Cornell & Diehl Bijou

A recent purchase a few days ago. This is one of the cellar series that recommends 10-15 years of aging. The tin is dated 12/15/18 which gives it a year already but sorry time is a luxury I can ill afford to spare and I popped this tin as soon as I bought it. This blend is a nice medium dark flake but not flake squares like chewing gum more like ragged flakes. It is also slightly moist, after reading about a mold issue this blend had some years ago, around 2016 and 2017 I am wondering if this would even be a good candidate to age? Who wants to wait 10-15 years and find you have a living mold creature in your tin? I looked mine over and all was well. I always wondered what would happen if you accidently smoked some moldy leaf. Would it just taste bad? It seems the mold would burn up with the tobacco, not sure I even really want to know. I crumbled some up into about ¼ inch pieces and loaded my pipe. Upon lighting up, the first few puffs have a nice sweet taste to it, a little further down I get some slight spiciness and toward the end a little bland but nothing to complain about. This has 2003-year-old leaf and Katerini tobacco from the Katerini region of Greece and is a small leaf used for flavoring. All in all, not a bad blend, that I am rating 3 stars but with the issues in the past not sure if it is one to invest buying multiple tins for aging. It is a crap shoot, I guess.

I've decided to review to cellar series blends from C&D upon purchase (or thereabout) and after the recommended amount of aging to see the changes. I intend to update the review after that period of time has elapsed.

Now:

The smell is sweet, and kind of like toast.

The taste is slightly spicy. It's like a milder balkan flavor. The honey is nice when it's there. There was significant sweetness in the middle of the bowl.

This was kind of a toss-up between 2 and 3 stars; I'd have felt more comfortable with a 2.5.

Aged:

Stay tuned.

Sadly.. At least as I understand it.. we are slowly losing most distinct oriental varietals.. We now see a couple.. mostly izmir and Katerini.. maybe occasionally basma.. but the big cigarette companies are really the only thing keeping it going.. and it is mostly all blended together.. So I do get a big kick out of cornell and diehl and in the past the now deceased Mcclelland.. Companies that went beyond to find leaf.. and I particularly like this Bijou blend.. it showcases the noted curry like varietal.. but also a particularly striking red virginia.. and I sense some manipulation.. possibly stoving... really nice aged tasting smoke... mine is only 2 years qged.. but tastes very mature..spicy and full.. tangy yet deep.. and sour but sweet.. quite tasty.. not to mention that lovely honey accent that ties it all together.

Bravo Cornell & Diehl! I have had wild ride with my taste in pipe tobacco and I am sure it will continue. Why pipe smoking isn't like my food journey ( I can eat the same thing and there have been almost zero variance in taste over my lifetime...other than whiskey). I have been a lat bomb guy to a straight VA guy and back again. I do enjoy an occasional aromatic, but that has not changed much, never were my favorite and almost turned me off to the pipe for good. I have been trying to find replacement for McClelland Orientals (yes Orientals as well as VA's). This is is one that meets the grade. L.J. Peretti has done a nice job here as well. I find good Orientals, to my taste, are difficult to define in a review but I will give it a shot. I prefer Oriental's that lead with a flavor that I can best define as British Breakfast tea with milk and sugar. The Virginia's are slightly sweet and bready, the grassier notes mixing with the "spice" of the Turkish/Oriental. The sour, often attributed with Turkish/Orientals, either way in the background or that work with the other tobacco's well enough to not come with a bite. Bijou does this all and then some. There are times that the toasted bread from the VA's take an edge over the creaminess. I am not sure if tea is a spice but this is the type of spice the Katerini brings to the blend. Subtle, complex and just delicious. If you are looking for something with in your face flavor, this probably isn't it. But if you like the nuances and complex, subtle flavors that Orientals/Turkish this is probably in the top 3 Oriental blends still in production (I would also recommend Peretti Oriental #40). This will be even better with age as all VA's and Orientals are.

Mostly I agree with "Gentleman Zombie": "To me, this blend boils down to sweet vs sour. A little more specifically, sweet and fruity vs. sour and woody. The balance struck is just slightly to the sweet side."

