Gatlin-Burlier Newfound Blend

I've been smoking this stuff on and off since I first picked up a pipe in 1990. It's easily the Gatlin-Burlier's best aromatic, even if it just barely qualifies as such. Aside from Smokies Smoke Ease or their straight burley, this is GB's most naturalistic product. It's flavored, but just barely. I can't tell what precisely the top note here is, but it adds sweetness and cranks up the "nutty" flavors of the burley a hundredfold. But it's not your normal aromatic in any other way. There is no black cavendish or goop of any sort, and the blend looks, feels and smokes like Prince Albert or Carter Hall. In fact, If you like OTC burlies like those I just mentioned, then I would highly recommend this stuff to you.

This is the second Gatlin-burlier blend that I have tried and I am very impressed by both of them. Newfound Blend is made with a high grade of tobacco as evidenced by visual inspection but also by burning characteristics and lots of natural tobacco flavor. I have had at least three bowls of it in different pipes in order to evaluate it fairly. It reminds me of the Prince Albert or Velvet tobacco blends, but better. It smokes very smooth and without a bite. It is a very subtle aromatic with lots of good tobacco taste and that doesn't get tiring even bowl after bowl. Newfound blend is not a complex tobacco, but is quality through and through.

Prep: Ready to go. Says its coarse cut but I found it to be ribbony Notes: Nutty and bready. In fact, I kept getting a peanut butter taste, which is a first! Slighty sweet and cool smoking. A solid blend for a beginner as well. 6/10 https://youtu.be/fms_s4XaBa8

This blend might be a Burley lover's best kept secret. It's a ribbon of mostly Burley mixed with some Virginia. I thought I detected some McClelland Burley in this blend, so I actually called them today to verify this blend was still available and the recipe unchanged. According to them they source their own Burley and this never used McClelland, so good enough for me.

I know that I like this blend a lot because I tried to replicate it on my own with commonly available blending tobacco. Then I promptly forgot about it, just enjoying the occasional bowl. Some time later I realized that I must like this one quite a lot if I had put that much thought and effort into it.

What this tobacco is is a light aromatic Burley that presents as a Burley instead of an aromatic. Whatever topping is applied sweetens the blend and accentuates the natural nutty quality some Burley has. So Newfound Blend is a sweet, nutty Burley, on steroids. It takes those subtle qualities you admire in some Burleys and gives them to you in a not so subtle presentation. I don't rank this as highly as I do some from Uhle, HU and Watch City. Instead I would say this one lives in that space between those tobaccos and classics that come in 14 oz tubs.

My favorite use for this is for mixing with C&D Burleys that lack sweetness and have big rough edges. This is just what those need.

Newfound Blend is pretty darn good. If you're a Burley man like me, you'll think so too. A very enthusiastic 3 stars.