Tobaccos Wessex - Burley Slice

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3019)	2014-06-07		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

There's an extremely light anise additive to accentuate the mild molasses and light cocoa toppings. The burleys offer a fair amount of earth, wood, some nuts, bread, and a small sharp note. No harshness or bite at all, and has a mild nicotine hit. The strength is a step or so below the medium level, while the taste level just misses the medium mark. The flake is lightly moist out of the tin and breaks apart very easily. Burns a tad slow with a cool, clean, very consistent flavor from start to finish. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and can be burned to ash. Requires a few relights. Has a pleasant after taste and room note. A morning smoke with coffee that also serves well as an all day experience. Three and a half stars.

UPDATE 7-6-2022. The blend has been changed. The burleys (including white) are moderately rougher, more savory, woodier, breadier and nuttier with a hint of smoke. The sharp note is barely evident. The anise is a little more pronounced though it does weaken a tad by the half way point. The molasses is much lighter now. The cocoa is currently the lead topping as all the sauces mildly tone down the burleys. It won’t bite, but a freight train puffer may possibly experience light harsh and cigarette notes. The strength just misses the medium mark. The taste level is now medium. The nic-hit is a couple of notches stronger. The slices are darker, and less moist, so the burn rate is a touch faster than before. The room note is a little stronger, too, as it leans more toward tolerable than it does pleasant. Can be an all day smoke even though it’s more rugged and a little less sweet. All other aspects of the previous productions remain the same. It’s different enough to stand on its own as the old version was essentially an attempted clone of Edgeworth Slices. This is not, even though the base burleys resemble that used in ES are a little closer to that than older manufacture. The toppings and proportions are different than ES. My rating is the same as it was before: three and a half stars.

-JimInks

43 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TK Pipe (101)	2013-01-08		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Wessex Burley Slice… Beautiful thin flakes what are easy to fold and stuff into any of my pipe sizes, with a delicious aroma of yeasty bread dough and tobacco, I love Burly; and I have always prefer my tobacco in either full or broken flake, so for me this is an ideal tobacco, I am really enjoying these flakes.

Maybe a bit too mild for the fans of tobacco's like c/d burley flake series, but still in many of the important ways WBS has what IMO most burley lovers would be looking for. Nice nut-like burley flavors, mild, no harshness and bite free. Highly recommended to anybody that favors a good burley smoke.

21 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-09-08		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I did not like this one quite as well as Solani ABF, but it was definitely in the same ballpark and definitely earned 4 stars. My only complaint - and it is picking nits - is that I got a light soapy taste with the charring light. This went away once I started the second light.

The taste of this one is less sweet than ABF, although I wouldn't classify that one as particularly sweet, either. This one seemed more of a natural heavy bodied burley (I do need to smoke them back to back, and since I haven't, I'll dispense with the comparisons from here on) with a nice, leathery flavor. Very natural tasting. This would be a great blend for cigarette smokers looking to switch to pipes. Also good for those looking to upgrade from "drugstore" burleys.

Note: This one dried out quickly in the tin. I found it best to put the tin in a ziplock to keep it from becoming tinder. It worked best with a 15 minute drying period initially and once it dried a bit in the tin, I could fire it up immediately. This one is well worth trying for burley fans.

15 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	doc'spipe (241)	2009-10-06		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

ORIGINAL REVIEW: In my search for a replacement to Edgeworth Sliced, I'd have to say Wessex Burley Slice is in the same league. I still have some Edgeworth Sliced from 20 years ago - enough for several bowls - so I can compare the two with more accuracy.

The tin aroma of Burley Slice is that of good Burley with what smells like a bit of molasses and perhaps some licorice added as a top note. The slices are similar in appearance to Edgeworth Sliced (but darker in appearance) and very fresh. They part folded part broke apart nicely as I like to prepare my slices for smoking in the form of broken flakes. For as fresh as it was, it took to the match readily and required little in the way of relights, gently tamping as I went. It smokes just as easily with the traditional fold and stuff flake method, so the choice is yours. The overall flavor for me was a stout, but sweet, Burley, nutty, spicy and delicious! A top notch, full tasting Burley. There was a hint of something soapy (very,very mild - I actually hate to use the word but can't find one to better describe it) which disappeared after the first several puffs and was not present with subsequent smokes (only experienced with the first of 4 tins out of 20 so far). By the way, that mild soapy taste was also present in the ORIGINAL ES produced by Larus. I have added molasses to some of my tobacco blends in the past and am familiar with its semi-sweet taste. I believe I taste a subtle presence of molasses (and licorice) here and this adds to the overall smoking enjoyment for me. The nicotine kick is evident and a tad less than with Edgeworth Sliced. It smoked cool and dry and maintained its character without producing any of the Burley bitterness characteristic of some Burleys. No typical end of the bowl Burley bitterness, and a relatively cool smoke unless you puff too quickly.

A very well produced flake that can serve as a suitable substitute for Edgeworth Sliced, tasting very similar; the only difference for me was in the nicotine strength as previously noted. Unlike ES, BS is only available in 50 gm tins. Since this flake burns slowly, 50g should go a long way.

For a Burley flake comparison, see my review of Solani's Aged Burley Flake, a comparable blend, reviewed one week after Burley Slice. As far as rankings go, I like them both equally. Overall, ABF has more of a sweetly-sour (in equal measure) presence that BS does not, BS being more sweet (not cloying) over sour. Variations on a theme of very good Burley leaf.

UPDATE 11-18-10: I just wanted to note that I have been fortunate to come by several 100 gm tins of Edgeworth Sliced over the past several months (that was produced by Orlik for Lane). Side by side, ES is a bit lighter in color and has a smidgen of a top-dressing not found in WBS. After many bowls of each, I do maintain that Wessex Burley Slice is the closest you can get to ES in taste (molasses/licorice). BS can be a bit harsh when fresh (and a bit medicinal/chemical tasting), so I usually open a tin and let it sit (closed) for several weeks before smoking, and this lessens the effect somewhat but doesn't eliminate it fully.

UPDATE 10-20-12: After nearly 30 tins each of Burley Slice and Solani's Aged Burley Flake I can say that the ABF is the better of the two. BS, when fresh, seems to have a slightly medicinal/chemical taste and can be off-putting at times. I must emphasize that they are a different smoke for me flavor wise - similar, but not the same. That said, I reach for ABF more often (several smokes a week, at times my daily smoke for several days running), whereas BS now a days is for when the muse strikes...which hasn't been too often lately. BS is just not as tasty or full enough for me, plus that chemical/medicinal taste is always there to my palate.

UPDATE 1-16-14: I find that if I let this dry out to the state of it crumbling when you push a flake into the bowl, not only is there no chemical taste, but it doesn't smoke hot and really resembles the Edgeworth Sliced of old (not the now defunct Orlik version, but the original).

UPDATE 3-5-14: My current tin was smoked fresh after about a 2 months ago purchase. Smoked it fresh in a meer lined Dr. Grabow pot (a GREAT smoker!) and there was absolutely no harshness, nor chemical presence whatsoever. No sourness either. Very good indeed! 5 stars.

Similar Blends: The ORIGINAL Edgeworth Sliced, NOT the Orlik version..

14 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-09-15		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Tolerable

Wow. I had the opportunity to try a 40 plus year old can of Edgeworth at my local pipe club, and instantly fell in love. Not able to afford what such tins command in price on a regular basis, somebody suggested that I try Burley Slices. And boy am I ever glad I did. I smoke a lot of Prince Albert as a regular go to, but given a chance, would make this my regular, daily smoke.

