Cornell & Diehl Black Knight

The blender Cornell & Diehl is said to have blended the Black Knight pipe blend originally for the Yahoo Pipe Smokers Club. This is certainly an interesting blend that could be generally considered an English blend although it contains a small percentage of tobaccos that are not considered to be of staple use in the true English tobacco blends.

The tin aroma is a balanced combination of smoky, leathery, nutty, and sweet aromas. Black Knight contains both red and bright Virginias, Burley, a dash of Perique, and a decently large dose of both Syrian and Cyprian Latakia tobaccos. The color is evenly distributed between black/blue, brown, and yellow shades.

The cut is of a chopped one that resembles the consistency of confetti. No rubbing is required. Packing is simple and the initial moisture is slightly dry and seems to be just right for immediate smoking.

This blend takes effortlessly to a flame and yields a dove gray ash. Black Knight tobacco burns completely with little or no dottle at all. The room note is pleasant to the English tobacco smoker?s nose yet does not seem to be overpowering to the non-smokers in the near vicinity.

The taste is the true hallmark of this blend. A fantastic interplay between the Syrian and Cyprian Latakias makes for an interesting smoke. The Virginias definitely add a pleasing sweetness and the Burley tends to add an underlying nuttiness to the smoke. The blender states that this pipe tobacco blend contains Perique, but it must be in the slightest amounts for it never once makes itself well known. Black Knight has close to no bite and yields a smooth medium smoke.

Cornell & Diehl have truly composed a great tobacco blend with Black Knight. The addition of the Syrian Latakia seems to add a welcoming woody/sweet dimension to the taste. One could smoke this tobacco all day without fear of a charred tongue or of boredom. Overall, a fantastic smoke.

This was to be a Latakia lovers dream blend. Now, I am not saying it isn?t, but it is so well-blended that the Latakia doesn't drown out the other leaf in this blend. Even on opening the pouch, while the Latakia is very noticeable, it simply sets a backdrop to the rest of the tobaccos. As with most C&D blends, the moisture level is perfect (to my tastes), a bit on the dry side. This enables it to pack easily and light with minimum effort. It smokes very cool and smooth. Very nice flavors flow throughout. Smoky and sweet predominate, with nutty highlights making ephemeral appearances. There is the slight piquancy of Perique and there is a hint of the taste of raisins. For those who like Latakia, this will be a treat. For those who want Latakia drip, you?ll like it but be disappointed. For those who are interested in trying something with Latakia in it, this would be a good starting point. There is a nice offsetting interplay of the Cyprian and Syrian Latakias, both benefitting from the presence of the other - sweet and yet so smooth and smoky. The complexity of this blend is best enjoyed while sitting back and relaxing - maybe a fine Merlot would do nicely. If not, a hot chocolate works real nicely.

This review is based from a single tin which went rather quickly. What I remember is this was aged somewhere from three to four years when I popped the tin which turned the yellow and red VA's in this blend into something truely special. The Syrian I suppose is the same that was going into the Pease Syrian mixtures at that time and the result is just a fantastic smoke. Regarding some of the other reviews-- Black Knight is certainly complex, I do not find the burley or any specific tobacco a main player in this mixture, and my tin did indeed contain a significant amount of 'dust' or tobacco bits which are too small to be smoked. If you still have tins of this stuff lying around you're in for a treat, I think.