Cornell & Diehl Christmas Blend 2016 (Corn Cob Pipe and A Button Nose)

I recently opened an sixteen-month-old tin of this blend, and was instantly overcome by scent of chocolate liqueur—which I'm almost certain is in the topping. After some more deep whiffs, I caught the unmistakable aroma of Burley, as well as Virginias, and hints of cinnamon and vanilla. It's a wonderful tin note that non-smokers will appreciate too. The moisture level is just a little more than what I'd deem appropriate for smoking, but is far from being wet. I let it air-dry for just a short while before loading my pipe.

Though its flavor is strongly influenced by its topping, the tobaccos come through noticeably, and the two stay together throughout the smoke—the topping lasts right through to the end. Rather than playing off one another, the flavorings and tobaccos combine and make a cohesive flavor that I'd describe as chocolatey and spicy tobacco, and unique to this blend. Along with the delightful and unique taste of C&D's red Cavendish (also found in Cajun Kake), I taste Burley, as well as both bright and red Virginias. Although chocolate or cocoa stands out quite a lot in the flavor profile, there is enough plain tobacco flavor here to satisfy my palette.

In the handful of pipes I've had so far, I've found this blend extremely satisfying—going back for seconds as soon as I'd finished my first pipe. The flavor practically embodies the flavors you'd associate with the Christmas holiday. Cornell & Diehl is often very good at striking a balance in their holiday aromatics, making them with something to offer to most all pipe smokers. Although this is (or was) a Christmas blend, this could easily be a popular blend for year-round consumption under a different name. It's that good.

The room note will most definitely please the wife or lady in your life, and any non-smokers who happen to be in the vicinity. This is certainly one of those blends that'll solicit compliments when non-smokers catch a whiff of it in a public place.

While there's no shortage of flavor, the nicotine level is about a 3 or 4 out of 10 (low). Of the three Christmas blends C&D made in 2016 and sold until 2017—this has the most added flavor, with about a 3:2 ratio of tobacco to added flavorings in the taste, but it's not overwhelming. Should you ever come across this out-of-production gem, grab it!

When I first opened the tin the smell hit me like a ton of bricks. The tin note is outstanding, it reminds me of homemade hot chocolate my grandma makes during the Holidays. The cut to me seems a little small, but that doesn't phase me at all. It lights easily, little to no problems. Mid bowl I started to get a nice chocolaty taste with a hint of rum, I also picked up a vanilla taste in there as well. The nicotine is very subtle. This is definitely a perfect cold weather smoke. I'm going to jar this and open it up around Thanksgiving to enjoy throughout the holidays.

I've been on a year long quest to find an aromatic blend that I like and was about to give up when I noticed this blend. I decided to give it a whirl coz I like snowman. Opening the tin the first thing I noticed was the fact that the tobacco was mostly cut into little cubes. This made loading up my pipe a snap (just pour the stuff in). Second was the pleasant aroma of cocoa.

After getting the blend going the nuttiness of the burley makes itself present underneath the flavoring of cocoa and every once in a while chocolate. The flavoring is not over powering, but rather complements the burley. However, I did not taste the Virginias. Not harsh at all and didn't bite me.

Highly recommended it is a perfect cold weather blend.

I will keep this one short and sweet. Great tin note as you would imagine, light tobacco with chocolate and a hint of vanilla/maple. This is basically Autumn Evening with Chocolate. I am not a regular aromatic smoker but I do really enjoy a few. Autumn Evening is one of them. So ipso facto I like CCPABN. This is a sweet aromatic with chocolate tones and you can taste some nice Red VA tobacco flavor.

Update 2020-11-15

After the holidays had past, I found myself continuing to smoke this on a regular basis as my primary aromatic in the rotation. I stocked up during sale at Smokingpipes just in case they don't re-release this one again.

The cube cut burns so well and the flavor comes through. I've been "doctoring" it with an extra 25% of CD Cube Cut Burley which increases the nutty background and pushes the cocoa/sweetness a little further to the rear. This is the one aro that I always have going in the rotation and it's a rare day that doesn't see me at least smoke one bowl of it with my coffee in the morning.

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2019-12-07

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I've been smoking from the 2019 release but I'm assuming it is the same as the 2016 mixture.

I just finished my 3rd tin for the year of Corn Cob Pipe and I have to admit it's all I am reaching for on a daily basis. I enjoy other smokes in the evening, but for the commute in the morning (great with coffee), at lunch, and on the way home this is a winner for me.

The cut is perfect for smoking in my radiator pipes. Also smokes great in Corn Cobs.

Easy to pack and go. Tin note is a cup of hot cocoa. Makes me want to grab a marshmellow or two and put them in the top of the bowl. The flavor comes through the smoke

The room note is incredible. Chocolate cookies/bakery. The wife has even been adding it to her RYO cigarettes.

It burns down great with no fuss. Does leave some moisture (really noticed in the radiator trap). No tongue burn and I could easily call it an all-day smoke for the holiday season.

A very cool burning smoke with the perfect amount of cocoa and vanilla flavors, delicious. I really pick up the cocoa flavors on the retrohale, this is a perfect blend for cold winter nights and burns evenly all the way through to a fine white ash, very few relights if any. The room note is incredible and garners a lot of compliments from those around. If you are looking for an aromatic to enjoy over the holidays look no further, corn cob pipe and a button nose is my go-to smoke for winter nights and cool fall days. Highly recommend.

I've smoked quite a few bowls of this now and every time I've heard compliments on the aroma. This blend is just fine in a briar but better in a corn cob pipe! The base of small cube cut burley is nutty and brings the overall strength of the blend to medium. The bright Virginia contributes a background hay note while the red Virginia is earthy with a little fruity sweetness. The cavendish keeps the burn cool and soaks up the topping. And what a beautiful topping this has! The vanilla actually tastes like marshmallows here. The chocolate bitters are unbelievably tasty. It is easy to burn this to nothing but ash with a little dry time. My favorite Christmas blend yet, I see an 8oz tin finding its way to my cellar.

I really enjoy it it taste mild to me and would recommend it to everyone. It smells amazing and my wife enjoys the smell of it

Not my favorite. Have trouble keeping this lit. Despite gravity filling and light tamping I continually have to relight this. The flavor itself is pleasant enough, I get a bit of chocolate and this constituent tobaccos come through, but it always seems that it is missing something. Room note is ok, but it is surpassed by many other aromatics. I'll finish what I have but probably won't be back. Mildly recommended.

Edit:. Well, call it magic of age. Either on me or on it. With a greater appreciation for burley that I've found and the nearly 2 years of age it has gathered, as well as improvement to my smoking technique this has improved greatly. 3 and a half stars easily now. Flavor is much, much better than before. Still a touch of trouble keeping it lit but nothing like before. Very enjoyable.

Edit 2:. 2021. This stuff only improves the longer it's in the jar. It burns incredibly well now, it's flavor is now so well integrated and mellowed, I love it. Bumped to 4 stars. I hope they make another batch one day so I can get some more aging!