Cornell & Diehl Crooked Lane

(2.81)
Back to Old London with Crooked Lane, a rich English blend of Virginias, Latakia, a dose of Oriental, Turkish, a whisper of Perique and a sprinkle of unflavored toasted cavendish.

Details

Brand Cornell & Diehl
Blended By Mark Stewart with Chris and Craig Tarler
Manufactured By Cornell & Diehl
Blend Type English
Contents Black Cavendish, Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Perique, Virginia
Flavoring
Cut Ribbon
Packaging 2 oz. Tin, 8 oz. Tin
Country United States
Production Currently available

Profile

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

Average Rating

2.81 / 4
4

5

7

0

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 16 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 30, 2013 Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
This is a very good medium English. The Virginias and Orientals lead the way along with the spice of the Perique. The Latakia isn't that far back. I don't find it to be lacking at all. It plays the part it was called upon to play. It first provides a light smokiness to the sweet and spicy notes of the aforementioned components. Later it adds a nice creaminess and depth to the mix. The toasted Cavendish seems to play the role of a binder, holding it all together. This reminds me very much of Comoy's Cask #1 Double English, a blend I also rated at four stars. The flavor profiles are almost identical.
Pipe Used: MM General
PurchasedFrom: smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: 1 month
13 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 13, 2018 Medium None Detected Medium Tolerable
The very sour, dry, woody, earthy, herbal, vegetative, rather floral, spicy Oriental and Turkish take a little of the lead over the other components. The fairly grassy/hay-like, lightly tart and tangy citrusy Virginias are a supporting player. The smoky, woody, earthy, musty Cyprian Latakia isn’t as sweet as expected, and competes with the Virginias for attention. The raisiny, plumy, spicy perique is a condiment as is the unflavored toasted cavendish. The strength and taste levels just reach the medium level. The nic-hit is a step or so shy of medium. Won’t bite, but has some rough edges. Burns fairly cool, very cool with little sweetness, and a lot of savoriness. The rich, mostly dry, sour flavors are consistent all the way to the finish. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Has a lingering sour, bitter after taste, and leaves the smoker with a dry mouth. Can be an all day smoke for the experienced smoker, but not likely for anyone else.

-JimInks
8 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 26, 2014 Medium None Detected Mild to Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
All in all, a very pleasant and unique "English" blend. Unique in flavor from what one might expect from the ingredient list. I attribute the spicy aspect in this of course to perique but an added nutty tone is in this that I suspect is the "toasted cavendish". I have not tasted anything like it heretofore. The Latakia does not overpower the smoke and the other Oriental(s) are noted but not in the fore as with some other C&D blends. The Virginias are in here but not overly sweet; I like that.

A good blend to introduce an aromatic smoker to this style blend and a good candidate for an everyday blend. I appreciated running a pipe cleaner through the spent pipe and not having it emerge loaded with Latakia gunk.
Pipe Used: Custombilt Bullcap, La Strada bulldog, corncobs
PurchasedFrom: smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: 1 year
8 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 18, 2014 Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
Based on the short number of reviews, people seem to be really in favor of this blend or not with not much in-between. This rough cut tobacco will put me in the latter group. I found Crooked Lane to be fine from a moisture standpoint. It has a little kick, which I like, but I don’t find this to be strong. I think it is a bit “rough around the edges” like a lot of C&D blends. On the positive side, I like the use of the toasted Cavendish. I know I have said this before, but there are so many English blends for today’s pipe smoker to choose from that it really needs to stand out to get my attention, and Crooked Lane IMO doesn’t do that for me as it is just somewhere in the vast middle. I wouldn’t be put off by my comments as I do think that it is worth a try since many people do favor it; maybe you will be one of them.
8 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jun 20, 2014 Mild to Medium None Detected Medium Tolerable
Probably the best everyday English blend from C&D for me so far. The sweet backbone of Virginias along with the hint of smokey Latakia makes this a great English blend. Also I do get a hint of the Perique which adds a little more bite and earthiness. All in all a good all round smoke. Aswell take note as I do all my tobaccos before packing I did let it dry on parchment paper for an hour or so which in turn helps the bowl to keep lit with a few minor tampings and a tiny flame. The burley in this blend also helps with keeping a good amber
Pipe Used: Savinelli long John
PurchasedFrom: Smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: New
5 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 12, 2013 Mild to Medium Extremely Mild Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
Wow, sometimes I am just taken by surprise. This sample was on the counter at Cigar & Tabac, so I gave it a spin. I had been off medium English blends since Dunhill went all squirrely. I am back. This is a terrific blend for afternoon or evening. The flavor is balanced and complex with just the right amount to keep you happy and interested. I can't wait until autumn to try it with Scotch whisky.
5 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 11, 2012 Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant
Virginia based medium English blend with Latakia, Perique, Turkish and something special...I want to say Toasted Cavendish but .......... I will be ordering POUNDS of this !!!!!!!!!

