Cornell & Diehl Old Joe Krantz

Strong and harsh. Can't find the pleasure in this one. Good northern winter tobacco for when you only can stand outside for a few puffs , plenty of Nicotine ! Burley is the main player, some sweetness at a sip but very one dimensional. In the straight VaPerBur category, C&D's " Three Friars" is much smoother and more interesting and P&C's "SumzaBitches" has more Perique and both keep the Burley in the background better than OJK.

I'm with reviewer " DK" from 5/21/09

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.

I think you have to be in the right mood for this one-- either that or love burleys. As having been a cigar smoker for a number of years, I think the best comparison is to a medium strength, dry, leathery cigar. It builds strength just like a cigar, and leaves a sour after taste like one too. This is not a cigar blend, it just reminds me of many of my former cigar smokes. The burley is dominant here. Once in awhile the virginia comes through. If you get in a nice slow, cool, cadence, this blend is quite enjoyable, but I would recommend a strong beverage along side to clear the palette, as this will build up on you. It's worth a try as something different, but for me, I will smoke it only occasionally. There are times when I enthusiastically enjoy it, and times when it is just too much. The nic hit is pleasant.

Ach!! This is some harsh smoke fellas, I need to toughen up.

I liked it, sublime tin note, and once it got going and was warm it was very good. Packs a decent wallop, I found myself giving it a lot of respect the whole way down the bowl, even after it mellowed at little at the halfway mark.

I couldn't get over how harsh the smoke was. It was sharp and intense, and it made me puff slowly and very carefully to get smaller amounts of smoke out of it which I then delicately managed. I don't think I've ever been so cautious about a smoke, maybe my first go-around with the Irish Flake.

Overall, a nice burley, and for a drop-dead price. That is good. I just couldn't relax with it though and found myself having to really focus on how I was smoking it, something I have never had to do to the same degree, even with harsher blends.

OJK (bulk) is a good Burley blend with a rich, old time taste that is, regrettably, cloyed by too much Perique. The high Perique content throws the blend completely out of balance and ruins an otherwise tasty smoke. Condiments should serve to merely tilt the taste of a blend. If a putz like me can understand that, then why couldn't an accomplished pro like Runowski see it? If Runowski had painted the Mona Lisa, her inscrutable smile would be just a silly, toothy grin. Less is more -- and blenders should utilize the properties of condiments to finesse a blend to perfection rather than clobber it with flavoring.

My low rating of this blend reflects not my displeasure with it so much as my disappointment over a lost opportunity for excellence. If you like Perique, and you're one to put a hot dog on your mustard, or add a splash of coffee to your cream, then go for OJK.

I find this blend to be harsh and boring. Not much in the way of enjoyment for me, aside from the generous nic hit provided. Crank up the Va's a little..bring some sweetness into the equation to drown out the cigarette similarities..and perhaps C&D would be onto something.

Not horrible...just there, for me anyway.

Old Joe Krantz… I finely got around to trying this blend after so many years. As it turned out, blends like this one, that are heavy on perique are not my favorites, between the high nic level and OJK’s spicy flavor, I gave up after smoking only about half of my new tin. When I need a solid nicotine punch in the head, I already have that covered with C/D burly flake #2, without the pepper. Of course this only my personal take on OJK, looking around this web-site, it looks like many of my fellow pipesters just love this stuff, so I guess my taste may run a little bit (old school) on the basic blend side. But for those that enjoy a SOLID Nic hit” and a nice spicy smoke, look no further, OJK is for you.

Another quality burley blend from C&D. Good earthy, nutty burley, which is a little bitter at times and touch of sweetness from the Virginia and probably from the plumminess (?) that you get from the Perique Old Joe is full flavored and very tasty. Nicotine is there, but not overwhelming; of course as always when discussing nicotine your mileage may vary.

Only giving it 2 stars because for me there's a bit too much Perique. It feels somewhat like I took a pepper shaker and shook it directly into the back of my mouth. If you like a good bit of Perique this is probably a 3 or 3.5 star blend for you.

This blend is just ok to me..not great..not bad. Like a few of our fellow reviewers below I find Old Joe to be kind of a harsh old prick. Just to rough on the palette for me...

Appearance: Rough cut/cube cut tobacco in various shades of brown. Aroma of natural tobacco, no flavorings here. A bit more "shake" then I like to see in a can. I probably could fill 2 bowls with it. I have to blend it in as I go so I don't end up with just that left. Moisture level a tad drier then I prefer.

Packing: See comment about shake above..that said it packs easy enough. Can be codger scooped, although that practice may contribute more to the shake problem..

Smoking: Here's where this one loses me. It just seems harsh. I know and understand the style C&D are shooting for here, but to me it's a miss. Ok, they are creating a codger burley for all day smoking. No frills, no sweetness, just an honest smoke. Well, I 'm not quite a codger yet however I do smoke the blends throughout the day and in my opinion other blenders do it better. Maybe it's the slight perique pepper? Hard to say. My regular evening smokes are Bayou Night or Kajun Kake both peppered and are amongst my favorite smokes of all time! I go through pounds of them. Maybe my palette needs a break during the day? Who knows. As far as the vitamin N..I'm basically immune at this point. It does behave well in the pipe and smokes down to a dry ashy finish.

In conclusion this blend will be/already is a favorite of many but I will have to take a pass on future purchase. Too harsh/rough for me. In this style I'm sticking with either the Prince or Cotton Boll as my all day. I'll finish my portion but won't be purchasing more. Worth trying though as an example of the style..and you may like it..many do

A rare miss from C&D for me..