Upon opening the tin, I was welcomed with an honest, clean, rich tobacco note that left me quite tempted to eat a slice! This lights relatively well, stays lit, and is very consistent in taste from top to bottom - something which I don't find in very many of the different blends I've tried. It has never bit my tongue or disappointed in any way, and tastes just about the same in each of my pipes, although my Cavicchi Lovat really makes it shine. It is a fairly strong tobacco, and even being a cigarette smoker to boot, I usually get a mild buzz off of a bowl full (which I like). It would be very easy for me to smoke this constantly all day long if my budget were not a deciding factor. My only wish would be to find it considerably cheaper, and perhaps in a bigger tin than in a 50 gram.

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2007-03-08		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

As I continue down the Burley trail that I've been on of late, Burley Slices by Wessex is my latest stop.

Impressions: Not as full flavored as Solani Aged Burley Flake, but it is stronger in its Burley presentation allowing the smoker to pick up more strength. And it is certainly a little more forgiving than the late, lamented Edgeworth Slices, with more refinement. You'll definitely get a bold, nutty taste with this one.

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2075)	2016-06-22		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Wessex - Burley Slice.

This is a superb blend! No messing around, a straightforward Burley lovers dream!

I've wanted to pipe this for a fair while, but I was damned if any could be tracked down: the tobacco market in the U.K. can be a little difficult! So I was overjoyed when I spotted some from Smoking Pipes. com.

The tin holds two rows of fairly wide flakes that give off a raw and somewhat earthy Burley aroma. As they're of a good moisture amount from a fresh tin (mine arrived today) the smoking can begin without any delay, and when it does I absolutely adore it!

The flavour from the smoke is a clear Burley one: it's very nutty, but it seems to have a touch of woodiness too, a little more-so than the usual Burley taste. It seems 'un-tamed' compared to some of the smoother varieties available! Unlike some of the other reviewers I don't get any extra flavours, all I can obtain from the smoke is a full and natural Burley taste. Of the two packing methods I prefer the fold and stuff technique, this way it seems to burn slower than if it's been fully rubbed.

The nicotine's just above medium, and the room-note's very pleasant: a great smoke!

Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Peterson Standard System #303

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes.com

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SteelCowboy (685)	2016-05-08		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

In the tin, Burley Slice offers up two neatly arranged rows of flakes which are 1.5 inches wide. It’s not overly moist, but too moist for my preferred way of smoking it. I have smoked this lightly dried and, taking a que from Gentleman Zombie, I also smoked it quite dry, although not fully rubbed out. I enjoyed it dried as it seemed to bring out more flavor. BS is nutty, ever so slightly earthy and with a touch of tang. The vast majority of Burley’s are cased in processing in order to reduce harshness and there are cocoa notes, although I can’t say for sure if it actually is cocoa. BS is monochromatic, but quite tasty all the same. The natural comparisons to Solani’s excellent Aged Burley Flake are going to be had, (for me, the gold standard) and I prefer ABF to Burley Slices because the flavor is deeper, slightly sweeter and more refined. However, this is a good Burley Flake with no bitterness and while rougher around the edges than ABF, it isn’t rough. There is a decent nic hit, although I wouldn’t put it on par with some of the heavy Burley blends from Gawith Hoggarth. I do find that to get the most out of this flake, it is best sipped as I didn’t care for the flavor when pushed. All in all, a decent offering, although I prefer ABF and Uhle’s “00” ribbon Burley to this blend.

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2015-04-27		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

One of the best Burley flakes I've smoked. Has a very clean, somewhat bold flavor. Sweet and nutty with very little earthiness. Stays consistent throughout the bowl. This also makes a first class blender. Add any quality Virginia to this for a 4 star VaBur. The proportions I like are 60% Va and 40% WBS.

Medium in body and flavor. Burns best when fully rubbed and very dry.

Pipe Used: MM Country Gentleman, Mark Twain, Patriot

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: 4noggins

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	William H. Hardy (93)	2016-06-13		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Full	Tolerable to Strong

I'm going to be one of those few people who prefer this over Solani ABF, but I do prefer it. Opening the tin, you see a couple sets of dark brown strips that smell of burley and sweetness. I think that it is the molasses/treacle that has won me over and I think that any lover of Burley would be remiss without trying this one. I smoked this and ABF side by side and Wessex Burley Slice was definitely the winner. As I smoked it, I imagined warm, toasted pumpernickel or a dark, molasses-rich beer-bread. If Guinness is liquid bread, then this is combustible bread. Nutty, bready, a little sweet, and rich bass notes. This is just a great tobacco all-around, but I do have to qualify that with the fact that I love almost all Burley blends.

As for the room note I don't think you'd be dragging people out just to comment about it, but I kind of like the way that it smells. Of course, I like most tobacco room notes other than those that are very strong. This also has the perfect amount of nicotine for me in a smoke. I don't smoke often, but when I do I like to know that I have smoked. I found that cube cut for WBS seemed to bring out more flavor and also help with the burn rate.

Would I buy it again? Heck, yeah I would and I will. I just wish that there was a way to get it in bulk. I guess I'll just have to settle for the 50 gram tin for now. I smoke this at least once a week now and sometimes more, but this has been my weekly special time smoke. For times I know that I won't be bothered with anything and I don't have to pay attention to anything. This, in my opinion, is some seriously great stuff.

Pipe Used: Custom-bilts

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stefanos (222)	2017-05-25		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Burley Slice is beautifully presented in perfectly rectangular mottled flakes of brown/black color neatly packed in two rows. They are thin and slightly moist but still very brittle. I did not dry - it smokes well with a little extra moisture -and did not rub out as I found there was no need. The flakes smoke excellently with just folding and staffing.

Tin note is subtle. I get bready/yeasty aromas, maybe some molasses or a trace of cocoa as others have mentioned backed by a nice natural tobacco smell.

It needs a few matches to get going but then on it smokes perfectly. It smokes cool, slow and without producing plumes of smoke but with unhindered draw. Very easy smoke mechanically – one of the best behaved tobaccos I have ever smoked- and burns completely to a very fine ash without any harshness. The smoke is full bodied but I find it of just about medium strength without producing any excessive nicotine kick. It is a smooth smoke but it does have a solid backbone. It could easily become an all day tobacco if it were not so nuanced. What I mean is that in my opinion this is a tobacco to be savored, not one to be smoked carelessly. It’s just a straight Burley flake with a very mild topping and yet I find it quite complex. Flavors are not in your face, instead it is a nuanced tobacco which offers an array of distinct flavors. They may be variations on the same theme but still I would in no way describe Burley Slice as monochromatic.

The first whiff is cigarette-like, but then on the smoke constantly transforms from cigar-like to earthy spice to leathery and while you think this is a juicy, savoury but dry-tasting smoke you get some unexpected and utterly welcome nutty sweetness to quench your craving for some. For me casing does not translate to the smoke at any point.

For me this is a perfect Burley tobacco and I could easily put it among my favorites. My only reservation is that I am not in the mood to smoke it quite often. But when I’m in the mood it’s almost always an intoxicating smoke. Maybe it has to do with its relative lack of sweetness. Or to put it in another way, when I smoke it gives me a chromatic impression of black flavors, while most other tobaccos give me a ‘brown’ impression for which I am more often in the mood.

As for comparisons with Solani’s Aged Burley Flake I think they are apt, with ABF being much more obviously cased and sweetened with cocoa (heavenly tin note!), but judging from the one tin I have smoked of each, I prefer Burley Slice as I think it has bolder, more natural and more typical Burley flavors. Both however are excellent tobaccos I wish to revisit.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	r (34)	2016-02-21		Mild	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

In the same category of "yummy" as Royal Yacht and University Flake, but with a slightly more refined profile. Wessex stays delicious all throughout the smoke -- a must try fur Burley aficionados!

