Cornell & Diehl Billy Budd

Loud and boisterous. If Star of the East flake is Philip Marlow, Billy Budd is Mike Hammer. A beautiful combination of sharp burley and virginia flavour, with the Latakia given some strength by the cigar leaf.

I could smoke this all day and all night, if necessary. It is mild, in the vitamin-N department, unlike many of the CD line-up, but it keeps its flavour from start to finish.

You can't really taste the cigar leaf per se. I suspect that it works inside the Latakia, serving as a kind of chemical additive to that worthy leaf.

Towards the last third of the pipe you get even more Latakia, with the burleys muted. I would presume that even CD's burleys, not generally a shy bunch, are upstaged by the other components to the point of just creeping away.

Outstanding in every respect.

This is simply a brilliant tobacco. The CT leaf is very present and notes that are expected blend very well with the smokiness of the lat. The VA's are a little sweet but only slightly so and the burley gives a big base with its earthiness. The sum is greater then its parts. This blend has something about it that is simply indescribable when all these elements come together. The very best blend in this category I have smoked so far.

A couple of notes on the side that are worth mentioning: As a cigar smoker for 23 years I have had many cigar smokers ask if there is a pipe tobacco that tastes like a cigar. My answer is no. Don't expect a pipe tobacco to be exactly like a cigar they are made differently, etc. This is definitely cigarish however. The CT leaf really brings out things that remind me of a cigar but that is as far as I would go in describing it as cigar like there are other nuances that are distinctively pipe. Also a note about the strength. I have rated it as strong but the nic is really med-strong it is all other elements that moved the strength up.

A good strong mix with a high Latakia content. The Burley and Cigar Leaf gives it a really solid foundation. A real favorite after a fine sturdy dinner with game or BBQ. But can be a little mean to the tongue sometimes

Heard some good reviews on this one, had to try. The cigar leaf was very present to me along with Latakia. There is nothing sweet in this blend, strong campfire/leather taste. Tastes just like it smells. This is the closest taste to a cigar in a blend I have yet tried. There were times while smoking it was quite bitter. At times I also got that sooty/charred taste and coating in the back of the throat. Need a strong drink with this one. I sometimes get tired of sweet Latakia blends, so this is a nice alternative, however not an everyday smoke. I did like it and I will smoke again.

I find the consistency of the reviews of Billy Budd to be notable. And I agree with the overwhelming trend in them: BB is very flavorful, with the nutty and pleasantly bitter burley augmented by the very forthright cigar leaf and further enhanced by plenty of smokey latakia. There's nothing subtle going on here, just a rich tapestry of powerful flavors, but they are well balanced. There's real artistry in combining all those flavors without them clashing and without any one seeming to win. And accompanying all that flavor is a pleasant wallop of nicotine. You're not going to make any friends with the room note, unless there's a cigar lover nearby. But I've never dared smoke this indoors!

BB is a fine way to start the day, accompanied by a big mug of strong coffee. I've found that it works just fine in any sized bowl, it packs easily and (of course) is best if a bit on the dry side. BB doesn't demand much from you--pack it, light it, smoke it, and enjoy.

the first time I had this tobacco...

It was Labor Day weekend I was seventeen I bought a Coke and some Billy Budd And I drove out to the county fair When I saw her for the first time She was standing there in the ticket line And it all started right then and there Oh, a smoker's sky made a perfect sunset And that's the day I'll never forget

I had a barbeque stain on my white tee shirt She was killing me in that miniskirt Skippin' rocks on the river by the railroad tracks She had a suntan line and Dunhill Pipe I worked so hard for that first smoke And a heart don't forget something like that

Well it was five years later on a southbound plane I was headed down to New Orleans To meet some friends of mine for Mardi Gras When I smelled a smoke from the past Comin' from a few rows back And when I looked, I couldn't believe just what I saw She said I bet you don't remember me And I said only every other memory

I had a barbeque stain on my white tee shirt You were killing me in that miniskirt Skippin' rocks on the river by the railroad tracks You had a suntan line and Dunhill Pipe I worked so hard for that first smoke And a heart don't forget something like that

Like an old photograph Time can make a feeling fade But the memory of a first smoke Never fades away

I had a barbecue stain on my white tee shirt She was killing me in that miniskirt Smokkin' pipes on the river by the railroad tracks She had a sun tan line and dunhill Pipe I worked so hard for that first smoke A heart don't forget, no a heart don't forget I said a heart don't forget something like that Oh, not something like that

My expectations for this one were as follows; a burley dominant blend with some cigar leaf and a smidgin of latakia. At least that's how others presented BB to me. Really, I like to think of this wonderful blend as an English blend; the latakia (the same leaf as used in Pirate Kake?) really shined here. Honestly, both the burley and cigar leaf lurked in the background a bit, and the latakia spiked especially on the snork. This blend is wonderful. It evoked taste bud memories of a handful of other blends, Chipman Hill, Bald Headed Teacher and Pirate Kake. There's a lot of nuance in Billy Bud—verging on complex.

Billy Bud is a solid performer, a great snorker! and I loved its overall taste profile. I wish it wasn't as strong as it is, but, nevertheless, I wholeheartedly recommend this one. A solid 3.75 stars (I always round down).

Keep on Pipin'!

This is a solid blend, but in my opinion the experience I had was a far cry from the hype surrounding it. Billy Budd is a rich, bold, no nonsense smoke that'll bite ya if you're not careful, so take it easy!

I like bold and intense things, so I was eager to try Billy Budd. However, I felt that the over-all experience of this blend left me with a lot to be desired. I'm a novice pipe smoker so I was expecting this stuff to kick me in the teeth, but while I was smoking it I kinda had a thought like: "is that it?..."

I can't quite put my finger on what exactly I was expecting from this blend, but I guess I just wanted more richness to the smoke and taste. And as far as the nicotine hit is concerned, Old Joe Krantz packed more of a punch even though it is rated as more of a medium strength.

I do not have a lot of experience with cigar leaf blends, but I am a cigar smoker. I was looking forward to trying this one after having heard many good things. Out of the tin it is a little dry with strong cigar and latakia notes. You can see large pieces of cigar leaf and chunks of cubed burley. It smokes a little wetter than you would think being so dry in the tin. Strong cigar leaf and latakia dominate the flavor of the smoke. The burley gives it a full nicotine kick, which is great. A powerful blend not for the weak at heart. It is a permanent addition to my rotation but I could never smoke it all day long, let alone on an empty stomach. Worth a try for anyone looking for a good strong blend and enjoys the flavor of a bold cigar.