Cornell & Diehl Sun Bear

Summary: an expensive way to receive your bulk bright Virginia

The tin notes tell us all about the expensive Basma and Ismir Oriental leaf, luxury silver liquor, and organically- and ethically-sourced local free trade honey, but almost nothing about the "blend of fine red and bright Virginias." Like the G.L. Pease blends, this one re-sells a cheap bulk product -- Virginia ribbon -- by cresting it with a 5% expensive product (tequila, honey, Orientals) and then selling it at the same price as if the whole thing were expensive ingredients. I like bright Virginias, I like C&D bright Virginias, and I like Jeremy Reeves, but this blend is a ripoff. You're getting their $2/ounce bright, red, and some brown Virginias for $6/ounce because they added fifty cents of diluted topping and a pinch of some Orientals they found in some old Tupperware. The bright Virginias are cheaper because of lower processing time therefore lower labor costs. If you have bought this abortion of a blend, definitely let it age, because the C&D "Virginia Flake" shines at two years and "Sun Bear" will probably be very similar. First light brings out a sugary mess of flavors from the toppings, then comes the malty nougat of the Virginia mix, and finally just a little sour and cardamom-like lift from the Orientals. After that, things go downhill. The Virginias burn like blazes, but caramelize by the second half of the bowl, at which point you start to see why people usually mix them with Burleys, namely the thin body and flavor of the smoke. This one reminds me of the faux mayonnaise they sell in the big stores which is basically a little flavoring on clotted soybean oil. The tobacco industry likes it because influencers will shill it, and "hobbyists" will buy it at three times its fair price so they can use as it as form of experience tourism and talk about the rare silver tequila honey nuances on Instagram.