Cornell & Diehl Bayou Morning Flake

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.

---

UPDATE

---

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.

Not a bad smoke, but it involved a lot of work and very little reward. The flakes are fairly coarse and broad. Out of the tin the tobacco was too moist and required many relights. I often break up flakes rather than rubbing them out fully, but with this tobacco, even when dried out, and rubbed out, I was relighting too often.

The flavor is initially mild and unexceptional. It gets stronger midway through the bowl but it is not any more enjoyable. It gains strength but is still bland and one dimensional. This blend's perique was more prominent than what I am used to. Perhaps perique specific fans would appreciate the dynamic here. Bayou Morning Flake is not good enough to warrant such effort.

Oh, my! This is my first perique. Very tasty, almost chewy. Tried some in my Peterson Shannon #3. A mouthful of smoke leaves my mouth tasting almost like I have just eaten something satisfying. And did I detect a slight hint of black pepper?

It gurgled a bit towards the bottom, but I put that down to not packing my pipe well.

I'm fortunate enough to work out of doors most of the time, so it's easy for me to grab a smoke during the day. I'll be keeping my tin of Bayou Morning in my tool chest for an all-day smoke.

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?ve gone thru 8oz pretty quickly, so I guess I like it. But it tends to get nasty towards the end, really heating up. It?s rather moist, which is unusual for C&D. It seems to be getting better towards the bottom of the can, perhaps due to drying out a bit. Don?t think I?ll go for this again, as 8oz costs $30, and I can get a whole pound of MC2015 for $25, and I like it better. This is the only flake C&D produces, they told me on the phone. Expensive for them to produce, sounds like, takes them three days to press and process a batch. A very nice flake, obviously high quality tobacco, but not worth the premium price.

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.

Very nice plain smoke and I like nice plain smokes. There is absolutely no bite and I smoke this tobacco after a day of virginias when the mouth and tongue are sore. BMF comes through every time. The perique lets its presence known from the first puff but it is not overwhelming. Try mixing BMF with Briar Fox (50/50). It's great. I call it Bayou Morning Fox.