Cornell & Diehl - 099: Engine 99 pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Showing reviews 1 through 20 of 27 reviews of this tobacco NEXT >
albfneto	05/17/2013	Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Full	Very Strong
I'm very well impressed with this tobacco. Is an modified MI, complete and very rich in latakia, as Pirate Cake. The cut is more easy to fill than Pirate Cake... and for me, is very similar, the same flavour, the same taste but this in even better,,, not complex, only for the people that loves Latakia. Medium to Strong Nicotine. Is an improvement od Pirate Cake, and i've not smoked Odessa, but mau be also an improvemenet of Odessa. 4 Stars and goes to my favorites.
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Capt	11/22/2012	Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
Just by reading that this was the same components as Pirate Kake had me excited, and I bought a pound without so much as even having a sample. That was a few years back. A good pipe forum friend sent me some saying it wasn't for him, so I just added what he sent to the jar. Once again, another perfect English blend from C&D. I am not a fan or their Burley's, but they have English down to a science. Packs and lights with ease, minimal relights needed. This blend opens up with a medium density smoke. Aroma of your standard C&D Latakia, but a certain sweetness accompanies the smoke. Latakia is not as up front as Pirate Kake, nor as chewy. This blend smokes extremely cool and dry, and leaves a nice clean finish on your palate. Puff as hard as you wish, it won't bite, but it will change the flavor profile to burnt rubber. If you like Pirate Kake, but looking for a bit less chunkiness, this is your blend.
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Kokinhenik	09/27/2012	Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable
Bulk Blend Smack Down: This is a fantastic bulk buy! What stands out about this is the bang for the buck! The price point is a steal! For roughly 2.10/oz your getting a smoke that rivals many 4.00+/oz tins. Strong nic.hit is a plus right off! Lat was nice and buttery…right up front in the flavor profile. Nice toasty notes in the mid bowl. This might be a serious contender to replace Dunhill Nightcap.
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tleek	06/18/2012	Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Tolerable
This is one fantastic tobacco, and an almost instant favorite. I ordered a five blend sampler pack from C&D, and this was one of my chosen five. . I am certainly glad i chose this! having smoked about six or seven bowls of it, i can already tell it is. Going roto be one of my all time favorite tobaccos , and perhaps in the near future my all day smoke. It is a full flavored english Latakia blend, which is smoothed out incredibly by the cavendish, and sweetened by the virginia and burley. the perique is faint but positively adds to the complexity, and the turkish serves the same sort of purpose but in a different way. An All round fantastic blend for anyone who loves English tobaccos, I am very impressed.
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elendarsilvermoom	03/16/2012	Medium	None detected	Full	Tolerable
I'm nearing the end of the two ounces I recently ordered, and this one is right up there with Pirate Kake for me, as I'm a big fan of heavy latakia blends. My wife likes the smell too, whenever I'm smoking it she thinks someone is grilling with hickory wood or using their fireplace. After smoking a couple bowls of this the other night and coming home from work the next day, we were greeted with a very fireplace-esque room note upon re-entering the apartment. However, wifey dearest does not like how it makes my breath smell, so be sure to keep some mints on hand just in case! All-in-all, I love the depth that this blend offers and will definitely be ordering more of it in the near future!
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musicman	01/19/2012	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium to Full	Strong
Engine Engine 99, coming down Chicago line, see it sparkle see it shine, Engine Engine 99. I really like this blend. This is like pirate kake if it didn't take steroids. It is a lot more sophisticated in the balance department, and the deep flavors are very lush. The evil genius's over at C&D have done it again with this one. This is an english that I feel can stand up to the majority of fancy tinned english blends out there. Just as good but at a better price point. Get some smoke some you wont regret it. Highly recommended.
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Mr. Big	11/16/2011	Medium	None detected	Medium	Strong
I just recently purchased this in bulk, so this review is based on a blend that has not had a chance to age. I find this very one dimensional heavy Latakia blend. If you like latakia, as I do, I think you should try this as the price is right. Right now it is spicy and harsh, but I will update after 9 months of cellaring as I feel it will improve. I also tried this back to back against Pirate Kake (3 months age) and PK is much smoother and also allows some of the Orientals to play ( PK is my choice). Updated 6/11/12 I'm now torn between, Nightcap, and this for my Latakia blast. I'm keeping at 3 stars. I think Odyssey & 3 Oaks Syrian are more complex and have nicer Oriental backgrounds, and Nightcap burns so well? choices , choices. Updated 8/10/12 I've just tried, Engine 99, back to back with, Pirate Kake, both bulks, and I find PK better . You had better have a liking for Latakia with both of these blends, more so with PK that gives an almost oily taste. E99 is not as sweet and doesn't bring much Oriental, is not as creamy and is very one dimensional. I've decided to give it 2 1/2 stars but I would rather put my money towards PK.
