Aromatic Tobacco » Mac Baren Burley London Blend Tobacco Reviews

My go-to Burley.

A great Burley blend. Nutty with a hint of cocoa,  but just a bit soapy.  Starts off mild and picks up the nutty pace quickly, big clouds of smoke, packs well and burns very well.
 After my first bowl I immediately ordered another 100g. I highly recommend this blend for anyone who enjoys burleys, and especially to someone who is looking to try their first true burley blend.

A standard for Burley

Of MacBaren's Burley blends, this one has the least VA mixed in and is the purest Burley experience compared to Norwood and Golden Blend (aka Golden Extra). The leaf is something between a ready-rubbed and a broken flake in the tin, almost uniformly brown; the tin note is of cocoa and some chocolate, with sweetness.

Stuffing and lighting this typical MacBaren cut is easy, I have no need to dry out first. Stuff lightly, though. The room note is an airy, cocoa-ish fragrance that may not be a chick magnet but is quite good; the taste builds up from a rather dry chocolate note to gain more and more sweetness.

Needs to be smoked somewhat slowly to appreciate, but that is not much of a problem; just sip slowly. It seems MacBaren have added a little sugar to sweeten the blend, accordingly the burn can turn too hot. After smoking, I have no dottle in the bowl, just an even light grey ash.

Not exactly a premium blend, for me this is one of those indispensable things to have around when I need that Burley fix that I keep a goodly stock of tins. I like to accompany Burley London Blend with a dry Highlands Single Malt, or a good Espresso.