Similar Blends: Dunhill - Royal Yacht, Peterson - University Flake.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2012-12-14		Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Burley Slice is an excellent all Burley smoke. Don't look for complexity with this type of tobacco; all you can taste is the sweet nuttiness and a slight chocolate note.

These notes progressively tone down to be replaced by a straight tobacco taste and an increase in strength (read nicotine hit). Having had the opportunity to try Solani Aged Burley Flake, I must admit that I prefer Wessex's offering because the bitterness is way less frequent with the latter. it will only be slightly bitter towards the end of the bowl, as where ABF would be bitter everytime I relighted.

If you enjoy Burley, this is a must for you, gents.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DoctorThoss (146)	2009-03-05		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Tolerable

This is a well prepared burley flake, and I can't come up with anything negative to say about this tobacco's appearance, quality, taste, or room note.

On the other hand, I can't think of anything really positive to say about any of those things, either. Put another way, this is a competent blend, but in no way is it an inspired (or inspiring) one. The flavor is, to my palate, very dull and reminds me of watered down coffee. There were times when I detected almost no taste at all, even if this blend does have a small nicotine kick.

As much as I love burley, this one just didn't ring my bell, especially when blends like Solani's Aged Burley Flake are available.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2006-01-28		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

With the recent closing of Murray and Son's in Belfast Ireland, fans have been looking for a reasonable substitute for Edgeworth Sliced. Wessex Burley Slice is said to be a return to the original recipe developed in Richmond in 1903.

Being a Burley fancier myself, I just had to give it a try. I have enjoyed Edgeworth Sliced for over 20 years off and on. I noticed the changes in formulation over the years, the later recipe seeming to be a mixture of Burley and Virginia with a more powerful topping than that available when I first smoked it about 1980.

Appearance: A very beautiful and uniform flake tightly sealed in a rather ?plain Jane? tin of mottled appearance. Various hues of tans and browns of nice rich mature tobacco.

Aroma: This mixture has a deep sweet aroma very enticing. Immediately one smells a deep hay-like quality, freshly mown hay, slowly drying in the summer sun. Deep, sharp and earthy. Carmel tones and nuts are evident, as in grandma's molasseses. There is a darker scent to this as well leading me to believe that some of the leaf has been toasted in some manor. No hint whatever of Virginia or other tobaccos are evident.

This tobacco is nearly perfect in moisture the flakes are very pliant and feel slightly leathery, easily folded into a perfect ?folded plug? for inserting into the chamber. For this review I've chosen a well seasoned cob fully dedicated to Burley mixtures.

Lighting generally easy, at times requiring a re-light or two to get fully going, and with a friendly ?lighting tamp? I was well on my way each time. As expected, the initial flavor very Burley, with a thick silky mouth feel, with semi-sweet notes. Hay-like tones and smells and flavors of Autumn are abundant with deepening flavors of nuts and butter interplaying in a fascinating way. This seems much more to me like the Edgeworth of old, less sweet, less bitter the topping being more of the minimalist variety. Later production of Edgeworth seemed to me over-topped if anything, this is more a return to the refined version available at least 15 years ago.

Mid Bowl: Approaching mid-bowl, the fullness tends to build the toothsome mixtures of nuts and Burley develop in strength slowly along predictable lines. The topping flavor dissipates evenly leaving a slight sweetness which lasts for the remainder of the bowl. The nuttiness becomes more pronounced which is very agreeable. The mixture seems to gather a bit of strength as it matures, though I don't find it unmanageable at all. There is a moderate complexity of flavors, deep tones and high ones, hay-like, nuttiness and a slight sweetness with a rich molasseses or caramel flavor. This should bring a wide smile to many a grandfather's face recalling a great tobacco of old.

Home Stretch: As end of the bowl approaches, I am deeply pleased. This blend IS the ?Edgeworth Sliced? of old, full of character and simple class of a true classic mixture.. The final third has matured nicely with all the flavors working in deepening harmony. None of the recent later bowl harshness is there, just rich voluminous pure white smoke from beginning to end. A self maintaining mixture which may be enjoyed indoors or stand up to near gale force winds outdoors making it a favorite for puttering around in the garden, forest or plains.

Supplemental Notes: This blend will certainly occupy a regular part of my rotation and should make many a lover of Edgeworth Sliced very happy indeed Rating for those interested in numbers four full stars**

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BingCrosby (161)	2019-09-05		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

This is a high quality flake.. very straightforward and smooth burley flavor.. it is a lot more smoothed out and slightly less complex from solani aged burley flake- but very similar at the same time.. cocoa, nuts, molasses, very slight anise.. but the flavor notes all merge together and taste very simple yet satisfying.. burns exceptionally cool.. while I think I prefer the slightly rougher more complex solani, wessex would probably make a better 'everyday' smoke.. no real changes throughout the bowl.. but it does at times build in richness and has a nearly syrupy quality.. I rarely go for a straight burley.. but this I could definitely enjoy from time to time.. particularly on colder evenings.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	hawky454 (107)	2017-03-01		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is hands down my favorite Burley flake and it's a just notch above Aged Burley Flake in my opinion. I don't smoke many straight Burley blends but when I do this is the one I always choose. It's sweet and rich with plenty of depth. I get molasses, chocolate and honey in the retrohale. I don't detect any artificial flavorings, what I pick up on are the natural subtleties that come through with high quality tobaccos. The nicotine is a little lower than I usually prefer but it works great as a change of pace. For best results I like to rub out the flake and let it air dry for 15-30 minutes before I lock and load.

Note* I get a very odd flavor from this one and ABF for the first few minutes of lighting it. It’s almost tastes like an artificial topping and I am not too fond of it. Fortunately it levels out a bit once I get going but that’s the reason why it gets a three star instead of a four.

Pipe Used: Charatan, Stanwell, Neerup, Savinelli

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: www.smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: Solani - 656: Aged Burley Flake.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jacinto Cupboard (209)	2014-05-20		Mild	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable

Very thin dark brown slices with specks of light tobacco. Moisture content is ideal straight from the tin and it rubs out easily.

Tin note is malty or molasses like, with some very light cocoa and pepper. None of these notes translate to the actual smoking.

Takes a light well and burns without further attention.

This really is a bland tobacco. At times I felt like I was inhaling warm air. I found myself chasing exhaled smoke to get a sense of flavour. I'm not going to say this is cigarette like; firstly because I come from a place where cigarettes are Virginia, and secondly because most cigarettes have more flavour than this offering. The upside is there is nothing objectionable to the tobacco itself. It is not hot or bitter.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	½ bowl (103)	2008-08-30		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

I like Wessex Burley Flake. I fold a flake in thirds, round it to a cylinder, and stuff it in the bowl. Three matches later, and with some attentive tamping, a good ember takes me to the bottom leaving dry ash.

Beyond observing that this has a good Burley tobacco taste, there's not a whole lot to say about the flavor. Nearly every Burley description uses the word "nutty". Well, this is no exception, but whether due to personal chemistry or appetite, etc., for me the nuttiness leans not toward the peanut taste, but rather toward the vegetable nuttiness of, say, canned black olives.

The smoke is rich and somewhat rough, but biteless. But at times, early on in the smoke, it is assertive and somewhat scratchy in the nasal passages. This is not a sweet tobacco, but it tilts away from "Burley bitterness"; so in that sense I guess you could call it sweet without meaning saccharine.

