Roasted Poplar?

Anyone ever play with roasted lumber? I ran across some "roasted poplar" recently. It is apparently kiln dried and then cooked until the moisture is gone and it is dark all the way through. It is supposed to no longer absorb moisture again because the sugars polymerize or something.

It is quite pretty if sanded and finished. When unfinished it looks like walnut, but with a coat of oil it goes pitch black or at least nearly so.

On the minus side it seems to split pretty easily when in thin pieces. Also I wonder if the acoustic properties of the poplar get cooked out.

I am concerned it may not take glue very well either, not sure though.