Cornell & Diehl - Pennington Gap pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
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tbone	03/28/2007	Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant
I really like this. Smells great in the tin and in the rooms. Fairly consistent burn but it does tend to smoke a bit wet for me. I have taken to smoking it in a smallish Savinelli with the balsa filter and that's helped with the moisture. I stopped just short of "highly recommended" because I tend to cotton mouth when I smoke it. I thought it might go away after a while but I've burned through a couple of ounces and it still gets me unless I smoke it real slow (something I'm not good at). I'll definately buy more of this.
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Lytton	02/24/2007	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant
C&D best mixture I tried till now. More complex then "regular" aromatics. This is the 1st tobacco I tried that gives aroma while smoking better then when smelled in the tin. Not strong, mild, doesn't bite. One annoying thing though: a little itchy in the throat, I gave it evantually 3 stars because of that irritation.
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Puff Daddy	02/03/2007	Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
This is a pretty interesting blend. Sir Craig has done this well. On opening, the tin aroma is amazing, and when you pinch a bunch of the cubed cut, it almost feels wet. I lay it out on a piece of waxed paper, and an hour later, it hasn't seemed to dry out much at all! I s'pose the lesson here is that this just isn't cased, it's drenched! And yet, it lights fairly well, and stays lit a lot better than I'd have thought. This is one of those occasional aromatics for those who don't usually favor them. Not at all an all-day blend for me, but it's a nice change of pace every so often. Not a bad biter for an aromatic either. It's just a neat, sweet-ish blend that isn't at all cloying. I'm surprised by some of you guys on your descriptions of the room note. I think it's outstanding. Just enough perique to pique your interest, and the black cav mellows out the burley. This is pretty neat stuff. Three stars.
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emmbee	02/02/2007	Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant
Just as KFC claims to do chicken right, C & D knows how to mix bourbon whiskey in its pipe blend without overpowering. I generally hate booze and tobacco blends, as I?ve stated in other reviews. They?re exotic gimmicks, and you can?t taste the tobacco or the booze because they both tend to compete with rather than compliment each other. PG gets it right, and quite perfectly. This is a classic American cube cut burley without any bite and a grand whiskey, almost maple flavor. The Perique is evident though not overwhelming. It reminds me a little of the style of Canal Boat, though PG is much more interesting. Unlike Wilke?s Nut Brown Burley, which hurts my tongue, I never have this problem with PG. It?s a long smoke, perfect after dinner; cool, even burning and delightful. Even if you don?t like aromatics, you?d have difficulty not enjoying this one. More great quality from C & D right down to the tin art. Four of five stars ------------------- update 2006 ------------------- Still great, though give it a few days to dry out. The pebble cut makes it sticky and wet, and the true tastes will not be fully revealed to you. At first shot, I thought Tarler was putting in that same crap he uses to poison the newly revised Strathspey. However, after a few days it got good again, and this is one I'll want to try several more tins before reaching a definitive consensus. Four and a quarter of five stars ---------------------------------- Update 2007 ---------------------------------- Unlike Strathspey and other C & Ds, PG actually improved tremendously. Sometimes Craig Tarler decides to add rather than subtract from his blends. As other reviewers here have observed, C & D is not consistent in their blending style or quality control. In this case, Craig must've been hittin' the moonshine a little heavier one night and actually introduced a more generous dram of Kentucky bourbon into the mix. The result is a heavenly hash of flavors and genuinely earthy aromas. This is currently my favorite burley/perique blend; stuff to smoke all day. Please Mr. Tarler, don't change perfection, you've already achieved it. Five of five stars
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traveler	11/19/2006	Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
Very similar to Barbary Coast but fuller, with greater body. Pennington Gap has a "stewed fruit" quality, a little less nuttiness and, I think, a little less of Perique's tang. The difference is essentially a matter of style-- both are among the best Burley's around. If you like one, you simply have to try the other. Pennington Gap is my personal favorite... by a nose.
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The Unknown Piper	07/23/2006	Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

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thedstnguishdgntlmn	07/06/2006	Medium	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant
INTOXICATING!!!When you need a change from Latakia this is the blend to turn to.A very enchanting blend,full of aroma and taste. The Bourbon is pleasant and actually quite sweet.Sweet-not cloying! If you like Canal Boat, which contains Latakia I think you will be impressed by its Perique-Bourbon cousin-Pennington Gap.It actually does have a bannana pudding smell to it! 4 of 4 stars!
