Cornell & Diehl “Star of the East Flake”
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Kevin Godbee - Mar 8, 2018
- 6 min read
Kyle Weiss
With the weather flip-flopping across the country as it has, I’ve had a hard time finding a comfort-spot with my tobacco. One moment it’s nearly spring, the next moment it’s snowing sideways. Here in Sagebrush Country, it is no different: last month I was in shorts and a t-shirt on my porch, and here I am in March watching bitter Alaskan storms pummel the desert. March is coming in for some of us like a crazed, robotic space lion than a lamb.
A tobacco I’ve found quite a bit of solace and comfort with in the past is one I tried getting others to get into, Cornell and Diehl’s Star of the East Flake. There is another variant that is not in flake form, however, I find the aged/pressed slices to really hit the spot. It is a tobacco I affectionately referred to as a “Penzance killer.” Scoff as some had, Esoterica’s limited production means versus a hyped and hungry pipe tobacco public meant spotty availability of Penzance over the years. Unlike Penzance, which is a decent smoke, Star of the East Flake has quite a few things going for it Penzance doesn’t. I found Penzance to have a chunky, compost-like consistency which broke apart too easily and could cause inconsistent bowl-loading, tins would pop open on their own, the bulk bags would develop holes, and the worst part: it was hard to get.
The tin reads: “STAR of the EAST FLAKE — One half Cyprian Latakia with a generous portion of Izmir and sweetened with stoved red Virginia.”
C&D won me over with this mixture some six years ago when Penzance was the darling child of the (now-waning?) “lat bomb” craze. I like Latakia, Cyprian in particular, especially when the snow is piling up. There’s a way to load-up on the smoky stuff without getting unbalanced, and there’s quite a few blends that achieve this. Penzance is a heavy contender here, as is Star of the East Flake. Many others out there with a Latakia-forward attitude approached their tobacco like hot sauce: the more, the better. If your face wasn’t melting, according to “hotheads” it wasn’t worth it. Well, I like rough stuff as much as the next guy, but there has to be an endgame, that being flavor and personality, or it’s simply brawn without much brain.
I’ve had some experience with this tobacco, but it still impresses me every time I open a tin. The smell is meaty, almost a grilled fatty-beef aroma, with a hint of pepper spice and even a very distant note of plums. The consistency of the flakes is pushing granular, as they are dense but not too tough to break apart. My method is usually to let the tin air out with the lid off for a day; even the dry air of my neck of the woods won’t turn this tobacco into a crunchy mess overnight. I then fill the bowl haphazardly, until the draw is just right.
The first puffs can be hard to get lit, but once it gets going, it stays the course. A lot of the up-front Latakia is noticeable and almost too much, however, the Izmir starts to come into play almost immediately. I’m certain this is where the light spice comes in. A bit dramatic in theme, a hyperbolic comparison might be to say it’s more Serrano chile than Jalapeño, in that I find Serranos to bring a gentle, just-right flavor and spice to something over the more stern Jalapeño, and it isn’t close to Habanero in strength. You know it’s there, but it isn’t going to kill your senses–and no, this isn’t a spicy tobacco. Izmir is probably one of my favorite of the Turkish leafs as it is, for it has a dry quality that cuts down on tobacco that may be too rich, while not getting overwhelmed. It has a light, sweet and toasty flavor, and while I’m not partial to it alone, it as a component has become a favorite of mine when paired with Virginia tobacco.
About one-quarter to midway through any given bowl is where I find another favorite of mine, Red Virginia, brings its signature sweetness, snack-chip body and even floral bouquet to the equation. To be honest, it was either a happy accident or a bold choice so much Cyprian Latakia worked as well as it does when paired with Red Virginia, as it doesn’t often play well or sing loudly enough with such strong players in large amounts. This is where the Izmir plays mediator, and allows the flavors to take turns and cohabitate. More lively debate with timely conclusions than hard-headed arguments for the sake of them. This is a great place to go get the mail, stir the soup, make a phone call or pour a drink. Setting down the pipe a few times and letting it go out for just a moment yields rewards.
The finish of the bowl is where the magic lies if you’re a pipester that enjoys the final hurrahs and dregs as much as I do. Much of the minor flavors of Cyprian are gone at this point, and not surprisingly, the Red Virginia takes a back seat. It’s a show about the Izmir at this point, and the tongue-tingling richness that everything has come to. This is an after-party, where the zing is being remembered, the charisma changed from center-of-attention to drinks-on-the-patio. Once in a while a tamp and relight stokes up a bit of the beginning, and it goes right back to the easy chair.
