Cornell & Diehl Junkyard Dawg

Insofar as taste goes, this is probably the best of C&D's English/American hybrids (that's meant as a very high compliment). The VAs are far more noticeable here than in Morley's Best or Bailey's Front Porch, and the ingredients tend to wax and wane in relative strength as the bowl progresses. One minute you're tasting latakia, the next it's burley, and then a strong hit of sweet VA. Unfortunately, there are two serious problems with his blend. One, it's not much easier to keep lit than GLP's Barbary Coast, a blend which could conceivably be used as a fire-retardant stuffing for furniture. Looking at the ingredients, I can't figure out why the Dawg would behave this way, but the problem is enough to knock off a star. Also, as others have noted, the Dawg can BITE, which is always a serious drawback. As I indicated earlier, the flavor is incredible -- if it weren't for the other issues, it would easily earn a four-star rating. I've gone through two 2-ounce batches of this so far, and I've got another tin socked away for aging. With luck, a couple of years in the cellar will turn this into something more manageable.

Junkyard Dawg is a comfortable, reliable and fun smoke that has a little something for everyone. Yes, I have smoked Barking Dog, and yes (IMHO) there are some similarities. But this one has a little better pedigree and gets the nod from me. The cut on this tobacco makes for any easy-to-load, easy-to-light experience. It smokes smooth and cool with no particular need for "technique". The burley seems to be of excellent quality, no skimping there. Theres the nice virginia and a little tickle of latakia that round out the smoke. This is not a flavored or cased tobacco. It's not one of my "contemplative" tobaccos, but when I just wanna sit with my feet propped up, and think about absolutely nothing it's a no brainer/very enjoyable experience. If you liked BD, try this for sure.

Like pipestud, I find that this blend is remarkably similar to Barking Dog. The taste is as described by the other reviewers and is, to me, identical to BD. The physical character of the smoke is about the same, too. Like BD, this is not a thick, creamy smoke. Rather, it is thin and a little astringent in a way that I like.

The differences I see are in the cut and the quality of the tobacco. This one has a finer cut and much higher quality ingredients. My only complaint about BD has always been its coarse cube cut that makes it hard to light and hot-burning. The big chunks of tobacco stem in BD can burn like charcoal briquettes in your pipe and can smoke very hot if you are not careful. That problem is fixed in Junkyard Dog.

This is a winner and I look forward to smoking more of it.

===== December 2005

I am still smoking this occasionally and I like it more and more as time passes. This is one of the blends I reach for when I don't feel like experimenting and want a reliable, comforting smoke. Still four stars from me...

This tobacco falls under "American" type. As far as I can tell if you take a burley and add a couple other components you have an American blend. Usually it involves a burley and virginia in this case the third component is latakia. I've had Inns of Court which is those three plus black cavendish and perique and smoked Rocking Chair back in the day which was burley, latakia, virginia and perique. Anyway, I guess the point is that Junkyard Dawg is one of the simpler American blends I have smoked and in my opinion is the better for it. The tin note strikes me as a little smoke and a little woods with a pleasant sour tang. The smoke itself seems burley driven, the latakia and virginias are present but secondary. It produces a lot of smoke and needed less relights than any tobacco I have ever had. There was absolutely no bite at all. Bottom line, this was good. It can easily be an all day smoke. If you are looking for a straightforward burley driven tobacco that doesn't have a bunch of different components, this is what you want.

Presentation: Tin label has a muscular bulldog holding a wrench with a heaping pile of junk behind him, how fitting! Very aesthetically pleasing colorful label.

Cut: Thickish ribbon cut, this blend was on the dry side. That's not a necessarily a bad thing by the way.

Tin note: Creamy sweet, smoky scent.

Tasting notes: Tasty. Nutty, bready, smoky, earthy, leathery, a tinge of fruity sweetness, a dash of dry cocoa. A moderate amount of spice comes and goes. Slight occasional tang. Rare grassy notes but is not apparent most of the time.

Mechanics: I love blends that are supposed to be dry like this one because they won't bite AT ALL, and they are easy to pack and light and burn well. A well behaved blend!

Extra Remarks: This blend is loaded with flavor. I think of it as a full assault of so many flavors attacking at once (I mean that in a good way, in case it doesn't seem good). This blend is high in complexity, but not like Old Gowrie, for example, which is like a revolving door of different flavor on each puff. This blend throws its complexity of flavors at you, every puff, for the duration of the bowl. I thought I didn't like burley but this is one of the blends that convinced me I did; the others are tagged below under "similar blends". I cannot say enough good about this blend. Everyone should try this blend. 4 stars.

JYD is a stiffer version of Morley's Best. Seems to me to have little more burley, and be a little more roughly cut. I can use it as an all day smoke, easily. Burns clean and dry. You can get the latakia when you puff, and a tickle in the nose too. I'll always have an extra can in the back of the "cellar."

The latakia is covering everything else, i think. Very easy burning (little fast) and some tongue bite. Nothing special for this one except the very good quality known tobaccos for this company.

After smoking a few bowls I've found Junkyard is good but to me it's better on the re-light! Which to me shows the quality of the leaf after it has sat for a period of time.

I really enjoyed this blend. People say it is similar to "Barking Dog" but to tell you the truth not really. This is a much higher quality of tobacco and the flavor is far superior to its House of Windsor counterpart. This is a very cool and tasty burley blend with just enough Latakia to give it some texture and toothiness. This is a plain and rich blend. It reminds me of a dark chocolate that is about 77% Cacoa. It is not the most exciting blend but it yields such a nice and rich flavor that every piper should try it at least once in his life.Contemplative,calm and satisfying is the best way to describe it. I would classify it as a non-aromatic.It has an English quality to it,but I think even non-latakia lovers will enjoy this. A true blast from the past. It may not set your world on fire but you will enjoy a unique and truly American smoke. Try some for the fun of it! 3 of 4 stars.