Cornell & Diehl Exclusive

I was scared shitless of trying this tobacco for the first time because of the allegation it contains 50% perique, so when it came in the post I simply pushed it to the back of the drawer waiting for a better chance to try it. Well, this time has come, and I am glad it did because, surprisingly enough, I am enjoying it. This is like a good smoked steak with lots of barbecue sauce and caramelized onions in it. The perique is still in there working its magic, but it is not nearly as strong as I was expecting. Because it contains cavendish, it is not a true VaPer, but I don't care. This combination is working out well for me, and that's what really matters. The addition of red Virginia means it will build up in strength nicotine-wise, but smoking it in smaller size bowls fixes the problem. On another note, the moist content is rather high, but this is adding to the fun of smoking it. Perhaps not an everyday smoke, but it is superb as an evening or late-night companion. It is sweet and smokey, and will leave you satisfied and ready for bed. The room note is probably horrendous, but I personally do not mind. Not for the faint-hearted, but I will give it a go if you are into the sort of franken-tobacco formula of Bayou Morning and the like.

Edit: 29 July 2022

This tobacco has really grown on me. I like it so much now that I cannot think of smoking anything else.

This past Labor Day, one of the online tobacco stores had a sale on C&D bulk blends. I believe I bought about seven different ones of about four ounces each. This is one of them. It has the typical Perique smell out of the jar. Nice springy tobacco while loading my Meerschaum. The description says 50 percent Perique and quite a few reviewers do not sense that while smoking. The Perique is there but I cannot ascertain the quantity unless I send it to a lab if such one exists but that ain’t happening. This also claims to be close to the famous Escudo. Sorry but Escudo is cut into coins and the batch I have is not even close in taste which also has me questioning the Perique amount as stated. Maybe the Perique in my batch settled to the bottom and mine was scooped up from the top. Kidding of course. Upon smoking this on occasion I would hit what I can only describe as a raw, green grassy taste that really was not pleasant. Not sure if it was the Cav or maybe the VA is not very old can’t really say…. A few days later I have smoked some more and did not detect the raw grassiness but this one is not really offering me much bang when it comes to my entertainment dollar. Glad to try new blends but this one is only somewhat recommended so I will join the two-star camp. The good thing is that I am sure others do enjoy this. On a side note, I probably give out a lot of three stars as I have tried a lot of blends that are good, I try to save the four stars for a blend that I see fireworks setting off in the sky, etc. and do not come across a lot that I would rate two or one stars but without reservation and absolutely no guilt I hereby sentence this blend to two stars, may God have mercy on its soul.

Update: Although I like this it turns out it doesn't like me too much. I get slight bite from it over time. Probably due to newish VA/moisture problems that Gentleman Zombie alluded to. So I'm knocking off a star and going back to Irish Oak, which I can smoke in any pipe as much as I want without consequence except boredom, for a Va/Per, or to OJK for a burlier version of same.

To me, this tastes something like Peterson's Irish Oak's bigger, perhaps less refined sister (the kind of sister who lifts weights).

The VAs here are less prominent than in Irish Oak and the burley cavendish here tastes a bit different than the Thai Burly.

Unlike Irish Oak, this does not DGT at all, whereas Irish Oak is an excellent DGT tobacco.

However, to me, they fill a similar niche and I like them both a lot. But you really have to love the spicy side of Perique to like this tobacco.

I did not have a problem with moisture/steam, but I approach this tobacco the way I smoke moist British flakes: I use an extra absorbent pipe cleaner during the smoke, letting the pipe cool with the cleaner in the stem, which sucks away the excess moisture. I think if I let this tobacco dry out it would get harsh.

As it is, it is a full-on VA/Perique which hits the spot for me and even works in a larger pipe, although it does get awful peppery toward the end. I don't smoke Escudo although I've had it of course, but from what I remember, this does not resemble Escudo/Flake Medallions/etc. at all.

Another bell ringer from C&D .

This blend's tin note is full of Perique's fermented vegetable matter aroma but with a dark musty twang. It smells like stale, burned raisin bread. The smell carries over into the flavor but now with a huge dose of nicotine that I just can't handle.

I'm going to leave this blend to the professionals.

I'm a Va/Per smoker for the most part, and have had this sample for over a year. Decided to give it a twirl in a Kurt Huhn Tulip.

Initial flavors were full on strong Perique, almost unbearable. When I think of heavy Perique VA/Pers, I compare them to the likes of Fillmore or Telegraph Hill. This one was a lot stronger in that dept.

Started harsh on exhale out the nose for the first half bowl, but managed to smooth into a slightly softer tone that allowed a little bit of the Virginia to make an appearance.

I did experience a nicotine kick at the bottom, which took me by surprise.

overall: A little too strong on the Perique, not enough of the VAs came through for me. Not a bad blend, as it burned well enough. The differing sizes of tobacco cuts is bothersome, some bits are so small they come through the draught hole and others are too large to fit in the pipe. I'd recommend this to someone who feels Fillmore or Telegraph Hill aren't strong enough for them. If you prefer VA/Pers with a nice hint of Perique, this will be too much. I didn't think this was anywhere near Escudo in flavor.

This will be somewhat of a mixed review because I've been sampling this stuff for about 3 years now when I want a full flavored Perique blend. When first bought, I loved this stuff. It was never anything like Escudo to me, but excellent in it's own right. Fairly sweet and strong in perique with a great aroma. Unfortunately, I don't think this stuff ages very well. The last 6 months have melded the tobaccos perfectly- almost to the point of being bland. The strength is still there, but the contrasting sweetness and strength I used to get when new is gone. There's also an odd flavor which might be the cavendish part changing over time. I don't know. So, basically, excellent when new and only so-so now. I'd buy it again but wouldn't age it this time.

The only thing that this blend and escudo have in common is that they are both pipe tobaccos. It ends there. Strange and disastrous outcomes are predictable when using condimental tobacco as the base. I would invite the reader to think about a hamburger that is an inch thick with 7/8 of those inches being made up by ketchup. The remaining 1/8 inch is a sad assortment of small ground beef crumbles suspended In aforementioned ketchup. Get the idea?

When I first open the pouch, I was a bit surprised at the lack of funky Perique odor. Initial pouch smell gave notes of chocolate and bready, sweet grass. Over time the aroma does take on a predictable funkiness with an aura of BO lurking in the background. There is a mouth filling texture to the smoke, but I found that the flavor profile was fairly poorly defined. I did get some spicy peppery notes, but that was about it. There is just not much nuance present. Much of this experience was dark, muddy, bitter, with a dirty and sometimes charred taste. There were certain times during most bowls that reminded me of cheap cigars. Think Dutch Masters or White Owl on a near fatal stack of anabolic steroids. The guy who is likely to agree that this is similar to escudo would eat the above “burger” and smile.

This one was a little bit different due to the 50% perique. The bag aroma is figs and raisins. The flavor was the same all the way down but the strength of it increased as the bowl progressed. The flavor was pepper with a hint of sweetness. Burned cool and dry. It's an okay blend but not something ill be going back for again.

Update 10/17/2021

Currently having a bowl of Escudo. No way in hell Exclusive is even remotely close to Escudo.

Disclaimer: C&D virginias tend to not agree with me; coming across dry and sharp.

Starts out very flat and dry and uninteresting, like most fresh C&D blends (at least for me). After smoking for a while the perique really kicks in very nicely. A strong spice settles in as the main component. About halfway through the bowl, some sweetness picks up. Wow. This stuff really brings it. Definitely has some nicotine. Not a flavor powerhouse, but it suggests good vaper flavors. I think some time in a jar will probably bring out more flavor.