Cornell & Diehl Pegasus

Tin: Pegasus smells like sweet toast. Rough cut, light to dark brown, with a mahogany hue, there is the occasional black fleck of roughly 10%. Albeit, having read the reviews, I would agree that it has a slightly sweet classic American signature, with no Latakia smoke or oriental incense. There is no medicinal smell from doctored up burleys as in some burley blends. Pegasus is on the dry side.

Taste and Aroma: I have heard Bond Street praised in reviews of other blends and it must have been a tad bland because Pegasus is no effusion of taste or aroma. The subtle sweetness of the black cavendish is contrasted with a typical stale burley taste and aroma. Again, to its credit, Pegasus is not a cloying, mediciny burley, but feels natural. Smoked outdoors, there is some goopy moisture which drains out of the stem.(An anamoly? This didn't happen indoors.)

Room Note: Decent, for a burley, but still the typical light stale burley aroma.

Nicotine: Medium to strong, closer to strong. It is no more heady than the last blend I tried, an oriental-based tobacco.

Overall: One of the few burley blends I can appreciate, it doesn't have an overly heavy burley smell. As burleys go, good, 3.2 stars. Compare Pegasus to two extremes of flavored burley blends, Half and Half, a drugstore aromatic completely flavored, and Prince Albert, not nearly as cased as H&H, but having decidedly less natural taste then Pegasus. To a degree, I recant what was said about burleys being bland, having sampled a VA afterwards. Perhaps burleys are sometimes described as bland because of the way they naturally taste, and that there is less sweetness.

A favorite burley blend. Easy to smoke, not too much going on. Simple, enjoyable burley - cavendish and Virginias add a little interest but don't step on the burley too much. Bought a tin then turned around and ordered 1/2 pound. It's a pipe tobacco that tastes like tobacco .

I see reviews going back 15 years. God that's awesome. I love this site. My experience with Pegasus was pretty low key. I'm surprised to see all the love here for this old codger style blend. It's a pleasing burley forward blend. Notes of oat, mildly nutty, toasty and earthy. C&D burley blends have an earthy bitter walnut note that I find really offputting if too strong. The note is still there in Pegasus, but its tame enough that It's not an issue and that alone makes the blend noteworthy. The Virginia and the topping seem to add enough sweetness to balance Pegasus perfectly. The Virginia also offers a bit of grass and hay. The cavendish smooths out the burleys even more, filling in all gaps with a little dark sugar. Good candidate for an all day smoke. Pace yourself and it won't bite.

This is the opposite of a flavor bomb, just an easy all day smoke without funny tastes and with great mouthfeel, good strength and body, up a full notch from the typical OTC burley, and without any added flavorings.

Its plain-ness is both its strength and its weakness.

The black cav and the VA work very far in the background but may build a little as you go along. You may or may not really notice them.

It's very easy to like if you like burley, and it's hard to resist smoking two bowls in a row.

This burley forward blend consists mainly of light to dark brown ribbons, with a small amount of unflavored black cavendish. I taste, oats, nuts, hay, and has a mild sweetness to it. I do not detect any topping. It’s cool, dry and never harsh. I’ve smoked it in various briars and cobs. It’s plain, mild, natural, and works well as an all day smoke. I recommend it to any newbies or burley lovers.

This is an excellent burley and black cavendish blend. It's a very clean and straightforward Burley ribbon. Good but not fantastic. Not Uhle Blend 00 good anyway. The addition of the unsweetened black cavendish raises the bar on this blend. It gives the Burley a sweetness that it is lacking, and overall rounds out the blend into a more compelling smoke. Smells like marshmallows to me when I open a jar sometimes. I think if there are two C&D tobaccos that everyone should try, it's this and OJK. Both stellar burley blends. I wish I would have found this earlier in my cellaring. I keep feeling like I need more of it, so I must.

MY sample came with some larger fragments of tobacco, looked sort of like a tobacco salad, not very attractive and makes one wonder of quality control. Well, Well, what have we here? This is a nicely medium strength, medium bodied blend. I taste good tobacco flavor here, a little harsh at times and a little green (I detected some ammonia) This is not all bad though, just like some fine Brie has an ammonia component...I was not turned off by this. I like this, I don't love it, but I like it. It had enough smoke volume and tingled nicely when exhaled through the nostrils. Good blend.

This was another tobacco that surprised me, during my exploration of burley blends.


I ordered an ounce or two of this blend and received a bag full of mostly yellow and light brown ribbons with a smattering of black ribbons mixed in. Comes ready to load and smoke as is, without any drying time. The tobacco in the bag smells like some fruit with some hay and earthy notes with maybe just a hint of cocoa.

Very easy to load in the pipe and this tobacco burns down quick into ash. It stays lit after the two light method (charring and final) with moderate tamping from time to time and a regular cadence. I found this to be one of the easiest tobaccos to manage in regards to puffing and tamping.

This tobacco produces big clouds of smoke. The flavors are interesting, and this is where I was surprised at how much I enjoyed and later craved this tobacco, specifically even with the sour/bitter aspects (from the burley). I got flavors or grass, earth, with a bit of fruit (very slight), some nuttiness and some cocoa (not sure if this is from the cavendish or some topping) with some definite sour/bitterness. It wasn't bad, the bitterness, but seemed to pair well with the flavors. There was a tiny bit of sweetness that helped bring it all together. Very pleasurable smoke and was one I reached for after a long day. Seems to pair well with a nice beer.

