Cornell & Diehl Warped: Kings Stride

(3.85)
Notes: Rich... Regal Louisiana perique commands attention as deep, complex notes of dark fruit and chocolate envelop the palate. Poised... With balance and grace, the flavors of fine Virginia leaf and alluring, matured burley enhance the perique's lavish character. Elegant... A sumptuous selection of cigar leaf, pressed and steamed into an exquisite cavendish, bestows unsurpassed delicacy and mystique. Known for their boutique, Cuban style cigars, Warped is curated and supervised by founder Kyle Gellis, an entrepreneur and lover of all things bespoke and luxurious. He has a taste for finery and approaches his ventures with rigorous standards of perfection that are applied to the slightest of subtleties. Such a mindset translated naturally when Warped expanded into pipe tobaccos in 2019, seeing Kyle Gellis collaborate with Cornell & Diehl's Jeremy Reeves to create nuanced blends, marked by quality components and intriguing flavor profiles that align with Warped's "be exclusively different" mantra. Joining Warped's selection of pipe tobaccos, Gellis and Reeves present Warped's Kings Stride as a regular production mixture. The blend's moniker is taken from one of Kyle's high-end wines, with matching logo. Like the Cabernet Sauvignon, Kings Stride pipe tobacco is rich, poised, and elegant — a crumble cake boasting a combination of Louisiana perique, five year aged burley, and a unique cavendish comprised of pressed and steamed cigar leaf, for a natural profile that's free of added flavor to showcase the quality tobaccos' inherent notes.

Details

Brand Cornell & Diehl
Blended By Gellis and Reeves
Manufactured By Cornell & Diehl
Blend Type Other
Contents Burley, Cigar Leaf, Perique, Virginia
Flavoring
Cut Krumble Kake
Packaging 2 ounce tin weight
Country United States
Production Currently available

Profile

Strength
Medium to Strong
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant to Tolerable
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming

Average Rating

3.85 / 4
11

2

0

0

Reviews

Please login to post a review.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 13 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 27, 2020 Medium to Strong None Detected Medium to Full Tolerable
The spicy, raisiny, plumy, earthy, woody, stewed prune-like Louisiana perique is the lead component, but not by much. The peaty, woody, muddy, coffee-like, mildly grassy, vegetative, floral, smoky, leathery, cedary, lightly sour, creamy and spicy, herbal, tart and tangy citrusy, rough edged AA grade Dominican Criollo cigar cavendish offers abundant support. The bold burley provides a lot of toast, earth, wood, some nuts, bare sweetness, some sharp sourness, and a floral quality in an important secondary role. The Virginias supply some tart and tangy citrus, tangy dried darker fruit, earth, wood, bread, a little grass and a floral note. They are just above being a condiment. The strength is a step past the medium mark. The taste is a slot past that level. The nic-hit is medium. Won’t bite or get harsh, though I recommend a moderate puffing cadence to insure the latter possibility. This easily broken apart crumble kake contains a little moisture, but needs no dry time. Well balanced, complex and nuanced, you will notice nearly every aspect in every puff. It burns cool, clean and a tad slow with a lightly inconsistent, mildly sweet, sour and spicy, floral, savory flavor that translates to the pleasantly lingering after taste and stronger room note. Leaves little dampness in the bowl. Requires a few relights. Not an all day smoke, but it certainly is repeatable. I suggest a wide bowl to fully capture all of the characteristics of the various flavors.

-JimInks
13 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 11, 2020 Medium to Strong None Detected Medium to Full Tolerable
This is the first Warped blend that I have tried and it's a knockout . Upon opening the tin note is excellent .The perique is very apparent . Plenty of prunes and other stewed fruit goodies to meet your nose . The crumble cake easily comes apart , I didn't need a knife . Packing it rather loose , because of the crumble cake format , a slight touch of the flame was enough to insure a proper lite . This is a perique forward mixture but the five year burley really adds a sugary quality . We have seen excellent VaPers before but this one is really different from any other treatment that I have seen . The cigar leaf , that has gone through the cavandish process, is the real star of the show . What an innovative idea . The smoke is amazingly complex . One minute you are smoking a VaPer and the next a unique cigar , and the following they are all working together . Every puff is an adventure This is a never before tobacco , the cigar leaf is the wild card that makes it so . It is rare to try sometging totally different and this tobacco was simply unexpected .
9 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 12, 2020 Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
Warped - Kings Stride.

