Tobaccos Cornell & Diehl - Star of the East

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3046)	2016-04-25		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

The Cyprian Latakia is smokey, woody, earthy, musty, and not very sweet in a starring role, though I disagree with the description that it’s half the blend. It doesn’t taste like that nor do I see that quantity when I look at the tobacco itself. The impact of the Latakia does vary at times, but even at its least obvious, it’s still the dominant component. The lightly sugary stoved red Virginia is tangy dark fruit sweet with some earth, bread and wood in a support role. The Turkish is woody, herbal, vegetative, earthy, lightly buttery sweet and mildly sour with a minor floral spice note as it continually underscores the taste. The nic-hit is just past the center of mild to medium. The strength of the blend falls just short of the medium threshold. The taste level is a step past the center of medium to full. Won't bite. Burns at a moderate rate with a cool, clean, relatively smooth (for blends in this genre) mildly sweet and sour, savory flavor. Has no dull or harsh spots, though it does have a rough edge. Easily burns to ash with few relights, and makes lots of smoke. Leaves no moisture in the bowl. Has a strong, lingering after taste and a camp fire room note. Not a complex mixture by any means, but it has enough going for it to satisfy the craving for Latakia without it being a total lat-bomb.

-JimInks

51 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kashmir (21)	2011-06-02		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

Wow! This is a really excellent English blend of Latakia, Turkish and Virginia. The label states "One half Latakia with a generous portion of Turkish and sweetened with stoved red Virginia".

In many respects I find Cornell & Diehls' STAR OF THE EAST (SOTE) as the perfect replacement for Balkan Sasieni (BS) and at less than half the cost ($28/lb for SOTE versus $7/50g tin for BS, which works out to approx. $63/ lb).

I find in both blends a dense campfire smokiness provided by the high Latakia content, although its much higher with SOTE (50%) than with BS (I'd estimate at approx. 30%). But the effect of the Stoved Virginia base and the sparkling spice provided by the Orientals is very similar in both to my palate.

The blend comes as a rough cut ribbon, rather on the fat side. The color is a dark brown with a 50% of pure black leaf, the latter presumably representing the Latakia. By the way, off topic, is it la-ta-KIA or la-TA-kia? I have heard both in common parlance. Anyways, the thick ribbons pack well via gravitation feed, with a stout thumb press to finalize the pack. After a preliminary charring, the top ash takes readily and offers a one- match smoke. The water content is ideal out of the sack, and keeps well in sealed glass bell jars.

As an aside, I have tried to find a replacement for BS for quite some time now. Cup O Joes offers a bulk version of Balkan Sasieni for only $40/lb. However, this is not exactly the same as the 50g tinned version. I presume that this is a house blend that approximates the original.

As the first post mentioned, this blend was created in June 1998 by "FredSmoke" (aka Fred Langer) and blended by Craig Tarler of Cornell & Diehls. Hats off to these fine gentlemen. What really impresses me with this blend is the cost of $28/lb! I don't think a better deal exists for the lover of English / Balkan blends who by necessity operate on a shoestring budget. I for one will be feeding my cellar with this fine blend to the tune of several pounds. I expect the Stoved Red Virginias, that neutralize the 50% Latakia and serve as a base of fine sweetness, to age well.

I would HIGHLY recommend this blend to any lover of English Latakia heavy blends. I give it 4 out of 4 stars. Happy smoking to all.

43 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-08-29		Strong	None Detected	Very Full	Tolerable

I suspect this could be packaged in a GL Pease tin, introduced as his newest "genius' blend, and many of us would gladly pay the premium cost to rave about the "depth and subtle complexity of this intoxicating weed"... or otherwise engage in some other manner of hyperbole.

This is in no way a knock on GLP. I dig his stuff. Which is why I use it here as sort of the gold standard. The point is I personally think SOTE is damned good pipe tobacco. As good as there is out there.

Throw in that it costs less than 30 bucks a pound and it to me is a clear , no-brainer, stock builder.

If you like English/Balkan blends just try this. Could be a mainstay for you..

29 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2013-11-04		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

A great blend with lots of flavor. Not quite as stout as most of the English/Balkan blends I smoke, but just as flavorful. I'll keep some of this around for the times when I want something a little lighter. This is a very good, solid, quality smoke.

25 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	balkan_boy (49)	2014-01-03		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

This tobacco is excellent. I couldn't find any flaw yet, and although intuitively, it seems somewhat mediocre, I tried to analyse what exactly is missing here, and I couldn't find anything. It has everything in just the right amount. I was smoking Red Odessa a lot lately, then I got sick, which changed my receptors as usual, and during the recovery, I switched to this one. First bowl of it, was in a meerschaum pipe, near New Year's eve on the city dock in Thessaloniki, a warm sea weather, ideal for winter latakia smoke. And I find it disgusting, there's something special in Cornell and Diehl blends that distinguishes them from all other out there, and the first bowl all I could smell was that undefined Cornell and Diehl taste. Second bowl however, was much better, and was getting better and better, and the last one I had 15 minutes ago, and I liked it immensely. It is truly a wonderful blend that lacks nothing. Latakia is overpowering, not as in Odissey, but close, and orientals are present, you can feel them periodically, although they don't play the main role. VA can also be spotted after the first half, all in all, decent quality smoke. It leaves that awesome latakia aftertaste that lasts for a long time. I'm beginning to like this more and more. I purchased 8 oz bulk, and probably going to order some more. Not a nicotine kick, more like everyday english. Not too mild like Balkan Sasieni either. Highly Recommended.

Pipe Used: Briars and meers

Age When Smoked: 2 months

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

17 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-01-21		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

First of all, if you love the taste of latakia to the exclusion of all else in a blend, add at least one star to my recommendation.

The previous reviewer nailed my feelings on this tobacco. It's a fine, high quality blend that misses the mark for someone who prefers a complex smoke with some side flavors. I just taste latakia that ebbs and flows in intensity. This was smoked fresh out of the tin and I noticed that some reviewers find that it improves drastically with some age. I may try that experiment.

As is, it's a very flat, monodimensional smoke. That doesn't make it bad, though - and if that's what you desire, this is one to try, especially if you've ever mainlined latakia. :)

16 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-04-12		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

WOW. This blend is smooth, rich and full. While the Latakia is the heavy hitter in SOTE, the red VA pokes its head through around mid bowl enhancing the semi sweetness of the turkish that compliments the Latakia very well. Burns clean and even, building up to a very complex and tasty finish that makes you want to immediately smoke another bowl.

While SOTE is not as profoundly smooth and creamy as Penzance, it has replaced Penzance as my favorite Latakia blend. Something no other Latakia blend has been able to do for the past five years. A winner and a solid 4 stars!

15 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2017-02-28		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This is and has been one of C&D's top sellers for a long time and I can see why. It is loaded to the gills with very rich and smoky Latakia combined with a lot of Oriental leaf for spice and rich Virginia for backbone. I've smoked a lot of Latakia blends over the years but seriously, this one is about as smoky as it gets. I smoke it outside to keep the fire alarm from going off.

14 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Demetri (113)	2010-01-31		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

The venerable, almost legendary C&D Star of the East. I wondered when I would finally get some to try and finally did include a small 2 oz. tin of this bulk blend on my last order. The reviews here and elsewhere piqued my interest especially with the comparisons to Penzance which seems to have gone AWOL again over here.

Described as a broken flake I wonder what difference there is between this and C&D's SOTE Flake? I guess I must buy that as well. However, upon lighting this up I was immediately pummeled by a fine Latakia with the sweet Virginias quickly coming to the surface. Sweet smokiness without the tannic pasting with which other heavy Latakia blends have left me (Three Oaks Original, for one). Unsure if I like this right off I immediately repacked my pipe and had another go. Yes, I liked it and can see how others have likened it to Penzance- it seems to be Penzance on steroids - the Latakia more to the fore, the Va's sweeter. The "finish" of this, to borrow a cigar tasting term, is short and does not linger for hours in one's mouth.

I very much like Penzance and could smoke it all day. I'm not sure if I can handle this all day, however; it is more powerful in nicotine (not that that is a bad thing). I do wonder why no comparison has been made (unless I missed it) to other heavy Latakia blends such as FrogMorton or Benjamin Hartwell Chesdin Mixture. Those blends seem more in the genre of SOTE, IMO. I prefer Star of the East to both of those and it has over the last two weeks replaced the Frog for me. I may not smoke it all day, but I do smoke it at least once per day as the drive-to-work blend where it satisfies my tobacco yen until lunch twelve hours later. 4 Stars - no equivocation.

14 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	kppeterson (19)	2008-12-28		Medium	None Detected	Full	Strong

What a wonderful mixture. All that I have purchased has been in bulk and while it smokes wonderfully from the get go it gets even better after sitting in a Ball jar for as little as 3 to 6 months. It is a Balkan for sure and just slightly sweet from the Red Virginia and maybe the Orientals as well. Sweeter and less soapy (in the Latakia sense not Lakeland) than Pease's Odyssey, I like this much better. The Orientals are not nearly as acrid as in Abingdon, which I also enjoy and it may be a bit sweeter to my palate.

As many reviews have mentioned this blend contains 50% Latakia but it is not overwhelming, then again I cannot smoke bowl after bowl of this either because it does tend to max out my taste buds for a time. This blend can be smoked anytime of day though I prefer it after breakfast or as my last pipe of the day, after dinner. It is wonderful with a coffee, sausage and eggs in the morning and unlike a mild English or Balkan it can stand up to a flavorful or spicy dinner as maybe your last pipe of the day. The aftertaste is definite Latakia and it stays in my beard and nostrils for quite a while keeping the Mrs. at bay so be forewarned. Though it doesn't develop substantially down the bowl it also does not get overly bitter as some Balkans do and finishes quite nicely.

