Cornell & Diehl - Blockade Runner pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Showing reviews 1 through 20 of 34 reviews of this tobacco NEXT >
dogwood	07/22/2010	Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant
i really like this blend. the rum flavor is at the right level for me- just enough. i like that there are no other flavors just the rum. this is one of the smoother cavs i've had but it still has those toasty strong off flavors to it. i think cavs are for advanced pipe smokers. you need to smoke them slow! i really like how this tobacco feels like an old time blend. very good stuff and fun to rub out from the cake and smoke. i wish the tobacco cut was a little bigger like with all C&D tobaccos.
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Ugo	06/21/2010	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable
Being a Latakia lover, I use VA as a resting bowl, a way of cleaning up my smoking, or a beginning of the night start. This blend has a welcoming presentation trough a beautiful and appealing crumble cake, that easily breaks into small pieces to get into the bowl. Since I like not to rub flakes, I slightly broke it and fill the bowl with small pieces, not getting to a mixture aspect. Rum is just suggested into smell and taste, altrough some liquor was burning at the beginning. The rum note was slightly perceived at the beginning, but I clearly felt that it is a VA straight taste. For that reason, nicotine gets quicly into the taste and the evolution is quite flat. I will probably do not buy a second tin since some other Virginia, like SGawith flakes give to me a similar result, and here I was looking for a more aromatic option, the rum note being an uncomplished promise. But this is surely a good choice for VA lovers.
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Davetopay	05/23/2010	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable
This is fun stuff. It comes as a crumble cake, but the rum has bonded the bits of tobacco together in such a way as to not crumble, but peel off in layers so as to create something of a flake. It smells interesting in the tin. Kind of musty, earthy, and faintly of molasses and rum. Mine seemed a bit damp straight from the tin when I broke it up, but it didn't need to sit for more than a few minutes before loading and lighting. Having been smoking a few different "Navy Blends" in the last few weeks I am really enjoying comparing these to each other and getting a better feel for the genre. There are some very similar notes to the VA with rum flavors you get in PS Lux Navy Flake, but the lack of Perique in this blend leaves it a bit more mellow. When compared to McC's Navy Cavendish, it seems darker, fuller, and has a MUCH bigger Nic kick. As for use, I just crumbled some up( go figure), packed it in a pipe which when compared to others in my rack might be considered small, and didn't force the density of the pack. I found that this stuff seems to prefer to be left on the loose side in the bowl, so don't get a crazy with the tamper. Getting it going can take a little work. For me it was light, puff puff, tamp, light, puff puff, light again. After that it was sit back and hold on for the ride. I can't comment on the room note to deeply as I tend to smoke alone, but I found myself thinking of a good double maduro from time to time when I would catch a whiff coming off the bowl. Don't expect it to be rum flavored like an aromatic off the drugstore shelf, but occasionally, there would be something you might discern as rum-like in the back ground. But for the most part it comes across as a melange of virginia leaf. Sometimes sweet, sometimes soft and buttery, and sometimes it fools me into thinking that the tastiest burley in the world is in there.....I don't think there is, but I like the effect. SOme folks have called BR boring , dull, or monochromatic. At the risk of sounding accusatory, I will declare user error! The flavors in this will change drastically depending upon you puffing cadence. I have had a blast through changing my pace and making the tobacco bend to my will. Get it a bit hot and you can snork that warm baking cookie/cupcake that good VAs are known for. Keep it on the cool side and I can find butterscotch or caramel with a hint of hot buttered rum. Somewhere in between I ran into a smooth, soothing note that makes me think of watching the ocean on a damp, gray day. I've been smoking it in two pipes, a Savinelli Milano deLuxe, and WWI era WDC Navajo. Both are smaller straight billiards with moderate bowl thickness and a very light draw. I haven't had any gurgles from BR, and don't have much if any need to swab with pipe cleaners mid smoke on either pipe. Also, this is as bite free a navy blend as I have tried. Just don't let bite free fool you into forgetting the vitamin N content. If you have a low tolerance, have a seat when you smoke this. If you have been wanting to jump into the world of navy smoke, give Blockade Runner a shot, and make sure to buy some other labels as well. Half the fun is in comparing them! ....if there was a 3.75 stars choice, this would get it. I was tempted to go for 4 stars, but I need to delve into more of the Navy genre and possibly rerate in the future. The above results are mine alone and may not be the same results YOU get.
