Cornell & Diehl Morley's Best

(3.11)
This is a combination of three burleys (rough cut, white & cubed), Virginia flake and Cyprian Latakia.
Notes: Reminiscent of old original Blue Boar blend.

Details

Brand Cornell & Diehl
Blended By Bob Runowski
Manufactured By Cornell & Diehl
Blend Type Burley Based
Contents Burley, Latakia, Virginia
Flavoring
Cut Coarse Cut
Packaging Bulk
Country United States
Production Currently available

Profile

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

Average Rating

3.11 / 4
30

30

10

6

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 76 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 05, 2013 Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
I used to smoke Blue Boar in the day. That day was a long time ago, so memory may be faulty. I had decided P&C American Heritage was close enough to Blue Boar, but someone suggested I try Morley's Best. I got 4 oz from P&C and have been working on it.

I found this to be very good. It is a burley-forward VaBur with some latakia to spice it up. The latakia is there and all, but it does not dominate. This was a very good smoke with just a bit of burley bitterness with some sweet Virginia. A little smokey, creamy latakia works very well with this combo.

I will need to smoke this and American Heritage back to back now to compare. My sense is that AH has more latakia and the burley presence is a little stronger.

Compared to my memory of Blue Boar, Morley's Best is smoother and more subtle. BB was a little edgy and had a slight harshness. Morley's Best is more refined, and that may be due to better quality tobaccos or maybe a little more Virginia. The dose of latakia corresponds with what I remember.

Edit: 9/26/17 This is officially a 3.5 on my scale now. I decided I liked it enough to buy a pound.
Pipe Used: Rockcob, briars, cobs
PurchasedFrom: pipesandcigars.com
Age When Smoked: fresh out of the baggie
34 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 07, 2001 Medium to Strong None Detected Medium to Full Tolerable
This is an unusual blend, because burleys have received much negative comment in the last ten years. Suffice it to say, that almost all blends in the last Golden Age of Tobaccco (i.e 1950s) contained substantial portions of burley.

The attempt was to approach the legendary Blue Boar Rough Cut, formerly blended by the American Tobacco Company, and discontinued in the early 1980s. The burleys were chosen to complement each other, with the cube cut providing a nuttiness and the smoothness of burn. Dark and white burleys have their own quality, but too much dark burley can leave a cigar leaf taste to the blend. Va Bright flake, rather than virginia ribbon or virginia flake was added for sweetness w/o a cloying quality that could ruin a smoke. The Cyprian latakia provided the earthiness and tone to the blend. All in all, a great all day smoke w/o harshness and a wet pipe.
31 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jun 11, 2016 Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
The star components are the burleys, which are very nutty with some molasses, a little wood, a hint of spice along with a fair amount of earth. It also has a very minor sharp, rough note here and there from the white burley. The bright Virginia is lightly grassy with a little tart and tangy citrus in a support role, though I find it occasionally buried under the burleys and Latakia. The Cyprian Latakia is a secondary player, adding smokey, woody, earthy, musty sweet push for a little complexity as it underscores the taste from start to finish. It is likely responsible for the touch of floralness. The strength and taste levels are medium. The nic-hit is just past the center of mild to medium. Won’t bite, but needs to be smoked at a sipping rate for best effect. Dry in bulk, it benefits from light hydration. Burns a little fast, cool, clean and fairly smooth with a very consistent, mildly sweet and more savory, rugged flavor. Requires few relights, and leaves almost no moisture in the bowl as it easily burns to ash. The after taste pleasantly lingers a little, and the room note is a step stronger. It’s medium strength, but easily repeatable through the day. It's more refined, lightly less floral, and less harsh than Blue Boar, which is the blend this was based on.

-JimInks
29 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 29, 2010 Medium Extremely Mild Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
This strikes me as Walnut's iron-pumping brother. Where Walnut is sweet and soft with a touch of latakia, Morley's Best is brawny and powerful without a trace of sweetness but still with that wonderful essence of latakia to betray the family lineage.

