Cornell & Diehl Pegasus

I've recently been in a "hold the latakia" phase. Maybe it's the Summer weather that drives me to Burley blends, maybe it's just that I like 'em. I believe it's a given that C&D are one of the premier blenders of Burleys and I tried this one out after pouring through reviews, looking at component tobaccos, etc. hunting for blends that featured Burley along with VA. Perique, and perhaps other condimentals...but NO LATAKIA. An innocent little tin of 'Exhausted Rooster' kicked me into gear. If you haven't tried it and you have any affection for Perique, then you need to get some ASAP. THIS one (Pegasus) was purchased via an online sale in an 8 oz. tin on the basis of reviews here. To my delight, the tin I got was put up in September of '07. Nice! (I got another tin, of VA Gentleman in the same order that was put together in March of '06!) You can read other reviews here for the nitty gritty of this or that nuance...it's all pretty personal or often depends on the pipe in which it's smoked. But this is certainly a high quality, well flavored blend that should suit the likes of Burley smokers. Of special note to me is that in some ways it mirrors the flavors found in Edegworth Ready Rubbed, but smokes cleaner in my experience. Some have commented on what might be a flavoring added...it's slight, and if anything it reminds me of dark molassas...adding to the deep Burley flavor in a very positive way. Call it a semi-aromatic if you will. To me, there are a number of Semi's out there in which the added flavoring enhances the tobacco blend in question - a whisper as opposed to a shout - this is one of those cases. Burley usually needs SOMETHING added to get it off the ground a bit, asside from the high quality tobaccos used this one was designed with a deft hand.

Absolutely delicious. I am not a burley fan, but this blend is terrific. Upon opening the tin, I am greeted by a delightful mix of burleys and Virginias with a little black Cavendish peppered in for good measure. The smell is of brown sugar and bread.

I must say that age has not made a great difference here. I have not noticed a change over the year that this tin has been opened. It has always packed well and lit easily. The taste has been consistent as well.

After a charring light, I am greeted by a stiff kick in the chops. Wow. You?d better be seated for this one.

Pencil lead dominates the taste, but the burley adds an almost perfect touch of sweetness. The Cavendish adds to the sweetness and the body. That being said, the finish is a little flat and bitter. How disappointing. Smooth out the finish and this would easily be a 4 star blend. Too bad.

UPDATE

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Age makes all the difference. It's like aging fine wine. Here she is. 1 year old and 4 of 4 stars.

This is one of C&D's "American Classics", so called to honor the great blends in the American tradition. Well done! The rough cut burns cool and even, and the flavor a wonderful balance of nutty burley harmonized with tangy virginia. The cavendish provides some extra depth, doing for Pegasus what triple ligero leaf does for a cigar, that is providing the bass note. The quality of the tobaccos, the proportions used, the burn, and the overall satisfaction IMO earn this blend four stars. This is a world class blend.

Pegasus is the epitome of the "all-day smoke," whatever that might be. Made of three burleys, two Virginias, and a pinch of unsweetened black cavendish, it tastes of natural tobacco, with a blend of burley strength and natural Virginia sweetness. It is piquant and mild, burns better than any tobacco I've ever put in my pipe (I don't say this lightly), and doesn't bite a bit.

I don't know how similar it is to the original Bond Street, but on its own terms, this is great stuff. It will make you happy as you create those delicious clouds of smoke, smolder without needing many relights, and please those around you. And it's mild enough to smoke bowl after bowl. What's not to like?

Pegasus is a wonderfully full blend, with a good, stout, nutty body from the three burleys. Plenty of nicotine, plenty of great taste. The Virginias and black cav provide just the right amount of sweetness to make it a nice sweet change from the "straight" burley taste (which I also love). It is definitely NOT an aromatic, at least not in the sense of having any topping that I can detect. A good, straight forward, all-tobacco taste and smell. Simply delightful in my book, I definitely give this one 4 out of 4 stars.

This blend definitely gets better with age, the jar I just finished was 16 months old, and was significantly better than the "fresh" sample I tried, though it was still good... this one truly becomes GREAT with age!!

