Cornell & Diehl Speakeasy

(3.08)
From the roar of jazz music to the revel of old and new friends alike, New Orleans' speakeasies are not subtle establishments to say the least. With colorful cocktails lining the bar and wisps of smoke dancing the dim light, these retro bars embody that daring spirit of one of the city's most iconic eras — something Cornell & Diehl sought to capture in their bold, Cellar Series take on the traditional Navy flake: Speakeasy Navy Blend. Estimated peak: 10-15 years.
Notes: First introduced in July, 2016.

Details

Brand Cornell & Diehl
Series Cellar Series
Blended By Jeremy Reeves
Manufactured By Cornell & Diehl
Blend Type Virginia Based
Contents Kentucky, Perique, Virginia
Flavoring Rum
Cut Flake
Packaging 2oz Tin
Country United States
Production Currently available

Profile

Strength
Medium to Strong
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Very Mild
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant to Tolerable
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium to Full
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming

Average Rating

3.08 / 4
8

12

4

1

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 25 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 17, 2017 Medium to Strong Very Mild Medium to Full Tolerable
The rum topping is mildly applied, and works well with the tobaccos, only lightly sublimating them. The star component is the woody, earthy, mostly dry (with a touch of molasses), slightly smoky and nutty Kentucky. The tangy dark fruit and earthy Virginia is essentially a supporting player, and also sports a hint of spice. The small amount of lighter Virginia is hardly obvious in the taste, but is responsible for the slight citrus and grass notes. The raisins, figs, plum, and spice from the perique also plays a support role, just below that of the Virginias. The nic-hit is just below the medium level. The strength is a step or two past medium, and the taste threshold is a shade stronger than that. Won’t bite, but has a light rough edge from the Kentucky here and there. Well blended and complex, you’ll notice every aforementioned aspect in every puff, although the dark Virginia seems to be just a little more noticeable in the final quarter. This flake blend burns a little slow as they usually do, cool and clean with a consistent, filling flavor from start to finish. Leaves barely any dampness in the bowl, and requires some relights. Has a very pleasant woody sweet and savory, mildly spicy after taste, and stronger room note. Not an all day smoke, but it’s certainly a repeatable one.

-JimInks
32 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 17, 2017 Medium to Strong Extremely Mild Medium to Full Tolerable
Speakeasy was among some new blends introduced to Morley's PC several months ago. Its flakes were delectable looking in the tin, and the aroma of this fresh blend was enticing with little of the rum in evidence. The colors of the fresh blend were mostly medium brown, with a few spots of tan. At first light it started off with a sense of brown and maybe red Virginias, requiring a couple of char lights and tamping from puffing up, before settling down into a moderately fulsome smoke. with a considerable Kokumi (mouthfeel in the food flavor business).

The Perique was initially muted, basically contributing a sense of age to this very fresh batch. Within a few minutes, the Kentucky kicked in, providing bass notes to the flavor profile. There were no citrus, grassy or hay notes that I find in bright Virginias. Sweet tones from the rum and/or Virginias came into play as the bowl progressed, lending a rich complexity with the Kentucky supporting the Virginias base.

The cut of the blend made for a long smoke, and it was easy to nurture a slow burn, leading to a smooth ride. There was no bite, but if I pushed things by fast puffing, the deepening change in flavor let me know to back off.

The flavor gets stouter as the bowl progresses and, being a nicwimp, I don't know if I would enjoy this in a stack. The complex flavor presents differently in chambers of different sizes, but it remains multidimensional and robust.

Maybe JimInks would consider this an all-dayer.

