Cornell & Diehl Interlude

(3.00)
Deep red Virginia kissed with a touch of honey to develop the natural sweetness of the leaf then sliced into flakes.

Details

Brand Cornell & Diehl
Series Simply Elegant Series
Blended By Craig Tarler
Manufactured By Cornell & Diehl
Blend Type Straight Virginia
Contents Virginia
Flavoring Honey
Cut Flake
Packaging 2 ounce tin
Country United States
Production Currently available

Profile

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

Average Rating

3.00 / 4
10

10

8

1

Reviews

Please login to post a review.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 29 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Aug 14, 2009 Mild to Medium Very Mild Mild Very Pleasant
Upon popping the tin I detected as wonderful an odor as has ever been released to mankind. The smell promised a depth of flavor and strength. Strangely, I got neither once loaded and lit.

Interlude is a mildly sweet tasting broken Virginia Flake that needs about an hour of drying before smoking. Otherwise, the flakes are just a bit too wet (for me, anyway).

I tried to beef up the blend by adding a little Five Brothers but that combination was not complimentary.

I think those who enjoy mild and sweet Virginia tobacco with an ever so slight kick will appreciate Interlude.
13 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 28, 2015 Medium to Strong Very Mild Medium to Full Pleasant to Tolerable
Just finished up a tin of this in the last week and really enjoyed it. It is the second blend I have had and enjoyed from the Simply elegant Series, the other being Sunday Picnic. I can only assume that the purpose of this series is to highlight the Virginias, something not so common amongst the C&D blends where Burley is usually the highlight whether by design or not.

I have even heard remarks that C & D's Virginias even taste like burley. There is no doubt that this is a straight Virginia blend and it is a nice hearty Virginia in the thick flake that C & D does. It has all the hay like sweetness, (albeit a little mild) and some earthiness you would want from a Virginia.

The honey topping is a nice addition to the leaf adding sweetness to the mildly sweet Virginia. The topping is also very light on this. It is just a condiment, the Virginia remains the star. It is not PS LTF and someone purchasing this hoping for something similar to that will be let down.

One thing that it does have in common with other C & D blends is that it does have a substantial amount of backbone to it. It is far from mild on the nicotine content and their is also plenty of body to the smoke. One should not be expecting a lightweight aromatic when purchasing a tin of this.

I will be ordering some more of this for the cellar as I am curious what some age will do to this one.
11 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Oct 14, 2017 Mild Very Mild Mild to Medium Very Pleasant
Cornell & Diehl - Interlude.

The blend has a slightly deceiving look. When the lid's removed the appearance is that of a flake, but when I attempted to remove one it began to break at the gentlest touch; a broken flake in disguise! The amount of moisture to Interlude is good, and the flakes/broken flakes fill with ease.

The honey works well with the red Virginia's own sweetness, being as there's only a tiny amount of honey it doesn't seem sickly, or sticky. The natural flavour from the Va takes control here: sweet at first, but developing a grainy/wheaty quality over the duration. The burn from Interlude is without fault, as is the temperature.

Nicotine: mild. Room-note: lovely.

Cornell & Diel Interlude? A smashing blend that warrants four stars:

Highly recommended.
Pipe Used: Peterson 150th Anniversary Founders Edition
PurchasedFrom: Smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: Three months
10 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Nov 13, 2014 Mild Mild Mild to Medium Pleasant
The red Virginia is mildly tangy dark fruit sweet with a little earth and wood, and lacks the depth that other red Virginia blends by this company have. I occasionally get a dried fruit note, too. The honey topping mildly sublimates the natural sweetness of the red Virginia. May need a little dry time, but don't dry it out completely, or you'll risk losing some flavor. It does seem to lose some of the sweetness near the finish, but it's not overly sweet in the first place. The strength and nic-hit levels are mild. The taste is a couple of steps past that mark. Burns cool, clean and slow with a mostly consistent flavor. It needs a few relights, and often leaves just a little dottle at the bottom. There's no chance of bite, but I recommend smoking it at a moderate pace because you can lose a little sweetness when it's pushed, though it never gets harsh or hot. Has a short lived, pleasant after taste. Its mildness and lack of any complexity makes it a work and play all day experience while you do whatever comes to mind during your smoking day. Deserves two and a half stars.