Comparatively, Pegasus is neither an excessive nor a complex recipe. In fact, it’s rather honest constitution presents an authentic Burley-based mélange that is fundamentally basic in nature. Uncomplicated all be it, but rather distinctive in nature as I was to discover. Largely comprised of three distinct Burley types, the mix charters a presence of Tennessee White Burley tendered in both handsomely ribboned and cubic configurations that have been equitably laced by coarsely cut ribbons of Kentucky Dark Burley. With a cursory visual inspection, I would estimate the noted triplicity comprises about 60% -70% of the total mass. The remaining ingredients are modestly inserted by the lesser complements of Bright and Red Virginia along with a sparing portion of straight Cavendish.

As I broke the seal of the bulging sample pouch of tobacco, I instantly noted a state of exceptional dryness. Nothing too detrimental but nonetheless by all appearances exhausted of any trace of moisture. Grabbing a pinch of tobacco, my fingers met with springy tufts of ungainly strands. The texture dynamically animated itself, sensitizing as roughly processed and ostensively grainy. Upon closer inspection, I surveyed a husky compilation of brown-tinted assortment highlight in appreciable streams of yellow and golden hues. Scant rugged wedges of blackened Cavendish held tight to the wad of Burley as granular segments of the cubed strain and delicate shags of Virginia fell freely from my grasp.

As the airs of Pegasus lofted freely from the polybag, an alluring fragrance of earthy soft nuttiness merged with spicy wood caught my attention. Leaning over the pouch a deeper inhalation found a much more embellished colorization. The registration suggested hints of cocoa, prunes, sour/tartness, and a mild indistinct sweetness mimicking a fascinating vanilla-citrus like quality. One further observation is that with extended smelling, the blend’s base essence tended to move towards a sweet cigarette aroma as I was able to eventually sense a faint sugary grassiness way down low.

After loading my Jobey briar (big, deep, and wide chamber) quite neatly, the newly found mellow tempered and modestly strong Pegasus began to divulge is standard character. With the initial drawls, Pegasus’ general taste profile rolled out as a splendid interplay between the two distinct Burley strains. This magnetizing presentation remained consistent for the entirety of the smoking session. A tad bit of occasional roughness but respectfully a gentle Burley with a deeply based tone and spirit.

Specifically, a roasted creamy nuttiness much like that of a quality pecan lent by the White colorfully intermixed within the registration with a noble aged wood emanating from the Dark. Gently and wonderfully soured, the flavor was invariably seasoned by decided hints of cocoa and diluted molasses. As the trailing finish tapered in, it was marked with a very notable spiced smoky zest and softened mint, impactful and attention-grabbing. At times I surmised that the White seemed to predominate but then there was movement which presented contradiction to that thought as a wave of the Dark proudly showed its presence. Quite charismatic in nature, the flavor of Pegasus seems to be tempered by a function of how the tobacco is precisely stacked within the chamber. This is logical based upon experience, yet Pegasus appears to be hyper-sensitive to this effect thus presenting an engaging and stimulative smoking experience.

Completing the flavorful registration, a very muted punchy tart grassy-hay element being delivered from the complementing Virginia can be found circulating in the distant folds with evidence of dark sugary earthen Cavendish accents, almost dismissible to a certain degree. Additionally, there was fleeting evidence of some additive that characterized itself as the same vanilla-citrus appeasement duly noted within the pouch, very intriguing and beguiling to say the least. In final, the aftertaste left my palate enlivened by the presence of toasty wood and stringent earthy spice.

Pegasus aflame burns comfortably cool and evenly for the duration leaving a charming white ash with its consumption. The vapor that is produced is a hearty thick blue-gray plume of dense smoke. As it resides within the room, the blend wants to be airy and sweetly fused at first, yet the essence morphed into a heavy robust darkened aroma of classic Burley. Seasoned/sourly spent wood, toasty caramelized nuts are the principal features being supplemented with just piquant trace of burnt tart grass. The permanence and strength of its scent are significant and remarkable making this one most likely unfavorable to non-smokers.

Assuming now a more qualified posture on Pegasus, I would suggest that the mixture could serve as a reasonable entry into the genre of traditional American grown Burley. Nothing too stark or heavy, but it does do a fine job of presenting an introduction to the standard attributes of both varieties of Burley leaf in a gentle manner. These tobaccos are typical of many Cornell & Diehl Burley-based blends. Franky, I believe the very same domestic strains can be found Haunted Bookshop or Old Joe Krantz as they model a seemingly identical taste profile. As with Pegasus, one gets the full spectrum of native Burley which is such a vibrant yet often underrated variety.

In terms of mechanics, the blend tenders nicely in briar or cob based upon my extended trials. The ensuing taste experiences were highly comparable in the end. Commonly some mixtures, however, can bring expanded character by using a specific pipe. Accordingly, as Pegasus spoke to me, I found the geometry and wood of the hefty Jobey Florentine Extra best accommodated its pleasurable smoking. Ideally this venue enhanced the full flavor features and natural distinctions that surround the tobacco’s base persona. What is more, a slow tempo with exaggerated drawls best placates the true witness of the tobacco’s merits.

Summarizing my findings, Pegasus is a classic and noteworthy Burley based offering from Cornell & Diehl, one that I found exceptionally enjoyable. With simple magical traits, Pegasus could feasibly be an all-day smoke as there is no chance of tongue bite and the nicotine effect materialized to be mild-medium in potency. If you are an avid Burley enthusiast or some one looking to venture forth into the species, then without reservation I do recommend that Pegasus gets the nod. Inspirational Burley is meant to be savored and appreciated, Pegasus is, in my opinion, without exception.

Hanna Subjective Ranking; 3.1 Objective Scoring (based upon standard genre attributes, mechanicals, cost) 123/144 @ 85%