Cornell & Diehl Bayou Morning

This tobacco really fills a niche! Here is what I mean: I love full VA tobaccos, particularly in the fall/winter when full flavors really warm the soul. Sort of like crackling fireplaces, roasted chestnuts . . . (you get the picture). It is this time of year when I turn from high-end Burleys (Barbary Coast, MacBaren London Blend) and other warm-weather tobacco, to Latakias and VA flakes.

The "problem" (I hate to use that word) with flakes, is that they are slow-burning and take lots of time to smoke. And time is not always something I have alot of to spare; although it is great when I do.

This C&D blend has wonderful full VA taste and body, with hints of spicy Perique. The beauty with this tobacco, however, is that the cut (ribbon) makes it an easy and relatively quick burn. So you can have the taste of a VA flake, with the convenience of a ribbon tobacco. And don't be fooled by the appearance and pouch aroma. Both are sort of basic (kind of boring). This tobacco is all about flavor!

So for you folks who like VA flakes, but don't always have the time to savor a flake, try this!

Original review (09/14/2003)

What a pleasant surprise Bayou Morning turned out to be. I ordered a sampler from C&D 4 months ago and sealed them in Mason jars to meld and age a little.

Today I popped Bayou Morning and filled my Radice Rind billiard. It is a fairly dry ribbon cut that is a heterogenous mixture of light to dark brown. The smell is of tobacco with a slightly sweet smell that could be a topping of some type or maybe just Virginias.

The flavor is sweet and spicy. Obviously, the blend is composed of quality Virginias and perique. I really didn't expect to like this blend as much as I do. I like the full, straight forward flavor. There is nothing subtle here, just good quality Virginias with just enough perique to bring out the flavor of the Virginias. I would highly recommend this tobacco to any VA/perique fancier.

Traditionally, I have always mixed a little perique with McClelland 5100 for a nice VA/perique ribbon cut. Bayou Morning could take its place in my rotation, only time will tell. I only rate this 3 stars because I prefer a flake tobacco.

Update (12/20/2009) A couple of weeks ago I opened 8oz. of bulk Bayou Morning that I sealed in a Mason jar over 6 years ago. What a magnificent blend it has become, with striking, but rounded and pleasant flavors. It compares with any Va/perique I've smoked. The tobacco smells of ripe fruit. Upon lighting the flavors are classic sweet/sour found in well blended Va/periques. I have another 8oz. I sealed the same day that I will continue to age. Now C&D sells their bulk in sealed tins so there's no excuse for not putting some away today.

A perfect companion to Three Friars, but markedly different. Here the Virginias are brown and toasty, and the overall taste is sweeter on the back of the tongue. The Perique is there, but I find it restrained. The flavor and quality of the tobacco are extraordinarily good. I detect a sweetener that is probably not neutral, but it is used so sparingly that it is difficult to identify. Yet, it adds a nuance that complements the Virginia. The overall effect is a sweet, mild, toasty Virginia with a light Perique tang and no bite. This is also a beautiful tobacco to handle and pack, as is Three Friars. It is a bit on the dry side, and can take a firm pack, and it burns a long, long time. This is a slow sipping Va./Perique lovers tobacco. Midway through the smoke we are hitting the Perique zone and getting very, very close to Escudo. Bayou Morning and Three Friars are likely to become my first choices for a ribbon cut Va./Perique. Blast! Now I am compelled to sample even more of the C&D tobaccos, especially their Perique blends. Highly recommended. Paddy.

Nice easy to pack ribbons on the light side colorwise. Lights and burns well. Good creamy smoke (almost chewable). Flavor is pure tobacco, slightly sweet, slightly peppery. Not particularly nuanced but I find nuanced tobaccos kind of tedious. Give me good easily detected tastes any day. First class Virginia/Perique blend.

This is another superb Bob Runowski mixture.His intention in working this up was to create a VA & Perique "without training wheels". Let me be the first to say publicly that Bob has succeeded.

