Cornell & Diehl Billy Budd

YEAH!!! Always love when I come across a tastey full-bodied blend. C&D really knows how to deliver a straight forward robust blend, particularly when it comes to Burleys. This one led with Latakia, although each if its components adds to this enjoyable smoke. Presents, packs, lights and smokes very well. Gets more complex as you get more into it. Not much more I can add that has not been said already. Wife said it smells like tobacco, she did not particularly care for it (I let her rate room note since she puts up with it).

In closing, I rated it at three because I have enjoyed other full-flavor blends more. Saying that, if you enjoy robust flavor, DO NOT miss out on this one.

I earned 50gr on the last saturday... I loved, this blend is so tasteful. For me the nicotine strength was medium. I liked, but will be three stars, because was my first blend with cigar leaf... I will prove other blends and I can change this review in the future...

This is the only English blend that I have smoked so it is hard to make this an accurate review.

I tend to smoke only mild aromatics like C&D's Founding Fathers. But I have also smoked their Epiphany blend as well.

This is definitely much stronger in room note and taste. But it smokes very smoothly. Nicotine hit is strongish but not a head swimmer.

The only problem is that I don't smoke enough to fully enjoy this tobacco. The only time that I really enjoyed this blend was at the end of a week when I had smoked almost every day previous. I usually only smoke a few times a month if that.

So I had an almost nirvana like smoke and then went about a month without smoking at all. Since my previous smoke was so nice I decided to have another bowl. It was very disappointing. The smell seemed very abrasive the taste was overwhelming and was just no good. I couldn't understand why at first but I am pretty sure it is because I don't smoke much

So, if you smoke regularly I would say this is a great tobacco to try. But if you are like me and smoking is more of an casual thing, then you might want to go with something more mild.

Where to begin. This blend had more latakia than I wanted to taste leaping out of it. "A heavy Latakia blend" should've been my first clue, eh? I'll qualify that by saying, for a long time I was a big latakiaphile too, but lately latakia seems to be wearing on my palate some, so this is purely a subjective judgement. Mine is an unaged sample also, and I suspect some cellaring will help smooth this blend out.

Also, for me a smaller bowl (say probably a group 2) was what it took to bring Billy Budd to life. In the larger one I started him off in, the latakia was almost too much, on top of a background of nutty, even slightly chocolatey. Once I put him in a smaller one, the top half was still latakia dominant, but in the bottom half the latakiitis subsided and allowed the semi-sweet virginia and cigar leaf to really come out nicely. It also seemed like I got a more concentrated nicotine hit.

This was a good blend for smoking round the campfire tonight. After some internal debate I clicked three stars here. Two stars for the first half of the bowl and three and a half for the bottom half (lol)... hopefully aging will draw these closer together.

Well! This was certainly a full smoke! But it was pretty tasty. I certainly noticed some of the cigar leaf in it and as a long-time cigar smoker, that was familiar and comfortable. It's just a very good smoke.

The “jar note” is mostly just smokiness from the Latakia.

Upon lighting, you know instantly this is a Lat bomb. The Latakia is of course woodsy, but retains a lot of the “butter and spice” qualities of the oriental leaf that it began as; to the point that I was surprised when I saw that there is no Turkish in this blend. The cigar leaf is there, but just in a support role. It peeks out every now and then, but mostly just melds in with the other tobaccos. Combined with the burley, the cigar leaf adds some backbone and richness to the blend. The Virginias are there to provide a touch of natural sweetness and round everything out, but this blend is mostly for Latakia lovers. Nicotine was mild to medium for me. I don’t really notice any sort of big nic hit that others have. I like the blend, but would’ve also liked the cigar leaf to be a little more prominent.

I’d give it three stars. I enjoyed the Latakia in this blend, but would’ve liked the cigar leaf to come forward just a bit more.

EDIT: The more I smoke this blend, the more the cigar leaf comes through for me, and the more I like it.

I have also noticed if this is the first blend of the day that I smoke, I taste the cigar a lot more than if I have smoked something else prior.

