Cornell & Diehl Billy Budd Blonde

Another of my forays into the realm of burley-based tobacco, smoked several pipefuls and I find this an interesting blend with an array of flavor.

A much younger sister or maybe cousin to the original and latakia laced Billy Budd, I was attracted to this blend due to my fondness for cigars, in fact, I’ve smoked this several times in replacement to my usual Friday/Saturday evening cigar.

The flavors are more like ripples, they seem to come and go, not sustained…like a good cigar, alternating in an interesting and not unpleasant way. At times, you’ll get the grassiness of the virginias, the fruitiness of the perique, nuttiness of the burley, and yes, threads of cigar notes…ah yes, the reason we’re here.

More like a friendly competition in flavors working in harmony, it’s hard to say there’s anything that stands out or overwhelms in a negative sense. Really, this is like a parfait of taste, again, not at all unpleasant.

From flame to ash, there was nothing I found detracting and this was truly pleasant to the bottom. Billy Budd Blonde won’t replace my routine cigar, but it does bring a nice bit of variety, and like a good cigar, offers a welcome prism of flavor.

Smoke this if: You like cigar-leaf blends, perique, big blooms of smoke, and a headiness of flavor.

Cigar leaf based? That’s what I thought, Billy Budd minus the Latakia; but it wasn’t until I found “the right pipe” for Billy Budd Blonde that I could certainly detect the cigar leaf. For my first several smokes BBB was a spicy VA/Per with plenty of fragrant, bitter white Burley, and I might not have thought about cigar leaf had I not been alerted to it ahead of smoking it. This review is based on smoking BBB in “the right pipe”. In case anyone cares, my preferred pipe for BBB is a very old Danish with rock hard, bone dry briar and a tall, conical bowl.

My sample is from bulk. Since I “discovered” the cigar leaf I can also smell it in the bag now, too, yielding up a lot of the spices. It melds with grassy, spicy, flue cured VA, savory, spicy Perique, and floral, sharp, wood resin-y, bitter white Burley. Short ribbons and small chunks are easy to handle, load, light and it smokes down with ease. There is plenty of smoke, with a terrific fragrance, like the world’s best smelling wood burning at a safe distance. This is a very spicy blend that many will want to keep throttled back in terms of cadence. All the varietals are spicy, and mostly from mid-band, up, with a subtle, lower “foundation” from the cigar leaf, which comes across rather like DFK, except more peppery/cigar spices. The lot is sweet, sour, bitter, very spicy, and savory. Strength is medium to strong, with the nicotine keeping pace. Tastes get toward full the way I smoke it. Room note is OK. Aftertaste is a slow trailing off of the best of the smoke, only sweeter.

It took a while, but in the end Billy Budd Blonde turned out even better than I’d hoped. I’d wound up down rating original Billy Budd because bad tasting additives to the Latakia rose up over time. Although BBB is not just the original minus the Latakia, in any case it wound up getting better instead of worse for me. IMO, this blend is best suited to veteran pipers. 4 stars.

Update, 04-29-22: Just smoked some BBB after lunch today. I noticed something I did not mention in my initial review concerning the pipe I use for BBB, and I decided to mention now that this pipe wicks heat like a nuclear cooling tower. This pipe gets hotter than Hades when I smoke BBB, and the tobacco stays cool, as I puff away. This absolutely gives me the option to pull harder for stronger tastes, and I seem to exercise that option. I actually like this blend better now than I did when I reviewed it.

There is too much going on here. This tobacco seems to evolve against two different levels or parallel lines that go hand in hand with each other. On the one hand you have the sort of mellow, creamy and nutty dimension coming from its burley side. On the other one, the sweet, spicy and citrusy profile that is added by the bright Virginia flake it contains. And the marrying of these two different fronts is seamless, that is, without fault, immaculate and flawless. The combination of flakes and rough cut means this is a very slow burning tobacco that will smoke quite cool in your bowl. I detect some sort of Oriental leaf in the tin note. The smoking experience is quite complex, evolving into different levels as you progress through every quarter of your bowl. Also, I am finding it very consistent right from the start down to the bottom. Quite remarkable. It has depth, consistency and a level of complexity. 4 Stars.

