Cornell & Diehl Jolly Old Saint Nicholas 2018

(3.00)
A largesse of St. Nick's personal smoking mixture, this blend features golden Virginias, black cavendish, and a hint of perique, imbued with a generous touch of orange liqueur and hints of ginger, hearkening back to an old legend of Kris Kringle secretly gifting gold to a family in need.
Notes: Cornell & Diehl's Christmas Blend for the year 2018.

Details

Brand Cornell & Diehl
Blended By Jeremy Reeves
Manufactured By Cornell & Diehl
Blend Type Aromatic
Contents Black Cavendish, Perique, Virginia
Flavoring Ginger, Orange
Cut Ribbon
Packaging 2 ounce tin weight
Country United States
Production No longer in production

Profile

Strength
Mild
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Mild to Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Very Pleasant
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Mild
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming

Average Rating

3.00 / 4
6

8

2

2

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 18 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 07, 2018 Mild Medium Mild Very Pleasant
The grassy, citrusy golden Virginias are the lead component. The mildly sugary unsweetened black cavendish is a supporting player. The spicy, plummy, lightly raisiny perique is always noticeable, though it’s never forceful. There’s less of the ginger topping than there is of the orange liqueur, but the ginger is more pronounced during the first few puffs, and mostly retreats in the background. The toppings do sublimate the tobaccos to moderate extent, but they also fade a mite in the last third of the bowl. The strength is a step or two past the mild level, but settles at mild by the half way point. The taste is just shy of the center of mild to medium, and also ends up being mild by the last third of the experience. The nic-hit is mild. Won’t bite or get harsh. Burns cool and clean at a reasonable pace with some inconsistency in the overall flavor. Leaves little moisture in the pipe, and requires an average number of relights. Has a pleasant, short lived after taste and room note. Can easily be an all day smoke. Two and a half stars because the taste changes a little too much as I mentioned earlier. Otherwise, I would give it three stars.

-JimInks
14 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Nov 13, 2018 Very Mild Medium to Strong Mild Very Pleasant
Picked this up a week ago same day it was released. Very aromatic with some gorgeous leaf in there. From bright orange to black. Smells like gran marnier and tobacco. Claims a ginger component but it’s barely detectible. Burns cool with components and topping interplaying. Doubt I would smoke this outside of holiday season but it’s appropriate for now, daughter said it smelled like Santa 2.5*
9 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Nov 29, 2018 Mild Mild to Medium Mild Pleasant
I received this as a gift from my wife for my birthday. The cut is a narrow ribbon with a few pieces of what look like mostly rubbed out pressed black cavendish. The tin note is a mild sweet with a little orange. Moisture level was maybe a little more than I might consider ideal. I smoked it as delivered and was mindful not to overpack.

Smoked, the initial flavor is a ginger and orange. It is mild enough that it falls in the "interesting" camp instead of the "what were they thinking?" Once you start smoking it, the topping dminishes in intensity, and to me it is smoking like a mildVaBur with a few hints of orange and spice from the perique and the topping.

I know it is not supposed to have burley in it, but I think I am getting the burley notes from the cavendish. I "might" be getting a little sweet from the black cavendish, but there is no vanilla in it. I am not getting the musty I get out of many black cavendish blends.

In terms of room note, I told my wife I was smoking it and she said "that's nice" in an unconvincing way. She asked if I liked it. I am claiming the room not does not smell like most things I smoke, and she is worried I won't like the present.

This was good but pretty mild for my preferences. As a mild aromatic, it is very good, and it is a pleasant smoking experience. If you are looking for a mild aromatic, this might be just the thing you are looking for.
Pipe Used: various GBD and Grabow pots
PurchasedFrom: gift
Age When Smoked: fresh from SmokingPipes
8 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 11, 2018 Mild Mild to Medium Mild Very Pleasant
Ho, Ho, Ho, Jolly Old St. Nicholas, just in time for the Holidays, and I like this gussied up VA/Per just fine! In the tin are moist, substantial ribbons and a little flotsam ranging from gold to black, reflecting sweet, flue cured VA and black Cavendish, with just a little Perique. Tin note is slightly earthy yellow cake with muted orange liqueur and allspice (yes, I read that it’s ginger). It’s smoke-able right from the tin, though it lights and burns better if it’s dried a little bit at first. I was surprised on lighting that the ample casing and topping did not subsume the tobaccos. There are some VA spices and nutty tannins (reminiscent of toasted Burley...) that keep pace with the dessert spices all through the smoke, and the VAs also provide enough body that the blend keeps its “shape” very nicely. The scant Perique is plummy and figgy, but just, and it mostly merges with and compliments the toppings. The Cav does what it’s supposed to do, rounding and adding volume to the smoke. There is a trace of vanilla and a dash of nutmeg that reminds me of eggnog! JOSN is consistent top to bottom if the temp is kept in check. Strength is mild. Tastes are a tick or two over mild. Room note is very pleasant. Aftertaste is the best of the smoke, and it makes me want another bowl, toot sweet.

OK, it’s not a knock-out; but it’s a solid choice and worth finding for relaxing during the Holidays, not to mention it’s kind to civilians. And how many aromatics are based on a VA/Per blend? I’m drawing a blank. So, 3.5 stars among aromatics, rounded up to 4 for originality and timely arrival.
Pipe Used: Fair sized VA briars
PurchasedFrom: Liberty Tobacco
Age When Smoked: Brand spanking new
7 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 23, 2018 Mild to Medium Medium Mild to Medium Pleasant
Cornell & Diehl - Jolly Old Saint Nicholas.