This is designed to age, but it already tastes like a blend with several years on it. It will be interesting to see what this will be like given 5 or 10 years. Drawing on my winetasting experience, my guess is that it will smooth out even more and earn another star.
Pipe Used: clay, KW Contest, Bonfiglioli, Peretti
PurchasedFrom: Smoking Pipes
Age When Smoked: months
16 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Apr 13, 2017 Medium Very Mild Medium to Full Pleasant to Tolerable
The earthy, nutty, mildly smoky Kentucky leads, but there is a fair amount of fruit from the Perique and, to a lesser extent, the Virginias. Also a nice spice from the Perique. The rum lends a little sweet molasses. This is a great tasting smoke even without aging. I hope I last long enough to taste it with ten years on it. I can't imagine any Kentucky lover not enjoying this smoke.

Medium in body. Medium to full in taste. Flavoring is very mild. Burns very well.
Pipe Used: MM Little Devil Cutty, Little Devil Acorn, Marcus
PurchasedFrom: smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: fresh
14 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Nov 16, 2018 Medium to Strong Mild to Medium Medium to Full Pleasant to Tolerable
Cornell & Deihl's Speakeasy Navy Blend is an offering in that blenders Cellar Series, mixtures that are targeted for long term (10-15 years optimum) aging. At my age I am not planning on 10-15 years, as I very well might not be here then.

The tobacco came to me with the flake broken into what amounted to very broad ribbons. The moisture in the tin was fine. Getting a good burn proved no great difficulty. For me there has been an average number of relights.

The head note as I write this says Virginia based. But whatever percentage of the mixture is Virginia, the dominant taste is Kentucky (smoked burley). A small bit of Perique enlivens but does not overshadow the flavor.

Under the name Speakeasy on the 2 oz. tin come the words Navy Blend in smaller letters. You would expect a blend designated as a navy blend to have a rum flavoring. Speakeasy does. The amount is enough to be easily noted,but it is not overwhelming. It is somewhere between light and medium. Smokers who dote on aromatics may find the aromatic flavor too restrained, although it registers just under the medium range.

Both the overall strength and taste of Speakeasy are medium plus. The room note is quite pleasant except to those who equate tobacco smoke with mustard gas. The nicotine kick is medium.

For me, Speakeasy works as a change of pace smoke. I find it mundane if smoked often, but quite pleasant as a change of pace. Chances are that I will buy this again, but probably not in my next tobacco order.

I smoked this mainly in my aromatic designated pipes (and a time or two in cobs). Even so, if smoked as a change or pace or with a good rotation of pipes it should not present a real ghosting challenge.
8 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Nov 28, 2020 Medium to Strong Very Mild Medium to Full Pleasant to Tolerable
This is my kind of blend.. my 3 favorite components and the perfect dash of rum (not too much not too little).. it is fairly stout which is what I prefer.. similar to navigator but with quite a bit more spice and a hair less rum.. the Kentucky leaf adds a great deal of body and character to the smoke.. My tin tastes great with 2 years on it.. Obviously 10 years would improve this type of blend.. but it is really satisfying as is.. the occasional sweet aftertaste from the rum and Virginia is a highlight when juxtaposed against the earth and spice of the Kentucky and perique.. im enjoying this very much in the cool weather.. Cornell and Diehl is all over the map with their blends but I do consider a few of their virginia based blends to be very good indeed.. this one is like a much more flavorful version of Mcconnell Scottish flake.. more emphasis on the Kentucky for sure...
7 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 09, 2020 Medium Extremely Mild Medium to Full Unnoticeable
I watched a video of Jeremy Reeves , head blender of C&D .He said Speakeasy Navy Flake was comprised of 80% Carolina Red Flake with Dark Fired Kentucky,Perique and Orientals . I cracked my tin open after watching the video on YouTube of course! This is a great blend . The Rum Topping is perfect for this blend . It is very fruity and the Kentucky gives it some body with some floral notes and nutty smokiness . The Perique gels with the Red Virginias. Spicy with prunes and figs . I really can’t seperate the Orientals as they may hide behind the Kentucky leaf . I really do love some Virginias with Burley and this blend is a home run for me . I will be cellaring this one for sure . Pipe smoking is a great hobby .
Age When Smoked: 1 year
6 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
May 23, 2017 Medium to Strong Mild Medium to Full Pleasant to Tolerable
This blend was released shortly after I swore off buying any more tobacco as I had recently surpassed what I had estimated to be a lifetime supply of tobacco within my cellar. When I seen the tin and the ingredients, I kind of knew I would like it, but jumping on impulses such as that is why my cellar so quickly outpaced my smoking.

