Cornell & Diehl Carolina Red Flake

2020 Tin so won’t comment on other years release. I’m primarily a Virginia and Va/Per smoker but do enjoy a nice Oriental forward English also. Tin note for me is primarily cut grass, dry hay. A very slight earthiness and no sense of raisins, figs or other such notes. Moisture level was actually a bit on the dry side. It smokes dry and as such slightly fast burning. There is a some very good Virginia sweetness when smoked and that aged earthiness we all expect from a good red leaf. A very decent pepper tingle on retro-hale. A solid slightly sour earth note is detected if smoked gently. Midway through bowl and strength increases considerably. I noticed no bite. To summarize, this is a very good red Virginia tobacco and one that is worth cellaring for awhile. I can only guess that with some age it will improve even more.

I just returned to the pipe after a 12+ year hiatus.

Historically, I avoided Virginia tobacco as it seemed to have clashed with my system. I'm from the Burley camp and love Burley, Balkan's and Oriental blends.

I have always been a fan of C&D blends and so after acquiring some of my old favorites (Big N' Burley, Byzantium, Valle Crucis, Pasha's Dream) I came across a youtube video with Jeremy Reeves on this tobacco. Add to it an advert from smokingpipes on this and I bought a tin. It arrived, I opened it up, popped it into the pipe I had also purchased and it was love at first char.

This is a gentle Virginia, full of all kinds of subtle flavors (quite the contrast to my stronger flavor musings) that is now a benchmark tobacco for me. In fact, after completing the bowl (half bowl that I sipped and, at times, feasted, I immediately ordered 3 more tins for storage.

I find this delightful, delicious, rich, savory, sweet and I want to yell out from the mountain tops that I just had an amazing experience with it.

I could bathe in this one. My God, is it ever delicious.

I'm looking forward to many bowls of this one...

Flavors that came up included whispered memories of one of my old time faves: J.F. Germain Brown Flake (the most sublime hints of the VA in that blend; sweet caramel and coco, oak and pine and sweet hay.

There was no bite, my tongue is dancing as I write...rich, creamy mouth feel, delicious smoke and room note (I was on the patio here in Idaho).

This of course was the maiden voyage of both the marriage of this tobacco and a pipe that was purchased for this specific tobacco. It was a very happy honeymoon indeed.

I'll add more as time passes. However, for right now, this year's batch is one of the best things to come out of 2020.

Enjoy!

Very nice red VA flake. Similar to McClelland 40th Anniversary but a little rough around the edges. This will be a fine smoke indeed with a bit of age on it!

Tin Note - The traditional Virginia sweetness of hay hits you right away and does not end.

Moisture Content - Perfect out of the tin. No need to dry.

Visual Note - Red flake with light brown spots mixed throughout. I would compare the color overall to a brick red color.

Smoke - Medium smoke with a pleasent room note. The hay sweetness is very prominent. Makes for a really enjoyable smoke. I got some spice from it in the back of my throat. It was pleasent and I am not a big fan of VaPers. I also got dried, dark fruit tastes. My brain went to a dark cherry flavor. It was not overpowering and lingured on the tongue between draws.

TL:DR - Great medium, sweet smoke with a little spice and dark fruit flavors.

This is about a fresh tin, produced in September 2021.

The appearance is fluffy strips of flake, easily diverging into individual fibers. The color is a uniform yellowish-brown shade of fresh foliage. There is no dust and no excessive moisture. The tobacco has the same consistency as Opening Night, just made for being puffed and smoked.

The aroma of the tobacco is wheat bread on freshly dried hay, tinged with the smell of sweet strong white wine and figs. It is somewhat more complex than the Opening Night flavor, which is not surprising - there are clearly more different varieties of Virginia. None of the notes of the flavor bouquet are knocked out or intensified, even if you sniff for a long time - only an almost imperceptible smell of white pepper appears. The tobacco smells deceptively sweet.

