Cornell & Diehl Bayou Morning Flake

Cornell & Diehl's Bayou Morning is a good blend I especially like the high perique content that gives this blend a sharp spiciness that plays well with the Virginia's. I recommend this blend .

Perique is the star in this blend. Upon opening the tin, a deeply fermented aroma wafted up—akin to an aged maduro cigar with some perique funk. There is a slight ammonia aroma, but I think the smell derives from the mustiness of 25% perique and does not carry into the smoke.

At first light, the perique dominates. There is some spice, but the flavor profile of the perique differs from the other va/pers that I have tried. Here, the perique offers less dark fruit and spice flavor notes, and is more musty with a slight cucumber-esque crispness to the smoke. I wonder if this flavor profile has to do with the process in pressing the flake. The Virginias offer a good amount of sweetness that helps keep the blend from devolving into a perique-bomb. The flakes rub out easily and the moisture was near perfect to my standards, needing only a little time to dry out. Overall, Bayou Morning Flake is a decent va/per from C&D. That said, I enjoy G. L. Pease, Telegraph Hill much, much more.

This is rather heavy on the Perique-I am used to adding blending Perique to my usual VAs and VAPERs but this one really got up my nose, so to speak. I don't think I will smoke it every day. Very good as an occasional diversion, and I may find I like this blend once in a while, but I can't see myself buying more than two ounces at a time. A word on the cut of C&D-it can be a little bit coarse, but you have to dry it for at least two hours and rub it out thoroughly for best results. Or just get it to the perfect moisture level and stuff the flake, though this doesn't always work for me with C&D.

Distinctive Virginia-Perique flake, this comes in very thick, dark slices that are not the easiest to rub out or pack. Rather to thick to just roll up and shove into the pipe- I tried this and used up most of a box of matches keeping it lit, it needs to be well rubbed and teased apart before packing.

It doesnt have the best burning characteristics, and may be a little trouble to light and keep burning, but the flavour is well worth it- very distinctive and quite full. It has a dusty, cigar like characteristic, slightly smokey but unlike latakia, which builds up in strength through the bowl. About halfway through the taste of perique becomes apparent, with a nice background pepperyness, but does not dominate- the taste of the other tobaccos is so strong.

It burns to the end, but with many relights, without gurgling, and without harshness, just becoming a stronger taste. Nonsmokers may not like the smell, it is quite strong, but it is not foul. I enjoyed it as a change from the more fruity style of Dunhill Navy Rolls- it is a distinctive and individual tobacco.

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UPDATE

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I keep trying with this stuff, as the flavour is quite enjoyable- really peppery, and yet somehow mellow if smoked really slowly. The only way to make it smokeable is to rub it out really well, right into ribbons. And the cut is so thick, these really are ribbons- I can almost tie my hair back with them! I've had thick flakes (Holger Danske Royal Navy) and thin flakes (St Bruno) and all have worked quite well. This stuff looks like they chopped it with an axe... I think they would have been better off to leave it in sticks and sell 2 oz chunks as plug. All it would take is a sharp knife to make this into something wonderful.

I really liked the packing and cut of this tobacco. Perfect moisture level right out of the tin; two inches long, thin strips stacked together in a bundle, with various browns and darker browns wrapped in a paper holding in the moisture and aromas. The tobacco burns great, has an excellent earthy and spicey taste, and keeps a uniform flavor throughout the smoke. Right now it is cold in the midwest, and this tobacco is just right.

I made the mistake of smoking two tins of Bayou Morning Flake within weeks of taking up the pipe. Then I went ahead and ordered a pound of the bulk version having never sampled the blend. It's fair to say I burned out on Bayou Morning Flake, which was probably my first favorite smoke and a worthy introduction to Perique. It's been a few years, I should probably put in another order.

***Original Review***

Bayou Morning Flake was one of the first tins I bought when I started with the pipe, and I couldn't stop praising it at the time. I began vigorously tracking down Perique blends as a consequence and having tried most of the big ones, I now find myself underwhelmed.

I just find this bland. It's not lacking in strength or flavor, but what flavor it does have is consistently boring, and the stoving process of the Virginias just seems to take something away. The flake is very thick and hard to pack, which isn't too disconcerting..almost preferable due to the unique presentation. The tin aroma is distinctive and interesting--something of a yeast sort of smell.

With about ten ounces of the bulk ribbon cut version, 067, aging at two months, I probably wouldn't bother buying this again. If you're interested, the bulk has a more diverse taste and only seems to resemble the flake in that the two contain Perique. I'll have a hard time finishing this.

Funny how tastes change.

Another Virginia-Perique blend. This time C&D succeed in making a really quite, soft flake, in which the two tobaccos merge perfectly. It brings neither the power of the Escudo or Three Nuns, nor the great aroma of CAO Midnight Ride or Limerick, it keeps up the flavour rather than build it up throughout the bowl. A good all-day smoke for Perique lovers.

I don't know if someone with a sense of humor packed my tin or if it is suppossed to look like half chewed cigar butts. I had to dry this tobacco in an open Mason jar for about three days to dry it up enough to smoke. I will try this again later as my initial experience differed so greatly from my fellow reviewers but for now I have to buck the tide on this mixture.(Note: this review was originally posted under Bayou Morning instead of Bayou Morning Flake where it belongs.)

5/17/2005: Have to raise this one star to three. It has finally given up enough moisture to be nicely smoked. Nice tang and tasty Perique.

Packs a punch! A nicotine punch!

Definitely not morning smoke, unless you want to be decommissioned for the rest of the day and just go back to bed.

It’s tasty, I’ll tell you that. And strong it is.