Cornell & Diehl John Marr

Synopsis: An intriguing blend that brings together a complex combination (some might say a surfeit) of flavors.

Tin Note: Upon opening the tobacco, a boozy topping plays well with the hay-like aroma of the Virginia tobacco. There is a subtle fruity undertone, which I cannot place. Unlike most American aromatics, the topping in this blend does not overpower the flavor of the tobacco.

The Blend: At the first light, the grassiness of the Virginias are clearly present as the major component of the blend. The mix of Virginias here do tend to bite a little, so keep your cadence slow. The Turkish leaf adds a distinct dry woodsy nutty flavor to the blend. The slight spiciness of the perique presents itself as you make your way through a bowl. The Burleys and Cavendish play a supportive role and easily hide in the blend.

Cut and Burning Characteristics: The ribbon cut packs and burns well all the way to the bottom of the bowl. There is a little harshness, which holds this blend back from perfection.

Conclusions: A good blend that might draw aromatic smokers to explore va/pers and oriental forward blends. I expect this blend to improve with some cellaring to mellow out the Virginia tobaccos.

Edit 5 Dec. 2018 The harshness is still present and has become the main reason why it has taken me so long to get through one tin. I probably will not reorder more, though I do enjoy the blend.

I'm not an aromatic smoker per se, but something about this blend has captured a great deal of my pipe smoking attention lately. All the components play together well, and the topping is just right. You get a little taste of it in each puff, but it never obscures the taste of the tobacco.

Personally, I think the Turkish is the star of the tobacco components in this blend, and it lends a certain...astringency(?) which pairs very well with the added flavorings.

If you're primarily a non-aromatic smoker who's looking to shake things up a bit, this is a great choice. On the other hand, if you're a hardcore 1-Q smoker, this might be a nice introduction to more natural tobacco tastes.

John Marr: A complex aromatic with some perique

The bourbon and vanilla topping complements the tobacco in this blend and is noticeable in the tin-note and subtly throughout the smoke. The tobacco is mostly made up of bright and some red Virginia varietals that provide mostly grassy-crispy notes and a little tanginess to the smoke. The unnamed Turkish varietal provides a strong floral and dry quality to the smoke. The perique is noticeable, adding a subtle spiciness that I quite enjoy. The cavendish is barely noticeable in the tin or the smoke. Make sure to smoke this blend like a straight Virginia or it will lose flavor and bite like mad.

A very pleasant light aromatic—light on the casing, not on flavour. An old-fashioned judge's blend, bourbon and vanilla. Easy on the tongue, and burned well until I monkeyed with it, thinking it was too dry! I've noticed this with many C&D bulk purchases; they seem dry and stiff in the bag, but they burn well, so I think it's just something about the cut.

Could be an all-day smoke for some, I will certainly be buying it again. Not quite enough character for 4 stars, but a solid 'Recommended'.

I bought a few ounces of this last Sunday, from the bulk jar at the local tobacco shop. It has a nice sweet vanilla note but I could not detect any bourbon smell. I grabbed my Peterson Dublin Edition Unfinished Poker and loaded my bowl. This smokes cool and sweet and I tried ‘sipping’ on this as recommended in a previous review. Not a big deal but about half way down the first two bowls I got the old pipe gurgle. Not sure if it was from the tobacco or how I was smoking it but a pipe cleaner took care of it. While smoking on the front porch if I see my neighbor across the street I go over and get her room note opinion. This blend she said was very pleasant. I guess that is a plus. Day two: I had a few more bowls of this with my coffee and surprisingly not hardly any pipe gurgle this time. Maybe because I left the jar sitting outside on the porch all day. Who knows? Who cares? Ha. I tried some 1Q probably a year ago and looked it up and apparently, I have not reviewed that one. If memory serves me correct and it probably doesn’t this blend sort of reminds me of it. It is a nice mild aromatic and is pleasant for the summer but my body is starting to crave a Lat Bomb so I will probably go back to those types for a while. If anyone smoking this can get the bourbon flavor out of this one my hat is off to you but I mostly sensed vanilla while smoking this one. By the way, who is Melville?