Since Christmas blends are the 'go to' for reviews this time of year I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon!

Appearance: it contains a higher proportion of Virginia compared to black Cavendish but the Cavendish has been cut coarser. The Virginias are simple ribbons, but there's a few chunkier pieces of black Cavendish. The tin-note makes certain that this is an orange, ginger, aromatic. My tin's moisture was good.

The orange liqueur and ginger collaborate to form quite a sharp, redolent, zesty, top note. The orange liqueur outweighs the ginger, easily. Especially for the final quarter. Of the tobaccos I get the most flavour from the Virginias, with the black Cavendish taking the role of 2nd place. The Perique sits right in the back row at first, but becomes more noticeable after a third of a bowl; from here on the flavour becomes heavier, and a little richer. It burns well, necessitating only minimal maintenance.

Nicotine: not as mild as many Christmas aromatics. Room-note: nice.

Jolly Old Saint Nicholas? A nice smoke, but not the best Christmas blend I've piped. Ergo, it falls short of four stars and can only have three:

Recommended.
Pipe Used: Butz Choquin Calabash Super Junior
PurchasedFrom: Smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: 10/23/18
5 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Nov 19, 2018 Mild Very Strong Mild Very Pleasant
I started smoking pipes about three months ago and this will be my first review.

Prior to smoking this blend I had a standard soup/sandwich lunch followed by a pint of an excellent Coffee Stout. I was ready for something sweet but did not want to reach for any snacks. Instead I headed to my local shop where I sampled and bought this blend.

The tin I tried had been open for a few days in the sample shelf of my local B&M. Even with a dozen noses a day opening and shutting the tin, the aromas in the tin were still present. The tin gives you the separate scents: Orange, ginger, holiday spices and a bucket full of sweetness. I knew this was exactly what I was in the mood for.

After lighting it and taking my first butane-free puffs, it was like solving a simple riddle. The flavors of orange and ginger were present, and the familiar Christmas baked goods sweetness and spices were accounted for. Nothing else to find. Pretty much exactly what they say is there. After a few puffs, the ginger mellowed out and the Perique worked its way out of the blend. After several more sips, I exhaled a tingly puff of spicy ginger through my nose and was immediately sold on this blend. Be aware that the orange and ginger smoke evenly for about two thirds of the bowl, then the perique takes over and you have to work a little harder to find the sweet flavors.

Good blend if you are in the mood for something sweet. I enjoy a variety of blends from English to aromatics and this has its place in my small collection of blends.

3 stars because I would like for the orange and ginger flavors to continue throughout the entire bowl.
Pipe Used: Peterson Kapp Royal Straight Apple
PurchasedFrom: Local B&M
Age When Smoked: Several Days
5 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 23, 2018 Mild Mild to Medium Mild Pleasant
This is a really pleasant aromatic! The citrusy orange topping mixes perfectly with the bright Virginia’s hay notes. The ginger taste is very subtle but it’s usually present for the first half of the bowl. The perique here gives a bit of spice which mixes with the brown sugar taste from the black cavendish. This is a very smooth, cool-smoking blend with no bite whatsoever. It’s mild in both taste and strength and has a nice room-note. Not many aromatics have this much complexity it’s worth picking up a tin or two!
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 01, 2018 Mild to Medium Mild to Medium Mild to Medium Very Pleasant
Top drawer tobaccos in this blend as usual with C&D. Tin note for me is a well made whiskey sour. Notes of the orange liqueur and ginger come through on the initial light and throughout the smoke. No harsh spots or gunk. Smokes fairly dry and had no bite for this smoker. Has a almost numbing mouth feel due to the liqueur and ginger, Perique adds a bit of fruit as well. Not too sweet, just a pleasant Christmas blend that, in my humble opinion is C&D’s best thus far.
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 01, 2018 Mild to Medium Medium Mild to Medium Pleasant
Caveat, I'm not an aromatic smoker. Dunhill English mixtures are more my speed. With that out of the way, I cracked it open this afternoon... and the tin note put me right back to being 9 years old at the family gathering with marvelous smells coming out of the kitchen - a promise of the feast to come. As the accurate tin description states there's a dose of Orange Liqueur and hints of Ginger in the mixture. I pick up a vanilla and a cranberry in there as well but that could be associative with the memories this evoked. My tin was slightly moist and while it smoked well, it required multiple relights. About a half hour's drying time would be advised. Did not bite or turn harsh through multiple bowls. Smooth, mild and creamy smoke with a marvelous flavor and aroma. Again, this is listed as an aromatic and it should be, but it's a very light aro - not cloying or overpowering at all. I couldn't detect any perique in the smoke, so if it's in there (and I'm sure it is) it's a minor-player. Bright and bronze finely cut Virginia ribbons and some coarser brown and black ribbons of the cavendish. Packs well, lights well and smokes okay right out of the tin...with the aforementioned drying time it should be perfect. This won't be an everyday smoke for me but as a holiday mixture it's a winner.
Pipe Used: Stanwell Nordic, MM Cob
PurchasedFrom: Smoking Pipes
Age When Smoked: Fresh from tin
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 20, 2018 Mild Medium to Strong Medium Very Pleasant
Smells like a Fig Newton.

I am pretty smitten by this blend. We all know that Santa Claus smokes a pipe. I imagine that the smoke that encircles his head (like a wreathe) perhaps smells like this. The taste is not quite as pronounced as the aroma, but it is still quite lovely.
PurchasedFrom: Humidor Fine Cigars
Age When Smoked: Fresh
3 people found this review helpful.
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