Cornell & Diehl Repose

(2.86)
A different sort of aromatic, not sweet but nutty with a full bottom. Repose adds Turkish with a flash of golden Virginia to a base of cubed burley. This is delicately topped by a master blender's hand with fine rum for a cool, fragrant and winning smoke that won't fatigue or become cloying through the day.

Details

Brand Cornell & Diehl
Series Serenity Series
Blended By William Serad
Manufactured By Cornell & Diehl
Blend Type Aromatic
Contents Burley, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia
Flavoring Rum
Cut Coarse Cut
Packaging 2oz Tin
Country United States
Production Currently available

Profile

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

Average Rating

2.86 / 4
6

9

5

2

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 22 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 19, 2006 Medium Extremely Mild Medium Pleasant
One of the previous reviewers indicated this blend was similar to Pease's Barbary Coast and I concur. This, however, is a more complex blend with a sweet/sour aftertaste that I found to be delightful.

The cubed Burley and dash of Turkish and Virginia leaf combine to offer one whale of a nice smoke. The nicotine level is elevated enough to satisfy those who crave that drug, and the flavor sure doesn't play hide and seek - it's there in droves!

Finally, Repose is easy to load and stays lit with little effort on the smoker's part. I think I'll buy more of this and do a little more reposing.
14 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Sep 01, 2011 Mild to Medium Very Mild Mild to Medium Pleasant
C/D Repose … Judging by the small number of reviews this blend has received, Repose does not seem very popular. To each their own, I found after a bit of drying time, a real worthwhile sipping tobacco.

A blend of Burley/Va, and for me, just the right amount of Turkish, what results in a bite free, smooth and very satisfying smoke. This one is a bit rich (IMO) to be an all day smoke, but several bowls in the evening is sure a treat. Easy to pack, lights without trouble and produces clouds rich tobacco tasting smoke. For my taste, it is blends like this one, that has made my pipe smoking so enjoyable, over the years. My personal rating 4+/5
6 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 25, 2002 Mild to Medium Mild to Medium Mild to Medium Pleasant
In my continuing search for a light, hot weather aromatic, I was again disappointed. This is mix of ribbons and chunks but has the greenest tobacco in a blend that I've recently seen. The pouch aroma did not reveal the 'delicate' rum topping. It's so slight that none was detected in the smoke either. It smoked without bite and reasonably cool. However, I just didn't enjoy the taste which I found harsh and slightly bitter thruout. It was as advertised 'a differnet sort of aromatic'. Although I enjoy the tobacco reviews of Mr. Serad in P&T, his tastes as a blender are apparently quite different from mine.
6 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Sep 05, 2020 Medium Very Mild Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
The cube cut burley provides a lot of nuttiness, earth, wood, some toast, light molasses, and a pinch of spice as the lead component. The floral, herbal, earthy, woody, vegetative, spicy, slightly sweet and rather dry, sour Turkish is an important supporting player. The grassy, tart and tangy citrusy, bready, mildly sugary, floral golden Virginia also has a few touches of honey and spice. It’s just above the condimental level. The rum very mildly tones down the tobaccos, and also tames a few of the rough edges. The strength, nic-hit and taste levels are medium. Won’t bite, and only freight train smokers might get a very small harsh note. Burns cool and clean at a moderate pace with a very consistent, nutty, mildly sweet and ruggedly sour, floral flavor that transfers to the lightly lingering, pleasant after taste. The room note is a notch stronger. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires a tad more than an average number of relights. It’s not quite an all day smoke, but it’s certainly repeatable. Three and a half stars out of four.

-JimInks
5 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 30, 2018 Medium to Strong Mild to Medium Full Tolerable
I finally got around to popping this tin that had been lingering in the cellar for 5 and a half years. This one hit me as kind of a so/so blend. It is a very stout aromatic with a decent amount of C&D Rum Topping. I really don't like C&D's rum topping, so this effected my enjoyment of this blend. I wish they used the rum Topping that Russ Oulette uses as I find that to be more to my personal liking. In any case, the topping is what it is and it also does a good job of hanging in through the end of the bowl, although it never overwhelms the tobacco.

Anyway, on to the merits of the blend. With a good amount of cube cut burley in the blend, it packs, lights and performs like a dream. Nothing really beats a cube cut IMO. It also does not bite. A touch of Turkish (Izmir maybe?) gives this a nice bitter twang. This, and the fact that there is no Black Cavendish, sets this apart from every other rum aromatic out there.

The Virginia is typical C&D, which means its not very sweet and it sort of disappears for the most part as this is a pretty stout offering. There is quite a bit of nutty sweetness coming from the burley and, in my experience, that does not happen with Burley alone, so whatever Virginia is there, must be enough to accomplish this task.

