Lane Limited Black Cordial

The cherry topping is deep and rich, and there's a little vanilla mixed in, too. You won't taste much of the Virginia or sugary black cavendish, but then again, you buy it for the creamy smooth toppings. Has little nicotine and won't bite. Burns at a moderate pace with a consistent flavor. Leaves a little moisture in the bowl, but no dottle. Needs a few relights and has a very pleasant after taste. I'm pretty sure this is Sutliff's Z-50 Black Cordial because they both taste the same.

-JimInks

Well folks, I have to come clean here. I received my latest order today from pipesandcigars.com , and found that they had included a sample. It was Black Cordial.

After the initial bout of cursing,(you see there were no aromatics in the order), I resolved to give it away to some aromatic lover.

I opened the pouch and took a whiff. It was very appealing. Cherry, vanilla and something else that I just can't pick out. But, my history with aromatics is not a great one. I want to like them, but always end up being disappointed. Too light in nic., to light in tobacco flavor, ...on and on. I was beginning to believe I just wasn't an aro smoker.

That all changed today! The pouch sat on my tobacco table for a few hours while I packaged my order in jars and stocked my tins. I went to work and came home to it sitting there. Calling me. Like Lucy taunting Charlie Brown with that damn football.

I packed up one of my cobs and fired it up. More moist than I generally care for is what I thought. But after the char, I was off to the races. Initially I did get a little undesirable flavor in the very first 1-2 draws. That went away immediately to leave a fantastic flavor that was balanced very well in my opinion. Just enough strength to hold my attention and some real tobacco flavor mingled in with the topping.

I have to give credit where it is due. Altadis of all people were the ones to create this little gem. And the only time I didn't pay for an aro, it was great! go figure. Thanks to the people at pipesandcigars.com for knowing me better than I know myself apparently. 3 solid stars.

I find this to be a lovely Altadis aromatic. I have smoked mostly English blends for over three decades. [For reference, I am fond of C&D's Pirate Kake late in the day.] My experience with most aromatic blends has been that the aromatic esters used to flavor the casing sting my tongue from start to finish. This does not happen with BC. In the pouch, it is mostly black string-cut with scattered, lighter bits. The moisture content is a smidge high, and it does feel slightly sticky to the fingertips--not too much.

I find the pouch aroma a pleasing, subtle prune-like scent, reminding me of a rich botrytis wine, like Black Noble.

The mild, sweet fruitiness is clearly present while smoking the first 2/3 of the bowl, but becomes much more subdued--though not gone altogether--for the bottom third. I have experienced no tongue bite despite the presence of Virginia--just an enjoyable, mild-to-medium smoke.

If allowed to dry in the bowl for 10 or 20 minutes after a gentle packing, it lights well, and usually burns cleanly to the bottom with maybe one relight, leaving a fine, light gray ash that dumps neatly from the bowl.

BC is friendly enough to smoke in the morning, with enough body to do for later in the day.

I have smoked this many, many times in only one pipe, that being a 3/4 bent one that I carved from the crotch of a well dried branch of a large apple tree that came down in a storm several years ago. It has a moderately tall 3/4 inch bowl. This applewood pipe has never been exposed to any other variety of tobacco beyond the initial few bowls of 1Q Honey Cavendish used to create the carbon cake during break-in. That brings me to the opinion that BC and applewood enjoy each other's company. I would definitely not smoke BC in a Latakia-exposed pipe--not because of BC's effect on the pipe, but because BC's subtle flavor would be lost completely.

I recommend Black Cordial as a relatively mild yet flavorful, non-biting aromatic for the early half of the day.

I bought this under the name of Z-50 Black Cordial, at the time it was made by Altadis. I have been told that Lane has since aquired it.

This is a very unique blend. It looks like Black Cavendish, but the taste is very different. I listed the flavoring rating as "Very Mild", because I think there is something there - but I have no idea what it is.

Be careful with the tamper - pack too hard and you will have a glob that you'll have to pry out of the pipe. Smoke it slowly for best flavor - get it hot and it takes on an odd soap-like taste. Due to the nature of the tobacco, it is hard to keep lit - so don't try, just re-light as needed. Unless you like the taste of soap...

This isn't complex tobacco, the flavor stays pretty much the same from beginning to end. And that's not a bad thing - the flavor is good.

