Cornell & Diehl Billy Budd

(3.37)
A heavy Latakia blend with rough-cut burley, bright Virginia flake, and a good amount of rough-cut cigar leaf. Billy Budd was created for C&D's late friend Sailorman Jack.

Details

Brand Cornell & Diehl
Series Melville At Sea
Blended By Craig Tarler
Manufactured By Cornell & Diehl
Blend Type Cigar Leaf Based
Contents Burley, Cigar Leaf, Latakia, Virginia
Flavoring
Cut Coarse Cut
Packaging 2 ounce tin, 8 ounce tin, bulk
Country United States
Production Currently available

Profile

Strength
Strong
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Tolerable to Strong
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Full
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming

Average Rating

3.37 / 4
84

35

15

8

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 11 of 142 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Aug 10, 2014 Very Strong None Detected Full Very Strong
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.
Pipe Used: Hackert stubby billiard
Age When Smoked: 2 years
6 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 13, 2009 Extremely Strong None Detected Very Full Strong
All of you 1-Q smokers should just do yourself a favor and keep on walking because this blend is not for you.

That being said, this is one of the best tobaccos of this genre I've ever had the pleasure of smoking. Gifted to me by an ASP'er who found the strength of this blend nausiating, I found it to be just right for my ultra-high nicotine tolerance.

Smooth and flavorful, neither the latakia or cigar leaf overwhelm this blend. It's a perfect combination of tobaccos for those who like their pipe tobacco to pack a wallop and still taste good.

No gurgle, no tongue bite and burns to a fine ash. High marks here for the blend crafted for the late Lawrence Kobak aka "Sailorman Jack".
52 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Nov 08, 2009 Strong None Detected Full Pleasant
Cigar anyone? Latakia anyone? Nicotine fix anyone? Billy Budd answers the bell on all three counts and delivers a knockout punch!

The combination of the Latakia/Cigar/Virginia/Burley makes for an unusual presentation both in the tin and at the match. The tobacco burns smoothly and cool. No sweetness here... just a plain old tobacco taste. Nothing subtle about Billy Budd either; it's combination of flavors and strength slapped me around like no other cigar leaf blend I've ever tried.

Speaking of getting slapped, don't kiss the spouse immediately after smoking this one.
47 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
May 18, 2015 Strong None Detected Full Tolerable
This is a blend for people who complain that smoking X is "thin" or like "smoking hot air." If you want flavor this is it.

The cut is large and irregular. It came a little dry. It packs easily and burns well. It did not smoke hot for me, and there is enough flavor to keep you from puffing to try to find some.

The smoke is burley and latakia forward. It is smooth and smoky. There is a constant slightly bitter from the burley and a solid earthy foundation. There are sweet Virginia and mellow cigar notes every now and then. The cigar adds to the full flavor and backs up the latakia nicely. The Virginia is sweet and a little grassy. It works well and there is a certain chewy quality to the smoke.

Recommended for someone who is not sensitive to nicotine and wants a full flavored smoke.
41 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 06, 2013 Medium None Detected Full Tolerable to Strong
I'm fond of Lat bombs so it will come as no surprise that I like Billy Budd. The cigar leaf is noticeable but for me it's only a hint not the forward flavour. In this blend that forward note would be the latakia, influenced by but not over powered by the cigar leaf.

It is a good full flavoured tobacco blend, not for the faint of heart or those who don't like Latakia.

However, if you are a cigar smoker looking for a cigar like pipe blend, you will likely be disappointed. I think cigar smokers should avoid pipe blends with some cigar qualities because expectations will probably not be met.
24 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Aug 10, 2009 Very Strong None Detected Very Full Tolerable
My favorite blend of all brands. Full flavored, complex, slightly sweet, great afternoon and evening smoke. Ages superbly.
24 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Apr 28, 2014 Medium None Detected Medium to Full Strong
The best cigar leaf mixture I have tried so far. The cigar taste is to the forefront but you also get some Latakia smokiness and dryness. Since I also smoke cigars, I know what to expect from such a tobacco, it's not for everyone.

