Cornell & Diehl Oak Alley

A friend of mine brought this in to the club as I had only tried this once maybe 4 or 5 years ago. The tin was dated 112320. Apparently, this is one of the cellar series where I guess they taste better with age. Well, sir, I do not have the luxury of time and found this one to be exceptionally full tasting, soft crumble cake with the usual sweet tin note from the Virginias but I also got a lot of worm dirt smell from the Perique. I guess over the past few days I have had around 5-6 bowls of this with maybe one bowl left from my pinoy sample. Full tasting with probably medium nicotine but I have built up a tolerance so others may find this more of a full nicotine blend. In other words, it did not make me dizzy or green. Enjoyed it and always have a blast trying something new.

I’m reviewing a 3 1/2 year tin. It’s a Crumble Cake nicely cut in a block. It has that sweet fig like note that some other C&D offerings have when you open the tin. After busting off a corner of the block, very little prep work remains. It’s almost in perfect condition to load in your pipe straight away. 4 or 5 sec of rubbing out and it’s g2g. Lights extremely easy. The taste off the bat is C&D burley, without a doubt. No surprises there. The first 5 min is all burley goodness, but then the spice kicks up a notch. The taste is right around a medium. Not a powerhouse. I’m 10 min into the bowl before I really detect any real Turkish tobacco notes. The spicy burley and Perique tobacco combine to push this blend into the full flavored category by the end of the bowl. Honestly.. this reminds me a lot of Big and Burley, minus the Latakia.

Moisture level is just nice. It is quite ready to smoke out of the tin. The tin was 2.5 years old. The aroma is not as rich as a virginia flake. The crumble cake is easy to load and lights on easily. It burns faster than a flake but it is still quite slow. Initially you will see mostly the virginia, but after a few minutes the burley backbone will show up. The sweet and sour mix is extremely well balanced. The taste is rich but not overwelming the virginia. It is so good that makes you a bit addicted. The nicotine is not so high, a stop down the medium grade. I was never tired of it. Perique and orientals are there but I cannot say how much they contribute to the overall taste. When the tin is open it is difficult to go for something different. It is easy to keep alight. For me after nearly 50 years smoking the pipe is one of the best ever. It is like a truffle. If you like it you will never get enough. Complex and rich I had some my best smokes ever.

This may be my favorite Cornell & Diehl blend. I would love to know what the leaf percentages are. Unless the Perique and Katerini are doing the heavy lifting, I suspect there is a greater percentage of VA leaf than in many of C&D's Burley-based offerings. It's a sweet and sour offering with some nice fermented fruit notes. Extremely well-balanced. I do not notice any added flavorings, but that doesn't mean there are none. I would consider it medium in flavor, and medium-full in nicotine strength and body. Presentation is a crumble cake, which is exceedingly easy to prepare and smokes very well. All my experiences with this blend have been with younger tins, but I will put a few away to experiment with in the future. This would be a good choice for those who find some of the other C&D Burley-based tobacco, such as Old Joe Krantz or Haunted Bookshop, a bit too rough or plain tasting.

It comes in wedge-formed kake which rubs out easily to slim ribbons. Easy to handle and load and at optimum moisture. The tin smells of fermentation with sour notes like yoghurt. Not very appealing initially, but I guess it will change somewhat with time to breathe. The smoke is quite dry tasting, as a Burley blend is expected to do. It has some body which I believe it is the Virginias that impart it as they do add a background of subtle honeyed sweetness which serves as a nice counterpoint to the dry nuttiness of the Burleys. Perique spicyness is also evident as a black peppery tinge. Now for the Katerini I cannot really tell what it contributes, but the blend overall is quite complex and that is probably due to the Katerini as well. Strength is medium and mouthfeel smooth. As a predominantly Burley blend it leaves a bitter aftertaste which is also to be expected. Overall Oak Alley is an intriguing blend, very well crafted, one that will satisfy the Burley fans out there.

First 15 mins: Mildly earthy, slightly sweet and sour notes are picked on the initial sips and breaths. 5 mins in, this evolves into a sweeter blend on the palate with mild tangyness and light nutty and earthy notes.

Retrohale: Mild to Medium peppery notes with some fruity sweetness. I would conclude that in the first 15 minutes Virginias were in the lead followed by Burley and Orientals & Perique playing a support role

15-30 mins: Virginias are still in the lead giving the sweet fruity and floral notes nicely intertwined with the hazelnut and mild leathery notes from the Burley. There are very little or no tangy or spicy notes suggesting the Orientals and Perique have really been added to support the blend without taking the centre stage at any point. Retrohale: Mild peperriness complemented by sweet nutty notes.

30+ mins: Burley has taken the lead... Creamy, nutty and slightly earthy leathery notes followed by some sweetness and mild sourness from the Virginias on the palate. Orientals and Perique are still in the support role. Retrohale: Mild peperriness complemented by nutty notes.

Overall: interesting blend which burns nice and cool with no harshness or tongue bite even when sipped a bit hard. Reuires only a few relights.Burns into nice white/grey ash and leaves very little to no moisture.

This blend needs to be smoked nice and slow to reveal the full spectrum.

Medium in strength and Taste

My score: 3.5/4

Okay, I'm a Cornell & Diehl “celebrant” (without a medal), but with so many good blends that this brand produces, my “title” has no merit.

Once the best rated review here to date is so good, (I mean Shane Ireland's), that it can be complemented with that of “moniker”, which I also fully subscribe, I am shy about repeating or copying what is in they have been said. I refer to those reviews adding only a few small details to mine.

The truncated pyramid-shaped kake has a certain farmyard aroma, with slightly spicy notes and some vinegar. To crumble it I pinch the tobacco flakes that come with a perfect degree of humidity to load immediately, and this makes it burn without the need for many re-ignitions and without any hint of bite. It can be misleading, because although it may not seem like it in the first few puffs, it is not without robustness. Nicotinic strength and flavor are a couple of steps ahead of average. It has a good range of flavors ranging from sweet and sour to salty, depending on the puff, and it is very tasty without being overwhelming, which is why I smoke it every day. I would highly recommend it to any smoker who enjoys a good blend of Virginia and Burley.

I paraphrase moniker paying homage to this Cornell & Diehl mix in what is my 100th review on this page.

Sweet and spicy and tobacco goodness. C'mon now this is good. It goes through various flavors . Might get a patch of some spicy perique for a few minute followed up with sweetness from the Virginia and then moves onto the burley and everything all together. Enough to keep your interest and doesn't get boring.

Tin note of Rasins, stewed apricots, and sugar. Tobacco cut is Krumble Kake, the chunk of tobacco is marbled light brown, darker browns and black. Tobacco breaks apart easily and rubs out fairly easy, it is also quite moist and may need a little drying. Burns moderate with normal amount of relights. The strength is medium and nic is mild-medium. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium to full and complex, with notes of very grassy, very dry earthy, bitter roasted nuts, raisin bread, peppery retro, sour lemon, mild tangy sweet, mild wood, mild floral, and a mild herbal spice. Virginia is trading the lead with brown burleys and white burley, Katirini is supporting. Perique is bringing up the rear. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is good.