UPDATE: I recently found this blend again at a local store. As before, it was a bit on the wet side. But this time, the cut is much different. It's a medium ribbon cut, and it packs much better than the previous sample. I found a description of it that confirms a topping of "a rich cordial liquor". There is also a much higher presence of the Virginia in the new batch as well. Verdict: Improvements on an already good blend.

I haven't smoked many aromatics since I switched from Captain Black to higher grade pipe tobacco more than fifteen years ago but, perhaps because of my advancing age (sigh), I find myself of late craving sweeter mixtures. So, a bought some Lane Limited Black Cordial about a month ago. My plan was not to smoke it straight but instead to mix it with other tobacco and, in particular, English blends.

My first experiment was with Hearth & Home Ten to Midnight. I mixed it at a ratio of about 3 parts Ten to Midnight to 1 part Black Cordial. Let me tell you, it was delicious. The sweetness of the BC really complemented the smokiness and richness of the Ten to Midnight, turning a good English blend into a great one.

My next experiment was with Mac Baren Plum Cake, a blend that used to be one of my favorites but which, in recent years, seemed to lose some of its flavor (another effect of an aging palate, I suspect). The fruitiness of the Black Cordial brought the Plum Cake back to life and, once again, it tastes delicious.

I've yet to smoke Black Cordial straight and may never, but that's OK. If it enhances other tobaccos as well as it has Ten to Midnight and Plum Cake, I will be a very happy pipe smoker.

So, if some of your blends seem a little less interesting than they used to, try mixing in some aromatic tobacco like Black Cordial. You may be surprised how good they taste together.

Great bulk aromatic! Man this is one nice tobacco. It is mainly blackened cavendish with a little bit of blond stripes. It smokes a bit on the wetside, and is a bit goopy when handling, but once you get past the downsides, it is a nice smoke.

The tin-note is delicious, and it blends with alot of other stuff easily and adds a good bit of flavor to blander tobaccos. This was purchased in bulk, so the price is much nicer than any tinned tobacco. I purchased it under the name Dark Cordial, but reading the reviews, it was the same thing for sure.

It is a heavy tobacco, so it won't take up as much room per ounce as a lighter, fluffier blend. Buy plenty, because if you like aromatics, you will go through a lot of this stuff. Forms a softer cake and dedicate a few pipes to it, that will make it better.

I was fooled into thinking this was a house blend...it isn't I found "black cordial" in several places looking THE same and tasting the same. This can burn hot if you go too fast, this actually gets smoothed out well with a pinch of proper english and it shines. But as it is it usa rich aromatic, it will bite eight off so go easy. Nice room note by all accounts, it can be improved on by easing the bite but this is a solid aromatic for experienced pipe smokers..newbies will not get the best of this.

I didn't expect to like an Altadis blend when sent this as a freebie, but am pleasantly surprised. I wish they had sent me blends like this when that Altadis sampler went out. It's a cool smoking, non-gurgling aromatic and the first cherry flavored tobacco I honestly like. I think it's cherry, anyway. Unlike a couple other Altadis blends I got for free, I may actually finish this one, and it is not out of the question that I would buy it again. No bite, and lovely in (or out of) the nose.

This is one of my go to aromatics along with Butternut Burley,this being not as mild. I have noticed some changes in between batchs but they are quite acceptable. Pack this tobacco loosely & you won't have to worry about a soapy taste. Don't be put off by the pouch/bag appearance. It is sticky and does appear goopy, but once in the pipe,packed correctly, it transforms into nivarna IMHO. The tastes is a cherry one that changes in intensity.The aroma will recieve compliments. This was my Christmas blend but now I smoke it year round. It has a rich thick creamy taste like an english but with an aromatic flavor,quite a soothing blend,morning noon or night. Can be exhaled through the nose to enhance the flavor. I can smoke this comfortably with a throat tickle that might lead to a cold if not medicated in time. I'm enjoying it now with two to three feet of snow outside. Highly recommended for everyone. I smoke all types of tobaccos.

Since the pipe is something new for me, I didn't know what to expect. I had smoked a variety of tobaccos trying to get a feel for what I liked, but mostly the less aromatic blends. This is the first tabacco that made me smile. It seems to have a perfect balance of flavors, and if you like breathing in the smoke through your nose, it's fantastic. It doesn't burn hot, and I noticed no bite, even with a low-end pipe. This is also the first tobacco that I felt equally happy with the taste as with the smell.