unpacking the filler from an unflavored machine-made 'cigar' into your pipe. Acrid, and 'cigar-like.' Plenty of nicotine is fine, but I don't smoke blends because I am looking for nicotine in particular. The nicest things I can say about this blend are that it left a pleasant smell on my fingers, and a peculiarly interesting and not altogether unpleasant aftertaste. I understand that there are many Burley enthusiasts, and I can imagine how this blend might represent something of a "Burley bomb" in the same way that people like a "Latakia bomb." However I can't escape the sensation that I'm smoking something exceptionally average. This blend might be an interesting variation for someone who likes the classic Burley-in-a-can American blends of yesteryear. I'll be jarring this and coming back to it (very) occasionally over the years to see if it starts looking better with time, like the girl with the funny haircut in my highschool yearbook.