Cornell & Diehl Byzantium

Now this is a Latakia laced blend I can sink my palate into! It is not often that I find a true English concoction that has enough strength (nicotine) to keep me satisfied. Byzantium does the trick and does it well.

The tobacco is not particularly foreboding once the tin is opened and the components are exposed. In fact, this one is really much stronger in both flavor and strength than it looks. There is no mention of Virginia leaf in the above description, but I sure saw and tasted it. The Perique, while present, was very sparingly administered and added a bit of spice to the overall presentation.

This is one of the oldest and best selling blends in the C&D line and it is easy to see why it is so popular.

I originally purchased this blend for my local pipe club's tobacco bar at the next monthly meeting. But now, I do believe I'll just keep this one for myself. Guess I'd better change my name to Selfishstud. (-;

Looking through reviews of tobaccos with which I'm familiar, I'm surprised to see that I never reviewed this one. Byzantium was the first English tobacco that I fell for, years ago. Although my tastes have changed over the years, it's a blend that I still enjoy.

Byzantium is a mixed-cut tobacco. There are some ribbons in the blend, but a large percentage of the tobacco resembles crumble cake that's been crumbled. Some of the crumbled tobacco is in very small pieces. The aroma of the tobacco is smoky, leathery, and a bit salty, but not overly strong.

I find Byzantium to be at its best when smoked in a wide-diameter bowl. I prefer it in a bowl with a 7/8" or wider chamber. I get the best results by drizzling the tobacco into the bowl, then tapping the sides to settle the tobacco as much as possible. By doing this until the bowl is slightly over-full and then lightly pressing the excess tobacco into the bowl, I get a pack that lights and burns easily. Relights are rare, and I almost always smoke this to the very bottom of the bowl without effort.

This is not a subtle tobacco. The flavors are simple and strong. There's plenty of smokiness from the (Cyprian) latakia, with the orientals adding a strong salty/musty flavor and a bit of sweetness. There's enough perique to add a peppery hint to the flavor, without overwhelming the other flavors. The flavor varies little throughout the bowl, starting off strong and staying that way. The mouth feel is smooth, though not overly full. I experience absolutely no tongue bite from this tobacco, regardless of how I treat it. Even more so than many blends, I find that gentle, slow smoking brings out the most intense flavors from Byzantium.

There can be a slight harsh edge to this blend when it's very young. A few month's worth of age removes this. If you buy Byzantium in a tin, you can check the date on the bottom to determine its age. If you buy it bulk and you can't determine its age, be sure to let some of it to rest for a few months before you pass judgment on it.

Byzantium isn't complex or sophisticated, but it is very good and it's very easy to smoke. It's a tobacco that I enjoy, whether concentrating on my pipe or otherwise engaged. Recommended.

Turkish, Perique and Latakia. Hmm, Red Odessa minus the red Va?

Ok, this isn't Red Odessa minus the Va after all. It doesn't appear to be related to Red Odessa/Engine #99.

The jar note has a similar fermented fruit sweet tang, but that's as close as this blend gets. It's also fuller than Red Odessa, less full than Engine #99. This blend has a focus squarely set on the Oriental component, with enough Latakia to keep you from dozing off. The Perique adds a bit of pepper, but isn't as nicely integrated as blends like Red Odessa and Artisan's Blend. I don't get a very strong nic kick from this, so in the end, it's a medium strength, medium bodied Lat blend mostly about the Orientals with a bit of Perique.

I always miss the missing component in Lat blends that don't have either Orientals or Va. Less so in Va/Lat-only blends than in Oriental-Lat-only blends, but I always feel they're better with the trinity.

Byzantium sidesteps being a blend that draws attention to the absence of Va by throwing Perique in the mix. The Perique does add a nice element here, adding a tangy note to a blend that teeters on deliciously sour but doesn't quite get there. The Oriental component here never gets bitter, is a tad oily, and almost gets to sour, which I adore.

The Perique smells like heaven in the jar, all fermented fruit, like some delicious holiday treat for stuffing in your pipe. The Lat here is medium. Overall I have had pretty decent experiences with this blend. Not a hoarder, but at only $27.49/lb I may buy a pound to smoke on occasion. Good stuff, not great but definitely good.

This is a good smoke, and the elements blend well, but not so well that you block out everything else and launch into monologues to your wife about the virtues of English mixtures and well seasoned briar. Am I the only one who does that?

The blend was "C&D dry" in the bag. It is slightly chunky with bits of mostly rubbed out flake and some short wide ribbons that are not exactly fish food. Loading, the texture is a little leathery. The pouch note is smoke and maybe a little horse stable.

Smoked, this is very good. The latakia campfire is always burning. The orientals provide some herbal and a little floral that teeters on the edge of sour. The perique adds some pepper when puffed and a little fruit when sipped. This sounds like a lot of flavor, and it is. You get a mouthful with every puff, and every now and then it is almost salty.

This is almost a flavor bomb, but there is a certain nuance to it. It is not a single note hit hard and loud. There is just a lot of it, and exploring the sour edge is a plus.

