Cornell & Diehl Bourbon Bleu

I received a sample of C&D Bourbon Bleu with a recent order from Smoking Pipes.

I smoked two bowls one evening before looking to see what were the constituent tobaccos. I had no trouble determining that the blend consisted of Virginias, burley and the Perique. I did not taste any bourbon.

BB is a plug tobacco. The moisture content was perfect, making it quite easy to crumble the tobacco for packing. It lit easily and burned consistently, meaning no need for relights. The tobacco burned to a light grey ash.

From the first light until about half way through the smoke, the Perique was dominant with the Virginias and burley peaking through occasionally. During the last half of the smoke, the sweetness and grassiness of the Virginias prevailed and, by the end of the smoke, the nuttiness of the burley was the predominant flavor component. However, the change in taste was modest and I would call this a fairly monotone blend. The description says the burley is dark-fired Kentucky but I did not taste much if any smokiness, so I assume this is a fairly minor component in the blend.

I enjoyed BB but would probably not smoke it again, as the flavor is relatively mild and not especially intriguing. IMO, it would benefit greatly if it contained some Latakia or a larger amount dark-fired Kentucky.

If you're a fan of mild VaBur blends and like a fair amount of Perique in your smoke, you will probably enjoy this tobacco.

Got a free sample of Bourbon Bleu with a tobacco order. I love C&D blends but this was disappointing. C&D makes other quality Va/Pers that puts this one to shame. No bourbon detected and it tasted more like a straight Virginia. Save yourself from a huge letdown and pick up a tin of Kajun Kake or Bayou Morning instead.

I received a sample of this, a little square nugget. I sliced a bit off with a knife and crumbled it up. It breaks up very easily, and burns very evenly. It has a pretty unique taste. The Virginia and perique is balanced well, and there is enough Kentucky to add body without adding harshness or intruding. What is supposed to be a bourbon type flavor, to me at least, ends up producing a grape-soda taste. I hate grape soda, but this type of flavor in the background of the tobaccos is actually a very pleasant change-up. I don't know if I'd ever order this for myself, but I do know I will enjoy all of the sample I received. It is very well done. If my memory is correct, this tobacco reminds me ever-so-slightly of sixpence by G.L. Pease.

Bourbon Bleu is an absolutely wonderful Virginia and Perique blend, with a few other special ingredients that have been added, such as a smattering of Dark Fired Kentucky, and of course the lovely bourbon topping. Popping the lid off of a fresh tin dated 4/15, I am greeted with a wonderfully sweet, yet strong smell of bourbon, 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. The tin note is rather enticing, with aromas of sweet honey and vanilla coming from the bourbon, and I can detect a sweet grassy or hay like note coming from the Virginias. As for the Perique and Dark Fired Kentucky, I have a hard time finding the nuttiness or smokiness usually associated with them, but the bourbon is rather strong, making it difficult to detect much else. The moisture level of this particular tin is much drier than any of the other tobaccos that I have smoked from the cellar series, however, it is still on the damp side, and will require a short drying time before being smoked fresh out of the tin. I imagine that this moisture level is intentional, as the tobaccos in this series are intended to be aged, and at their best in ten to fifteen years. In order to help with the drying process, I took my cake and cut thin strips off of one end and then rubbed this out into a thin ribbon, setting it aside for thirty minutes to dry. After allowing the tobacco to set out for a spell, I packed the pipe easily enough with the thin ribbons, and lit the pipe. The first flavors that I notice are those from the Virginias, the sweet straw like or hay like tastes, but they are followed rather quickly by the sweetness from the bourbon with mild hints of honey and vanilla. The Perique is definitely in the mixture, but it is more in mouth feel than in flavor, at least in my opinion. As for the Dark Fired Kentucky, there does seem to be a slight nuttiness that I am able to detect, but it is rather thin and I only taste this by mid bowl or beyond. As for burn characteristics, I have had to tend this blend quite frequently with relights and I can only assume that this is again due to the moisture content. Maybe, one should let this dry overnight before having it as a morning smoke, if relights and constant tamping bother you. When finished, the tobacco did burn 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 rather sweet, so I take that to mean that it is tolerable. Overall, I have been very satisfied with Bourbon Bleu, and can only imagine what it will become with ten years or more of age. My best guess is that the Virginias will continue to sweeten, becoming more fig like as time goes on which will marry well with the bourbon, which I imagine will mellow out to some degree itself. Hopefully the nuttiness and smokiness that I associate with Dark Fired Kentucky and Perique will deepen and begin to show themselves a bit more, and if the bourbon does mellow out with age, I am sure they will become easier to detect. 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 good Virginia and Perique blend but also likes to spice it up a bit.