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piedpipester	05/23/2011	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong
I've smoked about 2 pounds of engine #99 so I think I can write my impressions of it now. Engine # 99 is composed of some fine first quality tobacco. It is to me a wonderful, smokey latakia filled treat for a night smoke. I would not classify it as being super strong. It has a naturally dark taste which makes one think that it's stronger than it really is. I don't get nicotine overload at all, in fact, it's very smooth. It's a little complex, starts out slightly sweet with the virginia easily detectable, mid bowl the perique kicks in and the flavor intensifies. If the perique content were higher, it would definately have more kick, but as it's blended, the perique content is right for me, you can tell it's there, especially at the bottom of the bowl, but it's light enough not to make your mouth burn. Imho, A must try for all who love latakia blends....4 stars
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Tripjoker	01/27/2011	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
I passed by this blend many times while shopping for interesting English styles. I read and reread the numerous reviews many times thinking this might be one to try sooner or later. I have to say that it was Briarpatchs' review that made my interest pique. As with all things consumable, you tend to find people who have like tastes, never identical, but similar. His reverence for Standard Mixture Medium was one of the indicators that we could share some flavor profile interest. I have to say that I was correct, at least on this blend. To begin, I agree with the assessment that this is a very solid blend. Plenty rich and full flavored with a solid English profile with one very overt exception. Perique. Now don't get me wrong, I really am a perique fan, and like it alot when it works in a blend. Here is the exception to that rule. The perique content is very, very low. But, the flavor is there. It is detectable. And that is where the rub is, because it just doesn't work in this blend. It would be a solid four star blend if it didn't have any perique. It would be even better if there was just a breathe more Turkish. Maybe replace the perique with a like proportion of Turkish. Having said all that, this is a tasty tobacco. The flavor of the perique here just holds it back alittle. It doesn't ruin it. I would recommend this to anyone who likes the English genre and doesn't mind a pinch of perique flavor in the mix. The burn rate is good, not exceptional. The vitamin N content is on the low side of medium and picks up to just short of a solid medium level at end of bowl. Packing was a breeze, although I rarely have problems packing any tobacco. No bite detected even when pushed a bit. A slight bitterness detected if you heat it up though, so go slow and take your time with this one. The complexity level should keep most smokers interest throughout the bowl. A good one to smoke while I write at the computer, and equally good for moments of quiet contemplation. Verdict: three stars...will keep a good supply on hand to cellar...perique haters need not apply...otherwise, give it a try. Cheers!
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cmhpipesmoker	10/05/2010	Medium	None detected	Medium	Tolerable
This is one of three recent C&D blends I purchased, the other two being Star of the East and Mountain Camp. After much research, I felt confident in buying 8 ounces of each, hoping I would not be disappointed. Engine 99, by strength, is in the middle of the pack and, to me, seems to be fairly close to what I consider to be my definition of a standard English mixture (even with the Cavendish and Burley). It does get a bit heavy towards the end of the bowl though. The basic components are there, the sweet/sour aroma of the Virginia along with the heaviness of the latakia. I can't detect much of the Perique it contains (but not really an expert though) but does have a somewhat "nutty" flavor to it. I assume this is the Burley tobacco. I'll say you can't go wrong with this blend. It's a very middle-of-the-road English (not great but not bad at all), readily available from C&D direct or from several on-line stores and very reasonably priced as most of the C&D bulk blends seem to be.
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madamadam	01/16/2010	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant
Excellent! One of the best English style mixtures I've smoked in a while, with rich earthy and woodsy flavors and gentle nuances of sweetness and spice. A glimpse of perfection.
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Demetri	08/07/2009	Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable
I am on my ninth bowl of this new purchase - ninth in 36 hours, which is a long time for me to smoke one blend only (ever since Finck's English changed). This is a sleeper, and a surprise for me. It's been on the shelf at El Fumador -Sewickley, PA- every time I've been in over the last six months and I just passed it over (maybe the name of the blend did not resonate for me). However I finally bought 4 ounces last Wednesday afternoon on way into work. I cleaned out a still-warm partial bowl of a McClelland Grand Oriental in order to give this an immediate test; this was the wrong thing to do as my first taste might be ghosted by the Classic Samsun (as indeed it was). At lunch at tried another bowl to better effect. On way home yet another, followed by yet another two hours later. If one gets the impression that I was impressed with this blend then one would be correct. Obviously Engine 99 is an evolutionary blend of two other C&D blends one of which itself is a variation of yet another. But is works well. The blend is poised with no one component fighting any other, but all complementing each other. Contrary to smoke other opinions I find this to be a complex experience with a lot happening in the bowl and all of that is just plain good and tasty. It is also what I call a thinking man's smoke- extremely pleasant without being distracting. Perfect smoke for times of other tasks such as creative writing or programming...or just thinking (if indeed that is what I do). I've only had one bowl of Balkan Sobraine in my life - traded with my college roommate for a bowl of my Dunhill #965 and hence I have virtually no experience with which to liken this to any other. For Room Note, I had to guess as Tester (wife) was not within nose range this morning and made no unsolicited comment. Temporary rating of 3 stars - might go to four later. Update: OK, after 17 bowls, this gets kicked up a notch to 4 stars.