The cut is on the coarse side and packs well using many different methods. The slightly coarse cut make is a good candidate for outdoors but I do tend to pack it a bit tighter for those times if windy. Bowl size makes little difference though I do tend to prefer it in medium to large bowls. Smokes fairly cool though with effort can get a bit hot, so as always smoke slowly. Do not be put off or have and attitude about buying as a bulk (it can also be purchased in tins) because I would rank this with some of the favorite heavy Latakia blends out there such as Margate, Odyssey, Abingdon or Penzance and highly recommend it to lovers of such blends.

UPDATE-12/28/08 Though I hate to do so I am down grading this one star as I feel it tends to burn a bit on the hot side which is a problem I also get with Margate. After spending some time with Pease's Westminster, Maltese Falcon and Abingdon all which burn quite a bit cooler I feel it is only fair. Still a wonderful tobacco that I will be stocking up on again in the future.

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2080)	2016-10-02		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

Cornell & Diehl - Star of the East.

Before I begin the actual review I'll point out one of the flaws with Star of the East: twigs. In my pouch there's bloomin loads of them! There's no way I'd call this just a ribbon, as well as the twiggy bits there's broken flakes' and leafy bits in there. Don't get me wrong, it does contain ribbons, but it's a lot closer to what I'd call a mixture.

I find the Latakia takes the lead in the smoke, with the Orientals sitting behind. They're not 'right at the back', but work as more of a back-up for the Latakia. I'm not implying this is a Lat-Bomb, it's nowhere near smoky enough. I don't get much from the Virginia's, hardly anything actually.

The burn's one of the high points with S.o.t.E; it does so with great consistency, and I don't find the smoke too warm at any point either. Nor does the smoke bite, even when it's strained!

The nicotine's medium, and sadly the room-note's not exactly the best: tolerable, or maybe a bit too much.

I can't smoke this solidly all day, but I love it as a breakfast blend!

Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Peterson Jekyll & Hyde

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: 4noggins

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tantric (321)	2019-06-07		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

My first venture into this highly acclaimed modern classic (and rightly so). The first word that comes to mind is smooth. Man, this is silk! I thought, on reading the description, that I was going to be mauled by the 50% Latakia. But, hey, this leaf purrs; the added Oriental (Turkish I guess) makes it even softer, and the Virginias are there but without disturbing what in fact is a perfect Oriental dream. In spite its smoothness this baccy packs quite a bit of flavor. It's not a blatant concoction in the sense many Dunhills' or Peases' Orientals are. This is closer to the old Campanile (Fox) and it resembles a lighter version of the old London Mixture. A great English/Oriental that can easily be smoked all day long. This is the stuff One Thousand and One Nights are made of. A truly oniric, hypnotic, and soothing mixture.

Pipe Used: Dunhill Chestnut

Age When Smoked: Fresh from the tin

Similar Blends: Campanile; London Mixture (without the heaviness)..

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	fr_tom (393)	2016-04-12		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This has been an enjoyable sample. It came a little dry and I have smoked it that way. It is latakia forward, but it is hard for me to believe 50% of the blend is latakia.

I have smoked this in a variety of pipes, and it does not seem to favor one or another. Perhaps it has a preference for a GBD prince.

It is campfire woody in taste as you might expect. There is a slight herbal sour/sweet from the orientals and a heavier sweet from the red Virginia. I did not get much spice with the orientals.

Smoking qualities were excellent. It did not require a lot of relights and burned to the bottom of the bowl with no moisture/goop. It was easy to sip and had good consistent flavor.

This is easy to recommend.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cakeanddottle (105)	2011-11-21		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Very common C&D bulk and liked by many. VA, Turkish and Latakia. Med-full, decent nicotine, cheap.

I wish I loved this but I don't. The Orientals are background, adding a little tang and coffee ground bitterness. This is mostly about the interplay between the Va and Lat. This tobacco bears a resemblance to Lancer Slices, but I find the venerable slices more enjoyable. This one doesn't have the same indescribable note from the Lat that C&D's Pirate Kake and Ten Russians share, which is good because I'm not nuts about those. This is smoky and leathery, just not lusciously so the way Lancer Slices is.

No real complexity here, but I will credit this tobacco with being very consistent. I have smoked no bowls of this that varied in experience. As bulk Lat blends go you could do worse, but this is not even in the same class as their bulk #505 Super Balkan, and probably not as good as #64 Mountain Camp. It's arguably better than Engine #99, although that one has a little more going on in it. This kind of strikes me the same way Squadron Leader does. Just average. Once this jar is empty we part ways.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SteelCowboy (685)	2016-04-18		Medium	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

Star of the East is offer the pouch scent that screams smoky Latakia and pungent Turkish. In the pipe, the Latakia tends to dominate the blend. There is a very slight sweetness to SotE too. It burns cool, but compared to some of heavy Latakia blends that I prefer more, there is a slight sharpness to this offering leaving me wanting a touch more red Virginia. On the upside, there are no dull spots that some Lat heavy blends sometimes have. The flavor is defiantly full, and the strength, meaning Lady N, is about medium. I think that this will appeal to lovers of the dark, smoky leaf, but if I’m going to smoke a full on Latakia blend (which I do less of these days) from C&D, I prefer Engine 99 or Pirate Cake to Star of the East.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	twaksak (54)	2015-06-21		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

In the tin: A strong scent of molasses, caramel and smokiness. Hints of spiceyness too.

Taste: A nice smoky, caramelish taste on first light which continues throughout the bowl. Also present were the resemblance of toasted cocoa beans. The spiciness are very subdued, maybe because of the age (5 years old). Clearly mellowed over the years. Nice blend with strong smokiness for the Latakia lovers.

YT review here...

Pipe Used: Stanwell, Savinelli, Georg Jensen

Age When Smoked: 4 yrs

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Motoyoshi (68)	2015-03-19		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable to Strong

Flake vs Ribbon, Tinned vs Bulk are two things I think of when smoking SOTE and SOTE Flake.

The bulk version that I got from Smokingpipes.com was very dry so it didn't need any drying time and burned very evenly despite the chunky cut.

Highly recommended for any lover of latakia. Sweet, smokey spicy and a great smoke that doesn't get acrid towards the bottom of the bowl. Despite the half latakia proportions, it's a very smooth and isn't overbearing.

Concerning this version and the flake, I have to say the Virginias are more subdued/less sweet and the orientals seem to be spicier in the bulk version. The marrying process really of the flake really shines in the cohesiveness of the flake version's flavors. This blend tends to have more separation between the flavor profiles.

Still, it's a great smoke and worth trying.

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Piper@thegates (20)	2011-02-24		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Unnoticeable

I'm astounded to read some reviews stating that Star of the East is unbalanced. If anything to me this blend epitomises the skill and artistry of the blender in as much that I have never smoked such a well balanced and flavourful combination amongst the many Latakia blends. Given that the blenders notes state a 50% Latakia content, it is the higher than normal, I'd say 30% or more Turkish content, that creates not a blend where the various tobaccos compete, but rather a blend where the various components dance through the smoking experience in perfect harmony. What some have described as 'light', is to my mind the Turkish and stoved red Va tobacco countering the heavier Latakia and forming a marriage of sensations which continue throughout the smoke together as a well matched partnership.

This blend contains not just a high level of Latakia but also a very substantial amount of Turkish which gives it that almost minty lightness on the edges of the latakia body. A beautiful piece of art from the blender but one that I'm sure will only endear itself if the smoker is a fan of Latakia. I feel very comfortable in recommending this blend to any lover of the Latakia English/Balkan blends.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-12-21		Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Strong

I love latakia better than a hog loves slop. So I read these reviews and I reach for my drool bib. Because the reviews make SOTE sound like King Latakia. Its like if Latakia was the volume control on a amp, SOTE would be pegged at 12. And, always before, I labored under a simple equation, the more latakia, the better I like a blend. Well, guess what. They were right, and I was wrong. This does have a huge amount of latakia, and no my equation no longer works, I don't like it. I'm in the boat with Devonshire. This blend is a mess. Nothing interesting, nothing satisfying, nothing to the blend. Might as well be smoking straight latakia. Anyone want to trade 8oz?

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DeathMetal.org (231)	2021-10-13		Medium	None Detected	Full	Strong

Summary: a Balkan, or English with higher percentage of Orientals, this one lets the red Virginia sweetness shine

An English blend contains at least three elements -- Virginias, Orientals, and Latakia -- but a Balkan blend has a higher percentage of Orientals than your average English. This does not necessarily mean more Orientals than Latakia, only that moving up the percentage creates a different flavor. Where the English blend tastes like a spiced cookie, perhaps, the Balkan blend possesses more of an incense-like flavor that mutes the Latakia smokiness to the point that the Virginia becomes the strongest ingredient. It is easy to see why this blend is a best seller for C&D: the red Virginia sweetness takes the forefront, scented and flavored by a mixture of herbal smoke and wine-like spice. This makes for a slightly Protean flavor that mostly expresses a balance like barbecue sauce cured in wood smoke, with no part overwhelming the Virginias but all parts working together..

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Falliver (42)	2020-07-14		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

Though doubtful its contents are half Latakia, the blend is in no doubt smoky and woody, along the lines of campfire and pines lingering on the tongue. I imagine The Star of the East would suit the winter holidays. Some almonds sweetness is also present in its medium to full-bodies smoke.

Pipe Used: GL Lillehammer 64

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HabaneroHardy (401)	2019-07-22		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Unnoticeable

This is another one I bought last year, tried it and shelved it like I do them all. I think my hobby is buying pipe tobacco rather than smoking it. The pound bag was dated 7-13-18. This one says it has 50 percent Latakia and the tin note has a nice strong Latakia smell. This one is not as sweet as Pirate Kake but billows out a lot of white smoky clouds. I tend to notice the Oriental/Turkish tobaccos in this one more so than others. One reviewer suggested smoking this in a larger bowl so I switched and did notice somewhat of a more varied flavor profile. Really strong-tasting blend and I enjoy it with a cup of coffee, morning or night. If I did have to choose one, I probably would go with the Pirate Kake but give this one a try also if you like lots of Latakia.

