Cornell & Diehl Briar Fox

Update*** After a few months of leaving this one alone and trying it again, I'm going to up my rating after all. It's made of a predominance of brown Virginias (really don't see many yellows or brights), and I wouldn't doubt some Burley to contradict my earlier review (especially since the blend has hardly any bite). A fine nutty smoke, with a slight bitter edge, I mean real slight because it's mostly sweet and nutty, without too much of the grassy quality of many Virginia blends. Love it. C&D is really spoiling me.

**old one***I guess I'm mostly in line with the reviews here. This is an obviously carefully prepared and cared for tobacco. I'm not sure why the wax paper exactly, but it makes it feel like you're opening a present or some ancient artefact the first time. I think that's half the experience, at least the first few times. Given the regalia, one would hope for a more overwhelming smoke, but let me say, it's definitely not bad. Just not all that might be promised. It's smooth, but almost to a frustrating degree, at least for me. I mean, I guess I'm left feeling it needs just a little more spice or something, maybe just a dash of Perique or, dare I say, a touch of some not too crazy Burley perhaps. I'm still holding out hope for this one, however, and I will try to update soon.

I do not have as refined a pallet as many pipe smokers. As in I cannot describe a tobacco like a famous chef describes food. But I did very much enjoy Briar Fox. It smokes cool and long. My Peterson Shannon bent apple has a bowl for 30-40 minute smokes; a bowl of Briar Fox lasted a little over an hour. The flavor is pleasant and full; it would be easy to call this blend mellow but that is the wrong word.

---

The blend has decent nicotine kick. As someone who crossed over to briar from cigarettes it's often hard to find tobacco that satisfies the addiction without being overwhelming in taste. This has become my new stand bye because it tastes wonderful but isn't mellow. It's pleasant; if I may go so far, the epitome of pleasant. This blend stands out to me because it is full and complex but never so much so that it feels like a war in my mouth. Maybe balanced is the right word?

I really like that C&D only uses distilled water, no propylene glycol to mess up the leaf. That little technique really comes through with BF which is a very natural-tasting, tasty treat. Not overly sweet, not overly bitter, it's like a good IPA with a great balance of sweet and - as we say here in Louisiana in reference to iced tea - unsweet. And I really like the crumble cake format which is very easy to rub out.

The leaf comes a bit drier than average, which I enjoy, packs great (I pack it firmer than most otherwise the draw is too free) and burns impeccably. The flavors are earthy and natural, and I always get a smile on my face when I reach for the Fox.

Briar Fox is a blend from Cornell & Diehl described as the personal blend of Peter Heeschen. Knowing that pedigree, I anxiously cracked open a tin. This is a straight Virginia blend, in appearance a mix of gold, brown, and dark brown, pressed together into a crumble cake. The aroma is both sweet and slightly fermented, and, to my nose, exceptional and alluring. The cake easily breaks apart, yielding a nice pile of tobacco at, for me, the ideal moisture level for smoking. The early bowl has a bit of a tang to it, but I suspect that tang may mellow as a tin is allowed to age. But unlike many C&D blends, which I feel need some age before they are smokeable, Briar Fox, because of the pressing, is ready to go. The tobacco lights easily, and once lit it stays lit. Once into the bowl, the smoker is in for a real treat. The early tang disappears, yielding to flavors of sweet hay. But there is a subtle depth to it as well, which comes through more and more as the bowl is burned. The smoke becomes quite smooth and easy. Sipping will yield the various flavors within the smoke, but heavier puffing isn't going to send any smoker looking for a tongue transplant. The sweetness level of Briar Fox is less than that of many Virginias, especially red Virginias. But that shouldn't deter anyone from trying this tobacco. The flavor is delightful and surprisingly complex. There is a nicotine punch that surprised me a bit, and Virginia lovers should be aware of this. It took me several bowls of Briar Fox to learn the tobacco, and how to smoke it. Once I did, however, I found it to be smooth, pleasant, gentle, and extremely tasteful. This is a Virginia I will return to frequently.

Tin: Fig, hay, red wine fragrance, pressed into a block, wrapped in paper, that looks like Days O Work chewing tobacco. There are shades of brown with flecks of black. BF is not sticky, but is on the dry side. It is a prime candidate for rehydration(GLPease.com/FAQ).