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Pipestud	04/22/2009	Mild	None detected	Mild	Very Pleasant
Engine #99 purrs nicely... and quietly. Not a lot of strength or strong English flavor (IMO). I never have been able to figure out exactly what a "Balkan" style tobacco is, but I do know that Perique is not a Balkan component. Engine #99 is indeed a little spicy, but does not contain any Perique. The Latakia and Oriental leaf are quality components of this blend and combined for a bitter sweet, subtle smokey flavor. If cool, calm and quiet can be adjectives for flavor, then those are mine for this nice blend.
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Irishlefty	04/20/2009	Medium to Strong	None detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong
When first I tried this blend I thought it was o.k. Not great but still good. I found the baggie with Engine 99 in it today and decided to give it another try and my opinion has changed. It is fairly full flavored, which I like, has enough nicotine to satisfy my craving, smokes very easily. It may not be the best full English blend I've had but it must be in the top 10, certainly good enough to keep some around and return to frequently.
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BriarPatch	04/11/2009	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong
Preface: I have been smoking Dunhill Standard Mixture Medium for near-on 30 years, believing that it has no equal anywhere on earth. But it is gone now, and so I begin a quest for my Holy Grail: A substitute to replace the standard on which all English tobaccos are based: Engine 99 could 'ave been a contender! But, alas for me, the mixture contains Perique of which I am not a fan. But if you are, everything else here is good. Smoky & rich, good quality, good looking tobacco. If you are following my reviews, like my picks, and like Perique, give 'ol Engine 99 a whirl! Cornell & Diehl says of Engine 99: "This is a full English blend -- a combination of #968R and #970. 968R "The same blend as #968 with red Virginia substituted for the Cavendish cut burley." 968: "Cavendish cut burley, Turkish, Latakia and Perique." 970: "A smooth, robust blend with LOTS of exceptional Latakia accompanied by Turkish and cavendish cut Burley." So, if I am following this correctly, Engine 99 is a blend of red Virginia, Turkish, Latakia, Perique, & cavendish cut Burley. Sounds right to me except perhaps the cavendish cut Burley from Pirate's Kake was left out.
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dualkarnain	09/28/2006	Medium to Strong	None detected	Full	Tolerable
This is, perhaps, the best non-2friends C&D blend I've smoked. The Latakia depth reminds me of Penzance but with a different body. Recommended! Images evoked: a wickedly happy nightmare dancing upon the clouds of reason.
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sasha	04/06/2006	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant
First of all let me disagree with who considers this a full blend. Not at all, according to me, neither in nicotine punch nor in taste. This is a medium blend, a pretty good one indeed, but the fullness is somewhere else. The smell upon opening the bulk reminded me of Pirate Kake, while the moisture is the usual C&D...dry! I put it into a jar with humidifier and left it there for about a week before it became at least smokable. It was still pretty dry the first times I smoked it, and it was good, smoky and very easy to keep lit. There was a fine balance between the predominant latakia and what seemed to be a good Burley content. After some time in the jar it was moist at a good level, but the taste started lacking "definition", with the flavours mixing into a strange mish-mash with a certain sourness: definitely better when dry, that's probably why most C&Ds are packed with that moisture level, it's perfect for them. One thing's for sure: it doesn't remind me of Balkan 759.
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JB	02/09/2006	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant
If it were more complex, I would have gone for the fourth star. As it is, it is still a very satisfying English blend. I have to say that it doesn't remind me of Sobranie 759, but no matter.
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CaptnDan	01/29/2006	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong
This is a Balkan? OK, that aside, this is a nice, smooth heavy Latakia blend. It smokes very well, and nice and cool. If you like a lot of Latakia, it's here. Not much in the way of complexity, but plenty of flavor throughout the bowl. I liked Engine #99, I'll keep some on hand.
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Meerschaum Man	12/29/2005	Medium to Strong	None detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
This blend is easy burning, flavorful and a worthy addition to the library of English blends. That being said, things get even better after a few weeks of allowing these leaves time to breathe - not an unusual condition for a number of C&D blends. Quality ingredients and an experienced hand are, to me hallmarks of blends that will and have endured. One of these days, I'm going to get a road trip going to visit the scene of the crime, so to speak 'cause they keep taking my money with their smooth blends. Kidding aside, this is another fine blend put out by C&D. Is there room for improvement? Maybe try a coarser flake to smooth things out even more. Good smoke, for sure. Meerschaum Man Smoking a Yanik Meer
Showing reviews 1 through 20 of 27 reviews of this tobacco NEXT >