Cornell & Diehl Big n' Burley

Being an unabashed fan of burleys and C&D blends in particular it should have been a forgone conclusion for me to have tried this blend a while ago. I suppose the name may have made me question the strength of this blend and that was enough to hold off on trying this particular burley. Well I should have just jumped into trying it a while back because this is a great blend that is something that will quickly be in my regular rotation and join the ranks of Old Joe Krantz.

When looking at the leaves it seems to be a nice chunky cut of medium brown with a very small smattering of darker leaves which seem to be the latakia and perique. I couldn't for the life of me find the turkish in there but it may just be hiding. Although C&D lists this as an "English" blend it is most certainly not and if you buy this thinking that you'll be horribly disappointed. It is a through and through burley blend with strength in flavor and I would rate it on the medium-high scale for nicotine but nothing that would give me the spins or create a flip flopping stomach. Just treat it with respect and slowly enjoy it by sipping away on a quiet afternoon. This is not a blend to be rushed.

The taste is pretty straight forward and I read one review that nailed the taste profile exactly: "chocolate covered dirt." It's earthy with a beautiful burley/chocolate taste and an ever so slight sweetness that you can coax out through sipping. The condimental tobaccos rarely ever poke their head out and only briefly can you catch the perique. Even so they add interest to the blend and move it from just a plain burley into something that is blending genius. If you enjoy burley then you can't miss this one. Just treat it with respect and make sure you're not hurrying through the bowl.

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.

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.

Not an expert at burley at the present time but I must say that even smoking it with high dryness I still can get a godd smoking.

The fragrance from the room note is of a strong tobacco remembering those old scents from the tobacco stores when you enter it. You can't say it's a mild aroma, but it is not an agressive one: it relaxes the senses when you get a good sniff from the bag. There's also something salty to this aroma that is hard for me to describe.

In the puff you get a warm and soft taste that remembers something nutty. There's a bit of sour taste over the sides of your tongue after the puffing, but not aggressive at all. The nicotine works well and you can feel a true relaxation over the body. You could get a bit dizzy if you smoke it too fast or in great amounts, but nothing a good cup of coffee and biscuits can not fix.

This is great if you like the sour, nose tickle burley taste. At first to me it was sour, like the first time I tried Old Joe Krantz...but even after a few months in the jar and several more tries, I find no redeeming qualities to it. Edit: boy have my tastes changed since I wrote this! Like all burleys it needs jar time. It has a unique taste when “puffed” kind of like latakia gives you a different taste as such.

Another high-quality tobacco, expertly blended, from C&D. Fellow pipesters, this is testosterone in a pipe bowl. My beard grew one half inch whilst smoking a medium sized bowl.

The cut is wonderfully broken with some quite large flakes. Even the cut is manly.

The pouch aroma is alluringly nutty with some grassy notes.

Easy to load, light, and only a few relights. I too find it beneficial to tamp at it during your smoke.

From your first puff, the flavor is profound. On the strong side, the dominating flavor is indeed the burley. The skillful addition of the remaining tobaccos is what sets Big 'n Burley apart from the pack. The Turkish and Latakia support the burleys just enough to keep the smoke tantalizing without stealing the show. If I didn't read it for myself, I wouldn't know the perique was in the blend. There is a cigar-like experience with this pipe-weed, but it does not taste like a cigar. It is stout, rich and fulfilling. I smoke each bowl to the very bottom.

As others have warned, so I warn -- smoke this blend slowly and grant it respect. I suggest smoking it with your favorite beverage at hand. Tea or bottled water worked well for me. The smoke is cool, but this is burley and tends to dry the mouth.

It works well in the p.m. and evening. I've not noticed any benefit to smoking it in a particular type of pipe, or a particular size of bowl.

My review in a word would be -- Brilliant!

3rdguy

Just finishing 4 ounces of this. I love my burley. To me it is a just a simple straight forward solid burley. I never picked up on the Latakia or Perique. The orientals seemed moderately present. Smokes easy, couple relights. Comes in bulk which is nice.

Probably won’t be buying again only because I can reach for Old Joe Krantz or Exclusive with a little more oomph.

A bold blend from the Burley masters at C&D. It’s got plenty of nicotine and plenty of flavor. The flavor reminds me of OJK at times, and other times, I get the Esoterica - And So To Bed flavors (really). Your significant other is likely to abhor the cigarette room note, but that’s what private spaces and porches were made for right? It smokes dry and tends to burn all the way down to a fine gray ash with a few relights.

I’ve knocked back 4 ounces and have another 4 ounces in the jar. I love nicotine, Burley, and Perique but I do not consider this an all day smoke. My love is in another C&D blend. I enjoy BnB most when it’s late at night ad I have reading to do.