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Thomas R.

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Cornell & Diehl - Granulated Perique 2oz
Pleasantly Surprised
After mixing a little bit this with a few blends to try to spice them up, I wanted to see what it was like straight. I know some folks say this is unsmokable straight and thought to myself, why not try it for yourself? I found my old Dr. Grabo Omega, packed it, and fired it up. I was pleasantly surprised. It is actually pretty good straight. It isn’t nearly as overwhelming as what a lot of people say. It will tickle your nose on the retro hale but it doesn’t burn your nose or overwhelm the senses as some say. My pipe never got hot at all but stayed cool the entire smoke. No bite at all. The aroma from the top of my pipe (giving it a little sniff) was pleasant to me. It has the essence of stewed raisens/dark fruit at some moments. Then at other times, it has a mushroomy flavor, similarly to but a little stronger than Solani Aged Burley Flake. Also, I am not going to say it is like, but it reminded me of sour mash before it is distilled. (Strong fermentation taste and aroma.) That aroma is pleasant, at least to me. I am not sure if you want to pack up a large pot or chimney pipe with this stuff but in a smaller pipe, it is very enjoyable, smokable, a nice change, and not single-dimensional. My advice is don’t listen to the hype and try it for yourself. It will probably make hair grow on your chest (or cause it to fall out) BUT…You might be just as pleasantly surprised as what I was. Get yourself a tin of it when it is on sale, and give it a try.

Cornell & Diehl - Red Virginia Cavendish
Better Than Expected
Last year I tried growing my own tobacco and was looking for some blending components to mix with it. I purchased this as a blending agent and was pleasantly surprised at how good this stuff is on its own. The room note is simply outstanding. It is mild in flavor but still very sweet. I would agree with the others who said, "this could become an all-day smoke". This is really great stuff!!!

G. L. Pease - Piccadilly 2oz
Fantastic
Smoking this a little hot produces a peppery spice, similar to a cigar. However, when you keep it cool, the sweeter notes really come through. To me, I pickup a nutmeg, light cinnamon and cloves taste And aroma. I do think it is a little stronger and flavorful than listed. I love this stuff.

Peterson - Early Morning Pipe 50g
Sourdough Bread
Smoking this blend low and slow produces a sweet sourdough bread flavor and aroma. At times the floral essence comes through greatly and there is a very slight vanilla phosphate taste. There is also a very natural tobacco taste. Burning it hot kills the flavor but smoking this cool produces a fantastic flavor and aroma. (Much more than I expected.) I asked my wife what she thought being in the room with me and she mentioned that is was much milder than most blends I smoke. (Blackpoint is my go to smoke)...This however, is fantastic and will become a regular.

Presbyterian - Presbyterian 50g
Sweet Cocoa
I was able to pick a few tins of this while it was one sale and glad I did. It seems to have more bright leaf than dark as seen in other English blends but WoW, what a fantastic flavor. What I noticed right off the bat was a cocoa taste. If I were told by the blenders that a trace amount of cocoa had been added to this blend, I would believe them. The aroma is very leathery, creamy and sweet. It burns cool and slow. There is a fantastic aftertaste without a strong nicotine hit. After only smoking two bowls of this, I certainly understand why it is so popular. This is a fantastic blend!!!

Cornell & Diehl - After Hours Flake 2oz
Sweet Virginias With Something Extra
Opening a fresh tin of After Hours awakens your senses to a sweet aroma of rum, fruit, and Virginias. Once lighting After Hours, I thought I noticed just a touch of Blockade Runner painted ever so lightly on a canvas of sweet ripe Virginias with just a spritz of something extra added to it. All of the nuances of classic ripe Virginias are in there such as citrus, hay, and light orange, however, the rum highlights the Virginias and by no means over power or over take the Virginia flavors at all. No one flavor seems to overpower any other but several different layers of sweetness can be detected. I know others have mentioned the Carmel flavor, I personally do not taste it however, I wonder if it could be Cuba Libre (Rum & Coke) that is coming through. At one point, I thought I was even noticing a tiny bit of honey essence. With a light French inhale, you can really notice the sweetness of the smoke. Something else that is quick to notice is you don't get thirsty with this blend at all. I really like many of the English blends but they do tend to give me some dry mouth. This blend is the opposite. My mouth remains very moist and the aftertaste is very good. (Not ashy at all but I am left with an after-taste of sweet Virginias). I do think a little drying time could be applied before packing your pipe but I personally don't. I found that just breaking up the flakes works great and will remain lit with just a few re-lights all the way through to the end. (I tried just packing without breaking up the flakes and it was a little harder to get it lit and keep burning). As others have said, the flavors do seem to build as you smoke this. One other note was this blend seems to be on the high-end of a medium nic-hit but on the low end of strong (somewhere close to the middle). I noticed the nicotine about three-quarters of the way through but it wasn't enough to make me stop smoking it. When I ordered this, I also ordered a few other new blends to try, however, I haven't popped the tops on any of them yet because I have been enjoying this one so much. This blend is awesome and I plan on getting more on my next order. If I can keep it long enough, I am sure this will age well also.

Cornell & Diehl - Espresso
Espresso With Sugar
I am not much for aromatics but do enjoy this blend on occasions. I found by adding some Mac Baron Virginia #1 creats some sweetener for my Espresso....Espresso with sugar. ;-)

Mac Baren - Virginia Flake 1.75oz
The Inside Of Snickers Bar
Opening the lid of this blend unleashes the subtle aromas of grass, hay and soft citrus. I honestly I get minimal flavor but the scent this gives off is the soft aroma of the inside of a Snickers Bar. To me, this enough to give it 4 stars. Another positive mark is one flake lasted me for way over an hour. If you smoke it low and slow you will find yourself craving the inner caramel of a Snickers Bar.

Cornell & Diehl - Epiphany 2oz
Sweet, Smooth & Mellow
Whenever I received this blend it seemed kind of bland to me, however with just a short aging it has dramatically improved. The tin note is fruity sweet with just a hint of spice. To me, the flavor comes out as a sweet fruity, nutty, and somewhat peppery taste. Smoking it a little hot will produce more of the peppery spice. Smoking it low and slow will bring out more of the sweetness. I knocked a half a point off because it does seem a little harsh towards the end of the bowl. The room note goes hand and hand with the flavor. Sweet, fruity and mellow. Overall great blend!!!!

Cornell & Diehl - Blockade Runner 2oz
A Blend To Celebrate
I never could figure out why a guy would leave the pleasure of women just to go out to sea to hang out with a bunch of dudes...that is...till I smoked a bowl full of Blockade Runner. Upon breaking the seal of this treasure chest of fine tobacco you notice right off the top, the aroma of the sweet rum. After a carful slicing of these beautiful brownie looking squares the slices rub out out to a fine leaf that packs perfectly every time. Right from the first puff I noticed the very sweet rum flavor and dark fruit. The sweet rum flavors are very consistent from the first light till the dottle. While smoking this fine blend I often times picture myself on the Advance while mopping the deck, turning around only to flip the captain the bird and taking another smoke break. After propping up an umbrella, pouring myself a glass of ice tea and while enjoying the cool sea breezes, I dream of packing another fine bowl of Blockade Runner. After blending Blockade Runner, Black Frigate and Good Morning I picture all of the employees of the Laudisi empire hoisting the tobacco blenders on their shoulders with great cheer - (reminessent of the Movie Christmas Story whenever Ralphie turned in his Christmas Theme and received his A+ + + + + and his peers all lifted Ralphie up on their shoulders in celebration). This blend deserves an A+ + + + and the blenders of these fine tobaccos to be hoisted up in celebration.