Cornell & Diehl - Safe Harbor Flake pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
< PREVIOUS Showing reviews 21 through 34 of 34 reviews of this tobacco
Pipestud	08/31/2007	Very Mild	Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant
I have decided to give Safe Harbor Flake a two star rating simply because it is too limp wristed to get me excited. I appreciated the delicate addition of whatever casing was added but sure would have liked more strength. I will certainly smoke the entire contents of the tin and order more. But, I cannot fully recommend this blend to anyone looking for an alternative to the original Edgeworth Slices or any other Burley based blend that packs some punch. Others here have perfectly described the visuals once the tin is opened (and by the way, mine held its water beautifully - is that a good thing?) I've smoked many a C&D blend over the years and Safe Harbor Flake wins the wet award. I have been on a Burley binge of late and believe I'll now take Stan's advice (first review of this blend) and try Wessex Burley Slice in the hopes that my palate will get slapped around a little bit.
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miracleman83	08/30/2007	Medium	Strong	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
Yuck! I though I was buying a burly flake not an aromatic!!! This was false advertising. Nowhere on the tin description or website did C&D disclose that there was a flavoring added to Safe Harbor Flake. I have since heard it was a liquor of some kind, but who knows. There is no burly taste that I can detect. Also, this is the first blend that I actually had to dry to smoke. I smoked it wet at first, it was awful, so I dried it. Dried a bit, it was more burnable, but still not smokable. I am painfully working my way to the end of the tin and cannot wait to toss the finished tin and never look back. If looking for burly, pass this up. If looking for an aro, you might want to consider this.
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fourshephards	08/11/2007	Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
Safe Harbor has everything that one could look for in a Burley based tobacco. The burn is even and complete, leaving no dottle or gunk in your pipe. The flavor is like a good burley - deep and cocoa-like and the aroma is not so strong that it chases the dog away. I have found that SHF is my new "go to" burley tobacco. It is comforting, in that burley/comfort food sort of way. If you are not a fan of burley tobacco, then this will probably not become a favorite for you. If you, like I, enjoy a nice and uncomplicated smoke that is rich and satisfying, then you might like Safe Harbor. Jay
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Darwin	08/04/2007	Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable
After reading some of the reviews here, I tried a second tin to be sure I didn't get an anomaly. It appears I did not. This is the worst effort I've tried from the good folks at C&D. I love many of their blends, with Haunted Bookshop being in my top 5. Maybe my negative opinion is due to high hopes for a burley flake from C&D, but I don't think so. I tried to like this blend, I really did. I simply could not find anything positive. First, it is not a flake by any stretch of the imagination. I love Craig and C&D tobaccos, but this is not a flake. It falls apart immediately and soon turns to unsmokable dust. Finally, it comes far too wet and trying to dry it results in the topping evaporating leaving you with a bitter, dusty mess. I simply cannot imagine what some of the reviewers here could be thinking to compare this to other quality burley flakes like Edgeworth Slices, Wessex Burley Slice, or Solani Aged Burley Flake.