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Talonr1701	01/01/2006	Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
After Haunted Bookshop, I almost swore off burleys...Being a new Pipe smoker and perhaps not having the knowledge or experience I am acquiring. So I tried Pennington Gap with some hesitation- I was soo pleasantly surprised. Opening the can you get a great smell of Figs or raisins- a nice sweet smell. Also you can detect very faintly in the background the smell of the boubon topping. Lighting up, after the charring light, there is a wonderful full smokey sweet taste and some great spicy perique finish as you finish your exhale. I can't do it justice in words. Its a great sitting on your porch smoke Or taking a long drive. But not what I would take on a work break. It a slow burner due to the cubed burley, I would put aside some time.
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Railroader	10/19/2005	Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Tolerable
Man, I had high hopes when I ordered this stuff....I couldn't wait for it to get to me. I opened the tin, took a sniff, and thought I was in for the bourbon tobacco experience of a lifetime..... What a letdown! All I got a taste of was the Burley, and Granger does Burley better. At about 1/4 the price. 'Nuff said.
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Collezionista	10/07/2005	Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant
Something about topped cube-cut burley blends doesnt agree with my palate. They simply taste like slightly sour hot air to me. While I can recognize that this is a good blend, it simply doesnt do it for me. Still, its a well made natural aromatic and I would recommend it to those looking for such a tobacco.
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bobspipe	08/05/2005	Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant
On the quest for some lighter aromatics (partially to avoid stinking up the house in the winter), I stopped at this one. Not as complex to me as Barbary coast (BC is for when I want to take the time to appreciate it) but as others have pointed out, similar. Now I find myself reaching for it when I think I want something sweet, and am always surprised to remember that great tobacco taste. Great blending -- topping is just right, and perique just enough to make me think that maybe I really don't dislike perique after all. a change of pace that's easy to like.
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Briarabbit	07/01/2005	Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant
Opening the tin I expected to smell that usual "whisky" flavor standing way above the rest.I did not. What I smelled was IMO,smelled like....(don't laugh)...Banana Pudding. I just happen to love Banana pudding though,so thats a good thing. I pulled the paper cover off the tin(which was before the blessed 8oz tin), and had a peek at the weed. RICH DEEP BURLEY CUBED THE BEST I EVER DID SAY I SAID, and PERIQUE,lawdy mercy,that good ol tobacco from down the road,so good and so right. Beautiful chunks with BLACK CAVENDISH mixed in. This is one of the most premium tobaccos of the whole damn wide world. It packed well and surprized me when it lit so well and stayed that way. The taste is again one of those lucious burley nutty warm/cool smokes. The bourbon is just right and plays softly in the background,disapearing and high-lighting the wonderful rich leaf. The Louisanna leaf has that stewed fruit taste,and it all goes together so well. True tobacco taste. An excellent tobacco blend from an excellent tobacco blender,Brother Craig Tarler. A+++++ update; Hey listen up here,you ever been to the fair? You know how ever thing cooking smells so nice and you wanna eat everything but the wife says you gonna get so damn fat and you eat it anyway? Well,thats how this tobacco is,it tastes like a dedgum carnival! TRAVEL east down to the carnival and taste this delicious tobacco.
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DUPE.1512	06/25/2005	Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
Now here is a blend perfect for relaxing with in the recliner or outside on the patio after a satifying meal. Add a cup of cofee or a glass of Iced tea and the experience can be sublime.
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Rusty	06/19/2005	Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant
I bought a tin of this blend based on its description, looking for a suitable blend for a dessert smoke. I was not in any way disappointed. Opening the tin brought forth a delicious aroma imparted by the bourbon, just a little candy-like, with a decided hint of alcohol. The cut is very chunky, a style that for me took some getting used to. That accomplished, I found it to be a cool, sweet, nutty smoke that completely satisfied my expectations, and with a pleasant room aroma to boot. Although too sweet for me to use as a frequent or everyday smoke, Pennington Gap is a superb blend for relaxing with after a meal, with a good cup of tea or coffee. Delightful.
