Cornell & Diehl Burley Flake #2

Nutty, deliciously sweet, with cocoa and coffee notes. IMO, best as a first smoke in the AM with coffee. No negative issues.

Preparation Notes: The thick flakes were mostly broken, so I rubbed them out by hand. This produced fairly short (~25mm), stiff "ribbons" about 3mm wide. The texture of the leaf was tough and leathery -- reminded me of paper. The smoke had a bitter, woody edge.

Things improved dramatically when I put these rubbed-out pieces in a coffee bean grinder and gave it 3 quick pulses. lt resembled fully crushed crumble-cake, which burned beautifully, and really brought out the cocoa and coffee flavors as well as the sweetness. I give it 3½ stars rounded down because of the PITA factor.

Continuing my exploration of C&D Burley blends, I arrive at Burley Flake #2.

As with the other blends I've tried so far (Haunted Bookshop, Lunchtime Blues) this is a strong(ish) no nonsense burley forward blend. Nutty earthy natural burley with a little Virginia for sweetness backed by Dark fired Kentucky makes this an outstanding blend. Much smoother in my opinion than the others I tried, it still has enough strength to satisfy.

One of the better blends I've found to go with the morning cup of coffee (if it's a strong cup) this will be in my rotation as a burley staple.

Hay, Hay, and More Hay- with a little bit of a sweet backing/mouth feel. Quite an interesting- albeit simple tobacco. Great taste right from the start, but you HAVE to be able to enjoy the taste of hay/grass to like this one. Burned well early on, but got a bit more difficult as it went on. Just a super-subtle hint of the virginias to keep you holding on- but does develop that sort of tangy throat burn as it goes on. Very reminiscent of my good old days of cigarette smoking, but not in an overwhelming way. EAT before you go for this one, it can make you a tiny bit swirly.

The gentle woodsy tin aroma of this blend belies the strength of the smoke. Cigar and infrequent coffee notes are present, but otherwise no complexity to speak of. No sweetness either. It would probably work well for those who enjoy strong burley tobaccos, but this one is a few yards outside of my personal comfort zone.

Recommended for those who wish to experience what a burley with few other additions tastes like. Just don't expect something along the same chocolatey lines as Solani Burley Flake (which is a milder, sweeter, lightly cased burley blend).

If you know C&D products you know what's coming. When you put Bob R and Craig T. in a room, something great is coming out with them. These flakes do need a touch of drying, and I would start with one, cause they pack a punch. On light up, the flavor is a bit like Cuban coffee. Strong and dark. This is a great blend for walking about outside in the cool fall air. It's strong and honest. Burned clean. I got the best results with a wide gauge bowl. Great burley flavor, burn character, and packed a punch. Thumbs up!

The first thing I have to say about this blend is that it really shines in a cob.

It has dry notes of wood, pepper, nuts, grass, bread and some plum and a slight mustiness toward the end of the bowl. It smokes great and does not bite. There is a clean smooth retro hale, and leaves no moisture in the bowl.

I really enjoyed this blend, but it doesn't get to a 4 star for me, I find the Virginia's to be a little awkward in this blend.