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ChicagoPipe	05/22/2007	Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant
Update: After smoking my 2 oz. can, I'm taking off one star due to the fact that after a couple of weeks, the flavor wore off and the tobacco became a little bitter. Also, the flakes fall apart and looks more like a broken flake mixture. After smoking Samual Gawith flakes and Orlik's Dark Strong KY, I have to rate these tobaccos higher. I know this is C&D's first try at flakes, but I think they need to work on their process a little more. I tried some of their new flakes at the Chicago Pipe Show and will review soom. I smoked Edgeworth Slices over 30 years ago when it was made by the House of Edgworth. I also smoke the UK version of Edgeworth Slices. IMOP Safe Harbor Flake is as good if not better than Edgworth. I had to re-read the past three reviews to make sure I had the same tobacco. My flakes, which were one month old, arrived with a nice moisture level. I opened the can for 45 min. before I smoked. The flakes burned cool, down to a dry ash with two lights. This is an excellent burley with a light topping of what I think is molasses. This topping does not over power the tobacco flavor of this blend like a aromatic, but stays in the background. If you looking for a high end burley blend, this is it. Highly Recommended
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ajaj	04/17/2007	Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I am a huge fan of C&D's virginia's and vapers enjoy the occasional virginia/burley mix. Safe Harbor Flake (SHF) is all burley and I rarely smoke all-burley blends; the closest is GLP's Barbary Coast. I was not taken by SHF, unfortunately, as the natural topping (I believe, rum) and the burley produced an odd taste in my mouth as I smoked. This is odd since I enjoy C&D's Blockage Runner and GLP's Haddos Delight. About mid-bowl, the flavor got harsh and non-descript and never recovered. The tobaccos are top quality and the flake, or at least, the crumble flake, presentation was wonderful. For me, a boring blend. aj
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NapaWineLover	03/30/2007	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant
First off, I have to echo another reviewer ... the moment I lit up I knew I was going to enjoy more of this tobacco. That being said one must have to consider this tobacco like a very young Cabernet with great flavor that will only get better. This Burley seems to me to be a wonderfully aged Burley in a brand-new recipe. That being said it could use a little settling down. My tin was much the same as some of the reviewers that were not impressed, except my approach was a little different. This was very moist - anyone lighting this up with no drying time or even a little drying time was going to find that SHF would be the equivalent of a putting a steam nozzle in one's mouth. My option was to let it air dry a bit in my dedicated wooden bowl, and then sip it as a temperamental VA but pack it lightly. Like many ... I was going to smoke this without further postponement - ready or not. As I suspected, on subsequent occasions (many), SHF has gone beyond expectations. This is a mildish - medium kind of blend ... but there is a velvet hammer in the pouch. It actually moves to the medium category by mid-bowl in both flavor and strength. I suspect ... that this journey will be even shorter with some aging and some open tin time (typically about one month before smoking - opened then sealed with the plastic top after about an hour). However, I have been unable to accomplish this because I am a hog. I'm buying more today so I can report back with the findings. My rotation has a lot of Rattray's blends because I find them very appealing in the Oriental blending and their Red VA's. However, C&D rules the world in Burleys and among ALL tobaccos I have smoked, this is one of the most magnificent, ever. The flavoring is extremely mild and seems to have more to do with tying things together. Compared to University Flake - this flavoring is non-existent, however the Burley flavor is by far the best. It's tame - not harsh. Despite the moisture (it was so moist the flakes fell apart when I removed the paper) I couldn't stop smoking it. Mildly nutty, sweet and I dare say ... not boring at all. I'm glad that I have developed a taste for straight Burley and Burley blends or I would have missed out on this. This would have received 4 stars, but to be fair to my Piping Brothers - there is a lot of aging and drying (well more than expected) and it seems as though while the blend was impeccably created - it was rushed out the door ... I attribute the scattered poor reviews to similar observations. It can be quite frustrating if you're not in love. Cheers, VC
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Taste Buds	02/20/2007	Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant
This tobacco was unsmokable out of the tin. It needs a lot of drying and then the fun begins. This wonderful fully rubbed burley flake is delicious from start to reluctant finish. It burns completely to a fine white ash. The casing, which tastes like molasses to me, lasts throughout the bowl and eliminates any roughness or bitterness. The quality of the burley is far beyond anything used in the original, in any of it's incarnations. It burns cool and sweet; leaving you longing for another bowl. My first C&D four star rating and richly deserved. Update: I did it again. My initial 4 star rating was premature. After a couple more bowls of this tasty blend, my taste buds have changed their tune. In all fairness to those blends which have stood the test of time and earned 4 stars, I must downgrade this one to 3. My original infatuation with the molasses casing is no more. My sweet tooth has been satisfied for now.
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Group 4	02/08/2007	Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I just bought a 2 ounce tin of Safe Harbor and during the first few minutes into the first bowl, I knew I was going to buy more. I've read other people's opinions on this blend and don't taste the molasses/vanilla sweetness that others mention. There is a slight sweet/sour component which hovers in the background, adding some complexity to what is basically a very round, gentle burley. Though it's advertised as a flake (and comes in a sliced cake) it breaks off into a irregular pebble cut. Some have commented that their tins were too wet to smoke right away. And while I'll agree there's a little more moisture in this one than many C&D blends, mine smoked beautifully without any drying out. Just make sure you don't pack the pipe too tightly, leave some air between layers. No bite and little alkalinity with this blend, so I can load up another pipe right away; but I find it pretty satisfying so rarely do. I give this 4 out of 4 stars. A solid winner.
