Cornell & Diehl: Star of the East Flake 2oz Pipe Tobacco

Let’s smoke this more often! The ribbon is amazing too.

While this isn't a total lat bomb, it definitely scratches that itch for me. The first few bowls kinda bad me struggling to discern the flavors of the different components (Latakia aside of course), but on bowl four I totally understand it now. The oriental leaf is at just the right level to give a little bit of a floral or spice to the blend, and the Virginia gives what Virginias always give. But the Latakia is different than any Latakia heavy blend I've had. It's rich, dark and smooth tasting. Obviously smokey but the leather aspect is what hits me the most. Creamy mouth feel. I've been folding and stuffing the flakes but I think this needs a bit more rubbing out than flakes I'm accustomed to. All in all, a solid product I plan on keeping in the rotation....Read More

Light, grassy and - yes - lemony leaves which burn smoothly and easily. The tobacco it contains is all Virginia and it is mildly flavored with Lemon and honey.

I was both satisfied and frustrated in equal measures with this blend. My conclusion is that I am definitely not a flake master. On the plus side, the tin note is reassuring, the flakes are beautifully pressed, and the flavor is excellent. On the downside, I had difficulty getting a good pack trying stuff, fold and crumble techniques. Even after airing, I got an unusual amount of condensation in the bowl and needed more re-lights than my usual. This meant an occasional uncomfortable nic hit. Finally, my taste preference runs to the Oriental side of the English mix spectrum. And for that, Star of the East is an excellent choice....Read More

I gave it a 3 because perhaps I'd overhyped it in my head. As a tobacco, it's quite good. As a flake, I wasn't particularly impressed because there are so many phenomenal flakes on the market.

Flavor profile entirely dominated by the smokey leaf. Delicious, creamy, velvety meld with the virgina. Smooth as can be. Delicious retrohale. Its a killer smoke when you're craving a really big Latakia bomb but want a luxurious tobacco.

Tin note of stewed sour fruit and campfire. Tobacco Flakes are dark brown and black. Tobacco is somewhat dry, rubs out easy and no drying needed. Burns slow with a few relights. The strength is medium and nic is mild-medium. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium to full and consistent, with notes of oak campfire, earth, bread, herbal spices, floral, mild sweet fruit, mild lemon grass, and a moderate peppery retro. Latakia is leading with Izmir Turkish supporting and stoved Red Virginia in the background. Room note is tolerable to strong, and aftertaste is excellent....Read More

I tried Pirate Kake before this and while smokable I would never want to smoke a 2nd pipe full at 75% Latakia. Star of the East though very pleasent smoke I am enjoying this very much at 50% Latakia

This is the type of tobacco that makes a person wonder why they smoked anything other than this delicious offering. I first came across this because I was in search of the fabled Penzance. One of the first recommendations I came across was Quiet Nights which is fantastic, but when someone spoke to me with the conviction that this was hands down the best, I had to try. I must say, I have never enjoyed a tobacco more than I have enjoyed Star of the East. I stand by my word that there is nothing better. This tobacco is perfect in every way imaginable....Read More

This stuff is incredible, and I’m really surprised I don’t hear it talked about as much (Facebook pipe smokers group). This blend has ALL the right blends of high quality tobacco leaves. This is a fantastic smoke. 50% Latakia, but the red VA and orientals really compliment and tame the latakia so it is not over bearing. You get plenty of sweet, and spicy notes in front of the Smokey goodness. It’s better than pirate cake which was my favorite C&D blend until I tried this. It reminds me of GL’s quiet nights only better. SOTE flake is a lot richer, and fuller while not being either a lat-bomb or nicotine powerhouse. A lot of reviewers compared to penzance. I’ve never had that blend as I can never find it available, but that’s OK with me. I would be 100% happy if I ended up stranded somewhere for life and could only smoke this.. it really is that good. Buy the 8 OZ tin, you’ll just order more if you only buy the 2 and price wise can’t beat it. Happy smokes!!...Read More