Cornell & Diehl - Cross Eyed Cricket pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
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Pipestud	01/27/2005	Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Tolerable
A very appropriately named blend. Cross-Eyed Crickett will indeed glaze the eyes and goober up your palate. There is a topping in this dark and moist ribbon cut leaf that boasted a liquor like flavor. It was tough to keep lit and burning. A mild tobacco/nicotine presentation as well. As another review indicated, it was difficult to identify any particular component other than the Perique. Okay, so what are this tobacco's endearing qualities? There are none. (IMO, of course.)
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CaptnDan	06/20/2004	Mild	Extra Strong	Medium to Full	Pleasant
I tried Cross Eyed Cricket after receiving a sample from a friend. I am grateful to him for keeping me from wasting my money. This is a very unusual blend. It's supposed to be a crossover blend, but the only tobacco flavor that actually clawed its way through the topping was the Perique. The other tobaccos may as well not even be there. The topping is strong. And really wierd. Rum punch? Well, maybe not in the flavor, but I guess it could be that in the room note, which I think would be popular with non-pipesmokers. If this is a crossover, it must be a crossover from aromatics to super-aromatics. I was expecting more of an English aromatic. I was disappointed.
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DeltaSnake	05/29/2004	Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I'm on my second tin, noticing that this time it comes without being in the plastic bag it was in the first time. Also, and this may be subjective, the so-called mild aromatic rum aroma seems a bit more subdued, which is the only suggestion I would have made if any. One obvious way to make that sweetness lighter also is to combine this with a tin of Mississippi Mud, which is basically the same thing sans rum aromatic. However, I like both and I think the sum of the parts would be less, so to speak. I like the flavor, which was described by an earlier reviewer like a cheap cough syrup, which in a way could be a good way to describe it. However, adding the spice and pepper of latakia and perique to a sweetness that's less pronounced as the smoke progresses makes for a pleasant afternoon smoke. The burn qualities are good for an aromatic, but I would reserve a pipe for it's use and not use it for just any in your collection, it will leave it's signature. This is an aromatic for those who don't like aromatics like me, and worth a try at least once. I'm finding that the flavor mellows as the blend dries out a bit, and that makes it even better.
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chaplikc	02/13/2004	Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Tolerable
I was given some of this to try from a friend. My initial smoking experience with this was not good. For some reason I smoked a couple more bowls of this and it grew on me a little. It is definately worth a try for those seeking something totally differant. I could smoke this once in a while but I probably wont keep any more on hand when it runs out.
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mailman 5000	11/07/2003	Mild to Medium	Extra Strong	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
Summer 2003 the hottest I can remember, all those latakia blends did,nt seem right. Routing in the closet I found a tin of crossed eyed cricket been in their for a while. Light rum punch it said . Just the job I thought. On opening the light rum punch nearly knocked me out and I had not even put it in a pipe. Thought I better use the rum blend pipe. Upon lighting the rum punch again dominated then it settles down to a great english with full rum punch top. Great just the thing for those long hot summer days. Next day I got in from work and the whole house smelt of the "light "rum punch flavour. Pop Pourri forget it . Get a tin of this stuff. In 24 hours the "light" rum punch had contaiminated the Barbary coast in the rum humidor. I know burly soaks up flavours but cross eyed cricket smothers everything. It was then banished to a jar in solitary confinement. This is a great blend for summer heat . But it has taken a good 20 bowls of strong VA to rid it from the rum pipe and it still haunts the solitary confinement jar . With a half life longer than plutonium an unforgettable blend.
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WxGuy	09/19/2003	Medium	Very Strong	Very Full	Strong
Wow! This is a unique tobacco. Schizophrenic comes to mind. Of all tobaccos in my collection, this is heads above all others in intensity of aroma. It makes other "strong" aromatics like Erinmore pale in comparison. I typically store several opened tins at once in larger quasi-airtight containers. In this case, I had to quarantine Cross-Eyed Cricket by removing it from its tin and storing it in a baby-food jar with a tight fitting lid. The plastic lid on the flimsy tin could not contain the intense aroma. I also put some X-eyed Cricket in a film cannister for portability purposes and it perfumes the whole drawer I keep it in. Also, it seems a lot more "punchy" than "rummy", kind of like snorting Kool-aid crystals with perique, God forbid! What a weird combination. But this is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a true aromatic. It also has a strong english style. I have a hard time finding a pipe I want to smoke this in, because it would contaminate either a pipe dedicated to aromatics or a pipe dedicated to latakia mixtures. I end up using a kind of wierd, off-brand briar that I am not that attached to. Now, my issue with this blend is not that I can't tolerate latakia/perique or aromatics. Indeed, I thoroughly enjoy both. I have approached this blend several times thinking I could get both appetites met at once. My problem is that this is just too dang intense! Since others have not commented on the intensity of the aroma/flavoring, I wonder if I got a double-dosed batch or something. Must be that the cavendish really soaks up the flavoring. I know that I could leave open to air out, but it is already fairly dry, and a lot of the good tobacco flavors would also volatilize at the same time. At any rate, I will not replace this tin when I finish it, unless I happen to sample someone else's tin and it comes across differently. It would be interesting to try this blend without the perique, which is the element that seems to clash most with the added flavoring. This product suggests strongly that you cannot have it both ways.