I was able to sample Crooked Lane a while before it was available to the general public thanks to Mark Stewart, the gentleman who actually created this blend. Mark is also a master pipe crafter. After my 1st bowl, I knew that this was the tobacco that I had been searching for. The flavors are very complex and at different times during the smoke, they sneak up on you. The latakia is VERY SUBTLE and adds almost a steak heartiness to the smoke. After your 1st bowl, you will be a convert. Crooked lane is my mainstay in my cellar.

I dont know what the folks over at C&D do to set themselves so far above the bar with their blends, but I just hope that they keep doing it. I received a generous sample of this from pipe maker & repairer MARK STEWART over at www.pipecraft.org. 1st, visually this is a stunning looking tobacco. It looks like it tastes. It smells like it tastes and it tastes like heaven in a bowl! I'll steal this quote from MARK STEWART, but I don't think he will mind: "I have just had the pleasure of smoking 2 of C&D's new "Working Mans Series blends" and cannot overstate how terrific they are. Morning Drive Time is the perfect morning smoke with that initial cup of Coffee or Tea. Lunchtime blues is, without question, a great mid-day pick me up and is the perfect all day smoke. Although I am a great fan of their tobacco, they have really out performed themselves with these 2 blends. Morning Drive for breakfast, Lunchtime Blues for lunch and Crooked Lane for dinner. This is now my daily routine of smoking perfection."

WELL SAID MARK, AND ADVICE WE ALL NEED TO FOLLOW.
5 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 07, 2022 Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant
Cornell & Diehl - Crooked Lane.

The ribbons are mostly medium size, with a smattering of chunkier pieces. I see a large majority's brown and lighter brown, with a touch of black thrown in. My blend's a bit too dry, for my liking, but not too dehydrated.

It's a milder English. Don't expect a Lat-bomb. An unequivocal flavour comes from the Orientals, slightly fragrant and quite sour. The Virginias ''brighten'' the flavour, lifting it with a kick of citrus. The Latakia has an inimitable quality. Although smoky/woody, it seems a touch on the ''buttery'' side. I find the toasted Cavendish and Perique are the lighter of the bunch; the Cav' being the lightest. After half a bowl I notice a spiciness that could only be the Perique; it's at halfway the smoke tastes the best, because of this. It was a bit dry, so I'm not surprised it needs hardly any maintenance once lit!

Nicotine: medium. Room-note: nice enough.

Crooked Lane? If it arrived more hydrated it'd get four stars, but loses a star due to this. Great taste though. Three stars:

Recommended.
Pipe Used: Various
PurchasedFrom: Smokingpipes
Age When Smoked: 11/27/19
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 15, 2020 Mild to Medium None Detected Medium Tolerable
Tin dated 5/17. Tin note is sweet with some sour, very pleasant. Cut is ribbon and tobacco is dark orange with some black and light leaf sprinkled in. Moisture is almost perfect, but I like dry smokes so I set it out for a bit. After lighting, this bowl burned to the bottom with no relights needed. It starts sweet and mild. I can taste the toasted cavendish, and it’s actually very nice. Mid bowl I’m getting loads of smoke, and flavors build to a medium. Latakia wakes up a bit. The burley-like cavendish notes pop in and out. Perique doesn’t stand out much at all. Burns pretty quickly and easy to keep lit. Conclusion: Definitely a light English, but not a light tasting tobacco, and more VA forward than oriental. The toasted cavendish is the enjoyable surprise. This is my idea of an all day English blend with some originality.
Age When Smoked: 3 years
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Nov 13, 2019 Mild to Medium None Detected Extremely Mild (Flat) Tolerable
I have been loading my tobacco pouch recently with blends and smoking them for a week, this blend made it three days. This is my attempt to thin out my rotation and lower the amount of open tins or jars.

This weeks blend was crooked lane, I originally jarred this July of 2019, so it has been sitting in the jar for 4 months as of this review.

This blend as others have stated seems to be a mild English, with various other players, however I get mostly Latakia with a touch of the Oriental leaf, this blend is flat, nothing particularly stands out. This blend has varying amounts of different leaves. When I first smelled this blend I thought Virginia oriental as I could smell the sour leaf.

Crooked Lane, is not a bad blend but nothing that it offers says buy me again, or even recommend me, i don’t hate it but I think I will need to revisit this blend in a few months and see if age changes it.

This blend currently sits at 2.8 stars, I will have to give it two out of four as I could see a new smoker enjoying this, but experienced smokers wondering where’s the steak in this blend.
Pipe Used: Comoy Dunbar, corncob
PurchasedFrom: Tobaccopipes.com
Age When Smoked: 4 months
3 people found this review helpful.
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