Cornell & Diehl Old Joe Krantz

Appearance: Sort of a rough cut, but not too rough. Mostly medium red and brown with a good percentage of darker leaf.

Aroma: Great nutty Burley aroma right on top, with some sweet Virginia and sour Perique peeking out.

Packing: Packs well in all but the smallest bowls, which need a lighter touch.

Lighting: Lights exceptionally easily, sometimes one match and a tamp with no relight.

Initial flavor: A simple blend to the palate. Just what you expect from the aroma. Lots of flavor, and lots of mouth feel. A perfect balance of the ingredients. Burns readily, but not hot.

Mid-bowl: The Perique really comes on more assertively, with just enough Virginia sweetness to keep in under control. The nutty Burley flavor hangs in there as a strong component, never in the background, but never in total dominance either. Stays quite cool at reasonable puffing rates. I haven't ever gotten it to burn hot.

Finish: Well behaved to the last, burns to a clean dark gray ash with no soggy bottom.

Summary: Although I'm not a "Burley Guy" as a rule, I do appreciate a well made Burley blend as a change from Virginias and Orientals. This is definitely at the top of the genre. Richer in flavor than it's close cousin Haunted Bookshop, which I also love. Another wonderful effort from Bob, the king of the burley blenders.

A friend who has similar preferences to tobacco recommended this to me. I got the bulk from Smokingpipes and it was a mostly brown to dark brown bag of coarse cut tobacco with hints of red. It was a little on the dryer side when it came.

I must warn you, this is not a tobacco for someone looking to try something stronger for the first time. OJK is a no nonsense tobacco with a full amount of pure natural tobacco flavor. It packs very easily and lights the same. I can usually get down to the bottom where it burns to a perfect white ash with one match.

One thing I will say that is special to this tobacco is that, in my experience, it starts off very astringent, sharp, smokey and strong. But once you pass the first 1/8 of the bowl, it really mellows out (comparatively speaking). Have a drink at hand for that first 1/8.

There is so much going on here that some may confuse it with lacking depth, nothing could be further from the truth. The VAs run back of forth with thin strips of sweetness while the Burleys and Perique take the larger strides in the smoke. The last 1/4 of the smoke is simply wonderful where all of the flavors start to meddle together providing a truly unique smoke.

OJK in a cob is one of my favorite ways to enjoy this blend. I feel it really helps round off some of the sharp notes and provides the best method of enjoyment.

I find this to be the older stronger curmudgeon brother to burley flake #3.

This blend is so obvious, it makes Britney Spears appear enigmatic. A full-flavored blend cool enough to smoke throughout the day if you have the constitution for this much perique. I think one shred more perique added to OJK would make only the perique noticeable.

Precariously balanced, rich, mildly complex and deep, OJK is something akin to Barbary Coast without topping and half the natural sweetness. This is worth purchasing for the tin aroma alone.

Have no fear of this duplicating Haunted Bookshop. They are alike in ingredients, but quite different in effect. I do not think most aficionados of this genre will fail to appreciate, if not love, this blend.

“OJK,” as it is affectionately known by it's familiars, is well deserving of it's seat in the pantheaon of burley masters. Old Joe Krantz is not a subtle smoke. It's painted in 3 bold stripes of primary colors: Burley, Virginia, Perique. Those stripes serve as the natal flag of fortitude and simplicity.

The tin aroma is a fantastic, leafy potpourri - sweet and perique-y. I don't know the technical term for the type of cut given to the tobacco, but it's smallish, easy to load, and burns well right out of the tin. I like to let it air for a few minutes, though. When it comes to strength, Old Joe Krantz is one cantankerous ol' timer YOU DO NOT want to mess with. Why? Because he'll kick your arse, that's why. And it it'll be embarrassing.

The virginia element is masterfully done, allowing it to be truly a burley feature blend, but definitely providing a high quality sweetness haven into which you can dive if feeling a bit blown over by the burley and perique pistons that drive the engine. I have smoked now about 6 blends that are made up of these same 3 primary components. Of course, each one probably uses different leaf and hopes to achieve it's own identity, but as far as I'm concerned, most of them still stand and shiver beneath the great and looming shadow of Old Joe Krantz.

Now I am a neophyte and every time I say a certain blend is strong, someone else chimes in with, ahh that's nuthin'. Well, if OJK isn't strong I don't know what is. In fact, it's too strong for me to smoke regularly; but I recognize and enjoy from time to time the archetypal burley pipe blend that is Cornell & Diehl's Old Joe Krantz.

