Cornell & Diehl Orthodoxy

(2.38)
Orientals, Stoved Red & bright Virginia, Syrian & Cyprian Latakia, and Perique make this an aesthetically pleasing blend, it is well-rounded and smooth, yet complex of flavor.

Details

Brand Cornell & Diehl
Blended By Todd R. Jerabek
Manufactured By Cornell & Diehl
Blend Type English
Contents Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Perique, Virginia
Flavoring
Cut Coarse Cut
Packaging Bulk
Country United States
Production No longer in production

Profile

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

Average Rating

2.38 / 4
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Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Apr 12, 2005 Medium None Detected Medium Tolerable
Another good bulk mixture from C&D. I have tasted maybe thirty-plus bulk blends from C&D and have not liked very many of them. This one is much better than most. Probably three stars and somewhat similar to Edward's Tobaccos better house mixes.

4/11/2005: The C&D website no longer lists this blend. My regular stores don't list it either. My guess is they no longer make this one. Too bad, it was one of their better bulk blends.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Aug 13, 2002 Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
While I may indeed be prejudiced in regard to this tobacco, it is a keeper. It is a blend in which produces a very subtle balance of all the players involved. Looking at this blend in the bag, the colors are very aesthetically pleasing; there are blondes, browns, reds, and shades of black - all vying for attention. If only it will smoke as good as it looks.

This is a rough cut blend and packs nicely. It takes to a match well, and after tamping the slight rise... well, OK, one more match to get it burning evenly.

Ahh, sit back and relax. This is a blend that is for those contemplative moods. I have smoked it all day, as it isn't overpowering, but there are mild innuendos that are missed.

While Virginias are the major factor in this blend, the other tobaccos make their presence known. There is an overarching sweetness, subtly highlighted by a slight smoky and nutty characteristic. The orientals give it that little bit extra.

There is a story behind the creation of this blend. I knew what tobaccos I liked and wanted to try to put something together that placed those desires in harmony and proper proportions. As a pastor, I had seen many tobacco blends with names that said numerous things. Therefore, the name Orthodoxy has special meaning - it reflects history, reverence, devotion and tradition. Orthodoxy, in Christian religious circles, is thought of as that which conforms to the historic practice and teaching of the church, having its origins in the early creeds, confessions and rites of the church.

As such, this is a blend which was to reflect that mood. A blend for those contemplative times. A blend which causes one to stop and reflect on something more than the mundane activities of life. I love my rock & roll, fishing, golf, wrestling with my boys, and playing in the garden. This is the blend for when you want to stop and cogitate: Bach/Hayden/Mozart etc. are in the background; Dickens, Shakespeare, Chesterton, Dostoevsky, etc. are in your hand. (OK, so it goes well sitting around the campfire while you help the boys make s'mores, too!)

Personally, I think it does both quite well, but we all need that contemplative blend every once in a while. Agreed?

4 out of 5 halos.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 12, 2002 Mild Extremely Mild Mild Tolerable
Tin Aroma: To be honest, this blend has very little tin aroma. I had to put it very close to my nose to smell anything, and when I did, it was not to my liking. The impression I get of this aroma is one of cat urine. Not a pleasant smell to have associated with one's tobacco, to be sure.

Physical Characteristics: a mostly light colored short ribbon cut. Comes from Cornell & Diehl, so it is dry as a bone; perfect for me, but many will want to rehydrate it before smoking. Packs fairly easily and due in part to the dryness of it, takes the lighting well. It burns rather quickly, but evenly, leaving behind a grey, grainy ash.

Notes: The flavor of this blend is, thankfully, nothing like it's tin aroma. However, it is a bit understated for my tastes. The Virginias seem to be the bulk of the blend, perhaps with a bit of Perique or Oriental thrown in here and there. I really have trouble discerning the Latakia that is supposed to be present. I found it fairly easy to burn my tongue with this blend. The flavor seems to improve when accompanied by a glass of Southern iced tea

Verdict: Aside from the tin aroma, this blend is pretty solid, though it does not grab me in any way. For me, this is a real take it or leave it blend.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Sep 02, 2004 Mild to Medium None Detected Mild to Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
As has been noted before, Orthodoxy has practically no aroma in the pouch. Well, OK, the bag. I was sent a generous sample of this by a dear friend who had become rather enamored of it.

I found the blend to be quite pleasant, actually. It's a nice change of pace from the heavier blends I normally smoke. The Latakia and the Perique are barely noticeable. If you smoke it slowly and carefully, you will notice their influence from time to time.

The Virginia isn?t of the sweet variety that really sings, but it is stout enough to hold its own against the Oriental types.

As the name implies, this is a blend that has a strict code of conduct, which if followed carefully, can be an enriching experience. Break the rules and puff it without respect, and it will make you rue the day you picked up a pipe.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Apr 02, 2003 Very Mild None Detected Extremely Mild (Flat) Tolerable
Got this blend from a buddy who hated it. I'll agree with his tastes. This is harsh, bitter, and awful. Will never buy it.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 03, 2003 Medium None Detected Medium Tolerable
I first tried this in the IBPTT group from ASP, without knowing what it was. I concluded that this was a mostly-Virginia blend with light touches of Latakia and Cigar leaf. Two of the other three reviewers also noted cigar notes. Very odd.

