Cornell & Diehl Crowley's Best

I’m not quite sure why it’s taken me so long to try this particular blend from C&D. They certainly have a myriad of blends but I tend towards burley plus “something extra”. Two perfect examples are Old Joe Krantz and Pegasus. They epitomize burley plus “something extra” but in different ways. Old Joe Krantz showcases what perique and Virginia can do in a burley blend and Pegasus focuses on Virginia and unsweetened black Cavendish additions. Both are superb but I’ve still been searching for the gap in my rotation that involves burley with latakia and “something extra”. Enter Crowley’s Best.

This blend is much like any other C&D tobacco in terms of moisture and cut. The cut is a chunky ribbon cut and the tobacco moisture is just right although I tend to load up my pipe the night before and let it sit out to help with lighting. Crowley’s Best lights easily, gives a quick burst of latakia and then quickly smooths out into a nutty (think walnut) taste backed up by a slight sweetness. The perique usually doesn’t enter into the fray until the very end of the bowl and adds a slightly spicy and musty character. The latakia is in the background and the components really do act quite harmoniously. The blend seems to burn a little fast but my pipe never gets hot and seems to smolder nicely with a slow smoking cadence. The burley is top notch and every now and again gives a nice dark chocolate note in the nose.

Crowley’s Best fills, for me, the gap that couldn’t be filled by Morley’s Best and Junkyard Dawg. Crowley’s Best is more approachable than the two aforementioned blends since Morley’s Best can be bitingly bitter at times while Junkyard Dawg can nip the tongue because of the Virginia flake. Really it’s a very good all day blend that is harmonious but with a taste that changes just enough to keep you interested throughout the bowl. Certainly a four star blend and another winner from C&D. It’s available in bulk which is good on the pocket book as well.

It would stand to reason that this is the first tobacco I've reviewed here. When I first began smoking the pipe, I contacted Cornell and Diehl to order a sample pack. Craig Tarler recommended five blends, four of which I smoke to this day. Crowley's Best is one of them (Pirate Kake, Plantation Evening and the now nonexistent Scottish Blend are the other three). Craig knew his stuff.

I like this blend because it is burley concentric, with latakia and perique playing the true roles of condiment tobacco. They are there, but they don't hammer your taste buds into submission. The burley is nutty, toasty and pleasant. This is indeed a harmonious blend, as the description says.

This is not a blend that I would call challenging. Rather, it is a blend that serves as an unobtrusive companion. It is my favorite while driving, reading, grilling outside, etc. because it is there keeping you company rather than demanding your attention...kind of like a loyal pet dog.

If you are looking for a comforting smoke, I highly recommend Crowley's Best. Just realize that it's not a wizz bang latakia bomb, or spicy perique blend. It's a simple burley that has been improved with a dash of "Salt and pepper."

Thanks for reading. Pipe on.

Like a cool smoking complex English cigar. The deep flavored shine through with the burley. The Latakia makes it's presence known in the middle of the bowl. The perique dances on the palate making this a cool smoking, slightly sweet American English. Couldn't recommend higher. A new favorite!

first impression was doubtful--- BUT i had tried it in a 'questionable' pipe--many bowls later, in pipes of proven trust i can say that this one is a very good tobacco---quite enjoyable--and the aroma and flavor is.....well; it's tobacco; plain, pure and simple tobacco--old time tobacco that a codger of my youth would recognize--

it is Burley, with sweetness being provided by Perique rather than Virginia (thank goodness)--yet the Perique isn't an in your face ordeal--it's there, but it is in no way overpowering--the Latakia adds depth and another layer of flavor--

i don't think it is quite as good as Morley's Best (for my taste), but it is a welcome addition to my self imposed limited rotation--

if you're interested in good simple tobacco flavor, give it a try--if you like codger blends i believe you'll enjoy it--you may even make a new friend--

an edit--reason i noted 'room note as unnoticable is that i smoke on an open air screened porch--there is no room note--

The big problem I've had with Crowley's Best is that it tastes so good I get in a rut where I don't smoke much else for weeks on end!

Unlike some of the reviewers, I can't tell you the mix of flavors, frankly over 4 decades I have only strayed from the English/Balkan/Oriental blends long enough to try others and very quickly return! I would be the wrong person to ask about aromatics but I do know what I like, what bites me and what doesn't, as long as we are in the area of English/Balkan blends.

C&D makes so many good blends that it was difficult to decide on a favorite but slowly trying one after another and returning to two or three, Crowley's Best became my 'everyday' smoke for quite a while.

Now I rotate Crowley's Best with several of the GLP blends and Plantation Evening, Orient Express and good old Prince Albert.

This is a remarkable smoke - tasty yet smooth enough to smoke several pipes a day and not get 'burned out' or bored with it.

I got this in a blind test, and guessed that it was a Balkan or English mixture of classical cut. Even when smoking it I thought that the sweetness in this came from stoved and aged VA, not Burley which is the case...

Also, not being accustomed to what/how Perique can shapeshift due to its environment, I didn't suspect anyu trace of it, but rather thought that it was Orientals peeking through...

Well, well. I know better now, and I must say that this is a real winner, especially if you like Dunhills English line or Rattray's RR or ... well any English/Balkan I guess!

Close your eyes and think Balkan, it will be chillingly close!

If Nightcap were made with burley instead of Virginia, it would be a lot like Crowley's Best. This is a truly fabulous American English; indeed, it is one of the very best.

Rich, pungent, flavorful, easy burning and easy to pack, CB will not bite a bit, even after repeated bowls. I love the earthy, stout burley and the intermingling of the latakia and perique. This should be much more popular than it seems to be.

Wonderful stuff!

I have an old Sasieni 2 dot full bent billiard that sought the right tobacco as its complement. For years, the pipe just did not seem to be at its potential, as I tried one commercial blend after the other. C&D burley offerings helped considerably, but there was always a missing piece of the puzzle. Fortuitous gesture and I received some of Crowley's Best to sample, even though it is not a new offering, Craig Tarler thought that I might enjoy this blend. How right he was, and how happy that pipe is. Crowley's is an outstanding blend, mostly ribbon rather than broken flake, with a strong burley base and latakia and perique for flavor. Many blends, the components will exert themselves at different times during the smoke. Here, in Crowley's, the approach is a simpler harmony of flavors throughout the smoke, a dynamic in which the burley exerts a balancing to the pungent latakia and the musty qualities of perique. This is, unreservedly, a fine all-day blend, a little quicker burning than I am used to, but steady.

Still trying to figure out which Crowley this is named after. Aleister Crowley?? IDK. What I do know is that this is outstanding tobacco, and I love it! Along with Morley's Best. I can't decide which one is better. Maybe they are equally outstanding. 5 Stars for Crowley's Best.

Upon further review. I can say this is my favorite. Hands down. I know longer have a rotation. I smoke this solely. This must have be made by some evil genius or something. It is that good.