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David Cimino	09/05/2003	Medium	Strong	Medium	Tolerable
I was curious to try this blend because I have recently discovered a few Latakia blends that I enjoyed smoking that contain Cavendish or additional flavoring. This however was not one of them. The tin aroma was funky. I did not get any of the fruit scent that others have mentioned or that is described on the tin. The flavor was funky as well. I did not detect anything that resembled fruit or any desirable sweetness. It had a medicinal, alomost moth-ball-like quality to it. I took three puffs from my meerschaum and dumped the rest out. My meerschaum has been left with that funk just from having the tobacco in it and taking three puffs. I'm letting it rest before smoking it again right away so it can air out.
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RCUSElder	05/02/2003	Mild to Medium	Strong	Medium	Pleasant
When I opened the tin of this "stuff", it reminded me of the cheap generic cough-syrup my mom would give me back in the late 70's. This blend has to be the most distasteful aromatic I have ever tried. I tried two bowlfuls and I could almost hear my pipe cry out in pain that I subjected it to this, whatever you want to call it.In fact,I should have known better because it made me cross-eyed just smelling it in the tin! This is definitely a blend that does not work for me, I cannot see how anyone could enjoy this stuff. What is worse,this blend left a terrible aftertatse in my mouth that ruined my ability to smoke anything else for the rest of the day. Thank God there are other C& D blends to enjoy.
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Pounder 5000	04/21/2003	Mild	Medium to Strong	Medium	Pleasant
What a trip!!! This is far and away the most interesting smoke that I have experienced so far. I wasn't sure how I would like it based on the description but I'm glad I tried it. I love latakia blends, but I'm not a big fan of aromatics (except for Mephisto!), so I opened this tin with trepidation. I am fond of Bow Legged Bear, so I had to try it especially after seeing the tin. Opening the bag inside the tin didn't really help much either. It smelled like the tobacco was flavored with something a drunk, college chick drank at a frat party and then vomited all over the tobacco. Well maybe I exaggerate a little, but not much. Seriously, the rum punch they describe is in full effect here, and the mingling with latakia is probably not for everyone. I persevered however and got it loaded into a corn cob and put it to the match. Wow! Much better now. This is a very eccentric blend, but far from bad. In fact, I think this would be great for a latakia fix in the summertime heat when I just can't get into them normally. The flavor stays light and never gets to be too much. In fact, in the second third of the bowl, the flavoring simmers way down and the perique starts to assert itself with a little spiciness that keeps things interesting. It seems to me that all C&D blend are made with quality leaf, and whether you like them or not they are always well blended. The flavors move along seemlessly with the latakia always remaining in the back ground with a pleasant smokiness, and the unsweetened cavendish providing a nice full base. The turkish never really came to my attention much, but the way this blend stays so nicely complete, I'm sure it plays its part somewhere. The room note was appreciated by smokers and non-smokers alike. This blend came on the drier side, just the way I like it. I think this would be a good blend to recomend to a beginner or aromatic smoker who wants to try latakia. Just be sure to point out that this is not an English Blend- just one with latakia! All said and done this is certainly not a smoke that I could smoke everyday but will make a nice change of pace now and again.
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Rev. Smoke	08/13/2002	Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable to Strong
I had to run to the kitchen when I opened the tin and smell the kid's Fruity Pebbles for comparison rum punch??? Whatever that is! Call me crazy! It does pack easily, and takes to a match very quickly, burning evenly, dry and smooth. This is one where the room note and the flavor are a bit different. Whispering seductively, the fruit note hints at the sour side, while the perique and Latakia boldly assert their distinctive flavors. It is in the room note where the fruit finds itself very captivating. I found it very interesting that the fruit punch - kind of like a tropical fruity rum drink - is predominant in the room note. Hey, if you enjoy an aromatic blend, but want to venture into the world of Latakia and/or Perique, here is a pleasant diversion. Of course, if you are an English devotee, but also a closet aromatic smoker, give this a try - others will be glad of your change of pace and you will not be disappointed either. 2.5 out of 5 halos.