If you love VaPers and Virginia/Burley blends you'll find this to be right in your wheelhouse. The pinch of cigar leaf combines beautifully with the base ingredients to give the blend an oriental character, which I find delightful. This should appeal to fans of GLP's Temple Bar. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if GLP created this blend.

The tin description notwithstanding, SmokingPipes.com says that there is black Cavendish in the mix; but I can't detect it -- either visually or in the taste (except that there is a modicum of sweetness.)

No packing, lighting, or burning issues; and it produces dense, luxurious clouds of smoke.

This one pulls off something quite interesting.. An extremely delicate smoke especially coming from C & D.. but it also does maintain something of the rustic charm or edge that the blending house is known for.. They have many tobaccos, but not all of them walk this line.. The balance between bright virginia, white burley and perique is just perfect in my opinion.. the cigar leaf just seems to add texture and subtle flavor and maybe some strength.. It's sweet and slightly dry and bitter and spicy.. I agree with the flavor assessments of the other reviewers.. If you are expecting more of a powerhouse you may be disappointed. On the other hand, if you like kind of more subtle light tasting mixtures that still have a little nicotine kick, this one is a must try.. I really like it.. another great cigar blend.. that also smells quite nice during the smoke.. just maybe not to bystanders.

Interesting...Both in the pouch aroma and while smoking it...I got this big VA/Turkish vibe. But there’s just the Burley, Cigar Leaf, Perique & Virginia. The Perique & Cigar Leaf combo must be fooling me into thinking ‘Turkish”. Shows you I would never make it as a ‘taster’. Certainly well blended though. Seemed very well mannered. Honestly, it was just what I hoped it would be. Very pleased indeed.

Interesting...about five years ago I tried some of the original Billy Budd. Gag me with a stick! I found it intense, hot, harsh and reeking of Latakia. I couldn’t finish a second bowl...like a hot dancing Gypsy just wantin’ to steal yer watch. But the Blonde...take out the Latakia and sub in Perique...Bazinga! Like a quiet, tasty, eager to please girl next door. Soooo much better.

I’ve been shying away from Latakia blends lately. I’ve smoked Billy Budd back when it still had Syrian Latakia in it. I liked it but the tin note was almost overwhelming.

I can’t say that this reminds me of the original Billy Budd at all. My batch isn’t aged at all so I can’t taste much sweetness but for me that’s a good thing. Bready, grassy notes, a little spiciness from the perique and I’m guessing from the burley as well. I don’t smoke cigars so I can’t comment on the taste as I don’t know what to look for but I know it’s not a good blend to smoke when I’m around my wife as she definitely doesn’t like how I smell afterwards.

It’s tastey, smooth, smokes cool and surprisingly fast (though I tend to smoke everything fast as I’m an impatient puffer).

Despite l the name, I don’t think it really compares to the original Billy Budd.

For me, it’s a winner and something I’ll likely reorder in the future.

The Virginias flake in here remind of Dan Tabacco’s Patriot flake. But unlike Patriot Flake this has a good bit more strength and so I find it more satisfying to smoke.

Package note of pungent stink, mild cocoa and vegetation. Tobacco is a mix of broken flake and ribbon cut of orangish brown, tan and a little darker brown. Moisture content is great. No drying/prep needed. Burns moderate with few relights. The strength is medium to strong and nic is medium. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium and mostly consistent, with notes of peaty fermented vegetation, dry sour, spiced raisins, bitter dark cocoa, slightly acidic, spicy cigar, tart and tangy dark fruit, floral, herbal grass, a savory nutty citrus background note, and a very peppery retro. Burley is leading with Cigar, Perique and Virginia supporting. Room note is tolerable, and aftertaste is good.

Beautiful tobacco! Light brown ribbons and thicker grey-brown broken flake. The pouch aroma is light and sweet, almost unnoticeable. On lighting, it gives a nice, full, smooth cigar-like flavor that coats the mouth. Very pleasant! And very different from the original Billy Budd. This one is lighter, sweeter, fruity, and yet, still full of flavor. At mid-bowl, there is that buttery, creamy aroma that I love so much in tobaccos like these. (I'm not sure which varietal gives off this delicious nuance.) A reviewer mentioned it tastes like a Va-Bur with cigar notes weaving in and out. Spot on! I like this in a smallish pipe, because of its strength. Very smooth, dry and cool smoke!