Iwan Ries China Black Vanilla Burley

China Black Vanilla Burley is exactly what it's name implies: vanilla-flavored burley. It also includes Orientals, but they play a subsidiary role in the smoke.

The leaf is a little stringy in the pouch (which comes in a package of two for the price of one), but packs easily and lights easily as well. This is a remarkably biteless tobacco, and I find it a vast improvement over the likes of drugstore crap like Captain Black and even "high-end" aromatics like the abominable Captain Cool. I always know what to expect with this blend, and I'm never disappointed.

I don't find the casing overly applied, unlike my fellow reviewers. This is a smooth, well-mannered aromatic, sure to please those around you, and it burns to a dry ash, never gooping up one's pipe. I find the Orientals emerge only after the first third of the bowl, and they merge nicely with the burley and vanilla flavors. This is not "complex," as so many of us here seem to think every tobacco must be. But it has a delicious flavor and a pleasant aroma, and if it had "Dunhill" written on the tin, I'll bet it would be getting some rave reviews.

We can't be gourmets all the time, and when the gourmand in us needs satisfaction, things like China Black Vanilla Burley have a noble and economical role to play in the pipe smoking world. This is an excellent pipe tobacco in its genre, available in a one-pound tin for $17.00 at the Iwan Ries website, and I recommend it highly.

I was immediately drawn to the aroma of this vanilla as it was very noticeable through the wrapped pouch. I quicky bought it. At $4.19 a pouch it was a reasonably priced tobacco. But if you factor in that I got bought it in a buy on get one free double pack I got a screaming bargain. I went home with high hopes for this tobacco. After unsealing the pouch I was presented with a strong scent of vanilla that I would say definitely was bordering on overpowering. It smelled more like a air freshener than a pipe tobacco with not a hint of tobacco aroma to be found. Upon sticking my fingers in to pack my bowl I was greeted with a sopping wet mess. This has so much flavoring on it that it was actually sticky from the casing. Packing was a little hard due to the wetness. Lighting was just a plain chore. Due to the wetness, this took my several tries to light and a few relights to keep lit. The flavor was very overpowering. I set this one aside and finished one of the pouches over a 4 month period only smoking it occasionally to see if drying it out helped. Finally about the last quarter had about the correct moisture to it and it wasn?t half bad. Actually it was quite enjoyable. I looked at the other pouch of the two pack and it seems to have the same moisture level but you can still see the syrup like casing on the pouch like it was soaking in it which I am pretty sure it was. I have mixed feelings about this tobacco. I enjoyed it once it dried out a bit but without drying it out it is horrible. I would say I cannot recommend this as there are too many good Vanillas like Prince Albert Soft Vanilla, Captain Black White, Middleton?s Gold and Mild and even Smoker?s Pride Vanilla, that are consistently good right out of the pouch without the need to dry out or anything to do other than pack, lite, relax. Plus All but Captain Black White are cheaper, and easier to find too boot. If you like vanilla flavored pipe tobacco try one of my other recommendations if you didn?t already. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

This was another blend I recieved in a free sample pack from this company. I have to say it still just isn't my style. The burley here is of the cheap kind that I abhor, and the flavoring was way too much. The relights have the typical cheap burley sourness to them and although it burned cooler than the other blends, it will still give your mouth blisters. It would help if you could dry this blend out, but it just ain't happenin'. If you want a better vanilla choice, try Captain Black White label. P.S. For a vanilla blend, the room note isn't very good!

In the China Black series,this is my least favorite. I found it to be overly flavored with vanilla. Burley, of course, takes kindly to flavorings, and they sure gave the burley a bath with this blend.

Like the other CB's, this is a cool smoke that doesn't produce too much moisture. Your pipe will not be dry after the smoke, but you won't be able to swim down in there either.

Aromatic fans, rejoice, this should pop your corn!