Cornell & Diehl - 101: Morley's Best pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Showing reviews 1 through 20 of 46 reviews of this tobacco NEXT >
SmokeKing David	11/12/2012	Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong
It seems that C&D are known for their burley blends, and American-style English blends in particular. This seems more bitter than the others they make. I prefer Old College, Consolation, and Big 'n' Burley because they are less bitter to me. Govern Yourself Accordingly!
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William H. Hardy	10/01/2012	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.
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Kokinhenik	09/27/2012	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable
Bulk Blend Smack Down: This is a fantastic bulk buy! What stands out about this is the bang for the buck! The price point is a steal! For roughly 2.10/oz your getting a smoke that rivals many 4.00+/oz tins. Yum! Good stuff! This has the best toasty flavor. Nice Nic hit by the end of the bowl. The lat. is there but really faint. A little strong mid bowl but still good mix of parts. All that burley can get a little bit bity mid to late bowl.
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Struggling.Thinker	11/09/2011	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong
I am a fan of Bob Runowski's blends, especially OJK and Epiphany. I wanted to pick this one up, assuming that it would simply taste like Epiphany without the Perique. This assumption was incorrect. Although MB is tasty in it's own way, it seems to me to have a bit MORE 'edge' than Epiphany. It's smokier and heavier on my palate. I never really picked up on the fruitiness in Epiphany until I compared the tin note of these two blends. I would wager that you would not win any friends with the room note of this one, although I smoke outside anyway. All in all, this blend of primarily burleys with a reasonable dose of latakia (and some Virginia) is unique ---- I don't really know of other blends from other companies with these same tobaccos. In the world of Runowski burley blends, it is a somewhat smokier, slightly heavier alternative for Epiphany fans. Nicotine is squarely in the medium range. Recommended.
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whitebriar	09/11/2011	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable
MB is a good, moderately strong, full bodied smoke--i like Cyprian Latakia which is a fuller tasting tobacco than the Syrian to me-- but first and foremost MB is a good burley blend with the lat and virginia acting only as condiment- it packs and lights well, burns cleanly and requires little or no attention, allowing concentration on enjoyment rather than maintaining the pipe--only needed one relight towards the end of the bowl; likely due to my not paying really close attention-- it has for several days now become my last smoke of the day--an enjoyable experience-- edit 4-29-12 upping to 4 stars--although really good during my first experiences, it seems to have advanced to a 'superb' status-- i usually have some sort of adverse oral reaction to Latakia in just about any blend, but with Morley's Best i seem to notice very little to no oral irritation; a welcome change, because this is one highly enjoyable blend-- ---------------------------------- Rest in peace Morleysson
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boogieman	06/14/2011	Very Strong	Strong	Overwhelming	Overwhelming
Oh my... not what I was expecting. To me it was pretty harsh, and burned my nose like the dickens if blown out through it. Worse part is, I tried it at 4:00 pm and it's now 7:44 am and my mouth tastes horrible. I ate food, brushed teeth, drank strong juice, espresso... to no avail! I don't want to scare anyone off but I think after trying it once more I will not be smoking this. I have a tin of latakia and I like adding that with some other tobacco, or occasionally putting some on top of other blends in the pipe. I don't think it's that turning me away. To me it just tastes sour, spicy and harsh. Also, if this makes sense, it's almost how cigarettes smell. I don't like that smell, having never smoked cigarettes, I can't comment on the similarities in taste, but the smell is very similar. My wife was very upset when she smelled me smoking this one!