The initial taste is quite relaxed, baked bread with a slight note of bitter chocolate. The tobacco is initially rough on the palate, but not harsh, not biting. Also, this roughness quickly comes to naught while smoking. The flavor changes slightly toward the bitterness, adding to tobacco woody notes and replacing the bitterness of chocolate by about half a pipe, after which from the chocolate is left only a slight note in the smell of smoke. The tobacco is smoked cool enough, does not overheat the pipe, burns slowly, leaving a light gray fine ash. The strength of the tobacco is below average - I smoked two pipes in a row without feeling the nicotine hit. When smoking, the tobacco is moist - the moisture remains not only in the cup, but also in the mouthpiece. The tobacco has quite a characteristic caramel-malt aftertaste - as if you tasted a glass of red ale with your tongue - and this is markedly different from Opening Night.

The smoke is light, with a woody, grassy smell and the already mentioned note of bitter chocolate. Not irritating, quickly wears off.

Bottom line: an interesting Virginia blend that is definitely worth a try. It's a little less sweet than the Opening Night I tried earlier from the same producer, but the difference in flavor would be noticeable if you smoke them one after the other. The blends differ in smell and taste, and the aftertaste is different. However, they both have in common that they need to ripen for three or four years to gain more sweetness and smoothness. However, in my opinion, even fresh, this tobacco is more interesting than Opening Night.

My tin has the number 06716 out of a total of 10,000.

I will go against my interests recommending it, because it is not easy to get. I had already been hooked on the third pipe that I smoked of this tobacco, to the point that I have been smoking two pipes a day almost every day, thanks also to its smoothness and the ease with which it is smoked.

When you open the tin, you can see an aroma of bread and hay with a vinegary touch (I have not detected the Korean red pepper (Gochugaru) that some user talks about, but I take my hat off to him (!?). a flake cut is advertised, in my tin I found a broken flake, probably due to the transfer of the tobacco. The humidity is perfect for charging directly from the tin. It burns exceptionally well and does not bite at all. The taste is mild and predominantly sweet, but not as much as the 8.33% sugar content advertised in 2020 tin seems to suggest. It has a very, very nice aftertaste exhale.

Beyond being a "limited edition" and the suggestions that this may entail, it is a very rich tobacco. I'm sorry I got a single tin to test it out, but I hope to get more when there is another release.

It looks like this is out again (April 2020) as I was able to get a tin that is labeled from September 2019 at my local tobacconist. Great subtle sweet flavor and so easy to smoke. This tobacco stays lit with little effort yet didn't get too hot and no issues with smoking it. I really like the subtle date/dried fruit flavors along with a hint of old hay and other rich flavors.

Fantastic tobacco! Red Virginia's are by far my favorite so any time I come across a new version of this wonderful leaf its a must I give it a try. Like the description states, lots of sweet, tang, citrus, grass, and some bread going on here. There is nothing too crazy going on here, it's just a great straight Virginia. It comes in the form of broken flake which I prefer, it just makes things easier when time comes to rub it out. Right out of the tin the moisture was perfect, no drying time needed at all. I picked up mostly earthy notes with some dried fruit and grass. I could smoke this all day long as it's right around the medium mark in strength. This give a nice cool smoke and burns down to ash, it won't bite but in my opinion should be smoked slowly and really enjoyed. This is a special crop and from what I've heard outside of the 2019 offering will not come about again. If you enjoy red Virginia's and can find some at a decent price, this is a must try plus it will age wonderfully!!

C & D, Carolina Red Flake: The best red Virginia flake currently on the market

The tobacco is pretty uniform in color—arranged in thick cut flakes in the normal C&D fashion. The tobacco leaves have an interesting texture and seem to be a little bit thicker than other Virginia varietals I have tried. The smoke is earthy, in fact, it is one of the earthiest straight Virginia I have ever tried. It is rich, medium body, and a little sweet with a slight tanginess (but not in a citrus way). There is no chance of tongue bite, even when pushed. For such a straight forward flake, a bowl of Carolina Red Flake can mostly hold my interest throughout the smoke. While quite good, I prefer a more complex straight Virginia for my normal rotation.