Bayou Morning is a straight forward VA/Perique mixture - no 100 piece orchestra here with nuances and arpeggios (sp?). I would liken this more to a 4-piece chamber ensemble - beautiful to listen to but uncomplicated. Bayou Morning comes straght at you from the start with a semi-sweet and spicy flavor that remains consistent from first light to last puff. The sweetness of the bright VA does develope a little as you progress, but it seems that the VA is not as sweet as some and that is a good thing as the perique lends its own savory cooking mushrooms presence. I attempted to see what kind of tongue bite I could receive by puffing vigorously and sure enough I got that tingle/burn at the back of my throat reminding me to show a little respect.

One matter of note - Bayou Morning DGT's like absolutely NOTHING I have ever tried before. DGT'ing reveals a creamy and rich/sweet smoke that will make me DGT as a matter of practice with this excellent mixture.

I'd give it a solid 4 out of 5.

My first approach was following the name that invites me to smoke on a Sunday morning with very nice results. The combinations of Virginia create a nice basis for the perique in the blend, very well balanced. Some pepper and typical Virginias flavors can be found in the nose. A very pleasant and clean mixture of Virginias with perique. Recommended.

Strange thing, before I picked up some straight perique for identification and comparison purposes, this was one of my favorites. Now that I can identify the perique and separate it in my mind from the Virginia somewhat, this isn't coming across as anything special. The perique isn't even coming across all that strong, and I get none of the fetid notes I've noticed in other perique blends (and certainly the straight perique). A lot of pepper, but not a lot of the other and relatively few good things I sometimes get from perique, like fruit. There's some grassiness and creaminess, but little sweetness. The second hand smoke/room note is also a little harsh, and not justified by the blend's merits.

All that said, it's not terrible, just disappointing after having expanded my horizons a little bit. My disappointment is obviously also a product of my personal taste. If this were a nicotine bomb I could see it having some utility because it's not entirely unpleasant, it's cheap, and comes in an easy-to-work-with ribbon cut, but the nicotine content isn't spectacular either. If you like it enough to want to smoke a bunch of it, I'm sure you'd find the nicotine content satisfactory. I could see someone loving this, but I just don't.

I had a tough time understanding this one. The tin note is tangy and funky, a little like hay, a lot more like silage. Not my favorite by any means. Behaves well on the smoke and is definitely quality but it just has a flavor that’s not for me. I always kinda hate when people review styles they don’t like and then say they don’t like it. But I guess that’s what I’m doing here, I like my perique as a whisper in va/pers, even usually prefer straight virginas, so maybe it’s just my fault for not liking perique. Even after a long aging (8+ years) I didn’t care for it. If you love it more power to ya, but it’s a one tin and done for me.

When you open the tin, the typical aroma of ferment, cheese and vinegar of the perique appears that C & D usually uses in their mixes. Taking a pinch of tobacco shows that it comes a little on the dry side. When you light the pipe you immediately notice the good dose of perique that it contains, but without overwhelming ... as long as you like perique. My tastes may change in the future, but at this point in my life as a pipe smoker the ones I enjoy the most are those who have a good perique presence from beginning to end. I thought it might be similar to Bayou Morning Flake (which is one of my favorites), but the only thing they are alike is in the name ... Here the perique is the protagonist and makes this a fruity, sweet, greedy, and also more monotone than the “Flake” version. However, this is not a problem for me when the flavor is rich, so I am enjoying when I smoke this, although I think the reviewers who claim it maintains the same flavor from start to finish are right. Like I say, this is not a problem for me. If it is not a problem for you either and you like the perique, maybe you should not miss the opportunity to try it. Of course, I have already gotten some tin for the reserve ...

This tobacco seems to me a very good option for those who are starting to smoke a pipe and want to appreciate the perique that they cannot find in other mixtures.

12/09/2021: I have noticed that I do not go to this tobacco as often as others that are in my rotation, that's why I am lowering it a star, but without much conviction in my decision. Certainly, I think it is not an everyday tobacco, as its flavor potency is somewhat overwhelming. However, I still find it interesting to smoke from time to time ...

If for you who are reading this, it is also too powerful in taste, I recommend you smoke it in a pipe with the longest mouthpiece. I don't know if it's something psychological or has some scientific basis, but I think it softens the flavors. Accompanying it with a whiskey also enhances the experience. Works for me...