Cornell & Diehl Steamworks Pipe Tobacco

Cornell and Diehl Steamworks Pipe Tobacco

Cornell and Diehl Steamworks is a Small Batch Virginia, Oriental, and Perique flake designed by head blender Jeremy Reeves around two distinct steaming processes that unlock and layer the deep natural sweetness of flue-cured leaf. Built on six top-tier Old Belt Red Virginia grades ranging from deep mahogany to bright lemon and orange, enriched with genuine St. James Perique from 31 Farms and rare heirloom Orientals, including 2005 Black Sea Sokhoum, 2005 Izmir, and 2006 Katerini, Steamworks is unlike anything else in the Cornell and Diehl portfolio. The result is an exceptionally slow burning flake with buttery richness, floral citrus intrigue, measured spice, and a complexity that rewards attention at every stage of the bowl.

• Six unique Old Belt Red Virginia grades form the foundation, ranging from deep mahogany to bright lemon and orange leaf, presented in unsteamed, partially steamed, and fully blackened formats for maximum flavor depth.
• Genuine St. James Perique sourced from 31 Farms adds measured spice, figgy richness, and peppery depth that weaves through the Virginia sweetness without dominating.
• Rare heirloom Oriental tobaccos, including 2005 Black Sea Sokhoum, 2005 Izmir, and 2006 Katerini, contribute exotic floral, citrus, tangy, and herbal character that sets this blend apart from standard VaPer flakes.
• Two separate steaming processes soften and meld the tobaccos, enhancing the Virginias’ inherent sweetness and creating a unified, silky smoking experience with seamless flavor transitions.
• Pressed flake cut that can be rubbed out for easier packing or folded and stuffed for a slower, more concentrated smoke.
• Small Batch production in limited quantities, handcrafted at the Cornell and Diehl facility in Morganton, North Carolina.
• Medium strength with medium nicotine, accessible for intermediate smokers while providing the detail and sophistication that experienced pipe enthusiasts seek.

Cornell and Diehl and the Small Batch series

Cornell and Diehl was founded by Bob Cornell and Craig Tarler and is now based in Morganton, North Carolina, where the company produces one of the largest and most diverse pipe tobacco catalogs in the world. Head blender Jeremy Reeves has expanded the portfolio from roughly 220 blends to nearly 400 since taking over blending duties, working closely with farmers and tobacco merchants around the globe to personally source each unique varietal and grade that appears in the lineup.

The Small Batch series sits at the top of the Cornell and Diehl hierarchy. These mixtures highlight the finest components attainable by Jeremy Reeves, who scours the world and maintains relationships with growers and merchants to secure tobaccos that would not be available in sufficient quantity for regular production. Each Small Batch release is produced in limited runs and features rare, vintage, or otherwise exceptional leaf that showcases what the blender can achieve when supply constraints are removed from the creative equation. Steamworks is a signature expression of this philosophy, combining six distinct Virginia grades with vintage Orientals that are nearly two decades old and pure St. James Perique in a format that could not exist at commercial scale.

The double steaming process

The defining technical innovation in Steamworks is its use of two separate steaming processes applied to the Virginia component. Steaming flue cured tobacco accomplishes several things simultaneously: it softens the leaf, breaks down certain compounds that can cause harshness, and unlocks deeper layers of natural sugar that remain dormant in unsteamed leaf. By applying two distinct steaming treatments at different stages, Jeremy Reeves creates three versions of the same Virginia grades within a single blend: unsteamed leaf that retains its bright, raw, citrusy character, partially steamed leaf that has deepened into richer, more caramelized territory, and fully blackened leaf that brings dark, intense sweetness with a stoved quality.

The three Virginia treatments are then pressed together with the Perique and Orientals into a flake, where the steamed and unsteamed tobaccos continue to interact and integrate during the pressing period. The result is a flake that delivers sweetness on multiple levels, from bright and immediate to deep and complex, creating a layered experience that standard single process Virginia flakes cannot replicate. The steaming also contributes to the exceptionally slow burn rate that reviewers consistently note, as the softened, melded tobaccos combust more evenly and resist overheating.

The tobacco components

The six Old Belt Red Virginia grades are the engine of the blend. Old Belt Virginias are grown in North Carolina and Virginia’s traditional tobacco belt and are prized for their deep natural sweetness, rich body, and complex flavor that ranges from bright citrus and hay in lighter grades to dark caramel and baked bread in heavier ones. By using six distinct grades spanning the full color spectrum from lemon and orange to mahogany, Steamworks captures the complete arc of what Old Belt Virginia can express.

The Perique comes from 31 Farms in St. James Parish, Louisiana, the heartland of genuine Perique production. St. James Perique is a pressure fermented tobacco with no equivalent anywhere in the world. It adds fig, dark fruit, plum, and a distinctive peppery spice that cuts through Virginia sweetness and prevents the blend from reading as one dimensionally sweet. In Steamworks, the Perique is used in measured proportion, enough to assert itself without overwhelming the Virginias or the Orientals.