Pipe Used: Briars

Age When Smoked: 1 year

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TallPuffO'Burley (633)	2018-05-22		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

I bought a one ounce sample of this a while back and finally got around to trying it. In fact, it was my truck tobacco. That being the one that I keep in the truck with a dedicated pipe. I did not like this much, but could see how it would appeal to others who may be more into the Turkish leaf used.

First off, this is a lat bomb and that is fine with me as there are several lat bombs that I enjoy. The one common quotient with each of those that I enjoy is that they provide a creamy smooth type of smoking experience. SOTE did not do that to me. It was tangy and had all kinds of sharp edges presumably this was coming from the Turkish leaf.

There are some people who love this kind of tanginess in their smoke and perhaps I would too if it were paired against a Virginia and a burley, but I found it not to my liking with this particular blend.

One thing I found interesting is that this is the first, what I would call, true Balkan blend made by C&D that I have tried. Typically they just can't hold back from adding burley to their lat blends. This is not the case with SOTE. It is a standard VLO with the Turkish out front. The Virginia is there to provide sweetness, but is really subdued behind the Lat and Turkish.

Two stars for me.

Pipe Used: Mastro De Paja Paneled Billiard

Age When Smoked: 2 yrs 7 mos

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	krg1000 (183)	2010-09-19		Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium	Tolerable

This is my first C&D mixture that I have had the chance to try. I find upon opening the tin, that the moisture level was perfect for smoking straight away. The aroma from the tin was just wonderful. It lit and stayed lit easily enough. Tastes just like an English is supposed to. It will not endear you to the wife/girlfriend because of the Latakia content, which is why it got the dreaded "Tolerable" rating here. If you are looking for a good place to start off on your English journey, this is a great place to start. Highly recommended to one and all.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dr.sadik (120)	2009-01-09		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Strong

well i like oreintals and lately ive been examining the poupular blends out there,,this one came in the Q,,teel u the truth when half of the blend is latakia u shouldnt judge by the composure of other tobaccos included bcz it will b overwhelmed,,its an oriental blend that i will assure the turkish leaf sweetness can make it out some times in the bowl by a slight spicy touch but i would say the red virginia is definitly there with very mellow effect,,amazingly the blend dosent have a knock you off your feet effect,,it needs a wide bowl to pack and enjoy though,,would like to try it from time to time but not constantly

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DoctorThoss (146)	2007-12-16		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Strong

The most outstanding thing about this tobacco is that it's a bulk blend and priced accordingly. It's basically a medium-strength Balkan, not as complex or full-bodied as Odyssey but with a similar flavor profile (and the bonus trait of being easy to keep lit). I like the flake version of this more, but this is a pretty decent (and easy to smoke) blend. I would rate it higher, but there are many blends of this sort on the market that I enjoy far more. YMMV.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Big Blue Jazzman (73)	2007-09-04		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Strong

Star Of The East will reward you with pure tobacco pleasure from start to finish. Lot's of Latakia and a good nicotine punch. Burns cool and like Mr. Chesterfield used to say, satisfies. I've got to try the flake, I'll bet it's even better. This is a man's smoke, and brother, it's a good one.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-09-08		Strong	None Detected	Very Full	Strong

I'm obviously in the minority here, but I could never learn to like SOTE. I purchased about 12oz bulk and found it to be harsh, grating, and full, without being flavourful. There was no complexity, just a smoky, burning mess. I can't figure out why others love it so. Maybe I just got a bad batch of bulk.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RCUSElder (244)	2005-05-18		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

Revised 05-17-2005

Appearance and Tin Aroma: Beautiful medium cut ribbon. Lots of reds, browns, and black. It smells delicious! It reminds me of a delicious filet mignon cooking!

Packing and lighting: C&D blends are usually a bit dry, but this one was a little moist. Packs easily as the ribbons are not too long.

Initial Flavor: Delicious! This blend reminds me of Raven's wing sans the Syrian.

Mid-Bowl:A delicious fullness, every leaf can be tasted, there is a nice spicyness from the red VA.

Bottom of Bowl: It develops flavor strength in a quick crescendo and all that is left is a gery mottled ash. You immediately want to pack another bowl of this fine blend.

Overall: For a bulk blend, this is a good choice. It is on the fuller side of English blends with it bordering on being a Balkan blend. Nevertheless can be smoked all day without fatigue. It does taste very similar to Raven's Wing, but does not fatigue me like that blend can. Because of the quality of the leaf, I think this blend will lend itself to aging very well and now that it comes in 8 oz. tins will make it to my cellar.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	FilipPruncu (89)	2022-06-28		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong

What an excellent blend! Getting C&D in Romania isn’t easy, as it is only sold in the US and anything that goes over $11 is going to tax you at the customs, so only when there are good offers for the blends can one poor ass Romanian buy a tin of C&D (and other american blends).

This is my second C&D blend, after Pirate Kake, and I’m really into their stuff. Star of the East really impressed me. Why? Lets see below.

Tin note: Fermented (initially, but this went away), very smoky, woody, leathery, dried fruit. Powerful smell.

Aspect: Almost equal parts of black, brown and gold leaves. Medium cut ribbons, very easy to pack. Humidity is perfect, you can put it right in the pipe, and if kept in a mason jar, it will keep this humidity.

Taste and Flavor: This is definitely full bodied. Campfire and smoked oak barrel, with some sweet notes, wood, leathery, pine and a bit of dried fruit. It’s surprising how sweet the smoke can be, and smoky at the same time. The sweetness could come either from some flowery oriental or from the red virginia, but it’s not your normal golden virginia sweetness, it’s the specific red virginia we’re talking about. It could be a combination of the orientals and the red virginia. Not sure though, I couldn’t bet on it, but this really grew my interest in straight red virginia. The orientals could be the spicy time, but very shy, only in the background. Also, there’s a little taste of dark dried fruit, like prune plums and even some pomegranate.

If smoked gently, you will get a very creamy, buttery, soft smoke. It will not bite, it might only get the smoke a big hot if you puff like a maniac (which nobody should do). Lights up easy and stays lit without much effort.

It’s not a very complex blend, it’s pretty straightforward and delivers a lot of taste. Though fullbodied, it’s not strong, it actually mild to medium, while the room note is strong yet pleasant to the latakia lover. And speaking of the room.. it will be filled with both a thick smoke and a strong smell.

I found that I could get the best of it by smoking it in big pipes, like Savinelli 320KS or the HUGE Mastro de Paja Pesaro Gigante 1C, a bent bulldog with an impressive size and no filter. In a regular prince shape pipe, like Savinelli’s 315 KS you don’t get the most of this blend.

Indeed a good, straight-to-the-point blend, great for the latakia lover. I love it! 5 stars!

P.S.: Review on the spot here

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Novaki (41)	2020-04-16		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A beautiful and subtle smoke. The tobacco lives up to the name, as every satisfying puff is full of thick luxurious plumes. The generous amount of Latakia means you’ll look like a train without burning like one. The taste is typical of a Balkan of this kind. All the usual Smokey notes of campfires and leather are present with a nice undercurrent of grassy, woodsy, earthy, floral notes from the oriental. I was surprised at how the Latakia doesn’t totally dominate the flavor given its portion. When it arrived in the mail the first thing I could smell was this, so I was expecting this to be a lat bomb that would set me on my arse but I found it to be surprisingly mild.

The essentialist side of me wants to say that packaging and names don’t matter all that much and a good tobacco is just that. But I think the naming and packaging really does something here (even though I bought this in bulk I still know what’s on the tin). I couldn’t help but imagine a world in which the railroad was the pride of a nation or desert travelers following the guide star of the blends namesake. But that’s just me romanticizing the old world and getting lost in my imagination and has little to do with the tobacco.

This would be an excellent winter smoke and maybe even a good all day or early morning style of light English. I doubt this will ever see the success that more popular blends have enjoyed, but I could easily see why this blend has such a cult following. It smokes cool, has a ton of billowing smoke and tastes great - all the qualities I want in a blend.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	crazy owl (74)	2016-01-25		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

Latakia in fair proportion and nothing more.Orientals because of scarcity or their natural shyness don´t sing very much.A nice,mild blend of course but not appealing.By my side I preffer in C&D english-balkan spectrum others like the notable Sunset Harbor or the flake version of Star of the East.IMHO,of course,C&D must short the offert into the really remarkable blends instead of the jungle of nonsense,but non cheap,options.

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: smokingpipes

Similar Blends: many others.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Furqueron (2)	2013-04-29		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This is my favorite tobacco. Not terribly complex. For me it is spot on. It is pure smokiness. Even though it is 50% Latakia it has a mellowness to it. Not bite, to speak of, either. I like subtle tobaccos. It is like a richer version of Presbyterian Mixture. I buy it by the pound.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CPT/VSG (72)	2011-11-19		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

SotE is another example of the 50-50 genre of Virginia/Latakia blends out there and is a pretty good representative.

The Cyprian Latakia leads in the blend, softened by the Virginias. The Orientals are really in the background, to the degree they're there. It's hard, I think, to create a complex flavor profile in blends of this nature but SotE does a decent job of it. As a result, it could be a fine all day companion. Like many C&D blends, it's fairly dry in the tin (not a bad thing to me) and burns well. I haven't had the flake version of this but I suspect it will have a little more punch and complexity--I'm looking forward to trying it. Recommended (in a 2.5 stars kind of way)--not wild about it but would smoke it from time to time.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	whitebriar (31)	2011-10-21		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Tolerable

was a bit let down with this one--pretty bland--have a bit that will be allowed to age--perhaps it will improve a bit--

edit: a bit of time in the jar has improved SOTE or possibly my taste has just come around to it--upping the score to 3 stars--

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-03-25		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong

This is my second C & D blend, and I am very happy to say I have found another winner. Time will tell if I go back and order more, but for now I have another tobacco I find myself craving often, much like Pease's "Odyssey." This is partially due to the fact that I am still exploring the massive world of tobacco, but this does not hinder the fact that SOTE is a good blend.