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Lombard65	05/21/2010	Medium	None detected	Medium	Unnoticeable
Personally I threw money away.
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SteelCowboy	05/04/2010	Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
This review is based on nearly a tin in several different pipes. I found the moisture content to be just about right. I fully rubbed it out and it packs well. I wanted to like this tobacco as I like tobacco's made with rum or cognac. However, it simply tasted very flat to me. Almost boring. I found the rum note to be very subtle. I can see how some folks would enjoy Blockade Runner, but it just isn't for me. I think that there are much better tobacco's out there in this class.
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Funn	02/14/2010	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
Opened up a tin of this several months back. Bottom label says 9/8/08, it is STILL moist. Filled an Ed Burak small bent prince/tomato briar. Comes in nice sized bricks. Just rub the sides and it forms granules perfect for packing IMHO. Seemed kind of strong in the Burak pipe,had to slow down to appreciate it. As it got to middle bowl it seemed to blossom into a milder va. w/a modicum of strength. When it got to what I thought was ashes it turned around into an extremely enjoyable smoke. Filled up a Ben Wade bent Acorn smooth and walked my grand dog with it. The larger bowl for me seemed to detensify the strength into a delicious Va. It tasted like raisins I assumed from the Red va.s but not as strong as before. Where the smaller pipe didn't allow the blend to develop into a mild good smoke,the larger bowl gave me fantasticness (Funn Dictionary) from the first match. Really can't tell if it's a rum flavor or not. But whatever it is it is great! Possibly the larger bowl and being outside calmed the blend down. Continued it in the car and finished it back in the house. Va. wise I smoke mainly mild pure Va.s,PS Va Longcut,Old Gowrie, Woodstock Races Va.Gentleman.et. al. This fits right in as being a little bit strengthier (Funn Dictionary) but it comes and goes. Nothing detrimental implied. Can't wait to try it in one of my Smooth Peterson Systems. Highly recommended for va. smokers. Pack it light and go slow,as you should w/Va.s. Will get some more at this year's CORPS Show. Burns down to a nice ash. Don't dump it from sight,tamp lightly and re-light..thats when it really gets excellent, just when you think it's done. Going back to my Va. pipes with this one!
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BrSpiritus	12/15/2009	Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I decided to hold off reviewing this blend until I had smoked more of the tin. Now that almost all of it is gone I feel qualified to give a proper opinon. First off let me say that in the main I really am not a fan of Canvendish tobaccos but this one really opened my eyes to how good cavendish can be. Subtly sweet, mild and flavourful without the mailed fist taste of my preferred english blends. For me this tobacco is a diversion but a welcome one. I found myself taking it along to smoke on a day at the beach and a boat trip I took with friends. It's really a great no-nonsense tobacco that is easy to prepare (if not a little messy), lights well and stays puffing for a good long while. I have a 1935 Wally Frank Tidewater pipe dedicated to this blend and find myself smoking it about 4 times a week. Give it a go and you won't be dissapointed.
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RxMan	07/25/2009	Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant
If nothing else crumble cakes are fun, sometimes only to experiment with, leave as chunks, rub out, sprinkle on top, what to do? I always picture myself sailing on a schooner in the middle of the Atlantic,(salt water enhances the taste and adventure), while smoking this marvelous blend. My tin arrived as I like to say "ready to load". I broke off chunks and rubbed out a little, packed pipe, sprinkled a little dust on top and sailed away. Some might call this "monochromic", whatever that means pertaining to tobacco, but really is a long lasting taste of smooth Virginias working together for a pleasurable, non-biting, subdued sweet taste of fine Virginias, just like the old days. As a break, sometimes daily, from English and VaPers, the experience of a true Navy cavendish is well worth the time. Truly enjoyable.
