Cornell & Diehl Byzantium

Rich smoky Latakia that is slightly on the heavy side, very light Oriental/Turkish flavor, and only enough Perique to notice when I exhale through my nose.

A wonderful mixture of Turkish, Latakia, and Perique tobaccos, Byzantium is truly a metropolis of flavor. Latakia adds the strength while the Turkish flavoring and spice of Perique entwine superbly to create a distinctive and authentic English blend, rich in the signature taste Oriental leaves are known for. I personally enjoy this mixture best on a cool Autumn's night, alone with only my thoughts and my pipe.

I found this to be a strong and satisfying tobacco. Certainly not an all day smoke for me, this is best left to an after dinner treat. I am puzzled with the comparison of this with 965. I've smoked 965 since the early 90's and personally seen no similarities. My wife dislikes the smell of most latakia blends and this was no exception. She described the aroma as burnt Chinese food. (I don't know what that means but that is what she claims. She wasn't as offended by the even heavier Pirate Kake.) Anyway,this is a decent tobacco well worth a try.

soli Deo gloria

I don't think this is bad blend but the combination here is not entirely pleasurable to my taste. It gives me a flavor or mouth-feel as would incense. My guess is that the Latakia is overdone in combination with just the Turkish and Perique tobaccos. Don't misunderstand, I love my Latakia and English blends, but something is just off the mark with this one.

Apparently some of you like your Latakia no matter the amalgamation, so I will give it a "somewhat recommend". While I would smoke Byzantium if nothing else was available, I won't order any more of it.

Good blend that burns well and goes to white ash. However, sometimes it lacks of strength, then taste becomes somewhat plain.

My rate: 3.6

Anice mix of latakia, perique and turkish. Nice creamy taste with less latakia than Star of the East. A bit less would be perfect but it still is a nice smoke. A good evening smoke.

One of the best Balkans out there. Needs a little coaxing to get it lit, but after that smokes very well. Very smooth, absolutely no bite. One of those blends that can be smoked back to back with no problem. Highly recommended.

This blend by C&D is for me just about the perfect Balkan; it has everything I look for in a Balkan blend - smooth, creamy and rich taste. I've never ended up with tongue bite with this mixture, despite the sometimes two or three bowls I'll smoke in one day. I've gotten into the habit of cutting the ribbons/flakes up with a scissors and letting them dry about 15 - 20 before before lightly packing my pipe. By cutting, drying and lightly packing, I'm usually able to get most the way through a bowlful without more than a couple relights and it always burns down to dry gray ash. While I believe the room note is very pleasant, my wife describes the beginning of the bowl as "acrid"; however, she admits that once I've gotten about a fourth of the way into the bowl the acridity disappears and she finds the odor quite nice. I've smoked this in a large variety of pipes, including meerschaum, and I enjoy it the most in the evening in a billiard-type briar, about a group five. This type of pipe gives me over two hours to thoroughly enjoy Byzantium and makes for the perfect last-pipe-of-the-day smoke. The nicotine strength must not be too great, as it doesn't make me sleepy like some blends (Dunhill's Nightcap or GLP Haddo's Delight); however, there is enough nicotine to meet my needs and to relax me. Overall a very good tobacco and recommended for those who enjoy Balkans.

Very, very similar to Engine 99, but a tad lighter in body. Not the quality of many other C&D blends.