Being familiar at this point with the obvious scent of latakia, SOTE surprised me with its barbecue-esque aroma, a new one on me. A friend of mine generally describes latakia as smelling like "beef jerkey," but I believe I finally understand his comparison: SOTE really hits the nose with a pungent leathery, earthy tang that smells of spice and soil -- and maybe even beef. Beef could definitely describe the chewy smoke SOTE left in my mouth after each puff, that is, the smoke was so rich with flavor it almost had a chewy texture as it coated my tongue. It was very cigar-like, and oddly even the room note (though I was outside) was very cigar-like (think maduro). Throughout the bowl, the light was kept well, and the flavors seemed to continue to crescendo into one very full smokey mixture that lingered long after the bowl was done and the pipe was cleaned. Again, like a cigar, I could feel the fullness of this tobacco in the back of my throat, as well as that feeling of having just eaten a porterhouse steak for dinner. This could be attributed to my rocket-puffing syndrome, but I digress: SOTE is a great blend and highly recommended to all lovers of rugged, full-bodied blends with a lot of smokey, spicy characteristics.

Whether this becomes a staple for me is a verdict only a few more stout bowls can deliver. 3.6 out 4 points for me.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-12-28		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This review is on a 2 year old tin, which isn't finished yet. Wow, very nice! Light sweetness to start, combined with smoky, leathery tang. Toward mid bowl it settles in to a workmanlike tobacco flavor, with sweetness backing off. Not sure about the balance on this one. Don't know as I like this much Latakia. Have to wait and see how the tin empties out. Personally, I really like the room note, which doesn't seem to linger much. There some twigs in this stuff. They need to be removed, or you will get a poor pack and uneven burn, resulting in harshness and biting. This isn't a good candidate for DGT. It becomes acrid and flat.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-08-10		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Strong

A nice light Balkan with emphasis on the (tame) latakia. The other main taste is the Turkish; a tasty combination. But the red Virginia doesn't do much -- it certainly doesn't sweeten the smoke, the C&D blurb notwithstanding. As a result, Star of the East is a well-balanced but ultimately rather limited blend; it certainly doesn't develop significantly as you go down the bowl. Good for when you want a Balkan that won't wallop you on the head, and definitely worth a try. But I can't see buying it much in the future.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Latakia (70)	2008-06-06		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

A bit too much latakia for me but if you want a latakia blend that is smooth, this could be it. Reminded me of Odessy or Balkan Sasieni....both which I found very good and heavy on the latakia. Contrary to there brands though, SOTE is much easier to keep lit. Will put a little humidor disk in it and let it age as it should age well. Will return to it when I want a latakia overdose. Not bad but I wouldn't buy it again.

Decided to go back to the review and give it a higher rating than I intially did. I began to like the high latakia content and see where this can be a special latakia smoke when wanting a full taste.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2006-11-20		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

If you can imagine Penzance not in flake form this would be it.This is an incredibly rich tobacco.Although it is 50% Latakia the Turkish and Virginias make their presence known.This is in line with Nat Sherman #536 with a lot more Latakia.It produces a very buttery and full flavor.Some people might detect a bitterness,and it will make itself quite apparent if smoked on the dry side. This is best "SHPRITZED" with distilled water and then allowed to sit for about 2 weeks.When this is done it will provide a wonderful after dinner companion for you and your pipe.It actually has a stong similarity to "Old Ironsides".I truly enjoy this blend about 5 times a week (after dinner). It will best be appreciated when not smoked before a meal.The room note for some odd reason is actually quite nice and dissipates quickly. 4 of 4 Latakia stars!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	dualkarnain (75)	2006-09-03		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Strong

This is a great sleeper blend that somehow hid in the back of my shelf without a thought for the past nine months.

The Latakia/Oriental blending has a very interesting depth that is hard for me to describe. Praeterdimensional, I'll call it.

The VA sweetens it up and the orientals are more amped up than in many blends. This is a good thing.

Check it out!

Images evoked: a band of marauder mercenaries, following the successful completion of a big job, visiting a house of negotiable affection.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipepundit (168)	2006-04-11		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

An excellent middle of the road Balkan. Satisfying in taste and nicotine, Star Of The East has a generous mouth-filling quality. It can stand up to many mixtures which are priced much higher. It lacks a certain je ne sait quoi that keeps it from being a great mixture, but it comes close to it.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2004-06-20		Medium	None Detected	Full	Strong

Star of the East is for Latakia lovers only. If you don?t like the Latakia big, bold, and in your face, pass on this one.

At 50% Latakia, this is a full blend. Rich and smoky and full of flavor. The Latakia used is of a good quality. With the high content of Latakia, you might think that it would dominate the taste, but you would be wrong. The Oriental and even the Virginias play a major role in the flavor. The stoved red Va adds a dimension to the blend that makes it a very worthy smoke.

Need I say that the room note will not make friends of non-smokers? Star?s subtlety is in the form of the interplay of flavors as you smoke it. There was none used on the room note. Fans of English blends, however, will love it.

Star is a very good smoke in all respects. Clean burning, easy to maintain. Actually, it burns so well, there isn?t much maintenance to it.

If I couldn?t get Raven?s Wing, or Odyssey, I?d be happy with Star of the East.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2003-07-07		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I actually created and named this and Craig Tarler made it a Premium blend back in June of 1998. The Turkish component is true, pure Turkish (back then, at least, I believe Craig used a blend of different tobaccos for Turkish).

I wanted a LOT of that smoky, woodsy Latakia, and the sugar sweetness of a Virginia (I think Craig had just started stoving Red VA back then) and the mellow nuttiness of Turkish. I had bought several single tobaccos from Craig to experiment with and came up with this blend. So I gave the desired ratios of the 3 tobaccos to Craig and Star of the East was born.

I just opened a jar that I had cellared for 5 years and the tangy, almost fermented smell of the Red VA burst forth. The moisture was perfect and I couldn't wait to pack my Tinsky Big Boy. When I first got this pressed pound back in 1998 it was really fine, but 5 years of aging has really melded and deepened the flavors. I would rate this up there (maybe higher??) than my alltime favorite English blend - Esoterica Margate mixed half and half with Esoterica Penzance.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	The Old Man (19)	2021-12-13		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Based on a bulk purchase.

This is a Latakia-focused mixture so it's rich but smokes mild and cool. Some tartness and tang noted from the Red Virginias. (I don't notice the Orientals contributing much to this blend.)

The short, fine ribbon cut makes packing and smoking easy. Excellent (almost dry) moisture out of the bulk bag so minimal drying is required.

The aftertaste is Latakia with some residual tartness and tang from the VAs. Equivalent in quality to a tinned blend so this bulk offering is quite the bargain.

Age When Smoked: Fresh Bulk

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Paul from Jersey (15)	2021-04-12		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Like many Cornell & Diehl blends, dry but still springy and supple. Started buying this in bulk in the terrible spring of 2018, searching for substitutes for dearly departed McClellan blends. Upon lighting, sweetness. A good sign, one that lingers as a ghost to nearly the very end. Not long after lighting, stoves red Virginia takes over, a nice woody mouth-filling body. No bite. Latakia does not jump out, simply mixes with the blend pleasantly. Stays lit, keep tamping, i've smoked bowls almost all the way down without relighting. Little to no moisture at the bottom of the bowl, seldom the need to run a pipe cleaner in (speaking of which, where are the Decatur tapered pipe cleaners?}, no hookah hubbly bubbly. Nic hit does not reach medium strength, stays in the mild to medium range. (I try to stay below the heart palpitation register, and this blend is pinned well beneath that point.) An excellent all day smoke and a valued constituent of my post-McClelland rotation.

Pipe Used: Savinelli Oscar, Sebastien Beo Dublin

Age When Smoked: A year or more, bulk stored in tin.

Purchased From: SmokingPipes

Similar Blends: Star of the East flake, McClelland Frogmorton (but only as a vague memory).

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	MRBROWNNOSE (18)	2020-04-05		Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Full	Tolerable to Strong

I REALLY REALLY LOVE this tobacco! Was not sure at first as this is not something that is usually in my wheelhouse, but was beyond surprised by this blend. Have only been smoking a pipe for about a year or so (1.5) so by no means an expert or one that can differentiate subtle nuisances rather just an overall impression.

The tobacco itself is fairly dry and burns well with few relights. flavor is on the strong side and one I would consider full flavor. The only other similar tobacco I liked this much is Sutliff Dunhill Standard which I quickly smoked up the 1/2oz sample.

So far I only have a 1oz sample but will be purchasing more in the near future. Have not tried the Flake SOTE to compare but may try that version at some point as well. For the price of the BULK I would highly recommend giving SOTE a shot as you wouldn't be out much if it wasn't for you, plus some aging could perhaps do it some justice...time will tell./

Pipe Used: Crown Garden Bent Pipe

Age When Smoked: New/ and 1 year

Purchased From: P&C

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Country Bladesmith (18)	2019-10-05		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Tin (baggie/jar) note is that of a campfire. Other than the Latakia I can’t smell much else.

Moisture level is perfectly smokable right out of the baggie.

Nails that quintessential Balkan Lat/Oriental interplay right out of the gate with a balsam/incense presence. The red Virginias add a little sweetness to the Latakia, and the Turkish/Orientals add a little butteriness to the blend. Other than that though, there’s not much going on.

In other words, it’s not as complex as some other Balkan blends, but quite nice. If I have my dithers, I prefer some of those other more complex blends, but this is not shabby at all. I would give it three and a half stars if it would let me.

Not much vitamin N. Could be an all day smoke.

