Cornell & Diehl Derringer

The brown, red, orange and stoved brighter fermented Virginias provide an abundance of tart and very tangy citrus, tangy ripe dark fruit, a little dried fruit, plenty of earth and wood, some bread, grass and hay, vegetation, light sugar, spice, acidity and floralness, along with a couple drops of honey and vinegar. I also sense a very small stewed fruit note. There is a very light sugar casing in the mix to tame potential harshness. For the most part, the strength and taste aspects fall a slot short of the medium threshold. The nic-hit is a tad less potent than the strength level. It won’t bite or get harsh, but it does sport a few rough edges. Well balanced, fairly complex and nuanced, it burns clean and relatively cool at a slightly slow pace with a mostly consistent woody, earthy, mildly sweet and spicy, piquant flavor that translates to the pleasantly lingering after taste and room note. This is more of a sipping blend as the characteristics of the ready rubbed Virginias tend to have a rugged, punchy, savory quality to them. In fact, it gets a little more savory and stronger in the last third of the bowl as the strength and taste eventually reach the medium mark. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires a few more than an average number of relights. It’s not quite an all day smoke, but it is repeatable. Three and a half stars out of four.

-JimInks

Another paid sample from the 2018 Chicago Pipe Show. Pure Virginia's, relatively mild, very tasty, I loved this one. The best testament I can make for this baccy is that I'm going to buy more. If you love light Virginia's, you can't go wrong with Derringer (great name, by the way!).

Keep on Piping!

I was browsing the ‘What’s New’ section and noticed that Jiminks had reviewed this and I recalled having bought some of this about 6 months ago, September to be exact. So, I dug it up and smoked some more. I had bought 4 ounces of this along with about six others when there was a bulk sell and jarred them. Out of the jar this has a really pleasant sweet typical grassy, hay Virginia smell. This is a thick cut ribbon of reddish-brown tobacco. I loaded up my Meerschaum and the first few puffs were somewhat tart, astringent. These are the first words that came to mind but it mellowed out some. As this is a straight Virginia, I do not expect it to taste like a blend. The next day I decided to use a corn cob as for me cobs and Virginias go together. I have a few Generals but the stem diameter is too large for me as I tend to sometimes draw in ash as I smoke toward the bottom of the bowl. The round paper Medico filters do not fit so I used a 6mm balsa filter instead. Not sure if it is some form of power of suggestion but it really tasted a lot smoother, not as tart and had a pleasant VA tobaccy taste in the cob and the filter probably tamed it some also. Not a bad change of pace.

I purchased this in bulk. Comes at perfect humidity, this ready rubbed is of the more smaller, flakier, variety.

Hay, corn, cream, sugary sweetness, wood, & bit of citrus fruityness that builds and deepens. As the bowl burns it picks up a surprising amount of character, including a nice bit of earth, dark stewed fruits, savory notes and a bit of spice. A little rough and unrefined but not in a negative way. Packs easy & burns well. will bite if provoked but on the more forgiving side of the straight VA spectrum. Medium strength as far as nicotine goes.

My perfect idea of a simple, all-day VA. I recently went away camping for a few days, brought this as well as a few englishes, however only brought one pipe, which was one of my favorite VA pipes. Needless to say I didn't plan on ghosting it with Latakia so I smoked nothing but Derringer the whole 2 days. No regrets. Very satisfying. Has just enough complexity without overstaying it's welcome & the price is right.