Solani 656: Aged Burley Flake

If you don’t like burley I promise this will convert you. Wow this is some good stuff and I was not a big burley fan…until now. The tin note is sweet and pleasant. Grassy, earthy with a light chocolate pound cake aroma. Really nice. The flakes are a bit moist. I rub them all out at once and jar it all up to dry out a bit.

The smoke is very silky and smooth. Creamy tobacco flavors with sweet overtones. Consistent flavor from the top to the bottom of the bowl. Great with a cup of coffee. The room note is nice as well. No bite. A real winner.

This review is based on a sample from a generous friend. The dark brown flakes can be smoked as is, but I recommend setting them aside for about an hour.

Upon lighting, I sense nuts, wood, a light amount of smokiness, molasses and some cocoa. While the pleasant sweet molasses is present throughout the bowl, it takes a backseat to the nutty taste. It’s also mildly spicy.

ABF burns slow, so set aside at least an hour plus. Its never harsh, even with quick puffing. It smokes well in cobs and briars, though a wide bowl works best to bring out its flavour.

It’s almost full in body, but can be smoked anytime of day. The nicotine level is between medium and strong. Pay attention to your puffing. If the bowl gets warm, put the pipe down, unless you enjoy an all out nicotine assault.

Some say Aged Burley Flake is the benchmark by which all burleys are measured against. While I disagree, I can say with certainty it’s one of the best burleys currently available, maybe the best.

The best Burley I've tried to date. Have some in the cellar just in case, the current tobacco climate makes me panicky ! Great, refined flavor, very high quality leaf. It's been a number of years so details are a bit fuzzy, but if you love Burley this is a must try/ addition to the rotation. Without reservation : 4 stars.

Wet from tin. I dried and smoked a Flake right away. Meh. Left in a mason jar for about a month. Tried again. Rubbed out the Flake. Dried it a touch from being crispy. Bam. Incredible smoke. Reminds me of coco puffs cereal in a way but light and subtle with a only a hint of sweetness. Does build in flavor as the bowl burns down. One of my favorites.

Now that I am writing I have almost finished my tin and the flakes left in the tin are a bit drier but when opened where rather moist and a bit sticky but so delicate to the touch as I have never encountered before. Still easy to fold, crumble or peel and pack.

The tin note is spectacular: ground cocoa, maple syrup, molasses, honey… It makes want to chew it! Ok, we know that almost all tobaccos are slightly topped, but especially Solani markets its non-aromatics as containing as little additives as possible. However it’s difficult to believe that this delectable aroma comes all from the tobacco itself… - Yep, I went to the Kohlhase & Kopp website where it states that this tobacco is aromatized with chocolate, for heaven's sake: http://kohlhase-kopp.com/ceemes/tabak/solani/aged-burley-flake-blend-656-853.html

Despite being moist it lights easily and stays lit needing only a few relights and smokes to the end. Let me get this straight, this burns so evenly, smoothly and slow as no other tobacco I’ve ever smoked. It does not produce much smoke and it forces you to rather sip than puff, especially at the moisture level at which it comes. It burns so exquisitely slow that it makes an experienced smoker out of a newbie like myself. Obviously a premium quality tobacco as Solani advertises itself.

The problem is that it does not produce much flavor when smoked. I tried to enjoy in good will, I folded it, I crumbled it but not much was happening flavourwise. I tried it moist and then I dried it and found that it enhances its strength and flavor a bit but at the cost of becoming a little harsher and at the loss of its remarkable slow burning qualities…without me ever finding the golden mean.

Still, I got some hints of cocoa and a taste of natural tobacco and being a Burley it possess a slight nuttiness, but it’s very mild for my taste when moist…How I wish a little more from that wonderful tin aroma translated to the smoke! Some reviewers have mentioned that it’s fairly monochromatic. Well that is to be expected somewhat, being a straight Burley and I mostly agree, although I found that while up until the middle of the bowl it is extremely mild, then on things get slightly more interesting, a honeyed sweetness is accompanied by a toasted aroma and progressively the smoke gets more robust without however losing any refinement. All this in a small degree though.

Room note is almost innocuous and nicotine strength is medium, an early morning rather than evening smoke I’d say.

Overall I have to say that this tobacco leaves me ambivalent and slightly unsatisfied. It’s like it promises something that it fails by a small margin to deliver. I will state again that it is the tobacco with the best burning qualities I have ever had and the tin note is stunning. And although I am in the process of ever trying new tobaccos I think will buy 656 again hoping that I will get a better tin or find the elusive golden mean. I’ll give it four stars, but for me it’s a 3.5…

This is the newest in a series of burley flakes, this time by the incomparable Mr. Wills.

