Cornell & Diehl Crooner

When i received this in the mail my first impression was that it looked and smelled more like tea than tobacco, it is dry, coarse, and has that mint or herb tea smell to it- interesting. For a day or two as sat on the table i would catch a wiff of the interesting aroma of the blend and think about loading up my Bing's Favorite and giving it a try, today i did, i was thoroughly disappointed. The unlit air draw blend is flavorful and reminds you of walking into a B&M pipe shop and basking in the air of all of the tobacco blends that have melded over time. Then the lit, you are hit with a harsh sinus stinging wave of smoke that truely makes you ask yourself who in their right mind would smoke this by choice? By the time i was 1/3 in on the bowl i was experiencing what felt like a heavy gas bubble in my chest and throat and decided that enough was enough. Don't know if my react was due to the Deertongue or some other added component of the blend but i can tell you that this will not go in my rotation and that it will likely just sit in my pipe room for the aroma as tobacxo potpourri.

The only blend containing Deer Tongue that I have smoked with any regularity was Russ Ouellette’s (H&H) Old Tartan. I enjoyed it because of its perfect use of Deer Tongue to offer up a mild vanilla-like flavor. The old saying that “anything worth doing is worth overdoing.” In the case of Deer Tongue, it isn’t. My bag of Crooner was fairly ground up and I needed to be careful not to get tobacco caught in the draft hole. The larger pieces were of Deer Tongue, not a good sign. Rather than using it to offer up a nice vanilla undertone, here Crooner uses it front and center. Like Perique, IMHO, it should be mainly used on a condimental basis. The Deer Tongue simply overpowers this blend. When first looking at the reviews of this, I was a bit miffed at the number of reviewers that rated this as “strong.” It isn’t a strong blend at all nicotine-wise, so I assume it is a result of the overpowering flavor. I also assume that the added Deer Tongue is what has caused many to say that there is a strong flavoring. If it’s topped at all, it is done very lightly. I like Deer Tongue, but I didn’t enjoy Crooner because there is simply too much of it. I seldom give one star reviews because I think most tobaccos have at least some redeeming quality and I think this blend will appeal to absolute Deer Tongue aficionados. I guess I’m not one of them.

I am a big fan of gentlemen caller because of the deer tongue, crooner has more of a whiskey taste and nose to me. It burns wetter and packs tight in the pipe. Overall it reminds me of Pennington blend which I like. However it was not what I expected and that left me diapointed. But if you like a burly with a whiskey taste you will like this.

Not for me....I'm a burley smoker. Embrace the "old Codger" tobaccos. Yes, I've done the Rattray's, Dunhill's and Frogs. I like burley. Sir Walter and the Prince are my usuals. I liked the small cube cut of Crooner, but the deer tongue was not to my liking. The nuttiness seemed to be partially erased by the nuance of the deer tongue. Have one of Bing's pipe (bought it at auction years ago), but this blend will never touch it.

A fantastic blend, an organic aromatic. The deer tongue adds to the flavour, bringing a natural sweetness and flower-ish character to the burley and its nuttyness. One of my favorites. Brings a bit of a kick so small bowls are the way to go.

Edit: I have been smoking this alot, can't seem to stop. This is an all day smoke to me, it works any time at any place. Bumping this up to four stars.

Bing won Best Actor in '44 and was nominated for two others. His movies sold more tickets than any other actor save John Wayne and Clark Gable and his record sales have reportedly rivaled Elvis and the Beatles combined (Over half a billion sold!). Even today he remains the father image of the fabled White Christmas itself. Yet despite wanting to experience a little "Bing" at this yuletide season, I'm surprised that he could even carry a tune if this is what he really smoked! While it smells of vanilla out of the bag, it succeeds only in numbing the mouth with "raindeer" tongue. Upon lighting, it comes boiling out of the bowl like a "fizzy" before settling into a masterpiece of blandness. Sorry boys, I doubt that Bing really smoked this stuff. This either hast to be a sells gimmick, or should have been buried with the "Crooner" in 1977. (If this blend was even around back then). Truth is I'm a little sore at this tobacco company for tarnishing the good name of Bing with something that he never endorsed. Sorry to be such a humbug at this season, so I better go now and wash this cheap cigarette smell off of my hands and then re-tool by watching "White Christmas" while enjoying some really good tobacco like White Knight. Cheers!

Now I know why I never saw any smoke comming from Bing's pipe. I believe it is treated with a flame retardant. Grape nuts anyone? Too bad, it appears to be excellent tobacco.

