Cornell & Diehl Crooner

I had a sample of this tobacco the other day at a Pipe show. I cannot fully describe the smell of deer tongue, but it kind of smells familiar to me despite the fact I never had it in my life. Having said that, the flavour profile dissipates quick and all you are left with is this beautiful burley blend with nutty and roasty notes so easy to smoke and no tongue bite. This is to say I fully enjoyed this blend and I am willing to buy a tin for myself, but at this point in time I can only give this review 3 stars because my experience is very limited in this sense. If anything changes after I smoke a few more bowls, I will come back and upgrade my review accordingly.

I've read a couple of comments who compared this with Half & Half. For me, there are several similarities and some major important differences. Long story short, Crooner is bolder in strength but milder in flavorings compared with Half & Half, but I do get some of the same notes and as a fan of Half & Half I'm very happy about it. One major difference is that Crooner has more harsh spots that are felt on the throat, while Half & Half is more smooth.

The smokes introduces a bit of a nice sharp earth, wood, and cocoa note, complimented by drops clove, cardamom, and to an even lesser degree some anise. The sweet vanilla-like notes from the Deer Tongue are mild and sit in the background, but they do add a whole dimension. My guess is that there is more dark Burley than white one.

It comes in a classic cube cut, super easy to pack and smoke, no need to relight. While the overall flavor maintains itself throughout the bowl, it does start mild-medium and ends on a strong note, with the nicotine beginning to crawl in somewhere mid-bowl. The earthy, cocoa, and wood flavors turn a bit into a more roast one which gives a hint of Dark Fired Kentucky (although that's not an ingredient here). The moisture level is perfect right out of the pouch. No tongue bite. Can easily be an all-day smoke for someone who loves a slightly sweet burley with some power behind it. Perfect with coffee!

Medium in body, medium-strong in strength. A bit longer smoking rate than most blends. Not very complex and doesn't require contemplation and endless analysis. This blend is in line with the old classic blends, but it is a bit stronger than most of them.

As I finish my 2oz bag, I think I will order a pound to have around, just for when I feel like a somewhat bold burley blend. Deer Tongue isn't used that often anymore - another reason to have at least one of those interesting spicing herbs around.

As I review this for what it is, I have to give it a perfect score.

Disclaimer, I bought this in bulk at my local pipe and tobacco shop under the name “Bing’s Fav” but am almost certain this is the same blend due to the cut of the tobacco, etc. When I first tried this years ago it was very, very fragrant of Deer Tongue. When I decided to try this again after reading a review with Deer Tongue my jar had pretty much dried out. I could still smell and taste the Deer Tongue, also called Dog Tongue or Vanilla Plant but obviously the years were not to kind with this blend. I must have bought this at least 5 years ago or so. One of the few blends I jarred and did not date. I still chose a pipe that I was not worried about ghosting which was an old cob. Not a bad smoke but one that for me I have to be in the mood for and apparently up until recently never revisited. I have enough that I will more than likely never buy a tin but interesting to try some. Apparently, way back in the day this was a very popular ingredient in pipe tobacco.