There is a lovely variety of colors and cuts. There are many flavors present, all working well together. I like English blends, but I much prefer my Virginias; this is a very enjoyable smoke though, especially given the chill air. After about 10 minutes, the pipe goes out. I relight 15 minutes later. The blend is a bit bitter on re-light, which I expect will pass quickly. But it doesn't, only fades somewhat. And the Virginias never regain their sweet dominance. Nothing really takes the place of the Virginias, although the cigar leaf grows more pronounced. Curious. This doesn't seem to be a prime candidate for DGT

The tin aroma is more leathery than campfire-like, and there is some natural sweetness as well. The blend itself is on the dry side.

Second smoke in a cob mostly confirms prior results. I have a very hard time describing flavor elements in Latakia blends, but this has flavor in all three spectrums (spectra?). The bright VA supplies some tingly high flavors, though they are subdued (and also not hard on the tongue). This blend lives in the mid-range, with a broad range of tastes that is more consistent than complex. This is a comfortable smoke, and that is not a negative descriptor. I lose some flavor near the end of the bowl, and that comes more quickly than expected.

If I want a cigar-English, I will certainly reach for this. (For a cigar blend without Latakia, my heart still belongs to McConnell Pure Havana).
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 03, 2003 Medium Extremely Mild Medium Pleasant
I was unimpressed when I first smoked this blend. I had received it in trade, tried it, and it really didn?t seem to have any character that I could see, despite (or perhaps due to) the laundry list of ingredients. So, I set it aside for a few months to see what developed. The results as an improvement.

The blend is a wild cut that varies from small pieces to chunks the size of a dime. The color is primarily medium brown, with some blond, dark brown, and black elements, as one would expect from the ingredients. Packing qualities were good in a size three bowl, although I would be concerned about plugging conical bowls due to the small leaf size.

On first light, there is a distinct nuttiness that I like quite a bit. While this fades from the early flavor, it is somewhat transmuted in a hazelnut flavor that comes and goes during the early part of the bowl. While unflavored, notes of vanilla also appear off and on during the early part of the bowl. Toward the end of the first third, the exotic spicy flavors that I associate with Syrian Latakia were very noticeable and enjoyable.

The second half of the bowl was somewhat chimerical in nature, particularly with respect to the extent that the perique made itself known, from mild, in favor of the burly, to moments in which it felt that I was smoking a bowl of straight perique. The flavor of the perique dominated this portion and completely overwhelmed the more delicate Syrian Latakia notes earlier in the bowl. The body was much fuller in the second half.

There is no burn on the nose, but I do find this to have a bit of a zip on the tongue early in the bowl, and during periods when the perique was dominate later on.

Overall: This is a somewhat complex blend, as might be expected from the varied components. In all, I found the perique to be overstated, particularly late in the bowl. While this might be of interest to those who like heavy perique, this was more than I care for, and prevent it from becoming a blend that I would reach for regularly. While it has it?s moments early on in the bowl, these elements are to ephemeral to overcome the lasting distaste of the overstated perique.

December, 2002
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 03, 2003 Mild to Medium None Detected Medium to Full Pleasant
This is a review from a blind tasting. ie.

Looks like an English mixture. Can't smell much in the pack but I have the remnants of flu right now.

Packs very easily. First light reveals very smooth smoke. Unfortunately I can't taste anything though! If there is Latakia it is a small amount. I think there might be Perique and cigar leaf here though. Perique because one of the ingredients looks like it. Cigar leaf because of the smoothness and something in the smell of the smoke. Can't trust these first impressions as I'm not fit to taste anything right now.

Second taste.

Detect mild Latakia with VA. When first lit this is very mild and inoffensive and really quite bland. But as the smoke gets underway it picks up in flavour a little. It's a well blended mixture that would certainly suit some as an all day smoke. The smoke is quite creamy now as I get into the second half and I suspect burley is responsible for this. It has picked up quite well in flavour but I think it would benefit from a much larger bowl and even a tighter packing. I have enough left for one fairly large bowl so must remember to do that.

Well into the second half now and there is some spiciness here that I suspect is fire cured leaf. I must say the flavours have deepened considerably and I would no longer say this is a mild smoke. I'm also unsure about it being an English mixture too as whatever Latakia there was seems to have taken a back seat. Maybe some other kind of Oriental leaf as the flavour is rather delicate. What isn't so delicate is the burley which was creamy but is now also quite dry. I don't think this is a blend I have smoked before and I don't recognise the blender either.

After finishing this bowl I left the room for a minute so as to come back and smell the room note. Very pleasant to my nose. No Latakia but there is an undertone of cigar leaf.

Bigger Bowl.

Boy this certainly works much better for me in a bigger bowl. Smoking a Charatan Free hand relief. Initial lighting smoke seemed quite mild again but immediately changed to a much fuller and very flavourful smoke. There is a little fairly persistant wisp that suggests dark fired leaf like that of G&H Birdseye as a component and something else suggesting Sam Gawith's Finest Kendall Twist with it's characteristic Chinese chop suey flavour. At least that's how I taste it.

You might think it odd that after apparently detecting all the above flavours I now come out and say that I find this to be pretty one - dimensional but I do for the way that I smoke when not concentrating on each and every nuance of flavour. It is pleasant enough but not interesting enough to gain a regular spot in my rotation.
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