Cornell & Diehl Yaller Dawg

I managed to score 3 bowls worth of this from a British expatriate friend who has an enviable stash - some 120 tins or so. Even so, he was loathe to give any of this up, as it's long been discontinued due to the fire at C&D's warehouse that destroyed all their Syrian latakia. His take on this was "It's sublime, mate! Works best in a pot shape so I had to con Rad Davis in making me one. I barely have to relight it and I smoke it all day". Okay, off I went.

Syrian latakia in the background with a huge oriental and Virginia scent in the tin. Succulent, with an earthy toastiness in the aroma. In the pipe, this smoked cleanly and with rich flavor, although I would not call it a "full" blend. I think it's more full in the sense that all the constituents brought the best of their various goods to the experience. The Virginias were dark fruit sweet, grassy and tangy and provided a firm grounding for the lightly smoky and wine-like Syrian latakia and the juicy, kind of cheese-like sour and floral orientals to play off. I think Craig Tarler did himself proud with this one, as the spice provided by the condiments melded perfectly with the various Virginias. While I wouldn't call this "sublime, mate!" and I did have to relight it at intervals, it is a blend that I wouldn't mind having a small stash of to smoke on occasion. I've become a bit of a sucker for Syrian latakia blends, and while I found myself wishing there were more of it here, I also couldn't help but think that may have thrown this one's superb balance off kilter. Last night I ended my smoking day with this blend and went to bed satisfied. 3 1/2 stars but not quite 4. Not really an all day smoke but certainly repeatable for the experienced piper. Too bad it's gone, but you may find some somewhere, and it's worth a shot if the price is right.

This is a review of a four year-old tin.

The tin aroma of this short-cut, medium ribbon is dominated by pungent orientals and lightly sweet virginias which are gently backed up by the Syrian content.

The flavor is generally an oriental/virginia dialogue with the syrian leaf staying in the background. The orientals are pungent and the virginias are moderately sweet. The syrian is, of course, delicious.

Though Yaller Dawg is, perhaps, not a "full english" by the yardstick of many, this sophisticated and aromatic blend is, certainly, full of flavor. It seemed to go best in narrow to medium gauge chambers.

This is a quick note on this blend since I have not sat down and fully developed my taste for this. However, this is an english blend on the lighter side of things in the order of Dunhill's Standard Mixture Mild; however, even more mild and not quite as nice smoking qualities. I have a fondness for Syrian Latakia because of it's less harsh qualities from it's Cyprian counterpart. It says the contents has Turkish; however, it must be REAL light. If it wasn't for Dunhill's Standard Mixture Mild, this would be a regular in my rotation.

Another note for everyone, someone had handed me a tin of this as something they were not interested in. It was moldy and I wasn't interested in it at all, in fact I threw it away. I called one day a couple years back and talked with Mrs. Tarler (Patty I think), she offered to replace the tin although I hadden't actually purchased it. I'm so glad she convinced me to give it another wirl.

Yaller Dawg is a very interesting blend. The spicey Syrian Latakia is noticeable in the tin, and so is the Va.

It is a typical C&D, which means it smokes well and is very reliable. My wife made an unsolicited comment of the favorable type on the room mote. She said she smelled something slightly spicy and a good natural smokiness.

If you can find any of this, grab it. The Dawg is a good companion.

This blend seems to spawn a gamut of reactions. I think instead of English - perhaps "Oriental" would have been a better descriptor for would-be buyers. This blend focuses on the tangy and lemon like flavor of quality VA and Turkish. A creamy nuttiness kicks in towards the middle of the bowl. A hint of cigar dominates the last third of the pipe.

It is a light, sour fruit and tangy mix that is leant sweet backbone by the Syrian.

If you are familiar with Samarra, Early Morning Pipe, or Oriental Express - Yaller Dawg is a similar blend. Though I find with age - the quality VA and Syrian combination actually leads to something a little more unique than any of those blends.

I would recommend this for someone wanting a "light balkan" or distinctly Turkish blend. If you are looking for heavy, smokey latakia blends - then there are plenty out there.

One word of caution - this dawg *will* bite if coaxed too harshly even after aging. So pet it gently and it may treat you nicely.