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7formy1911	04/28/2011	Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
Mr. Morley and I got off on the wrong foot. I thought he was a bitter old man without any redeeming qualities and had almost written him off. I'm glad I didn't. The first bowl of this blend puckered my mouth with bitterness and seemed to be so unbalanced that I had no idea how anyone could find anything good with this blend. Towards the end of the smoke I tasted a few flashes of latakia spice along with a wonderful earthy nuttiness. Hmmm... There might be something worthwhile here. I let the sample air out just a bit and the next bowl had a subdued bitterness that was more in line with the taste of burley than mouth puckering tannins that I first tasted. There was a nuttiness without sweetness that seemed more balanced by the earthiness of the virginias. The real showcase was a spice brought by the latakia which included a meaty smokiness as well. It wasn't quite the sweet spice you get from Orientals but it is comparable. The nicotine from the blend is squarely in the medium range and will certainly satisfy without making you feel light headed. Over time this blend has been smoothing out and has a wonderful, interesting taste without being overpowering. I heartily recommend giving this blend 3 to 6 month to let the leaves get to know each other. If you try it young you'll be disappointed but if you're patient you'll be definitely rewarded. I recommend this for burley smokers without reservation. If you like English blends with sweetness to them then you'll be disappointed by the slightly bitter burley components. If you smoke mainly Virginias you may find this blend simply overpowering but I still recommend giving it a shot. I will be buying more of this blend and it has most definitely impressed me. Bob Runowski... you've done good once again. Just as a note Morley's best is the only blend that I've smoked that I feel really showcases what burley and latakia can aspire to be as a pairing. Very complimentary to each other and quite an interesting blend that is never boring. It also lights well, keeps lit with a lighter hand at packing. It also seems to bear some family resemblence to Junkyard Dawg and Old college. If you prefer a little more sweetness then I would direct you to those two blends first.
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babysinister	11/27/2010	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.
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Michael	04/02/2010	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable
Morley's Best delivers a solid punch from the get-go, but I would agree with "Pipestud" that the burleys are simply overpowering and fairly bitter. If you inhale your pipe tobacco, you'll probably dig this mixture; it reminds me of strong cigarettes and smells as such. From my perspective, I would prefer more pop from the Virginias and a dash more Latakia. Heck, I would also spice it with some Orientals . . . Wait a minute. It's annoying when other people judge a blend for what it's not, and now I'm doing it. The truth is, I wanted a straightforward American English, but I apparently overlooked the "combination of three burleys" language on the tin. I hate it when that happens. If you like 'em big 'n burley, then add two stars.
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DK	01/29/2010	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.
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karnevil9	01/03/2010	Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
Morley's Best has become one of my best. Love this. 5 stars!!!!!!!! Try it you wont be disappointed.
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strongirish	09/10/2009	Medium	None detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I like Bob R and I tend to like blends he's been involved in creating so I had to try this blend. I also like C and D blends. This blend has a nice tart and spicy pouch aroma and just looks good in the pouch, composed of multi colored tobaccos running from light khaki in color throught the brown spectrum up to a dark leaf which is the latakia. It comes just the right moisture content for me as do most C and D blends and it loaded very easily into my pipe. This blend contains a lot of burley and I love C and D burley, I think Craig is an artist making burleys. Upon lighting, it gave off that burley arom which I like a lot and the VA in it rises up quickly with it's sweet and tart flavor. The latakia is just a spice in this blend and I like it like that. The smokiness of this wafts in and out in a nice way but in no way dominates this blend. The VA used is a little hot and spicy, moreso than a lot of VA's I have smoked of late and I would have liked that tamed down a touch. But it was very smooth with no bite and overall the pipe full was very pleasing. I did have to however relight often, which I find irritating. This lowered it a notch in my opinion as it would be a great all day blend if not for that. It did burn dry and all the way down to a fine grey ash with no dottle. Over all, this is a very good blend but no one over the top. I could live on it but sometimes I just want a little more. A different VA and this blend could be great.
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Introibo	03/03/2009	Mild	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
This is the first C and D blend that I have tasted. Don't know why, but just never got around to ordering any before. I think it was that they have so many blends, it was hard to know where to start. I started with Morley's Best. Aptly called "101", as in "Pipe smoking 101" or "blends 101". What a great piece of blending work it is. I would call it an American blend. Mild, biteless, never bitter or harsh, but with flavour aplenty. The burleys are very prominent at the beginning, and the Latakia is transformed by them and the Virginias. I don't know what else is in there, but there is something that gives it a little extra taste. It could be the different burleys in combination. The taste never lets up, and it smokes just right all the way down. No essence of ashtray as one passes the half-way mark. It has been said that this blend is similar to Blue Boar, another resident in the cemetary of blends of yore. I never smoked Blue Boar, and to be honest don't really regret that on account of having this one. This is a must for burley lovers who want a little more, and for English and Balkan smokers who don't want to smoke aromatics but would like something that does not taste quite so oriental. C&D are doing all of us a great service in putting blends like this together. Long may they continue to do so.