Old Joe has a rep for being a real ass kicker, he is a strong one albeit he ain't Brown Pigtail but he ain't your Granny's peach snuff either. I found Joe to be a wonderful combination of various tobaccos that worked well together. The Burley adds a good honest nut flavor The Virginia comes in with the grassy notes, the dark burley adds some earthy but sweet/spicy attributes and then that old indian friend of mine peppery Perique. with this combo mixed in the right proportions you got a winner in my book. Packs well easy to light and smokes true to form fro start to finish. some have advised to smoke old joe in a small bowl, I like a big bowl so he can spread out and work his magic. One suggestion I will impart though Smoke him slow or he could blow the top of your head off! Old joe is a marathon blend not a sprinter. Highly recommended as an entry into strong smoke. One note or afterthought I have noticed that Old Joe does age well in a Mason jar so buy extra to cellar

I see a lot of comparison here of Old Joe Krantz to Haunted Bookshop. While I consider this apt, To me I think of it like comparing white wine to red--HB being the dryer white wine and OJK the fuller, heavier red.

I find smoking OJK to be a richly satisfying experience. I get a dusting of clean sugary sweetness, together with a delicious dry bitterness like you find in a dark ale, along with rich nutty flavor, filled in with the Deep fermented taste of perique, all topped with a healthy dousing of black pepper. Utterly delicious!

This is a tobacco with a serious kick. A lot of Red Virginia, a lot of Perique, and a good bit of Burley. I like a lot of blends that others claim are pretty strong; University Flake, Wessex Burley Slice, Haunted Bookshop, etc. This old codger leaves them all in the dust. Usually, I can't finish a whole bowl in one sitting and have to take a break to finish it. Thankfully, it DGTs quite well and I have no problem coming back to it after the hiccup fits force me to slow it down.

I know that I'm making this sound like it's a bad review, but I don't mean it to be. This is an excellent tobacco from a well-reputed blender and tobacco house. It's certainly not an all-day blend for me, but when I want to have my butt handed to me, this one fits the bill. If you can smoke this stuff with no real problems with the Vitamin N level, you're stouter than me! I give a solid 3 stars on this one. I'll never have more than one bowl of this a day, however!

Original Old Joe Krantz is a blend that’s storied on the TR board, and rightly so, IMO. It’s strong and uncompromising, just like everyone says; but when it’s approached with respect it can be memorable in the best sense, and perhaps “iconic” would not be a stretch. While it bears a proud likeness to its codger progenitors, the year old tin I’ve smoked goes well beyond this, and it’s an instant favorite of mine and already part of my regular rotation.

Tin note is old leather, and it’s very slightly musty. The tobacco is ribbons ‘n bits chopped to short pieces ranging from light to dark browns. It’s moist enough to be springy, and it’s fine for smoking right from the tin. I went a little rogue to start, packing it loosely into a Devil Anse with a 5+ bowl with the typically short bit and stem, and a very easy draw. I still prefer that pipe for OJK, but it’s been fine from several 5+ briars. Lighting OJK is easy, and it comes right up with fragrant, floral Burley, and something like buttered popcorn, followed quickly by bitter tannin I suppose comes from white Burley. The VAs seem to be red, and they ease right in to provide sweetness, body, and depth while never rising over the Burleys. Though I can certainly taste the spices and a slightly musty, sour note from the Perique, I find it generally more exotic than hot/pepper, and, again, I think white Burley is the “culprit” whence springs the edge, such as it is. Since OJK burns well and completely with regular, gentle tamping I have no trouble taking it very slow as the rich flavors and the nicotine build steadily, even inexorably. Top to bottom, OJK is a “masterpiece of simplicity”. It’s everything I wanted when I tried in turn all the harsh, disgusting OTC blends favored by my crusty ancestors. Strength is strong, no two ways about it. Tastes are full, no two ways about it. I find the room note to be pleasant, and for now I’m sticking to that, even though I didn’t (and probably won’t) actually try it on gentle folk. Aftertaste is a nice dragging out of the best of the smoke that lingers and adds considerably to the experience.

Though I hesitate to recommend OJK to beginners, they might just give it a slow, careful go. For veterans, same advice, and if you like Triple Play or JackKnife Plug you might like Old Joe Krantz, as well. Hoo-Rah, and 4 stars from me!

WOW... this is a really old man... if you dont respect him, he will torment you... now about this tobacco, it's a good tobacco, strong in your flavor but with time, you will know, step by step, how to smoke this tobacco after this, this old makes a friendship with you and will propitiate a very good smoke.