Cornell & Diehl Bijou

Cornell & Diehl – Bijou

This was the first Cornell & Diehl blend that I have seen at a brick and mortar store here in Toronto. The tobacconist recommended it to me as an alternative to the Dunhill blends that I had been smoking since picking up the pipe. I was excited to learn that we do sometimes get these tobaccos up here in Ontario as I thought I would never get a shot at them (this was before I realized I could order from the United States).

When the tin is opened I can definitely smell the honey topping, but I can also smell the Turkish/Oriental tobacco and it smells very nice and earthy. The cut is a broken flake and the flakes are moist and easy to rub out. One thing I will say is that this seems to dry out incredibly fast if you leave it out for more than an hour.

Lighting up and the honey taste is very much discernable, but the smoke itself is mellow, cool and the Turkish really comes through to start. The Virginia is aged and tastes very earthy and delicious.

All in all I would say that the honey does a good job of making this a sweet smoke without ruining the tobacco taste. This was actually the first tin of tobacco that I finished completely, as I have been sampling many blends and putting them straight into mason jars so that I can take my time with them as I test things out to see what I like best. Only caveat to this blend is as mentioned above it can dry out really quick, and smoking it dry is quite harsh and unpleasant in my estimation. Would recommend this blend to others.

Bijou is a virginia oriental using katerini . Upon opening , the tin note is inviting with a pleasant smell of the katerini very present . The broken flakes are supple and easy to work with . The smoker is greeted by a mild and delicate taste with the katerini as the major player but with nice virginia overtones .As the smoke progresses the Virginias play a larger role though the orientals are still apparent. The added honey makes it smooth and a pleasure to puff on . The only improvement would be an upgrade in the virginia which are eastern Carolina reds . This is a nice offering by C & D and , when smoked slowly , will be a good friend to your pipe .

Taste balancing between mild sweet and interesting sourness. Floral notes. Recurrent salty accents. Subtitle tones of black pepper and aneth at the end of the bowl. I like it very much.

The Katerini was there in the background, but my over whelming first and lasting impression was a grassy sourness. I was looking for the expected sweetness from the Virginias and honey, but it was nowhere to be found. This was the 4th bowl I’ve smoked and my experience has been consistent with my above comments. Additionally, it took several relights to complete the bowel. Maybe aging will bring out more of the hoped for sweetness.

I popped the top to this ready-to-smoke-tobacco with rich dark broken flakes and took a deep draw from the ole' naz. I smelled rich deep fruit like raisins with the promise of a sweet drop of honey hidden somewhere deep. Kind of like that one dress shoe in your closet, you know it's there you just can't see it. Perfect moisture no need to dry it, packed it in my Kaywoodie Flame Grain Squat Bulldog and lit her like a happy little bacca arsonist. Spice. Spice. Spice. Spice. The red Virginia leaf who I suspect may have been even stoved was bullied by the other leafs. Spice, spice, spice and more spice. And, I don't mean like a Perique spice in it's different temperatures, I mean black pepper spice. I mean, I'll slip-this-pepper-in-your-food-cause screw-you-American that's why spice. What is this constant burning and tingling of the tongue? Rich Virginia and the Katerini leaf has a throw down on the carpet and a harsh pepper Bijou blend is born. I suspect there were rug burns and Oriental leaf just stood by and watched the whole thing. I thought Bijou meant "Little gem?" I really think it means, "Spice." I go through several glasses of water and juice when I smoke Bijou. There is nothing "sweet" about this blend. With all that said, it is a quality blend, it's just not for me. It's a bit dry throughout, a bit heavy and harsh at times and top that with...you guessed it, pepper. Did I mention this one is spicy?

Update: Almost finished with this tin. The spice and pepper calmed down and settled into a nice rich smoke with a standard hit of pepper. Decent blend for a one-off, just not for me and not worth purchasing again.

Cornell & Diehl
Bijou

Blend notes: “Choice 2003 vintage, Eastern North Carolina red Virginias crown this jewel. Accented by sweet bright leaf and rounded by small-leafed Katerini, Bijou is married with a hint of honey before being pressed and sliced into delicate flakes. This gem requires no adornment. Just time. Estimated peak: 10-15 years.”

I find these type of blend notes disingenuous. I have a tin of Bijou with the date stamp of late December, 2023, opening it in late March, 2024. This is really 21 year old Red Virginia from Eastern North Carolina? Maybe. Doubtful. Anyone have a bridge over water in Arizona to sell?