I give it two stars because of its overall mundane character and some rough edges early on in the smoke. This would be a three star smoke were it not for the boutique price. If you are sampling Burleys this tobacco should be on your list.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ErnieQ (6)	2006-03-08		Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Does anyone remember the original Edgeworth Slices? The one that came in the Hinge Top Tin? It was sweet and nutty and had virtually no bite. Then came the Danish incarnation which I thought was OK. It had a sort of tangy aroma in the tin and displayed a good amount of bite.

Enter Burley slice. This is everything the original Edgeworth was: Nutty, Sweet old fashioned Molasses Flavored American Style rectangular Burley Slices. This tobacco does not purport to be anything more than a simple burley slice...and that is exactly what it is: A nod to the days of old fashioned Burley.

Sublime nutty sweetness. Simple, and it works. This tobacco is easily rubed out or cut and packs well. Moisture is perfect. Light and burns even to the bottom eith regular tamping. What more can one ask?

I Highly recommend this to anyone who misses the true flavor of old fashioned burley slices.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tomcat (212)	2021-01-05		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Unnoticeable

When I light this Burley the Molasses flavor always hits me immediately. There is some cocoa and nuttiness also . A sweet smoke . The natural Burley taste still comes through the casings . I could smoke this anytime of the day . Nic is about mild-medium . You can smoke it all day if you want probably. It is just plain good . 3 - 3 1/2 rating . It must be enjoyed by many because it is usually sold out !

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	moniker (217)	2018-11-14		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Wessex Burley Slice is another keeper from my 2018 BurleyQuest. In the tin are two short stacks of well-formed flakes, medium dark brown mottled with lighter flecks, smelling of dark cocoa over traditional brown bread. These flakes can be torn to length, rolled and loosely stuffed for a long, satisfying smoke. I prefer to dry it a little before loading to make it light easier, which improves the initial tastes, IMO. Lit, scents include some non-musky earth, smoked meat, and fragrant, floral, woody resins. Tastes include an earthy variety of smoked turkey (as opposed to beef jerky) from the dark fired component, some cashews, and a woody quality that intensifies down the bowl. There is also a hint of some serious, salty Dutch licorice along with a breath of unsweetened, dark chocolate. Typical of Burley, this stuff is tannic, and it gets bitterer as it is smoked down. Think craft IPA. Meanwhile, the licorice is not so much recognizable as such as it works quite well to temper the bitterness without resorting to sugar. There is substantial (but still somewhat diffuse) body for an all Burley blend, likely due to dark fired leaf. The tastes are well-melded, also fairly consistent top to bottom, to the point where it seems monochromatic if I smoke it often. With tamping and poking it burns down to some black char that is better tossed than smoked. There is plenty of smoke. Strength gradually builds past medium. Tastes are just over medium for this Burly lover; however, it might seem more intense to those who don’t like bitter. I thought at first the room note was pleasant, until I got a whiff of my shirt an hour after smoking some WBS. Aftertaste is a lingering best of the smoke.

Wessex Burly Slice is pretty “natural”, also fairly distinctive, if that appeals, and I think it would be worth a go for anyone who wants to try a first class, pure Burley blend. After some experimentation I prefer it in group 4 pipes, max. 4 stars.

Pipe Used: various briars; group 4 preferred

Purchased From: 4noggins

Similar Blends: Compare/contrast to Solani 660.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WolfmanSam (37)	2018-06-27		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This review is based on fresh and aged samples.

The sturdy flakes are neatly aligned into two rows. They are comprised of mainly very dark brown and light as well as dark brown tobaccos. There’s a pleasant sweetness to them. They are moist, but do not need to dry. Lighting requires little effort.

I tasted nuts, wood, and molasses. It’s both sour and sweet. At times, it’s slightly spicy. There’s also a little cocoa/chocolate taste .

In my opinion, WBS smokes best in a cob. It’s never harsh, even with quick puffing. It’s a medium, smooth bodied blend. I felt the presence of nicotine throughout the bowl, but it’s not overwhelming.

I highly recommend WBS to all pipe smokers. It’s an exceptional tobacco and can be smoked all day.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Theosprey247 (73)	2017-01-26		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

The nice looking burley flakes are neatly stacked inside the tin smell heavenly. These flakes need to be dried for a bit. The smoke has a nice molasses taste. It's not harsh nor bitey. Goes great with coffee. A real Saturday morning smoke but it's good all day long too.

Pipe Used: Cobs

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bonneville (52)	2015-09-12		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

If you like Burley, this may be the cream of the crop. If I was a Burley man, this would be my desert island tobacco. I'm more of a Virginia man, but I was still left in awe at the shear quality of this flake. The flavors or deep and brooding, with your typical Burley nutiness, and a nice touch of sweetness too. Nice work Wessex.

Purchased From: Beehive Cigars, Salt Lake City, UT

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Clive Moses Apikouris (41)	2013-05-09		Medium	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant to Tolerable

Upon opening the tin which makes a quality presentation, one encounters a wonderful dried fruit like aroma. Mmmm good enough to eat. The flakes are composed of a variety of brown shades and are very sticky, thick and don't rub out with ease. It takes a bit of effort to get it going but once lit the rubbed out flakes burn smoothly, cool and without any tongue bite. So far, so good, but then the flavor is quite a let down. The texture of the smoke is wonderful, smooth, silky and full bodied. however without much of a flavor. At first there is a bit of bitterness that can be characteristic of some Burleys, but that dissipates quickly. You are left with an not unpleasant but flat almost watery taste that is quite unremarkable. Perhaps it is the lack of any flavorings being added. I smoke a number of Burley tobaccos, pipesandcigars.com's Classic Burley Kake being my current favorite and this stuff doesn't have anything to offer that would displace any of my favorites. It's flavor and smoking qualities are mild and unobtrusive though, again without a hint of tongue bite but however it does possess a very generous helping of vitamim "N" for those who enjoy that sort of sensation (too much for me though this stuff can be headache inducing). I've only had a couple of goes at it with this tobacco (I'm puffing away on it as I write this) so perhaps it will grow on me but for now only two stars. Another drawback is the price as it is considerably more expensive then some far superior Burleys I regularly enjoy. I will try blending it another time with a Virginia based aromatic that lacks Burley and see how that works out. Somewhat recommended.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mac (20)	2013-01-26		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I haven't tried Solani Aged Burley Flake as yet.But if it comes in COOEE of this one it must be one of Gods favourites.Wessex Burley Flake really is a must for all lovers of Burley.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Blue Bayou (60)	2013-01-12		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Rich, flavorful uncomplicated Burley. This is what Huck Finn would have smoked.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mesh (51)	2012-12-22		Medium to Strong	Mild	Full	Tolerable

Having sampled 20 or so blends this year, this one has definitely stood out from the crowd. I concur with Sir Claude's taste notes below, though I would put this blend in the medium-strong nicotine range.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	babysinister (55)	2011-09-26		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I smoked some of this blend right out of the tin a few months ago and found it to be an ok burley, pleasantly sweet to me as, yes, I like bright virginias. But a bit rough at the edges. Good relaxing smoke, yet... Meh. After a few weeks in tightly closed mason jar, however, voila!

No casing other than a sweetness that melds perfectly with the solid burley and which I found ravishing but not cloying. Smooth (and I mean smooooth), clean smoking experience with mouth-filling flavor and, as we frequently say, no hint of bite. I'm sensitive to high nicotine blends, so for manageable nic and for flavor I would have to give WBS the edge, albeit slight, over Edgeworth Ready Rubbed, which I also like and also have. I prefer to smoke WBS in my full bent grade 5 Hungarian shape. It's a great morning smoke with a mug of coffee.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NEWMAN (305)	2011-05-31		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

~3/4"x3"x1/16' flakes are ideal for packing without rubout and light easily. Smoked cool and without bite but I prefer Solani if I'm going with a straight Burley flake.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2008-07-10		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Upon opening the tin, and bringing the aroma to my nose, as others have stated, a mild scent of sweetness that reminds me of chocolately sweet hay...oddly very nice. There are approx. 25 small slices in each tin and they seem to be at perfect smoking hydration levels. Since this seems to be cased with a sugary substance and not propylene glycol this will hopefully have a nice tobacco taste/smell and not that of chemicals.