Anyway, I was fortunate enough to have a friend hand me this sample at the Chicago Show a few weeks back and confirmed the fact that I do, indeed, like this blend. And like it a lot. It tastes how a VaBurPer should in my opinion and the use of Dark Fired Kentucky really amps up the body in the blend. The rum topping was the only thing I wasn't sure of as I have had both good and bad experiences with that topping, and with Rum itself for that fact. But it is wisely applied and compliments the primary components nicely.

Of note to this blend is a better than normal sidestream aroma to the blend than I typically experience in this genre. This smells fabulous from the top of the bowl, perhaps a benefit from the Rum or possibly the Kentucky which I find to be quite fragrant when it is burned.

My sample gave me four bowls, which I would normally cautiously give three stars, but as the likelihood of adding tins to the cellar seems low at this point, I am putting four stars on it as it was exceptional to my tastes. A very good blend.
6 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Apr 30, 2017 Medium Mild Medium Tolerable
The Kentucky is most noticeable especially off the light. The rum is just enough to influence the blend and is tastefully applied. Virginias are there to balance out the Kentucky and rum and do so nicely. The perique I feel is what makes the blend really stand out. It adds another layer of complexity that really sings with plum and spice when playing off the nutty smoky woodiness of the Kentucky and the feint alcohol and sugar note of the rum.. really enjoy this blend. Burns well and needed no drying time. Broken flake took a little effort to get lit with the tobacco rising up again and again but smokes perfect once lit almost like your sipping a rum cocktail with some blackberry brandy. Fans of Kentucky, Burley, and/or Perique should enjoy this.
6 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jun 24, 2017 Medium Very Mild Medium to Full Pleasant to Tolerable
This is like Small Batch Carolina Red Flake just got a smidge of dark fired leaf and a whisper of Perique added to it. Sweet and sugary red VA varietal like used in Sansepolcro and Red Flake, with a bit more strength and spice from the two additional leaves, and an almost undetectable hint of rum. I loved this stuff right from the start. Smoked a couple bowls side by side with Carolina Red Flake (I still have several unicorn tins) and I confirm it's the same leaf without doubt. Knew it from the first bowl, definitely knew with the side by side smoking both at the same time. With some really good long term aging this Speakeasy broken Flake is going to be a gem. If you like sweet red Virginia with a dash of spice and hint of rum this is right up your alley.
Pipe Used: Various briars
PurchasedFrom: SmokingPipes
Age When Smoked: Really freshly tinned
5 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
May 11, 2017 Medium Extremely Mild Medium to Full Pleasant to Tolerable
Upon lighting the first thing I noticed was a slight leathery, smoky sharp tang from the small amount of Dark Fired used in this blend. Usually, I am not a fan of Dark Fired, but the very light use in this blend gives just a taste in the background through out the bowl. A short way into a bowl and I start to taste and feel a bit of pepper from the Perique on my tongue. Soon after, even though I an neither snorking nor inhaling, I start to notice peppery tingling in my nose from the Perique. Between the Dark Fired and the Perique, I do not notice the rum topping. There is a very good red Virginia as the base of this blend. Smoking this from a young tin, I can taste the stereotypical red Virginia richness along with a wee bit of citrus sweetness. I see great potential in this blend for aging. Once the flavors meld more and the Va ferments, I think this is blend is going to become even better.

Right now, I am giving this blend 3 stars but with a few years of aging, I think that this blend has the potential to become 4 stars.
Pipe Used: Various briars
Age When Smoked: Fresh
5 people found this review helpful.
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