Cornell & Diehl Eight State Burley 2021

Cornell & Diehl has a known history of occasionally releasing higher-end blends through their small batch series, which features top-grade tobaccos. Eight State in particular, like the name implies, features tobacco from all over the nation, and all of them are of excellent quality.

Before I get too far into the blend itself, I will say that what you get out of this blend on your expectations. I somewhat expected, given the marketing behind it, for it to be a stronger blend with a bold burley flavor, akin to their flakes or Haunted Bookshop. This blend is a more balanced approach meant to be an all-day smoke. It succeeds in that, but if you're looking for a new Old Joe Krantz, you will be disappointed.

That all being said, what is here is pleasing. The tin note is biscuity and has hints of hay and vinegar. The ribbon cut is done well, and the variety of burleys, orientals, and virginias are easily identified. The blend smokes pretty easily and requires only a few relights and leaves a tolerable room note, especially by burley standards.

The flavor opens with very subtle hints of vanilla, with a buttery body provided by the burleys. The sweetness of the virginias and floral, slightly sour notes of the orientals do not overtake that the burleys, but their presence is known and ever-present. It is a pleasant smoke with no rough edges. There's little to criticize here, but in some ways, this blend does not stand out. It's a quality blend to be sure, and one well worth checking out, but it lacks that certain something that sets the best blends apart from the rest.

This tin was gifted to me at our 2021 NASPC show where I had a brief examination of another tin that was open. I was puzzled by my inability to raise a tin aroma, but wrote it off to the hustle and confusion of the moment. Eventually, it got opened to take the place of another Burley in my line up. The tin opening was uneventful and yielded a uniform medium tan colored mixture that produced no aroma between counter top and nose. Half way down I could barely sense any real tobacco aroma. At close range I picked up an aromatic aroma that I felt was vanilla, though it was thin and distant. Underneath this aroma, I could just detect a tobacco odor; equally thin and distant. Quite dry in the tin, I only needed thirty minutes air out for light up. The whole top third of my first smoke was a guessing game, as I had no idea what I was smoking. Just as we crossed over to the middle third, some strength and aroma entered the fray and I puffed on through this segment in moderate contentment. In the bottom third things went south in a typical Burley mixture way and got flat and boring. Stuck at two and a half stars, I decided to test this blend in my blending regimen and it passed. I thought it was smoother than the preceding Burley I had been using and I thought it worked better in blending. Now we are at three full stars and I recommend Eight State Burley for a unique smoking experience. Be warned, however, that the difference between using all air cured components and other more "traditional" methods of curing yields a very different type of Burley smoke that bears little resemblance to most of the blends other reviewers have compared it to.

3rdguy

Finished a full tin of this one in quick fashion. A nice changeup for the burley fan like myself. It has a smilar casing to Sunbear in a honey addition. I am not a big Oriental fan but in the right amount I really enjoy the complexity it can add.

I can see smoking this one year round and glad I was able to cellar 10 tins but I would be surprised to not see this an annual release like most (all?) of the Small Batch series. A must try for the Burley fan.

For me, this pipe tobacco is perfect. If I could buy this in bulk I would definitely make this a daily smoke. I am primarily a burley smoker, I like the taste and the aroma if it's cased correctly, plus burley has the nicotine I crave. I'm not into nuances or a sniffing expert. I like the taste, the aroma, and the feeling Eight State Burley gives me a quarter of the way down the bowl. It's a shame this stuff is a "small batch". I would bet money that this tobacco would sell just like Pegasus, Old Joe Kranz and Haunted Book shop. Other reviews have the room note as tolerable, I find it comforting and nostalgic. It smells like good old fashioned pipe tobacco, not aromatic, but not cigarette and cigar stink. It will remind people of their childhood (if they grew up with tobacco users in their families). I absolutely love this blend. Cornell and Diehl really know their burley, if they are reading this, I pleade with them , please make this available again, it is one of the finest burleys out there and a great "Codger" style pipe tobacco.

Is obviously mostly a Burley Tobacco with some Virginia and oriental evidently in there. Topping of vanilla or honey or something such detected. It’s a fairly light smoke and easy burning. Taste is pleasant enough, but not what I would call tasty. there is a tin note of dark chocolate for my senses, but it smokes like a cigar. that isn’t a bad thing since that’s what I was expecting and I do like cigars.

I tried this when I got tin upon release and wasn't really a fan. I picked up the toppings and felt that the orientals were pushing in front of the burley that I was expecting from this one.

Now in 2022, I decided to dip back into the jar. Some aging time has pushed back the sweetness, toned down the spices, and really brought the flavors together. There is just a hint of the toppings on first light, but they really fade quick. The orientals now star in their supporting role and the burleys have moved to the limelight. I'm looking forward to finishing the jar now.

Disclaimer, not a huge Burley smoker due to the nic hit. I did learn a trick, using a pipe with a filter significantly reduces the nic hit and it allows me to enjoy the flavors. I have yet to return to Jack Knife Plug or any of the SG Twists as they knocked me on my behind, but for a Burley like this it was perfect. I like how C&D blends come ready to smoke without dry time, however I sat on this one for awhile due to the topping. It reminds me of some of the Esoterica Virginia's, some kind of dark fruit like plum or apricot along with some vanilla and/or cardamom. Even fresh out of the tin it didn't come across to strong in the mouth, but the nose was super strong and not super pleasing to my nose. YMMV. After a year in the jar the top note has tamed a bit but is still prominent but not overpowering. The flavor is like a dry brut Champagne. Crisp, woody, nutty Burley along with some very subtle sweetness from the VA's which were deep in the background, also a touch of toasted rye bread. A quarter of the way in you get some sourness from the Turkish/Orientals, and just after that you get a creamy/buttery hint as you burn down the bowl. This is one to be smoked slowly. I really began to like the flavor of this blend and on occasion, I puffed to fast and it does get harsh and ashy when pushed. Surprisingly no bite no matter how I smoked it, probably due to the balsa filter at least in part. Nice after taste. I did use this to break in a few pipes and it does build a quick cake and holds a nice flavor, even in a new pipe (with or without a bowl coating).