Cornell & Diehl Morley's Best

I'm very glad to find an "American" style blend made with such craftsmanship. I love burley, and am fascinated with the older American style blends. I'm too young to have tried these blends in their older incarnations, but I suspect the quality used to be better. Morley's Best shows this style of blend can be very fine indeed.

I recently received some of this in a trade. When I opened the bag of Morley's I was hit immediately with the scent of latakias mixed with the grassy/musty aroma of the burlies. What VA there is in this mixture was not readily evident at the outset.

For my first bowl of MB I selected a large bowled Tinsky Rhodesian and packed it rather firmly. At the match, the latakia asserts itself first along with the oatmeal-like presence that can only be the burlies. As the tobacco was consumed, the latakia remained evident, but only wafting in and out as the burlies developed, along with the VA, (please note that the virginias used here do not in any way dominate, but merely add a little zest to the whole) but make no mistake about it - this is a mixture that says BURLEY!

The flavor/taste is not at all sweet, but instead like that of cocoa (not chocolate) and a mild cigar to me. The VA and latakia play the role of condiment in MB and I must say that I like MB rather alot. I am left wondering how this would compare to the venewrable Blue Boar that this was designed after. It must have been a good smoke.

This mixture is not for those who expect crescendos, arpeggios, diminuendos or medulla oblongatas or whatever. This is just a good smoke that requires no special attention while smoking. It smokes well in any size pipe but works best in larger bowls.

High marks for this one.

I like Bob R and I tend to like blends he's been involved in creating so I had to try this blend. I also like C and D blends. This blend has a nice tart and spicy pouch aroma and just looks good in the pouch, composed of multi colored tobaccos running from light khaki in color throught the brown spectrum up to a dark leaf which is the latakia. It comes just the right moisture content for me as do most C and D blends and it loaded very easily into my pipe. This blend contains a lot of burley and I love C and D burley, I think Craig is an artist making burleys. Upon lighting, it gave off that burley arom which I like a lot and the VA in it rises up quickly with it's sweet and tart flavor. The latakia is just a spice in this blend and I like it like that. The smokiness of this wafts in and out in a nice way but in no way dominates this blend. The VA used is a little hot and spicy, moreso than a lot of VA's I have smoked of late and I would have liked that tamed down a touch. But it was very smooth with no bite and overall the pipe full was very pleasing. I did have to however relight often, which I find irritating. This lowered it a notch in my opinion as it would be a great all day blend if not for that. It did burn dry and all the way down to a fine grey ash with no dottle. Over all, this is a very good blend but no one over the top. I could live on it but sometimes I just want a little more. A different VA and this blend could be great.

Morley's Best is a blend of tasty Burleys seasoned delicately with sweet Va and earthy, but restrained Latakia. No negative issues. Apparently a completely natural (non-aromatic) blend. Yum!

C&D seems to search the world over to find the greenest tobaccos available. This insures a harsh smoke unless the tobacco is aged at least a few months. I believe this accounts for some of the bad reviews of this blend. Were this a bargain tobacco, it would be excusable, but at this price point, it is not, so I take a full star off my rating for that. A real pity, too, because once you age it a bit, this is a first rate burley blend. It starts out fairly mild and steadily becomes more full. It has that nice old-fashioned burley flavor and aroma with VA for sweetness and latakia for fullness. The Latakia never overwhelms and my girlfriend actually likes the aroma. The more I smoke it, the more I crave it. This review is for the bulk (not tinned) version of Morely's Best.

Upon opening my tin the appearance of the tobacco is that of small wood chips.The aroma was nice but not overpowering. I filled my bowl and lit my wooden match. Truthfully, I was not impressesd with my first bowl. I knew I had to give this tobacco a fair chance and so I did smoke it 3-4 times a day for a whole week. This tobacco did have exceptional note of that of a nutty and chocolate on the palate. The Latakia was not over powering by any means. This is a good smoke, however my Dunhill Nightcap and Frog keep callling me back

I read the reviews before I smoked Morley's. Initially, I didn't taste as much. But as I smoked it more and slowly, it reminded me of carter hall, but with subtle more kick Also, it smelled sweet. The aftertaste is sweet, and I do taste the latakia a little bit, but it's very smooth. I do see it as an all day smoke

Descending from the stouthearted Burley lineage that spawned Cornell & Diehl’s infamous Haunted Book Shop, Old Joe Krantz, and Pegasus comes Morley’s Best a stalwart mixture incepted by the blending mastery of the late Bob Runowski. In conformance to the robust character of its companion recipes, Morley’s Best, a medium strength selection, is comprised of three distinct Burley varietals featuring Dark rough-cut morsels, ribboned White and a conventional cube cut form. Complementing this triple array is augmenting course of Virginia flake and smoke tempered Latakia. Ideally constructed for slow metered sipping, the blend respectfully bestows a bold dense character of charred aged nutty wood affectingly bolstered by the features of pungent zeal and gentle sweet tang.

As I shifted out a pyramid of Morley’s Best tobacco from its restful pouched state. an assemblage of exceptionally dry strands and rough looking fragments generously filled the barren silver platter. Standing proud from the brilliant metallic sheen, my eyes canvassed a mixed assortment heavily favoring a rich depot of weighty Burley spanning hues of chestnut, copper, and ochre browned bits. Laced intermittently within the amassed mound of this powerful Burley, by a meek acclaim, the obscure Latakia and reddish/fermented Virginia flakes dutifully represented their humbled presence. Texturally the mixture presented a rather course and determined state of resulting depth.

