Cornell & Diehl Black Dawg (tinned blend with a black Lab on the cover art)
This is C&D's description of this old blend - An exceptionally smooth blend of Syrian Latakia, Perique and unsweetened black Cavendish. An all-day smoke. It is no longer available in this form, for there is no more Syrian Latakia available from which to blend it. I have about an ounce of it left, over 10 years old. I have a bowl once in a while. This is an old review, done using the SMOKE review style applied to pipe tobacco. It is sad this is no longer available.
1) Aesthetics: Upon opening the tin and looking at this tobacco, I was surprised to find that it wasn't black as I expected. There are black highlights in this blend, but the preponderance of the blend is made up of dark chocolate leaf with the occasional lighter brown leaf giving a distinctive highlight.
2) Pre-light Construction: I like the way this smells. The poignant sweet smell of Perique predominates the initial nose. There is the hint of smokiness to it, but the Latakia doesn't dominate as it often does in a blend. The moisture content of this blend begs to be packed into a bowl immediately and lit. I had expected this blend to be a bit drier than this as C&D blends tend in that direction, but this isn't. I immediately took out a Savinelli 606KS and packed a bowl - very easily I might add.
3) Post-light Construction/How it smoked: This smoked so nicely, I think I only touched it up once with a match to finish the bowl. I had packed it rather loosely, but it burned very well - nice and cool. This dark tobacco was smoothly reduced to a grey ash.
4) Flavor and strength: Being in Wisconsin, smoked sausage is a popular thing. This blend has me wondering if anybody has ever made smoked raisins. Anyway, as I smoked this bowl, I imagined myself with my favorite black retriever coming to rest his head on my lap. It had been a great day, a good hunt. He was my companion, chasing down the birds I dropped - like an old friend - that is this blend. It is now time to relax after a roast duck dinner (one Bowser retrieved) made with wild rice and raisin stuffing, reclined in the easy chair with a fine cognac in hand. Ah, sit back and enjoy the fine things in life. This blend is strong enough to satisfy, yet incredibly silky smooth. I couldn't believe the raisin taste (smoked raisins kept running through my mind), yet it was wonderfully complex. There was the hint of a wild game dinner in there as well, or was that just my imagination.
5) Aftertaste/Finish: This had a shorter finish, yet the raisin flavor again stuck out in my mind.
6) Aroma: Did I tell you how this reminded me of raisins? It did! The only way to describe it. A piquant sweetness, with slight smoky overtones and raisins.
7) General Comments: To bad this isn't a bulk blend, it would make it an even better value. This will not disappoint.
FOOTNOTE: There is a new incarnation of this blend w/out the Syrian Latakia, the name has changed, but the cover art remains the same. Described as follows:
Sam's Blend. An exceptionally smooth blend of Cyprian Latakia, Perique and unsweetened black Cavendish. An all-day smoke. The dog is named Sam and was 15 years old. He belonged to our daughter and son-in-law, Bob & Pam Hayes whom many of you have met at pipe shows.
I have yet to try this re-blend, but I am curious how it stacks up to the old.
[Reply]