Cornell & Diehl Exclusive

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.