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Flyersfan_92	08/05/2002	Medium	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant
Upon opening the tin, i find this blend to be moister than most C&D tobaccos, probably from the dressing, but not too moist, the smell is immediately fruity and upon closer sniffage a nice Latakia smell. The tobacco, packe nicely into my bent apple and lit immediatly, after tamping i only had to rilight twice to keep it lit. This is surprisingly good, you can definately taste both flavors the rum punch and the Latakia, and they blend really nicely. If you havent tried it yet do so i think you'll be surprised by how good the combination works highly reccomended.
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Cooksmoke	07/31/2002	Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium	Tolerable
Only from the Tarheel State could a tobacco named Cross-Eyed Cricket, that tastes like Cross-Eyed Cricket come. It is just plain fun tobacco, that happens to be very good tobacco. This is one blend with Turkish that did not declare war on me. A beautiful dark mostly dark ribbon; it stays very moist in the tin for some time. I suspect that is due to the salad dressing applied to it. The flavour is, well is.....just plain different. Fruity, sweet, but not overpowering. After burning for a bit, you start to notice that under the candy store there is some very good tobacco, the Latakias especialy shine I think. Overall this is a tobacco that everyone should try at least once. It is so different as to defy real classification, yet somehow pleasant.
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PuffNStuff	04/24/2002	Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
This has to be one of the top novelty tobaccos of all time. Cross-Eyed Cricket is so unique that most folks will probably either love it or hate it. I had many folks comment on the aroma (all found it to be pleasant), and the fruity, sweet taste was enjoyable, but I'm not sure I'd smoke this very often. I'd definitely call this one an aromatic, although is has an english quality about it too. This is quality tobacco (a little on the dry side), and the burn is what you'd expect from high-quality tobacco. If your adventurous I'd say try this one for the novelty factor, if for no other reason, but as others have stated, you might want to try one of your least used pipes, since the flavor will taint the taste for a few smokes.
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Paul Tatum	01/17/2002	Mild to Medium	Very Strong	Medium	Pleasant
This one is a highly flavored tobacco that is fun to smoke just becasue it is so weird . It's on my top five list of bizarre tobaccos . Be careful as the flavor wil taint a pipe for many smokes afterwards . I'd try it in a cob first if you're just curious , and dedicate a pipe to it if you decide you like it .
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CJ	12/11/2001	Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Tolerable to Strong
General Comment for All C&D Blends. So far, all my samples have burned clean and dry. They contain quality ingredients. If purchased fresh from C&D, I find that I must adjust the moisture content, and let them rest for 3-6 months before sampling. They change flavor dramatically in just a few months. In my first review of this blend, I found it to be too aromatic. I could not taste the tobacco as the rum addition overwhelmed the blend. I have since let the blend rest for a few more months, and let it get almost bone dry. Then I re-moistened it. Most of the "cricket" had evaporated, and now it tastes more like an English blend with a rum addition rather than a bowl full of rum with something in it. If you can get it to this state, it may be of interest to those looking for an English crossover with an aromatic. I would not mind smoking this now and then, but I prefer other crossovers from C&D like Pennington Gap which uses bourbon rather than rum.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
smokey	11/28/2001	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant
this is an interesting tobacco, an aromatic that thinks it's an english blend. it has a pleasant room aroma, without the syrupy sweet taste that so many experienced smokers find objectionable. this would be an ideal tobacco for a smoker whose wife loathes the aroma of heavy latakia blends. might let you bring your pipe back in the house and avoid marital discord! like all the C&D blends i have tried, this one has good packing and burn characteristics. the taste i would describe as a very mild english blend that would be a good cross-over from aromatics. when i first tried cross-eyed cricket, i was very impressed. then i found other blends i liked even better, which prevents me from scoring it higher. don't automatically pass this one by because it doesn't have a 4-star rating. for many smokers, with varied tastes and intolerant wives, this could be a real winner. 3 stars.