I like orientals in general and think they add a lot to a blend. This one is a strong recommendation to those who like the herbal spice and might enjoy it with some campfire and pepper. I was surprised to find a blend like this with no Virginia and a C&D blend with no burley. It works.

What an absolutely pungent pouch aroma! The Perique slams your olfactory senses into next week. Smells of smoked sour cheese, and fresh cut red oak firewood. The Turkish offers a slight vegetal note way in the back. Blend of dark, dusky brown tobaccos, some broken flake, with a decent amount of black Latakia. Great moisture level, packed very easy.

Initial lighting, as with most C&D blends goes without a hitch.

First half of the bowl is a powerhouse. Strong, full flavored blend. Smoky Latakia out front with the highly floral Turkish. The sour spice of the perique fights to be up front as well. Nothing sweet, nothing toasty.

Second half sends the spiciness into overdrive. This blend has a ton of backbone not found in most blends. Bold and in your face, Byzantium can have a rough edge if puffed too hard. Burns clean and cool, leaves your palate coated in Perique minty-ness. Not a blend for a beginner, and even a veteran may find this too much. Not suitable for an all day blend, I would reserve this to an outdoor after dinner smoke. I smoked it inside, once...…..

Cornell & Diehl - Byzantium.

To me, this is a bit of a powerhouse: strong with nicotine and lots of bold Latakia.

The ribbons are mid-sized, but at the bottom of the bag there's a gathering of dust. The moisture's good, and the smell's predominately Latakia.

I think the smoke is very full tasting. I get heap loads of smokiness from the Latakia, becoming stronger as a bowl burns, but it's also embellished by the others. To be fair, I get a lot less of the Perique compared to the Turkish. I struggle to identify the Virginia many reviewers mention, but in many strong English/Balkan blends I often find it hard to recognise, so the Virginia's a bit of a moot point, to me! The burn from Byzantium goes well, and the smoke's bite-free.

To me, the room-note's a bit on the heavy side, and the nicotine's strong.

This is a very good blend, a bit full for a regular smoke, ergo, I give it three stars!

Recommended.

This is a good blend that has some very unique characteristics, especially when compared to most standard English Blends. The tin note is one of deep, smokey latakias with some tangy orientals floating around in the background. On first light, a deep and satisfying latakia comes out with just a touch of sour from the orientals. After getting settled in from the initial flavor, the perique really begins to stand out. The perique's spicy quality dances around through the entire bowl and is a welcome addition to the smoky, tangy, and sour flavors that make the main body of the smoke. At mid to late bowl, the perique almost threatens to overtake the smoke, in my opinion, and then the latakia comes back full force. It is almost like a fine drama that resolves into a peaceful scene. I especially like this blend for colder weather or for after a heavier meal. Mechanically, the blend smoked all the way to the bottom with little to no problem although I did have a little bit of trouble getting it lit up properly (that could be user error). Over all nice smoke, I can't wait to see what a little time in the cellar will do to this unique Balkan blend.

During Labor Day there was a 15% off C&D bulk blends and I bought some. This is one of them. This has the typical at least typical to me Latakia smell from the tin note. Somewhat a little milder than others I have purchased and tried in the past. I find this blend interesting as there is no Virginia or Burley in the mixture. Smokes cool and dry and what I mean by dry is more like a dry white wine rather than a sweet red. I am sure it is due to the lack of said mentioned tobaccos. It is a good blend and I will give it some more tender loving care in the upcoming days. From Wikipedia: “Byzantium was an ancient Greek colony in early antiquity that later became Constantinople, and then Istanbul”.

Byzantium contains undoubtedly choice tobaccos. It is Latakia that dominates though. In the beginning it is smoky and woodsy but soon it becomes very savoury (incency, leathery, meaty?), I guess it’s also the presence of the Turkish tobaccos which add a sour, tangy even salty note. I cannot describe better the savouriness to which I refer but it’s very tasty indeed. Further down the Perique is felt as a black peppery spiciness which as the bowl progresses becomes more intense. I sense no dark stewed fruit here.

The tobacco consists of short deep brown and black ribbons which load with ease. It burns cool and needs only a few relights. Strength-wise it’s not very foreboding nor is nicotine content very high. It burns completely to a fine grey ash and leaves no moisture to the bowl. But although it produces quite a lot of smoke I find it lacks some body and it’s also a little dry-tasting.

As I said it contains choice leafs and a very tasty Latakia. For me it’s definitely a three star blend and because Latakia is so plentiful, Byzantium it can serve as an ingredient to a four star English blend.

You wish to make a fantastic English blend with still quite pronounced Latakia flavor using Byzantium? Here’s a recipe: take an amount of a fine Virginia (FVF recommended) add to it the same amount of a nice Oriental leaf (Izmir & Basma preferably) and to them add the same amount of Byzantium. Mix and if you cannot find Penzance to buy, do not worry, your blend will be just as good! I am not joking…