But I found the balance struck is slight to the sour and woody side rather than the sweet side.

It is sour, woody, earthy, a little bit sweet, a little bit tangy and grassy, barely fruity or citrus. And I never found the honey topping from some reviewers perhaps because the tin aged in the mason jar nearly for one year.

Very sharp and crisp blend with a little bit rough edge even though there is no bite. A little bit too sour for me; its sweetness is not come from the natural Virginias but from somethings like artificial even though I know all are natural.

So this blend neither emphasis on dark side nor sweet/fruity side. It is unique, if not weird. I don't hate it, but I can‘t say I like it. I just don't know what the point is? "Choice 2003 vintage, Eastern North Carolina red Virginias crown this jewel"? That makes it better? NO. That is not building Bijou deeper or more complex.

If you wanna better things in this category, you must try McClelland: Ashton Revival: Pebblecut

Two and a half stars.

Smoking now:

Tin note is woody vegetative tangy fruit. Broken flakes that pack just fine.

Grassy and beady Virginias with some slight hay and fermentation. Sour woody vegetative orientals are a nice compliment and are very much present. The honey is hardly noticeable but it does have a fair amount of sweetness to it.

Vegetative, earthy, woody, hay, grassy tart. It’s nice. The retrohale is surprisingly sweet and easy. The nic hit snuck up on me and it was noticeable at the half way point of the bowl however that’s when the flavors really took off.

Smoking it fresh and it’s a 3.5 star blend but I suspect letting it sit in a jar for some time will really make this blend special as it was intended to be cellared. The Virginia, orientals, and honey is a great combo and I do enjoy it. Going to get another tin and forget about it. Can’t wait to check back in a few years.

If you like Sun Bear this is very similar and always around.

The first thing I notice is the honey then the Red Virginias,fruity and bready with a wisp of vinegar . Then the Katerini kicks in with peppery spice . I then taste the reds,honey and pepper the rest of the bowl all together. There are some herbal and floral notes as well and tea . I don’t know what to compare it to really. It will be good to have around when in the mood for something different. The bottom of the bowl is best . If you don’t like spicy blends then forget about it . I like it 3 1/2 stars .

I've long anticipated grabbing a tin of Bijou due to the reviews and positive remarks it has received since its conception. And I can say that it has lived up to its hype. The Virginas and Orientals are incredibly balanced with a sweet/sour relationship. The natural citrusy and dark fruity notes stay steady with the spicy, sourness from the Orientals.

The honey topping is evident but by no means substantial. I would even say that this blend would be just find without the honey topping, however, it is a welcome addition. The tin I'm smoking is only a few months old. If the purpose is to cellar this blend for further development, it will be a prize worth possessing when aged. I bought a total of 5 tins. Ill certainly be adding more my cellar and for current use. 8/10

Bijou was not a blend I wanted to try for a while due to the issue Cornell & diehl had with the mold outbreak. 3 years after its introduction, I believe its finally time.

My tin is date from April of this year. The tin aroma is absolutely fantastic. One of the best I've smelled in a while. It has a faint tartness from the virginia but mainly a sweet chocolate aroma almost like brownies. Moisture if perfect straight out of the tin.

If anything I've ever had smoked had multiple personalities, Bijou is it. In a cob the Virginia's are tart, bright, sweet, and have a good amount of body throughout the bowl. The katerini is pretty hard to pick out but I do get hints of a very slight musty flavor. The honey adds sweetness to the blend but it accents the katerini more then the Virginia's imo. It burns cool and clean all the way down the bowl.

In my peterson 11s, Bijou.is totally different. It's almost one dimensional all the way down but it pops with a tartness from time to time from the Va. The brownie tin note essentially is the flavor profile. A dark sweetness with a good amount of body and if I puff it very lightly I get a flavor of honey toast. Burns cool and clean all the way down the bowl.

Bijou is excellent. I never though a va/oriental blend could honestly be this good.

If I had compare this to anything, in a cob it would be Mcclelland Matured Virginia #25 and in my peterson it would be the sutliff version of SPC Mississippi River.

Highly recommend it. Would definitely buy more