Cornell & Diehl - 126: Old Joe Krantz pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
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Unsal	01/10/2011	Very Strong	Medium to Strong	Full	Tolerable
Not recommended.
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John Offerdahl	01/08/2011	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable
Old Joe Krantz is one of the blends developed by Bob Runowski in his attempt to recreate the pleasures of old, traditional tobaccos. It's a combination of Virginia, burley, and some perique. Like other C&D blends, the tobacco benefits greatly from some age before smoking. Bob says that this is his favorite burley blend. I'll confess that my initial impression of Old Joe Krantz was, well, less than favorable. However, I set aside the ball jars of it, and happened upon them again after they sat for about five months. The difference was nothing less than dramatic. What originally hit me as a slightly bitter discord of flavors had become a well-mannered and pleasant blending of fine tobaccos. The pouch aroma of Old Joe Krantz is one that could easily keep me from smoking it. If it reminds me of anything, it reminds me of the smell of dirty feet. To me, this is a tobacco that the smoker needs to smoke while ignoring the pouch aroma, and doing so provides a nice, pleasant treat. The burley asserts itself from the start, giving a nice lighting taste. There's not any hesitation from this blend at all! But while the burley is a strong presence, the natural sweetness of the Virginia is there as well. The perique is just heavy enough to mix with the Virginia and provide a sort of sweet and sour effect. The balance of the three tobacco varieties is as well done in this blend as I've encountered. While the initial flavor is full, it's not overly strong. The taste remains consistent through the bowl, but the last eighth or so becomes a good bit stronger than the rest. There's no acridity to the flavor, it just strengthens. I've been smoking this blend on an almost daily basis now, and find it to be a real pleasure.
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Pike Mopers III	11/21/2010	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

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Recovery7	10/28/2010	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I've tried several C&D blends and while not all of them have become favorites they are all of the highest quality. I recently ordered OJK and loaded it in a cob to try out tonight. Initial Impressions: Mixed cut - some ribbon, some that looked like a rubbed out flake. Aroma from the bag was of burley with the hints of Virginia and the unique aroma that is perique. Loaded easily in the pipe. Charring light was easy and didn't require a touch up. Others have noted that this blend tends to stay lit and I can't argue. I relit once and that was due to talking to a neighbor as they walked by outside. Flavor: I rated this as medium as it started off like burley, that is to say mild, but then the perique chimed in, a peppery, spicy note. It took until mid-bowl for the Virginia to peek through. The second half of the bowl, with a five minute DGT, showed the great balance of this blend. All the tobaccos provided an excellent end to the smoke. Conclusions and overall: This burned cool and dry with no effort on my part. There was nothing but fine gray ash to clear from the bowl. I did notice a very strong nicotine rush from this tobacco - not unpleasant but much more so than I normally encounter. If I decided on an all-day smoke this one would be very much in the running. Medium to full body with just great tobacco flavor.
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ferncourt	09/13/2010	Medium to Strong	None detected	Full	Pleasant
Vinnie799: Joe Krantz is likely a real person and he's likely Bob Runowski's grandfather, owing that this is one of Bob's blends and he's been known to say he named it this because it is something his grandfather would have smoked. That said, this is a great, no frills smoke. It's in my top five. It's everything one should expect from a quality American-blended codger tobacco It lights easily, burns evenly with no to very few delights, hasn't a bit of a bite and leaves no dottle.
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Tony	07/26/2010	Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable
OLD JOE KRANTZ, anybody know who is? Is he a real person? Anyhow this tobacco, I've now used a full eight ounces of, seems to be surpassing my go to burley by far (Prince Albert). When I want/need a quick or a full hit of nicotine OJK is what I've been reaching for. I have a burley flake that I've been fancying but I'll not mention it here. There's a pleasant aroma wating in the bag! OJK has a really nice perique tweak without biting too. I feel that OJK is full and strong and very satisfying. I tend to like big bowls of it and it lights and burns easily and respectfully too. I did some 'breath smoking' with it but it seems better full on! I highly recommend this in one's rotation and you'll probably be reaching for it more often than you expect to. The cut reminds me of the bottom of a box of breakfast cereal, you know things all broken up but nice finely broken. I find it easy to fill a bowl and make it a large one. Also, I get no static from my dear wife about the room note. That's one of our brotherhood's most important critics when trying to enjoy a tobacco. I'm giving this baby a full FOUR stars here!
