Cornell & Diehl Star of the East Flake

First things first, this is not Penzance. My tongue likes it way more 😉

It's called a flake but it's really bits of broken flake and long strands of sliced flake tobacco. The tin note is mostly red virginias and a deep, dark and musty latakia.

Rubbing out this flake is a breeze and it loads very easily, lights the same. For a C&D it's kind of moist though (for a C&D blend). Let it sit out for 10 minutes.

The first 1/4 of this bowl reminds me of black cherry vanilla ice cream. It has a delectable velvety smooth creamy touch while the latakia and orientals give off that black cherry tart and tang. Red VAs provide the sweetness. Puff slowly to get the full effect.

The beginning is mild but this pipe builds up to a full on swirl of that latakia (it's half the blend after all) and sweet sweet red VAs. There is a slight tang from the orientals/turkish that compliments the other components very well.

Something I find remarkable about this blend, unlike some other latakia foward blends is that it remains tasty to the bottom. I tend to stay away from the full on lat bombs because after the 1/2-3/4 mark they just become acrid and downright rotten. This tobacco can keep my interest from rim to heel.

Many people want to call this Penzance because of the ingredients. But the comparison ends at the recipe. This is a much different, bolder, more complicated smoke IMO. This has the punch that Penzance is simply too smooth to deliver.

Concerning the bulk version...being a flake the flavors are much more married and intense. I find the orientals/turkish in the bulk blend to be a bit spicier and the VAs to be toned down a bit.

Highly recommended to any Latakia lovers.

First off, let us address the age of my tin as received. I got this one with five months on it already. How lucky am I? As a cigarette smoker from the days of yore followed immediately by pipes, the nicotine receptors in my brain have had very little rest. This blend occasionally gives me a slight buzz, thus the strong rating. I rate the room note as very pleasant because I am a very lucky man. My wife loves the smell of English blends. I am sorry if you aren't so lucky, but I have to give it to the woman for sitting in the car with me and giving me her thoughts on the nuances of particular blends. She is as curious about pipe tobacco as I am, she simply chooses not to smoke. Whatever. Star of the East Flake. More like broken flake. You will be lucky to find four solid flakes in your tin. That is the only thing bad I have to say about this beauty- but I love solid flakes. Yes, there is 50% latakia in the heart of this beast. However, with five months on a tin- the VA's balls have dropped and the roundness of this smoke is so developed that you almost don't need your glass of whiskey along side of it. Note I say almost. Also, note I don't tell you what whiskey to drink with it. I am a J&B man. Star of the East, FOR ME, pairs best with Crown Royal Black. No water, no ice. Those who have dubbed this one-dimensional have not given the VA's here enough time to mature. With proper age, this one will intensify only with your intensity, never getting out of hand. I've got five tins that I am locking up for a minimum of five years. Once Star of the East gets that moldy, crystal age that Penzance arrives with, The Star will smoke Penzance like a drug store aromatic. MAKE SURE YOU ALLOW THIS STUFF SOME DRYING TIME!!! At least 15 minutes. Otherwise You will compromise much of the flavor.

Cornell & Diehl - Star of the East Flake.

I bought this a few months ago having found their Star of the East ready rubbed a brilliant smoke, but hadn't got around to popping it open. This morning though, I couldn't take the suspense any more so off came the top! Love it.

The flakes are presented in a similar fashion to a few of their other blends, I think Burley Flake No.1 has the same cut. No further rubbing is needed, the flakes are broken enough to just take a pinch and stuff it in.

Star of the East lights easily and the smoke is faultless, in my opinion. There's heaps of rich Latakia flavour to the smoke, but also notable Orientals. I struggle to identify any Virginia, but that was the same in Star of the East ready rubbed, and quite often in a lot of rich English/Balkan blends, for me. The flavour seems about the same throughout, it's maybe a bit sharper to begin with but nothing too dramatic. A bowl burns brilliantly, giving a medium temperature, bite-free smoke.

The nicotine's just above medium, and, as strong as it is, I like the note.

I have to highly recommend Star of the East Flake!

Four stars.

A wonderful traditional full Latakia. Has the depth and strength of a Washington state Syrah with the leathery, musty, dark cherry flavors of a well aged Pinot Noir. Smokes cool and slow when sipped. One of my regular evening smokes that is particularly good in a medium to large meerschaum.

Wow. Just WOW! I’m fairly new to pipe smoking after coming from cigars. I started with some aromatics to ease my wife into my new hobby, but they didn’t quite scratch the itch. This and GL Pease Westminster are totally in my wheelhouse. First the tin aroma. Smokey, savory, rich, complex. Upon lighting latakia smoky, bbq, campfire richness. It then settles into a nice exotic, nutty, spicy smoke. The spice isn’t peppery, just very pleasant in a exotic spice market kind of way. Will have to order more of this. Perfect for the winter chill or sitting around a campfire in the summer. Well done.

I was turned on to Star of the East by simple chance. It now sits in my top 5 rotation as a daily smoke. It is a wonderful smoke full of flavor. It took me two try to figure out the best way to smoke it. Thanks to the rep for giving me five 1oz samples to try it out. Now I have it in tin and bulk. Open. Let sit and breath. Roll in your bowl to pack. Avoid two or three pinch. The roll really helps the burn stay even and breath. Lights well and burns clean.

This is about as much latakia as I can handle and my go to full English no tricks just good strait forward tobacco

I purchased this tin along with a 2 oz sample of Star of the East. This will be my review of the Flake by itself and compared to the ribbon cut.

Opening the tin, the Flake are at a good moisture. Not too much to steam my tongue but not too little to make it burn fast. The tin aroma is smoky, earthy and a very slight sweetness. The tin note is a lot more earthy and damp then Star of the east. The flavors changed quite a bit throughout the bowl. Smoky with the graham cracker note like Star of the East but not as heavy on the graham cracker. A damp earthy flavor and slight mustiness kept popping up throughout the bowl with the graham cracker fading in and out along with it. The end started to become more roasted. No tongue bite and burned clean.

Comparing Star of the East Flake vs. Star of the East, I find the Flake is more heavy and earthy. They both have very close flavor profiles. I find the Flake to be a end of the day smoke vs the ribbon cut. Both a vary enjoyable. But due to the ability of possibly overpowering your palate, the Flake is better at last smoke of the night.

That being said, it was great! Much stronger flavors then any English I've had. Will definitely be stocking up on more along with the ribbon cut.

There have been more than a few comparisons to Penzance, but this is much fuller and bolder to me, a somewhat "fresher" and younger version whose huge portion of Latakia is counterbalanced by rich, tangy and sweet Virginia and some Turkish. This is a rustic, Americanized Balkan -- not a bruiser per se, but full bodied and full of flavor, with the Latakia delivering an almost smoked-meat essence.

It is less "melded" than Penzance, perhaps because the aging is abbreviated or the processing is different. You can readily point out the constituent tobaccos, which taste so natural and clean.

The mixture is ready-rubbed in thick strips out of the tin. I rub them out thoroughly and allow them to dry before loading. Like all C&D blends, it is well-behaved in the bowl, requiring only a few relights and it burns beautifully. A must try for full English lovers.