Pipe Used: Briars

Age When Smoked: Fresh

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	J. Ward (70)	2019-08-09		Medium	None Detected	Full	Strong

Star of the East, as expected, is a full bodied, lat heavy mixture, yet astoundingly smooth. Rich, creamy, smoky Latakia works seamlessly with fragrant and woody orientals, the Virginias lend a bit of dark fruit and hay, balancing out this stout blend. SOTE gets a bit muddled in the last 1/3, but is thoroughly enjoyable. A 3.5 star blend rounded up to 4. This one has gone directly into my rotation.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Randy Tuggle (46)	2019-06-30		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Some say it's a runner-up to Penzance. They're nuts. This blend has an overpowering, almost annoying Turkish/Oriental flavor which lasts about halfway through the bowl. Then, it changes into a mellower smoke - similar to Quiet Nights for the second half. This was an experimental blending attempt at competing with Penzance, I'm sure. If I want Quiet Nights, I'll buy it (which I do like and enjoy). If I want Penzance, I have Penzance on hand and enjoy that, too. This just didn't work for me.

Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum Cob

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: SmokingPipes.com

Similar Blends: Esoterica Penzance, G.L. Pease Quiet Nights.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cajomu (80)	2018-12-05		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

What sets C&D Star of the East apart from other English style tobaccos is its sweetness. The Latakia is ever present although not over powering, the Turkish tobacco is noticeable in the background but the stoved red Virginias steal the show. It is so sweet that one is tempted to think that is has a top dressing, although the description says no. Based on my experience with stoved red Virginia tobacco, in particular the gone but not forgotten McClelland Red Cake, I am inclined to think that quality Virginias are the source of the sweetness. Also, unlike artificially sweetened tobacco, the sweetness of C&D SotE does not diminish toward the end of the smoke.

The cut is course but it lights easily and burns well to a light gray ash. The nicotine hit is moderate. Unlike some reviewers, I detected no hotness or tongue bite -- it is an easy tobacco to smoke, even if you puff hard. The aroma of the unlit tobacco is typical of English style tobaccos and gives no hint of how sweet it is when lit.

If you like Latakia and sweet tobaccos, you will love this stuff. I purchased four ounces a year ago and plan to buy more.

Pipe Used: Various briars

Age When Smoked: 1 year old

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ATW (110)	2018-10-11		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

After years of trying different English/Balkan blends, this is the first one in a good while that I say wow to. My 2 oz sample came in on the dry side but no humidification needed. The bag aroma is heavy smokiness with a slight earthy mustiness from the Turkish and a slightly dark sweetness in the back ground. The flavor is smoky with the very slightly mustiness coming in from time to time and a nice amount of spice on the retro-hale, but what I'm really enjoying is the graham cracker like flavor and sweetness that's playing very well with the smokiness. This blend is also very consistent from start to finish. For 50% Latakia content, this is a very well constructed blend. A little rough but some age will smooth this out real nicely. And the price is great.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HeavyMetalPiper (64)	2018-05-31		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Big balkan flavor. The latakia is huge in this one, but it doesn't mask the orientals, and they really shine in this blend in that typical balkan style. There is a subtle sweetness from the Virginias which is nice.

This would go well with vanilla flavoring, I discovered. I thought it had a vanilla flavor somehow, but it turned out I was near a Nabisco factory. It could be a promising combo.

You can view my video review of this blend here:

Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum Bent Diplomat Apple

Age When Smoked: 10 Weeks

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

Similar Blends: Dunhill - My Mixture 965, Kramer's Pipe and Tobacco Shop - Father Dempsey.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Blake_Gibson (4)	2017-03-14		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

I get good sweetness from this tobacco when smoked in a taller thinner bowl (standard cob) and more Turkish forward when smoked in a short wide bowl. Almost to the point of sour, but not unpleasant.

Not gonna make any friends with this one in an enclosed space but it's interesting enough that you probably won't care.

Pipe Used: Cob, Savinelli 320, Joe Case Billiard

Age When Smoked: Fresh through 6 months

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2016-08-30		Medium	None Detected	Extra Full	Tolerable

Deep and dark heavy English blend here. Not for the inexperienced. Savory, with a thin sweetness playing through. Billows of smoke that is rich and satisfying. Reminds me a bit of ol Nighcap.

Pipe Used: 1985 Ashton XX Canadian.

Age When Smoked: 11 years old in mason jar.

Purchased From: Smokingpipes

Similar Blends: Dunhill Nightcap..

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gripsholm (43)	2016-07-18		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Overwhelming	Strong

Star of the East is a lat bomb. This blend is comprised of at least three different tobaccos and fifty percent of the composition is Latakia. There is more Latakia than any other tobacco in this blend.

Visually this blend is ribbon cut tobaccos mostly black with not quite as much dark brown. The moisture level is slightly drier than I prefer, perhaps just on the verge of crispiness but not really crispy. The pouch note is smoky Latakia with a pungent Izmir.

Upon first light the flavor is sharp, sour, and smoky. Very overwhelming. It smoked that way throughout the entire bowl. I smoked five and a half bowls over two weeks before I finally gave up and tossed what was left of my bulk ounce in the garbage.

Needless to say I cannot recommend this blend. I do enjoy Balkan-style blends, but this is not one of them.

Pipe Used: Caked briar

Age When Smoked: Fresh

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Padre603 (7)	2016-03-01		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I have been a tried and true aromatic smoker my entire 20+ year pipe career. I ran a smoke shop when I was 18 and could NOT stand even being near, let alone smoking latakia.

Then, maybe 6 months ago, something flipped, and this tasty treat has become my go to smoke. I'm at, at least 1 bowl a day, most days are 3 bowls. This baccy has me wishing I could smoke it constantly through out my day at work. (No smoking allowed.) I can't say enough about how delicious this is.

First go with it was out of a tin. It needed a little time to dry, but once that was achieved, it packed easy and lit straight away. Just one relight and I was able to smoke this down to a grey/white ash without a hint of dottle.

It has a generous mouth feel, but smokes cool. I currently order it in bulk and keep it in a good sized airtight jar ala Candy Shop. Smokes just like that first go, out of the tin, just no time need to dry it out.

Pipe Used: Dunhill's and Savinelli's Maybe a Peterson

Age When Smoked: 6 months

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	noquarter (23)	2015-11-26		Mild	None Detected	Medium	Very Pleasant

Wonderful smoke. Not too complex which is what I really like. It is just a wonderful smoke. As always,a nice English from C&D.

Sidenote: 50-50 SOTE and 1Q makes a very interesting smoke.

Pipe Used: Dedicated C&D briars for English/Balkans

Similar Blends: Engjne99.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Toasterbottom (13)	2015-06-05		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

I bought a veritable truckload of SOTE (16oz which is the most of one blend I've ever bought at once) on the recommendations of other smokers here on tobacco reviews as a budget replacement for my now beloved Balkan Sasieni. And while I'm not dissatisfied, I am a little disappointed. Certainly the value is excellent at less than half the cost of BS in 50g tins, but as someone else here mentioned, it does seem to be missing something.

While I'm not challenging C&D's claim of 50% latakia, I have a little trouble seeing how this could be the case since the taste to me seems almost watered down. It's like J&B blended scotch and soda compared to Balkan Sasieni's single malt neat. Don't get me wrong, I like scotch and soda! But that's what I order when I'm out at a bar and can't afford a nice single malt whisky (which is what I savour at home). So in that regard, the comparison is apt (and I was being naively optimistic) because what I really want is a truckload of Balkan Sasieni, just like I'd like a tankerload of Macallan 18 year old. What it's missing to me is that thick smoke of leather and old books and musty countryside that I get from BS. Again, it's there, but fainter as though it's been watered down. Even with BS that peaty flavour isn't overpowering ...but it's there for you, up front, whereas with SOTE you have to consciously search for it. You taste the latakia ... but it's not as flavourful and complex and evocative. You may not notice this, however, if you smoked only SOTE. But I've been alternating bowls between SOTE and BS and every time I go back to BS I think, "Ah, that's how it's supposed to be."

I've jarred the bagged bulk contents into some 500ml and 250ml mason jars so that I can put some away and come back to it in a year or two while I smoke some fresh Balkan Sasieni. Will I buy it again? Uh, yes ...I think I will ... but it will be to save some money to put towards a bottle of Macallan 18 ...or the more affordable Dalwhinnie 15. :)

Pipe Used: a variety of briars

Age When Smoked: pretty fresh

Purchased From: 4noggins.com

Similar Blends: Balkan Sasieni.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipe4ever (204)	2014-08-21		Medium	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

An excellent English blend with dark deep and very smokey flavor, Turkish floral aroma is present in the background, less sweet than most English blends I have tried, very well balanced in every way, must be dried out for better result.

Pipe Used: Billards

Age When Smoked: New puchase

Purchased From: smokingpipes

Similar Blends: None.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JohnnyMcPiperson (119)	2011-03-11		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I tried this one some time ago, had a small sample of it. I did enjoy it, but now having tried the flake version, I would always choose that one over this. A nice smoky latakia blend, for me it was difficult to pick out the other flavors though until I tried the flake which seemed to be much more balanced. I would like to try this one again, but still I would tend towards the flake.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-01-24		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

this is quite the tobacco i must say. lightly sweet and peat moss woodiness, I feel like i just wondered into the green forest. If its not my favorite it should be. Takes some coaxing to keep lit but if let out to dry some you wont have any problems.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-01-16		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Strong

The tobacco came somewhat dry, but it still packed and lit just fine. This was my first latakia English blend, and I like it! It tastes great (don't quite know how to describe it). It tends to start out with a somewhat mellow taste, and develop into a progressively more spicy taste toward the bottom (with what I think is the latakia coming through). Not an all-day smoke, but a delightul experience nonetheless!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-10-02		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Tolerable to Strong

Upon opening the 8oz tin, I could smell distinctively the Latakia and the orientals.

