Cornell & Diehl Star of the East

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.