On the heels of my previous repast of Melville at Sea, that being Billy Budd, I venture now in offer of this mixture for further consideration. With identical tenacity, C&D ‘s John Marr – Virginia Ribbon enters the port in strong compliment to the wealth of the noted series. Largely modeling the quintessence of traditional navy tobacco, prepare to encounter a keen recipe of cultured Red and Bright Virginia, Dark Burley, pressed Black Cavendish, lavish Turkish/Oriental and of course vital Perique. Swelled within a lashing of gentle vanilla and distinctive bourbon spirits, John Marr poses its mark by showing a dominant character of full dense woodiness, graciously soft sweetness, and vigorous air of brilliant spice.

As typical of many C&D blends, John Marr counters a starkly dry composition. Notably so, discovery reveals a grainy pillowed coarseness reflecting a genuine aged texture. A wooly mat of variegated brown, finely cut into ribboned twists, dissimilar darkened shards, peppered by flecks of blackened fragments comprise its chapped constitution. As to be expected, the two independent strains of Virginia constitute considerable volume within the total mass of tobacco, leaving modest breathing space for the seemingly inharmonious complimenting varietals. Rough and ready for the maiden voyage by all practical appearances.

Embracing John Marr’s fragrance, an unreserved spray of colorfully concentrated aroma invades the senses. Bold and robust notes of deeply aged wood, sharp and tart exceptional spice, a proudness of earthly pungency, subdued grass, soft streams of vanilla sugars and distilled spirits, raisins and other dark fruit flood from the pouch announcing the celebration of its base character. With said registration, the blend queues with the promise of a full-flavored adventure.

By pure speculation, I surmise that the strains of Virginia employed within the recipe encompass some evidence of extended aging. Namely, with the flavor registration a substantial degree of cultured fermentation and seasoning of the affected tobaccos reports with considerable discernment. Consistent deeply developed and florid tones of ancient wood and weathered grass move from within permeating the base line flavor. In particular, the Red takes prominence with its darker tonality and is well supported by a spicy rustic hay/grass accents emanating from the weathered Bright.

Principally the complex assortment of complementary tobaccos is moderated as they gingerly circulate within the proverbially stern and amid the high notes. Although the piquant floral Turkish/Oriental with its tangy spice tends to shine more strongly to the forefront. The modest level of Burley is extremely submissive offering sour nutty-woodiness and a pronouncement of thinned brown sugar. John Marr, in my estimation, is exceedingly a Red Virginia dominant smoke. Chiefly, its robust classic Virginia woodiness is supplemented steadily with a trailing punch of zesty peppered spice/prunes presented by the Perique perhaps in conjunction with the additive bourbon flavoring. However, on occasion, the bourbon enthusiastically pushes forward on its own merit with a note of barreled malty sweetness.

The presence of Black Cavendish facilitates the orchestration of composite taste in general. Essentially the Cavendish influences the compliments by converging the differing streams into a savory cohesive envelope that elegantly supports and cases the foremost Virginia/Perique nuance. Leaning on its essential capacity for mechanical fusion, Black Cavendish smooths out any rough edges in the flavor, making an overall registration that is mellow and flowing.

Finally, floating in the middle of the taste band a tacit sweet vanilla registers in swings characteristically medium or passive in magnitude, as the aftertaste fills the mouth with its residual influence. In summary, a little bit of every component can be experienced in a balanced and well tendered fashion, yet my palate read the blend to be Red Virginia/Perique forward in nature once again. The quality of the total smoking experience astutely portrays a proper mood of seafaring exuberance. Hence, I categorize John Marr as falling closely within the traditional navy tobacco sort.

One additional observation about this mixture is that it does not fare as neatly within in a narrower bowl. The described complexity of taste becomes a little more monochromatic by default, largely stout Virginia. By deploying a wider bowl, the resulting effect is to open proper recognition of all the described subtilties. Moreover, the generosity of a bigger chamber enables the texture to feel substantially smokier on the palate, thereby the enjoyable vibrancy of the blend is greatly enhanced. Incidentally, John Marr’s flavor enrichens tremendously as the bowl progresses to about the last third. It is truly one of those blends that optimally tastes best as it finishes.

