Solani 656: Aged Burley Flake

I am seriously impressed with this tobacco. Great hearty flakes that rub out and burn well right out of the tin. Burley fans will seriously appreciate this blend. See, I was in a hurry to smoke this prince so right out of the tin into my bowl. I have found that I prefer a medium, to large bowl for this blend as it goes a long way rather well. I haven't introduced it to MM's The General cob yet but it's coming soon when I have about two hours for 'General' time to devote to it. As I smoke this Solani tobacco I get a feel for nutty, grainy, rich taste going on here. Wholesome good for ya stuff! Also i found it to be a respectable fold-n-stuff flake; just maek sure you leave some 'tinder' for the top of the bowl. Got to give Solani Aged Burley Flake a FOUR star rating in it's class.

A fairly full-flavoured, uncased tobacco, fairly close in aspect to the 'black Costa Rican coffee' quality I've been hunting for. 'Nutty' is a reasonable description. Though it can burn a tad hot, it's one of my current favorites. BTW, non-smokers comment that the scent is "strong," but "pleasant." Rubbing the flakes out is straightforward.

I was excited to see this blend arrive as I like burley but having had a bad experience with McClellend Mataure Virginia I wasn't sure what to expect with a matured burly.

Keep in mind that for some reason odors bring up images for me.

Open the tin and get my nose down and good an instant raw Cocoa smell. Not sweet chocolate as some ascribe it. But Hershey's unsweetened cocoa from the tin when your mom or grandma bought it, simmered the milk and stirred in cocoa and sugar. Yes kiddies raw cocoa doesn't come sugar laddened. along with the nutty smell of burly and the raw cocoa nut this was begging for a taste on the tongue.

I took a small speck off the flake and put it on my tongue. Alway expecting a quadruple fold effect in doing this it always gives a crisper taste of whats to come in the smoke. Some things you wil never taste in the smoke though. Such as the barely detectable acid like flavor that comes from the ageing process. Its very poiniant in McClelland matured VA's. It even comes through in their smoke. But not in this burley. Its hardly noticeable but it does contribute to its mild and naural sweetness. Believe me there is not one drop of propylene glycol in this flake. Ala natural for the most part.

I use the rolled technique to pack a flake. Flakes are dense and can be hard to keep lit out of the tin. But after a few puffs of this I didn't care if I had to relit 100 times or as little as two.

This is quite rich in flavor but not bold or heavy handed. NBut medium to full. You get the raw cocoa smell and the nutty burly flavor quite well. Smokes very mellow and well rounded in flavor. Theres nothing complicated here so don't look for it. Its a simple smoke but quite rich....... kind of like the best chocolate cake you've ever had without the 2 lbs of sugar in it.

The room note is tolrable for some and pleasant for others. It instantly conjured up an image for me of standing next to my grandfathers Belgium draft horses than he spoiled rotten. This is a fond memory BTW. They didn't stink other than what a horse should smell like.

A daily blend? Heavens no. Not at these prices anyway. A special treat? Oh yeah baby and how. Keep it always on my shelf. You betcha. Even VA lovers are not spitting on this blend at all even though they really want too. They just can't. Though being biased they'll give it 4 stars.

Being a burlyy fan I can give it 5 with no complaints at all about the toby.

this is one great burley a little sweet no bite smoke it very slow let it drift out of your month and this will become one of your favorites.

Solani ABF is arguably the finest Burley flake available today. A bit pricey and worth every penny. Pure Burley and no flavorings. Smokes great with no bite. This is is what Burley should be.

When I first got a pipe, I tried Burley Light with some other samples I received. I thought BL smelled good, but did not like the taste or aftertaste. I hadn't got the courage to smoke another Burley until reading multiple reviews here and on PSF.

After all the positive reviews, I ordered a tin of ABF. As the others have indicated, the tobacco quality is high, moisture is perfect, and the tin note is a bit citrusy.

I've smoked half of my first tin now, in my MM Diplomat cob. I liked the first bowl, but have now come to love ABF. I ordered several more tins for my cellar. I find myself coming back to ABF on a regular basis and wish it could be purchased in bulk. I really enjoy it and recommend you give it a shot.

I just tried a tin of this, and being a Wessex Burley Slices fan, was not disappointed. I find this blend to be on par with Wessex Burley Slices, only a bit milder both in taste and strength. Good tin note, and very obviously a high quality tobacco that stays lit, smokes consistently, and stays cool and dry. I can only detect perhaps a slight flavoring, and it is so mild that I cannot really put a finger on what it is, perhaps chocolate? If you like burleys as much as I do, this is a must try blend.

I received a tin of this from a friend of mine, who said that it gave him a headache. As soon as it was handed over, I lit a bowl in my Peterson 264. About halfway through the bowl, I could understand why he might say that; he is approximately 160 pounds. Even at 6'4" and 226 pounds, I found that the nicotine strength was such that it made me a bit light-headed (something I don't particularly mind, as I like stronger tobaccos). If you're a man of smaller stature or weight (or simply someone looking for less nicotine), this may not be a great tobacco for you.

I thoroughly enjoyed this tobacco. Upon opening the tin, I was greeted with a strong chocolate smell that was reminiscent of baking chocolate. Upon touching match to tobacco, however, I was greeted with a pleasantly mild, sweet chocolate taste. It does tend to smoke a bit hot, but with a burley flake this is to be expected. Respect it and take it slowly, and it will reply in kind.

Ultra-high quality tobacco. Lovely presentation. Honest, stout blend.

ABF arrives in a square tin containing 18 or so chewing-gum sized flakes of tobacco, each perfect for a pipe full. The tin aroma is of deep, aged tobacco with cocoa overtones. I've been told that the aging process for tobacco can cause a natural chocolate aroma. That may be true. But I'd still wager that ABF is cased with cocoa to some degree.

Fresh, this blend burns well after being fully rubbed out. Smoking a folded up flake can be more problematic, since it does arrive fairly moist fresh from the tin. Drying time removes some of the chocolate note and optimizes the blend's burn qualities.

This is a Burley, clearly. But there's none of the bitter edge that other predominantly Burley blends exhibit. ABF is smooth and refined, even almost sweet at times. But unlike VAs where sweetness can often mean airy, ephemeral smokes, ABF burns heartily and carries plenty of Vitamin N. It's a joy to smoke. Easy to work with, difficult to overheat. And supremely satisfying.