-JimInks
9 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
May 25, 2015 Mild to Medium Very Mild Mild to Medium Pleasant
Although I prefer McClelland red Virginia's to most other companies, C&D really outdid themselves with Interlude. The light honey topping enhances the sweetness and adds a lovely toastyness that would be missed if removed.The room note was pleasing I am told so that's a plus, the taste is what you would expect from a light to medium strength red Virginia flake, notes of oats and honey, the sweetness increases as you get down the bowl. I really enjoyed my tin and even though it was not a 4 star blend for me I can see how this would be someone's favorite, a solid three stars!
7 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
May 24, 2015 Medium to Strong Very Mild Medium Pleasant
The slices of this mottled, auburn broken flake are simply beautiful to look at and effuse a delicous, appetizing, and sweet scent that doesn't seem artificial at all. You can easily identify the grassy, haylike Virginia notes with just a hint of honey in the background. In a fresh tin the tobacco seems to be a somewhat on the moist side, so a little drying time does it some good.

I fill my pipe by making small balls from the pieces of broken flake that I stuff lightly into the bowl. Lighting is uncomplicated: after the charring light I level out the ashes before applying the true light.

The taste is also mostly that of a straight Virginia blend with the honey casing or top flavoring just dicernable in the aftertaste. There's a distinct tangy sweetness that seems to me to come mainly from the natural characteristics of the tobacco. The aroma is that of freshly cut hay and dried wild flowers with just a hint of honeydew. Enjoyed with care, it burns down evenly and slowly, leaving some dry, greying ash, all this time being mild on your tongue. If you draw too too eagerly on your pipe, however, it'll loose some of its taste and might even bite.

The room note is sweet and pleasant.
Pipe Used: Savinelli Siena 320
PurchasedFrom: www.smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: Fresh
7 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Sep 02, 2014 Mild Extremely Mild Very Mild Pleasant
Interlude is a good name for this blend. I enjoy smoking it in the afternoon while reading a good book. I can load up the Peterson 302, light it, and enjoy several hours of bliss. A cup of French roast coffee, made in a French press coffee pot, goes with the smoke perfectly. Occasional sips of coffee cleanse the pallette so the hint of Virginia sweetness can keep presenting itself as I puff through the bowl.

I love this flake because it doesn't distract me from whatever I am focusing on. There are times when I want a tobacco to keep my nicotine level comfortable without barging in on my consciousness. This flake is perfect for that situation. I have about ten C&D tobaccos with Latekia, and they are all wonderful for late evening or after a big dinner. But they keep my focus on a cavalcade of flavors and scents, and really deserve full attention.

My tin arrived with acceptable moisture levels, but the flakes were not intact. Since I like to fold flakes I would prefer them to arrive intact. It isn't a crippling defect, but it would be nice to be able to fold the flakes.

There's not much bite in my Peterson 302 and 303. In my big CAO meer I have to go slow or the Virginia bite becomes a problem.

Casing is normally a reason, for me, to completely avoid a blend, but the honey is not noticeable, and might make it burn better than without it. There's nothing gooey, it burns clean, and there is no cloying like you get with many cased flakes.

I will certainly keep a tin for my literary afternoons.
Pipe Used: Peterson 302 and 303
Age When Smoked: Fresh
5 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Oct 05, 2009 Mild Very Mild Medium Pleasant
Tin Date: 12-09-08

This Red Virginia has a wonderful tobacco flavor. The touch of honey does bring out the sweetness of this Deep Red Virginia. I really like the flavor as I have all C&D Flakes that I have tried.