I've never smoked Blue Boar so I can't comment on how close this one comes to replication. But it's hardly relevant; this one stands on its own. The burley is the major player and the virginias are not of the sweet variety. They are oily and robust, with a rich flavor and strong character. I find the flavors perfectly melded and the strength is of a comforting nature rather than brute force. I honestly believe that this is one of those blends that I call "genius blends". Bob Runowski knows how to do burleys and he knows his OTC's. Those of us who didn't get a chance to smoke Blue Boar can smoke Morley's Best to their heart's content. And we will. At least I will! If you like burley with the rounding off that a touch of virginia can do and the added spice of latakia, you should definitely give this a spin in your favorite pipe.
25 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Oct 01, 2012 Strong Extremely Mild Full Tolerable
As I've stated before, I am a fan of almost everything that Bob Runowski has hand his hand in creating. I am saddened by his passing, but grateful that he helped to reproduce so many great blends from the past. Morley's Best is one of my favorites in his blend series, along with Epiphany. It begins as a good Burley, then I taste the twang of the Latakia, and then a nice sweetness from the Virginias, all of which slowly develop, meld with each other, and become fuller as the bowl progresses. It's a tobacco with which I've had more than one "nirvana" smokes and one that I recommend highly, but don't think that you'll make the wife happy with the room note. Trust me.

EDIT (4/22/2016) - This is still one of my favorites. If I can't decide on what to smoke, this is the one that I almost invariably reach for. I've been thinking of calling the local radio station and dedicating Kenny Rogers' "Through the Years" to this blend. 🙂
Pipe Used: Mostly Custom-Bilts
PurchasedFrom: smokingpipes.com
15 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 10, 2017 Medium Extremely Mild Medium Tolerable
Over a half century ago when I was a young pipe smoker the three latakia blends I smoked most often were Revelation, Middleton Walnut, and Blue Boar Rough Cut. Revelation and Walnut had noticeable but not strong latakia content. Blue Boar was somewhat stronger in the lat department, but far less than a full throated bomb. All three blends are now deceased. Blue Boar was the first to go, in the early 1980's. (In my early years of piping I occasionally puffed Dunhill latakia mixtures, but not much, for they cost more.)

Morley's Best constitutes an effort to replicate Blue Boar. Creating a true clone of a discontinued blend is almost impossible, but Morley's Best (if my memory serves me correctly) comes quite close. Actually, according to my memory, Morley's Best is a little smoother, lacking a slightly harsh edge I noted in Blue Boar.

Open a tin and you find a varied cut brown mixture with an unexceptional aroma. You can note the latakia, but it is not overwhelming. The smell is slightly tart, and is not exceptionally strong. Burleys form the basis of the blend, and the burleys are of three kinds with varied cuts. There is a cube cut and then two ribbon cuts of both white and dark burley. The latakia (easily noted as the dark strands) is significant but not the lead. The mixture is balanced with some Bright Virginia, not quite so sweet as most Virginias are.

The varied cut loads easily and is not difficult to light. I seldom need a relight. The taste is medium, with the latakia obvious but not in the lead role. The nicotine falls into the medium category. There is no particular degeneration to bitterness, that late smoke bitterness being a fault with many burley forward blends. The smoke has no complexity, but it is not tiring. The room note is not exceptional. Morley's best does not have enough latakia to make it really obnoxious to others, but the overall aroma possesses no particular virtue. This blend smokes dry to a grey ash with almost no dottle.

Overall, Morley's Best is a solid example of what is often called American English. Those who enjoy it will primarily be those who prefer or at least often smoke burley blends. Most of that contingent will find Blue Boar a good smoke. Aside from those who actually despise burley or latakia, most smokers will deem it acceptable, even if they are not overwhelmed.

I thoroughly enjoy smoking Morley's best, although my pleasure may be enhanced in part in the reverie of smoking Blue Boar in days gone by.

