Cornell & Diehl Old Joe Krantz

An "American" blend if I've ever tasted one. It is quintessentially "country". Literally - grassy - a tiny bit "rough" tasting but yet so hospitable. Hints of pepper and woodsy flavors. Perfect for late summer and early autumn smoking - morning or evening.

Amazingly complex and a bit heavier on the burley than say - Three Friars or Cumberland - which it tastes quite a bit like at points. Other times, it has an undefineable, unique taste. I could never quite warm up to Haunted Book Shop, but *could* keep some Old Joe around for when I crave it.

C+D, and their associates, *are* masters of the rustic Americana pipe smoke that many connect with humid antebellum evenings and cool New England summers. My own grandfather - the first pipe smoker I knew - would have loved this blend.

Disclaimer: I am an on again off again burley smoker. I have to be in the right mood and weather for Burley. That said OJK is a solid, natural smoke. Finding good uncased Burley’s is like finding a needle in a haystack for me and I avoided this one for awhile, I am glad I came around. My biggest “issue” with Burley is the nicotine. I am a bit of a wimp with bold nicotine blends and this is no exception. I have learned that a good Savinelli or Brebbia filtered pipe is the way to go as the filters have been shown to reduce the nic hit by 70%. This is the only way I can smoke some Gawith blends or Jack Knife Plug from C&D.

The tin note is rank. Like good cheese, this has a funk to it that is not present in the flavor but this not a blend I’d want to see in a car air freshener. Thank you Perique. The flavors are rich and sharp. The smoke is slightly sour, woody, vegetal and spicy. The Red Virginia adds some mild sweetness and earth. The Perique provides a nice tingle to the nose and tongue, not a bite, and plenty of peppery spice For a mild application of Perique it is a pretty central figure in the flavor profile. It smokes very dry and cool and lights and burns very easily with few relights. This is a nice break from my normal Virginia and Balkan smoking rotation. I can’t smoke a lot of this at once but it is best in a large group 4 style pipe.

And so now, my attention once again returns to the objective assessment of the world of Burley as presented by the good folks at Cornell & Diehl (C&D). On this grand occasion, I took the opportunity to introduce myself the infamous curmudgeon affectionately known as Old Joe Krantz. Joe, oh Joe, are you truly just the portrait of a crusty old cuss that piping lore paints you to be? Perhaps this Old Man is more the benevolent jolly gramps of fellow that has been simply misunderstood by many whom he has chance encountered. Soon I was to learn about Old Joes’ undeniable temperament.

This blend, another creation of the late Bob Runowski, was the next line on the heels of C&D’s precursor varietal Haunted Bookshop. Although the two mixtures essentially model the same basic ingredients within their respective recipes, having sampled both, it was easy to discern that is where the similarities largely halt. To put it quite simply, Old Joe Krantz’s doughty chorus rings much louder and stronger than the pitch voiced by the humble ghost by a long note. Not only does Old Joe not want you off his lawn, he will profoundly paddy whack you and doesn’t give a damn about the silly dog either.

Old Joe Krantz is a remarkably strong blend of bold Burleys, stoved Red Virginia and Louisiana Perique. Essentially I believe the particular sundries of tobaccos are identical to those that C&D used in the Haunted predecessor. The ratios and let down percentages are orchestrated, however, to put meat on the bone. Fully of vim and vigor, as they say, Old Joe Krantz is not one for those suffering with weakness in the knees. This hairy dog does most definitely bite. However, with repetitive stroking, this concoction ended up being a rather hardy and docile companion.

Looking very similar to Haunted spook, Old Joe, however, generally appears to a tad bit more composed by sorts. The dominant Burleys comes in a melody of deep browns, with considerably more ribbon, coarse, and cube cut morsels. Upon closer scrutiny, one can definitely see a more generous portion of the Virginia present in this mixture. Dubious in composure and hogging a bit more of the elbow room is the ever-present is black-brown flecks of loud Perique. The oldster looks more concise, not overly ruffled about the mane and not so dry either. Initial impressions, Old Joe presents himself respectfully although still somewhat rough in his aged texture. Subsequent to his general appearance, the tobacco packs easily and densely with some lively spring in the feet.

Deep, dark, and somewhat foreboding was the pouch … punch (?) aroma that I came to stumble upon with the greeting. The thick meaty Burley dominates the fragrance, offering an eminent woodiness low and primal in character, matured, a tad bit sour, and singing notes of rich dark chocolate. Intertwined was a very nice heavy stewed prune scent, waves of sweet grass offered by the Virginia that pop cleanly with obliging tanginess and the musty spirited spice refrain from the Perique. The blend’s aura is old-worldly and notable in my opinion.

If you have ever had a cup of black tea that was steeped far too long, then you know that initial sip thumps you right back in existence. Being characteristically heavy, stout, acrid and painfully bitter, so was the complexion of my inaugural drawls of Old Joe Krantz. The face Old Joe showed was that of a mean, brutish geezer. Up front are dark gnarly nuisances of embolden dense Burley swinging a paddle of Perique guaranteed to light up the seat of your pants. The overcooked tea would be a walk in the park by comparison. This old goat had an ornery disposition more like tar-soaked wood mixed with jalapeno juice. I rather was put back at first by Joe’s hard discipline but was determined to see the parlay through.

By mid-bowl, the grumpy codger rough as he was, finally showed his soft underbelly. The flavor came together morphing into a very heady, robust maduro cigar-like character; rich, spicy and slightly sour-sweet by way of taste. The Burley impressions amount to deep weathered, charred woodiness. Enfolded into the staunch brawn of the Burleys were delectable dark fruit notes of prune and raisin, surrounded by trailing accents of strong dark chocolate.