I drooled. Until I lighted up. Surprisingly, this mixture has no taste, no strenght and no personnality.

So far I wasted money on GL pease and Spillman. I will add C&D on the list...

What am I going to do with the rest of the 8 ounces? i guess throw them away and learn from this expensive lesson. When I think that I also bought a 8oz tin of Pirate Kake...

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-09-07		Very Strong	None Detected	Very Full	Very Strong

You think you're a tough guy? Try some of this! This blend will round-house kick you in the face with latakia! It's fun and you have to try it at least once, but honestly, as others have said, it is quite out of balance. Who wants to smoke 50% latakia all day everyday? Not me. On the bright side, it does burn well and and has a nice finnish to it. I recommend you buy a small amount and smoke it every blue moon for a rush.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-10-23		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Again, my desire for a 2.5 rating.

This is a fairly full English mixture. Mine was a bit old so might have "drifted" from the original concept but basically it's fairly heavy on Latakia, light on Virginias, and zero Burley. The result is a fairly flat and dry smoke, with some depth and spice, but not overwhelming. It's not sweet, not light, not open, not flavored.

People who prefer a flavor other than Latakia will want something else, also if you like a bit of sweetness or tang, this might disappoint. (There's a teeny bit of tang in this, but not much.)

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-08-26		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

With 50% of the blend being Latakia, I expected something a bit more strong than what I experienced. What instead of being a Latakia powerhouse was a bit milder than London Blend 1000 but stronger than Frog Morton Across the Pond. The Turkish was zesty and complimented the earthy Latakia. The sweet red VA, in my opinion, is what set this blend apart from others in the genre. The red VA seemed in my mind to be slightly sweet, but not as much as say a McClelland Christmas cheer. What I was unhappy about was the poor cut. It made loading a pipe an effort and even when effort was taken I could still notice some spots burned hotter than others. I did like this blend, but would like to have another tin with maybe a little better cut.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Fumatore (49)	2008-06-07		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

I find I like this one better than most of the Balkan/?Lots of Lat? blends. I don?t get a Penzance feel or taste from ?Star? at all, but it is a heavy smoke. Pease?s English blends (while excellent) taste lighter too, or not as rich to me. To my taste, the stoved Virginias tame the Latakia and Turkish to make a cool but complex smoke. A solid smoke that I can recommend.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-06-25		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Easier to keep lit than Odyssey, with a better, fuller taste. I can understand where both are going, just doesn't burn well enough to get me there. Merits at least 2.5 stars. The orientials add enormnous complexities (cool & smooth) just seem hard to keep lit up?

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Spike (296)	2006-11-25		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Strong

10/02/2004: I give this four stars even though it isn't one I smoke frequently. Too heavy on the Latakia for frequent use. Excellent stuff though for you Latikia hounds. I selected tolerable room note, but I doubt it. You S.O. will most likely protest this indoors.

11/25/2006 Update: Drop to three stars. Not in the same league as Penzance or GLP Latakia blends.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2006-11-25		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

==Update= The new version of this is in flake form, and has a substitution of Izmir turkish for the original receipe..... While this bears the same name, the blend has been significantly changed. The change of form to flake has married the flavors in a more unified way. The change to Izmir has added a spice and body that makes this a new and improved animal..... I like it and very much recomend it. The sample I got did need a bit of drying for my taste, but an hour and it was ready to go. Burning characteristics were good- Needing an occasional relight- But the blend did not suffer from DGT. Stayed tasty to the end with no bitterness. As a side note- the tin art for C&D is improving, and they are fun to leave out rather than hide them on some shelf. Kudos to the artist as well. All in all a great experience.....

Ran across this is the local tobaconist in my search for something wonderful. Found this to be a great balkan. The latakia lends a great stage for the turkish and Va. to play in. Can be strong if smoked early in the am for me, but a great smoke when your in the mood for an exotic taste. Its always in my rotation. As with C&D, can be dry- throw a humidor disk in with it and let it rehydrate if you find this too be true and enjoy...

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2006-01-20		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

A remarkably just-right balance of components makes this an outstanding and harmonious blend; a light touch with the VA really works perfectly here.

SOTE doesn't provide the heavy dose of nicotine you might expect from first inspection, though (but certainly enough for my taste personally). As usual, C&D uses quality leaf and a skilled hand, and it shows here. SOTE was a great find---thanks, SP 8-sampler pack---and I'll definitely be keeping some on hand.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	sasha (228)	2005-07-05		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

Nice blend, recommended for the latakia heads. Full, tasty, it doesn't evolve in a particular way during the bowl and doesn't need to do so. It's pretty straightforward from the beginning, it gives you what you want from this kind of blend without any particular jump, mantaining an high standard from the beginning to the end of the bowl.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-06-28		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Star of the East Tobacco This full English is a wonderful complex recipe of the finest Latakia, It 50% Latakia, choice Turkish, and sweetened with stoved red Virginia. Hand blended,It Smoker cool full bodied yet remarkably gentle no tongue bite. The Room Note Aroma was full Latakia/ English. star of the east is one of my favourite English tobaccos.English brand from Cornell & Diehl. in the Bulk. I would call truly outstanding. It is full and rich enough to satisfy just about any English blend smoker. I give it 4 Star . I smoke this regularly, and it is definitly ones of my favorite . Sometime a all day Smoke. if you like English Tobacco you have to get some to try

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pounder 5000 (178)	2005-02-04		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

This is an extremely latakia heavy blend in the same vein as Pirate Kake, Penzance, Bow legged Bear, and Commonwealth to name a few. It burns nice and cool and left remarkably little after taste for a blend like this. I must say however that I prefer a little Burley like they put in Pirate Kake, when smoking a blend with this much Latakia. It smooths it out and adds nuttiness. Then again I'm sure there are many out there who tried PK and thought that it would be a better blend sans the burley. Of course the beauty of this hobby is to each his/her own.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-02-01		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

After noting the review in which the author mentioned a touch more burley - I began contemplating how this would affect this blend. I've mixed in some Burley/VA/P stock to this and it calls up a remarkably savory yet sweet smoke.

------- I tried this blend in a C+D sample pack based on the reviews above. Particularly the good Captain proclaiming that it could satisfy him in the absence of Raven's Wing...a high, high compliment.

Other reviewers have given this an excellent assessment. I will only note a few observations from my own experience.

I taste far less of a sweet note and far more musky/woodsy turkish and latakia. I don't find this bad but was hoping for something slightly more sweet. However I am aware that the C+D blends usually take a couple of months to really "plump up" in full taste range - particularly when dealing with freshly blended red VA. So I look forward to trying more of this down the road.

I will agree that this is an excellent blend - closer to the Balkan range than English in my opinion. Having tried several balkans I believe this to be one of the best to date - overtaking even the sasieni line and Carvan in excellence. There is simply much more robustness and a more even handling of flavors than in many of these blends. Where Odyssey is a thick, heady trip into an unknown land - Star of the East is an inviting visit to the courts, bazaars, docks and parlors of the near east. It is rich and deep yet not deadening to the taste buds. A smoke leaves you satisfied but not so blasted that you can't have another soon after and enjoy it.

So....order a pound, stow it away and enjoy.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2004-04-29		Medium	None Detected	Very Full	Strong

This one kind of took me by surprise, it has a unique punch of latakia to it. I have smoked many other balkans before but this is kind of in a category of its own. Cornell and Diehl uses a latakia in their blends with a very distinct smokiness. This blend realy highlights the smokey aspect of their latakia. The virginias are in the backround but add a nice, light, natural kind of sweetness to this blend. Although there is turkish in this blend it sits in the back and appears occasionally throughout the smoke. If you are a latakia lover you should definately try this. I would give this the highest rating except for I feel that if I smoked this all of the time I would get bored of it and loose some of the enjoyment from it. Highly recommended for lovers of high latakia content blends.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Horse Bodotes (19)	2004-01-07		Medium	None Detected	Full	Strong

My local B&M tobacconist recently started carrying C&D tobaccos, and they offered me a bowl during a visit. I was intrigued when they mentioned that this blend consisted of 50% Latakia, but this is a very different smoke (in a good way) compared to Penzance, Raven's Wing or any other Latakia-heavy blend I have tried.

Available only in bulk (to my knowledge), the tobacco is quite dark w/ occasional lighter flakes. The smokey, woodsy aroma of the Latakia is most noticeable. The ribbon-cut leaf looks, feels and smells of high quality.

Upon lighting, the unique character of this tobacco is immediately evident. There is loads of Latakia flavor, exquisitely balanced by the Virginia and Turkish leaf, but it is very... refined? Strong and full-bodied but not heavy, I don't know how else to describe it. The Virginia provides a wonderful but not overwhelming sweetness, and the Turkish adds a great aromatic quality to the smoke. I absolutely love the room note (the Mrs - not so much).

I was totally caught by surprise by this one. Since that first bowl, No. 66 has become one of my favorite English blends; my personal trinity, including GLP Renaissance and Jack's Moose Scat.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Peterson314 (43)	2022-10-11		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This blend took just a couple bowls to grow on me, but now it is one of my favorite C&D blends. I'll echo that this blend does not look like it's a half lakatia, but it does shine through in this blend to make it interesting. It reminds me of the few Esoterica blends that I've been able to enjoy, specifically Margate, without the soapiness.

This is a cool smoke that hits with a strong woody mushroomy umami that I find captivating. The Turkish tobacco adds to the lakatia's umami by providing more of a woody / herbal base, and the Virginias poke through to round it out, but not really sweeten the blend, in my opinion.

This is an excellent blend when smoked slow. It's not the most complex blend in my cellar, but there is certainly enough going on to keep this blend interesting. I had to relight it a few times, but nothing abnormal. Nicotine came on at about half-bowl and kept me going slow. Aftertaste is dark toast and light campfire. It didn't leave any moisture in the bowl, and if anything, I thought it was a touch dry. I will definitely get back to this blend next time I am in a contemplative mood.