I took out all the slices in groups of 5, I used a sharp pair of scissors and cubed the entire 50g and set them to sit in a plastic carrying pouch. I dont want to loose any more moisture than what it possesses presently.

Packing this in a deep bowled Pipa Croci it took well to flame after about 4 false lights and setteled well for the finishing light. I had a wonderful full smoke in no time. The draw was easy and the nicotine content was not as strong to me as others have experienced...but all the same...nice. There were a few relights, but this is more due to my break in process than the weed itself.

This is no replacement for Edgeworth slices (I have some cellared)..this is better! More tobacco flavor and less casing, sweetness. Since Im breaking in a new bowl this was not as enjoyable but I cant wait to give it a whirl in a seasoned bowl.

Strong nuttiness was noted as well as caramelized sugars in the first third of the smoke. The second phase took on a cool pleasant smokey flavor...minimal sweetness and quite complex for a burley. A slow breathing technique really brought out some fine nuances. The end of the bowl left me with some dottle, but in a new bowl this is not a problem. No bite noticed and this was a good even smoker. It is alittle pricey but I bought 5 tins for 50 bucks at knoxville cigars...with shipping included in this figure.

I think this is a good tobacco..and worth a try...though a little pricey as compared to ES. If you like burley then I think it will be well worth it.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2006-03-18		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

For all the Edgeworth my father smoked, he should have bought stock in the company... This delightful rememberance is an artful combination of mild and nutty leaf that is very close to the tinned slices of the mid '50's. I suggest smoking it in the slice for maximum flavor and duration of this most pleasant of smoking experiences. This most forgiving of Burley blends is without some of the undesirable characteristics of others that can burn hot and turn bitter. Easily an all day smoke, this has immediately become one of my regular rotation smokes. The tin aroma has a light molassas note that speaks of a complex yet not overpowering treat for the pipester. I recommend this blend to anyone seeking a most pleasant Burley smoke.

Meerschaum Man Smoking a Yanik Daemon Skull

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stan (178)	2005-09-14		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I got a sorta large sample of this in early August '05 from RTDA at the Morial Cenvention Center in N.O.

I remember Tim and his boss Bob of payless pipes looking at me as I puffed, and I said, "Look guys, you're seeing the face of a happy man. Not as good as birth of a child, but still as happy as I can be." They stared. I had never seen such a show. Little did we know that building would turn from paradise to chaos to hell in the coming weeks.

Nevertheless, I got to smoke some 20 bowls of this stuff in the following weeks in a new Rinaldo. At first I thought a straight Tenessee white burley, plain and honest. But the slight flavoring, either licorice or probably molasses I'm told, came along like the blend's shadow. Just a little sweetness mind you. Cool and some inner strength.

Yes sir, this is the replacment for the now gone Edgeworth Slices. This is supposed to be a replicant of the older version. I smoked the newer version of Edgeworth Slices off and on for the past 10 years, and I think it is fine still. Have some cellared in a dry office. While this new wessex blend may not be quite as scented (ES would lose the flavoring if you took 30 days to smoke the large tin of 100 gm), it is more easy to handle and rub out.

Mostly burley cut in flake form. I'm told the cake is painted with something (molasses), but it is not overdone. I think if you like Edgeworth Slices, you'll cotton to Burley Slice. I'm glad someone brought this old blend back to a semblance of what I think most of you burley guys will like.

I did evacuate with my Rinaldo and some Burley Slice left. Now it's gone. I hope to be getting more soon and I'll give it even more of a try. Perhaps the last of the few "luxuries" I dare afford for the time being. Give me a hand and support the incarnatin of the old Edgeworth Slices. It may grow on you. We don't want this one to disappear too.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HabaneroHardy (395)	2022-01-31		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Unnoticeable

After a little break from the club, I stopped by on a Saturday and met up with some of the regulars. A great group of guys if I might add. One of the clubbers, we will call him “Italian Stallion’ had this. I cannot say I am a huge fan of Burley ribbon cut but there is something about Burley Slices that is the difference between night and day. I chose a Corn cob and loaded it up with a flake from the round tin (use to be square) about an inch in width. Still a little moist I may add. This is a very smooth smoke with not much nicotine punch that I could tell. My top picks would be Edgeworth Sliced, Solani 656 Aged Burley Flake, and then possibly this one.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dr. Dunhill 23 (39)	2021-01-13		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a nice no-nonsense Burley flake that is beautifully prepared. It's got a rich, earthy but slightly sour tin note that is very pleasing. It lights easily and burns dry and slow. There is a bit of that Lakeland essence while smoking and unlike a previous reviewer, I got this note all the way through. It's not really off-putting unless you just can't stand Lakelands. I would put the strength closer to the middle between mild and medium. Towards the end of the bowl the strength picked up a bit. The aroma is pleasant and There are no rough edges but I am always a sipper. No bite at all. I smoked this with 2 years of age on it but I am not so convinced that age has any effect (or minimal) on Burleys. This one will stay in my rotation. 3.5 stars from me.

Pipe Used: Silver Gray Little Derby

Age When Smoked: 2 years

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Voyaging (80)	2019-06-16		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable to Strong

The presentation is nice. the flakes are neat and wide, dark brown in appearance. The smell started off like dried fruit sort of, and time in the tin changed it to a cocoa, oat-like smell. The moisture was kind of sticky. I prefer to dry it a little. However, the moisture helps it survive for months without an air-tight jar.

Taste: some cocoa and burnt marshmallow notes, nuts, oats, and a dryness to the taste. It's about as simple as any straight Virginia flake--just simple, enjoyable flavor notes. I wouldn't say it's boring, just as I wouldn't say any straight Virginia is boring. They just have different flavors on one end of a spectrum.

The strength is medium. The nicotine is medium. This is a mild blend with exceptional mellow nature, and enjoyable flavors that are on naturally sweet and earthy. The only issue I have with this blend is the availability. It can be out of stock for a long time, and it is somewhat hard to find sometimes.

I would recommend this to any burley-lover, and even a person that likes straight Virginias. Straight burley and straight Virginia target the same enjoyments from the smoker--a more specific area of tasting.

Something I tried and enjoyed was mixing this with Orlik Golden Sliced.

Pipe Used: canadian, bent apple

Age When Smoked: fresh from tin

Purchased From: 4noggins

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Philo Beddoe (221)	2017-06-24		Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Wessex Burley Slice is simply wonderful. If you enjoy Solani Aged Burley Flake, you will enjoy this. Hell, if you enjoy Burley tobacco at all you should enjoy this wonderful tobacco. It tastes of warm baked bread with a light topping of molasses and fresh cut hay, the light sweetness gives WBS a different vibe than ABF, they are not identical twins, so much as fraternal twins. If you enjoy the honest flavor of the tobacco leaf, you need to try this wonderful tobacco.

Pipe Used: Various briars

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Local B&M

Similar Blends: Solani Aged Burley Flake.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Paulo Cavalcanti (1)	2016-08-08		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

Simple and delicious. I believe those whot liked Solani Aged Burley Flake will feel familiar to this tobacco. Although I prefer ABF for being more flavorful, Wessex Burley Slice is a worthy competitor.

