Cornell & Diehl Bourbon Bleu

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.

Took me some head scratching to review this blend. Tin note is almost identical to king cake but less of the throat scraping sweetness and a little more spice. I've smoked this blend both filtered and unfiltered and concluded that this is a "Thinking tobacco". First third of the bowl it's almost unflavored and tasteless but it gets Fuller throughout the bowl. The flavor is mild, subtle but complex. Not headed in one direction like a VaPer but not obnoxious like a dark fired Kentucky. It's somewhere in between, the condiments seem to take turn, but never overpowering each other. Never any rough edges, tongue bite or aftertaste. While it's an aromatic, besides the subtle "rum candy" flavor no other topping is detected.

Burn quality: burns well when crumbled or sliced off the block, doesn't need much relights especially after drying, but it's smokabe as is.

I've decided to review to cellar series blends from C&D upon purchase (or thereabout) and after the recommended amount of aging to see the changes. I intend to update the review after that period of time has elapsed.

Now:

Bright, citrusy, VaPer smell.

Smoky influence from the Kentucky. Bourbon undertones, feels more like a Rye at times. Minor spice, more of a "kick" than spice. Overall, a "light" VaPer.

You can find my video review o this blend here:

https://youtu.be/3Y7xxjVi_yM

Aged:

Stay tuned.

I got a 1/2oz sample of this from pipes & cigars along with an order...not a blend I would have normally tried, However I enjoyed smoking it immensely .

Having tried various forms of Virginian tobacco in their condiment form Bourbon bleu seems to pick out some of the best aspects of the leaf whilst subduing the unfavourable ones like tongue bite and bitterness, lovely bright hay like flavours with the kick of Perique at the end, came to me almost perfect on the moisture front (was however in a sample bag not tin) and the crumble cake broke down and packed easily, great quality tobacco smoked wonderfully right down to the drottle. A Satisfying smoke unlike base Virginias which I find leave me always wanting something else after could maybe attributed to the dark Kentucky... Would I buy more? Definately

I am surprised to see this blend rated so low. I have been thoroughly enjoying this blend, and smoking it far quicker than I should! My only regret is not aging this any longer. I waited about a year to open this, but it certainly needed more time for the sugars to crystallise.

The tin note is very sweet and inviting, but the smoke is grassy Virginia-forward despite that sweet aroma. The bourbon note is very subtle, but can be detected. This is not a heavily-cased aromatic, as these Cellar Line tins are meant to be aged. The perique is a backnote compliment to the Virginias, and gives a nice spicy accent to the smoke. A big bowl of this gives a nice punch of nicotine, but in a smaller pipe it is less detectable, rounding this out to be around medium in strength.

My final verdict is a 3.5/4, rounding up to a 4. I typically round down, but that just wouldn't feel right here, as this is a great blend. I will jar age this because I expect it to improve further, and will give my final verdict in due time. After all this is C&D's Cellar Line and should that should be taken into account for a rating.