As smoked, John Marr projects a room essence that is shaded by a thick meaty gray cloud tempered in dark, deep variegated woodiness coming from the recipe’s multiple varietals, sweet-spicy burned hay, and some buttery fetid tartness. The after effect is intense yet perceivably tolerable. The aroma stands present for an extended period, delivering witness of a fully strong mixture.

On a few final notes, John Marr burns cleanly with a moderate temperature leaving a fully consumed thick white ash. Although Virginias are often susceptible to promoting bite, this mixture is relatively easy on the palate perhaps signaling the combined effect of its involved varietals. The resultant nicotine element centers roughly at medium intensity making John Marr feasibly an extended smoking venue for the experienced piper.

So, there you have it. One more successful league piloted through C&D’s Melville at Sea series. Overall, another noteworthy and quality product based upon my simple sampling exercise, inspiring and fashionably true to the genre. As a matter of opinion, John Marr unveiled itself to be an extremely satisfying and engaging review experience. Chiefly, the developed flavor of the Virginias that C&D has utilized within this recipe is most impressive. Tantamount to this mixture’s appeal is the deployment of skillful blending and balancing of complex components. Selecting the correct varietals (i.e., age, source, strength) to arrive at a designed output that discreetly appeals to customer satisfaction largely centers on knowledgeable craftmanship and experimentation; nicely achieved by C&D.

Last, I would argue that this blend stands as a comparable VaPer-like experience, while being in parallel to several other navy flake tobaccos that I do personally enjoy. The additive feature of supporting exotic Turkish/Orientals offers a nice differentiation given the vast list of alternative product offerings on the market. With all that being stated, I would recommend this mixture without reservation to those who have an affinity for quality Virginia/Perique or Virginia-based blends. As always give it a try and see if you are swept away by the winds of John Marr.

Hanna Subjective Rating: 3.2 Objective Scoring (based upon standard genre attributes, mechanicals, and cost): 126/153 @ 82%

First of all: Whoever calls this blend "flavored" is definitely giving preference to old English recipes of creosote and hemp rope. The aroma of the tobacco is very light. I found it to be an oak barrel bourbon, nicely topped with a mixture of baked apple and bitter chocolate.

Perfectly even ribbon cut, very even medium roast coffee color, no light or dark flecks. Very soft to the touch, I would even say "fluffy".

I took literally a couple grams to try in a small Virginia-Perique blend pipe and smoked it in the fresh, frosty air, so don't ask me about the smell in the room. But the smoke itself is sweet, thick - and yet light. The taste is a typical VaPe, with a slight, slightly astringent, taste of walnuts.

I must say that the strength of this blend is medium, and the smoking was very comfortable in temperature and speed - warm and not too slow. This tobacco won't help you wake up like, say, Early Morning Pipe, but it is invigorating.

I know for myself: there are a lot of good mixes out there, and John Marr won't be my favorite. But I think, it's very good.

I enjoy a good aromatic made with quality base leaves. when I first read the description of this, it sounded like it would be a great rainy day indoor blend.

Pouch appearance of light and medium choppy ribbons, with some random large dark brown leaf scattered about.

This has a wonderful vanilla aroma, like fresh baked vanilla cupcakes. I don't detect much alcohol in the pouch.

This blend has a great moisture content, as the majority of C&D aro's have. No lighting issues at all.

John Marr packs well, with little spring. takes a match readily and require minimal relights. The Virginias are bright and sweet, but the burley adds some harsh/sharp qualities (common with C&D burley) that hopefully aging will minimize. Perique is most noticeable when exhaled through the nose, but even then, its just a trace. The vanilla stays with the smoke down to the heel, and the bourbon adds an oaky char that really comes forth when sipped. This blend is extremely balanced and flavorful.

The room note is toasty, bready and bakery sweet. I've enjoyed this in the mornings with both coffee and RYZE mushroom coffee. a solid 3.5 stars, hopefully I can bump that to 4 after the burley ages a bit

I was really excited to try this one based on the components list. It has a lot going on. The retrohale is really nice. The pepperiness works well with the vanilla. Not something I’ve experienced before. I would definitely recommend this to an Aro smoker who might be looking to branch out.