Cornell & Diehl Palmetto Balkan

C&D Palmetto Balkan - Opened the tin to find a lovely shag cut tobacco . The Basma and Izmir definitely in the lead here . There is sweet and sour at the same time . Herbal and floral . Mildly creamy and buttery . Citrus tang . A little spicy. They did a good job giving the Latakia a bit of a wine like essence like Syrian was. The Latakia is smokey and a little salty also . A little fruity sweetness from the Carolina Red Flake . This Balkan blend has a bitter sour edge to it which isn’t really a bad thing and it will probably mellow with age . It is a good blend and I am happy with the purchase . 3

C&D's Palmetto Balkan-- In the interest of a full review, the tin I have smoked was 1460/3000. The production date is handwritten as 4/2022. The tin stamp is 5/10/22. I received this tin on 6/4/22 and opened it on 7/8/22. The tin note is smokey, woodsy, sweet, slightly herbal, and delicious. It came a little moist, but I did not dry it out as the weeks passed the tin dried to my liking quite nicely. The smoke is very woodsy, earthy, herbal, vegetative, and sweet, with campfire and leather notes trailing not far behind with a slightly spicy note too. Behind all this are some dark fruit notes, breadiness, some citrus, and the barest hint of hay. The smoke takes on an incense likeness for a puff or two here and there which is very nice. The notes say that they have a new way of processing the lat. and it is reminiscent of Syrian, I would say that it does remind me of Syrian, but that is as far as I will go. It does have a wine-like note to it and is much softer than I expected. The strength based on the volume of smoke, nic, etc. is at the upper end of mild to medium, the nic is slightly less than this. The taste starts out as mild to medium but by the end of the first third of the bowl has developed to medium. The room note is not the best, however. The finish is short for this type of blend. Overall, a good blend but there are dozens of Balkans that fall into this category and this one does not really stand out from the crowd all that much. 2.5 stars as there are others I like better and don't see myself buying this one again, rounded up based on the overall taste and performance to 3 stars. Recommended to those who like mild to medium Balkans and to anyone interested in trying one.

This is an interesting blend, which will certainly be novel for your senses. The Orientals take the lead giving a woody and floral character to the smoke that is underlined by the latakia, which is particularly smoky in this blend. The result is something more campfiresque than the typical barbecue notes that many Balkan blends offer.

Tin 1974 of 3000 has a tin note of smoky, slightly sour/vinegar, mildly creamy on a background of ripe dark fruit. Tobacco is brown, with a smattering of tan and black, ribbon cut. It's not damp enough to require drying. Burns reasonable with average number of relights. The strength is medium and nic is mild. No flavoring is detected. Taste is medium and somewhat consistent, with notes of floral, leather, earth, lemon zest, mild smoky wood, mild tart dried fruit, very mild sweetness and a spicy retro. Oriental/Turkish is leading with Latakia supporting. The Virginias seem to hang back during the 1st half before timidly making itself known in the latter stages. Room note is tolerable, and aftertaste is good.

Cornell & Diehl
Palmetto Balkan

Blend notes: “Cornell & Diehl's Small Batch blends are handcrafted in small quantities by our expert blenders right here in South Carolina. Our unique interpretation of the Oriental-forward blends of yesteryear. Palmetto Balkan features mature 2018 Izmir and 2019 Basma varietals; top-tier 2017 and 2019 Carolina Red Virginias; and Cypriot Latakia enhanced by a special, proprietary process. Rich with notes of woodsmoke, berries, oak, and baking spices, it showcases a velvety, wine-like character reminiscent of long-lost Syrian leaf.”

A limited production (2800, eight ounce tins) of a very mild blend. Jeremy Reeves, the head blender at C&D, is attempting to mimic Syrian Latakia through a new process which is not being explained in any detail. There is a lightness to Palmetto Balkan and a mild sweetness, a very mild bit of smoke from the Latakia, with some dark fruit from the Virginias in the background. A tiny bit of sourness.

It lights easily and required few re-lights. The blend fades into the background as you smoke and hangs out with you as an old friend, the kind of friend that nods and smiles and agrees but does not challenge.

Palmetto Balkan is a pleasant smoke but not extraordinary. I do not get much of the ‘Oriental-forward’ taste that would define this as a Balkan. In my view (on my palate) this is way less interesting and less nuanced than other mild Balkans such as White Knight, Abingdon, Plum Pudding or PP Special Reserve, or Black House.

Generally I don’t jump to purchase special or limited editions (or small batches) because I don’t want to fall in love with something not regularly available. I will keep this around. Maybe it will age well.

3 out of 4 stars.