Cornell & Diehl Black Duck

Black Duck has managed to present me with something I long sought, but never expected to find: a base of Burley and a proportion of Latakia which allowed me to taste to comforting and much-beloved earthiness of the Burley with the exotic note of Latakia. I have tried many Burley blends with Latakia and all have come up short, usually because of the Latakia, which I found to totally overtake any Burley flavor that could be asserted. Somehow, someway though, Mr. Tarler has managed to do what I had become convinced was impossible. The Burley is there, moreso at the start of the bowl, but noticeable throughout and like unto Carter Hall or Edgeworth Slices; the Latakia provides a hearty, almost musty backup that would seem perfect smoking for a cool autumn, even if I did smoke all of my tin during the summer months. What?s even more interesting is how the Latakia, which I have oft' had a problem with in burning hot, is, in Black Duck, cool smoking and outright gentlemanly.

What surprised me was that there were so damned many other things in this blend as well. For the life of me, I could detect no characteristics of Cavendish or Oriental or anything else but the pleasing combination of Burley and Latakia. This may well be because the tin I smoked was rather old and a bit on the dry and powdery side. All the same, this tobacco is highly recommended.

Regards,

A. Morley Jaques

First let me say that my tin that Im reviewing is from 2001. I must say that I realy enjoy this blend. If you go by the tin description you would think that this is an everything including the kitchen sink kind of blend. While there are many ingredients in this blend they are blended masterfuly and it is quite a complex blend. The flavors are big and bold and change throughout the bowl. The latakia comes on strong in the beginning and about midway through the bowl the orientals come on strong. There is alot of variance of flavors through out the bowl and I never get bored while smoking it even in my very large pipes. This blend is not very picky as far as pipe shape and size is concerned and taste very good in all of them. The burn is cool and smooth and does not bite a bit for me. I highly recommend this for those that enjoy complex and bold latakia / oriental blends!

This is a blend that rarely gets mentioned, but deserves a much wider fanbase. It's C&D's tribute to the old Black Mallory (which I never had the opportunity to try) and one of Craig Tarler's best creations. Anyone who likes medium English blends with a lot of orientals should like this one.

It's unusual in that it consists of unsweetened black cavendish, Turkish, and latakia. It comes in a wide, chunky cut, and thus smokes exceptionally cool. If this isn't an all-day blend, I don't know what is. It's smooth, rich, and spicy, but mild enough that I like it as my first pipe of the day. The unsweetened cavendish lends a slightly salty taste to the smoke, which I like. I usually smoke 2-3 bowls of this daily and it's very consistent from tin to tin.

If you haven't tried Black Duck yet, do youself a favor and buy some. It's well worth it.

I really liked this one! My tin was dated 2002, and oh,it was good!The minute you open the tin you smell nothing but pure Turkish leaf.The latakia comes second and then the sweet note of the cavendish.Upon lighting the bowl the flavors you experience follow the same order.This is really a blend for Turkish lovers who don't need a lot of Latakia.It is understated and smooth.I have a feeling this is as close to a NATURAL-non cased aromatic you will find.An extremely unique taste that will pretty much only appeal to Turkish/Oriental afficianados.If you fall in this category give it a try.Excellent and mild! 3.5 of 4 Turkish stars!

I really enjoy this tobacco's deep rich flavor. While I taste the varieties of tobacco in the mix, I think that it is more of a creamy rustic blend rather than an elegant one. Something about the flavor always hits me as being similar to black liquorice, but as a natural tobacco taste rather than an aromatic.

Im not a huge English tobacco fan,but this is the first English that I seem to be drawn to.All the ingredients meld together so well,and theres just enough Latakia in the mix without being drenched with the stuff as so many Englishes seem to be.I love this blend alot and always have some on hand when the English bug calls.Ever notice the duck on the tin seems to have a little gas problem?... 🙂

Personalmente adoro il Latakia. I C&D sono davvero eccellenti, peccato si debba andare oltreconfine. La Scatola è simpatica col paperotto con la pipa in mano. Il tabacco è giustamente umido e ben tagliato. All’olfatto si percepisce subito il terroso del Latakia però superato dal Cavendish più fruttato, zuccherato quasi. Il taglio ribbon è però irregolare.

Accendiamolo siamo avvolti dal sentore terroso, quasi muffito del Latakia quasi immediatamente superato dai sentori di stalla del Kentucky e poi dal Cavendish che amalgama e attenua questi sapori maschi.

La fumata è regolare, praticamente un tabacco che si fuma da solo. Questo non vuol dire che sia un tabacco semplice, anzi è un tabacco nobile, complesso. forte, da non sottovalutare. Non fortissimo, ma un prodotto da non sottovalutare.

Questo tabacco regala un fumo molto setoso, cremoso. Per setosità, intendo un fumo che scorre appena sopra la lingua con un ottimo gusto. In bocca rimane un sapere ottimamente persistente, mai amaro La nota della stanza per me è paradisiaca, mi piace l'aroma tipo falò di Latakia, che sicuramente non è apprezzato dai non fumatori. Il Cavendish in questa miscela gli conferisce morbidezza e rotondità al fumo e aggiunge una dolcezza all'aroma della stanza.

Posso facilmente consigliarlo a chiunque ami le miscele in stile inglese, ottimo tuttogiorno, eccellente anche quando ci si cimenti in una fumata senza bisogno di essere concentrati sulla stessa.

Il giudizio finale 4,5/5 stelle.