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Brandon A.
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Peter Stokkebye - PS306 English Oriental Supreme
Great English that's lighter on Latakia
This blend has quickly risen to the top of my list of English blends. Every component tobacco here seems to be in perfect balance and work harmoniously together to allow you to pick apart each one at various times throughout the smoke. I especially like that the Latakia does not overpower everything else, but simply adds a light smokiness to the mix. The orientals really do reign supreme here and are easy to pick out, adding a slightly herbal sourness that comes and goes with the sweetness of the Virginia. If you are looking for a well balanced English that isn't a Lat bomb give this one a go.
Cornell & Diehl - Billy Budd Blonde
Cigar lovers take note
This is a fantastic burley forward blend. Brings deep burley notes, backed up and enhanced by the cigar leaf. If you are a cigar smoker looking to experience a pipe tobacco while providing you with some familiar ground this is your ticket. I started smoking cigars before taking up the pipe and wish I had known about this blend sooner. The Virginia and perique seem like background players that balance the deep earthy, chocolate, and malty flavors from the burley/cigar combo. This is also an easy blend to pack and smoke if you are new to the pipe and requires no extra drying time before smoking.
Cornell & Diehl - King Cake 2oz
A high quality aromatic
I was pleasantly surprised by this one. It tastes like a birthday cake in your pipe without being sickly sweet, cloying, or artificial. The tobacco are not totally drowned out of the equation, bringing some simple light, grassy Virginia and oat like burley flavors. The topping does fade a bit towards the end but if you smoke this blend nice and slow like you would a straight Virginia it will reward you. The tobacco was dry enough to smoke directly from the tin. I don't smoke many aromatics but this one won a spot in the cellar as a great occasional sweet treat and change of pace option.
Cornell & Diehl - Byzantium
Perfect Balkan!
This mixture has great balance between the component tobaccos; not too much Latakia to overpower everything allowing the orientals to shine through. Has a smoky sweet and sour flavor that I am looking for in a Balkan blend. It's available in bulk so you can stock up!
Mac Baren - HH Bold Kentucky 1.75oz
Stellar Kentucky blend
It was love at first puff with this blend. The flavor is deep, rich, meaty smoke. This blend is like stuffing your pipe with a smoked beef brisket. It does bring the vitamin N, so be careful if you're not into that, but I find as long as I eat a small meal before it isn't a problem at all. The flakes are very uniform and require a bit of effort to rub out. They also can be a little on the moist side so some dry time is beneficial before putting in the pipe. This blend smokes nice and slow allowing you to enjoy the ride.
Cornell & Diehl - Kajun Kake 8oz
Excellent VaPer
This is an awesome Virginia/Perique blend that is often overlooked in the sea of tobacco. It checks all the boxes for a VaPer; it has black pepper spice, sweet notes from the Virginia's and the earthy, mushroom like, and red wine notes of the perique. This is exceptional with age on it. I let a 2oz tin age for 3 years and it was divine! If you like VaPer blends then you really need to get your hands on this one!
Cornell & Diehl - Carolina Red Flake with Perique 2oz
Fantastic VaPer
This review is for the 2021 version that was just released; the tin aroma is stone fruits, very figgy and red grapes. The first flavors that I noticed were what you get from a sweeter red wine. The Perique gives some black pepper spice from first light and builds to a medium spice level that lasted the entire bowl. It also gave me a fruity sour sensation on both sides of my tongue that complements the red wine flavors perfectly. The components of this blend work perfectly together, they are easy to pick out on their own but at the same time meld together to form one fantastic smoke from beginning to end. This has enough moisture out of the tin that I gave it about 15 to 20 minutes of dry time, just enough to help the burn without losing any of the flavors and it needed just a few relights and left some moisture in the bottom of the bowl at the end. The nicotine strength I would place at a solid medium to full, there was enough that you could definitely feel it when the smoke was done but it isn't enough to bowl you over even if you're more sensitive to it. Carolina Red Flake with Perique for 2021 brings everything I want in a VaPer blend: dark fruit Virginia flavors, a nice sour note, and plenty of spiciness to make one memorable smoke! Jeremy Reeves and company at C&D hit another home run with this one in my book. An easy five star rating for this one.
Cornell & Diehl - Sun Bear Black Locust 2oz
Stands up to the hype
This is a very good example of a Virginia/Oriental blend. The Virginia's are clearly in the lead upon light up and give very distinct flavors of sweet bread with the honey casing complementing them expertly. The orientals show up more in the second half of the bowl and add light amounts of spice and some butter to the sweet bread flavors. I did not detect any tequila notes, which is fine with me because there is plenty going on with this blend to keep your attention. Smoked fresh out of the tin with about 15 minutes of dry time to help the burn rate just a tad and this burns very well with minimal relights. The flake is typical Cornell and Diehl and rubs out very easy. This blend is superb fresh and should get even better with time and more flavors should show themselves with age.
Presbyterian - Presbyterian 50g
Great light English
This is an excellent light English blend. The orientals are up front, buttery and smooth. The Latakia is present and easy to detect during the whole smoke but it doesn't over power the blend and instead help to enhance the flavor of the orientals. This is a great blend for those who have never tried an English blend and want to get a feel for what they are like and a great blend for English lovers who aren't in the mood for a Late bomb. It was the right moisture content from the tin, packs and lights easy, and stays lit fairly easy. I will be stocking up on this one!
Cornell & Diehl - Exclusive
Brings the spice!
I have been searching the pipe tobacco world for a blend that provides a good spicy smoke and there have been a few that come close like C&D Kajun Kake or D&R Rimboche S.J. but this one so far takes gold for providing that spicy pepper zing on the palate consistently every bowl. So if that's what your after than this is definitely one to get. I'll admit, at least to me, that the aroma out of the bag is not real pleasant, very barnyard-esque, but that is what quality aged tobacco smells like so it is a good thing in a way. I don't detect much in the way of sweetness like the description says, flavors on this one are very earthy with bready notes so if you have a sweet tooth this isn't likely to satisfy it. It came at the perfect moisture content for packing and lighting and burns to a grey ash very well. I definitely recommend trying this if you enjoy perique and spicy smokes.