With those condiment tobaccos it's impossible for me, to detect the lighter tasting Bright Virginia or Burley. I guess, those are used to help with the combustion of such a slow burning mixture.

Virginia lover
19 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 03, 2009 Strong None Detected Medium to Full Strong
I picked up my pipes again after a few years smoking cigars exclusively. In so doing, I found most of the pipe tobaccos I started smoking again to be lacking in richness and complexity as well as smoothness. Afterreading many reviews on this sight, I sent away for among others, Billy Budd.

Well, joy was mine when I smoked this fine blend as part of a C&D sample package. I was interested in cigar leaf blends: I also compared smoked Purple Cow (C&D) and Robusto (GLPease), as well a couple aromatics.

Billy budd is a wonderfully full smoke that is the one I have been seeking. It is 50% latakia and needs some getting used to, but it is now my everyday smoke. I love the mouthfeel and rich luxury of its deep smooth full tobacco essence.

It is great! As for the other two cigar leaf blends, I find them somewhat unfocussed and uninteresting, though in matters of taste one must try for themselves.

In Billy Budd, I am pleased to have found a substantial and well blended pipe tobacco that is relaxing, powerful and pleasant. Thank you C&D.
17 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
May 16, 2009 Medium to Strong None Detected Medium to Full Tolerable
UPDATE 2019-08-22: I am fortunate to have hoarded a bunch of tobacco years ago, now I have a stash which includes lots of ten year old leaf. After ten years in the jar, Billy Budd has become one of my all time favorites. What is amazing to me is that the Latakia smoke has greatly subsided and what is left is a smooth, incredibly well-integrated richness and toastiness that just intrigues. Refuses to bite. Delicious. Absolutely worth the effort to age for a long time!

Total refurb of my previous two star review. After about a year in the jar, this stuff has become absolutely sublime. Rich, smooth, toasty, flavorful, full, delicious! I don't believe I have ever witnessed such a dramatic change from a year of aging. I am very, very happy that I grabbed a pound of it when I did, and you can be sure I'll be stashing away a few more pounds as soon as possible. The best cigar blend I've tried to date, and one of the best blends of any kind in my cellar.
Age When Smoked: 10 years
13 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 28, 2015 Medium to Strong None Detected Full Tolerable
I was given a sample of this at this year's Chicago show by Chris Tarler. I have been wanting to try it for a while, but it had always slipped my mind when ordering. Anyway, I was able to get about five or six bowls of this one out of the sample.

The blend, like many of the C & D blends, is stout. The cigar, burley and lat dominate this one. It is very cigar like; moreso than Habana Daydream and I enjoyed it more than that one as well. It seems the heavy handed latakia did well to tame those earthy burleys giving a nice cool and smooth smoke.

I will definitely be ordering more of this and will leave it with three stars at present as I feel I need to smoke more to give it a fourth star.
12 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 13, 2018 Medium to Strong None Detected Full Tolerable to Strong
Billy Budd reminded me, briefly, of McClelland's Coyote Classic Full, which is one of my all-time favorites, but the resemblance was ephemeral, as the unique qualities of Billy Budd came to bear, such as Burley and Cigar Leaf which Coyote Classic does not have. Conversely, Billy Budd does not contain Oriental/Turkish leaf that distinguishes Coyote Classic. Billy Budd has a rounded flavor, no sharp notes. It is Latakia forward, which is perhaps the quality that first invited my comparison with Coyote Classic, as well as the fact that the tobaccos used are premium in every respect, no inferior Burley leaf as a cost saver here. It was a little slow to stay lit, but once it was lit, it stayed lit to the bottom of a large bowl. The nicotine is, I would say, past medium bordering on strong. The Cigar Leaf is evident without giving the impression of a cigar. It is a cool smoke with no chance of a tongue bite. The room note is strong but not offensive, although some who are sensitive bystanders may disagree. It burns to a fine gray ash, with no dottle, and no moisture.
PurchasedFrom: Smokingpipes.com
9 people found this review helpful.
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