Cornell & Diehl Star of the East

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?