Cornell & Diehl The Beast
(2.76)
Legend has it that Aleister Crowley, famed adept of the Order of the Golden Dawn and founder of the Ordo Templi Orientis, is purported to have made a habit of smoking rum-soaked perique as a meditative aid.
To date, many a dabbler has pursued his own manifestation of this concoction out of sheer curiosity. We have too. And so in the spirit of the nefarious occultist himself, we sought to tame the Beast with our own rendering of the recipe, soaked for seven days in spiced rum, so that we might share our vision of it with the most inquisitive and brave of pipe smokers.
Notes: From Cornell & Diehl website: The Beast features 51% Perique, soaked in spiced rum for seven days and supported by C&D's proprietary Red Virginia Cavendish, unsweetened Black Cavendish, and a whisper of Dark-Fired Kentucky. Given Perique's naturally high nicotine levels, its majority presence makes for quite a robust smoke, yet as a mixture, it's exceedingly complex: The modest addition of Dark-Fired Kentucky lends the blend a subtle, tangy note of mesquite smoke, with the Red Virginia and unsweetened Black Cavendish supporting the Perique's natural flavors of stone fruits and piquant spice.
Details
| Brand | Cornell & Diehl |
| Series | Small Batch |
| Blended By | Jeremy Reeves |
| Manufactured By | Cornell & Diehl |
| Blend Type | Virginia/Perique |
| Contents | Black Cavendish, Kentucky, Perique, Virginia |
| Flavoring | Rum |
| Cut | Mixture |
| Packaging | 2 ounce tin |
| Country | United States |
| Production | Re-release |
Profile
Strength
Medium to Strong
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Strong
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Tolerable
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Full
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
2.76 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 23, 2016 | Medium to Strong | Mild | Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Summary: a rich Perique blend without becoming off-putting, "The Beast" enwraps Perique in a sweet, spicy and smoky background.
The "rum soaked Perique" of Aleister Crowley is unfit for regular smoking, but this blend adapts it with sweet and smoky flavors to create a final taste that blends the different ingredients together like a chord. An initial light gives rise to the rum and Perique, but this quickly fades into the background as the vinegar-sweet Red Virginia Cavendish and molasses-y Black Cavendish meld with the smoky Dark Fired Kentucky Burley, which gives off a woodsy and meaty flavor. The result tastes at first like a barbecue, but then takes on a flavor all of its own in which the Perique becomes more sweet 'n' sour spicy than fruity, and the dark fired absorbs the other blends as dimensions of its own flavor. The result both keeps the power of Crowley's blend -- I smoke straight rum-soaked Perique on occasion and enjoy it, but it is not an everyday lunt -- and gives it the context to shine as a full blend. The result has all of the intensity that Perique can provided without going overboard on Nicotine or allowing the Perique to crowd out other flavors, instead giving us a smoky sweetness with a spicy core that makes the perfect nocturnal smoke.
The "rum soaked Perique" of Aleister Crowley is unfit for regular smoking, but this blend adapts it with sweet and smoky flavors to create a final taste that blends the different ingredients together like a chord. An initial light gives rise to the rum and Perique, but this quickly fades into the background as the vinegar-sweet Red Virginia Cavendish and molasses-y Black Cavendish meld with the smoky Dark Fired Kentucky Burley, which gives off a woodsy and meaty flavor. The result tastes at first like a barbecue, but then takes on a flavor all of its own in which the Perique becomes more sweet 'n' sour spicy than fruity, and the dark fired absorbs the other blends as dimensions of its own flavor. The result both keeps the power of Crowley's blend -- I smoke straight rum-soaked Perique on occasion and enjoy it, but it is not an everyday lunt -- and gives it the context to shine as a full blend. The result has all of the intensity that Perique can provided without going overboard on Nicotine or allowing the Perique to crowd out other flavors, instead giving us a smoky sweetness with a spicy core that makes the perfect nocturnal smoke.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 30, 2016 | Medium to Strong | Medium | Full | Tolerable |
I really love the tin scent of “The Beast” as it reminds me of the fermentation scent of my grandfather’s empty wine barrels. It is quite dark in the tin and needs some dry time. Interestingly, in the tin note and in the pipe, the tobacco changes for me (more than others) in appearance and taste with the longer dry time that I usually prefer. Keeping the tobacco a bit more moist offers up a bit more rum flavor and when dried to my preferred humidity level. I cannot venture to guess the amount of Perique in this blend, but it is the lead player for sure. The addition of the rum adds some additional sweetness that plays well with the Perique. The red Virginia’s are in excellent proportion to the rum and Perique as the two together add really push forward the raisin/plum flavor. The Beast is spicy, but not as spicy as I would have expected given the large amount of Perique in the blend. The spice hit is more “zesty” than sharp. I can only taste the Cavendish in the aftertaste and not in the blend itself, which I think is a credit to the way this has been blended. There are no real surprises with the Kentucky as it adds some earthy, smokiness and seems to be of high quality. On the strength side, I only found this to be medium in nicotine, but I tend to most often enjoy high nicotine blends so if you don’t, you may find it medium to strong. In contrast, the flavor is really full. The Beast makes a great, post steak dinner kind of smoke, but not an “all-dayer” for me. I think overall, unlike "Straight Up English" this is a niche blend. C&D blends generally are not among my favorites, but I have been quite impressed with both small batch offerings from C&D and could easily find blends like the two small batch blends in my daily rotation.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 28, 2023 | Strong | Mild | Medium to Full | Tolerable |
Prep: Surprisingly perfect in moisture. Smells a bit chocolatey.
