Beyond the Burl

Episode 52 marks a full year of Beyond the Burl, and we celebrate the milestone by reflecting on the journey that brought us here. We kick things off by announcing our arrival on YouTube, opening a new chapter for the show. In honour of reviewing a year’s worth of blends, we take on our most ambitious tier list yet, ranking every tobacco we’ve covered throughout the podcast.

Along the way we keep the tradition alive with more fun pipe trivia, and Seb and Josh finally share the story of how they first met and decided to start the podcast in the first place. We also draw the winners of our one-year anniversary raffle, celebrating the community that made this first year possible.

Later, we’re joined by Johnny from Palmyra Products to reflect on the past year, talking about the growth of the podcast, our personal development as pipe smokers, the friendships and camaraderie that have formed along the way, and where the show is headed next. With a long evening behind us and Josh needing to sleep, we skip the blend review this week, but not before raising a bowl to 52 weeks of pipes, conversation, and the community that keeps the embers glowing.

In this episode of Beyond the Burl, we dive into the fascinating world of Cavendish, exploring both the process behind it and its role as a blending component that shapes some of our favorite tobaccos. Along the way we throw in another fun trivia question to test your pipe knowledge before settling in for one of our signature ChatGPT campfire tales, this time taking us on a winding adventure through the woods where the line between the cozy and the mysterious begins to blur. As the calendar turns, we also say farewell to Meerschaum March by shining a spotlight on the humble but legendary Missouri corn cob pipe and sharing some fun cob-related history and quirks. Finally, we wrap things up in our favourite way, by packing, lighting, and enjoying a bowl of Kendal Dark Plug (Unscented), closing the episode with a rich, hearty smoke and some final reflections from the trail.

In this episode of Beyond the Burl, we kick things off with a lively tier list ranking of several tobaccos we’ve smoked recently, debating which blends deserve the top spots and which fall a little lower on the scale. From there we shift into another fun historical pipe-smoking trivia fact, adding a bit of pipe lore to the conversation. The atmosphere then turns a little more reflective as we share a scenic ChatGPT-generated story, setting a relaxing tone before moving into a discussion about the changing weather and how seasonal transitions affect our smoking habits—from flavor choices to when and where we enjoy a bowl. To close out the episode, we pack our pipes with And So to Bed by Esoterica, light up together, and give our impressions in a relaxed live review to finish the show on a proper, contemplative note.

In this episode, we explore the idea of a pipe tobacco cellar as a time capsule, discussing the romantic notion of leaving carefully aged blends behind for future generations to discover and enjoy. Along the way, we drop in another fun pipe trivia factoid, followed by a whimsical chat story about the curious twists of a leprechaun’s luck and how fortune sometimes finds the pipe smoker in unexpected ways. Our deep dive centers on flavour itself—how we perceive it, how aroma, memory, and palate shape the smoking experience, and why two smokers can taste the same blend so differently. We close out the episode the proper way: packing a bowl, lighting up, and sharing our impressions of Old Joe Krantz Red Label from Cornell & Diehl, putting its bold character to the test as the conversation drifts along with the smoke.

In this episode of Beyond the Burl, we kick things off by unpacking the often-misunderstood world of Scottish blends-what the term actually means in pipe tobacco, and where the definition comes from. From there we drop in another fun pipe trivia factoid before taking our usual detour into the whimsical with a new chat story, where the conversation takes an unexpected trip down the rabbit hole. In our deep dive segment, we explore the fascinating history and characteristics of meerschaum pipes, while also reflecting on the March Challenge, comparing our expectations going in with the realities we experienced along the way. We wrap things up the best way we know how-by lighting up and giving our impressions of Old Joe Krantz Blue Label from Cornell & Diehl, sharing tasting notes and final thoughts as the smoke winds down.