Packing & Lighting: When broken up, the cake is a coarse ribbon . You have to pull apart and rub the tobacco, which I find to be a small chore and messy. Not as big a chore as it is with a flake or roll cut, after handling the little block for a couple of days, it becomes an agreeable task.

It is easily overpacked. The first two bowls were packed lightly, but became too difficult to even draw through it. The third bowl was gravity-fed only, tamped down while smoking, and again became difficult to draw. Just gravity-fill the pipe, tapping the side of the bowl, then cautiously tamp it down while smoking slowly. Funny thing, but later bowls do not give this problem.

On first light, the bowl smoke makes the nose tingle. The tobacco lights easily, being dry. The bowl becomes hot, but the smoke remains nice and cool, until the end of the bowl, where it is hot. This dry tobacco produces very little moisture.

BF burns quickly to the bottom, on one match. To control the burn rate, pack the bowl with some of the tobacco in chunks.

Taste: Tastes like the tin aroma: fig, prune, light hay or toast, natural red wine spice character; while not sweet like a McClelland or Dunhill's SM, BF is fleetingly sweet.

Aroma: Like the tin aroma, and taste. Lightly packed, more taste and aroma evolves.

Nicotine: BF has plenty, sometimes as much as Dunhill 965 or EMP, sometimes no stronger than SM Mild.

Overall: BF has qualities of a good VA, though not sweet. BF compares favorably to Dunhill's SM, in quality. It's a nice, toasty VA that delivers a light, natural fragrance, worth the price. Hunting for a fine VA smoke to be enjoyed at all times of the day? Cornell & Diehl sounds the tallyho. The Briar Fox is in the trace.

There's something about crumble cakes that I find hard to resist. It's not just the intriguing nature of seeing various leaves come together in a sort of melange, or the great fun in packing them with a pressure to your exacting desire--it also has to do with the way the flavors seem to meld together in a way that escapes even flakes and plugs.

The nature of this cake in particular was different. It's not in the same as something like Penzance, which is a moist, oily beast that seems to just fall apart in your hands. Briar Fox is instead a tightly compressed block of ribbon cut Virginias. It's a dry, hay-like thing that lends well to breaking apart with your hands, or a slice from a sharp knife. I remember arguing with a fellow pipe smoker how this didn't exactly fit the definition of a "krumble kake", but we seemed to agree that the cut is different, and it works..and well at that.

Because of the lack of excessive moisture, Briar Fox lights and burns with a focussed intensity. There's a relaxed variety here in how you can cut the block-like cakes, which is great for those who prefer long, smoldering smokes, or a short, fast burning exercise. I found it best to allow for a thicker cut, which cut the heat of the burn and didn't excessively tax my pipe.

The taste here is certainly a much different animal from your typical McClelland Virginia. It has the sweetness of a Virginia with something of a crisp definition in flavor. Briar Fox also manages to come with a body that will pack a wallop, which I have found rare for such a light Virginia blend comprised of mostly golden ribbons. Smoke this one with a tiny bowl, and you'll find yourself running for seconds. Good stuff.

The Fox is welcome in my home anytime.

4.0 of 4.0

This has to be one of best kept secrets from Cornell and Diehl, upon removing the lid and unwrapping the clear plastic wrap I saw what looked like a couple of medium sized meat balls.

The packing of my Erik Neilsen was fairly easy as was the lighting of the tobacco itself. The tobacco itself was a two match light with the first just to lightly braise the tobacco. To my surprize (IMHO) there was very little tongue bite, but one needs to smoke this tobacco very slowly to enjoy the taste of the Virginias that are blended together.

I did notice the first 6 to 8 puffs the tobacco was not what I really expected, but continueing on became very rewarding as the sweetness of the Virginias were coming through. By the time I reached the bottom of the bowl I wanted at least another minute of this extraodinar blend.

If you enjoy the taste of a fine Virginia this tobacco is meant for you, and if you want to try a Virginia for the first time this is the one I would highly recommend. Cornell and Diehl have proved once more that you can enjoy a Virginia Blend without the harsh tongue bite.