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pokrsmokr	03/27/2001	Medium	Strong	Medium	Tolerable to Strong
Let me start off by saying that this is by far my favorite tobacco... err, NAME. I just love the name Cross Eyed cricket; hell i like it even more than Bow-legged Bear. If you promise not to tell anyone, I'll tell ya a secret. Ok, ya promise? Good.....I even considered (ok, very briefly) getting the damn stoned cricket tattooed on my butt. Alas, sanity returned and I am very grateful I didn't do that prior to smoking this crap. Ok, ok,so it's not crap...it is a quality tobacco and I can see how some people could be very into it. I'm just not one of them. Let me say that, due to my being enamored by the name and tin image, I really, REALLY wanted to like this tobacco. Even after giving it several tries I just can't do it. Sure there are some qualities I like. first it has a wonderful burning quality, as do many of C&D blends. It also looks pretty, a dark tobacco with some wonderful shades of tan, brown, black and substantially an odd blue-ish tint. Unfortunately, to me it tastes like that children's shampoo that comes in the Winnie the Poo shaped bottle, er, or at least what I'd imagine that stuff tastes like. Even though I know there is some fine tobacco in this blend, I just can't seem to get past the soapy/shampoo taste. It also seems to leave a bit of a ghost in my pipes. I had to run a few bowls of Old Ironsides through the two pipes I smoked XEC in to excorcise it's demons. My advice is: definitely try this stuff. Really. It is unique (to say the least) plus that tin looks pretty cool (especially when empty -LOL). Hell, you may even like it.
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Sceny	03/26/2001	Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Strong
This is the first aromatic English blend I experienced, and one of only two I've ever tried, GLP Mephisto being the other. If these two are any indication of the type as a whole, I need to look around for other similar blends! As is usual with C&D aromatics, this blend's casing odor is far more intense than its flavor. Opening the tin, I see that the tobacco is packed in a vacuum-sealed clear bag, though the casing odor is clearly present even before this is opened. The tobacco itself is very dry, as usual with C&D, and appears to be a mostly dark-colored blend, with a small amount of lighter brown mixed in. The smell is VERY strong when the bag is cut open. I added a small amount of distilled water to the bag with a sprayer, as I normally do with C&D blends; I prefer a somewhat damper tobacco. After sitting for a few days to equalize, I choose a Savinelli second 1/8 bent bulldog to test the blend in. It packs fairly easily, and lights easily, too. The casing flavor is fairly strong at first, though nowhere NEAR as strong as the odor! Even in the first third of the bowl, however, the taste and odor of Latakia is obviously present, and the rest of the tobaccos in the blend are not overwhelmed either. This is a blend that is very good blown out through the nose. By the second third of the bowl, the flavor of the casing has diminished quite a bit, and the Latakia is the predominant taste. The casing stays present, however, giving bursts of flavor that mix well with the excellent tobacco without overwhelming it. So far, the bowl has burned well, needing roughly the average number of relights. In the last third, the flavors of tobacco continue to mix and interact very well, with the casing finally giving up towards the bottom. Very little moisture is present at the bottom; the little that IS there may be due to my addition of water earlier. Overall, this is an excellent change of pace for those who like light aromatics and English blends, but detest the normal aromatic problems. It leaves a great room odor too! With a high-quality, well-blended tobacco base, I can easily see this becoming one of my regular smokes, especially in mixed company that might not appreciate Dunhill 965-style blends.
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farndog	03/26/2001	Mild to Medium	Very Strong	Medium	Strong
I have tried this tobacco once on purpose, and a second time by accident. This tobacco comes fairly dry -typical C&D fashion, and really doesn't smell too bad in the tin. At this point, Cross-Eyed Cricket has potential to be a decent aromatic tobacco. Packing this tobacco is a little more difficult due to the dry state of the tobacco, but it lights up fine once packed. From there it goes downhill. I am instantly struck by the taste and smell of SOAP. This tobacco has the taste of soap for the entire bowl. It burns down cleanly, but I just cannot get past the flavour of Lifeboy in my pipe.
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bobcat13	03/19/2001	Medium	Strong	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong
This is a crossover blend much like C&D’s Brigadier, combining a flavoring with a Latakia blend. The blend is based on unsweetened Black Cavendish, with Turkish, Latakia, and Perique. Its rum punch flavoring smells nearly as strong as Brigadier’s in the tin, only less fruity--if the topping was applied lightly, I sure wouldn't want to smoke anything that got a full dose of it! The combination of flavors can be jarring, as the rum punch flavoring fights it out with the Latakia. But this blend’s flavoring is more restrained than Brigadier and it has much less punch in terms of nicotine. The room aroma is a notch lighter as well, though there’s still a good bit of Latakia in the aroma. It actually works pretty well as an aromatic English. I would recommend this to someone who likes full flavored aromatics and would like to try a Latakia blend, though I don’t know if hard-core English smokers would care for this.
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