This is a true flake, mostly brown and darkish with some lighter strands, that only needs a little breaking or rubbing to get the full benefit of its rich, burley flavor. Overworked terms, but earthy and nutty are the plain truth, but a notch on the richer side. Never bitter. Cool. About 15 flakes in three stacks in the tin. One flake plugged in fills a size 3 or small 4 bowl. I think the toasting (a la McClelland?) improves the natural flavors immensly. Some spicy flavors from the Kentucky migrate but no bite detected.

A comparish with other flakes of the gentry:

Solani Long Golden Flake -- lighter with only some white burley and sweeter with bright virginias and a little perique. Smooth. Not intended as a straight burley flake but good for comparison's sake. (Milder than Solani 633, their full virginia/perique flake.)

Wessex Burley Slices -- elegant and sweeter with both burley and some virginia, with a note of brown sugar and/or licorice. Not as heavy as Edgeworth or Age Burley Flake.

C&D Safe Harbor Flake -- lighter and milder yet with a faint top note (licorice?). Not a true flake but a broken flake. Cool. Favor fades near the bottom but nice. Seems all burley and nutty.

Edgeworth Slices (England variety, no longer made but stashed by many). A thicker flake with a slight molasses or licorice top note. Cool and elegant but a tad heavier than Wessex or C&D's. An old veteran. Good body. Must be smoked up in the opened tin or preserved in a few weeks (some 35 plus flakes), as the flavors fade leaving a dry tasting, uninspiring tobacco as the time passes. A long, slow burning smoke. Now expensive if you can even find it.

Aged Burley Flake is a bit bolder and heavier than most of these (about as full as Edgeworth), with both heady brown Kentucky burley and mild white burley. May be a touch of virginia but no scenting is picked up. A good alternative to the heavier English-type brown flakes with burley, such as Peterson's new Irish Flake (bold and scented a little), G&H's Brown Flake (unscented version; mostly virginia but quite good), and Ogden's Walnut Flake (also with virginia but hard to obtain in U.S.). ABF is more forgiving IMO.

I found the taste as satisfying as the best rich burleys blends from the past, such as Edward's Sebring or Colonial, but in a new toasted, flake form. This is not a weak or bitter burley, but real good burleys, perhaps the highest class in a combo yet.

For the bigger flavor and burley fans. (Cetainly not as heavy as a full English or true Balkan blend.)

Slow burning and tasty. With this cool blend at your side you won't have to flake out over global warming.

The other day must have been day of the Burley for I got to try this and for some reason bought C&D Burley Flake #5. With over two hundred reviews there is probably not much I can add about this one. A fellow pipe club member (friend) brought this unopened tin in with about 3 years of age on it. Talk about smooth, mellow with no bite. Not a Burley expert so I will leave it at that. The web page on this one says it is flavored with cocoa and chocolate but it must be a mild topping as this did not taste like it had any flavoring, at least from what my aged taste buds could detect. In honesty I only had one maybe two bowls of this but I could definitely see myself buying this sometime down the road, if I can remember. Ha. Whether you are a big Burley fan or not this one you should try.

Bought this after falling in love with 660. I was looking for a straight, honest and no-flavoured burley blend. Is there chocolate? Well, you should be aware that NO blend is cased without some additional essence or flavour. Apart from those heavily scented and topped, all blends are complemented with some aroma. Thus, chocolate or not, 656 gives you a sweet, constant and honest burley taste. The flake is almost pre-rubbed and with a perfect humidity so you can just rub it a bit and throw it in. Don’t pack it too tight though. Surprisingly, you need to push it quite a lot to get the full taste, otherwise it might remain flat and anonymous. And when you go for it, a wonderful creamy sensation gets over, old mama’s cookies, toasted bread, nuts. More surprisingly, no leather, very little wood... this might disappoint those who love fire cured and strong burley/kentuckies. Definitely a must for those who wonder what can a Burley say when you let it express itself. To my knowledge, Malawi brings the sweetness here, while White gives the ground floor. Many say that aging burley is just nonsense: I must admit that the difference is hard to tell, and yes this is a monotone blend, same from start to end. But seldom this is what we look for, ain’t it? Won’t bite, no harsh, no bitter tones. Just creamy and steady smoke.

Tin aroma is that of dried dark fruits and berries: my yet untrained nose is getting raisins, sultanas, and... is it blackberries? Also a bit of dried cocoa.

The flakes stick close, and though hard to separate, the tobacco itself rubs and lights easily.

On my yet novice palate, the dried fruits fades and makes way to delicious nuttiness and breadiness. A wide range of chocolate is also noticeable: white, milk, and a bit of the 70% cocoa ones. Rich in taste and body, this makes for one of my favourite smokes yet.

===UPDATE===

Now, having had this tobacco in my pouch for a good week or so, it’s slightly beginning to dry, and, when smoked in a smaller bowl at least (my Norrøna Lillehammer 1212), there is almondy, marzipan sweetness. Truly delightful!