Pipe Used: Savinelli 673

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimPM (153)	2022-08-08		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

You know I had never smoked C&D’s Star of the East despite its significant popularity. What is more I am a convicted English guy so shame on me. Yet, it has been on the trial target list for a virtual eternity so it’s not like I am totally clueless. So well now, I am finally coming around to give it a go as part of the Super Value English Mixture study that I jumped on a couple weeks ago.

Like the last entry to these comparative tastings, Star of the East’s constituent varietals are a little more limited in all honesty as it is a reasonably simple recipe. Although, the strains contained do precisely match the Sutliff Sunrise blend from the last posting. Posing a hefty 50% Latakia and a plentiful dose of spicy Turkish, this one is a lot more intense of its overall flavor. However, the rendering was a medium strengthened experience overall. Bottom-line, Star of the East, therefore, is not one that I would grab first thing as an early morning replacement to the SV needless to say.

In fairness, I probably should have exercised a bit more thoughtfulness of effort here. C&D really presents an admirable product which does justify a more equitable Commentary, but that list of pending formal reviews has already gotten away from me, so you get the abbreviated thumbnail version instead.

Star of The East comes as a smoke-ready dry, coarse-cut ribbon ensemble. What looks to be an even match of blackened Latakia and fermented brown Turkish occupies the bolus of tobaccos. Filling the void is the tannish/chestnut morsel of the Red Virginia strain. The pouch nose on this one is unquestionably strong. Leaning on the notable forward essence the Latakia presents a challenging billow of vinegar, torchy campfires, and fervent mustiness as some sharp tarty “herbaciousness” and floral greenery project from the Turkish. Underneath this provocative aroma lies a thick matting of solid impenetrable seasoned wood

Key points of the assessment: 2.94 measured scoring. Subjectively I throw my Hanna rating out there as a 3.0; it feels right when considering cost, likeability factors, and key discovered properties. Mainly, I really find the boldness of the Latakia/Turkish forward tussle very enjoyable in all truth, as this is the key feature of this blend.

Personally, I wanted to rate this higher, but I kept coming back to what I perceived to be a limiting weakness. Namely, if the baseline Virginia was a tad more pronounced this would give the blend a more flavorful balance in my opinion. Granted that is an opinion that I hold so do take it for what it’s worth. Scored handsomely on mechanicals, genre, and flavor attributes and @ 83% of leaf standards.

Medium strength/medium to full intensity : Jeremey Reeves has done fine job with crafting this hardy concoction. Not necessarily a Lat-bomb but the overall tone of this blend is a deep and meaty English. Heavier body for sure bringing an exceptionally woody and spicy registration in general. Buttery texture and flavor quality with a slightly sweet ambience.

Baseline: Red Virginia (sweeter tang, citrusy, but mostly robust earthy aged wood.) There is a touch of sweetbread that I was able to record as well and just a dash of a darker caramel undertone. Characteristically moderate in presence lending minimal impact on the composite taste profile.

Forward/mid-band taste : Latakia/Turkish (very spiced, woody, pungent) The Latakia charted as the lead component with a dense woodiness and a dark musty quality highlighted with a touch of leather and contained incense. Fighting with tooth, fang and claw was the Oriental in strong accompaniment. A forward push of colorful floral/herby spicing circulates about a note of tarty wood primarily. The combination of the two streams is again the principal Star of The East remarking and the confluence of the two builds an exceptionally savory fusion, very nice!

Accenting: Latakia/Turkish bring a very smoky overall feel. A thickening of exotic moving spices embellishes in random accord bringing a certain degree of accenting complexity to the registration. Star of The East highlighting underscores the level of fermentation/maturity of the strains used. Rich, robust seasoning of quality tobaccos

• Produces thick clouds of respectable smoke. Brings a room note that demonstrates a resolute level of deep earthen smoky spice, nuances of charred wood and dank pungency. May be tolerable to some but the magnitude of its persona is fairly tenacious so be advised.

• Tobaccos burn nicely in a cool, even, and modest temperament.

• There is just a pinch of harshness but not to worry too much. I found the blend to be less racy and smoother in a cob for edification purposes.

• Not an all-day blend due to its forceful intensity but is one that you should sit quietly savor to catch its optimum features and merits. Very satiating English specimen.

• Cost is affordable

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DakotaHale43 (47)	2020-07-03		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

I've never been a huge fan of large amounts of Latakia in my blends, but somehow this blend has turned me towards the concept. It is one of the most balanced smokes I've had partaking in this hobby. I would definitely recommend every pipe smoker tries this blend at least once.

UPDATE: As I've gotten more familiar with the blend, the flavors I notice most are the smokiness of the latakia, and the musty, tangy, sweet notes of the virginias. The orientals I couldn't pick out as much, though they were there. It does get kind of rough however if you choose to puff fast. Though I bring my review down from 3 to 2 stars, I would still recommend this blend to beginners to get a taste of what the campfire-charcoal taste of latakia is known for.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Rayzor (16)	2020-03-15		Mild	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

One of the best ever pipe tobaccos. The heavy Latakia content gives the blend a distinct smokey flavour. It reminds me of a smoked tea or charred vegetables, charred green peppers mixed with a dark strong coffee and cream.

This is THE pipe tobacco. The room note is cedar and incense. But despite all the flavour it's not a particularly strong tobacco. There's just so much going on here. It got me hooked on Latakia and English blends to the point that while I enjoy other blends nothing comes close to the heavenly smoke from Star of the East.

Pipe Used: Stanwell Royal Briar #3

Age When Smoked: bulk

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RedGopnik (16)	2019-12-23		Strong	Strong	Full	Strong

In bulk, this is one of the best english/Balkan blends I've smoked, by far the best bulk english/balkan. All the taste and smoke that you would expect from a heavy lat english like nightcap or plumb pudding, but a third of the price.

Cyprian latakia always reminds me of burning cedar smoke. Very smoky and comforting. Sweet coffee and dark chocolate topped with roasted nuts.

Ordering this by the pound to stock up for lifetime.

Pipe Used: Cobs, briar

Age When Smoked: Fresh to 2 weeks

Purchased From: Online

Similar Blends: SPC plumb pudding.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	rap (9)	2019-10-17		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a truly amazing English blend that is worthy of superstar status. The Latakia, while upfront from first light to the bottom of the bowl is never overpowering or dominating. It lends a nice, mellow campfire smokiness as a base, while the orientals bring a perfect amount of savory spice. There is a subtle creosote taste present here but much more subdued than in more powerful latakia blends. The stoved red virginia leaf is detectable in the jar as dark fruit, slightly sweet but I notice little to none in the smoke. Overall, I get a nice dark roasted coffee, slight cocoa background with the smokey, incense like latakia in the foreground. Overall, it burns cool and leaves no moisture in the bottom of the bowl. This is pipe smoking pleasure at its peak. A blend to have on hand at all times.

Pipe Used: Savinelli KS320

Age When Smoked: unsure, I got this in bulk

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

Similar Blends: HH Vintage Syrian.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bibliopiper (9)	2019-09-16		Medium	None Detected	Full	Very Strong

This delivers your mouth that lat bomb you ordered. For me it isn’t as incense like as many lat blends, but has plenty of other woody and spicy notes that keep it interesting. It definitely stands head and shoulders above most bulk English/Balkan blends

Pipe Used: Briar, cob, clay

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Scap (2)	2019-06-30		Mild	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a quick favorite of mine. I'm a nut for Latakia. Love the flavors start to finish. First light is my favorite, and tastes like dried burning pine needles. This blend does better when it is loosely packed. Smokes cool, but I can get it burning hot because I just smoke it so fast. I'm still a novice at pipes, only been smoking then for two months, but I've gone deep on this blend, and I hope it never runs out.

Pipe Used: Peterson and MM Cobs

Age When Smoked: Few months

Purchased From: Tobaccopipes.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Rustedrailsmokes (293)	2019-03-23		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I first tried the flake version and enjoying that, bought some bulk during a sale.

The ribbon cut version has the same 50% latakia, but the ribbon cut version to me is much sweeter as the Virginias seem to get a chance to shine. I can taste the orientals still, but they do not shine like they do in the Gold version (which doesn't have the sweet note that this one does)

This series is one that really shows how the same basic tobaccos blended in different ratios or styles can produce very different, but equally enjoyable results.

Pipe Used: Radiator and Canadians

Age When Smoked: New to Year and Half

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Knightsmoker (218)	2019-01-07		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I picked up 2 oz of this and a tin of the flake to smoke side by side to see the differences. I am always amazed at how the same tobacco can taste differently in various forms and I tend to gravitate toward flakes, plugs and ropes because of this. This review is focused just on the ribbon version I will not the differences between it and the flake in the review of the flake itself.

The lat is very dominate in this blend as should be expected in any blend claiming half of it being lat. It is smokey with a little leather and campfire note and a little sweet. The red VA has some dark fruit sweetness and just a slight note of earthiness and falls way behind the lat. The Turkish is woody like fresh sawdust a little sweet with a buttermilk like sourness and a very slight floral note that comes in on the rare occasion. When it is there there is also an incense like note that must be due to it and the lat combining. Overall this is a blend that changes enough to keep my interest but unfortunately the lat completely takes over at around the mid point and overpowers all the other elements. Smaller pipes do not change this as this blend seems to do better in lager pipes with wider diameter bowls it needs air to get all the nuances. Still a good blend overall. Close to 3 stars so I will award it but I will not be revising this one.

Age When Smoked: 6 months

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Wīglāf (13)	2018-11-25		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

The phrase that gets thrown around a lot in reference to blends like this is "lat bomb," which can mean a number of different things. If by "lat bomb" one means a blend with a copious amount of latakia, then sure, it's a lat bomb. Often people use "lat bomb" as a pejorative, though, and when they say it, all they mean is "I don't like a lot of latakia." Fair enough, but don't let that deter you if you like that good L.