If you like your tobacco on the stout side and you enjoy C&D's rum topping, this blend could be the one for you. As I don't like the topping, I will leave this one at two stars.
Age When Smoked: 5 1/2 yrs
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 27, 2007 Medium Mild to Medium Medium Pleasant
A while ago, a rather clever wag dubbed William Serad's "Serenity Series" the "Thesaurus" Series. Given the range of blends available--or ONCE AVAILABLE--in this range, the synonymous qualities are titular only. Each is different in its own way.

Repose is a most unusual blend; the only thing that compares with it is the REAL London Dock of thirty-five-years-ago or more. The rum is real, the Turkish is excellent, and the Burleys are nutty. If only some Perique had been added, 'twould be a very time machine to an era long-gone. Should one score a tin or two now...do NOT try adding Perique to recapture the soul of London Dock! That doesn't work.

The nose upon opening of the tin will send one into the ethers; the smoke does not quite deliver on the promise--but it is far from disappointing.

The Virginias age well (my tin was sealed in 2002) and would be infinitely more interesting with Perique. The rum holds its own well-enough...but age diminishes Burley. There's no way around it.

Still...if you find a tin of Repose...GRAB IT! Don't lay it aside in hopes that aging will improve the flavor. It will only degrade with time. Smoke it now...and enjoy!
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 16, 2018 Medium Mild Medium Pleasant
Cornell & Diehl - Repose.

As I have Sunday as my aromatic day I selected this. To me it qualifies as a mild aromatic.

Looking at the blend makes me wonder why it's badged as Coarse Cut. It's actually a rather fine ribbon. A mixture of medium and light browns, with a slightly deceiving aroma; it smells stronger of rum than it tastes. Mine felt dry.

The dryness makes ignition simple, but paradoxically causes an issue with the speed; way too fast. Mechanics aside, lets get on to the taste. The tobaccos create quite a rich flavour; the sour Turkish supports the rustic, dry, Burley. Because of the potent nature of these two the small amount of Virginia isn't enough to get recognition; Repose would need a lot more Virginia to be noticed. The rum topping only adds a very mild sweetness, I don't get an acute alcoholic flavour, or rummy piquancy.

Nicotine: medium. Room-note: not bad.

Repose? Would be a smashing blend had it not arrived dry. But considering this it can only have two stars:

Somewhat recommended.
Pipe Used: Neerup Gr 2 Bent Chubby Dublin
PurchasedFrom: Smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: Labelled 4/18/17
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Aug 20, 2004 Mild to Medium Mild Mild to Medium Pleasant
This is an excellent high class blend with certain similarities to Barbary Coast (by G.L. Pease but distributed by Cornell & Diehl) and Pennington Gap--- all of which are in my top ten. Mr. Serad seems to be an exponent of blends based on high quality burley. And now I understand why. This is a blend founded on said high quality mellow burley to which is added naturally sweet Virginia and spicy Turkish and then all brought together with a topping of rum. This blend is quite tasty, semi-sweet, aromatic, cool with a steady burn. It is, to my nose, fragrant in the tin and does have a slight greenish tint to it, but it certainly does not taste green and may be a reaction caused by blending rum with Virginia, Turkish, and burley components. Anyway, the color is meaningless; taste and aroma are all. I give this a grade of "A".
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jun 05, 2003 Mild to Medium Mild to Medium Mild to Medium Pleasant
I will start with what I liked about this tobacco. It had a nice sweet/spicy pouch aroma. Great appearance with the bright Turkish ribbons mixed with the brown cubed Burley. The tobacco itself had a nice full body attributable to the Burley. Definitely not a thin sweet goopy aromatic, but a high-class Burley based blend with added flavor from the rum. The rum also adds a bit of zip to the flavor.

What I did not like is the addition of the Turkish. There is just something about the flavor of Turkish tobacco that puts me off. When I was a die-hard Latakia fan, I had the same aversion to Turkish tobacco (e.g., Dunhill Durbar).

So if you are a Burley fan or otherwise a fan of tobaccos with real tobacco flavor, but not sweet per se, give this a try. If you are not a fan of Turkish tobacco, then you may want to skip this one.
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Oct 25, 2019 Medium Mild to Medium Mild to Medium Pleasant
Burley forward blend with nutty and earthy flavors at the fore front. The Virginia does add some grassy sweetness to the mix while Turkish counterbalances the blend with notes of sourness. While rum is listed as the top note I also detect some fruity notes of citrus, may be the Va. but not as forward as this. Packs, lights and burns like a pipe tobacco should. No harsh or rough spots, no hoop or excessive moisture. Flavor profile is consistent throughout the process and the nicotine hit is ample enough to keep me in the game. Repeatable but mot likely not an all day type blend. Will stock more here on the creek.
2 people found this review helpful.
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