"It's called Chenet's Cake," John announced, as he tossed a little brownie of tobacco onto my desk. Fresh from a trip to C&D's former operation in Morganton, NC, the Smokingpipes delegation returned bearing gifts — prototypes of new blends, and from the look on John's face, I gathered that there was something distinctive about this one. I held the brownie to my nose and took a deep sniff. "That's a lot of Perique," I said, noting the obvious. "Yeah," John laughed. I tore off a corner of the cake, crumbled it, and loaded my pipe.

In the months that followed I watched at a distance as Cornell & Diehl, now a part of the Laudisi Family, developed the three blends that introduced the Cellar Series: Oak Alley, Joie de Vivre, and Chenet's Cake. I was able to sample various tweaks in recipes, see mock-ups for tin art, and share a drink with Chris Tarler as he discussed small batch tobacco production. In May of 2014, the first three blends were finally released. A year later, they were joined by Bourbon Bleu and Old Grove. These blends have been celebrated by reviewers and have made their way into pipes and, appropriately, tobacco cellars around the world. For those of us at Smokingpipes.com who were able to watch the development of these blends, they've become house favorites:

Looking back on my first impressions of Oak Alley, I find that while the blend has certainly matured, what I originally loved about this unique tobacco has not changed. The base tobaccos are semi-sweet, toasty, woody, and robust. I have since taken to stuffing chunkier pieces directly into the pipe rather than rubbing it out fully. This yields a very slow and cool smoke with little fuss and an impressive array of flavors. The Katirini and Perique have settled down only slightly, and the back-and-forth between the two keeps me interested when I'm on 'autopilot;' if I pay attention to the smoke, there never seems to be a point where this blend becomes tiring or predictable. The only thing that is predictable about this blend is that it will be incredible after a few more years.

Joie de vivre, the ability to find joy in every aspect of life, is a fitting name for this Cellar Series blend. The smoke starts as a traditional C&D English, with the Latakia up front and some sweet notes from the red Virginias in the background. About half way through the bowl, this blend really takes off and becomes a complex mixture. The Turkish and the Perique play off each other, giving different spice notes, but with a smooth aftertaste thanks to the black Cavendish. Joie de Vivre smokes cool and deliciously slow, and one bowl can last you quite a long time. I find this smokes best in a Meerschaum with a wide bowl packed fairly tight.

Chenet's Cake was the first blend I tried from the Cellar Series line, and, though I hate to admit it, the first time I smoked it I wasn't terribly captivated. Why I continued to try to smoke it I'll never know, but sooner than later the stuff grew on me, and it's ended up being one of my favorite blends in the C&D catalog. It's so strong, so Perique heavy, so tremendously spicy; I love Chenet's Cake in the evening with a stiff drink and a good book. With a little over a year in the tin, this blend is maturing handsomely.

Old Grove is likely my favorite offering in the Cellar Series lineup; it satisfies a host of the pleasures I seek in a good tobacco blend: big, spicy, sweet, aromatic, balanced, and tons of nicotine. While the tins on the market currently are but a few months old, I've got such high hopes for what Old Grove will do in a year, in two years, even six years. I can hardly wait. But as they say, patience is a virtue.

Ironically, while I was deeply involved with Chris and the gang at C&D in the development of the original Cellar Series blends, I was considerably less involved in the development of Bourbon Bleu. When I was first told about the recipe, I was vaguely disinterested. Yet it is, hands-down, my favorite in the line. Apparently, I should stay away from blend development more often...

A good blend is mysteriously much more than the sum of its parts. Frankly, I don't fully understand why this is so damned good. Bright Virginias serve as a bed for dark-fired and Perique, with a hint of bourbon, tied together with a little red Virginia. It's gently sweet, but also spicy, nutty and earthy by turn. I smoked Bourbon Bleu at the Chicago show, like so many others who were there trying it for the first time. My first puffs were off-hand, while I was working to organize our hospitality room. But then I sat down. I had to smoke and think and think and smoke. This was really good stuff. We had a couple of sample tins from the first production run that we were sharing with folks at the show and I think I smoked more than I shared. And then I went home and bought four pounds of it in two ounce tins for the cellar.