Cornell & Diehl Star of the East

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.

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.

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.

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.

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... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSwCPG_EIcM

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.

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.

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?

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..