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umm_bacon	06/05/2010	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable
This was the first pipe tobacco I tried since ten years or so ago when I made a half-hearted attempt at pipe smoking. I thought this was the strongest thing made the first time I smoked it. Again, that was the first bowl in 10+ years. I have since that time found much stronger tobaccos, but this remains one of my favorite non plug, rope, flake blends. It is what it sounds like, crotchety and a bit stubborn. It seems stuck it it’s ways, but at least it is an honest smoke. No sweetness, no fruitiness, just tobacco. Pretty decent tobacco.
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Sir Walter Smiley	04/22/2010	Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable
When I first started smoking this blend, I would have given it a 4 star rating. Twenty pounds later, I am still in love with it; yet, as guys that have been married for a long time can relate, ahhh.....luckily Old Joe understands when I smoked 30 or 40 other blends. I haven't had an unfavorable blend from Cornell & Diehl yet, except for Mississippi Mud. Old Joe is a great bulk blend that comes already on the dry side, no prep needed. It has a very natural taste without any chemicals added that I detect. Burley is in the drivers seat, virginia riding shotgun, but the perique is a very loud back seat driver. If you don't like perique, don't get in the car. But if you like burley and perique........take that ride.
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Steverino	04/14/2010	Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant
I've had a tin of this open for about six months and find it to be a very satisfying and flavorful tobacco. For some reason, I didn't like it very much when I first tried it, but now it seems much better. I detect some kind of topping, as I initially get a flavor that doesn't seem to come directly from the blend components. This is evident in the tin aroma as well. This is no problem, however, as it adds greatly to the flavor in the beginning, then subsides somewhat as I smoke on down the bowl. The relatively small pieces into which this tobacco is cut allows it to pack and light with no problem and it burns at an average rate - not too quickly but not a "long burner" either. The remnants consist of lots of fine, gray ash. Though I can tell it's there, I did not detect much in the way of nicotine strength, but I smoke a number of stronger blends as well, so I may be less sensitive to this level of nicotine than some. Overall, I rate this as a very good smoke and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys burley with a little sweetness from Virginia and just a bit of perique spice.
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rramstad	03/24/2010	Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable
This is a really bold, in your face smoke. The perique is snappy and spicy, the burley gives a lot of body and strength, and the Virginias are more of a supporting role adding sweetness. I find myself enjoying each and every bowl. Zero bite.
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pipeslayer	03/19/2010	Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
Highly recommended with a caveat. This is a full, no-nonsense tobacco with powerful presences of all three elements. I think that if you are not a lover of straight VA's and burleys and LOTS of perique, this might not be very enjoyable. However, I love all of these, so I find OJK to be an exceptional blend. This tobacco burns beautifully and does not bite, in my experience. The perique offers up all of its beautiful earthy goodness along with a substantial amount of spicy heat, the VA provides a lovely framework with lots of depth, and the burley adds a nutty, sweet fullness to the whole thing. I don't know if I got all of those characteristics assigned to the right players, but what I do know is that Old Joe is a helluva great smoke. It also has plenty of nicotine, though not an overpowering amount. I recommend it highly to anyone who likes full, rich tobacco flavor with more than a little attitude.
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SirLoirn	03/17/2010	Very Strong	Medium	Mild to Medium	Tolerable
Bulk: Reminds me of lightly musty grain bread, in a spectrum of browns and varied ribbon cut. I suppose the occasional black fleck is the perique. Since I got this in bulk-as a special deal from C&D-and it sat for a few months, it was already dry when it was smoked. OJK gave a peppery feel on the tongue. Overall: Nothing remarkable except for substantial woosiness from the nicotine, which seemed to peak well after being finished smoking a bowl. This is singularly recommended if you want to experience a heavy nicotine effect.
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Pipe4ever	02/25/2010	Very Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable
This is a classic American burley blend with harsh, masculine smoke and a powerful nicotine overdose, unfortunately my body is very sensitive to nicotine, therefore, this blend is not for me, I like American Burley such as Prince Albert and Carter Hall, Barbary Coast is also a favorite, but not this one.