UPDATE: The truth is in consumption. And since my initial sampling of Crooner I haven't re-ordered. It's smokeable enough and the deer tongue provides a decent change of pace from a burleyphiles normal fare but I can't say that Crooner has been or will be any more than a mood tobacco in my current rotation. Please don't misunderstand, it's not bad tobacco but just isn't something that would keep my attention.

Original Review: Got this in a sample pack from C&D. It should be noted right up front that I am a burleyphile. Especially those "pedestrian" blends that harken back to the days when pipe smoking was as much a part of being a man as shaving. All that said, the reviews of this blend were a little hard to gauge. It appeared to be one of those love it or hate it blends. Curious to see what side of the fence I was on I just had to try it. For me at least, it was something totally different. Normally a remark like that is something akin to saying a lady has a really nice personality but not so with Crooner. It was very tasty and an initial "Man, what was that!" quickly became a "Gee, that's some really good stuff." The deer tongue is conspicuous throughout the smoke but never in a mundane, predictable way. It's contributions swing wildly from an herby, earthy kind of flavor (reminding me of cedar) to a very vanilla sort of a taste (without the goop and gum normally associated with a tobacco that tastes like vanilla). All of it's incarnations seemed subtle, tastey and somewhat exotic, unlike anything I had ever smoked before. I was however, always quick to load another bowl. I didn't experience the difficulties keeping this lit that others have reported. It does however demand a fairly robust charring light. Tamp and relight and you're off. The cube cut burley was a very slow, cool burner and true to the classic burley genre, slow and steady (puffing) wins the race. Quicker, aggressive puffing resulted in slightly hotter but never bitey or bitter smoke. It burned clear to the bottom of the bowl with leaving only a clean, dry bed of white ash. Those around me reported a room note something similar to gingerbread. Crooner's niche in my rotation will probably be as the kicked up, something totally different but classic burley nonetheless blend. Burley blends are all about understated simplicity. Occassionally, I crave a bit more complexity without sacrificing everything that's great about an old school burley(smokeability, low maintenance, great taste). Crooner is the cat's pajamas in this role. This is a must try for burley lovers and a blend that could very well convert a non-believer. My lunch time smoke today was a metaphysical experience. I loaded a four digit woodie with Crooner and kicked back for an hour long smoke while reading the newspaper. Beauty says I, very well done and highly recommended.

Crooner could never be a regular in my rotation, but I do occasionally want a bowl of it. It's a simple tobacco with a very unique taste...it is what it is. Bing Crosby may have smoked this a lot, but for me it's an occasional treat and nothing more.

Deer tongue has a very distinctive aroma and flavor. My vocabulary skills aren't up to the task of describing it, save to say that it's "deer-tongue flavored". Generally I stay with unflavored tobaccos, excepting Mac Baren Navy Flake and Crooner.

Cubes of burley and green deer tongue; Crooner is a visually simple blend. It packs simply enough, although there's not much "packing" involved. Fill up a bow, press it down with a firm hand, and then sprinklesome slightly rubbed out Crooner on top...that's about it.

My orders of crooner have always arrived at a moisture level that's appropriate for smoking. It lights easily and rarely requires a relight. The Burley is top quality. (I have no idea what the quality of the deer tongue is as it's the only deer tongue I've ever seen. However, considering the high quality of the ingredients in every other C&D blend that I've smoked, I believe it's safe to assume that the deer tongue is high quality stuff as well.)

The nuttiness of the burly comes on first, but the deer tongue catches up quickly. The rest of the bowl shows little change for me, as the burley and deer tongue simply burn and give up nothing throughout the bowl.

This blend always smokes to a fine gray ash. The end of the bowl is little changed from the entire experience.

In the end, Crooner is a mixture of Burley and deer tongue. Nothing sophisticated, nothing challenging, no nuance to mention. The fundamental issue for any smoker will be, "Do I like the taste of deer tongue?" If you do, then this blend could easily find a place in your rotation. If not, then there's little point in ever trying a second bowl.

I smoke Crooner occasionally, but others with whom I've talked are split on their reaction to it. Some are like me, keeping it around as a nice change of pace on occasion. Others detest it, having emptied out their first and only bowl.

If you don't know whether or not deer tongue is something you'd like to try, get a sample bowl from a friend or a local shop. You'll know quickly if this is a taste for you. I have to knock my rating to 2 stars, given that many people simply detest this blend.