Cornell & Diehl Belmont Station

Picked up a pound of this one during C&D's bulk sale, and the description got me. A bit damp out of the bag, but no stickiness, so I'm guessing more water than PG humectant. The tobacco presents itself in black and gold ribbons interspersed by varying shades of brown. The nose picks up rum for sure, and for some reason, a hint of cherry, but the vanilla is hard to find. Very reminiscent of Daughter's & Ryan's London Dock. Though the moisture is perfect from the bag, I prefer drier tobacco, so 20 minutes on a paper towel before loading.

Belmont Station likes a light packing and soft touch with a tamper, but takes fire easily, and burns cool and dry. Though an aromatic, the tobacco isn't totally masked by the Cavendish and other toppings. The vanilla presents itself more in the smoke than in the bag, and a rum sweetness lingers on the tongue. A bit of hay in the nose on the retrohale with a bit of spice in the background that I'm guessing is the Dark Fired Kentucky. A nice slow burn to the bottom of a pre '70s Savinelli 9004, as it's inaugural smoke since restoration, with two relights, and little dottle or moisture. Leaves a great room note, and could easily be an all day smoke. I give this 4 out of 5 stars for what it is, but raise it to 5 as a less expensive alternative to the above mentioned London Dock. Fans of Autumn Evening may enjoy this one, as it is yet another drier aromatic offering from Cornell and Diehl.

Cornell & Deihl "Belmont Station"

I'm posting this, only because this tobacco merits more than one review be posted about it.

From the bulk baggie, the tobacco is quite moist and as noted benefits from 20-30 minutes drying time. It must be loosely packed and tamped in the bowl, otherwise it can smoke very bitter and with a decided chemical edge toward the bottom of the bowl. If treated gently, this tobacco yields flavors and aromas of dark rum, a hint of vanilla and surprisingly, stone fruit (cherries, plums, nectarine).

Once dried a bit and then treated gently in the bowl, this tobacco burns extremely well and requires only a couple relights, if any. I smoke this in a cobb, although I'm sure it would taste as good or better if smoked in a briar or meer.

Aftertaste in the mouth isn't bad, but it isn't great either. The room note is very pleasant and always gets a positive comment from Mrs. Squinty.

For the price, this tobacco is lovely and has a place at least on your "I gotta try that one someday soon" list. 3 of 4 stars, and it is a good blend at its suggested retail price.

Cornell & Diehl - Belmont Station.

Note: bought from bulk.

It's more of a mixture than just a ribbon. In fact, my pouch included a few pieces that were headed for the bin, not my bowl! Because this came from bulk the hydration of a tin's moot to me, but this pouch was ready to smoke straight away.

The smoke? Can't say I'm a fan! The dark fired leaf ruins what could have been a pleasant experience, by giving an acrid top-note. Kentucky aside it would be a pleasant enough aromatic: the vanilla creates a creaminess whilst the rum gives a sweet piquancy; the rum's more discernible at the beginning of a bowl. The black Cavendish and Virginia play nicely together, in the usual Aromatic manner. The smoke, although not causing displeasure by being hot, causes me grief by biting; hard.

Nicotine: a spot above mild. Room-note: pleasant to tolerable.

Belmont Station? Because this is an aromatic I didn't want to risk soiling my Friday Altinok with it and filled a cob. I'm glad I took this precaution. One star:

Not recommended.

This is a review of the bulk version.

For C&D this is a really moist blend. Even after months in a jar (I found it when looking for something else) it was almost sticky. I let it set out for a couple of hours, but not much improvement.

This one is hard to review. It almost seems like there is too much going on in the blend. The aromatic portion is usually in the lead, but every once in awhile the fire cured pokes in on top. Personally, I'm not sure it fits in an aromatic like this.

It took a couple of relights. The further through the bowl I got there was a weird taste in my mouth, really noticeable in the last 3rd. Also the flavoring disappeared in this part of the bowl and it was really strongly dark fired.

I'm going to give this a try in a couple of other pipes, but so far I'm not a fan at all.

The tin note of this tobacco is pretty nice. Fruity (apricot?), smoky, sweet, earthy, nutty and some cocoa. The tobaccos don't stand out, rather build the base of the tin note. All of it makes for a pleasing smell, put together by compounds well hidden in the mass of one another.

It is a ribbon cut with all shades of brown mingled together. Moisture level is good for smoking straight out of tin.

I followed the advice of the kind smokers who reviewed this tobacco before me and packed the pipes very lightly. Just trickled it in and tamped the top a little.

The burn is very good. Average number of relights needed.

Tastewise it was a better smoke during the daytime somehow. The Cavendish is supporting the sweetness and carrying the fruity and some spicy notes, meaning it does not translate into any tobacco flavor, the Virginia is probably important as a supporter in terms of sweetness and smokability but it is lost between it's big sisters the burley and the Kentucky. The Kentucky gives a little earthy smokiness and spice while the burley seems to give creaminess, body, nuttiness and a lot of literal cocoa taste.

The taste is rich but not too complex or changeable. I believe it should be handled with care to produce an enjoyable smoke but then it is a very enjoyable smoke.

Of course it: "burns to light grey ash and leaves little moisture in the bowl." Amen

Recommended for smokers coming from aromatics towards burleys/more natural tobaccos because this is a rather lightly topped aromatic.