Cornell & Diehl Sansepolcro

My tin is of the latest production from April 2019. I was a little skeptical of trying this blend due to its limited availability as a small batch but I'm glad I did. Since this small batch is almost double of the last production it is a little easier to obtain. My local tobacconist has stock a large amount of this one due to the fast disappearance of Carolina Red Flake.

The tin aroma is almost like a unsweetened dark fruit bowl. Very similar to what I've found with most C&D blends that are heavy in red Virginia especially briar fox. First light was a nice smooth flavor of red Virginia that is semi sweet with stewed fruit and bread. Into the first third the Virginia is joined with a creaminess akin to cigar leaf despite "technically" this blend doesn't have cigar leaf even though the Italian dark fired is used to produce Italian cheroot cigars. At this point this blend strongly resembles McClellands Dominican Glory Maduro especially when you retro hale. At the same time exhaling from my mouth the cheroot flavor really shines with a oily herb sweetness and leather. The flavors interchange with each other throughout to bowl. At the bottom of the bowl the flavors become more bold and finishes off in a nice grey ash with no moisture left. Burns cool and clean with no tongue bite what so ever. Throughout the bowl I do not pick up direct flavors from the black cavendish though C&D has it listed in this blend on their website. I believe it just helps meld all the flavors together and brings out the creaminess.

This is a great blend. I wish it wasn't small batch but that's what makes it great. Attention to detail is key to a great blend unlike a mass production blend. It's so well put together. Jeremy Reeves sure did a great job with this one. I'm glad I got to experience this while it's around. Unfortunately I think I found my ideal blend but sadly it will go. Thanks Jeremy for this experience.

Edit 7-1-20. I just opened a tin from last year's release. It didn't seem to age any due to the tin being pretty dry. My first 2 bowls were kind of harsh. But with a tad bit of hydration, it tamed it back down to exactly what I first reviewed.

If I can compare this to food, this reminds me of cajun dishes. Still highly recommended

Updated 3-1-2024

Sansepolcro has not be released since the 2020 batch until the revamped 2024 release. This 2024 release has changed drastically. The virginias a mixture of 2 different red VA's and one Bright VA. The cavendish is cigar leaf based. The Italian dark fire is practically the same as prior releases. It is now in full flake cut instead of ready rubbed form.

Overall this version is very elegant. The melange of Virginia's accent the dark fire very nicely with a sugary sweet and creamy undertone. Still can't detect the cavendish, but If it was removed from the blend, you would probably know it.

HIGHLY impressed with the 2024 release.

Overall the 2024

Full disclosure: I am admittedly a rookie pipe smoker (about 1 yr after cleaning up my Grandfather's collection). I typically am an English/Balkan blend smoker but bought this when Eddie Gray posted it available at his site. I am really enjoying this blend. I rely heavily on reviews here by Mr Inks, Drums and Beer and a few others. I don't have the palate yet to distinguish a lot of the flavors but did get a raisiny smell on opening the tin. And as for the smoke, retrohaling really gave me a sense of enjoyment. Smoked it slowly as I usually smoke medium Vit N tobacco. Planning to jar this and come back in a month as suggested. Maybe a little sooner.

Cornell & Diehl - Sansepolcro (Small Batch).

I bought and cellared this about five months ago and got it out this morning solely because I couldn't decide which blend to smoke. The name Sansepolcro didn't make me think English, aromatic, VaPer, etc., I didn't even know it was a region of Italy until I read it on the tin!

This isn't one of the blends badged as a broken flake but some of the flakes are still in need of a rub, the tin contains a blend that looks more like thick ribbons. Mine appeared to be a little too dry when I removed the lid, not crunchy, but not suitable for long term storage.

Sansepolcro lights easily, but, as I suspected, can burn fast. Even though the mechanics aren't the best, it's still a nice smoke, though. The Kentucky leads with a robust flavour, but isn't quite as burly as Kentucky can often be. It has a delicate fragrance to it, which placates any harshness. The Virginia adds a fruity sweetness, creating a flavoursome support to the Kentucky. It can become too warm if it's not sipped.

Nicotine: above medium. Room-note: not great.

