A cigar of all BigBonner red tip burley packs a substantial nicotine punch, though the flavor is wonderful. My milder, home-grown burleys (Kelly, Golden Burley, Harrow Velvet) provide some excellent wrappers from the lower half of the plant. Again, the upper leaf is more robust.
My most common use of BB red tips is 1 strip as binder, 1 strip donated to the filler blend. As a binder, the nicotine is somewhat lower, and adds a richness to whichever wrapper leaf I choose. (It seems to work magic beneath a CT Broadleaf wrapper.) It ends up as about 20% or less of the filler--the rest being the selection du jour of cigar types.
Naturally aged burley may need to hang for 3 to 10 months to complete its chemical changes and calm down. If you take note of the smell of freshly color-cured burley leaf, just wait until that "raw" aroma vanishes. While the leaf still smells raw, it won't be a fun smoke.
At the moment I read your initial post, I happen to be smoking a cigar of BB red tip wrapper and binder, with a filler made of Vuelta Abajo, Criollo 98 viso and Nicaragua viso. Rich, but not overpowering.
Bob