The Perique is certainly up and front with rich dark stewed fruits. I imagine the red cavendish is accentuating that. The spice of the Perique is there but doesn’t hit me with a load of pepper as I expected. It’s more noticeable in the retrohale. The Kentucky offers a nice base of woody, bbq. It’s only in a condiment amount but it’s evident. The black cavendish smooths it out quite well as this blend, though strong, has little sharp edges. Yes, it’s strong. I can smoke two bowls back to back but I’ll have a headache! Solid work once again by Mr. Reeves. 8.5/10
https://youtu.be/381Ia_2fqpk
The Perique is certainly up and front with rich dark stewed fruits. I imagine the red cavendish is accentuating that. The spice of the Perique is there but doesn’t hit me with a load of pepper as I expected. It’s more noticeable in the retrohale. The Kentucky offers a nice base of woody, bbq. It’s only in a condiment amount but it’s evident. The black cavendish smooths it out quite well as this blend, though strong, has little sharp edges. Yes, it’s strong. I can smoke two bowls back to back but I’ll have a headache! Solid work once again by Mr. Reeves. 8.5/10
https://youtu.be/381Ia_2fqpk
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 08, 2016 | Medium to Strong | Medium | Very Full | Tolerable |
Cornell & Diehl creates magic with Perique. Bayou Morning, Old Joe Krantz, and Chenet's Cake are three of my favorites. When I heard about The Beast I knew it would deliver and it did.
On the initial light I taste fruit: plum, fig, and raisin coming from both the red Virginia and Perique. Almost immediately after this the spice kicks in. There is some intense pepper going on here but I wouldn't call it overwhelming. Whether in the background or foreground the rum is present. It is also spicy with cinnamon and nutmeg. I think the Dominican Cavendish tames the blend and smooths out any rough edges. There is some earthiness and nuttiness surfacing on occasion likely from the red Virginia and Kentucky leaf. Ultimately a very flavorful and BOLD blend!
On the initial light I taste fruit: plum, fig, and raisin coming from both the red Virginia and Perique. Almost immediately after this the spice kicks in. There is some intense pepper going on here but I wouldn't call it overwhelming. Whether in the background or foreground the rum is present. It is also spicy with cinnamon and nutmeg. I think the Dominican Cavendish tames the blend and smooths out any rough edges. There is some earthiness and nuttiness surfacing on occasion likely from the red Virginia and Kentucky leaf. Ultimately a very flavorful and BOLD blend!
Pipe Used:
Cobs, Meerschaum, Briar
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 05, 2023 | Strong | Extremely Mild | Full | Tolerable |
Very smooth and ‘earthy’ is all I can think of how to describe The Beast. Whisper of rum in all my puffs. I get the taste of pepper but not the tingle I’m used to, not any stewed fruit either. I’m unable to detect any dark fired unless it contributes to the earthiness. Its smoothness makes it easy to puff fast but it is a potent smoke for me so I have to be careful. Very enjoyable. The room note for me is a guess, I don't smoke indoors.
Pipe Used:
basket pipes
Age When Smoked:
2 years
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