Tobacco Talk

Welcome to another episode of Tasting Notes with Shane Ireland. Our friends at HU Tobacco over in Germany have released a handful of new blends, so now I have some more stuff to add to my list to smoke through. I went ahead and jumped one blend in particular to the front of the line that piqued my interest. Today I'm super excited ... Read More

Burley tobacco has been a widely popular leaf varietal since it was first cultivated in 1864 and has been used in pipe, cigarette, and chewing-tobacco blends. When included in pipe blends, the air-cured leaf creates rich, earthy flavors that pair well with virtually any combination of other components. Today, we're going over our top-10 best-selling ... Read More

We recently sat down for a round table discussion about Warped's Saint Espresso, making its return on-site now. We cracked into an old tin from the original release from Shane Ireland's cellar and shared our thoughts on the blend and plenty ... Read More

Welcome to another episode of Tasting Notes. Today I am visiting an old friend: Robert McConnell's Scottish Flake. This is my all-time favorite tobacco, which I have stated publicly many times for many years, and that remains true. ... Read More

Connecticut shade-grown tobacco is one of the most sought-after leaves for cigar wrappers. It's beloved for the complex smoking experience it creates while remaining creamy and mild. The process utilized to create this tobacco leaf is quite ... Read More

As we descend into the cold winter months, when the holidays begin to manifest with plans of visiting family and friends and rushed gift shopping ensues, it can be helpful to slow down and take time for ourselves. Tradition is what binds us together in the next few months, whether it be a Thanksgiving football match in the backyard, decorating the tree ... Read More

Welcome to another episode of Mystery Review, our monthly series in which our panel of experts attempts to identify a mystery tobacco or cigar. For October's edition, Tyler Caldwell joins the panel in his first-ever Mystery Tobacco Review. Our guest Inquisitor this month is Shane Ireland dressed as ... Read More

Welcome to Codger Country, the series where we'll be smoking every Codger blend — commonly found over-the-counter tobacco blends — we can find and ranking them in an effort to find the "definitive" Codger blend. From Carter Hall to Captain Black, we're giving them all a fair shake. Today, we're smoking a Sir Walter Raleigh ... Read More

Every tin that goes out into the world from Cornell & Diehl is backed by the hard-working efforts of the entire team, from blending to production and everything in between. Recently, I had the pleasure of chatting with Jeremy Reeves, Director and Head Blender of C&D, and Bretton "B" Otto, Cornell & Diehl's Industrial Mechanic, about the unsung heroes of the blending house's production process: Antique, custom-made machinery. While C&D has always maintained a hand-blended ... Read More

Recently I had the chance to chat about the new edition of Cornell & Diehl's Small Batch: From Beyond, now available on-site, in a roundtable discussion with Alan Britt, Steve Mawby, and special guest, Jeremy Reeves. We hope you enjoy ... Read More