My criticisms over time with this tobacco have been consistent. The granular nature of Star of the East Flake can cause some “snipers” that plug and cause gurgling at the draft hole on occasion. In good company, this stuff smells strong, and in the more nose-discerning crowd, you might see some wrinkled faces–this not a tobacco for impressing non-smokers, this one is for you, and probably you only. Lastly, aging doesn’t produce awe-inspiring results, although not surprisingly sealed-tin time does tone down some of the Cyprian aspects. I wouldn’t consider it an all-day smoke, but that’s for you to decide.
Considering the pros over the cons here, this tobacco is available, it’s great the day you get it, it’s great years down the road. It happily showcases some unsung heroes in the tobacco world with one half, with the other nodding toward a bolder Latakia experience in a balanced fashion. I think it’s clear I like this mixture, with its lively nature and ease of smoking. It’s great for a winters that won’t quit and brisk, early mornings. Nicotine is moderate but not thunderous, and it really handles things like IPA beers, coffee, non-peaty Scotches and any whiskey with enthusiastic grace. The faint of heart or new guy might like it, or they might not. It’s a 50/50 shot, literally and figuratively.
(It is worth mentioning C&D also makes a Star of the East tobacco that isn’t in flake form. It’s a fair tobacco. Check the label, and do not confuse the two. Much like a well-done steak, clothespin art, skim milk, driving a Prius, bed ruffles, or wine coolers, if that’s your thing, have at it. It doesn’t have the poise, character and wow-factor that won me over like its flakier, darker and livelier sibling.)
Written by Kevin Godbee
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When I first started with the pipe as a quirky and precocious teen, the only tutelage I had at my disposal were scenes from old movies in which a well dressed chap would stick his pipe into a pouch, scoop tobacco into the bowl and press it down unceremoniously with his thumb. Then, with great flourish, he’d strike a match and light the thing with all manner of cinematic excess, puffing up vast clouds of smoke falling just short of completely obscuring his visage. While it may look good on film, it’s a terrible approach to actually enjoying the thing. Somehow, though, this “technique” seems to have survived in the contemporary vernacular, at least to some extent, even with bit-loads of information handily at our fingertips that should dissuade us from the practice. But, at the time, this misguided approach was all I had; it’s no wonder my early days of puffing were fraught with difficult lighting, harsh, bitter smokes and tongue bite, all culminating in a fireproof mass of ye old soggy dottle in the bottom of the bowl. Ultimately, the resulting frustration made me give up the pipe, at least for a while. While the idea of it was still very appealing, the practice of it was not. It wasn’t until a few years later when, still full of curiosity and romantic notions of pipe smoking, I wandered into a real tobacconist’s shop, and learned my “method” was a long way from the techniques that would bring me to any sort of pipe smoking bliss. So, after my poor start, and under the guidance of someone who actually seemed to know how to do it right, I was given the opportunity to approach the process anew, this time with much greater success. 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Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 604. Our featured interview tonight is with Jon David Cole. JD is the Owner/Tobacconist at The Country Squire in Jackson, MS, and he is the former co-host of the podcast, Country Squire Radio, which ended their 10-year run last year. We’ll have JD with the “From the Country Squire” segment talking about all the new things happening at the store and in the business in general. At the top of the show, we’ll continue our audio tour of Brian’s pipe collection.