Pipe Used: Brebbia Ninja

Age When Smoked: About 3 months

Purchased From: Cup o' Joes

Similar Blends: Solani - 656: Aged Burley Flake.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	drs57 (2)	2014-05-10		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Generous sized flake. Wonderful burley taste and aroma. Rich, not complicated. Dried it out for a day and it was still somewhat moist. Burned well with 3-4 re lights. Interested to see if and how taste evolves in the now-open tin. Recommended for burley and Vitamin N lovers.

Pipe Used: Poul Winslow Crown Viking

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: 4noggins

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	robsm2013 (9)	2013-06-27		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

great quality flake - I just found that the sour undertone ruined it for me .....I prefer Solani Aged Burley Flake, my all time favorite Burley!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-09-06		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

God, this stuff is great. that being said, i really believe that you need to find the right pipe for it. i experimented with 4 or 5 different pipes of various shapes and sizes, and none of them really clicked. Finally i stuffed some in a Dr. Grabow of all things, and it hit me. Burns cool enough, no real problems keeping it lit. the flavor is outstanding, earthy and nutty and subtle. I didn't really like the way it was packaged, in a layered "bacon" style way, but that certainly won't ruin my opinion of this blend. If the much talked about Edgeworth Sliced was anything like this, i can see why it's so sorely missed

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-07-09		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Please do not let the name Burley turn you off. I am a lover of Virginia tobacco. When I think of Burley with no other tobaccos blended with it, I think of tongue bite and heat, but this slice is bite free and cooler than a Colorado rain. The taste to me is extremely hard to define, unlike the usual sweet, woodsy, leathery or peppery taste it's more like a nutty tobacco taste. The word waxy comes to mind for some reason. Extremely satisfying to this VA lover. I will stock up heavily on this blend so it can be true to me for years to come.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	paulw (76)	2010-04-15		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

If you like edgeworth sliced this is for you, Over the last year i had been searching for more edgeworth sliced. I hope wessex keeps this in stock. To me this is as close as it gets to getting edgeworth sliced I love it enjoy

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	kg0mz (54)	2009-08-04		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Despite the packaging similarities, I believe this blend differs from the Solani ABF. In the tin the WBS is darker, sliced thicker, and the tobaccos in the flake are more homogenous. The ABF has lighter flecks and is more variegated. The ABF aroma may be slightly sweeter, the WBS being a bit more leathery, slightly sour (not in a bad way). The textures are noticeably different. The Wessex flake crumbles easily, and the Solani flake is more cohesive.

Side-by-side, in clay pipes, the ABF seems spicier, but the difference is slight. I'm thinking it would have been a better use of my time to load a either flake in a cob or fat briar. I like both flakes and rate them 4 stars.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	strongirish (249)	2009-01-13		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I have been a burley lover for almost 40 years but I cannot say this is one of the better ones. I love the presentation in the tin box, and the flakes rubbed out very easily. The tin aroma was almost sugary and made my mouth water. Upon lighting, it was kind of flat at first though it did burn very well once lit. I would say the first half of the bowl was very disappointing, PA is much better but the room note was to me wonderful, howwever my better half said it was very strong and smelled like SWR which she detests the aroma of. The second half the burly nuttiness came out ans I enjoyed it somewhat til the end. But it always taste a little sweet to me, any virginia lovers that like it's sweet taste may find this a nice change but once I use it up, it won't be in my rotation anymore, much better burleys out there.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2008-09-14		Medium	Extremely Mild	Full	Very Pleasant

This is one of the best examples of Burley currently available. It has all the oily nuttiness that burley is known for as well as pronounced cocoa notes. The flavor is big, although not broad. It does not bore like some straight burleys. The aroma is rich and room filling, but clean. Comparable to Solani's Burley Flake. A must try for burley lovers.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Laudante (29)	2008-06-28		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

I never tried the apparently legendary Edgeworth, but if it really tastes like this, I´m not surprised of it´s disparition. I just don´t find what´s so good about this blend.

The appearance is very nice. The flakes seemed in my mind as chocolate flakes. Actually, don´t tell anyone but I couldn´t resist biting one. (Don´t do it yourselves, please) I had to have a bitter moment just to discover it was not chocolate.

When the proof of fire came, the enchantment was gone. This is heaviness and monotony in flake form.

But I discovered that adding a pinch of Va or VaPer it improves greatly, or also it can be used to improve dull mixtures of that kind.

It has quality, that´s undeniable, but boring quality. I bought two tins: one I ended up as an ingredient to combine and the other, destined to be smoked alone, took me 2 years to finish.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2008-02-28		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

These well-fabricated flakes have a richly herbal smell in the tin.

There's not a lot to say about the flavor. It has a prodigious founded upon light and brown burleys enhanced with a generous amount of added sweeteners, probably molasses.

An excellent replacement for Edgeworth Sliced, for those that miss that venerable classic. This seemed best in a narrow to medium gauge chamber.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Captain Pete (83)	2007-11-07		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable

What can I say? It's burley; 100% unadulterated burley. It looks beautiful, but is difficult to light and keep lit. It lacks even the basic flavors found in Symphony, itself a rather mundane though pleasant burley (though not 100%). I know that there are a lot of burley fans out there; don't know that I would call those folks 'afficianados', as anyone who enjoys straight burley wouldn't really qualify for such a grand moniker. For burley fans, I guess this would be right up your alley. For the rest of us, not. It's burley; 100% unadulterated burley. What more can I say?

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2007-09-18		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

Presentation in the tin is outstanding! Small strips about 1/2 in tall by 3 in long. Varying colors of brown, light brown. The strips are lined up like a package of bacon. Very mild fruitcake-like aroma. I smoked it as rubbed out, broken flake, and cut up into cubes....all three methods tasted the same. The tobacco is difficult to light; requiring several false lights. It burns well once lit, with minimal gurgling. It has a nice burley room aroma. However, being that it is 100% burley, I expected a much stronger nutty taste than what this delivers. Plus it really tastes like burning ashes on the bottom 1/3 of the bowl. Too bad it doesn't taste as good as it looks. I give it only 2-stars because of the weak burley flavor.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2006-06-16		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

An excellent diversion for the burley afficianado. Warm, toasty,and rich are the flavors. It is very pleasing to the palate and the olfactory senses of those within whiffing range. It is though a rather bland slice. Nothing like Peretti's treatment of burley or even UNIVERSITY FLAKE by Peterson.Were it not for th very high nicotine content I would smoke it more often. As I said at the beginning - An excellent diversion for the burley afficianado. 3 0f 4 stars.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RCUSElder (244)	2006-05-17		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is supposed to be the reincarnation of the original, which I have never tasted. All I have are 10 yr. old tins of the Edgeworth Slices. Compared to those, this blend left me a little flat. Rather than go into my usual detail, all I will say is that this needs age! It ended a bit too ashy and a little bitter.I will finish my opened tin, but the rest will go in the cellar for at least 5 years before trying again. It looks like it has quality components, we shall see in 5 years...

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2005-12-21		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

This is a tasty burley, but not as good as the no longer available Edgeworth flake. It is high in nicotine, but if puffed slow it is fine.It is not to moist and easy to rub out.If you like Edgeworth flake give it a try you might like it, but it is not for me.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JaWiBr (437)	2023-02-18		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Tin note of molasses, fermented vegetation and spices. Tobacco is a flake of a marbled dark brown and brown with tan stem spots. Moisture content is great, rubs out with a little effort. Burns slow with a few relights. The strength is medium and nic is mild to medium. Flavoring is mild to medium, with notes of Licorice, that dissipates to practically nothing by the end of the first 1/3. Taste is medium and mostly consistent, with notes of mild licorice, wood, leather, musty vegetation, toasted sweet bread, mild cocoa, rich earthy, dry bitterness, mild molasses, tart/tanginess, mildly savory, a semi-sweet nutty background note, and a smooth retro. Burley is leading with Flavoring supporting. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is great.