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smokey	02/19/2005	Medium	Mild	Extra Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
what a lovely piece of work craig tarler has done on this one! the bourbon topdressing can definitely be detected in the pouch aroma, with some minor fruit overtones in the background. the blend is mostly dark brown and black in coloration, with both cube cut burley and black cavendish in abundance. the real treat begins when match is touched to weed. the first flavor is a sweetness similar to a fine red Virginia, even though none is listed in the ingredients. apparently it's the bourbon working with the burley to create a different and delicious treat for the taste buds. perique is also listed, although i really don't seem to be able to detect it. maybe it's also working its' magic in concert with the bourbon. like any burley, the real key to enjoyment is to smoke slowly at moments of relaxation and contemplation. i wouldn't pick this as a tobacco to puff while mowing the yard; it would be too easy to rush the burn and ruin the experience. i'm a big fan of smoking burley blends in cob pipes. as i write this, some morley's best (another great C&D tobac) is tickling my tastebuds in a medium sized cob. speaking of which, sometimes i think we in the pipe community can get a bit too hung up on high grade pipes and expensive tinned blends. i've had many a good smoke with cobs and prince albert or half and half. sorry to get off the subject a bit; back to Pennington Gap. this is an EXCELLENT blend with a good room note. if you are any kind of burley fan, you MUST try it. will i be buying more tins? probably not; craig has been courteous enough to make it (and his other tinned blends) available in bulk. if i make it to the KC pipe show, at least one bag will be coming home with me, to be squirreled away in the cellar. can't wait to see what this one is like with some aging! bravo, craig!!
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Spike	12/14/2004	Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable
A very nice surpise! As close to an ideal Aromatic for non-Aromatic smokers as I have tried. The only drawback is the room note is rather strong. Not bad, just strong. A very nice change of pace when I don't have time to load and smoke a flake-type tobacco. I would not have recognized the Burley component as such. It is very smooth and gives the blend some strength without any trace of bitterness. Highly recommended and very tasty too!
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Tiger	11/07/2004	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
Pennington Gap is an interesting smoke and well worth a try, if only as a change-of-pace smoke. Like a few others, I didn't think the ingredients would suit me too well but, like the reviewer "Pipestud" I was pleasantly surprised by this blend. To me, Perique is nicer in smallish doses and PG fits that description well. Also, the very fine cut and excellent light/burn characteristics make this especially nice in pipes with smaller bowls, like the 3 or 4 Stanwell "Sixtus" pipes I have. In a Sixtus #211 or #212 this gets me almost exactly from my driveway to my parking place at work with a nice, easy "wake-up" smoke and, for that talent, I'll gladly recommend trying it and give it three solid stars. Tiger
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Esoxhunter	10/03/2004	Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
September 2004 This is the first aromatic tobacco I've smoked whose tin aroma actually translates into the same intensity of flavor on the palate. It's not the same flavor, necessarily, but the sweetness of this blend really comes through. The tin says there is some Perique, but I didn't taste it much. I like the cube cut, which resulted in a nice even burn and required very few relights. I'd have rated it higher but for the relatively mild flavor which doesn't take into account my abused taste buds. Good stuff, though.
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Beer	09/03/2004	Medium to Strong	Strong	Mild	Tolerable
Sometimes my taste seems to differ radically from that of some esteemed ASPers... I truly hated this tobacco! I was expecting something similar to Barbary Coast (cubed burley, booze topping, perique...), but how wrong I was! The tin aroma is something to die for: like bananas doused in good bourbon... very sweet, strongly alcoholic. I have never smelled so much alcohol in a tobacco! This, together with the high wetness of the tobacco and the presence of cavendish, made my mouth drool but also my brain to worry a bit. After all, Barbary Coast is much subtler when you first approach it by sniffing the opened tin. It was so moist that the paper in the tin was all heavily stained! Quite weird for a C&D product, maybe they messed up this batch? Anyway, the tobacco seemed to take fine to the light and burn well. Actually, in spite of the wetness and the alcohol, the burning rate was slow and regular, producing a cool smoke. But then where's the problem? The problem lies in taste: I find it watery, uninteresting, unsurprising. The burley is never as nutty as in Barbary Coast or other C&D blends, it just tastes like hot air. You can't even feel much of the alcoholic scent that is so evident in the tin! It's just a weak, "empty" smoke (maybe due to the Cavendish?), with some of the heavy notes which are so typical of Perique (and I don't like too much Perique!) and some hints of sweetness. Boring!
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Big Guy	07/25/2004	Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
Very nuce stuff. Hints of bourbon with a touch of perique complement the burley. This was a little dry, but then I have decided that this is the way all C&D products come or they dry Colorado atmosphere gets through the tin seal. I add a few drops of water. Burns easily and cleanly. Yum!!!
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