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Big Nick	12/29/2008	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant
Some say it arives too wet, some say it arives too dry. Both are problems that can easily be corrected. Be patient and dry out or humidify. IMHO most aromatics or booz infused blends seem to burn better, taste better, and have minimal tongue bite when smoked on the dryer side, still pliable but not crunchy. My tin arived with the standard two chunks of crumble cake, perfect moisture and crumbled apart easily. Loaded easily and lit up very easily, in fact it started a little fire on top. I guess some Rum had burned off. Funny thing though, I never got any aromatic scense or flavor of Rum. There was an obvious added flavor of sweetness, but nothing like the tin note implies "soaked in premium Rum for seven days". All of that being said, This stuff is good ! Nice Virginia flavor with a little something extra. Not overly sweet, very pleasant and approachable. Meaning no tongue bite ! Steady from start to finish and burned nicely to the bottom of the bowl. Not very complex, but tasty from start to finish.
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Croaker	08/03/2008	Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable
Blockade Runner comes as pressed blocks of tobacco. One...well... crumbles a portion of the crumble cake before stuffing and lighting. This tobacco required too much attention to stay lit. And I?ve never been able to get it reduced to white ash. While it never bit my tongue, Blockade Runner never really developed either. The room note and the nicotine were neither strong nor weak. The rum flavor is subtle and only hints at combining flavors with the Virginian throughout the bowl. The Virginian?s flavor is not very robust. I like most C&D blends and I wanted to like Blockade Runner. While this is not a terrible tobacco, even with my prejudice I can?t recommend Blockade Runner.
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zulujerk	08/03/2008	Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable
I've been struggling with this blend now for a couple of weeks, and despite at least half a dozen bowls, I just can't get it to work. I managed to come across a decently aged sample, dated to 2002, thinking this would be heaven. Unfortunately, I've had nothing but trouble. Many reviewers have noted that their cakes have come rather dry in the tin, which is normal with C&D blends. Despite six years of age, my tobacco was soaking wet, a bit understandable considering the tobacco was doused in rum. I tried foolishly to smoke several bowls, in pure agony as my tongue blistered in pain. Then I got smart and decided to break apart the cakes, rub them out completely, and leave the tin open for as long as necessary to crisp the tobacco. This took a couple of days. I was ready to enjoy my stoved Virginia goodness. I'm left with more burns and little to show for it. Blockade Runner just never materialized for me. The two stars are offered in respect for C&D's commitment to quality work. They certainly didn't cheap out on the ingredients, which is more than evident. In my book, Blockade Runner is a rare miss from the folks at Morganton. Happy smoking... Two of Four
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DoctorThoss	03/16/2008	Medium to Strong	Medium	Mild to Medium	Strong
I really like crumble cakes, and from an aesthetic perspective this is one of the nicest I've ever seen. It crumbles easily into your pipe, lights effortlessly and burns steadily while never growing hot. The Vas used are clearly top-notch, and I was pleased with the nicotine hit. But ... The flavoring used on this blend was literally nauseating to me, so much so that I tossed out the tin after four bowls. Others apparently like the taste and aroma, however,so I'm going to recommend this one for those smokers who want to try this style. I have no intention of ever smoking it again, but it's a home run insofar as burning characteristics, presentation, etc. are concerned.
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jmrtsus	03/01/2008	Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I really like this tobacco but it has some faults, as other reviewers have stated it arrives bone dry. Smoked like this it can burn hot and quick. I found that a few days in the humidor at 70% RH makes this a different smoke. Slower and cooler smoking and not as potent to my throat. Still has a wonderful Rum taste like a good Navy blend and typical C&D quality. I'm sure that arriving dry gives us more tobacco as opposed to the SG and MacB offerings that are too wet. I urge everone to buy a humidor, at the cost of 5-6 tins of tobacco they keep your tobacco at, in my opinion, the proper moisture level. I have one for my more aromatic blends and one for my "English blends" to keep them from mixing. Off of that soapbox and back to the tobacco, I like the rich tobacco flavor and as I am a Rum drinker I have found my match for a late night drink and smoke, Blockade Runner, 8 year old Rum and a Wessex bent.....Ahhhh, life is good.
