Cornell & Diehl Bayou Night

If you have read any of my previous reviews, you will notice that Perique generally causes me allergic reactions. Well, in this blend it did so with a vengeance. I was only able to smoke two bowls before giving the rest away. It seems to be a high quality blend, but was too much for this piper. Old Joe Krantz seems to be the limit of how much Perique I can handle in a blend without having to go to Emergency... go figure. For you Periqueaholics, this may be "your" blend. Give it a shot.

Bayou Night is a tobacco that has intrigued me for a long time. I had heard the stories about the very high Perique content, and the strength of the blend. However, it seemed like every time I ordered a sampler from C&D, I'd forget to include B/N. I wasn't ready to commit to a whole pound, either.

Then several days ago a sampler pack arrived from a friend of mine in Arkansas, and included in it was a generous helping of B/N. Better yet, the tobacco had been aged for 1 1/2 years. C&D blends are known to ship right after blending, before the flavors have had a chance to meld. I wouldn't have that problem with this batch.

Bayou Night has a motley appearance in the pouch, with light and darker browns mixed in with black flecks. The cut is similar to a chopped ribbon, and packs well in the pipe. The moisture level is a little higher than I've come to expect from C&D, but just about perfect for this blend. Pouch aroma is dominated by the peppery sweet scent of the Perique.

Putting match to weed, I fully expected a frontal blast from the Perique, but such was not the case. Instead it smoked like a very good VA/PER blend. The Latakia, Turkish, and burley were support players to the two real stars of the show. As the smoke progressed, I waited for the onslaught of the Perique. Hadn't they said the Louisiana leaf was 50% of this blend? It began asserting itself more, but was still a very good companion to the Virginia. The only thing I could figure out was that the Latakia and Turkish were keeping a lid on the Perique pot.

As the smoke wound down, the peppery note of the Perique became more pronounced. It also became apparent that nicotinewise, this was a very strong tobacco. It's not often that a blend makes me sit up and take notice of this, but B/N did. It wasn't an entirely unpleasant feeling. The bowl finished with variegated ashes in the bottom.

In some ways, Bayou Night was a big surprise for me. It didn't prove to be the Perique dump I was expecting, but instead was a delightful VA/PER that packed a good nicotine wallop. I can possibly see a pressed pound of this in my future. C&D has been forced to raise their prices this year due to higher tobacco costs, but they still remain a very good buy for the quality you are getting.

And now the scores for Bayou Night; flavor- 17 out of 20 points; packing and lighting- 8 of 10; value- 8 of 10. That totals 33 out of a possible 40 and a **** for Bayou Night. Good work, Craig!

The dancing bear is remarkable not for how well it dances, but that it dances at all. As earlier reviewers have said, it is amazing that this blend, with its large percentage of perique, is as smooth and smokable as it is. True, true. But, it does not mean that this is a particularly smooth tobacco in absolute terms. As noted, this is quality tobacco that smokes dry and quite cool with no bite from the Virginias. The perique gets overbearing for me by mid-pipe, though, and I cannot smoke this regularly. I normally like the spicy nip of perique, but this one was too much for me. There is also a firm nicotine kick here that prevents BN from being a regular smoke for me. A pouch of this is an interesting experience that I may decide to repeat some day. I will need a rest first, though.

Bayou Night really seems at home with me. I have smoked it since its conception and never seem to tire of it. Considering its ingredients, one might think that it's almost unsmokeable! I mean really! 50% Perique? Surely this would be intolerable! However, just the opposite is the case here. It lights easily and burns very well. It is one of those tobaccos that has a combination of flavors that finds me closing my eyes in enjoyment. This is what pipe smoking is all about! Colors range from yellow to mostly black. As far as moisture goes, I find that it is anywhere from just right to just a tad on the moist side. After the charring light, it begins to settle down to a faint raisin flavor with a slightly nutty background. The natural sweetness of the Virginias come thru very nicely. I barely notice the latakia, which Mr. Tarler says is 5%. Bite is not here at all! This is a complex smoke to me. Near the bottom of the bowl I do find that it can be a bit much if smoked in a tall pipe. Several years ago I put 6 lbs back for aging. I recently tried a bit of it and, as one would expect, it is even more mellow. Unless one has a dislike for perique I highly recommend this one. If you are looking for an aromatic look elsewhere. Thank you C&D!

This is the bomb. The rich , spicy, sour taste of this lat bomb is my favorite. Medium nic level, for me is not enough since i'am vietnam and i smoke thuoclao with usually would gave newbie a stroke. Taste is very strong, spicy , smoky , sour tate. The smell is not comfortable , so recommend smoke alone. Overall , love this blend for taste, should be smoke alone, not for the crowd

I will start off by saying that I quite enjoyed this blend. I believe it is the first ‘American/Scottish’ style blend type I have had (the description and what TobaccoReviews has it listed as differ here) and I will likely try more in the future due to how much I liked this one.

The tin note for this one is quite interesting as the first thing I can pick up is the smokiness that I usually recognize from the Latakia present in English type blends, but it is quickly pushed aside by a nice tangy/sweet note from the other component tobaccos; overall quite pleasant.

To my palate it seems pretty well balanced between most of the components, with only the Virginias and Orientals seemingly relegated to the background. The Latakia is always present but not so much so that the Perique can’t make itself known and the earthy and dark qualities of the Burleys provides a pleasant base to break up the strength that the Latakia and Perique tends to provide. While I feel the Virginias and Orientals are not particularly present in the flavour profile they are definitely somewhere in the background and help the Burley to quell the aforementioned strength and punch of the Latakia and Perique. If you don’t enjoy Latakia or Perique dominant tobaccos then you likely won’t enjoy this one.

This is definitely an aptly named blend and fits well as a nighttime smoke, being quite strong both in terms of taste and nicotine content. It is a nice change from the usual English mixtures of Lat/Or/Va and is quite enjoyable.

I enjoyed this one and to me this is a solid 8/10 but not quite 4 stars, if I could I would prefer to give it 3.5/4 but alas I cannot.

As a Bayou Morning Flake absolute devotee, I had to try this one, knowing I was being lured by the name. I am not an english blends guy, and I tend to ban everything that has Latakia in it from my wishlist. The first smoke felt somewhere between disapointment and wtf.

I. Do not. Like. Latakia. But I could die for a pinch of perique.

The second smoke was a revelation, I now know for sure that Latakia's only purpose in life is to enhance the licorice side of my beloved perique.

Nightcap was way too strong on the Latakia side - IMO - and didn't leave room for the perique to breathe. Bayou Night ? Problem = Solved.

aged cheese, woody earthy, almost aromatic, reflect the nights at the bayou, you can feel the perique when cold, one of my favorites. If you are cigar smokers this is recommended.

Rich and satisfying, this is a well-balanced blend; just about all my favourite tobaccos, Burley, red Virginia, Turkish and Périque. If it's heavier on the Périque than some, that for me is a plus. What else do you expect from a blend called Bayou Night?

It's been a while since a blend has really hit me with nic—I sometimes smoke Périque straight—but this one actually had me hicupping a couple of times! No problem, just a signal to slow down, sip the smoke and enjoy. Rich & smooth, burns well, and has me coming back for more. This one goes on my favourites list — 4 stars.