Cornell & Diehl Redburn

Redburn is just another mediocre C&D product. Nothing special here. The quality of leaf is good of course, but the crumble cake itself was a mess. I just rubbed the whole thing out at once and jarred it up. The tin note had a slightly sweet, funky, musty aroma to it which I attribute the alcohol topping. However, it smells like no rum that I have ever come across. I don’t know what it is, but it is not good. As for the molasses casing, I bet it’s more like table sugar water with teaspoon of molasses dissolved. Out of the tin the tobacco was quite moist. As it dries out much of the weird odors dissipate. As for the smoke itself there is not much to say. Pretty boring and it has no bite. I didn’t get any of the harshness that some are complaining about. In fact, it was quite smooth to me. I get a little sweetness from the Virginia and the sugar casing, some earthy nuttiness from the Burleys and maybe a hint of spice from the dark fired. I do taste something else, but it is not rum and it is distracting. My tin is about 1 ½ years old. I’m glad I only have 1 tin. It's not bad, but not that good either. Don’t waste your time with this one. C&D really has too many boring, underwhelming products and need to refocus. It’s ironic that they blend for GL Please, which I feel is more sophisticated, nuanced and refined and really keeps thing interesting.

Redburn is a good quality tobacco and has a kick of nicotine that could set your head spinning if smoked in a large bowl. I like almost everything about this tobacco but I find that the dark fired Kentucky is a bit over used. First of all, I love crumble cakes and this one is easy to break off and rub out to your own specifications. I also really enjoy the topping on this but it does seem to burn off quickly, at least in my experience.

The beginning of the bowl is a little lighter and sweeter but it gets quite robust as the tobacco burns down. About halfway down is where the dark fired really makes its presence known and it begins to take the lead. Redburn finishes pretty strongly and maybe a bit stronger than I want, most of the time. It can burn a little hot for the overzealous puffer, but it never actually bit me once. A good, solid smoke that I will purchase again. I just wish the DFK was toned down a bit.

I received a slightly aged 1 oz sample of Redburn from a friend recently to aid in my quest to find tasty Burley blends.
I find this blend to be interesting and a bit complex, depending upon how you smoke it. Rb needs to be enjoyed a bit carefully - sipping slowly so as not to overheat the tobacco. If sipped, it is smooth and tasty. When smoked quickly, it tends to get a bit hot and ashy in taste.
I do not detect much of the toppings or Virginias at all. It tastes to me like a nearly straight burley. I would like to see what all the fuss is about the toppings being too strong - ?
The first half of the bowl has a nice, slightly nutty taste with a surprisingly good amount of spice - not unlike a bit of perique. Not sure where all the spice and tingle comes from.
I do like the smooth side and have definitely learned not to huff!
I'll certainly revisit this one a bit more to give it a fair chance. As of now, I'm not sure this will be one of my regulars. 2.5 stars