Tin date 04-10-15 The tin aroma reminds me of fresh split red oak firewood. Beautiful crumble cakes comprised of mostly medium brown tobacco with some light colored specks pressed in. Moisture content is on par with most offerings from C&D. Rubs out very nice and loads equally well. Initial charring light give off that spicy Perique aroma, only to be followed by the VA. The Kentucky is in there, I can tell by the added strength. The bourbon top note is barely noticeable. I smoke mostly Lat blends in the fall, but if I decide to switch it up, this is a great change of pace. The blend offers quite a bit of depth too! Zero bite, but it can become a bit harsh at the end of the bowl if puffed too hard. If sipped, this is a terrific blend for winding down after dinner. Burned clean and dry to the bottom of the bowl, with nary a relight. Paired well with my evening glass of Grand Marnier.

This blend comes as a nice looking easy to handle crumble cake. The tin has a sweet bourbon and raison smell. For me this blend did not offer a whole lot through the fist half of the bowl. The bourbon flavoring was the dominant flavor accented by some mild earth and hey notes. Thankfully this blsn became more interesting about half way down the bowl. The bourbon taste was still present along with some earth, chocolate, green pepper, and a nice savory herb note. The smoke had a sweet character throughout. Bourbon Bleu did tend to burn hot a wet, leaving moisture in the bowl. It needed a couple of relights. I didnt find the bourbon to be overbearing, but a times a little distracting.

Pleasant bourbon + VA smell out of the tin. Easy crumble and packing, consistent burn. Smoke taste is dominated by hayish VA dominated and with the peppery notes of Per. Bourbon doesn't play much of a fiddle and remains a subtle background note of sourness. Easy to keep lit and the smoke is thick. A little bite on the tongue is present. Nic a bit above average like with most of C&D stuff. I'd not classify it as aro. I can smoke it, but I won't buy it. Needs drying, otherwise you'll get a wettish smoke. Burns hot.

This is a really good smoke. Led by the Bright Virginias and ably backed up by the Reds, it's nicely sweet and tangy with some hay and fruit. The DFK adds a little earth and depth. The Perique adds just a touch of spice and little else. I can just barely detect the topping and can't tell that it's bourbon, it's just a sweet note with some depth to it. All in all, a nice pleasant smoke.

Mild to medium in body and taste. Flavoring is extremely mild. Burns very well.

I’m not sure how long you’re supposed to cellar the Cellar Series but 1 year is not enough by any means. Everything tastes raw. The Perique is far too forward for my taste, although fans of C&D’s strong Perique application probably like it just fine. The Bourbon flavor is too heavily applied. The DFK smells like DFK but it has a flat, cardboard Burley taste - Latakia would have been better. The Virginias are young and rough.

Bourbon Bleu likes to smoke hot, which doesn’t help its flavor any. It also doesn’t want to stay lit, although it’ll behave better if you fully rub it out. This might have something to do with the heavy application of the sauce.

BB comes off like a low-rent version of Sixpence, with lower quality VAs backed by too much Perique and surprisingly flat KY. A definite miss. Smoke Sixpence instead, or Triple Play, and drink your Bourbon on the side.