Cornell & Diehl Virginia Oriental

The Virginias offer some tart and tangy citrus and grass, along with light tangy dark fruit, wood and earth, a touch of bread and sugar, and a minute acidic note. The mildly floral, dry and sour, woody, earthy, herbal, vegetative, moderately spicy Orientals are an important secondary player. They also sports a hint of butteriness. The raisiny, spicy, earthy, woody, plumy perique is a condiment at best, not very obvious. A pinch of nutty, woody, earthy burley is barely detectable. The strength is a couple steps past the center of mild to medium. The taste is a rung past that, but falls short of the medium mark. However, both strength and taste aspects get a tad more potent as go along, reaching the medium threshold at their peak. The nic-hit is in-between the center of mild to medium and medium. Won’t bite, but the spice may tingle the tongue of a fast puffer, so I recommend a sipping cadence. Burns fairly cool and very clean at a reasonable pace with a mostly consistent, mildly sweet and fairly spicy flavor that translates to a lightly lingering after taste. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. An easy burning all day mixture that has enough complexity to enjoy without wearing you down as you go about your business.

-JimInks