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Mr. Dottle	02/01/2007	Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
In short, this is a great burley! Previous reviewers have likened the subtle flavor from eggnog, vanilla, licorice, brown sugar to molasses. The flavoring is hard to pinpoint but I will agree with a molasses / brown sugar taste. I also tasted wisps of cocoa and chocolate. Regardless, the taste is why you perceive and if you perceive a taste you like, you will like this blend. The flavoring is not overpowering or overly sweet and it dissipated somewhat as I progressed down the bowl into a truer, cleaner, honest burley smoke. The tobacco is very moist and comes wrapped in a ball of thin, white paper. To quickly get it in a more smokeable condition, I spread the tobacco out in a plastic mixing bowl and placed it directly under a hinged 75 watt lamp for 5 minutes + -. This isn?t a true flake????yet. It is more of a broken flake for the time being. But as Craig Tarler mentioned in a recent ASP post, flakes are difficult to produce and blenders, unlike pipe smokers themselves, are loath to share their methods, secrets, tips and tricks with each other. Quoting Craig, in part, from his post: ?SH has some rough cut burley and that's causing the flakes to break up. We will correct this. Please bear with us until we get the fix. FWIW, flake is extremely difficult to make and "Gimbels doesn't tell Macy's" when it comes to getting information.? The old maxim says ?A high tide floats all boats? but I have no doubt that Safe Harbor Flake will ?float YOUR boat,? ????even at low tide! ?Harbor? some of this flake in your cellar! Good stuff! Hats off to Craig and, if he had any hand in it, hats off to Bob 'The Polish Tobacco Prince? Runowski as well! A cigarette is to be smoked. A cigar is to be enjoyed. A pipe is to be savored. I rate this blend 9.8 out of 10.
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NEWMAN	01/21/2007	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I was surprised again when I opened the tin based on the cut description in the header for this blend . I don't consider what I received a flake but rather a cube cut and don't know if the blend is offered in multiple types. As a flake, I'd probably rate it ****. The rather moist tobacco is hand wrapped in a small bundle of white paper that makes packing difficult if done directly from the tin. However, overall an effortless smoke results. Smokes evenly, cool and dry without any hint of bite and with a mild, enjoyable, nutty flavor. If you enjoy burleys, give this one a try.
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thedstnguishdgntlmn	12/28/2006	Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
This is a classic American Burley Blend! What else can be said? A no -nonsense, straight forward, simple Burley blend. If you like The C&D cube cut burley blends, this will be a nice change of pace, while still remaining in the same vein. Cool smoking with a Vanilla/ Nut flavoring gently applied - a real Winner. !
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Stan	12/09/2006	Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant
This is a good all day smoke. I just scoup us some broken fibers and drop them in the bowl with a light tap. It seems closer to the recently demised European version of Edgeworth Slices than does Wessex's (which is sweeter like the Richmond original, but still full sized flakes), but this is a broken to fully rubbed flake and on the lighter side than Edgeworth. Neverthless, whether a dab of licorice or brown sugar passed over the flake, this is a little bit of extra fragrance added to accompany the white burley base. Pleasant, nutty, and light. Mild as May aroma and taste. Cool and dry but don't puff too fast, as flavor is light and will be lost. Better than the protype previously offered by C&D which was grandular and burned too fast IMO. Higly recommended for nostalgia and as an excellent all day smoke. Mild as May. I dig it but if you want fuller, try some estate Edgeworth or go to Wessex.
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Talonr1701	12/09/2006	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
This is my favorite of the Harbor collection. Bob Runowski and Craig Tarler have faithfully resurected a flavor from the past and made its current incarnation obsolete. Tried this both as a broken flake and flake form. The flake form was more enjoyable, if for nothing else, the flavors blended together more succesfully. From start to finish a wonderfull burley flake with the spice that was so characteristic of a once proud blend. Amazing what those two gentlemen can do when they get together with some quality leaf. Whats an Edge worth? Not as much as a Safe Harbor....
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