Cornell & Diehl Longevity II

I've not posted any reviews of C&D blends over the past couple of years although I have nearly 100 of them in my personal tobacco log. So, I am running through them as I get time to transcribe here on my favorite place to hang out and blab with my fingers. (-;

Longevity II was almost identical to me to the original with the Syrian. The only difference being that this one tasted a little fresher and the smoky presentation was stronger.

William Serad of P&T Magazine fame blended this offering for Craig Tarler in an effort to put together a true Balkan style blend in crumble cake form. Therefore, it in no way tries to resemble Penzance or Pirate Kake except perhaps the form itself.

This is a true Balkan, so it obviously contains no Burley or Perique. It has that familiar "Balkan" taste while smoking which brings the Virginia and Turkish leaf to the forefront with the Latakia acting to support the main cast. This tobacco arrives at just the right moisture level and is easy to pack. It tastes mellow, sweet and cool and packs enough nicotine wallop to please even the most addicted puffers out there.

Truly delightful!

First of all I have to say I disagree with the blend description: to me this isn't a middle weight Balkan, it is a light one, both in nicotine content and in flavour. It lacks in deepness, which is what makes a Balkan a "meditative" smoke, something to smoke with attention to every detail and development. This is a good all day smoke, an easy one too: great burning, no bite at all and a clean and soft ash. Good but not exceptional.

I have to say, I was a bit miffed about this purchase. I was under the impression that I was purchasing the original Longevity, but when I opened my mail to find this, there was a deep sigh.

Still, I thought, I can't wait to see that Krumble Kake. No. There's no Krumble Kake, just your familiar ribbon cut--and Perique. Even the C&D website fails to mention that..and having been on a six month Perique binge I sort of cringed to read that on the tin description.

Though I do like this stuff, and it reminds me very much of Nightcap..in taste, not appearance. There are no bright Virginias in this..it's a darker Turkish assortment that rounds out the Latakia.

Smokes cool and no bite..and the moisture level was just about right. I didn't find it to be overly wet. It's good, but even so..I wish I could have had that Latakia fix in a Syrian Krumble Kake instead of a Cyprian ribbon cut.

I have had a love affair with the original Longevity and thankfully stocked up on it to enjoy for a couple of years. hen this came out, I was hopeful that I would find a suitable replacement, but read on...

Appearance and Tin Aroma: No more crumble cake? Looks like a typical latakia blend, with the latakia as the predominant aroma in the tin. The Red Cavendish is also noticable in the tin aroma. The cut is the typical broad, medium length, ribbon that C&D is known for and the moisture was a little higher than usual.

Packing and Lighting: Very easy, lit after 1 re-light down to the ash. Miss the crumble cake, though.

Initial Flavor: Very fragrant is the only way I can think to describe it. The Latakia's curing herbs are very noticable as well as the cocoa-like Turkish notes.

Mid-Bowl: This is a lot fuller than the original Longevity with a lot more sweetness than the original. The Perique begins to tickle my throat a bit at this point.

Bottom of Bowl:Builds a considerable amount of strength. The sweetness from the Red VA Cavendish is cloying to this piper. It ends dry with dark-grey mottled ash. Definitely leaves you satiated.

Overall: I had high hopes for this blend, but this piper was disappointed. This blend didn't have the unique medium-strength flavor that drew me to the original. It actually tasted a little bloated to me and the sweetness from the red VA Cavendish seemed out of place in a Balkan, let alone, that I found it cloying. I suppose the Syrian of the original made the difference. I won't be purchasing any more tins of this blend and will gaurd carefully my stash of the original.

Smoky, smoky, smoky. Did I say smoky? This blend could be used instead of mesquite to flavor my next barbecue. I confess that I'm normally an aromatic smoker, and I like an occasional English or Balkan as a change of pace. This works in that regard, but the smokiness overpowers the rest of the flavors. It's visually appealing and has a good moisture content right out of the can. But, I just can't handle the spicy/smoky influence of the English & Balkans. I will say, however, that this tobacco smokes very cool -- no tongue bite at all. But until I graduate from the aromatics, this will only be a rare deviance, and I won't be replacing it in my rotation.

As I smoke this, I see myself huddled in oiled animal skins, bracing against the Arctic cold with my sled dogs. White is everywhere -- sky, ground, and ice. My tent ripples with the constant wind, but my hand is warm in my mitten, clutching the smoldering briar. Dinner, like breakfast, will be fish or jerky. Coffee would be nice, but I don't want to leave my tent right now. The smoky enclosure helps me forget about the cold outside . . . .

A decent Balkan blend without being anything outstanding. It burns cool enough and delivers good flavor, but it really wasn't anything to write home about so to speak. I would smoke it again, but I doubt I would buy it.

I just finished smoking through a tin of this dated 6/24/2005. From what I understand from the reviews below, that puts this in the C&D "post Syrian Lat" era. I am not sure how much this mattered anyway as the latakia has definitely lost most of its pep in the 16 years spent within the tin.

It is hard to review this when every bowl makes you think that this would have been much better fresh. However, reading through the reviews kind of counters that direction of thought as this blend does not seem to get much love.

One thing that can be confusing is the contents listed above as well as the tin description. My tin clearly stated that Cavendish and Perique were used in addition to the VLO mentioned above. I don't know if this blend changed beyond a Latakia switch or whether this is just an error in the original listing. In any case, all condiments in this blend are very subdued, so there is nothing jumping out. I think this is the fault of old latakia. I find Latakia goes from campfire notes when fresh to damp basement notes when it gets over the hill. It is easier to smoke, but it adds this kind of funky taste to the blend that I find a little disconcerting.

If you come across a tin of this, I would give it a pass unless you get it cheap. By cheap, I mean cheaper than you can buy a tin of something you like fresh. I will still give it two stars, because it smokes easy with no problems or bite. It is just a little boring.