I avoided Briar Fox for a while, since it sounded a bit basic and I wasn't fond of burleys. Now, however, I've been smoking almost nothing but Burley and have developed my palette a bit more. Turns out that the leaf can be quite complex once you gain some experience with it and purchase the right varieties, and you can't go wrong with C&D.

Many reviewers say that this blend is basic, boring, tastes like cigarettes, and so on; but I believe they are simply inexperienced with C&D's burley for the most part. Almost all C&D tobacco has minimal casing and as such will taste closer to cigarettes or cigar leaf. It's a divisive trait but I love it, expect spicy and earthy natural tobacco flavors from all C&D blends.

Except, Briar Fox is the most familiar of all C&D blends. It has less natural flavor, it seems to be more heavily cased and possibly topped. To the nose, it seems like it's been draped in molasses. It seems to be mostly VAs with a healthy amount of Burley, so the blend is naturally pretty sweet on its own, but maybe not as much as pouch aromatic smokers might expect. If your palette is not well refined, you might find the sweetness lacking, but I found it to be just right.

Tin note is wonderful. It smells exactly like fresh-baked oatmeal cookies -- an aroma of molasses, cinnamon, allspice, oats, and dark raisins.

The flavors blend wonderfully and are surprisingly complex. It tastes almost like the tin note, actually, once you get past the first third of the bowl. At first it's not that impressive, but it definitely develops well. In the foreground I got a distinct buttery flavor, almost salty and caramelized. In the background -- brown sugar, barley, and an ephemeral hint of dark fruit or floral vanilla from the VAs. Burley ties the whole blend together and gives it an earthy, hay-like quality dominated by a toasty flavor and a nutty profile similar to macadamia nuts.

This is, however, a VA/Burley, so it will present with some unpleasantness from time to time. Occasionally it has a soapy or metallic taste, but it will go away quickly. This is an extremely divisive genre and people seem to either love or hate it. Like most VA/Burleys it also sometimes reminds me of urinal cakes or Dr. Pepper. I love this flavor, but many hate it, so beware. If you can handle the occasional rare divergence into VA/Burley's idiosyncrasies, then it won't be an issue.

The burning characteristics are good and the tin arrived rather moist. A handful of minutes of drying time might be beneficial, but I found it to burn well with minimal bite right out of the package. It can burn quickly, so watch yourself.

Some tips for enjoying this blend, and other VA/Burleys, or even C&D blends in general:

1. Sip it verrrry slowly. Smoke too fast and you will get harsh "cigarette" flavors and lose all the nuances and complexity. I suspect people who claim this blend is bland or simple were puffing too hard. Most people who hate Autumn Evening seem to have sipped it too fast and gotten only "cigarette" flavors or harsh tongue bite. Briar Fox has the same pit fall, so sip even more slowly than you sip other tobaccos.

2. Make sure the tobacco is lit well. It should produce quite a lot of smoke. If it's only partially lit a lot of the complexity will disappear and you will only have weak burley flavor. But, make sure not to scorch the tobacco. Suck the flame into it for only a brief moment, don't bury the lighter into your bowl or cook the tobacco.

3. Make sure to keep it tamped well and pack it properly. Not too loose, not too tight.

I personally don't see why this is C&D's bestselling tobacco. Not because it's bad, but instead because it requires an expert touch and well-developed palette to enjoy. I recommend trying it out only once you get some experience with burley and VA/Burleys under your belt. I found it to be exceptional and surprisingly good.

Well, well, well... I guess the blender read St Exupery - The Little Prince - prior to coming up with this gem. It took me years to apprehend the fox and fall for it. I am a Virginia lover, a VaPer passionate, but sometime I like some top-shelf burley mix for a thick, nutty and easy smoke.

Ok, let's get straight to it : Briar Fox has it all. In. One. Single. Blend. All boxes : Check.

It is tasty but not too sweet, easy going and deep towards the end of the bowl, has some N but never hits you, and even if not mentionned, contains a hint of perique, this I could bet on without the tiniest doubt.

Briar Fox can be your friendliest daily tobacco, and it can also be a treat.

Love you, fox.