For those whose pipe collection allows particular briars designated for particular kinds of tobacco this does best in the latakia collection. For those with modest pipe collections, a cob or meerschaum is suggested.

13 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Nov 04, 2006 Medium None Detected Medium to Full Pleasant
Morley's Best contains hot, harsh Burley that is combined with a light dose of Latakia and a smidgen of Virginia leaf. The Burley gets top billing and stars starting at mid-bowl and the Virginia appears to be low on the taste totem pole.

This blend does burn well and does need a lot of re-lights, I just think I got a tin with some unprocessed Burley.

Pipestud
13 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 29, 2014 Medium to Strong None Detected Full Tolerable
The quintessential "American" English blend. it certainly is burley heavy and that burley drives this blend. The three mentioned in the listing do not state dark burley, but perhaps the rough cut or cubed is where I pick its presence. Any more and this would be a cigar blend. The Latakia is in here but not overpowering and the Virginia is mildy supportive. It is very smooth despite its full taste. And it packs a sneaky punch of nicotine which becomes very apparent at about 2/3 burn - every time I smoke it in fact. (I am a regular Old Joe Krantz smoker so I make the observation with some knowledge of what a nic-kick can feel like). As much as I like it, I can look forward to a daily bowl (one only); I cannot see this ever being a blend I would load up on a long drive on the interstate highway. Perhaps it should come with a warning about operating motor vehicles and heavy equipment. However, for a late afternoon smoke or a blend for fishing day - this fits nicely. It does leave me with a strong finish and an hours-long aftertaste as a heavy ligero laden cigar would. It can also rasp my tongue fairly easily and not because I stoke it up looking for more flavor. I just pull on it too rapidly because it tastes so good. It is still so smooth and tasty otherwise that I do not hesitate a 3 star rating and might raise it to four later.
Pipe Used: BBB Pot, Custombilt bullcap
PurchasedFrom: smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: Fresh production
9 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Nov 27, 2010 Mild to Medium Very Mild Medium Pleasant
A Va/Bur/Lat or "American English" blend, if you will. I had this 8oz tin for almost two years before I popped it and I think it was tinned in 2006 or 2007. So.... when it popped it was a bit like popping the cork on a champagne bottle. Some confetti flying and a violent implosion. It's paid off with this one, which has put me in the zone really fast, and I'm not even the biggest burley fan out there. Aged as it should be as in this particular 8oz tin, it's flavorful, biteless, mild and smooth. It's reputedly a strong nic blend, but not to me, not this time. I think that the minimal in the tin aging may have tamed the nic. The well-blended components had enough time to get to know each other and chill. Three and a half stars to this blend, when smoked from a tin that's had some age in it. Most C&D blends should be aged for at least a little and this is certainly one of them. Then it's golden. You know what this blend is? It's relaxing is what it is.

Update: This blend continues to grow on me; the latakia is the tastiest and most aromatic that I can remember. Upgrading it to four stars.
9 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 01, 2005 Mild to Medium Mild Mild to Medium Pleasant
Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, does burley better than Bob Runowski. In my opinion, he is the world's master blender of burley. Morley's Best is a superb example of his talent with this magnificent leaf, and a testament to the consistency and quality of Cornell and Diehl.

The appearance of this tobacco in the plastic bag is quite attractive. Cubed burley, coarse ribbon-cut burley and pale Virginia, and black strands of latakia make this mixture a pleasure just to look at (aren't we pipe smokers geeks?). The aroma while filling my pipe is an alluring mixture of plain tobacco and Cyprian latakia, which I prefer over Syrian anyday.

At the match, Morley's Best proves to be a straightforward, stout blend of the kind real pipe smokers appreciate. I don't like latakia unless it's in a burley blend, and Morley's Best is a powerful and pleasing smoke for me, particularly in a cob.

I would give this blend four stars were it not for its habit of biting me on occasion. Apart from that, this is one of the best American Englishes around and already a classic.

Thanks, Bob.
7 people found this review helpful.
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