Cornell & Diehl Old Joe Krantz

This is an outstanding burly blend. Love the peppery overtone of perique and the sweetness and aroma of the VA. This is in the running with GLP Haddo's Delight for me (another one of my favorites). I would recommend this blend for the more seasoned smokers. Definitely a blend to be puffed gently. Not a good blend for breaking in.

Well I got my half pound of Old Joe Krantz bulk yesterday... I've been smoking a lot of McClelland Virginias mostly, and was pretty well burned out on the flavors there. I had tried Night Train and liked it, Briar Fox not so much though it was okay, but I wanted to try this Burley blend to see where I stand when you increase the burley quotient blended with Virginias. You see, more background here, I haven't reviewed Rainier Long Golden Flake here, but it remains my sort of paragon for pipe tobacco, and it has a burley component. After my McClelland Virginia phase, I began to realize that some burley seemed to be in most of the blends I enjoyed. And so was Virginia, and I knew I liked Perique from the McClelland experiments and from Night Train. I began mixing larger and larger burley amounts into the McClellands to some better results. This is a long story to explain where I'm at, but... the pipe experience is a strange one. You can find yourself swearing by one thing one day and decide the opposite must be true the next. Never before has such subjectivity in consumption been exercised by myself than with the pipe and its mysterious appetites.

Nevertheless, I never got around to trying OJK for one reason or another yesterday, and I found myself unable to sleep well last night. Whether it was because I had neglected to try OJK or not I don't know, but for many hours lying awake and reading last night, I was not able to get out of my head how great a pipeful of my new tobacco sounded. So, I eventually gave in and had some of that tobacco, a little early for me as I normally don't really smoke in the morning, usually until 10 or 11. Well, at 7 I lit up in the cloudy hazy morning, and leisurely displaced hours of frustrations. So maybe all this has something to do with the fact that I really really enjoyed the flavors of this tobacco, the interplay especially between the nutty Burleys and the tangy Perique, and with the fact that I'm now writing this glowing review. Hats off, Cornell and Diehl, hats off and thank you for this really great, really interesting tobacco. And I must also thank PipesandCigars.com, from which said tobacco arrived in perfect condition and at the proper humidity level, etc.

I will not elaborate on the finer points of this tobacco, that's been said. I was taken by the first puff of the first bowl of Old Joe, a man who must have had discriminating taste. This tobacco packs and burns extremely well - few relights. At times it can provide a salty taste (at least for me), something some smokers seek and like in a tobacco and others despise. Personally, I welcome it. Old Joe won't bite you, he's too nice. The perique is discernible and enhances the smoking pleasure. If you don't want to try a full burley blend but would rather 'dip your toes (read tongue)' in burley with some spicy perique, start with Old Joe, he won't disappoint you.

You know who hates Old Joe Krantz? Terrorists. Because the predominant flavor and aroma is that of American Freedom™ for which they hate us, a composite of strong burley and rich red Virginia. You'll find plenty in bright Virginia and perique, of course, no doubt why Runowski seasoned this blend with a goodly amount of the latter.

Like bacon, even if some of the rest of us choose not to enjoy it, we do want to - vegetarians, Jewish people - and the nonkosher animal fat of OJK is the formidable strength characteristic of a country that outspends all others ten to one on its military.

There is a quality here I've not found in any other blend: it's not any single component but their brilliant interplay that, somewhere around the second third of the bowl, consistently brings out a delicious flavor of the kind of warm and comforting baking spices you might find in the most American of pies, apple.

From top to bottom, however, what sets Old Joe Krantz apart from other blends is a deeply profound yet unpretentious honesty. While it wouldn't be accurate to describe it as complex, it is something of a mystery how the metaphorical elements of imperialism and domestic surveillance are reduced to but a slight bitterness typical of some burleys and, even then, only when you've explored beyond the surface.

To paraphrase American philosopher Jack Handy, if God dwells within each of us, like some folks say She does, I hope She likes Old Joe Krantz. Because that's what She's getting.

I pledge allegiance by the pound.

I bought this one to try something new. Got it by looking through the tobacco locator on Smokingpipes.com. This one hit all the right buttons.

The tin note is burley overly. This is the main component you'll notice. The ribbons are really nice for C&D, even uniform. Close to a cigarette shag. It packs well, and takes a few lights to get it going properly. Does form an ash cake that will prevent relights if you just tamp the ash down. Best to stir it off and ash it out, I find.

It's earthy and smokey. The perique isn't very generous imho, but adds a nice bit of spice to it, with a bit of dark fruit. This is brought out well by the small amount of red va they put in here. Also adds a light sweetness that is very helpful. It's simple and strong, but not too simple. It's also delicious, I could smoke this all day once I got used to the strength. Good straightforward tobacco flavor, without getting dull. No bite, and a nice dry smoke.

I tried haunted bookshop recently, and this is much better I think. It says the man just tinkered with the blend a bit. He did very well. Worth trying if you like strong tobaccos of mostly burley. And/ or are also a fan of va/pers. It reminds me of haddos delight with a lot less perique and va. Same sort of vibe comes from it. If you like those, but not strong blends, man up and try an ounce. Worst case, you're out a few bucks. Highly recommended.

Wow, what a great straight forward and stout burley blend. Not an especially complex blend but strong, flavorfull and satisfying. Room note and flavor takes you back to those places in decades past where men gathered smoking their pipes. Nic hit is stout, as it should be; otherwise, what's the point? Of the many blends I've smoked this is the only one that you simply cannot press hard enough to bite or irritate your mouth. Can be smoked hot in a wet pipe and still doesn't bite. Easily an all day smoke. It's availability and bulk pricing make it a no brainer for the guy that smokes several bowls a day. A great American style blend. Flavored cavendish smokers need not apply.

Another blend I have to give credit to YouTube Pipe Community Presenter, "Matches860" for. Watching John's videos has opened me up to some really superb blends, this being one of them.

To my personal taste, Old Joe Krantz is like Haunted Bookshop on steroids!! Be respectful and smoke this one like a gentleman or Old Joe will kick your ass!!

If you haven't already, check out "Matches860" videos on YouTube. Light up a bowl and sit back and enjoy and maybe, like me, you might just learn a thing or two. Great presenter and all around nice guy!

This is the other tin I purchased from C&D at our 2014 NASPC show to sample along with Haunted Bookshop; which, I thought, was too weak as a stand alone smoke but blended well and that allowed me to raise its ranking from two to three stars. Old Joe Krantz is in another whole category by itself in comparison. My initial assessment was as a three star offering and here's why. Although nice and toasty and tasty in its burley splendor, every bowl I lit proceeded through the following pattern: I would light, the tobacco would erupt up out of the bowl like a Vesuvius event and I would tamp down and relight - repeatedly. The minimum number of retamps and relights would always number three or more and consume the entire top third of every bowl! I'm giving this blend a high score even though I have only a vague idea what the top third of each bowl tastes like. Interestingly enough, a fellow smoker was over on Christmas day with - what else - an opened tin of Old Joe and we lit it up and it behaved like it was a polite college graduate compared to mine? When I would hit the beginning of the middle third of each bowl, the smoking was so enjoyable and it finished in the same manner. This fact, plus the fact that it micro blended well, has to yield four stars in any realm of the smoking universe - four big ones.

This has become my all day smoke, if there is such a thing. This is a full tobacco IMO, however, all the ingredients are in balance. I love Burley, so the nice rich base in greatly appreciated. The Virginia adds a nice sweet note to this blend, subtle but there, and the Perique rounds it out with a nice spicy kick.

This blend is by far one of the best blends I have ever smoked. It is the top of my rotation and is being stocked in my cellar.