Cornell & Diehl: Belmont Station 2oz Pipe Tobacco

The C&D Bulk Blend Library Project

Belmont Station
Smoking Pipes Rating : 2.6

This ribbon cut aromatic is visually pleasing with hues from gold to black , comprised of Virginia, Dark Fired Kentucky, Burley and Black Cavendish.

I smoked two bowls in a new MM Missouri Pride.

This blend stumped me. Upfront I’ll say I didn’t care for it , not because it was bad per se, but because it wasn’t anything.

When I opened the bag and took the library jar, the aromas I noted were sweet potato, black tea and something that reminded me of a Lakeland sauce. Kinda like the ghost of Condor. That got me excited. (Remember , for most of these I have not read the description - that’s important as you will see.)

Bowl one and I was confused. The “Lakeland” scent was yielding nothing but the faintest of faint tastes. It was like smoking hot air. Looking at my notes I didn’t cite anything directly negative or offensive - just that it was “nothing”.

A second bowl did me no better. I tried a slower cadence to no difference. Same when I pushed it a bit. At this point I gave up and red the description- and when I saw “dark fired” and “rum” I was even more confounded.

I’m guessing the rum is where I was getting the Lakeland like note. But I love DFK and damned if I identified it anywhere in this blend.
More of the same feeling that it was nothing , and so as I finished my bowl of hot aromatic air , I read the 13 reviews and was amused. They run all or nothing , with many other saying similarly that the blend doesn’t match the description, it wasn’t what they expected , etc , while others sing its praises.

For me , it’s a “never need this again” blend.

My rating : 1- I never want to have this again.

(This is the 9th of 101 C&D bulk Blends I am reviewing, starting with the lowest rated and working to the best.)...Read More

So far, I hate I bought a two ounce tin and not a one ounce bulk. I had high hopes, sounded good. But for me, just something off with the taste, and smell. I don't think I've had a blend with dark fired Kentucky, so not sure if that's it or not. Not overjoyed with it. I'll give it another shot later...Read More

All I got out of this was the dark Kentucky...it overwhelmed everything else it claimed and the vanilla wasn't present at all. Pretty spicy for an aromatic with Cavendish though the bag note was pleasant. I also thought the strength was a bit more than indicated. I'll pass pass along the remainder of the 2 ounces in bulk I bought....Read More

A satisfying all day smoke. Little bite, and always enjoyable'

I have been a pipe smoker for 50+ years. I have always been an aromatic fan. As such, I’m always looking for flavor without smoking a bowl of fire from the casing. On a whim I ordered a pound of Belmont Station. The nuances of the casing comes thru nicely, but with the addition of burley it has texture. My search is over with Belmont Station. C & D you hit a home run. I rated this a 5 star but only 3 stars showed up....Read More

I smoke a lot of aromatics... Thought this would be nice, but was disappointed. On paper this looks similar to MB Plumcake, but change out the latakia for dark fired. The unpleasant result is a deertongue-like flavor mixed with old laundry and bad cheese. If you like C&D Gentleman Caller with an added limburger topping, give this a try. Everyone else should pass this by...Read More

I like aromatics and enjoy C&D’s Autumn Evening and Nutty Irishman. Read good things about Belmont but found it lacking in flavor. Could not find any vanilla

Picked up a pound of this one during C&D's bulk sale, and the description got me. A bit damp out of the bag, but no stickiness, so I'm guessing more water than PG humectant. The tobacco presents itself in black and gold ribbons interspersed by varying shades of brown. The nose picks up rum for sure, and for some reason, a hint of cherry, but the vanilla is hard to find. Very reminiscent of Daughter's & Ryan's London Dock. Though the moisture is perfect from the bag, I prefer drier tobacco, so 20 minutes on a paper towel before loading. Belmont Station likes a light packing and soft touch with a tamper, but takes fire easily, and burns cool and dry. Though an aromatic, the tobacco isn't totally masked by the Cavendish and other toppings. The vanilla presents itself more in the smoke than in the bag, and a rum sweetness lingers on the tongue. A bit of hay in the nose on the retrohale with a bit of spice in the background that I'm guessing is the Dark Fired Kentucky. A nice slow burn to the bottom of a pre '70s Savinelli 9004, as it's inaugural smoke since restoration, with two relights, and little dottle or moisture. Leaves a great room note, and could easily be an all day smoke. I give this 4 out of 5 stars for what it is, but raise it to 5 as a less expensive alternative to the above mentioned London Dock. Fans of Autumn Evening may enjoy this one, as it is yet another drier aromatic offering from Cornell and Diehl....Read More

Ok & growing on me. I'm a huge aromatic smoker, but this isn't strictly an aromatic. The dark Kentucky adds something interesting, but almost undesirable. Very complex, but I'm not quite sure it's good.