Cornell & Diehl Oriental Silk

Exotic, musty, slightly pungent, and kind of herbal; this is a delicious blend with a sweet tobacco flavor and a very slight woody finish. The Perique works well in the mix without upstaging the complex flavors of the Orientals. No Latakia.

I selected this blend as a way to get more familiar with Oriental tobacco. I have smoked plenty of blends that are oriental rich, but often times my experience is that Latakia overwhelms everything in its path. The bag smell (bulk order) is largely sweet and raisin like. There are plenty of bright ribbons, some partly rubbed flake, what appears to be some granulated perique, and some lighter colored drab leaf that I can only assume is the oriental. I am so glad I tried this! This blend is overloaded with toasty, floral, pleasantly sour notes. The sidestream is rich and redolent of a spice cabinet, no one spice or herb rising to the top. There are plenty of loamy earthy notes, crisp dried autumn leaves, and complex iterations of herbs and spices. There are so many aromatic (not in the topped or cased sense) qualities to the taste and room note that I have a hard time pinning down any one flavor. I have read the commentary of others who suggest that Orientals possess a sweetness akin to sunflower seed meat. While I do not pick up on this sort of sweetness, there are some fleeting nutty hints to the smoke. This is a terrific smoke. It doesn’t bite unless freight trained. It burns exceptionally well, though I have had some moisture at the bottom of the bowl. For the Oriental uninitiated as well as the old time oriental lover, this is an absolute must try. It is accessible, delicious, and not overbearing with regards to nicotine.

It's taken a while for me to get around to reviewing this tobacco, because the more I smoke it the more subtle aromas I pick up. I had four or five rather bold dark blends on hand, from Périque to black Cavendish, and at first this (literally) paled by comparison. But as I smoked it, it grew on me, til I was smoking more of it than any of the others. A light, very pleasant smoke, definitely 'Silk' smooth. It reminded me of some sun-cured Yenidje purchased in whole leaf form from leafonly.com.

The aroma—especially when I first opened the pouch—was very sweet, new-mown hay with honeysuckle and even a touch of sherry. Others have said 'no flavouring', but I found this hard to believe. Perhaps a little topping of Tonka bean or coumarin? On the other hand, perhaps this is a natural aroma for some types of curing; it reminded me of a burley blend, purchased locally, which the salesman assured me was straight burley with no casing. If anyone can educate me, since we don't have a forum here—yet, I would be interested in hearing from you, either email [email protected] or Tony Patriarche on FaceBook.

From the colour I would assume the Virginia in this is Virginia Bright, but I detected none of the characteristic scent of that tobacco (about the only tobacco I DON'T like); must be a more southern variety than the Canadian Virginia I'm familiar with. Orientals dominate, but not the strong soapy flavour of some 'Turkish' varietals—nice, grassy, fresh taste. Couldn't detect any Périque in a 2oz bag, either by flavour or by eye. That's OK, I have a little C&D's Joie de Vivre left, and lots of pure Périque if I feel like blending on the fly!

Not quite enough assertive character for four stars, but a definite 3.49 😉 And darn it, I'm really enjoying it.

**Update--Uprated…Any tobacco that can compel my attention when I have such good blends as C&D Oak Alley to smoke deserves 4 staes…a good candidate for an all-day smoke, now a favourite ….

Short and narrow cut ribbons, almost shag with some pieces of broken flakes thrown in. Mostly bright colored but with some darker pieces as well. Very natural tobacco aroma. Has the natural taste of bright Virginia, citrus and hay with the added sweetness from Red?? Virginia and some nuttiness. These to me are the main players. There is some sweet floral aroma from the Orientals and Perique adds to the strength of the blend without being very prominent tastewise, although there is some peppery tingle to be sure.

I like Oriental Silk, it’s sort of cigaretty natural-tasting tobacco which as a former cigarette smoker I enjoy a lot. Tasty and very natural-tasting, highly recommended for those who like unprocessed natural-tasting tobaccos.

This is indeed a silky smooth smoke. The Orientals demand most of the attention most of the time, with the Virginia adding balance to fill out the Or. The Oriental brings with it a buttery sour that blends well with a touch of fruity tang from the Va. At times, a floral wisp makes itself known as does a touch of wood, with just a tad of sweetness from the Va rounding it all out. As far as the Perique, there seems to be two camps. For me, the Perique is not at the forefront, nor middle, of the flavor. It lingers in the back, demanding no conscience attention, with just a hint of raisin poking through at times. It is there, but contributes to the overall body of the smoke, rather than the flavor.

A smooth, well balanced smoke, for sure. Not at all overly complex, yet not entirely monochromatic in flavor either that includes a good tobacco taste. A very satisfying smoke.

The guy from C&D had run out when I called so he 'knocked' some up for me. This was at least 10 years ago and I did not care for it so it rested in the bottom of a box in a large bell jar until I moved and found it. The aroma is tangy and mushroomy, very redolent of Perique of which there is more than a small amount as I can see it It in the blend. Tangy and peppery with a great burn and I can taste C&D's Izmir distinctly. Now a very good blend and a good find

The oriental blend is very good.. The oriental flavor is smooth and non biting . The perique adds a degree of elusiveness.Virgins and maybe a hint of cigar leaf makes this a sublime a tasty blend.

Terrific blend. Well balanced. For those who love the Turkish accent, beware, because that accent disappears after about a year. Still a 4-star smoke, but different from fresh.