Cornell & Diehl Bow-Legged Bear

This is a very interesting English blend I think. The only issue I had with it was that my sample dried out very quickly. I should like to buy a tin of it though. This blend has the english taste, but then on top of that there are some excellent spicy notes that are very dominant in the blend, if I'm not mistaken this comes from the perique presence in the blend. It rubs out fairly well, though I thought the leaf pieces were a bit large which made packing a bit annoying at times, but this can be remedied once you are looking for it. This is a good summer night blend for me, bold and spicy, I like the combination of this blend on a warm evening with a beer and the smell of fresh cut grass!

Mmmmmm..... Latakia....

There is plenty of Latakia here. Not a lot of dimension, but plenty of flavor. The Perique is anything but weak - really, there is nothing weak at all in this one. I even noticed the nicotine - a rarity for me.

If you like bold flavor, get yourself a Bear hug.

BLB is a very nice latakia blend. Initially opening my tin(3 1/2 yr old), WOW!! Overwhelming latakia aroma, LOVE IT, but was worried about it dominating all the other tobaccos. Was I wrong, the perique came thru on the initial light but, seemed to drift into the background after the 1st few minutes. The latakia and Va`s started to come together about 1/2 way down the bowl and provide a very satisfactory smoke. I only wish it could have stayed that way as the latakia started to dominate near the end. IMO it smoked,packed,and burns best in small-medium bowls.A good tobacco for those rainy and cold nights beside a fireplace. Too hefty for all day smoke as it tends to dry the palate after 1 or 2 pipefulls. An occasional smoke but, will not cellar any.

This is my first sampling of a C&D blend. If Bow Legged Bear is any indicator of the quality I can expect from C&D, I might just have to order up some serious samples.

BLB is a fine mixture of Virginia, Latakia, Perique, and Turkish tobaccos -- all favorites of mine. This is a fairly huge blend, given all of the power hitters in the line-up. However, each component plays nice. The smoker is treated to a very balanced offering of some very different types of leaf. The Krumble Kake presentation is always welcome.

If you want a blend that is full of flavor and body, yet smokes cool, burns well, and performs consistently from charring light to the heel of the pipe, give this stuff a try.

I only gave Bow Legged Bear a rating of "I smoke this on occasion" because my tobacco rotation is out of control as it is and I'm just not positive about keeping this one on as a full-time smoke. That is not to say that I don't have tremendous interest in this fine piece of work from the Tarlers.

C&D is the brand that I am least familiar with. No great shame there, as they seemingly have hundreds of blends in their portfolio. If only I had better success with the blends I've tried, perhaps I would be a bigger fan and more interested in sampling the entire line, as I have done with McClellands, Pease, Dunhill, Rattray, Esoterica, and others. Don't get me wrong, they are all exceptionally well tooled, and are comprised of top quality leaf. They just leave me wanting something a bit more, at least so far.

Bow Legged Bear is essentially Briar Fox with latakia, and lots of it. It bears the same beautiful shape, and sports just a tad more moisture (both are still too dry). They both yield a very dry cloud of smoke that is a little too cigarettish for my liking. It tastes very good, but I prefer the rounder quality found in Penzance, and a touch more sweetness in the VAs would be welcome. A lot of folks should like this one a lot, but I don't think I'll ever fully fall into that category, as for some reason this blend gives me too many hints of a cheap cigar.

Yikes, that only thing missing in this blend is the kitchen sink! I like the complexity, strength, flavor and even the tin art. I especially enjoy the flavor resulting from stoving the blend brings out in the VA and Perique. I've smoked this blend only crumbling a slight amount and rubbing it out completely -- let me say that my experiences with the latter have been better. Leaving big chunks often slows burning to the point of going out and having many relights. Very good again C&D!

After taking a hiatus from Latakia over the last few months, I decided to get back to the good stuff. My tobacconist recommended that I give this blend a whirl. I'm glad he did- this is good stuff! Penzance is the blend that I compare all others to, and this blend is right up there with it. While Penzance has a little more Latakia flavor it is not as complex as this one. I love how the burleys have brought a nuttiness to the table. The perique was nice also, although extremely discreet. This tobacco was hard to keep lit, but burned cool all the way down. The crumble cake form is one of my least favorites, but this is negligible in the long run, you just get over it. All in all a smoke I will keep on hand for those cold morning drives to work.

This is a nice latakia blend . The flavor is not overly unique , but it smokes very wel . Packs well and lights well and has an even burn rate . It is a pleasure to smoke , not only fo it's flavor , but also for it's easy maintenance and forgiving nature . It does not get overly hot too easily .Highly recommended for the latakia lover who tends to smoke to hot .