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john doe	11/18/2008	Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant
This mostly burley tobacco has a hint of latakia. Goes good in a cob, but burns too fast for my taste. Burley is so much better in a flake, so it smolders and lingers. Won't buy this again.
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aadelma	12/08/2007	Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
C&D seems to search the world over to find the greenest tobaccos available. This insures a harsh smoke unless the tobacco is aged at least a few months. I believe this accounts for some of the bad reviews of this blend. Were this a bargain tobacco, it would be excusable, but at this price point, it is not, so I take a full star off my rating for that. A real pity, too, because once you age it a bit, this is a first rate burley blend. It starts out fairly mild and steadily becomes more full. It has that nice old-fashioned burley flavor and aroma with VA for sweetness and latakia for fullness. The Latakia never overwhelms and my girlfriend actually likes the aroma. The more I smoke it, the more I crave it. This review is for the bulk (not tinned) version of Morely's Best.
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DoctorThoss	05/19/2007	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
This is a pretty good blend, perfectly balanced and possessed of great burning characteristics (it's almost as easy to keep lit as Carter Hall or Prince Albert). I don't feel I can add much to the numerous reviews already posted, other than to say that it seems to taste much better in a cob than in a briar and it should probably be aged a few months before smoking. There was a brief time when I thought this was my holy grail. I have a deep and abiding love of American-Englsh blends that goes back to when I first picked up a pipe. The flavor is top-notch: you obviously taste a lot of burley, but there is also a significant amount of latakia. The VAs are used sparingly here, which means this is a fairly "bitter" smoke (think of black coffee). Most mixtures of this type use some type of casing or topping to introduce some sweetness to the mix, but Morley's Best eschews all that and instead embraces an "all natural" approach. The first few batches were notable for how east they were on the tongue, but subsequent ones have given me serious tongue bite. I wonder if a different crop of burlies or VAs is to blame here. I initially had this ranked at four stars, but the bottom line is that this blend is well-night unsmokable to me now. I do, however recommend it if you have any interest whatsoever in exploring what can be done with burley. Tongue bite is often due to personal chemistry, and you may have better luck!
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dualkarnain	04/03/2007	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
This is one good tasting batch of bulk Morley's. The proportions of Latakia are perfect for a flavorful afternoon smoke and the burley blasts it out nicely. UPGRADE! Time only improves this blend. 4 stars. Images evoked include winning a dice game played with shrunken heads in front of a native hut.
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Moe	04/01/2007	Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium	Tolerable
Ive probably only smoked an ounce of this, maybe a little less. And I dont usually review a tobacco unless Ive given it more of a chance.However I think I can safely say, I wont be buying this again. My biggest problem with it is. Though there is no mention of cavendish in this blend. It has a flavor/mouth feel that is very similar to blends that have alot of cavendish in them. For me this is a big negative. It may not have any. Perhaps the mix of bright virginias, and the added flavorings, give it a gloopy cavendish flavor that always sends me away from a blend.
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SopwithCamel	11/21/2006	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I'm very glad to find an "American" style blend made with such craftsmanship. I love burley, and am fascinated with the older American style blends. I'm too young to have tried these blends in their older incarnations, but I suspect the quality used to be better. Morley's Best shows this style of blend can be very fine indeed.
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Pipestud	11/04/2006	Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable
Morley's Best contains hot, harsh Burley that is combined with a healthy dose of Latakia and a smidgen of Virginia leaf. The Burley gets extremely bitter starting at mid-bowl and the Virginia appears to be low grade, "filler type." The Latakia may be B-grade as well. This blend does burn well and that could be the problem. I think Morley's Best may taste best when unlit. C&D has many truly fine blends on the market. This ain't one of 'em. IMO, of course.
Showing reviews 1 through 20 of 46 reviews of this tobacco NEXT >