Cornell & Diehl Sun Bear

Tin note: cinnamon and clove. Fermented prune. Very sweet and fruity. Gorgeous semi- broken flake. Golden toasted almond brown with deep walnut and mahogany hues; very attractive. Came a bit wet but not bad… definitely not on the level of say a Samuel Gawith tin. Took a little coaxing to get lit. Stays lit well. First light: a little flash of harshness giving way to a very full smoky mouth feel. The honey hits with intensity: sweet, rich and somewhat dark. Red Virginia shows its maturity and rounded smoothness. Brights are crisp and go well with the sophisticated bouquet of the delicate accent leaves. The orientals lend Mediterranean flavor and aroma: sweet, floral; exotic and pungent. The warm spiciness is unique. It coats the tongue and is dry in the mouth. It doesn't sting say on a retrohale the way perique does. It is more of a subtle tingle on the middle of the palette and the tongue when the ember hits a pocket of Basma/Izmir. I wouldn't smoke this all day. It's more of a delicacy blend. It is so very rich and complex. It takes focus and intention to really enjoy. It's a contrast to a Orlik or PS Luxury Flake or Squadron Leader. I could pack bowl after bowl of these while enjoying a late afternoon in the sun with friends. Sun Bear asks to be experienced in solitude with few thoughts. It should be savored and consumed with meditative consciousness. It's perfect and lamentable in its rarity. The rareness of the aged oriental leaves. The rarity of the limited production. The singularity of its profile. There is no other blend to compare it. It stands quite alone. It is a beautiful blend. It is one I will enjoy slowly over many years. I'm certain it will continue to elevate itself unimaginably the older it becomes.

Had a pipe meetup on Sunday and a feller brought an open tin hes had for a few days. I fired up a bowl in a trusty cob used only for virginias. This is a crossover aromatic and has a really unique casing you aren’t likely to find on another blend .

This is a solid blend, but not amazing in my opinion. The smell out of the tin very nice. Literally makes me want to chew the tobacco. It's light, slightly floral, sweet, smooth and satisfying. The honey is in the forefront which is wonderful in its own right while the tequila is a subtle, supporting player that you can only pick up if you focus on it, but it is definitely there. The red and bright Virginia's are the major players in this blend while the Basma leaf and Izmir Orientals are an excellent inclusion that gives the blend a little something extra. They are more subtle than the Virginias. It's definitely a unique blend that I cannot compare to anything else because nothing else comes to mind given the honey additive. The very first smoke I would have rated around a 6.5-7 out of 10, because I puffed a bit quickly. The next 5 bowls I slowed down, was mindful of my cadence and focused a little more and now I would rate it at 8-8.5/10. Great blend that gives a little variety to my rotation since I'm primarily a straight Virginia smoker. Definitely worth a try if you can snag a tin. Well done Jeremy Reeves and C&D. This is a good addition to the market.

I know a lot of people believe the whole “Small Batch” thing is all marketing, maybe it is, but that sure doesn’t mean the “specially branded blend” isn’t going to be fantastic. This is in my top five blends offered by C&D, maybe top three. There is just something about this concoction that I love. I prefer Virginia’s but I also enjoy an aromatic from time to time. This definitely isn’t an aromatic and at the risk of sounding like Captain Obvious it’s a great Virginia blend that’s cased with sweet and tangy flavors, it’s almost the best of both worlds in my humble opinion.

The Virginia’s in this blend are great. You get the dark fruit, tangy, bready flavors you’d expect from a good quality Virginia which sets the tone for things. The honey and tequila toppings aren’t in any way overpowering the Virginia’s and Orientals but add just enough extra flavor to bring more attention to the latter. The blend started off sweet but evened out halfway down the bowl. The flavors here really blend well together.

To me this has a medium flavor profile with a slightly less nic hit, it won’t bite. I let the tin sit for five minutes once opened but there wasn’t a need for much drying time. Rubs out and packs very easily and burns cool and clean to the end. While I picked up plenty to cellar I hope C&D decides to release this one again. Such a wonderful summertime smoke, sit and sip it with a cold beverage and enjoy.

Cant say enough about this one. Its that good.. I've already smoked 2 tins and im getting nervous about my stores! My favorite blend atm. The Tequila and Honey, and elderflower play well with each other!

The toppings have the edge over the tobaccos, but the Red VA is easily distinguishable, and the other VA and Orientals provide a pleasant background. The tequila seems to be mostly (but not entirely) reduced to a 'boozy' note, but the honey and elderflower are present. Overall, the topping are just strong enough to prevent it for being an 'all day' tobacco for me, but it is a lovely summer change of pace.

Cracking the tin, I smelled, first of all, a dense aroma of floral honey and elderberry. The bread and grassy flavor of Virginia held in the background, and the spice and incense were a faint additional note. The tequila that the manufacturer mentioned in the description was barely detectable.

The color of the tobacco was rye and wheat bread, almost uniform. The consistency was a loose, broken flake that kneaded easily. I stuffed a medium-sized Billiard with it and had no trouble smoking it.

The tobacco is initially smoked easily, cool, by the middle of the pipe becomes a little hotter, but does not lose comfort, the pipe is easy to hold with your hand. The strength is slightly below average. Smokes smoothly, nicotine hit the smoker is definitely not a threat.

The tobacco flavor was to be expected - like bread spread with honey. A subtle spicy oriental note runs through it, slightly salty, as if you put a little white pepper in your mouth. A slight viscosity in the flavor, as from an unripe fruit, increases as you smoke, but does not become obtrusive. Towards the end of the pipe the viscosity disappears, there is only sweet tobacco. There is no moisture in the pipe.

The smoke is sweet, not heavy, with the smell of the same honey and elderberry. Hangs in the room long enough, but not annoying.

A strange mixture. For my taste, it is unaccustomed and perhaps a little heavy on tongue, but I can't call it 'aromatic' (though, it is!). . I'll keep another tin in my collection and come back to it in four-five years - let's see how the tobacco changes.

Cornell and Diehl Sun Bear - Jeremy Reeves hit a grand slam with this blend IMO . Tangy toasty Reds and Sweet bright Virginias. The Turkish tobaccos are blended in with just the right amount to not take over the sweetness of the Virginias. The Tequila, Honey and Elderberry casings compliment the natural qualities of the tobaccos in a skillful way . This blend has me interested in Tequila as a flavor enhancer for pipe blends as it is delicious. I don’t have the ability to really describe this tobacco blend to do it justice . I know I like it a lot . C&D keep these limited Edition small batches coming , you have a loyal consumer right here and many more as most sell out in a day or so ! 4 stars

This broken flake virginia/oriental is one of my new favorites and I'm glad I picked up a few tins while they were available. This tobacco seems to do better with at least a few months of age, I smoked the first tin over a few months and the flavors melded together and improved quite a bit over that time. The tin not is pretty sweet with the honey and grassy virginia. Actually smoking it I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't sweeter. The orientals are very noticable in the blend giving a cedar flavor and some spicey notes as well. From the virginia I mostly notice the hay and citris you would expect from bright virginia. Between the honey and tobacco it really reminds me of the red clover flowers I used to eat on my grandfathers hay field as a kid. Overall the flavors all meld well together, the tequila is subtle and the mix not overerly boozy at all. This tobacco has pleanty of complexity to keep it interesting bowl after bowl and I'm anxious to try a tin after some age on it.