Cornell & Diehl Old Joe Krantz

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.

Another of C&D's Winning Burley Blends

Appearance and Tin Aroma: This smells like figs, sweet. There's lots o'perique in this blend! Cubes of burley are readily visible, lots of mohagany leaf (Kentucky?), red Va as well.

Packing and Lighting: This one is a little more moist than the usual C&D offerrings, but still perfect for immediate smoking. 2-3 lights max.

Initial Flavor: Once the match is lit, you are directly confronted with a mellow Burley-Perique symphony. I am allergic to Perique, but this one does not trigger my allergy right away.

Mid-Bowl: This is deliciously warm, round, and sweet in a natural way. Yumm.

Bottom of Bowl: Most Perique blends get very spicy at this point, but this one stayed shy of a peppery assualt. Rather it gave a nice "Tadum" ending to the smoke.

Overall: In spite of my allergy to Perique, I will continue to smoke this blend as an occassional delight. It did cause my lips to swell a little (and I already have big lips!) and a few pimples formed around my lips, but it did not cause a reaction in my throat or tongue. This blend once again showcases what can be done with Burley. Of course, you must like Burley to begin with.This burns to a nice, fine, grey ash with no moisture issues and leaves a fine grey dusting in the bowl as well. Thank you C&D...

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.

OJK is my go to robust unflavored burley based blend. When smoking I’m not looking for nicotine but with OJK nicotine is looking for me. I need to go easy with this. Smoke I small bowls and easy on cadence. Strong burleys in flake form often present issues for me with nicotine as to keep them lit I tend to puff too hard and then I get too much buzz. The C&D burley flakes present that challenge and if it’s strong, cased and moist it’s even more of an issue (I’m looking at you Irish Flake). But OJK is a dry cool burning loose cut that I can sip and enjoy the earthy nutty burley flavor with out being overwhelmed by nicotine if I’m careful. The red Virgina rounds some rough burley edges and the Perique offers a nice spice. I find it strange that I get less plumb fruit raisin notes in OJK than Haunted Bookshop even though I suspect it’s the same ingredient. OJK has a nice cigar like quality that I like whereas Haunted Bookshop gives me more cigarette notes and a rougher less refined experience. I also find Haunted Bookshop can surprisingly run hot for me compared with OJK. It’s also nice the OJK cut allows me to scoop a bowl from a pouch without having to worry about the random flakes in Haunted Bookshop. Not an all day nor every day smoke for me but when I’m in the mood to get punched in the face I reach for OJK.

Highly persuaded by its favourable reviews, I decided to give OJK a shot. Sadly, I imagine I received a terrible batch. Cigarette ashiness was the only thing this smoke, almost void of body, had to offer. Casing it myself with some Jack Daniel’s Old no. 7, some of its sweetness luckily rubbed off on its leaves, making it tolerable. Other than this, I cannot imagine myself investing in this blend again.

Here's the deal, I've been on a long Balkan and VaPer with some flavoured tobacco bender and I was looking forward to a burly burley.

I generally think I like burleys, I get the nuttiness, the occasional cocoa, and the mouthfeel. Red Virginias I also like as they're a bit heavier, more robust than golden Virginias. Perique is basically never unwanted for me, so the combo sounded just like what I needed. But, as they say, you can ignore anything anyone ever says until AFTER the word "but". So I was very hyped to try this blend, but...

...I didn't find a lot here!

The tin was filled to the brim, so much so that it made me wonder about my other C&D tins which were filled to about 4/5, yet when I loaded my pipe I understood why: this tobacco is fairly dry and very springy, while other offerings I've had, flakes, plugs, Latakia and the like were certainly moister. The smell from the tin is not the best, reminds me a bit of soured milk, but I've come to consider this the smell of C&D blends with Perique. Didn't get a lot of what I think of as burley smell, but I wasn't phased, filled up a pipe and lit.

Initial draw was of Perique, and "generic" - if there's such a thing - tobacco taste. It's not Oriental, it's not Virginia Flake, it's not VaPer, or Latakia, and definitely not flavoured. It's tobacco, no more no less. The bowl smoked effortlessly to the heel, coolly and consistently. However here's where the problems started for me, there was not much flavour here! I'd get the unmistakable taste of Perique on the nose, lower amount than Bayou Morning Flake, but quite a hefty dose still but really not a lott else I could put my finger on. Unpleasant? Not at all, just a bit bland. Definitely not something I'd consider having a nicotine kick either.

I smoked 4 bowls in quick succession, someone might say that a tin needs to breathe, you need to finish the tin to have a complete opinion etc, but I disagree, I know myself, I instantly know if I like something. Maybe I have asbestos tongue, who knows, but this tobacco, although it is not bad in any way it didn't interest me a lot either, unfortunately. Will finish and enjoy this tin for what it is, but won't buy again.

Edit: forgot to add, this is most definitely an all-day tobacco, sometimes one does not need to be stimulated all the time, and this tobacco would fill this niche.

Sweeter than haunted bookshop, a nice Virginia sweetness (fresh cut green grass) and peppered with the perique but not enough to make it spicy (a good thing in my opinion).

Most reviews of OJK will compare it to haunted bookshop, and vice versa. I for one think this is a step above Haunted Bookshop, it is not as boring. I use HB as a blending agent to give my aromatics more nicotine and smoke, Old Joe Krantz is more enjoyable by itself. Definitely an all day smoke.

I have not really ever enjoyed a C&D blend, so I had to ask myself why pull up a tin of OJK from the basement stash? Answer: I love the Burley/Virginia blend above all others! But, OJK has the hated Perique! No matter, time for another chance to put aside my bias and stretch a bit. For me, that’s quite a stretch!

The flavor is simply wonderful, with no unpalatable aftertaste, just a little white pepper at the back of the throat and a nose tickle on retro-haling. Who can account for earlier aversions to pipe tobacco experiences. I cannot! But, my experience with OJK serves to remind me that tastes change. Maybe they mature and maybe they simply change with some kind of unfathomable taste chemistry. Perhaps I should re-experience all the C&D blends I have shoved aside. That could be fun!

It subsequently occurred to me that single malt whiskies, which I very much enjoy, especially in their higher ABV expressions, will attack the lips and gums much the way the Perique does in OJK! I enjoy that malt flavor experience. I suppose part of my difficulty in similarly enjoying perique could be an “over-emphasis” on smoothness in my flavor/tactile experience.