Cornell & Diehl Orient Express

This is going to be a tough review. I have smoked 1.5 tins of this blend. I have several more and don't really know what to do with them. Latakia and Burley are not aging tobacco's. Orientals are and I frankly, I have no idea what Perique does with age without Virginia tobacco to compliment it. Is this a cellar item or is this a smoke and re-supply item? I know not. By way of disclaimer, I am a fan or Oriental blends. I find Skiff Mixture, McClelland's Smyrna No 1 and Arcadia, as well as a few of Peretti's Oriental blends to be the lead in this genre. The thin is, they all have a Virginia base. I am also not the biggest fan of Burley. Now I like quite a few Burley blends, but I am very particular here. Burley can be harsh, over flavored or sour/bitter when not dealt with by an expert blender. All that said, a Balkan with no Virginia? An Oriental with out that same base? Burley as the base? I was a bit scared. I was further worried by the description of 1/2 of this and 1/2 of that in a new tin with a new name...come on man (in my best Joe Biden)! Okay, time for the review... The tin note is all Latakia, not surprising if Pirate Kake is part of the blend. Even if the tin sat next to Pirate Kake that is what I would expect. Monosmellmatic. Now the flavor. This is a fine blend. C&D is to tobacco what James Beard is to food, they are alchemists with tobacco leaves. I am not getting into the "let's classify this blend" psychobabble. This is a review based on what it is, not where I think it fits. If tobacco could be dry like wine, this would be the descriptor I would use. The smoke has a dry characteristic, it starts on the creamy Latakia forward side but by mid bowl it becomes woody, nutty and peppery. I can easily detect the Latakia and Turkish/Orientals but the Perique and Burley are hard to pin down. I think the nuttiness is from the Burley and the white pepper is from the Perique. This tobacco can be sipped or freight trained and it doesn't seem to change the flavor. There is almost no sweetness other than a hint from the Latakia. I like this blend. I find it eternally intriguing, but not something that rises to a "must have", it is the uniqueness that keeps me coming back. I love Odessa, and I like Pirate Kake. I would call this an A.M. English, like a post lunch smoke. It doesn't have the richness of an after dinner tobacco, but is easy going and fills the Lat carve I get when the weather turns colder. I find this best in a Briar or Morta, Morta taking the lead. It smokes a bit harsh in a clay or a cob and I never put it in a meer. C&D made a very nice blend in the way hunters make a good stew out of meat they wouldn't eat on a grill with salt and pepper. I have no idea how they throgh these leaves together and came up with something that approaches a Balkan, but they did. Only a true expert can do this. Well done C&D!

This has a great buttery Provolone Cheese Oriental flavor with a smoky bacon Latakia background. This is easy to pack,easy to light, and burns at a slow sip. Strength builds as you get to the last 1/3 of the bowl. I noticed a few small problems: The pipe goes out rather easily for no apparent reason. It's easy to relight, but near the last 1/3 of the bowl, the dottle is rather damp and you draw out the Burley and loose the Orientals (Perique never plays). I found this strange since the tobacco appeared fairly dry. I think this would benefit from 5 second in a microwave. In addition, this tobacco could use 9-12 months of aging as it is a little too spicy new. That said, I really think this is a "keeper" with wonderful complex flavor, and ample "N" . I'll figure out the moisture problem and at bulk prices, I can't think of a better deal. I agree with reviewer, "The Keeper", below , similar to EMP but more Latakia and more "buttery". I also find this very similar in taste ( same Orientals) to H&H "Larry's Blend" , but smoother. I believe it also is slightly more flavorfull than Larry's blend.

updated 11/17/2013 -The bowl I'm smoking has about a years age on it. The flavor is excellent and the Burley just provides a nice base note. However, the spice does build and is a little more than I like, so I'm reducing my rating to 3 stars.

I'm not sure what prompted me to try this over the two "parent blends". Perhaps the name? That could be it. The vast combination of components (just about every major tobacco group you can think of) meld fairly well. Each one comes to the front at some point during the smoke. The nutty burly and the sweet and sour orientals are most predominant. The perique does creep across the tongue but never seems to gnaw. Despite complexity, it can be enjoyed without hard concentration.

There is some similarity to Samarra, Early Morning Pipe, and other "oriental" heavy blends. This one is a bit thicker and nuttier. The end of the bowl rewards the smoker with an almost sweet cigar note and flavor.

This is a good blend of high quality parts, my verdict is still out as to whether or not it will be a keeper. I'm not sure if it strikes me strongly enough with any one aspect to keep me coming back for more. I've got a nice sized jar aging and perhaps that will tell the tale.

Fresh tobaco has pleasant aroma of light english blend. I had not noticed nutiness, but slight of cream. That creamy taste remains with me also during smoking. I do believe it is come from tobacco, not toping.

Tomacco did not need relights. Moisture was accueate, maybe a bit drier from optimum.