Cornell & Diehl Black Dawg

So I have been sitting on this tin since July of "05" and figured it was time to give her a whirl. Shame this one is no longer available. Perfect moisture content. Nice cool black cavendish with just the right kick of Latakia and Perique.

This one burns nice from fill to knock out. Nice full sweetness of the Cavendish and a nice spicy smokey richness from the flavoring tobaccos. Black Dawg is good offering in this category. I usually don't purchase Cavendish blends. I think I purchased this one because of the Black Lab an the label.

So many other reviewers have written about this accurately it?s hard to know what to add. So I?ll just hit the high points. Used to smoke this very regularly. Perhaps got burned out on it and ventured elsewhere. Have since come back to it -- my 4 or so tins have been aging since early 2003 -- and it?s as good as I remember. It?s a black and brown mix, short cut for easy -- almost cube-like loading. I had to re-wet my tin since it?s been sitting for so long. After a day of rewetting it was at a nice, dry consistency, ready for smoking. While others have cited the McClelland-ketchup smell (I remember it when the tin was fresh) so much aging has kicked it down so it?s almost undetectable. I?ll admit this tobacco is a little bit of a one-tricky pony: the taste you begin with is the one you end up with. This could be a problem if it wasn?t so satisfying. Overall, Dawg is a full mixture but it doesn?t fill up your mouth with voluminous smoke, nor does it burn hot. It smolders, coolly. If you draw hard on it to get more flavor you could risk a little tongue bite, but that hasn?t been a problem for me. In fact, it?s very forgiving. Taste-wise it?s one of those conglomerations of sweet and smoky. There?s Perique in it but it?s very subdued. The latakia and unsweetened cavendish are the main players. It?s very balanced and would be a wonderful outdoor or workshop tobacco: to be enjoyed while doing other things.

A friend of mine found the last remaining 8 oz tin at the recent Chicago Pipe Show, and thank goodness he did. Isn't the dog on the tin the same as the black Lab on Sam's Blend? This is a smoky, mellow cross between Sam's Blend and the sinfully rich Mississippi Mud of C & D. Yes, it does have a characteristically ketchupy, BBQ essence ala McClelland, which gives it immediate appeal. Tin note is a cordial, less spicy reminder of the magnificent British Woods. It's less kalaidoscopic than MM or BW, but more calming and introspective. This tin has been sitting awhile, and it has aged gracefully. The Syrian Latakia, now out of production, adds a noticeably different dimension when compared to the commonly found Cyprian. If you do chance upon a tin of this, pick it up fast and then jealously guard it for thieves of fine tobacco.

Four of five stars

I say this is recommended and not highly recommended for the folllowing reason: You will love it or hate it! I happen to love it! This is the first C&D blend that has a McClelland-like character to it. I am assuming this is because of the Syrian Latakia.The flavor is so unique. It can best be described as "Spiced Bitter Chocolate" . If you have ever tried Mexican hot choclate or Mole sauce the description will be clear. If you have not done this it would be hard to understand the concept. This is an all natural blend with no casing that provides a slight aromatic flavor to an otherwise English blend. It is similar to "Sam's Blend"- only better. Now out of production but worth a try if you can find it. 3 of 4 stars!

I'd wager lots of people will have mixed reactions to this blend, as it's loaded with unique character and

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falls into the "Love it Or" category. To me, it's like smoking mocha coffee. It's not cased, however, and the flavor is the natural

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combination of Syrian Latakia, Cavendish, and Perique in the blend. It's quite pungent (in a good way). It has a really odd sort of richness,

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and I tend to roll my tongue around my mouth a lot while smoking it, trying to pin down just what the flavor is. Imagine the luxurious smell

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of a can of mocha transported directly to your tongue. The stuff is very dark, with barely a hint of lighter leaf mixed in, and smokes well

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even in dry form though I normally add some moisture to my C&D blends - Craig is like the anti-McClelland, in that his tobaccos arrive

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as bone-dry as Frog Morton is gooey. This is not a multi-dimensional tobacco but that's just fine for me, since the direct and clear flavor

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is such a pleasure.

My tin is about one and a half years old. The tobacco is a dark brown and black somewhat chunky mixture. The moisture content was just slightly high. This tin had no plastic bag inside just a soft folded paper likea coffee filter. This is an unusual mixture. The Cavendish takes the place usually occupied by Virginia and/or Oriental tobaccos. It lit quickly for being slightly moist and burned well. The flavor is mostly the Syria Latakia and the Cavendish with subtle hints of the Perique. I did enjoy this tobacco blend but it really is like no other I have smoked. A good change of pace or perhaps for someone wanting an English/ Balkan without the Turkish. I give it three and one half stars.

This is one of my favorite english blends. This is my night time sitting by the fire place smoking mixture. The Latakia gives it a nice kick and it has a hint of spicy cavendish undertone. I find this to be the ideal blend which gives me a rich full bodied taste without frying my tounge. This may not be the ideal blend for the new pipe smoker as it's stregnth could be a bit over whelming to the Novice.

This is a very nice latakia blend that showcases the Syrian latakia . A cool smoke for me , and very pleasant . It can get a little bitter toward the end of the smoke . This is a strong tobacco . Highly recommended for the latakia lover .

This is the first and only C&D blend I've had the pleasure to sample, but so far, the company is 1 for 1! Upon opening the box and finding the tin inside, I surveyed the thing. A nice black labrador dog on the front, so immediately, I began to think "aww, its a cute tobacco!" Curious, I crack open the tin and take a big whiff.... and nothing. No smell, No aroma.. Nothing. I look confused, and then notice that the tobacco is sealed inside a small vacuum bag! AH! This stuff wouldn't go bad anytime soon. Anyway, upon opening the baggie, I was treated to one of my favorite smells in the world; the tasty, leathery, earthen aroma of a high-latakia content tobacco. Packing was simple, its quite uniformly cut to what I call a "cavendish" cut, where all the tobacco is in small, quarter-inch peices. The bowl packed easily and since the peices are so small, much goodness fit into the bowl. With the charring light, I noticed something. It wasn't quite a normal latakia flavor, nor was it anything I'd noticed before. Something about the initial top-note of the latakia/mild cavendish/perique mixture really piqued my senses. Tamp, and final light. The first part of the bowl was dominated by that wonderful mixture of flavors I described above, but at the half-way point, something very odd happened; everything just sort of ran together. Not in a bad way, however, and maybe it was just my palate getting used to the flavor, but it definately got to be a smoother, more refined smoke in the middle to bottom of the bowl. As with most every latakia I've smoked, it was cool and dry when smoked in my large-bowled Nording freehand. Over the course of several bowls, no bite or unpleasantness at all. In fact, each bowl got more rich and tasty than the one before it. I can truly see how this would be an all-day english mixture!

Highly recommended to all latakia lovers, and to those that are moderately interested, give it a shot. I find it to be one of the best I've tried.