Sansepolcro? I'll put the dryness down as a one off. The flavour's good. Recommended:

Three stars.

Upon opening the Tin the smell is very light, grassy, little vanilla/sweet, i rubbed it out further than it was formed a wad and packed it, packs easily you have to be careful not to pack to tight as it compresses very easy. Nic comes on slowly and lasts for hours (at least for me) it packs a punch similar to Irish flake or a good burly. It has very nice dry smoke, lights amazing and tamps wonderfully. Burns slowly and steady needs reasonable amount of relights if your taking your time took around 1.5 hrs as i went back to it a few times during my morning smoke. Overall taste is light grassy naturally sweet but continues to gradually get deeper and deeper the Dark fired is very subtle but just a perfect amount of spicy/ tingly sensation on retro hale. the room note isn't pleasant and is strong not that of cigarettes but not pleasant enough for an indoor smoke. Some may consider this blend "Blah" but for me its a perfect weekend morning smoke enjoying the sunrise.

Yep, this is some great pipe tobacco.

Tin note is fragrant and deceptively spicy, the spice from the firecured tobacco tingles my nose a little.

Love the sweet red virginias, they run the full spectrum of red virginia flavor from a little bright citrus to bready with a lot of fruitiness in the middle. In contrast to the spicy tin note, I found the Italian dark-fired to be earthy, mellow, fragrant in a way that reminds me of kitchen spices, and very flavorful. Only a hint of smokiness. As others mentioned, there can be a slight rough edge to the smoke which I enjoyed.

Thanks to the C&D rep for hooking my local brick and mortar shop with this, since I only shop local I wouldn't have gotten it otherwise. Someone else got to all but one of the other tins, which I will cellar. Guessing that it will be pret-ty magical after a few years.

Recommended!

Excellent, but not for the faint of heart. Vaper smokers who like something with a little extra strength and complexity will love this. It's a special take on a VAperK; instead of Kentucky there's that lovely Italian San-se-pol-cro, which is not too hard to pronounce if you recognize there are 4 syllables in the word.

It's a bit raw when fresh, which is great if you're looking for a punch in the teeth to remind you you're still alive. With a couple years age the red Virginias become sweeter and the blend becomes better balanced and all the various flavors meld as they should - the edges soften and the Italian dark fired smolders in the background. The effect is like a subtle Islay scotch that takes you by surprise in its complexity, and starts to radiate through your body with warmth and a bit of excitement - the smoke is there, but it's a byproduct of the curious alchemy that's turning everything into a ruddy hue of gold. I wax poetic - it's great stuff.

I bought a few of the small batch releases from C&D last year and I managed to snag 3 tins of this to try. The label is very informative and attractive on this one. When you open up you will see a broken flake consisting of light yellows and dark browns. The smell in the tin is bready, nutty, and earthy with some autumn leaves. Now it could be the fact that my tobacco has been sitting in a jar, but it's a touch dryer than I typically like. It packs well and lights well.

I've loaded up my Savinelli Oceano Poker and upon first light some delicious white smoke from the Dark Fired comes up. Taste wise the Italian Dark Fired is very interesting it has a typical Burley nuttiness coupled with soft spice, cocoa, leaves and cedar wood. The Red Virginias form a soft bready, and dark fruity base, offering a little sweetness to balance everything.

The taste is medium. Nothing's trying to take my tastebuds by storm. The strength doesn't hit me in the way Dark Fired normally does, so I give this a medium. The room note is slightly cigarettish from the burley. All in all a very good blend to sit with. I will open another tin in a year or so and see how age treats it.

Very cigar like with an above medium dose of nicotine. An earthy outdoor smoke if that’s what you are looking for. Dark fired leaf is more than condimental, which for me is a bit too much. I’m sure it came out exactly as blender intended but didn’t resonate with me.

I purchased this blend because the dark fired Italian tobacco content. I love dark fired Kentucky because of its similarity in taste to Latakia. This tobacco had none of that great smokey flavor. It got great reviews but unfortunately I can't give it one. I've smoked this stuff in several different pipes and with the same result, I hate it. It has little flavor and what flavor it has is less than desirable. I can't recommend this blend.