Cornell & Diehl Cube Cut Burley

I’ve thought about buying some bulk C&D’s Cube Cut Burley for a while now, but it’s always been sold out. So, when I saw a tinned version was available, I grabbed it, and I’m glad I did. My tin's dated 03-16-21. The tobacco is cut to small cubes (duh…), light, medium and dark brown, a good deal more dark than light. Tin note is woody, nutty, slightly musty, faint musty cocoa, slightly smoky, with faint, mild cigar-ish spices. It handles, loads, lights and smokes down quite well straight from the tin, and I prefer to smoke it in a fairly large pot. Tastes and scents are quintessential American style Burley, and the combusting scents and tastes are more fragrant and savory versions of the tin notes. There might be a very light sugar/molasses casing, but the smoke is more bitter than sweet, also slightly sour. C&D make no special mention of smoke cured Burley (ie., KY), but it smells and tastes to me like it’s included in this blend. Strength is closer to strong than medium the way I smoke it, and tastes are closer to full than medium. Room note is not bad. Aftertaste is a nice trailing off of the best of the smoke.

In rating this blend I’m judging it as “a relatively natural/un-processed, American Burley blend”. In this category, it’s a 4 star blend, IMO. I’m not rating it as a blender (although I will get around to blending it at some point) because I’m good with plain old Burley, especially high quality Burley like this.

Summary: pure Burley goodness in a mild package.

When you break out this blend, you might be forgiven for thinking of Grape Nuts, the iconic 70s cereal, because it consists of tiny dry cubes -- the result of cutting flakes twice, both horizontal and vertical -- of white and dark Burley pressed together. If you pour this stuff into a pipe, and that really is all that you need to do since it flows freely, and light it up, you get the roasted Barley flavor of Burley with the attendant walnut, pecan, molasses, malt, and cracked oat flavors. You could smoke this all day by itself, but it proves to be an excellent mixer, since it easily takes on and broadens any flavor thrown its way. Even adding 20% of a nice Virginia -- say, C&D "Virginia Flake" -- and a little Perique makes a delicious blend; the Burley mix amplifies the sweetness, intensifies the spice, and gives them some backing strength and body. Every time this goes on sale I try to pick up a few more pounds.

They've put a premium on this tobacco at Cornell & Diehl, and I can see why. It rocks. Of course, it can be used as a blending component as it hasn't been cased, this is pure unadulterated tobacco, but it is perfectly fine to smoke it on a stand-alone basis for its burley properties. This is probably one of the easiest burley blends I have ever tried on the palate. It has a very distinct coconut/cocoa undertone and is easy to smoke. Perhaps a little bit too dry as you open the bag, so I recommend rehydrating. I detect a slight tang, but the description says it has no virginia leaf in it. Its cube cut feature means it is very slow burning and filling up your pipe will be like a walk in the park if you use the gravity method. The smoke is quite consistent throughout every quarter of your bowl and it never gets bittey or harsh. Because of these properties and features, this blend could be a good starting point for those who might want to transition from virginia to burley blends, or just try something new. It wants to be sipped at a very low pace and does not seem to smoke hot in your bowl. The after taste is gorgeous as well. Highly recommended. Cornell & Diehl is hitting the ball out of the park again. 4 stars.

Smokes great straight. The cube cut makes packing as easy as it gets. Takes a flame great, but careful, this stuff swells and puffs up big time. Leave extra room in the bowl so you don’t burn your pants. Typical dry earth and chocolate nut flavor, and I get a light sweetness half way through the bowl. Good stuff.

This is some stout Burley! I ordered about four ounces of this after I finished 2 ounces of Crooner, as I figured this is what I loved about that blend. I have to say, this stuff is great! A little stronger than I want, for my preferences, but a good, hearty Burley.

Of course there are the classic Burley overtones of nuttiness, chocolate, and earthiness, but there's a lot more, too. This is three different kinds of burley, which have been pressed into a cake, sliced, and cube cut. It's not as complex as a five year old Virginia, but there is definitely enough complexity to keep one interested.

All in all, this is a great tobacco, whether for a mixer or to smoke straight. Be careful with it, though. It can make your head swim. It's definitely a 3.5 for me. Due to the strength, however, it's not everyone's cup of tea. Also, be careful of little flaming cubes popping out of the bowl while you smoke it.

I just got in two more pounds of this one.

I'll give two different reviews.. one as a straight smoke.. and one as a blending component.

As a straight smoke, I find that I use this on new pipes which will be used for burley blends to help break them in. The "note" from the bag as a little bit of almost "ammonia/ barn yard", the cut reminds me of Grape Nuts. It's the easiest packing tobacco I have after the Shag Semois. Just pour it in, tamp a little, tamp a little harder, then light.

In taste, if you like burley, there is nothing here you won't like. I prefer it over the Sutliff version which seems to have a sweet topping. It burns great, but will be a quick smoke if you push it at all. I get nutty/bready taste in the smoke which is awesome with a cup of coffee.

The other use I've found for this is in cutting aromatics. I blend in about 25% with a wetter aro to help the burn and give it a little boost. My favorite right now (fall) is this with Maple/Walnut. It comes through as nutty pancakes almost.

Can't beat the price, especially when the bulks are on sale and it is a staple in my rotation.