For me, C&D’s Billy Budd is a musty, loamy, English-y blend that lifts off in the second half, when the cigar leaf takes over. The reviewed tin had 6 months on it when I popped it, and I suppose it will get better with more aging. Inside my tin I found roughly chopped pieces ranging from golden to light, mid and dark brown, with some nearly black pieces. Aroma was ripe English, with a little peat along with rich, black, loamy dirt. There was no trouble with loading, lighting, or smoking it down. Aroma is well melded, and not so much “cigar” as I might have thought, especially to start. Perhaps some of the Burley is DFK, but in any case the main theme is low, continuing the earth from the tin note. I haven’t cared much for most Latakia for many years now, but whatever they use in BB is OK to start, and farther on it works a treat with the cigar leaf. The Bright VA lends sparkle, right up in the range of the cigar leaf spices. Nice, and it doesn’t in any way thin out the delicious, fragrant smoke. No mention is made of Cavendish, but this blend is SWEET, along with typical Burley bitters and Latakia sour, and it’s smoky without being anything like a campfire. Strength is maybe medium. Tastes are full. Room note is nice – for a cigar blend. Aftertaste is a lingering, even sweeter version of the best of a very sweet smoke. Perhaps there is some anise in it, but it’s tasteful, like everything about BB.

While I never think sweet = good anymore, Billy Budd is quite sweet as an adjunct to a fine, rich, deep smoke. Best for last: this is also a very smooth smoke, at least it is with 6 months on it, and IMO BB might just be a “serious” cigar blend a newbie could enjoy. 4 stars.

Update, 01-19-20: A recent smoke of jarred tobacco from this same tin left me mildly disappointed, when a perfume-y addition (to the Latakia, I suppose) rose right to the top to lend an artificial taste I could not "taste around" through most of the smoke. Because of this I am dropping my rating from 4 to 3 stars. The good qualities remain, so it's pretty much down to the perfume for me, personally, and YMMV, of course.

My favorite thing about this tobacco is the cigar leaves. Awesome cigar taste and room note. It is the first tobacco I've tried with Latakia in it so it was pretty strong at first. It is definately growing on me. Good stuff.

This is a blend that I have been wanting to try for some time. Another of those blends that piqued my curiosity, but not enough to put a priority on ordering it. Until now. Very pleased to have recieved this one the the other day in a shipment containing a few staple blends and some discretionary items. After jarring everything from the order and stowing it away in the cellar, I sat down to try Billy Budd.

The tobaccos contained in this blend are very nice looking. A pretty homogenous light brown with a bit of latakia floating around in it. The cigar leaf is apparent in the blend just by looking at it, but that shouldn't be read as overkill. It's just noticable. A much different shade than you normally would see in pipe blends.

Billy was left to air about an hour in the jar with the lid off. The initial aroma in the bag it was shipped in didn't offer much, but after some air time and then another hour with the lid on the jar, it gave off a distinctive aroma. Rich and dark with the promise of an English with a kick of something different.

The packing was easy going and the humidity level was perfect. I find that C&D is really great at getting the moisture level just right. The char light gave off the most satisfying taste and aroma. I nearly broke my arm reaching for another match for the true light! lol

Burn characteristics are fantastic! It does tend to burn readily, and that does mean a bit shorter smoke time, but it does not burn hot by any means. The flavor of the cigar leaf is there, but in the background. Married perfectly to the other components. It's quite complex and harmonious throughout the bowl. The only time that the cigar leaf became dominate was towards the bottom of the bowl, and only briefly. Maybe thirty seconds or so. I attribute this to a larger flake caught at the bottom.

No tongue bite experienced. I did push it a bit, and only got a little bitterness but otherwise behaved well. This is by all means a sipper of a blend and should not be consumed like a hard up sailor on his first leave in 6 months! Slow your cadence down and you will be rewarded with a rich, full, slightly sweet flavor that has the power to relax even the most battle hardened workforce warrior.

The Virginia adds a light sweetness and tang to the experience and the burley adds body and a subtle nuttiness. The latakia seems to tie them all together with it's smokey goodness and gentle character. This is by no means a lat bomb, just full.

My impression is not that this is a powerhouse in the vitamin N dept., but certainly full flavored! Perhaps more in the mid range as far as nicotine goes. Satisfying to be sure, but not something that will put the experienced smoker in a chair with the dizzies.

I can see this becoming a must have for me. It may not become an everyday smoke, but will make it's appearance several times a week. I can recommend this to anyone who likes the fuller bodied smokes in the English genre. Cheers!