"Not so much."

I want this to be a home run aromatic for C&D. The concept is there. Love the soul of the idea. The pouch note is perfect. The feel of the tobacco is right on. Lighting was easy. One match (after the char) did the whole bowl. Vitamin N buzz was minor, which I prefer for an evening contemplative session. And that's about where the love ended for me. We all know that any number of things can affect tobacco after it leaves the maker. So, this is not my ultimate judgement on Autumn Evening.

I am going to try a few more bowls, try a different pipe, then cellar it and come back to it later. I bought this from the local tobaccy man. Got it bulk, and, as some others have stated, that might be the problem. I am also going to buy a pouch/tin of it and see if I get a different experience.

There was hardly any continuance of the maple-love in the taste. The same goes for the presence of the maple-love in the room note - barely. The taste was flat with far-cry hints of maple.However, it did have spikes of Virgina's tang, and we all know how daddy likes that.

Can only say "give it a shot and tell me if I got a bad batch."

I will be updating this review for sure.

Update 06/28/10: I'm bumping the rating to a 2.5 stars. After a little drying time, and adjusting my smoking to a sipping approach, things have improved. But the tobacco still has no body. Tastier with no body.

Bingo. Autumn Evening is what DK refers to as a "genius" blend, with a sublte, sweet topping that is interesting, familiar and flavorful but not cloying and artificial. It's a "natural" aromatic, if there is such a thing, although the Virginia flavor recedes deeply into the background. It smokes cool and dry down to a fine, light ash. I can't imagine how an aro smoker would not like this. For me, it's a refreshing change of pace and a pleasant way to rest my tastebuds after smoking more strident blends.

It arrives fairly moist, so let it dry a bit before loading.

This came overly moist in my sampler bag but only required a 10 minute drying period. The bag aroma was wonderfully subdued. I did find the room aroma to be pleasant but it was a little more aromatic than I prefer. As for the flavor, it was delicate but pleasing. I tasted the aromatic agent, but I'm terrible at placing non-tobacco tastes in pipe tobacco. To me, it seemed more like butterscotch than maple, which was fine with me! I found myself wishing that the flavor was richer but that seems to be a tenet of good aromatics. The poor ones are usually the heaviest tasting while the best ones taste of tobacco along with the flavoring agent.

This burned cleanly with no heavy moisture, tasted like sweetened tobacco and did not offend those around me. It never turned sour or bitter down the bowl and it was a satisfying smoke. I'm not the world's most prolific aromatic smoker but I'd like to think I can recognize genius in a blend. For aromatics, this is it, folks. If you love aromatics, this one needs to be part of your next order. Take a huge bow, Craig Tarler! Few have accomplished what you have on this blend.

This tobacco comes closer than any other that I have tried though. I will give it credit for that. My quesion is, Why do all aromatics have to be made of whimpy tobacco with little character? Surely some master blender out there can manage to find tobaccos of character and strength to match to a complimentary additional flavor without overwhelming the weed contained within the tin. I just don't get it.

There is some va strength here and some tobacco flavor, but the maple used is over the top and klls most of the enjoyment. There are no nuances here at all.

I will stick to my vapers, english, and burley blends for now. But, I'm sure that sometime soon I will be hearing the siren song of another aromatic and I will give it another go.

As some of the other reviews have said I found this to taste like cigarette smoke with a maple casing. I have not experienced a tobacco like this ever before. Could it be possible that the tin is much better than buying it in bulk? I ordered 1 oz in bulk just to sample the blend, and don't think I will even finish that. The blend does light easily, smoke well with minimal tongue bite, and leaves no goop in the pipe.

Go ahead and try it for yourself as the maple casing may be something you like, but don't have too high of expectations or you may be let down.

One day I was enjoying a bowlful in my private library when a non-smoking colleague (who loves the smell of most aromatic pipe tobaccos) peeked inside and asked in an alarming tone, "Have you started smoking cigarettes again?" Autumn Evening has been the only aromatic tobacco to have ever triggered this reaction - and I have smoked dozens of different aromatics.

My experience leaves me with no choice but to agree with another reviewer that the room note is of pancakes and stale cigarette smoke. The concept reminds me of covering up pre-existing body odour with strong deodorant. It makes distinguished noses reel.

Interestingly, many smokers and ex-smokers find the room note pleasant. I suspect they are not sensitive to the smell of cigarette type smoke and observe mainly the strong maple aroma. I have had no such luck with non-smokers.

The cloying casing and vulgar room note push me in the direction of a one star rating but I'll add another star for the good quality tobacco leaf used.

This somewhat harsh review is not meant to put fellow pipers off this popular blend. I have merely attempted to succinctly describe my personal experience. By all means try Autumn Evening for yourself, if you haven't already. Your mileage may vary.

Opening the tin reminded me of first opening a bottle of vintage Canadian maple syrup I got as a gift; the aroma that greeted me was very much alike -- and much unlike the maybe most famous maple-flavoured blend in the world.

The leaf is somewhat dry compared to what I am used to, but that is OK, it fills and lights easily with a single char and then keeps burning gently down to the very end. The cut is rather thin and short, so this 'baccy works well even in small bowls; I have been smoking it in corn cobs a lot, and it works great with those.

Not having the strength I am used to from the other C&D offerings I have had the pleasure to try thus far, this still is is top notch leaf; the flavour lasts throughout the bowl, the room note is beautiful, and once again the only detracting factor is the high price of this beauty in Europe.

Recommended for the aromatics afficionados and those seeking something different; highly recommended to all those who still think Rum&Maple is tobacco so they can actually taste some. And I find that for once, C&D have captured the feeling of the tobacco experience in its name.

Right away I noticed the sweet syrup flavor and to my surprise it was not overpowering. This blend burned in the manner one would expect from quality tobacco. Throughout the bowl the maple flavor would rise ever so slightly and then disappear again. This was a pleasant change from most aromatics which tend to be constant and become a bore.

Autumn Evening took to the flame nicely. It almost didnt need a charring light and relight, but I provided one out of habit. I did notice a slight uneven burn which I attribute that to the windy conditions on my back patio as this has happened on many occasions with various blends. The only time I needed to relight was due to my own mistake. About half way through the bowl, I decided to remove some of the ash to get a better draw. Well, I removed the cherry as well. Yes, rookie mistake, but these things happen. No more lighting problems after this. I would recommend using a match on this blend. I used a butane pipe lighter and could actually taste the fuel, which is not a normal thing for me.

This is by no means a complex blend and seems like a good early morning or desert smoke. Overall, I enjoyed the experience and would not turn it away if offered.

If you like aromatics, give this a try!

UPDATE: 09/11/2009 I find this to also be a wonderful Mixer. For example, I use the following formula on a regular basis: 3 parts Two Friends Heritage, 2 parts Riverboat Gambler and 1 part Autumn Evening. It is a superb smoke and I call it Pot O' Gold.