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periqueguy	01/31/2010	Medium	None detected	Full	Pleasant
Another AAA blend by the best tobacco people in the universe. OJK is a totally satisfying, enjoyable smoke for the experienced piper. A perfect all day, all night blend. I go for a week smoking OJK only and then switch to Gentleman caller for the next week. 4 stars all the way, 5 would be more appropriate but not available.
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Tortuga	01/30/2010	Very Strong	None detected	Very Full	Tolerable to Strong
“OJK,” as it is affectionately known by it’s familiars, is well deserving of it’s seat in the pantheaon of burley masters. Old Joe Krantz is not a subtle smoke. It’s painted in 3 bold stripes of primary colors: Burley, Virginia, Perique. Those stripes serve as the natal flag of fortitude and simplicity. The tin aroma is a fantastic, leafy potpourri - sweet and perique-y. I don’t know the technical term for the type of cut given to the tobacco, but it’s smallish, easy to load, and burns well right out of the tin. I like to let it air for a few minutes, though. When it comes to strength, Old Joe Krantz is one cantankerous ol’ timer YOU DO NOT want to mess with. Why? Because he’ll kick your arse, that’s why. And it it’ll be embarrassing. The virginia element is masterfully done, allowing it to be truly a burley feature blend, but definitely providing a high quality sweetness haven into which you can dive if feeling a bit blown over by the burley and perique pistons that drive the engine. I have smoked now about 6 blends that are made up of these same 3 primary components. Of course, each one probably uses different leaf and hopes to achieve it’s own identity, but as far as I’m concerned, most of them still stand and shiver beneath the great and looming shadow of Old Joe Krantz. Now I am a neophyte and every time I say a certain blend is strong, someone else chimes in with, ahh that’s nuthin’. Well, if OJK isn’t strong I don’t know what is. In fact, it’s too strong for me to smoke regularly; but I recognize and enjoy from time to time the archetypal burley pipe blend that is Cornell & Diehl’s Old Joe Krantz.
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karnevil9	10/29/2009	Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Full	Tolerable
OJK. This is pretty strong. I love strong tobacco and this fills the bill perfectly. Nice sweet taste bout half way down. Burns excellent. One light and away she goes. So enjoy OJK. Cornell and Diehl is vastly superior Tobacco. If I had to pick one blender. They would be it. Bob Runowski is a tobacco Genius!!!!!
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Mr. Ubiquity	10/22/2009	Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong
If you've tried Night Train, the flavor is similar, but not as strong. In my mind, they are in the same family. Easy to pack, the perique hits just right and at the right time. Not a fussy tobacco, it lights, stays lit. I like it as a reading tobacco, as the interplay of the tobaccos makes the smoke very soothing. Sometimes the Va's whisper sweetly, sometimes the burley brings on a bit of pecan, and the perique makes the whole thing a bit more spicy. Yum. If you don't like burley, don't try it.
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Sparks	10/06/2009	Strong	None detected	Full	Tolerable
This has become my all day smoke, if there is such a thing. This is a full tobacco IMO, however, all the ingredients are in balance. I love Burley, so the nice rich base in greatly appreciated. The Virginia adds a nice sweet note to this blend, subtle but there, and the Perique rounds it out with a nice spicy kick. This blend is by far one of the best blends I have ever smoked. It is the top of my rotation and is being stocked in my cellar.
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kg0mz	08/15/2009	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
OJK is a nice burley with a pleasant caramelized-pecan touch added by the VA and the perique. It burns steady, cool and dry right out of the tin, not at all steamy. Being a non-flake, I think it burns too fast. For me, the blend is in balance, tasty and satisfying. OJK easily earns a solid 3 stars.
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DK	05/21/2009	Very Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Tolerable
I was all set to write a review and I see that 1/2 bowl already said 90% of my thoughts! The only thing I'd add is that the mixing of the various tobaccos seems haphazard. And that those that rate this blend as "smooth" or as a potential "all-day smoke" must have asbestos tongues! I salute those who like this blend, but it sure did nothing for me. Two stars is a gift, and given mostly because I'm just sure that anything from Cornell & Diehl has to be of high quality leaf, even though I could not say so in all certainty. Try this if you enjoy natural burley taste with one hell of a lot of perique thrown in, and you're not into nuances or subtleties. Yowch!
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