The racy Perique mellows considerably bringing some wonderful and palatable tones of musty pepper that consistently tingle the tip of the tongue. Hiding low are the sweet grassy notes of the Red Virginia, more discernible on the retro-hale. Old Joe leaves one with a very pleasant woody, grassy aftertaste. Interestingly enough, when I smoked in a cob, I found the blend to be much more creamy and polished; go figure? The Virginia, primarily a facilitator in smoothing out this blend’s rough edges, was definitely more pronounced; sweetening the overall flavor of the smoke. There is a constant citrusy tang, that when combined with the other daunting elements, produces a real buttery balanced texture. As with a briar, the Perique is a little more hateful, while there was an overt sourness and loss of the celebrated nuttiness in the Burleys unfortunately.

Joe emits a brooding heavy, thick grey cloud of smoke. Beefy, robust, spicy, darkened oaky woodiness, with feathers sweet burned grass by description. The aroma permeated the whole lower floor of my house not just confining itself to the particular room I happened to be smoking in. Perfume is long standing and makes its presence known for an extended time; Joe has much to say obviously. I would badge the essence as acutely powerful but cordial to the general pipe smoker; not some much to the non–smokers albeit. The mixture combusts extremely cool with neither biting nor cane-thrashing to be had. The burn is a little peppy nonetheless. So as to best savor, probably gentle slow sips on this one. The tobacco is well consumed for the entire smoke leaving a course black-silvery mound of ash with a halo of white engulfing it.

The more I smoked Old Joe Krantz the more congenial his countenance became. The blend definitely has strong legs and backbone. Not being decrepit or withered by any means, the mix brings a respectful and venerable demeanor. This is truly a blend that needs to be experienced and savored; no freight-training this granddaddy. Smoked fashionably, Old Joe offers a very full flavored, heady mixture with considerable character that comes alive, being well proportioned.

Not an all day smoke, I would only want to visit this elder on special occasion. This one does bring a noticeable nic kick, even for us cigar-smokers. One heaping bowl will leave you fully satiated and pleasantly relaxed for your next adventure.

Old Joe Krantz – remember to respect your elders. History has proven time again they have much to offer.

Epilogue: Runoswki’s source of inspiration for this blend was his grandfather. Like him, my own grandfather was an avid pipe smoker, also named Joe coincidentally. With its strong personality comparable my grandpa’s colorful Scotch-Irish spirit and being reminiscent of the beloved Burleys that he so fervently smoked, Old Joe Krantz brings some heartfelt sentimentality.

Being a burly based blend, I did not expect this to give me a sore mouth but it did. I purchased a pound of this almost 11 years ago, smoked a few bowls, and stored the rest, thinking the age would improve it, it did not. The taste is ok but the spiciness is overwhelming. edit:6/29/2020 after letting the tobacco air out, it smokes much better than it did before, it no longer gives me a sore mouth, it is growing on me, it is only fair to give it one more star.

All i can say is WOW!! Not for the weak. Old Joe Krantz starts out sweet but packs a wallop after the char light. If you complain of tobacco that tastes like water, Order this. It will put hair on your chest and provide a nice buzz. Old Joe Krantz proves the duality of Cornell & Diehl. After smoking this, You may need to come back to earth and smoke a bowl of Nutty irishman

I don't often crave burley.. but when I do.. old joe is one of the very best.. a little time in the jar helps to bring out the virginia a little more.. the initial light might make you suspect a greater content of virginia leaf.. but once it's going it fades into the background.. the burley is tasty.. not ultra complex.. but strong enough.. and it is the perique that really makes this shine.. enough pepper to keep me happy.. it also contrasts the simplicity and smoothness of the burley rather nicely.. good amount of nic but I'm relatively immune.. just a quality relaxing smoke.. I don't smoke it often.. but when I do, i wonder why i don't reach for it more often..

OJK is a pretty decent smoke, but it is quite heavy on Burley, so be advised. If you don't keep an eye on your smoking cadence, it will develop harsh spots that could be misconstrued as tongue-bite. The tin note is vinegary and quite acrid. This is probably coming from the perique it contains. Also, the perique leaf can be overpowering at times, and this tends to mask or push the burley to the background. As OJK does not contain any dark fired leaf, the smoking experience will be very different to most of the pipe tobaccos that claim to contain burley leaf in their blends. Hence the cigarettyish undertone most people describe or refer to. Having said that, if you watch your smoking cadence, OJK can be a pretty decent smoke. The harsh spots I am describing will then give way to this nutty dimension you will probably enjoy as your progress through every quarter of your bowl. On the other hand, the Virginia leaf seem to behave quite decently, with earthy and sweet undertones here and there. And for those who think it is too harsh and full-bodied at times, it is still possible to tone it down with some of the C&D's Virginia proprietary leaf. I think I am going to give it a 3 stars rating due to its inherent complexity and strength.

My introduction to Burley was a package containing Haunted Bookshop, Three Friars, and this. I still smoke this one today. Yeah it's a full quarter perique. Yeah it ain't subtle or complex. Is it a fantastic bowl of burley for your morning coffee? Abso-effing-lutely. Nutty burley with some fruit from the perique and enough nicotine to make you notice. I bounce between this and Storm Front. Old Joe is a top notch burley, but not for everyone hence the missing star. Proceed to Storm Front for a much more accessible smoke.

This is a blend I smoke pretty regularly when Im on the go. Its like a super high quality and much stronger version (and unsweetened, or rather uncased) of a dozen other burley blends out there. It has a nice nutty burley taste, with the virginia playing a very secondary role. It feels almost as if there is something besides Perique in there, too. But maybe its just the kind of burley used. It almost hints at a cigar taste on occasion. The nic hit is moderate, but smoke it fast and you're head will spin. It sustains its taste throughout.