Cornell & Diehl Billy Budd

I find this to be a nice blend when I am in the mood for Latakia but do not want a typical English blend. The cigar an burley leaf combine to give this blend some real depth in the low end of the taste spectrum. When I first smoked this I did not know the blend had cigar leaf in it but I could not figure out where the low notes of flavor were coming from. At first I thought the burleys in this blend were just really deep. When I found out this blend had cigar leaf it made sense to me. The blend smokes cool and has some nicotine strength although not at all overpowering. I recommend this blend to those wanting a Latakia blend with a nice little twist.

Depending on your tolerance for Nicotine and Full tasting blends, this will either be a feast or an assault on your senses.

One thing this blend does not lack is taste. Judging by the tobaccos used in this blend, it lives up to the taste profile I expected when i lit my pipe.

What i tasted was mainly Burley and Latakia. I did get some notes of what could be described as Cigar leaf. I feel that the Virginia leaf is just too delicate in taste to compete with the no holds barred Burley, Latakia and Maduro leaf.

Overall i feel this blend has its place. It is for a very late night smoke when your taste buds have been fried all day by whatever it was you have been smoking and you need some VitN and something you can actually taste at that time.

It does not make it into my rotation but i can see a place for this from time to time.

Mo, South Africa

a bang on the head,,,full tobaccobody and awonderful blend the latakia is present with a wonderful impact tth wont implicate the bitter taste cigar leafs add the required touch burning qualities are very nice,,leaves a thick solid ash tht needs tamping and a wider bowl to get godd quantity of air,,well balanced contents one of the best cigar blended mixtures,,go for it

This is a good, full bodied tobacco that burns well and packs well. You can smell it in the next room it is so robust, but fantastic. Get it in bulk ans try it!

Sailorman Jack's passion for English blends with cigar leaf is what led to the development of Billy Budd, one of the finest pipe tobaccos I've ever smoked. This is a blend for those who truly appreciate a full-flavored tobacco. It also comes closer to offering the pleasure of a fine cigar than any other cigar-leaf blend I've tried.

I think the key here is the strong, stout burley, which blends with the cigar leaf and latakia to lend a heavy bottom note to the mixture. Cigar leaf responds to this in a way that it never does when mixed with Virginia. This blend is absolutely delicious (my mouth waters when I fill my pipe), doesn't bite, and really satisfies, with a nicotine buzz that only cigar leaf and burley can offer.

This is not an all-day blend (at least to me), but I do smoke it more than any other pipe tobacco. I can't recommend it enough.

PS: I also have several ounces of this in pressed form. Whoa nelly, that's some strong stuff! I actually prefer it unpressed.

I didn’t catch much cigar taste from this. Maybe a bit off of the room note. Very burly latakia forward. Great full flavored lat burly blend.

I've stayed away from cigar leaf blends because I thought that if I wanted to smoke a cigar, I'd buy one. Recently I decided that I wanted something outside of my usual types, and ordered an ounce of this. I'm glad I picked this one. I love English Latakia blends, but sometimes wish they had a little more strength and depth since most are around the medium, maybe medium-high, level. This one fills that niche. The cigar leaf, from what I can tell, adds a creamy, deep mocha flavor that goes great with the latakia without burying it. Just what I was looking for, and now I have a bunch of cigar leaf blends to explore. 🙂

For those who consider themselves latakia persons, and who, in the same time, like cigar, this is the blend. Actually, I don’t smoke cigar, but love this blend, it’s really delicious!

A blend with cigar leaf, latakia and burley tobacco that reminds me of Shandygaff. The combination of these different profiles has been married to perfection, and the different levels or layers add complexity and depth to this blend. The tin note cries "English" right, left and center. I am not finding many similarities or intersections with Billy Budd Blonde apart from the fact I cannot detect any added flavours; this just natural tobacco. Very interesting, 4 stars.