The tobacco was quite moist in the tin and a half hour of "open air" for the tobacco headed for my bowl helped. A few re-lights were required due to the moisture level. More drying is required before smoking. I have never smoked a Flake I didn't like. My favorite has been Orlick Golden Slices. Orlick has an excellent presentation of constituted Flakes within their tins. All the C&D Flakes I have smoked have four-star flavor. But,I am very disappointed in presentation. When I invest in a Flake tobacco, I expect to find constituted Flakes in the tin, not a mess of broken up Flakes! I have invested a considerable amount of money in C&D Flakes. The exception has been to find constituted Flakes within the tin. It's usually just a mess of over-moist broken-up Flakes.

I will not buy any more C&D Flake tobacco until such time as I am completely convinced I will find Flakes in the tin. There is obviously a problem here. I think the Flakes are just too thick and too wet to hold together. Also, putting rectangular Flakes into a round tin probably presents a problem. With Orlick, the rectangular slices are tightly packed into a rectangular tin. Now, that works!

Make no mistake about it, I love the four-star flavor of C&D Flake tobacco. However, there are many other excellent Flakes out there to smoke. So, I'll give the flavor four-stars and the presentation, one-star. You decide.
5 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
May 09, 2020 Medium None Detected Medium Tolerable to Strong
My tin is dated 1/17/2020, and I wanted to open and try it right away to see what it's like at a relatively young age. I know C&D Virginias are good with age, and everyone is critical of their Virginias for being green.

The presentation is nice and rustic, packed to the brim with nice brown flakes. The flakes fall apart and you can crumble them easily. They're easy to work with. They're slicing them thinner than they used to, say, two years ago. Smells tangy, and reminded me of Sansepolcro, astringent, but nice.

The smoke starts off with light tang, bitter flavors, like citrus rind, some bread sweetness, earth-like soil, woody, creamy earthiness, nic picks up mid-bowl, and earth and spice pick up.

Slightly smokey, like wood smoke and tang (barbecue maybe), some saltiness, a red dried fruit note, or overripe strawberry, but it's just a hint of it. The development subtle, with some malty and some cereal notes, hint of nuttiness comes up at the end, and some vanilla.

Nicotine is noticeable but never overwhelmed. Strength is maybe medium, and the same for the taste. Combustion is good if you give a little air time and pack it on the lighter side. Packed too tightly and you get a hotter bowl and more bitter flavors. I love the aroma of this stuff. It's like a sweet woody smell. Not really like the baked good Virginia smell from bright Virginia.

This is a unique iteration of straight-Virginia. It's not a fruit bomb. It's got range and complexity. It's more earthy, spicy, tangy, malty, and dusty, tobacco-forward, kind of minerally. I am enjoying it. I could smoke it all day. In just a few days in the tin or in the jar, the bitterness in the smoke recedes and the molasses note becomes more prominent in the development. It's simply fantastic.

I would recommend this to Virginia and Burley smokers, and someone looking for a Virginia blend that's unique and a deviation from the typical fruit-forward style of straight-Virginia blending. Four stars from me.
Pipe Used: Briars, Canadian,bent brandy,lumberman
PurchasedFrom: Smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: Fresh
4 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Apr 18, 2008 Medium Mild Medium Pleasant
This is another VA. blend from C&D.Most tins from C&D have been ready for the fire out of the shoot. This one was quite moist. Upon opening the tin I was met by a mild grassy sweet aroma. After some drying, I found this to be a good smoke. It is not complex, just smooth honest tobacco. Hint of the sweetness drift through as the bowl progresses. May be the Va. or the "touch" of honey. One thing that I was pleasently surprised by was that each time I came back to this blend it seemed to get better, and better. This may be that further drying has benifitted this tobacco, or maybe age is helping out. What ever...it gets better.The price is higher that much of the competition, but this blend could move up to a * * * * rating.....for now I give it a * * *. I will buy more to smoke now, and some for the cellar.
4 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.

target="_blank"