Cornell & Diehl Exclusive

I liked this from the first puff. The Virginia is sweet and grassy. The perique is spicy and adds some plum when sipped. The cavendish gives it a mellow fullness. The description on smokingpipes says 50% perique and I have my doubts. The perique in Elizabethan Match makes my throat raw with consecutive bowls and this does not.

In some ways this is a little like Three Friars kicked up a notch. It was a great medium-full flavor in an easy burning and affordable combo. It is easy to recommend.

I got several samples of C&D tobaccos from Craig Miller. I have avoided C&D blends due to some mediocre reviews in my early smoking days, and because the vast number of their blends would fuel a massive TAD hoarding if I liked them. I think that may be inevitable now.

Approximately 1/3 bright, brown and black tobaccos (each), this blend is touted as being quite heavy in Perique. C&D says it is an Escudo-clone attempt. I don?t agree, because this is less dark, more fragrant. There is a comparable richness and back-of-the-throat sharpness that I enjoy in both, but this is not quite as full-flavored. It packs a good nicotine wallop, though. I think Two Friends Redwood is a closer comparison.

Not much top range, but the Perique tang compensates nicely, keeping this lively. The Virginias shine in the mid-range, sweet, natural and smooth with a texture that I can only compare to a big, oakey California Chardonnay. The Perique is beautifully integrated, adding a rich, tingly/warm note that ?peppery? just doesn?t capture. Overnight DGT boosts the Virginia element wonderfully, while the Perique integrates even further. While not a wildly complex blend (neither is Escudo, to my tastes), Exclusive develops gradually like a good Virginia blend should. Highly recommended.

Addendum: To get the most from the Virginias, this blend should be 'air-smoked', a/k/a with lips not quite sealed to let in a bit of outside air with each puff. There is a touch of ammonia in the room aroma, but it doesn't detract much from the experience. There is also a slight bitterness in the flavor that somehow works. The bass range is mostly Perique. This does tire the tongue due to its strength and sharpness, so it is not an all-day blend.

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 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.

I agree with most of the members here, the tobacco strength is really medium to Strong. If you smokes this in a hot place (Like Brazil) sometimes can not be a good idea because certain you will feel the recoil or a nic hit... The perique smell are fully present in the package like the pipe. For perique lovers, this is a full bowl. And one more time Cornell & Diehl made a very good tobacco. Recommended!

I bought it in bulk, and it arrived fairly quickly. I smoked it as a first bowl of the day the first time. I just wanted to try to it, so I loaded a pipe and left for work. By the time I got there I wished I had filled my pouch for the day.

Nice ribbons with excellent moisture content. Sweet, strong and spicy. Nice grassy, earthy taste. Has some good sweet fruit notes to it if you smoke it slowly. I smoked this with a cup of black rawandan coffee. A bit dominant on the retrohale. Definitely a good amount of perique in this, as well as nic. When I was jarring it, I let my curious 4 yr old smell it, he said it smelled like raisins. Burns very well and doesn’t leave much moisture after. I’ve found works best when packed a bit lightly into the bowl. Definitely good for a wake up smoke, or a goodnight smoke for that matter. I’ve never tried escudo, so I don’t know what to say about that description. It reminds me of old joe krantz without the heady burley, if you’ve tried that blend. Well worth the time to try this, I’m going to be buying more soon.

As an Escudo replacement, I don't see it.

As a VaPer it's a decent blend which seems to be heavier on the perique than some other blends. I'm smoking 5 year old blend from 2017.

The jar note was pretty much barnyard and fermentation after the time in the jar. The moisture content seemed about ideal. Easy to pack and fire up.

To me the perique takes the spicy lead and the remainder of the tobacco stays in the background. In a larger bowl it's an enjoyable if strong smoke with higher than expected nicotine. I'd not recommend smoking on an empty stomach.