Solani 656: Aged Burley Flake

still a rookie to burley blends, i find the ABF quite similar to Mac Baren's golden extra, done a bit better however. tastier. unlike the golden extra (although it taught me how to smoke burley blends after some effort) i don't seem to have to look for the natural chocolaty and nutty flavors of this blend, rather they find me with ease. overall i liked that with every draw an emphasis on a different flavor came. of course it isn't a complicated blend by any means, but also look for hints of dark roast coffee and some holiday spice, as these flavors jumped out at me at times throughout the bowl on several occasions.

room note: smells like i'm trapped in the middle of a bog fire. (if there's ever such thing) i'm not familiar with many different burley notes quite yet, but this one is much more strong, mossy and musky than the others i'm acquainted with as of now. put yourself on top of a mossy roof next to a stone chimney billowing with smoke in the middle of an overgrown, muddy swamp somewhere in the humid, deep south.

and i've never complained about the "burley bites" for if i have been bitten it was because i deserved it. the aged burley flake smokes cool and evenly if packed correctly and smoked at an appropriate pace. even after a re-light, although i had some issues getting reunited with the flavor, i still had no problem getting a cool smoke. so once again with a completely different blend, i'm still failing to understand everyone's problem with the "harshness" and "bitterness" of burleys, and like i said, i'm still new to non-aromatics.

i notice that ABF has a 4-star rating overall. i hope that i haven't found the best of the burley blends already, and although this may not sound like a great review, so far i've enjoyed this blend more than the others. only problem i really have is the price. i find it hard to believe this is 50g, even after rubbing it all out and relocating it to a 3-ounce jar, it still appears to be half the amount i receive of other blends. i'm counting how many bowls i get out of it...

side note: decent nicotine kick about knocked me on my ass. don't smoke on an empty stomach ha ha.

pps: it's been 20 mins and i still taste roasted moss. and yes, i love it =)

definitely recommended.

I loved edgeworth sliced, but when I ran out of it for good I bought a can of this hoping that it would be a decent replacement It will have to do try it for the love of burley!

Very nice chocolatey, incense-like flavor upon lighting up. Good nicotine kick for how tame of a smoke it is. Only problem is the "burley bitters": the bottom 1/3 of the bowl starts to taste like the wet end of a cigar, even if I dry it to a crisp and smoke slowly. Then again, my non-aromatic, non-english, non-VA miscellaneous pipe is a Trypis freehand the size of a Daisy ham. This might be tastier in a fully dedicated tall, narrow bowl.

I like having a burley on hand for when I've destroyed my VA palate with latakia. Makes for a nice change of pace. ABF is expensive, though. I don't know if I'll be buying any more.

The manufacturer's Website states that this flakes contains a "breath (hauch in German) of chocolate", so I would understand it as a "touch" of chocolate.

Beautiful, dark and thick flakes with, indeed, a chocolate and nutty aroma. They rub out rather easily to any personal preferences.

The smoker is rewarded by a rich nutty and chocolate taste that will sometimes release a bitter note, especially when the pipeful has to be relighted.

Being an all Burley flake, you need to smoke it within the first week of opening because the flakes dry very quickly and the taste becomes very bland, which is typical of Burleys.

But when the tin is smoked quickly, it brings a nice rewarding experience that is worth its high cost.

This is by trusted reviewers I know the ultimate straight burley flake. Goes to prove that I'm more of a virginia smoker since it didn't rock my world but obviously a quality blend that is still enjoyable for a non burley smoker. A solid 3.5 stars & must try blend.

Chocolate casing, classic Danish type tobacco as per company description. For me a light aromatic. Nothing special for I prefer my flakes with as much Virginia as possible. This flake would be great without the casing but should still be good for Burley smokers.

Virginia lover

I'm letting this one sit awhile in the cellar. Not mellow enough for my taste. The wife plugged her nose at this one (a first for her!) saying it reminded her of cigarettes which she doesn't tolerate in the house. Guess I'll be smoking this one on the porch.

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.

As a first point, I would like to settle a discussion below about who manufactures this flake. It is Kohlhase & Kopp in Germany (which also manufactures Robert McConnell, Rattray's, Perterson, Ashton, Sillems, Reiner, Chieftain's and Ilsted).

As we are on the manufacturer topic, Orlik (which manufactures, among others, Sail, Erinmore, Orlik of course, Stanwell, Clan, Flying Dutchman and W.O. Larsen)was was taken over by Villiger Stokkebye which also produces Escudo, Troost, Skandinavik and Balkan Sasieni, or Orlik took over Villiger Stokkebye for most of its manufacturing.

Now Orlik (or Villiger Stokkebye?) belongs to the Scandinavian Tobacco Group which manufactures, among others: Clan, Flying Dutchman, Erinmore, Orlik, W.O. Larsen, Alsbo, Benson & Hedges,Danske Club,Half & Half, Richmond's and Three Nuns are now manufactured by the Scandinavian Tobacco Group. I would guess that Villiger Stokkebye still produces Sail, Troost, Skandinavik and Balkan Sasieni.

Is anybody confused yet?

To return to my tobacco review, I loved Aged Burley Flake. The flakes are thick and the tin aroma reveals notes of molasses and nuts. These notes are present in the taste which is completed by a rich tobacco taste.

This flake burns slowly and evenly and provides a lot of satisfaction and pleasure.

I don't know what to say more. A great Burley flake!