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SirLoirn	12/07/2007	Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
Tin: Two pressed cakes wrapped in paper. Rather than repeat previous descriptions, imagine the appearance of a plug of chewing tobacco such as Days o Work, which is reviewed on this site. Of course, BR is not sticky or gummy like chew. It seemed to be at just the correct moisture level; mine had been shelved for nine months. BR has a sweet rum smell, sans the ethanol, which if I hadn't known it has rum, I would have likened it to a very sweet, fruit aroma, or sweetened dough. Packing & Lighting: 1/8" layers were pealed off the top and crumbled into medium-sized pieces. This process was as easy or easier than with any other cake. Lit easily with one match. Top: smoked outdoors, nondescript VA taste, the bowl itself a refreshingly sweet cream aroma. Middle: same, but with gurgle Bottom: one relight, the bottom being very sweet; a nicotine rush kicking in. A sweet fruit and cream taste, with a spicy effect. The bowl did not get hot at all. Moisture was left in the shank. Nicotine: strong Room Aroma: smoky fruit Overall: The bowl had a quite sweet cream smell, as was the taste at the bottom 1/3 of the smoke. Rather strong nicotine effect; almost could not finish the bowl due to the nicotine rush. The biggest detractor was that the bowl was left very dirty with a coating of char inside the bowl and took a lot of effort to clean my meerschaum. I am not aware of others experiencing this, so, maybe it's me. I have found subsequent bowls to be disappointing. The sweetness that developed, as the bowl progressed, just wasn't there. The strong nicotine effect remained. Perhaps the rum gunked up my meerschaum, but I've seen this char with subsequent C&D's. After a fews bowls, I am back to a sweet tobacco experience, and it remains heady in nicotine. 4 stars for the first bowl, maybe 2.9 thereafter.
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SMOKETSES	11/28/2007	Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant
Very nice, intense and clear smell from the rum, when you open the box. As long as you smoke, this smell declines. It causes a pleasant burn in your throat, similar to the BBQ sauce. Flake with very nice red, brown and black color, it smashes very easily and you can smoke him immediately without drying up. It is not heavy and makes a cool smoking. At the end of the bowl, there is no unpleasant, bitter flavor, as it happens with other tobaccos. It has a very nice perfume in the room. The first Navy Flake I have ever smoked. Date of packaging: 29/01/2007. Negative comment: He is more humid than I expected, in the end of the bowl and that is why, I will not give him 4 stars.
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jeepmedic1	07/26/2007	Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
An intriguing tobacco, the strong scent of rich rum burst from the tin on opening. I, too, found the two wrapped blocks, which were slightly oily to touch, and crumbled with a little effort. My initial sample was smoked in a clay churchwarden, mimicking the methods that those sailors would have used in days past. the reward was a full-bodied robust flavor, heady with rum notes and walnut taste. After a few days, the tobac was drier, the rum notes more muted, but the flavor as intense. An excellent late night smoke with a flagon of ale or stout, good in briar, but finishes wet at the end.
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SApipe	06/03/2007	Strong	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
The tobacco presentation is very attractive; two pressed bricks. Upon opening, the aroma was overpowering! It does not smell like rum to me....more of a musty aroma. It did not have any mold as previous reviewers encountered. I had to let this stuff air out x 2 days, after rubbing it all out, before I could smoke it (I tried a bowl fresh from the can and could not finish it). Once it had aired out, the topping (rum?) was much more bearable. Mine was stoved to almost black in color. I have to smoke it slowly and in small bowls due to the nicotine content. It lights easily and really billows the white smoke, but it just does not smell nor taste like rum. I cannot taste the virginia either. This tobacco tastes just like Samuel Gawith's 1792 flake (another heavily stoved to blackness tobacco) which is flavored with tonquin. Definitely not an all day smoke, but for a mid-day pick me up it will certainly do the trick. I'll give it 3-stars for the presentation of the bricks,the nicotine strength, & billowing smoke, but I was dissappointed that it lacked the sweet taste of rum &/or virginia. Update: 6/3/2007 I will have to downgrade this stuff to 2 stars only. I tried to smoke this a couple of more times and could not enjoy it....maybe I got a bad batch.
