Cornell & Diehl Redburn

After falling in love with C&D's Black Frigate I was eager to try the Burley-equivalent of Black Frigate. Very similiar to Black Frigates tin note, but the rum part is less sweet, a bit more alcoholic and you also get a nice molasses undertone, which harmonizes perfectly with the rum.

In the pipe it offers a warm, earthy and nutty Burley foundation, seasoned with a hint of dark fired Kentucky for interest and Virginias sweetness for balance. On top of that the mild flavoring enriches the tobaccos taste, mainly with a "dark" molasses sweetness. Warm and comfty. In the back there's a mild note of rum. Slightly alcoholish, spicy, somewhat fruity, a little sweetness. All components melt expectionally well and offer a All-Day Burley with a lot of charme!

The Burley-brother of the Black Frigate for my taste. Not as complex and deep as BF, but a bit bolder, warmer, and more full-bodied. Anyways wonderful blend by itself and surely a 4-star worthy one!

Popping my first, young tin of Redburn, instead of what I think of as a crumble cake I see the tobacco is short ribbons ranging from light to mid red-browns, with a very few dark brown bits, all blended and loosely pressed into a soft cube. Tin note is of the fragrant meadow ilk, with attitude, and the toppings are quite tame, just a hint of molasses and barely a breath of sweetened rum, and maybe some berries got close at some point. Moisture seems spot on for smoking straight away, but I recommend drying it some, for reasons I’ll get right into. As for smoking Redburn, if you want a true ornery codger experience, just pack it tight and draw hard. That’ll do’er. If, OTOH, you want it fragrant and delicious, then a loose load in a big bowl and a snail’s pace are the order of the day. R lights well enough when it’s dried, and it needs only regular, very gentle tamping to keep it smoldering. It burns down pretty fast, even though I take it easy. Lit, the scents are like the tin note, fragrant, woody resins from the Burly along with meadow grasses and just a little sweet earth and body from the VAs, with fat, resins, and some spice from a small quantity of KY. Tastes parallel the scents, along with some cashew. True to its Burley roots, Reburn produces some tannic bitterness that balances and offsets the added sugars, and the VAs and KY both are also tart.. There is plenty of smoke when it’s puffed, and the tastes and fragrances are very consistent, top to bottom, except the tastes intensify. Delicate, fragrant side streams abound all during the smoke. Strength builds past medium. When it’s smoked slowly tastes might seem mild to medium to Burleyphiles, but I suspect many will register the cumulative VA and Burley spices and tannins as being more than medium. Room note is pleasant. Aftertaste is a bitter-sweet version of the best of the smoke.

How I like this Redburn! And all it wants from me is time and a big-bowled pipe that hasn’t seen darker leaf. It rather reminds me of Peterson’s Hyde Park in that it can be warm and fuzzy or grumpy and rough, depending on how it’s smoked. All in all, I recommend Redburn first to Burley lovers, then to anyone who is confident they can keep the burn rate curbed. Of course, codgers don’t give a damn what I say, and they’ll smoke it how they please, thankyouverymuch. 4 stars from me. With rest this has become a favorite of mine.

Cornell & Deihl Redburn is an almost sweet, almost flavoured, unabashed Burley on the front foot blend somewhere between medium and strong. I don’t like Burley tobacco much, but as other reviewers have noted, if lightly packed and taken slowly in a large bowl pipe it truly is a delicious, deeply satisfying blend of upfront, natural tobaccos. Relights well within reason. I bought bulk. Redburn deserves the short rub out time it takes to prepare for the unhurried enjoyment. If storing I recommend moistening with a few teaspoons of dark rum. Redburn resonates with me against my expectations.