The Oriental component is where Steamworks enters truly rare territory. The 2005 Black Sea Sokhoum, 2005 Izmir, and 2006 Katerini are heirloom grade tobaccos that have been aging for nearly two decades. Sokhoum from the Black Sea coast of Georgia brings a distinctive tangy, slightly sour quality with floral overtones. Izmir from Turkey’s Aegean coast contributes bright, citrusy, herbaceous aromatics. Katerini from northern Greece adds a spicy, resinous, incense like quality. Together, these three Orientals create a flavor dimension that standard modern Orientals simply cannot match, and their age has smoothed away any raw edges while deepening the floral and herbal complexity.

Smoking experience

The tin aroma is immediately complex: dark stewed fruit, tangy citrus, a grassy Virginia brightness, and a faint peppery Perique note sitting underneath. The flakes are well pressed, dark in color with visible lighter streaks from the unsteamed Virginia, and they rub out easily or can be folded and stuffed whole for a slower experience.

Once lit, the opening puffs deliver a buttery richness and cedar quality alongside the bright Virginia sweetness. The steamed Virginias assert themselves early with a deep, caramelized sweetness that reads almost like brown sugar, while the unsteamed leaf adds citrus and hay for contrast. The Perique appears as a warm pepper on the retrohale and a figgy undertone in the main smoke stream. Early in the bowl, the blend is mellow with a bigger mouth feel than expected, wood driven, and earthy with a floral quality floating above the heavier base notes.

Through the middle of the bowl, the Orientals come forward and the blend widens. Tangy, slightly sour notes from the Sokhoum interplay with the Izmir’s herbal brightness and the Katerini’s spicy, resinous character. The overall effect is a floral, citrus, herbal layer that weaves through the continuing Virginia sweetness and Perique spice. Creaminess deepens, the burn stays cool and remarkably slow, and individual spicy notes occasionally step to the forefront before receding back into the ensemble. No harshness or tongue bite appears even at a faster cadence, though Steamworks rewards a slow, deliberate pace.

The final portion deepens the woody, peppery, and earthy elements while maintaining the sweet and sour interplay that defines the blend’s personality. A pleasant sweet and sour aftertaste lingers after each puff, and the nicotine builds to a medium level that experienced smokers will find satisfying without being overwhelming. The flake burns slowly into a fine gray ash, leaving minimal moisture in the pipe even when packed on the drier side.

Summary

• Box Count: 2oz tin
• Region: Old Belt Virginia, St. James Parish Louisiana (Perique), Black Sea (Sokhoum), Turkey (Izmir), Greece (Katerini)
• Strength: Medium (3/5)
• Binder:
• Wrapper:
• Filler:

What is Cornell and Diehl Steamworks?

Steamworks is a Small Batch Virginia, Oriental, and Perique flake designed by head blender Jeremy Reeves, featuring six grades of Old Belt Red Virginia enhanced by two distinct steaming processes, genuine St. James Perique from 31 Farms, and rare heirloom Orientals including 2005 Black Sea Sokhoum, 2005 Izmir, and 2006 Katerini.

What does the double steaming process do?

Two separate steaming treatments create three versions of the Virginia within the blend: unsteamed for bright citrus character, partially steamed for deeper caramel sweetness, and fully blackened for dark, intense, stoved richness. This layering produces a complexity that single process Virginia flakes cannot replicate.

What are the main flavor notes?

Buttery richness, cedar, brown sugar, citrus, hay, fig, dark fruit, pepper, floral, herbal, and tangy Oriental character. The blend delivers a sweet and sour interplay that defines its personality throughout the bowl.

How strong is Steamworks?

Medium strength at 3 out of 5, with medium nicotine that builds gradually. Accessible for intermediate smokers while providing the depth and sophistication that experienced pipe enthusiasts seek.

What makes the Orientals in Steamworks special?

The 2005 Black Sea Sokhoum, 2005 Izmir, and 2006 Katerini are heirloom grade vintage Orientals aged nearly two decades, providing tangy, floral, citrus, herbal, and resinous qualities that modern production Orientals cannot match.

Is Steamworks available year round?

No. Steamworks is produced as a Small Batch blend in limited quantities. Once a production run sells through, availability depends on whether Cornell and Diehl releases another batch, making each tin a collectible find.

How should I prepare the flake for smoking?

Rub out the flakes for easier packing and a more immediately accessible flavor, or fold and stuff whole flakes for a slower, more concentrated, and more intense smoking experience. Both methods work well with Steamworks.

Who is Jeremy Reeves?

Jeremy Reeves is the head blender at Cornell and Diehl in Morganton, North Carolina. He has expanded the company’s portfolio from roughly 220 blends to nearly 400, personally sourcing tobaccos from farmers and merchants around the globe to create both the core catalog and the limited Small Batch series.