It tastes like a root beer float with creamy caramel, a shot of licorice, and a double shot of Hennessy. But this is pure tobacco. The blending here is utterly amazing. Take everything you love about Dark Burley - that oily twang, the floral and nutty finish - then smooth out its overwhelming pepper with just the right amount of Virginia and Cavendish sweetness, making it easier to taste the smoke. It’s the smoothest throat-punch I’ve ever had. I recently purchased a very large batch of blending tobaccos at once, and this was part of my purchase - the Pegasus bag was the very first one I tore into. It’s not bad with a little bit of Dark Fired sprinkled in, but it’s honestly perfect the way it is. The DFK actually dampens the subtle balance of the flavors. It has no bite, even burn, persistent flavor, clean and tasty ashes, smooth in and out, extremely satisfying all around. Easily one of my favorites.

There is one small problem for some - it can be deceptively strong. I smoke a lot of strong tobaccos these days, but I can remember when I first tried this blend. It was summertime, I was in a lawn chair taking a break from yard work, and the skies above me almost went spinning. You’ll have to work for this smoke if you aren’t simply tasting it, so have a sit. Or it will steal up on you like a forest full of ninjas. I broke out my sealed bag of Pegasus to write this review, because the stuff in the tin on the nightstand is mixed with DFK and I wanted the pure experience, but I am still a little dizzy and starting to cough near the end of this bowl. It might be too smooth! One reviewer on the vendors site wrote that it almost killed him. Take it with a grain of salt, though. Try a tin and see if you can’t get rid of that smile. If you aren’t smoking this to savor its flavor after that, leave the rest at the store for me to order later. You’re better off with a good bag of Gambler just to get your smoke.

Cornell and Diehl- Pegasus

Consisting of burley, Va’s and some black Cavendish, this blend smokes easily and stays cool, the flavors meld together well to form a great full body taste.

The blend comes dry enough to smoke right out of the tin, I’ve packed it a little looser than usual and I think this has helped to get more pronounced flavor out of the various components.

Tin is from 30sep19, upon first light I get a great burley nuttiness with slight spice most likely from the burley as I can find no Perique in the blend. The burley and Va’s bring about a nice toasted bready flavor, the cavendish is unsweetened and is their more for body vs flavor, this produces a good amount of smoke

Though not a unicorn blend, it does live up to the name Pegasus, a white horse which soars above other C&D burley forward blends, the mix is just right, and for the price cannot be beat.

Nicotine is medium, flavor is medium to full depending on your preference for tobacco flavor. Burns cleanly and leaves no moisture in the bowl, only re lights are due to my own habits vs the blend.

I’ve come full circle with the burley blends, and have come to enjoy their flavors more so down the road vs when I first started pipe smoking.

With age I think this blend will do well, but also smokes well relatively fresh. Blend I will buy again and keep In the cellar or add to the rotation.

Highly recommend this blend.

I like all the components CD uses for their blends, so much so, you gotta be clumsy not to get it right in this rendition, and they are master blenders at CD. This blend is very similar to some of their burley hits or best sellers, but what sets it apart, is the addition of unsweetened back cavendish. If you like their burley blends, you will probably like this medium body blend with nutty and cocoa undertones. The black cavendish is only used sparingly here, and it starts showing up after a while, giving this blend some kind of subdued sweetness that marries quite well with this faint or faded citric backdrop that is obviously coming from the bright virginia leaf it contains. It does not seem to develop a sharp edge the more you progress with your smoke, it is easy on the tongue, and can be smoked all day despite packing a little bit of a punch of vitamin N. I am not a fan of black cavendish, but I like the overall profile of this blend. 4 stars.

Just a hint of subtle sweetness, mainly from the cavendish, which offers a very slight molasses taste. The virginias are grassy with a little citrusy sweetness that increases with age. The plain good old fashioned tobacco taste of the burley is nutty and earthy. The symphony reminds me of whole wheat toast. Great with black coffee. This is one fine tobacco blend (if you like codger/burley blends). The nicotine is medium, noticeable enough, but by no means strong. Burns cool and slow and wouldn’t dream of biting. I really love this stuff. This one's in my regular rotation. Pegasus and Haunted Bookshop are very similar. Pegasus is a little sweeter. HB is a bit stronger and more peppery. I keep a stock of both in my cellar.