Cornell & Diehl Oriental Silk

I tried Oriental Silk after reading a review by "the Professor," and it's been my all-day smoke for over five years. The Prof said to smoke it slowly, and he understated. Smoke it even more slowly than that.

In fact, I screen it before smoking. Cornell and Diehl favors a rather fine cut (2-3 millimeters) to begin with, and the package contains a good deal of crumbs. Right out of the bag, the tobacco almost flares up, with the natural result that the smoke lacks flavor. It does indeed have some of the character of cigarette tobacco. Use a kitchen strainer (NOT the same one the wife uses--no amount of cleaning will prevent a lot of discussion) to remove most of the fines, and the blend takes on a darker, richer flavor and aroma. It's very satisfying that way.

Smoke it dry, too. Craig Tarler is famous for shipping his product without much moisture, and adding much water to this one will make it burn hotter and lose flavor. After screening, I put the tobacco in a Mason jar, add a teaspoonful of water, cap it and put it on the shelf for a month before cracking the seal. The bright Virginia gets better with age, up to perhaps 3-4 years, though of course it usually doesn't last so long.

Focus! A fill can go for an hour, hour and a half, if you concentrate. Counterintuitively, when the flavor's best, lay off for a moment rather than sucking on it. Smoking while working often means mindlessly pulling on the pipe, overheating the tobacco and getting a fairish nicotine hit but less of the subtle taste. Beginners could well choose a different blend; Oriental Silk calls for a bit of technique.

The chunks pack very easily. Pretty smooth smoke. But gets a little stronger towards the bottom of the bowl. The turkish, virginia and perique meld together to form a enjoyable smoke. I can not figure out which is dominant among the three types of tobacco. I am leaning toward the vaper with the oriental somewhat in the rear. Taste like a mild Bayou Morning with added Oriental tobaccos.

Appearance: Mostly medium tan with a fair amount of pale yellow, and a small portion of dark leaf. The cut is random with some medium width ribbon, but mostly small cut. Like most C&D blends, this is on the dry side.

Aroma: The predominant part of the aroma to me seems to be the musty smell of perique, backed by the dry "grassy" aroma of turkish. I don't detect much, if any virginia sweetness.

Packing: Packing is easy in any size pipe, owing to the smallish cut. No special care was needed to get a springy surface with just a slight drag in the draw.

Lighting: The tobacco lights easily, sometimes with one Vesta.

Initial flavor: I get a tingle from the perique first, followed immediately by the spicy nuttiness of the turkish. I don't get much from the virginias, they seem to be too light to contribute much weight or sweetness to the mix. The first impression is light, but quite tasty

Mid-bowl: It burns quite easily, but does not get hot unless puffed agressively. The orientals start to dominate the blend here, with the perique playing harmony, and the virginia still stays in the background. The smoke lacks density, probably because of the lack of more mature, darker virginias

Finish: Even smoked slowly, the bottom comes fairly soon. I detect a slight bitterness, and some added strength at the end. I also detect a slight dryness in my mouth when I finish the bowl. The ash is clean and pale gray.

Tried in the following pipes: Several Sasieni Family era Four Dots, a GBD Militaire.

Summary: This would be a great tobacco for warm weather, when darker virginias and latakia are too heavy for me.

Oriental Silk is definitely amongst the better offerings from Cornell & Diehl. The tin/bag note is sour, almost off putting. The cut is a nice ribbon and easy to pack, easy to light. It's a tad dry out of the bag, so no drying time necessary. At first light, it's very grassy and you get that sour note from the orientals. As the bowl progresses it turns buttery, a smooth oriental forward blend with a slight undercurrent of sweetness. The perique is almost imperceptible, providing a bit of body and adding to the play of spice in this blend. Although rich in flavor, I found this blend a bit "airy" and dry in the mouth; rich in flavor, yet this is a mild-medium blend. Not a favorite, but it's growing on me. 3.4 stars. Recommended.

Another nice tobacco by Cornell & Diehl. Kind of a subtle smoke; no one taste or flavor jumps right out. But patience is a virtue. This tobacco grew on me; I found myself reaching for it pretty regularly instead of many other smokes.

This reminds me of other C&D blends, including Virginia Gentlemen and even Sunday Picnic, both of which I also enjoy. If you like a clean, natural smoke with a noticeable amoount of Turkish, punch this ticket.

Oriental Silk

Not too many Cornell & Diehl blends are available here in Ontario so I purchased a tin of this through an online US based outlet. I purchased on the assumption that the tobacco that I liked most in previous English blends had been the Orientals and wanted something with a big Oriental content to see if this was the case.

I open the tin and I get the scent of grass like from a straight Virginia, but also something that smells a bit astringent. The smell is different than the other blends I’ve tried thus far, but pleasing and mild.

The cut is almost like a ready rubbed, there are ribbons and some broken flakes throughout. The tobacco is a fairly uniform colour of bronze/orange and it seems nice and moist, but not too wet.

Lighting up was easy and the tobacco stays lit and burns evenly throughout the bowl. The taste is something that I was definitely looking for. Having assumed that I liked the almost sour/sweet flavour of the Orientals in similar blends, I was rewarded mightily. Smoking through this bowl the sour flavour developed until it effectively subsumed all the other tastes. Reminds me of a tobacco version of Sweet Tarts candy. Despite how it may sound, the sour flavour is quite delicious.

I would recommend this blend and I will likely be buying more tins in the future as I run low. Not having been doing this long enough I’m not sure that this would improve with age so I will probably just buy a tin here and there and smoke it when the need strikes me.

Being a burly fan this was never on my try list. Irish flake and junk yard dog are my go to tobaccos. Ill have to say this one caught me by surprise. I bought 2 oz bulk, it has a sweet aroma,it looked and smelled of all the things I dislike in a tobacco.The first bowl was just OK..But the perique send me back for a second bowl. I know some on here said the perique is non existent, I have to say this stuff had enough perique to clear my sinus. Not a whole lot of flavor complexity but I dont think that was the point of this tabacco it is a simple blend,well balance and makes a good all day smoke.

Tin note sweet and sour, herbal, a bit musty, perfect moisture level. Ribbon cut. If you like Orientals this is a really great blend. A bit peppery (slow puffing required) from the perique but Oriental forward and the Virginia give is some nice sweetness. Its a bit bolder than Oriental express and the Nic hit is at the halfway mark. You will get more out of this blend if you sip it, fast puffing and it looses flavor . I dropped this to 3.5 stars as this blend seems to be inconsistent,

I became interested in non-latakia Oriental blends after trying Peretti no. 9507, GLP Embarcadero and McClelland Black Sea Sokhoum. After running a search on tobaccoreviews.com, I learned approximately a dozen Oriental blends that were rated recommended and highly recommended. My search criteria had to contain Virginia, and or Turkish/Oriental tobaccos. I excluded latakia, burley, dark fired Kentucky, Maryland, cigar leaf, cavendish (but not black) and no flavoring. Some blends contain perique, but that was acceptable.

My one ounce sample came moist and I recommend drying first . The small ribbons are mostly light brown. I packed it loose at the bottom and springy to the rim.

Upon lighting, my initial sense is a mild, mouthwatering sour but pleasant taste. I also note hay, grass, a trace of wood, some sweetness and a very mild bit of spiciness.

It’s not harsh and burns at a moderate pace. The bowl will get hot with quick puffing. It smokes well in various size briars. It’s mild in body, while the nicotine level is faint.

Oriental Silk can be smoked mindlessly, and all day. Oriental aficionados will enjoy it. It works best for me as an early morning pipe. It’s good now, but I think it will sing with a few years of age.