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Camus	11/23/2006	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant
Inside the can are two little bricks of tobacco, the smell is a little musty and faintly rum-like but not at all in a cased aromatic way, just like you poured real rum over your tobacco - not "rum essence." Grab the cutlass and slice off a few bits - go from the top and you are in for hard work, slice "with the grain" and you get, well, very "flakey" flakes. Looks like it's going to be damp but, no, it's just right. Here's where I went wrong. Put some in a smaller "flake pipe" fairly unrubbed. Smoked nicely but really "becalmed" - this just doesn't steam along like I wanted. Left in the dock for a while and forgotten about. Late one night I spy it from afar, slice it and rub it out fully. Fill a big freehand with walls thick enough to withstand any broadside. Ahhh clouds of sweet fragrant smoke, loads of sweetness and flavour, faint rum aroma. This is more like it - a fantastic change from both English and VA blends. Tends to be ashy at the last so beware of those final puffs. Great, of course, with a dram of your favourite rum.
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sasha	05/14/2006	Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
This blend is beautiful in the tin, but my expectations about it were greater. It crumbles and burns easily, but the taste left me puzzled: the rum taste is not so strong, and this can be good, but the Virginias are raw, toasted, almost bitter...In my opinion, this type of blend requires more refinement and sweetness. As always, however, here you can smoke a good quality leaf but it isn't one of my favourites.
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kilted1	01/14/2006	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
Thank you Craig and company for giving us one of the very few true Navy blends left on Earth. This has become a favorite of mine over the past several years and I've decided to review it at last. Appearance: A very attractive presentation awaits in a nice little cat food can. Pop the top and along with the satisfying ?whoosh? noise is a distinct blast of ripe Virginias and Rum. After a pause to get my eye patch, bandanna, parrot, wooden leg and other things ?Navy? I remove the little card tin insert, gently part the tissue paper and behold sometimes 2, sometimes 3 little loaves of tobacco. They are dense little ?crumble cakes? of delightful tobacco, very dry to the touch and aching to be crumbled into a waiting bowl. Mostly dark brown with a slight mottling of tans and reds. Tin aroma: The first thing that is apparent when opening a tin of Blockade Runner is mature Virginias and Rum. Tangy and rich, almost like what happens when one smells a good BBQ sauce, but neither tasting or smelling anything LIKE BBQ. It just gets you in that ?spot? in the throat, and starts your mouth watering in anticipation. If anything, this tobacco arrives dry, although when flame is applied it rapidly re-hydrates to a perfect moisture content. As peeling flakes off for insertion is next to impossible, I just tear off little chunks and rub them out roughly and pack my bowl using the 3 layered method, once like a baby, once like a lady and finally like a gentleman. For this review, I?ve chosen a Peterson POTY 2002 Rhodesian which is used for flavored tobacco mixtures. I've pre-smoked several bowls over the course of a week on Blockade Runner in this pipe in preparation for this review. A one match light is brings billows of rich white smoke, followed with a brief visit of the tamper. The Rum is immediately there and while a bit tangy at first becomes a nice compliment to the fine quality leaf underneath. Flavors Rum and Red Virginia are dominant throughout, the Golden VA's rounding out the edges and corners so to speak. Mid Bowl: Approaching mid-bowl, the fullness tends to build and while I wouldn?t call this mixture particularly complex, the Rum gradually fades completely into the background but never leave the scene. The Virginias build in depth and character there is also a very subtle sweetness just in the back ground. A nice slightly spicy stewed fruit maturity of Red Virginias is the main statement and is persistent throughout. There seems to be a high sugar content to this blend, but it does not come off candy sweet as so many others do. One should bear this in mind while smoking, as it can become hot if puffed to rapidly and tend toward tongue bite, though that's never been an issue for me. I find myself relaxing ever more deeply into my stuffed chair, smiles widening across my face. Home Stretch: As end of the bowl approaches, I find that it becomes more intense though never overpoweringly so. The palate is not very complex, it is however very rich and satisfying. The tangy quartet of Red and Golden VA's presented in a true Navy Cavendish style complimented by Dark Rum is fascinating and a strictly adult taste sensation. Unlike most ?Navy? blends these days, this one delivers the goods in grand style. One day, I'm going to have to smoke this blend over salt water, I've smoked it on boats over fresh water, but I'm assuming the briny air will complete the adventure. Not that I've served on a 1700's or 1800's American Navy vessel (that I'm aware of) this homespun product is exactly what I call to mind when reading what those men smoked. Supplemental Notes: This is a regular part of my rotation as something reached for when mature adult pleasures are craved. **** 4 full stars
Showing reviews 1 through 20 of 34 reviews of this tobacco NEXT >