Pipe Used: 2016 Northern Briars Premier Rox Cut #4 Prince

Age When Smoked: 5 years

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	doc pipes (106)	2022-09-25		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

JimInks noted in an update that this blend had been changed from its original incarnation as an Edgeworth Sliced replacement. This reboot features the new tin description that accounts for the licorice that recent reviewers have perceived. The flakes are wide and overlap somewhat messily in the tin. They are well formed and feature variegated shades of brown. The licorice casing is barely evident in the tin, but comes out lightly in the smoke if smoked very slowly. The tin aroma to me was woodsy, sweet, with a pleasant but faint aroma of black licorice. After the tin gets some air, a dark unsweetened cocoa aroma takes over.

The chocolate smells more in the tin than in the pipe smoke. The casings do not intrude and BS smokes quite naturally. It tastes natural and nutty. There are roasted, toasty tobacco notes on the palate that are enriched by muted swirls of coffee bean and bitter cocoa. As I often do with some burleys, I got some rare cigar like spots in a number of the bowls I smoked consuming this tin. Goes great with black coffee. Smells distinctly better and different from cigarettes. My tin was dated 1/22 per the code, so not fresh but hardly aged.

To sum it up, this a is a solid burley. Per the description by the importer this contains 100% foreign grown leaf. The burleys could come from anywhere in the world except the US, and I have no guesses as to origins. This was worth trying, but I don’t think I will buy more. 3.0

Pipe Used: Numerous briars

Age When Smoked: A/S/A/V. Jan 2022

Purchased From: SP

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimPM (142)	2022-08-27		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Although this medium-strength 100% Burley blend is simple in construction it is far from being commonplace. With its full, deep, mellow spicy nutty taste, coddled by a mildly sweet chocolatey aged wood undertone, you can imagine this is a treat that provides me with infinite enjoyment.

I swear WBS hosts with a very stealthy diluted licorice topping that infuses beautifully with the natural sugary molasses flavoring of the native tobacco, although the manufacturer provides no evidence towards same.

The nose of this stuff is one heady moneyed Burley-esque. It is so darn savory that the cat wants in on the game, do you believe that? It may be a stingy clowder of pipe-smoking cats that seem to keep this one on the “hard to find” list.

My #2 favorite pressed Burley flake hands down. Typical German conservatism by constitution but soulfully flamboyant to the core when the flame hits the leaf.

If you spot it, grab it while you can. It will inspire the pipey Max Ernst that lies inside you just like it does for me.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Antonius Blok (190)	2022-04-11		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Somewhere I have read that it is enriched using licorice as flavoring, but I do not detect it. On the other hand, there is clearly an essence of Lakeland, which reminds a bit of Kendal Cream by Samuel Gawith. It is quite dry in taste, nothing to do with, for example, Mac Baren's HH Burley Flake. It's a bit flat and monotonous, so I smoke it when I'm doing something else and I'm not going to pay full attention to the pipe, as another positive aspect is that it doesn't bite the tongue and can be smoked carefree.

Considering I'm a burley fan, this one fell pretty short for me.

Two stars, with a few smokes of three, but never four...

Age When Smoked: 6 months

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TallPuffO'Burley (632)	2021-08-28		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

This is a great Burley. It does not unseat ABF as my favorite burley, at least to my tastes it does not; but it is close. Both are classy and flavorful Burley flakes. Burley Slice takes a little more concentration to get into the zone than ABF, which I find can be easily enjoyed regardless of your puffing cadence. If I had to compare this to another blend, I would choose Mac Baren HH Burley Flake, but I like Burley Slice better than HHBF. I feel it just delivers a better flavor profile.

Burley Slice is a more raw burley taste than ABF, and many other Burley blends for that fact, which is nice, especially when you do get it into the zone and the nutty notes reveal themselves. Good Stuff!

Pipe Used: BST Oom Paul

Age When Smoked: 4 yrs 6 mths

Similar Blends: Mac Baren HH Burley Flake.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JJ Sir Emmitt (40)	2021-07-07		Mild	Medium	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Personally I could not get behind this one. It is just very bland. Starts of with notes of sweetened tobacco for the first half of the bowl. The second half is a little more interesting with some notes of earth, cocoa, maybe a touch of spice and that sugary sweetnesses. I like my tobacco on the dry side, so this needed a lot of dry out time for me. Needs attention in the bowl. I don't want to completely bash this blend because it is evident that it contains high quality leaf that offers a smooth sophisticated smoking experience. For me I like Burley blends that have some rough edges, strength, spice, kick, and big smoke output. In short this is a fine blend just not for me.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lord Guyrox (24)	2021-06-20		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable

Burley Slice has the potential to be an excellent tobacco but the heavy addition of a humectant spoils the fun. Even when the flakes end up on the dry side, the tobacco is still hard to light up properly and remain lit. This is very unfortunate and frustrating because this flake has everything going for it, otherwise. I have noticed the same approach with all the HU Tobacco I have tried, Rattray, Mac Baren, C & D/GL Pease as well as the Solani Aged Burley Flake. A real pity!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Reed's Tobacciana (7)	2020-09-12		Medium	Mild	Full	Very Pleasant

I must state my bias up front. In my 35 years of smoking a pipe I've gone from aromatics to Virginia's and finally several years ago settled into burleys and corn cob pipes. I prefer cube cut, crushed plug and flake to ribbon cut by a very wide margin. I like the way you can codger scoop or even pour the above mentioned cubed and crushed into your bowl and I prepare flake the same way. Wessex Burley Slice is a high grade version of the other old burleys I love so well. To me there is a tread that connects all burleys that have favoring attributes of cocoa and molasses all the way back to Edgeworth so that if you love one you'll at least like the other. With all burley's I follow the advise of the late, great John Patton. Dry it a bit more than you think it needs and pack a bit lighter than you think it needs. With that in mind Burley Slice took light right away and needed no re-lights. The flavor is pecan like with some chocolate and that great old time molasses flavor. No epiphanies here. It's like a visit with an old friend, no surprises just good and relaxing. After a smoke the room note lingers and is very pleasant reminding you perhaps, if you're old enough, of something your Grandfather smoked. There's a lot of comparison of this blend to Solani Aged Burley Flake. I'm smoking both today side by side. My opinion will probably vary from most but to me they are very, very similar. My review of Wessex Burley Slice and Solani Aged Burley Flake will basically be the same. Both are great. Both are 4 star. Both could probably be offered in bulk at a more reasonable price. That's my only dig here. For some of us who smoke daily, price does matter and means the difference between a daily smoke and an occasional treat.

Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: Solani Aged Burley Flake.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Michael D (29)	2020-08-06		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

While finding Solani 656 out of stock, I picked up a Wessex burley slice. It made for an excellent replacement. True Burley flavor about a step behind the enjoyment of 656. A bit cheaper , a bit lighter and a very good smoke. I would suggest this for Burley lovers without hesitation. 3.5 stars approaching 4.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CherchezLaghost (52)	2017-07-23		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

A tasty, very one dimensional smoke. The slices are neat and uniform, though they have a quality i dislike, which is that they stick together in the tin so that it is difficult to remove one for stuffing. Orlik's DSK was the same way, and it doesn't lend itself well to fold and stuff, as i always end up with broken flake by the time I've separated a bowls worth. Slightly moist in the tin, this will benefit from some exposure to air. Lights and burns with ease, with a very straightforward earthy, bready, molasses/treacle flavor that deepens but doesn't change throughout the smoke. Mild to medium nicotine. I enjoy this blend, i enjoy and frequently smoke many burley based blends. I have to admit i was slightly disappointed in the blend only because it was my first foray into what i would describe as premium all burley flake, and i didnt know what to expect, but i expected more, somehow. I do quite enjoy it, it doesnt require much attention to be enjoyed, and there is absolutely no chance of bite. I dont know what i feel is missing, but i just had hoped for something more refined. WBS satisfied me thoroughly, but it did so in a very similar way to Prince Albert or Carter Hall. Perhaps a bit of sour counterpoint to the round, nutty burley flavor would raise the enjoyment for me. In any case, i greatly enjoy it, and have no problem recommending it. I will try Solani Aged Burley Flake in the hopes of finding a trancendant burley experience.

