Canadian vs American

[Casual]

Tastes, that is.

I often see burley pipe tobacco reviews that say the taste can be reminiscent of cigarettes. I think this must be an American thing.

In Canada, cigarette tobacco is highly regulated, and it’s definitely Virginia. Straight Virginia pipe tobacco blends, which seem to be valued as subtle and sweet, taste like Canadian cigarettes to me. Whereas burleys seem nutty and exotic, and nothing like cigarettes.

Any other people familiar with both sides of the border have insight into this issue of taste?

 

[Dusk]

Tastes, that is.

I often see burley pipe tobacco reviews that say the taste can be reminiscent of cigarettes. I think this must be an American thing.

In Canada, cigarette tobacco is highly regulated, and it’s definitely Virginia. Straight Virginia pipe tobacco blends, which seem to be valued as subtle and sweet, taste like Canadian cigarettes to me. Whereas burleys seem nutty and exotic, and nothing like cigarettes.

Any other people familiar with both sides of the border have insight into this issue of taste?

That always threw me for a loop as in Canada, pretty much all cigs are just different blends of virginia but with varying levels of smoothness. They all pretty much taste the same (bland to most Americans) but the amount of filler used affects the price. Canadians are accustomed to it but hold American cigs in high regard as they are blended with Turkish, burley and some even with perique.

So, when I switched to pipes I was pretty blown away by the different blends. Burley is almost exotic to me but yes, I found those reviews confusing at first. For myself, burley tastes nothing like cigarettes but I'm finding that sometimes that description is used instead of saying "chemical". Virginia is very familiar to me and pipe tobaccos that feature them do not taste like cigarettes at all. To me, a blend like Macbaren Virginia #1 tastes sweet and grassy with definite citrus notes but does not remind me of cigs at all. I've even rolled it and it still doesn't compare. If I wanted to emulate Canadian cigs, adding some Virginia to wood pulp and shredded paper would probably work.

 

[mso489]

I'm glad to see some find burley exotic. For so long, it has been stereotyped as an over-the-counter codger type leaf. Then Cornell & Diehl came on the scene and treated it with great respect both as a base and as a condiment leaf and really made the point that it was right up there with Virginia, Turkish, Oriental, etc. It is true some people simply can't taste burley; some find it awful; and others really like it, but the general opinion has certainly changed over the last twenty years. One of the most refined English blends I know, Nat Sherman 536, has burley as a condiment. I can't compare cigarettes from anywhere to anything. I smoked a pack or two when I was six years old, and that cured me. I turned green.

 

[jaytex1969]

I think that the cigarette comparison for burley comes from cadence issues.

Not so much with quality burley flakes, but if one over-puffs on a ribbon cut with burley in it, one can often bring out a bitterness often associated in taste to many mass produced cigarettes of varying quality.

I also think those who held a cigarette habit prior to taking up the pipe are more in tune with this particular flavor.

Anyone who has gotten themselves very drunk and chain smoked cigarettes all night may recall the ashtray like flavor in the mouth upon waking up hung over at noon on the floor beside the front door.

Or, so I hear..... ?