Cornell & Diehl Sun Bear: Black Locust
(3.18)
A blend of the finest Bright and Red Virginias balanced by 2014 Basma and 2013 Izmir Orientals, Cornell & Diehl's Sun Bear: Black Locust commends itself with subtle notes of raw, ethically sourced, single-farm honey from the 2020 Black Locust nectar flow in Maryland — a variety prized for its small yields, extremely light color, and delicate sweetness.
Combined with a whisper of silver tequila and elderflower, the natural Black Locust honey complements these specially selected varietal tobaccos, elevating their fruity and floral notes for a bright, refreshing character and a creamy, rounded finish.
Notes: Released in a limited run of 10,000 tins on July 20, 2021, and sold out in less than eight hours, Sun Bear features honey from the Maryland Black Locust Tree harvest of 2020. Victor Seested, a pipe smoker/beekeeper, contacted Jeremy Reeves just as Jeremy realized his own hives were underpopulated and unable to produce the honey necessary for the new run of Sun Bear as they had for the original version. ""There's a little bit of a citrusy kind of tang," says Jeremy. "It's not the same tartness that I experienced from our honey. Victor's is more citrusy. But the focus of the flavor is definitely much more on these kinds of delicate floral notes. It's definitely sweet, but not as overpoweringly sweet as some honeys can be. It's wonderful in tea and delightful to drizzle over some berries and yogurt." Read the full story behind Sun Bear: Black Locust on the Smokingpipes Daily Reader: https://www.smokingpipes.com/smokingpipesblog/single.cfm/post/the-fascinating-development-sun-bear-black-locust
Details
| Brand | Cornell & Diehl |
| Series | Small Batch |
| Blended By | Jeremy Reeves |
| Manufactured By | Cornell & Diehl |
| Blend Type | Aromatic |
| Contents | Oriental/Turkish, Virginia |
| Flavoring | Alcohol / Liquor, Honey |
| Cut | Flake |
| Packaging | 2 ounce tin |
| Country | United States |
| Production | No longer in production |
Profile
Strength
Mild to Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Mild to Medium
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
3.18 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 12, 2021 | Mild to Medium | Mild to Medium | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
I did not move fast enough to try the original release of Cornell and Diehl’s Sun Bear, and the only reason I got to try this one, subtitled Black Locust, is because I stumbled onto and immediately purchased a tin at my local B&M. After playing around with it for a couple of weeks, I’ve figured out that I prefer to smoke it slowly in a small-ish, number 4 pot that I use for spicy blends, most of which include both Orientals and Perique. Although SBBL is initially an aromatic blend, yet I don’t expect it will be a favorite of beginners or “typical” aro smokers (if there is such a thing…). Appearance is typical-for-C&D broken flakes, which are rather sticky in this case. Tin note is nice, woody/grassy, with VERY faint tequila, more elderflower and honey, and a very faint trace of vanilla. First up when I smoked it in early going was the sweet, flue cured VA, along with the elder flowers and the honey, along with the faint vanilla. It starts very soft, meadow grassy and fragrant. Next up is the fragrant Basma, woody, with fairly mild baking spices. Next up is the Izmir, also woody, also sour, with mounting pepper along with its spicy spices. Last is the red VA, somewhat earthy, wheat bready, a trace of very subdued “dark fruit”, rather bluff, and fairly dense. The final profile holds from about ½, and it builds slowly to the end. When I catch myself pulling on this one, I slow down; otherwise it’s too spicy for its own good. Sadly, the foregoing applied only to the first week or so. After that I found it started out bluff and wound up muddled, with faint “chemical” tastes, and it never burned consistently well for me, being in this reminiscent of McClelland blends I’ve tried. Strength builds from mild to medium, with not much nicotine. Tastes build from mild to just over medium the way I’ve smoked it. Room note is Turkish. The aftertaste morphs from sour Orientals to sweeter, earthy and bready VAs, which trail on and on.
In the end, all’s not-so-well that ends not-so-well, for me, anyway. All considered, I can see where others might like it, but it’s not for me. 2 stars. I’ll get back if it improves.
In the end, all’s not-so-well that ends not-so-well, for me, anyway. All considered, I can see where others might like it, but it’s not for me. 2 stars. I’ll get back if it improves.
Pipe Used:
various briars
PurchasedFrom:
Liberty Tobacco
Age When Smoked:
tin dated 06-21-21
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 16, 2022 | Mild to Medium | Very Mild | Mild to Medium | Tolerable |
After a year I’m finally smoking it.
The tin note is grassy, sweet honey, some hay. Smells sweet. Broken flakes. Moisture is fine.
The taste is grassy, fresh hay, some citrus tangy notes, bread. It is sweeter then most with the obvious addition of honey. I don’t feel the honey is as pronounced as the 2020 version. There is some spice to this as well. Does have some rough spots and can be a bit harsh. Mitigated with a filter pipe in a cob. This is why it’s a 2 star blend. The retrohale was grassy, rough on the nostrils and something I tried to avoid doing. Some mouth tingle, no bite. Almost no aftertaste. The addition of the honey is nice and is what makes this interesting. It’s not the only CD blend with honey. Might check those ones out too.
*update*
Out of a corn cob this is even better and is my go to summer blend this summer. Honestly though, I’m just trying to get rid of it.
The tin note is grassy, sweet honey, some hay. Smells sweet. Broken flakes. Moisture is fine.
The taste is grassy, fresh hay, some citrus tangy notes, bread. It is sweeter then most with the obvious addition of honey. I don’t feel the honey is as pronounced as the 2020 version. There is some spice to this as well. Does have some rough spots and can be a bit harsh. Mitigated with a filter pipe in a cob. This is why it’s a 2 star blend. The retrohale was grassy, rough on the nostrils and something I tried to avoid doing. Some mouth tingle, no bite. Almost no aftertaste. The addition of the honey is nice and is what makes this interesting. It’s not the only CD blend with honey. Might check those ones out too.
*update*
Out of a corn cob this is even better and is my go to summer blend this summer. Honestly though, I’m just trying to get rid of it.
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