Cornell & Diehl Elegant Emu

An American light English.... almost. This one has Perique, Burley and Cavendish as the headliners with Latakia only playing a limited supporting role. The flavor is not heavy but this one does have some strength. It is easy to pack and keep lit due to the cut and barely there moisture content.

Not as powerful as an Ostrich, but indeed resembling the lighter and more elegant Emu.

I recently cracked open a two year old tin of Elegant Emu from Cornell & Diehl and I can say that I certainly find this to be an appealing blend that is quite cohesive and smooth. First and foremost it's definitely a burley blend with cubed burley and unsweetened black cavendish setting the tone with a nutty, slightly sweet base. On that base is added some red Virginia which adds a bit more sweetness and fruitiness along with perique that builds throughout the bowl and provides some stewed fruit and nose tickle at the end. There is latakia in there but it only comes in wisps and is definitely in a supporting role. If you're looking for latakia in any quantity then this will not provide that but if you only like it in condimental quantities then this will appeal to you.

The nicotine strength is right in the medium range and definitely satisfies but does not overload. Most of all this blend is very well integrated and smooth. If you're looking for complexity you will not find it here but the smoke does change gradually throughout the bowl with the perique coming into the forefront at the end. I enjoy perique in my burley blends so this is a plus for me. There is no tongue bite to speak of and this blend does well in a nice large bowl. Overall a great blend that I definitely recommend. If you're a fan of Old Joe Krantz then this is a great blend as well that has the addition of two other types of tobacco. I'll certainly be ordering more!

This is my third go of C&D mixture. First was Pennington Gap, then Black Duck. Some are saying below that they detect a lot of Latakia in this blend, whereas I think the Latakia plays a supporting role that takes the background against the predominant Burley, Virginia, Cavendish and Perique. In the tin I smell a very slight fermented and yeasty quality suggesting a small addition of whiskey and on the whole smells like raisin bread without the cinnamon. While smoking the flavor is even with the fruity notes from the Virginias, nutty Burley, and piquant Perique. The Perique gives a slight peppery raisin flavor backed up by the deeper richness and spiciness from the Cavendish and Latakia. The side stream smoke off the bowl has a slight chocolaty scent from the Latakia as well. Overall, I taste the Perique the most out of the five components of this mixture. The nicotine kick ( I think mostly from the Perique) comes into play near the end of the bowl for me. While most have said that C&D blends are too dry in the tin, I think the moisture is perfect. Overall a nice blend. I wouldn't categorize this as an full blown "English" blend.

I am writing this review based ona tin with three years age. Forgot I had this in the back of the cellar really. It was a pleasure to find it as I was eager to try something new.

Th blend has a perfect moisture level and packs almost too easily. I have had a couple of problems with draw stoppage. My fault, not the tobaccos. Takes fire well after the char and burns nicely once lit.

The cavendish is a little bit of a turnoff here. The flavors are very nice in total, but the cav. gives this a sweetness that I think is too much. Just a wee bit too much, not over the top. The latakia is mild and tasty. The va. and burley add to the overall body. The perique is not all that noticable and is used here for purely condimental purposes.

All in all a nice smoke, but not worthy of four stars.

Elegant Emu is a moderately full-bodied blend. I produce clouds of smoke with this well balanced Virginian, burley, and spice tobacco blend and it never bites my tongue. Like my previous experience with C&D blends, I found Elegant Emu quite dry from the tin. It burns wonderfully down to a fine ash and has more strength than I expected.

I have only recently sampled the burley dominated blends which some categorize as ?American.? I have found American blends to be quite enjoyable if a bit one-dimensional. Elegant Emu improves on the simple(?) American recipe; it balances a pleasant latakia smokiness with a Virginia and burley base. Though, the Perique may be a bit too dominant toward the end of the bowl, this tobacco is eminently enjoyable.

I am consciously giving Elegant Emu three stars instead of four because I want to sample more American-English blends -- mostly from C&D -- before I settle on the one that will enter my permanent rotation.

It is correct blend, although my tin had very dry tobacco so maybe taste was not so full and accurate as it was planned.

Easy to smoke to white ash.

My rate: 3.8

I am a new pipe smoker.(some would say still green)but I have tried several different tobaccos already. bearing in mind that my palate may not be as refined as some of yours, I submit my first ever review. I reached for the Emu after I realized that I hate aromatics, and after smoking a couple of mac baren's straight up baccy's. (London blend burley and Mature virgina)what I found in the emu was a very well rounded tobacco with an ecclectic collection of flavors. Simply stated, it reminded me of Frog Morton's roughneck big brother. similar smell, almost as smooth, but hit me a little harder. I liked it alot. Hope my 1st review was helpfull to someone.

Another award winning tin by C&D. The latakia is not upfront and adds a nice smooth taste to the blend. My first pipe full, was not overly impressed but subsequently, liked the light touch of latakia with burely and black cavenidsh. Will continue this review as nothing sticks right out imeediately.

This is an easy-going all day smoke with a refreshing hint of natural sweetness, a moderate amount of Latakia goodness, and a trace of spice from the Perique. Everything is nicely rounded and smoothed out by the burley and black cavendish. This won't light up the lives of those Balkan aficionados who like to drone on about complexity and layers and the like, but it will serve you well in its own right, as would some of the other similar C&D blends sold in bulk at a lower price point.