Before we begin, I should tell you: this tobacco review is being written by an A.I. Not the fancy new GPTs or their ilk; no, this is last century’s meat-and-bone, all-organic model. To be fair, a large part of what we call knowledge is merely the accumulated perceptions and impressions gathered from a life wandered through, synthesized into a spongy mass of what-it-is-that-we-think-that-we-know. The algorithm for this prompt is simple enough: pump thousands of bowls of smoldering plant matter into a gaping maw, cross-reference the chemical sensations with all other matter previously ingested or inhaled, sieve it all through the diffuse and fractal twin lens of memory and emotion, and churn out a panoply of adjectives that attempts to convey the sensations to someone who hasn’t experienced it yet. Odds are that a diligently trained monkey could succeed half the time; if this reviewer nears fifty-one percent then that would qualify as an unrivaled success. There must have been some similar musings perambulating through the mind of Per Jensen when he began his mad scientist routine at Sutliff with the Pipe Force project, which brings us to the current mixture under the microscope—Sutliff’s Pipe Force: Episode I. Here again are the unusual ingredients that engendered the series, with the stoved Rustica being the defining voice in this composition. From the tin: The Latakia-forward English mixture offers plenty of smoky flavor from the fire-cured leaf, which is artfully harmonized with floral, earthy Stoved Rustica. A mixture of high-grade Virginias imparts a natural sweetness. Katerini, the sole Oriental component, offers herb and spice notes bringing complexity and nuance to the flavor profile. It’s certainly Latakia-forward, with the stoved Rustica doubling up on the rhythm section like a second bassist. A first whiff from the tin releases the aromas of shoe leather and hide glue in a base of clay soil with a campfire wafted over it like last night’s beach party. Once it’s been accustomed to oxygen again, subtle hints of sweetness poke through from the Virginias: lemon rind, light milk chocolate, the dregs of a peaty Scotch, and muddled cherry. Old regulars like fresh-sawn oak and tilled earth are there, of course, with distinct notes of truffle, creosote, damp peat, and pine bark mulch. As an aside, I’ve been re-potting my camellias and the similarity of aroma to the ericaceous soil mix is notable; the Katerini really brings the unique depth of its vegetal complexion when supported by the Rustica and afforded more voice in the mix. The smoky Cyprian Latakia, in turn, is backed by equal earthiness from the Rustica, which overall exhibits a profile similar to dark-fired Kentucky; it leans more toward the woody and vegetal end of that spectrum, echoing and amplifying those traits of the other constituents. The tobacco is presented pressed and cut into a couple of thick, hearty flakes in the tin, lightly moist and easily crumbled to prepare—I prefer mine with a bit of drying time. The out-of-this-world tin art for this episode in the series is Major O’Meara smoking a cavalier. In the absence of confirmation, I’m going to hazard a guess he’s of the Ithklur species. The first taste from the light is sweet, with hints of that milk chocolate dancing around the edges. The Virginia leads the smoke through the top of the bowl, and orchestrates it well. Thoroughly smoky with lemony, grassy highlights from the Virginia spectrum, it soon segues into the mid-bowl profile: heartier, smokier, with the flavor leaning to the mildly acrid and tangy tinge that is the campfire-esque signature of English blends. Caution advised, it can turn overly bitter if pushed—this is where one’s sipping technique is required to maintain the fullness of flavor through to the heel. I did tend toward a lot of relights, though it may have as much to do with technique as with the blend. Pacing is also important as the nicotine starts to manifest; though the Rustica’s contribution has been tempered well by the stoving, it can certainly upend an empty stomach. At the end of every bowl, the mouthfeel somehow gets better. The balance of sugars in the tobaccos would seem to be spot-on in this regard. I started out my tasting in cobs, then cut short an unpleasant bowl in a meer, and finally landed on my best instrument with the lovely Dunhill 4427 pictured, a quaint group 4 shell briar with a gentle curve and Cumberland stem supporting a perfectly executed acorn bowl. It surprised me here, as I’ve learned through the years that I generally have the best experience with English blends in large, wide bowls. With this blend it seems that to get the best out of the Katerini’s somewhat diaphanous influence the smaller bowl fared much better. Room note is very English, so the company you keep will either love it or hate it, and it doesn’t linger too much. I find it paired best with a strong coffee; Sumatran beans complement the flavors well, as do Ethiopian if a lighter brew is preferred. Overall impressions of the blend are that it’s a curiously interesting take on the English genre, almost a reductive reconstruction of the theme using the unique components. This blend, if nothing else, expanded my vocabulary of sense perceptions with the uniquely treated leaf. While the average human can distinguish approximately one trillion (1,000,000,000,000!) different aromas, multiplied by seven basic tastes, and wholly dependent on variables from body chemistry to atmospheric conditions, our overworked and underpaid simian brains can’t effectively catalog them all. Our pet adding machines are exceedingly good at this, however, and someday soon they’ll be the ultimate and unequivocal authority on what something tastes, smells, looks, or even feels like. Until that time, friends, revel in the moments that can be stolen to savor over a bowl of Pipe Force: Episode I.
Thanks for the review! I now know what to avoid — which is every bit as important as finding that unicorn blend. 🙂
I love this tobacco! Probably it’s my favourite one, together with Dunhill 965!! Thanks for the great review!
You’re both quite welcome! Enjoy!