EDIT: This flake makes for an excellent blending burley, as long as the cocoa notes dont clash with what you hope to achieve. For a simple yet scrumptious blend mix one third WBS with two thirds Va of your choice...blissful in a cob with one's morning coffee

Pipe Used: Cobs, meerschaums, briar

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Smokers Haven

Similar Blends: Prince Albert.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	roadkill0000 (23)	2017-04-05		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Tolerable

this review is just to keep track for myself mainly, less intended as a serious in depth review. Just to keep an eye of what ive tried and what I like, with quick notes about it. alot of these notes are from memory, and I will update the review as I continue smoking them.

As of now, this is the tobacco that has me convinced so far that I dont like burleys at all. I will try others thou. idk what the other reviews say, but for me this smoked VERY harsh. bite every time. I couldnt taste it until I felt my taste buds got a zing, like that of some kind of spice, or like drinking tonic water, a sharp taste, acidic, with very little flavor. Alot of hot air taste too. maybe i got a bad batch. I hated it so much, but kept trying it. Over time it diddnt taste as bad, but it never became something id go for. I would not try this again soon but I will ocninue to experiment with other burleys to see if its just this one, or me not liking burleys.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	1979 (62)	2017-03-03		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Great flake but man are they sweet, almost a dessert tobacco but not in the same sense as an aromatic. Good mild burley flavor, nice and smooth, likely topped with honey. Mild of strength unlike burley blends from a place like C&D. Nutty, woody and sweet, very pleasant smoke on a summer evening. The flakes dry out quickly in that stupid square tin once it's popped and the topping on these flakes is very capable of ghosting a humidor. I recommend putting them in a jar as soon as you open the tin.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2013-07-25		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

This flake was vapid...insipid. I wasted good money on this crappola. This is just as bad as the re-engineered university flake. Weak, emasculated to say the least. No strength, no depth..nuthin'!!

Smoke in peace.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrT999 (317)	2013-04-17		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable

If you like straightforward dark burley, this could be the flake for you. If straight burley doesn't do it for you, avoid. Since I know there are many tobaccos out there I would rate a 4, the question arises would I rebuy this particular tobacco, assuming my tastes don't change much more. In this case, the answer is probably not.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2007-07-07		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This burly is very nice from top to bottom. It is a bit difficult to initially light, but once a lit it burns to a nice fine white ash. The burlys flavor is initially nutty smooth flavors develops into a rich creamy taste that can be enjoyed anytime.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2006-12-18		Medium to Strong	Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is my first Wessex tobacco and I chose Burley Flake because I had a craving for the old Edgeworth Slices which are, sadly, no longer available. The tin itself is awfully dang boring but it is the tobacco I wanted, so I dove right in.

Perfectly pressed medium brown flakes with specks of darker tobacco. Perfect moisture - slightly on the dry side. The flakes are about 3.5 inches long and not too thick. Thinner than the Edgeworth as I remember it. Great tin aroma - musky Burley with a slight top dressing (perhaps molasses). I mean top dressing - not casing - because this is no cased aromatic at all.

A bit of work to rub out the flake but not too bad. Never really rubbed out fully. I also tried cutting it into strips/cubes. Both methods worked well and I did not notice a taste difference.

Easier to light than most flakes. Burned well, but there was a bit more dottle than I prefer.

Taste was excellent. Full flavored American-style Burley. Truly a Norman Rockwell old-fashioned style of tobacco. No sweetness but for the hint of molasses. Pure, simple and straightforward. Medium to full in the nicotine dept., nothing like Royal Yacht or a rope tobacco, but more than most.

All in all a delicious Burley flake. Straight out of the golden-age of American pipe smoking. I will keep it in my rotation.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	OleFattGuy (27)	2006-09-26		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

Very nice burley flake. Burns fairly dry, with a tendency to gurgle in the last third (my smoking tech?), were it also gets too strong for me. The nicotine simply dries out the back of my palate and tickles my tongue. If I try to go slow, it goes out. My remedy is to smoke half flakes ;) but it ends very abruptly... All in all a good tobacco for the stout burley lover!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2006-06-12		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

A tried and true European treatment of burley. Were it not for the high nicotine content which gets me slightly in the throat, this is a monochromatic, yet fine all burley flake. In this vein I much prefer the Peterson University and the Gawith Chocolate Flake. It doesn't make a great impression at first and its a bit stringy when rubbed out, but it opens up very nicely after about the first third of the way down. Aroma is toasty, bright and pleasing. I'm smoking this in early summer, but this would probably be a fine smoke during winter in front of a comfy fireplace. Like most European tobaccos, I believe this flake is now produced in Germany. Burley lovers will find Wessex a true gift. Unpretentious and genuine, WBS is a distinguished, highly enjoyable flake.

Three and a half of five stars

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2006-03-23		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I generally agree with kilted1's fine review below. Unlike him, though, I found that the flakes arrived far too damp for my tastes, and smoked much better, with less bite, after some serious open-air drying. As kilted1 mentions, this is a cool, slighty sweet burley that opens with the taste of molasses. Down the bowl, I taste pepper and butter, but by bowl's end, this is just plain old earthy, slightly bitter Burley. That's fine by me, as the Burley is of excellent quality.

This stuff can be a bit dull for me by the end of a larger bowl (But I am much more a Virginia smoker, so mark my bias.) The blend is quite well made, burns well once dried, and smokes well in just about any pipe. To my tastes, it ranks with Mac Baren London Burley Blend as a preferred smoke for Burley lovers.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2005-10-08		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Finally! A reasonably competent replacement for the recently-departed Edgeworth Sliced.

Upon opening the tin, you are greeted with the familiar ES smell, although not quite as strong. The slices are moist but not at all wet and rub out easier than Edgeworth

At the match, this blend welcomes the burley smoker home with the expected taste and room note. It, like the nose of the tin, is not as strong as Edgeworth but is certainly in the same family. The smoke is very smooth and exhibits no sharp edges. Surprisingly, despite the taste being somewhat muted, the nicotine content appears to have been raised somewhat. I wasn't able to detect a sweetness from any additives but the leaf is unusually mild for a burley. It doesn't appear to have any propensity to bite either.

The fact that Burley Slice comes in 50g tins is a bonus from the standpoint that it's not likely to dry out before consumption. However, the pricing makes it a premium blend so a larger tin would be worthwhile for economic reasons (I paid $10 for 50g vs $16 for 100g of Edgeworth). Unless something truly remarkable comes along, this will be my sliced burley fix for the foreseeable future.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cm1648 (106)	2023-01-23		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Prep: Nicely formed flakes that may need a bit of dry time.

Notes: It's a burley flake, so if you have a desire for molasses, earthy, coffee notes, you'll be satisfied. The dark fired addition brings extra strength and a spice that hits you through the retrohale. I'd still prefer ABF myself but this isn't far behind. The quality is evident! 9/10

Age When Smoked: 2 years

Similar Blends: Solani Aged Burley Flake, Cobblestone Hiking.

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