Seeking to gain a proper impression of the blend’s natural essence, with nose immersed over the grainy pile of tobacco, I faced Morley’s Best’s prominence. A rich smelling and potent odor came forth emphasizing an inherent magnitude of character. With immediacy a lulling tart smokiness of Latakia swirled atop the very dominant native soured Burley nut/wood. Accents of refined dark sugar and tangy-citrusy sweet Virginian grass found witness, as they tussled with an indistinct saccharine-like perfume attempting concealment on the bottom registration. Judging from this development, I surmised that Runowski’s recipe would grandstand the base component as its principal feature while offering some softening context around the complementary elements.

With the drop of a healthy third pinch of tobacco. my Cayuga briar seemed quite appeased by the content residing within its chamber. Given the pouch-ready state, Morley’s Best lent a significant degree of simplicity as it accommodated a smooth preparation of the smoking bowl. Despite its fleshy structure, the tobacco conformed favorably into a densely packed wadding poised for ensuing consumption. Adjusting more comfortably in my chair, I struck the igniting flame, proceeding with curious anticipation of what this “best” recipe had to offer.

Given that Morley’s Best is a prime Burley-based mixture, the inclination would be to fixate the flavor profile discussion on those key varietal attributes. Looking over my tasting notes, however, the complementary tobaccos deserve each billing, as I found merit in their contribution. Having smoked all other Runowski’ comparable recipes, it is worth noting that the confluence and supportive influences bestowed by the secondary strains differentiate Morley’s Best amid the extended family. Combining well metered Latakia and Virginia with the mesh of assorted Burley, this mix presented a more enlivening blending achievement by subjective opinion.

Somewhat previewing my summary assessment, this is largely a simple crafted recipe that was ideally designed with Burley enthusiasts in mind, as those tobaccos stand at center stage of the flavor registration. Logically Morley’s Best tendered a similar feeling as that of its fore noted brethren in that it encounters with deep heady cigar-like body fortified with dense earthy flavor. Perhaps a little softer in tone than crusty Old Joe Krantz but it arrives from the same recognizable loin unquestionably.

Projections of strong fullness modeling a soured vitality and a nice toasty pecan nuttiness provided the essential Burley character that fundamentally propagates Morley’s Best savor. Nonetheless I did also register a complex earthen woodiness that seemed to randomly interplay with the dominant sweeter nutty theme.

Interestingly this lively interdependence played out in substantial force for the length of the session. As such, this round-about aspect brought a rather interesting base level complexity to the overall Burley flavor. Additionally, the taste profile endowed some inherent smoky zest, sugary molasses, softer anise, and light cocoa as critical accenting detail. In conclusion, Morley’s Best imparts the true breadth of standard Burley leaf attributes thus affording a classic read for the genre.

The earthy funk of Latakia served as the primary second within the total band of flavor. With gentle convergence, this complement has been set at an appropriate supplemental level so not push too much forward but instead rides smoothly within the middle profile. With the Latakia, I discerned a more leathery-woody complexion that was charry, mildly pungent and a bit salty in composition. Melding with the leading Burley, the Latakia provided a well relished and invigorated seasoning.

In relation to the remaining palatable elements, they contributed a thoughtful enriching quality to Runowski’s creation. I suspect the blender’s objective was to temper the flourishment of the base Burley thereby arriving to a blend hosting a more embraceable humor. Although the Virginia lies obscured in the distant background, its presence was duly notable as the final trailing feature of the overall taste logging. With careful focus, my impressions were formed by the sweet gentle tang that etched forward as if in a muffled echo of a distant calling.

Considering the forward nut/wood dominance, this tender sweet capping of the composite flavor provided an enjoyable ending spiral effect. Finally, I was able to sense some diluted sweet floral/corn-sugared casing as a very low trace ingredient especially in the aftertaste. In practice, both features served to round out and polish any hard edges of the stronger Burley streams.

Chiefly the mechanical performance of Morley’s Best demonstrated burn properties that necessitate a gentle drawl on the pipe. Even though the tobacco themselves burn reasonably even, the quick incineration pace results in the escalation of heat within the bowl, which proved to be somewhat of challenge. This held especially true through the venue of a cob hence I would recommend a nice sturdy thicker wall briar for optimum enjoyment. Furthermore, there were some minor residual effects I came to feel regarding the impact of the nicotine content, perhaps best described as mild to middle of the road on intensity.

As Morley’s Best burnt it produced a charming heavy cloud white-gray smoke. In general, the quality of its body was reasonably cool, smooth, and decisively smokey. Subsequent my palate experienced a nice, sensitized stimulation of zest and thickness which charted as pleasantly appealing. Having a delightful side-stream note, the standard room aroma projected, however, is heavy and staunchly spiced, not ideally suited for the sensitive types.

With a robust earthiness like a fine cigar, the fragrance hangs steadfast with a forceful touch of toasted floral nuttiness and passive grass mostly mimicking the traditional “pipey” essence I find so inviting whenever I enter the chamber of my local brick and mortar store. Truly a nose bouquet that any avid Burley lover could genuinely relish upon.

The burleys are the main component with a chewy nuttiness, very nice. The latakia comes steadily in and out; smokey and dank, very nice. The virginia is a comparativey lesser component, but adds some earthy sweetness. I really like the balance in this blend. It's nutty, musty and has a mild spiciness. The flavours of each tobacco come and go making it plenty entertaining. It burns cool and easy. Smooth retrohale. Medium strength. I got this in bulk and it was preeetty dry, but seemed to smoke just fine. No bite to speak of. The only failing I find is the burleys get rather bitter by the end of the bowl. Overall, a very good blend. 3.5. Recommend to fans of untopped burley and/or latakia and, for the Canadians, to pair with a Morley Callaghan novel.