There is some dark fruit-esque Virginia up front, but if there is Katerini here it is subsumed or around the edges. I love good Oriental leaf in a blend, but would prefer it to be more than a condiment. The Virginia is not the bready, toasty type, nor is it the bright citrus taste — more of a mild grassy hay. The bit of spice ‘may’ be the Oriental.

If there is a flavor added I can’t taste it. The blend taste a bit like dried dust. A bit of the dark fruit tanginess.

I’d give this 2 out of 4 stars.

I would describe Bijou as a Straight Virginia "Plus". That's how it feels, that's how it smokes. It's exactly the kind of Oriental that I like (Katerini) added to already delightful Virginias. Light, citrussy, sweet, floral, herbal. Perfect summer blend.

Bijou is the blend that I pack in my deepest bowls because you can just enjoy it for a long time without you or your palate getting tired of it. Some complexity to keep you engaged but not too much that it would feel like a sacrilege smoking it while doing other things. 

There's only one thing with it: Smoking it I often find myself "searching" for some Perique. It's hard to describe but somewhere far in the background, my tastebuds seem to be missing something. And I think a small doze of Perique or Kentucky would satisfy that itch.

If you like straight Virginias, you'll definitely find Bijou a very pleasant change and addition. 3.5 stars.

The tobacco is a little high in humidity and this favors crumbling, but it may be better to let it dry a bit. The aroma in its tin seems to show a well-balanced mixture of its components. There is no trace of a flake here, as advertised, but clearly a broken flake.

Once the pipe is lit, the red Virginias are noticeable, with slightly acidic, citric and slightly toasted nuances. There is also a nuance that perhaps comes from a possible stove that makes the whole thing slightly evoke some McClellands, except for the absence of vinegar/ ketchup. The orientals seem to be lightly applied, with just a slight hint of spice and some spiciness. Barely noticeable honey in the flavor. However, tobaccos that have a honey topping tend to get along badly with my body chemistry and my tongue accuses it. There is no bite here, but a pinch is noticeable. I would say that it is a very balanced tobacco where nothing stands out or predominates over the rest.

I have been surprised to see that Cornell & Diehl says of this mixture that its peak maturation is from ten to fifteen years, when the virginias used are from the year 2003. But hey, I understand that it will be so that the tobaccos that make up the mixture are amalgamated or maybe it means I have a lot to learn...

The tin I opened had a production date of "September 15, 2021." I had intention to taste fresh tobacco to determine, should I buy it to store.

The appearance was almost uniform soft-flake with a dark honey color. The fibers are soft, slightly wetter than necessary. But given the manufacturer's description, this is understandable - moisture is necessary for fermentation. To smoke fresh tobacco, it should rest and dry out a bit.

Scent - a rather soft, but dense note of dark honey topping is framed by tones of rye bread, cumin, and coriander. There are hints of anise and woody tones in the background. The overall aroma is very reminiscent of the smell of rye bread from Latvia. It may seem a little heavy to some, but on the whole, very pleasant.

There were a few issues with smoking this tobacco. Initially I found it a little stiff and a little biting. But my first pipe with it was straight bowl, with a short mouthpiece. When I poured about a milliliter of water out of it, it became clear that it is not at all suitable for trying fresh tobacco, and the tobacco itself should be dried a little before smoking. I took this by taking a bent, and drying the tobacco for about half an hour at just above room temperature. Nevertheless, a lot of moisture remained in the tobacco, and the tobacco itself in its fresh form remained harsh a little, although it didn't bite.

The dominant taste of the blend is dense rye bread with a spice of cumin, coriander and a thin layer of buckwheat honey, to which a slice of baked pear and a drop of sweet mustard were added. There are also traces of bitter-woody tones and a little bit of hay, but these are barely discernible under the honey topping, and come through about halfway through the pipe. The sweetness in the tobacco is not much, but it is there. As you smoke, the sweetness increases slightly and the tobacco itself becomes softer. The roughness almost disappears by the last third of the pipe. The blend smokes slowly, medium-hot, has a slightly below average strength, the likelihood of nicotine hit is low. The aftertaste is subtle, honey-mustard, a little bitter. The ash is dusty, light gray, with a subtle yellowish tinge.

The smoke smells reminiscent of spices, sandalwood and frankincense, but is much lighter in consistency, easily dispersed.

Bottom line: if you want to invest in a good tobacco, which, after sitting on the shelf for five years (at least) will gain in the taste of sweetness and spice, slightly add strength, slightly losing the brightness in the smell and smoothed the honey aroma and taste - this is your chance. When fresh, it doesn't hit the receptors either, but it's clearly not perfect in its class, and the tobacco's own flavor is reliably hidden under a layer of topping. It's an investment, not a momentary treat.