Cornell & Diehl Joie de Vivre

Joie De Vivre is an absolutely wonderful English blend. Popping the lid off of a sealed tin dated 3/14, I am greeted with the wonderfully smoky and strong smell of the Latakia, and a nice compact 2 oz cake of tobacco. It is obvious while looking at the cake, that the tobacco is of high quality and due to the presentation, there will be no twiggy or woody bits mixed in the tobacco. I’ve had these tins both fresh and with some age on them and I have to say that as they age they become much darker in appearance, almost jet black, and as they age, they tend to become much smoother. The tin note is rather enticing, with the earthy aromas of a smoky hardwood campfire, that is slightly peaty. As for the Virginia, there is a very faint or subtle sweetness that can be smelled in the tin, but the aroma is hard to detect due to the Latakia. The Orientals and the Perique is much harder for me to detect in the tin note, but again the Latakia is truly the star of the show here. The moisture level of this particular tin is spot on perfect and there was no drying time needed before being able to smoke, however I have gotten some tins that needed to be broken up and set aside for quite some time due to being overly moist. I suspect that the moisture level is intentional as the cellar series of tobaccos are intended to be aged and be at their best in ten to fifteen years. Breaking the tobacco up and rubbing it out was rather easy, but as the cake ages, I have noticed that they will become much firmer and I have had some that I have had to cut like a plug. Once broken up or cut into fine ribbons, the tobacco is easy to pack and readily takes a flame. Upon lighting, the first flavors that I notice come from the Latakia, and there is a rich smokiness and creaminess that it brings to the blend. I have to say that the Latakia is silky smooth in this blend and plays beautifully with the Virginia, Perique, Turkish, and Cavendish. The Virginia provides just a hint of sweetness and works well with the slightly tea like flavors that I get from the Turkish. The Cavendish provides the blend with just a slight nuttiness and smoothness that works well with the creamy Latakia. The Perique definitely lets you know it’s in the mixture with its spicy mouth feel, but I have a hard time detecting the flavors of this tobacco through the Latakia. As for burn characteristics, I did not have to tend this blend at all, and when finished, the tobacco burned down to a fine white powdery ash which made cleaning the pipe rather simple, only requiring that I run a pipe cleaner through the stem and around the inside of the bowl to remove any remaining moisture. As for the room note, those around me made mention that the tobacco smelled much like a hardwood fire, so I take that to mean that it is tolerable. Overall, I have been very satisfied with Joie De Vivre, and it has quickly become my favorite of the cellar series. I can only imagine what it will continue to become with ten years or more of age. With this in mind, I purchased several tins so that I could smoke a tin now, and cellar several, comparing my notes later on down the road. I would recommend this blend to anyone who enjoys a silky smooth creamy Latakia blend.