Cornell & Diehl Bayou Morning Flake

Addendum 02/10/05 -

With 3 months of aging the sweet notes remain through out the entire smoke - underscoring the cigar and pepper tones. The cigar like notes, the slight "oily" flavor, and the texture of the leaves once rubbed out points to some burley added into the blend, even if it is in very small measure.

With age the blend pulls away from similarities to 2015 and becomes closer to St. James Woods in subtle textures. In fact I believe overall I prefer this tobacco to the McClelland pressed VA/P offerings - though it is less smooth and more cigar like.

Do beware - the strength of the perique rivals Haddos Delight in intensity. For me, this is a nearly perfect VA/P pressed flake.

More than a Bayou Morning, I believe I sense a murky bayou night in this blend.

I've only smoked from a freshly opened tin with a few hours drying time, so this review will likely shift over the coming months. I've found the "freshly mixed" nature of the C+D blends offers a great opportunity to try a blend while young, and really get a sense of its maturation.

The dark mottled red and brown flakes are luxurious to break up and pack. That process releases a sweet and tangy aroma. The drying seems to get the cake to just the right texture and burning time. A little seems to go a long way, and a light pack is recommended.

Like many pressed VA/P blends I find that initially it seems a bit raw and flat in youth. I like strong perique but the intensity of the initial few puffs caught me off guard. Once the smoke settles in it evens out to a nice tobacco flavor with the perique heightening and waning in "pep". Someone described it as "peaty"...a perfect notation.

As far as room note, my significant other described it as smelling like "old arm pits". I think that about sums up the reaction it will usually engender in a closed house.

It is a completely different animal from the revered Bayou Morning (probably *the* blend I think of when going for VA/P).

More high marks for C+D. I look forward to tasting the blend after some maturity.

As a longtime fan of Virginia/perique blends, I find it difficult to find superlatives worthy of Bayou Morning Flake. I will sidestep an overly baroque encomium by stating that this is simply magnificent tobacco, an unassailable testament to the blending skill and consistent quality of Cornell & Diehl.

The flake is crumbly and, to me, perfectly moist. The visual and tactile pleasures this blend lends to the packing of my pipe give way upon lighting to one of the supreme smoking experiences a Virginia/perique lover like myself can have. BMF is strong on the perique, so be warned. The intensity builds down the bowl, so that by the last third one is in virtual perique nirvana. I never want it to end, but the bowl of my pipe is not bottomless, so what can I do? Oh, yes--grab another pipe and smoke another bowl.

Escudo, Three Nuns, Haddo's Delight--all superb testaments to the pleasures of Virginia and perique. To my estimation, however, they are mere aspirants to BMF's extraordinary quality and exquisite finish. In its category, this is the best there is.

I have been sticking to my old standbys lately and have not tried anything new to review. So I figured it was time to get moving.

I was just at the N. Cal. pipe show in Sacramento. A great time it was. If you are in the area next year, plan on attending.

At the show I tried some Bayou Morning Flake. I generally like VA/Perique blends, so long as the Perique is on the light side (too much and it gets my hayfever going). Appearance of this tobacco is thick yet short flakes. A fairly uniform medium brown in color.

A bit tough to light, which I assume is attributable to the thickness of the flake. Once burning, however, it is just fine and very comparable to most flakes. A nice VA flavor which is a bit on the strong side. Not spicy or tart like with a McClelland. Just good solid tobacco flavor. The perique is there to zip things up, but not overwhelming.

All in all a fine tobacco to try if you like stronger VA flakes.

Bayou Morning Flake arrived in a 2oz tin resplendent in the lively label art that I think of as a C&D trademark. Upon opening the can and removing the paper top cover I was greeted by a nice aroma of yeast and caramel. The flakes are presented in a rather chunky, agreeably homespun fashion, cut wide and somewhat broken.

I enjoy flake tobacco so much partly because of the ritual of preparation I indulge in, taking the time to rub out the tobacco, thus enjoying its texture, composition, and fragrance. I found this process difficult here, because the flakes were so thickly cut. I wound up with a lot of one ply pieces about 1/4 inch square that were hard to pack. I will just break it up in the future, without rubbing.

The tobacco took slowly to the match, but once under way released a satisfying rich caramel scented smoke supported by a cool slow burn rate.

It didn?t take long for the perique to dawn on this peaceful scene, beginning at about the second quarter of the bowl of the 1950s Wilke Dublin that did the initial honors. The perique stands in pretty stark contrast against the velvety dark flavor of the pressed virginia, presenting a sharp tangy effect and negating (sad to say) the once lush burnt sugar flavors and aroma. Yet, by the third quarter of the bowl, the taste of this whimsical tobacco had transformed into a powerhouse combination of pepper and blackstrap molasses, similar to the very end of a Dominican Cohiba. A smoky spicy treat!

This is my first foray into the realm of virginia/perique flake. I have not had the advantage of trying regular Bayou Morning, which is supposedly quite different. I am however, a chronic smoker of virginia flake, and would assert that this is equal to any (better than some) in flavor and smokeability, with the added joy that only perique can bring. I can?t help wondering, though, how the beautiful pressed virginia would be standing on its own.

A delicious and full-tasting VaPer. Lovely thick broken flakes in the tin with a delicious fruity aroma. My children love smelling it!
An enjoyable smoke. Lights very well, and almost never needs a relight. Delicious smoke, with a peppery spicy retrohale experience. Vitamin N is on the strong side, which adds to the fulness of the smoke. Certainly one of my favourite pipe tobaccos. In comparison with the gloopy aromatics that fill the Canadian shelves, this is a top quality blend of top quality tobaccos. Not easy to find anymore on this side of the border.
I highly recommend this delightful blend.

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.

Cornell and Diehl know their tobaccos well. A signature C&D Virginia married with a very high-quality strain of Perique make an exquisitly harmonious blend. It's indeed a perfect morning smoke: crisp, light-bodied and producing pretty thin smoke packed nevertheless with enough invigorating Nicotine and surprisingly rich in subtle but very characterful woodsy flavours. That's what I would call The True "Early Morning Pipe". The Dunhill's offering for the early morning had Latakia in it, bringing to the symphony some sleepy bass notes. This one however is all high-pitched trebles, like the bird dawn chorus. A perfect blend to start you day with, highly recommended.

Greets you with a delightful tin note of stale vomit and bad breath upon first opening, but thankfully this doesn't translate to the flavour when smoking. The smoke flavour is that of peppery hay, plums and brandy and almost an alcohol taste to it. The nicotine hit is like a punch to the gut, I was still feeling the aftereffects of it about 1-2 hours after smoking it the first time and I'm pretty experienced with nicotine. Not a blend to be taken lightly, treat it with respect. 1 star taken away for the vile tin note, I feel like I have to wash my hands after touching it.

A stout and smooth very satisfying blend ! Has a darkness about it and a nice oily tobacco that burns slow and cool but full flavored. There is No bite at all ! This one will keep you coming back if u like Virginia and heavier perique !! This might be my new favorite C &D - it has the richness of burley flakes with nicotine levels slightly higher than OJK. Fantastic !! The blend is deep and dark , slight pepper and a fermented darkness you only get from perique. It almost feels like a Latakia blend but there is none here! It’s unique and interesting. Definitely a good after dinner smoke or an evening armchair puff! This is a new favorite for me !