Cornell & Diehl Burley Flake #3

A full meaty flake. Burley, earthy, smooth, cool, and rich. That's most of what I taste. The burley domninates but is not bitter.

I agree it tastes in flake form somewhat like other full C&D burleys -- OJK and Haunted Bookshop for example. But it is smoother.

Nice flakes, easy to rub out to one's pleasure.

LZ of the tobacco newsletter ranked this 3rd or "mildest" in strength out of the three new flakes by C&D (1, 2, and 3). To me, it ranks 2d or 1st, but still working on no. 1.

A lot of body here, maybe more than Burley Flake by Solani. But latter is more elegant.

Tin note smells of yoghourt – I’ve encountered this once again in Hermit Tobacco’s Captain Earl’s Honor blend where the tin was bulging from fermentation taking place within it – the tin here was not compromised nor was it bulging.

The flakes are thick and short and neatly packed in the tin but they are not very compressed, so that I could not take out whole pieces. They have a density which is something in between a traditional flake and a crumble kake. When rubbed the different layers of leafs untangle easily so if rubbed fully you get to load the pipe with ribbons (..and tobacco dust) after all. They are quite dry and light easily. The tobacco burns evenly and surprisingly very(!) slowly.

I find this tobacco quite similar not only in the tin note, but in taste as well, to Honor Blend though stronger and more complex. It has a cigar taste, it’s not at all sweet, rather savoury, bitter, ashy and spicy (black pepper especially through the nostrils) and has some faint black raisin notes. As you might guess the Perique presence is obvious and strong… Now, this being called “Burley Flake”, I was a little disappointed as I did not get any of the Burley nuttiness just some bitterness. As for the Virginia I could not sense it per se. It is a strong tobacco as I mentioned and has a considerable nicotine content but it has a very smooth – and full – mouthfeel which is somehow a redeeming feature.

It’s not going to be a favourite tobacco of mine, but it’s top quality. It leaves a bitter aftertaste so I do not recommend smoking it after a sweet Virginia based mixture as the bitterness is enhanced and it does not compliment its taste. And although this tobacco is not a cigar-leaf based blend I strongly recommend it to those who do like the cigar taste in their tobaccos and do not mind strong smokes. Room-note is very cigar-like as well. A cautious recommendation from me, as I am not a great fan of cigar-like pipe tobaccos, but this is top class tobacco.

--- This tobacco is too strong for me, not harsh, just strong, but so much that it is not pleasant for me to smoke. What I did was to mix it with some nice English style unflavoured Black Cavendish to tone down it's strength, and now I have a perfectly smokable mixture. It also works well with oriental tobaccos, they add aroma, sweetness and cut the strength while the character of Burley Flake#3 remains. I could actually give it a four stars as a blending tobacco to cut with milder tobaccos.

Another addition to the stout C&D man blends. Earthy, musty, woody and substantially powerful. Loaded with natural tobacco flavor. The blend has some complexity to it and it is balanced and consistent. All of the tobacco varietals can be discerned at some point in every puff. The burley plays a sour walnut note, the dark fired is strong, earthy and cigarish. The Perique is very musty and leathery, occasionally showing a lovely dark fruite note, more savory than sweet. The Virginia offers a bit of mellowing embrace with softer grassy citrus flavors. Notes of cocoa, spice, herbs, and smoked meat flit in and out along with an occasional harshness. It's totally fantastic! The combined impact of the varietals is reminiscent of an oily medium to full bodied cigar. It's robust and has a bold mouth feel. The Burley and Perique double team make a wicked nic hit. It makes for a mean partnership. This is a steak and potato dinner in a seedy night club. True to that analogy, for me BF#3 is best enjoyed as a lovely evening smoke (on a full stomach ofcourse). I recommend a smaller bowled pipe and a glass of scotch. The hard hitting nic can be a real bonus at times.

I don't think it's possible for C&D to even make a bad blend. BF #3 is toasty and nutty with just a hint of sweetness from the Virginias. You had better be a fan of Perique however, because it's there; loud and proud. BF #3 is tasty but just doesn't have that "wow" factor like a Kajun Kake or Mississippi River, but it is very good and worth trying. I won't buy it regularly but I will definitely be buying again.

C&D had open tins of almost everything, at the CORPS show in Richmond. After doing my due diligence on tobaccoreviews.com, I made a list of about a dozen to examine in person. After looking them over and sniffing them, this was one of the 4 or 5 that I requested samples to tryout.

All the earlier reviews are right on target. Plenty of vitamin N and a smooth easy smoke ending with white ash. I left with a 8oz tin and finally popped it and jared it today. Pure pleasure. I held off on STAR #4 only because I want to spend some more quality time with the blend before I move it to highest level.

This one is headed into my regular rotation.

I've heard the saying "C&D knows burley" and they proved that with this blend.

If you like a good burley then this one has to be on the must try list. Strong burley flavor with enough virginia to prevent any bitter taste. The perique was there but very subtle. More of a peppery mouth "feel" than taste. Enough nicotine to satisfy a former cigarette smoker with some to spare. Stays light easily and burns cool. No effort needed to smoke this one but plenty of old fashion tobacco pleasure.

A true "mans" blend. High in "N" but smooth. I find this better after a few months to breath ( bottom of the tin is best) and smoke this at a smolder. Burns very nice to a gray ash. Delightful with a cup of "Joe". Similar to Jackknife plug and Germains Brown Flake but not as sweet. The Burley is out front with this one, maybe a slight taste of Cigar leaf. I had this with my morning coffee and it felt like I had 3 beers for breakfast , watch the "N".

Updated 9/25/11 Well I've been told that Burleys don't age well and I have to agree. Tried this again after about 3 months of cellaring and all I got was smoke, no sweetness, no complexity, just a metallic burley taste. I've got to remove a star, totally uninteresting. I must have been lightheaded when I wrote my first review !

Not only was this my first burley, but it was also the first pipe-full I had that really tasted like I was smoking a great cigar (but with a filter tip). While it is straightforward, I have yet to find a purer burley that is this sparse, yet complex and savory. I have found it smokes best in a straight group three billiard and that the cigar qualities come out the most in this pipe shape. Of course this is only my preference, and it consistently tastes outstanding in all my burley pipes of all sizes. I will add that this is a stronger nicotine blend, one I go to after work to unwind and collect my thoughts. Like other burleys and cigars, the sumatra earthiness and leathery flavors are there, which personally go very well with rye or scotch (which are usually the choice beverages to go with such tastes). Needless to say, this is outstanding burley; a must try.

HO HO HO!!!!! This is what I'm talkin about!

Burley Flake #3. Pop the tin and you get a nice scent of Burley and Perique. Nice. Americana in a tin.

The flakes need a bit of drying for me, then I fully rubbed out. Surprisingly, this tasted a lot like Old Joe Krantz to me. Which is a favorite of mine! Score! This differed in that the flavors were more unified, and the smoke was SSSMMMOOOOOOTTTTHHHH. The bowl burned merrily along with nary a relight. Strength was Med Strong...I felt the effects..My the room got warm.... Joy. The flavor stayed consistent to the end, no typical burley bitterness near the end. The perique was assertive, not overpowering...Very Tasty. This flake is one for the books. Great stuff!!!