Just to quibble a little more: historically, latakia has not always been exclusively a "condiment tobacco." In Dumas' Count of Monte Cristo, Albert de Morcerf has a jar of plain lat among his collection. I myself smoked some straight latakia at a Renn Faire and was surprised how much I enjoyed it. Sure, straight lat is tantamount to an exclusive diet of beef jerky, but (all this to say) a lat-heavy blend is not the same thing as an overpowering or bad blend. All depends on what you like.

Aroma in the bulk bag (doesn't sound as elegant as "tin note," does it?): in a word, woodsy. You can definitely smell those bright VAs and sweet, musty orientals, but it's the smokiness of the lat that really hits you.

As with the bag note, when you light up, the latakia is definitely front and center here, but not at the expense of the other ingredients. The VAs lend a muted sweetness, the orientals a light floral aspect. Especially midway through the bowl, the blend is complex enough to sit with awhile, although I found myself thinking about other better blends during the smoke (I'll forego any double entendres here.)

The cut is nice and fine, so it burns evenly and doesn't need too many relights. It didn't burn too hot or bite the tongue either, so I'm happy.

After a few more smokes, I'll cellar this and see if it doesn't endear itself to me a little more after a few months. I've heard C&D blends need a little while to age. Regardless, I highly recommend this blend--especially for the per/oz price!

Pipe Used: Savinellis, Duca Carlo & Trevi

Age When Smoked: New bulk

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	FreshNewEra (4)	2017-12-22		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I am a new piper (3 months) and GL Pease's Quiet Nights is my favorite blend to date. I purchased SOE based on reviews recommending it as similar to QN. Overall, I very much enjoyed my first few bowls of SOE and can see the parallels with QN but find it just a bit lighter. I enjoy the Latakia and Oriental combo and feel each component shared the spotlight with the Latakia moreso in the first half and Oriental moreso in the second half. While I enjoy QN more as a last smoke of the day, I find SOE to be a nice "QN Light" that I enjoy throughout the day.

Pipe Used: Savinelli 606 KS Bent Billiard

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: Quiet Nights, Nightcap.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jorge Soler (202)	2017-11-15		Medium	None Detected	Full	Very Pleasant

This is a nice full and round run-of-the-mill Balkan type tobacco. The tangy, sour and spicy undertones betoken the Oriental leaf it contains. The latakia adds a smoky creaminess or woodsy flavour quite easy to detect. It contains red Virginia leaf, which adds earthy and subdued sweetness to this mixture. The smoking experience is silky and campfire like. The tin-note hits you with a dash of mellowed sweetness difficult to describe. Despite the addition of 50% latakia the smoking experience is not overpowering letting the other components shine through as you progress with your smoke. SoE falls quite nicely into the standard definition of English/Balkan type tobaccos, and I am finding it hard to find any shortcomings or loose ends, so a rating of 4 stars is appropriate here.

Note: SoE is presented in flake form whereas in bulk you get more of a ribbon cut. This review is based in the latter and not the former.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ahmad Othman (51)	2017-08-07		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

The blender lies a blatant lie with this one. The tin claims a half Latakia blend, which is for any Latakia fan like me is a dream. And sadly it isn't, so if that's your buying point, then stay away from this. However, this is not bad tobacco at all. On the contrary, I found it pleasurable from start to finish. When you first open the tin, you're welcomed by a lovely smell of Latakia and orientals. As if you walked into a place that sells incense. The cut is a thick ribbon and at the perfect moisture, at least in my case. It is quite easy to light and keep lit. I rarely had to relight this. It smokes consistently, dryly and burns down till the bottom. With your first few buffs you may find that it is not at all a heavy Latakia blend despite what C&D says. It has rich, dark virginia, complemented with spicy and woodsy orientals with an okay precense of Latakia. Definitely a complementary condiment rather than the star of the show as they claim. Nevertheless it's a pleasant blend that is enjoyable for any English lover. I found it to pair well with black coffee as well, and as for me its nicotine is mild to medium, but again this last part is subjective. I presume the flake will be better than this, and hopefully closer to their Latakia claim

Note: I received the following message from the blender, and thought it is only fair to share it Hi Ahmad, I saw your review of our Star of the East blend and I wanted to thank you for your thoughts on it. However your review starts by making the claim that we have "Lied a blatant lie" about Star of the East being half Latakia. I realize the subjectivity of taste, but Star of the East does in fact contain 50% Latakia and over 30% Orientals. Our claim about the blend being half Latakia is based on the actual recipe that we use to make this blend and we have not lied in any way. The same proportions are used in the flake form as well, but pressing does tend to deepen the overall flavor of a blend, so perhaps Star of the East Flake would be a better fit for you. As chasingembers mentioned, Pirate Kake is much heavier in Latakia, a full 75%. Da Vinci is also comprised of 75% Latakia. Kind Regards, Jeremy Reeves Head Blender Cornell & Diehl

Pipe Used: Peterson system ebony

Age When Smoked: Fresh tin

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	papapauly (24)	2017-01-28		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I have been discovering a love for the Latakia blends that C&D produce. This one is a punch in the face at 50% Latakia and was exactly what I was hoping it would be. This is not an all day or even every day smoke, it is a special blend with a very distinct campfire/smokey flavor. It isn't all Latakia though, the other tobacco's add slight flavor and body to the smoke so that while it is mostly Latakia there are other flavors going on here. It is a great evening smoke when I have time to quiet down and simply focus on my pipe and enjoy my porch. If you are unsure about the potency of the Latakia maybe try C&D super Balkan or Atlas Balkan first, those are the ones I smoke when I want Latakia in a lesser amount.

Pipe Used: various briars

Age When Smoked: new from bulk

Purchased From: pipes and cigars

Similar Blends: Super Balkan from c&d.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	LannarkGent (145)	2016-12-18		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Very Strong

The oriental adds a degree of delight. The other components do not play nicely together. The harshness of this blend makes it one I will not smoke again.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	point9 (114)	2016-04-16		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

I can't agree more with reviewer kashmir that SOTE is a good and less expensive replacement of Balkan Sasieni. In my taste, SOTE has more latakia forward than BS, and less spicy. The smoke is consistent and sometimes gets a little one-dimentional to me, while I usually expect more complex and colors for Balkan blends.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2015-07-20		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable to Strong

In a blend that's one HALF latakia, you really can't expect too much more. I was initially pretty excited at the turkish aspect of this blend combining with some sweet red stoved VAs, it seemed like a great blending premise. Now, I love Latakia, let's get that out of the way, but it's intended to be a condiment tobacco and that's the way I like it. Its like a heavy peat scotch, there is a point when nothing else is distinguishable. The blend is so chunky it tends to be hard to pack, so that means a lot of re-lights. All in all, with the amount of latakia, its a bit unbalanced and gets quite boring about half way through the bowl. As with anything ymmv.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Big (321)	2014-07-15		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Latakia forward blend supported by Orientals , not real sweet with an interesting bitter background , flavorful but not complex. It is a middle of the road Balkan that lacks that big bang. Not very interesting as it is very one dimensional .

I agree with the review by "Cakeanddottle 2011-11-21" in that this blend is good but not one that I would seek out, when my 2 ozs. are done , so is my journey with Star of the East. I think I might try the Flake ?

Pipe Used: cob

Age When Smoked: 1 month bulk

Similar Blends: C&D's Super Balkan, Engine 99.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	bob323 (46)	2014-01-10		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Yummy, yummy, yummy...Another great tobacco from C&D...It would be very difficult for me to choose between this and C&D Byzantium...Both are Primo in my book...Another to add to the rotation.

Pipe Used: various for testing

Age When Smoked: fresh from Smokingpipes

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StrongMixturesOnly (17)	2013-08-04		Mild	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

While I am more accustomed to the stronger English blends, I do enjoy this mixture from time to time, mostly when the night air is cool and crisp. It is a blend heavy in Turkish leaves, as it has a strong oriental, almost minty, flavor. The Latakia never comes to the fore, instead preferring to ground the mixture while letting the subtle Virginia undertones fill any flavor gaps the Turkish taste may have glazed over.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-04-13		Extremely Mild	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable to Strong

When I opened my tin, the tin aroma was one of the best I ever smelled in a Balkan mixture.

When I started smoking, however, i kept looking for some sort of taste.

I gave up at the end of the fifth bowl.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-07-11		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Very Strong

This is everything I am looking for in a tobacco ... lots of latakia and turkish. Something seems out of balance, however. It has the expected C&D quality in the cut of the tobacco and the moisture level also. Burns easily. Lots of smoke. But within moments, it gets somewhat sour and bitter ... this increases as the smoke continues. Unlike other turkish blends (Durbar, etc), the bitterness overwhelms all the other components. Well worth a try to those who favor orientals.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2004-08-22		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Very Full	Very Strong

What a wonderful tobacco! As has been noted, the flavor is big and bold, but never monochromatic. Slow burning and cool smoking, this is a tobacco to enjoy in the evening with your favorite beverage. If you're an English smoker, you owe it to your taste buds to try this one. If you're a Balkan smoker and enjoy, for example, GL Pease's "Odyssey," you'll feel right at home. 5/5

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	wnclee (2)	2021-09-30		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

A fine break in my usual rotation. If you like Latakia, you'll love this one, with a touch of Virginia and Perique coming thru in the end of a sip. When I want something from the usual in taste, this Star of the East does it. In a nice broken flake form, it breaks-up easily, and stays lit with no problems. All-in-All, a nice find and unexpected treat. A simple review for a fine and simple; but pleasurable smoke.

Pipe Used: Savinelli 320 Author

Age When Smoked: 6 mos.

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars

Similar Blends: Somewhat like haunted Bookshop, but with lots of Latakia added..

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