The tin holds just one chunk of kake, unlike some where it arrives in several pieces. In my tin there was enough already broken away for my first pipe but after the initial 'easy' fill I found it an exceedingly simple tobacco to work with! The hydration suited me; I like it to be a little moist. The aroma's fruity yet slightly sharp.

Even though a touch moist my first bowl lit easily. The smoke? Lovely! I get a leading taste from the Perique. It only leads by a smidgen at first but as the bowl progresses the fruity, sour, flavour strengthens. The Virginia and Burley give impeccable support, with the usual Virginia-zest and some very 'warming' Burley notes. The Cigar Cavendish is unusual in flavour; the process has removed any 'dry' cigar nuances and made the it taste more creamy and luxurious. So, it isn't a blend awash with flavours of 'stale' cigars! It burns wonderfully, without a bite to be had!

Nicotine: medium. Room-note: not too bad.

Kings Stride? No wonder Smokingpipes.com sold out quickly, it's smashing! Highly recommended:

Four stars.
Pipe Used: Yavuz
PurchasedFrom: Smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: 12/09/19
4 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 12, 2023 Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
In a word, Warped King’s Stride is outstanding.

On a business trip to Texas, I traded tobaccos with the guy working behind the counter of a small brick and mortar. He was just broadening from cigars to pipes and a friend had given him a tin of King’s Stride. I travel with a Pocket Jar of Northwoods and he’d never tried a Boswell blend. We both walked away with a great new tobacco.

Later that night, I found myself in the cigar lounge of an upscale restaurant (Javier’s Gourmet in Dallas). Since I don’t really smoke cigars, I decided to smoke my new cigar leaf-based blend.

King’s Stride is something special and unlike anything I’d had before. I want to talk about the use of Perique here: I’m not sure what magic Kyle and Jeremy worked over the 31 Farms leaf, but it does things in this blend that defy belief. I love a good, astringent, peppery dose of Perique, especially in a retrohale. I get none of that here—just sweet, tart stewed fruit goodness. It’s amazing to see Perique deliver such a strong showing . . . but not show up very strong.

Maybe this magic comes from the Perique itself or maybe it’s the interplay with the stoved and unstoved cigar leaf and aged Burley. My palate isn’t sophisticated enough to parse everything out, but these three components deliver a base of earthy, salty, musty (in a good way), creaminess that melds smoothly with the sweetness from the Perique and bright Virginias.

Burned beautifully to a fine ash. Didn’t ghost any of the pipes I used. Modest nicotine hit (a surprise, as I expected more).

Highly recommend.
Pipe Used: Various briars and cobs
PurchasedFrom: SmokingPipes.com
Age When Smoked: Fresh from tin
2 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Apr 28, 2023 Mild None Detected Mild to Medium Pleasant



TIN NOTE

The tin note is of bitter chocolate mixed with butter and some nuts. It's really something you usually smell in cigars rather than pipe tobacco. The Virginias are not detectable to me. The smell is welcoming and inviting. On the verge of being a casing … this is the magic of that Dominican Cigar Leaf Cavendish. Smells like dessert …

SMOKING NOTES

The smoke itself is insanely good. it's like a jazz house party in the pipe bowl. Leather, cedar, cocoa, grass, dates, figs, stone fruit, brownie, lemon, sourdough, and a tiny bit of pepper. The smoke is very creamy ... like a nice H Upmann. However, the retro-hale is super smooth, no spicy white pepper there … just cream, and some distinct burley notes. This isn't a bold tobacco ... it's on the delicate and complex side. The taste gets a little stronger when you go down the bowl, but it never smacks you around. It’s enjoyable from start to finish.

MECHANICS

Fabulous

The krumble kake was on the moist side, so I suggest a 30-minute drying time for ideal enjoyment. Be ready for a few relights towards the latter half. The room note is excellent ... the aftertaste will be reminiscent of a sweet cigar. Good smoke production on the part of the Dominican Cavendish. Never did it bite. Never did I get an acrid taste some YouTube reviews warned about. No chance of bite … this tobacco would never bite you …

NARRATIVE SUMMARY

I know it was a rough day at work, but it’s over now. Close the blinds. Breathe in deep.* Relax. ?You don’t rush perfection. You savor the process, like a sweet wine. The ritual is starting. Slip into something more comfortable, those comfy wranglers and that black t-shirt. Put your favorite watch on your wrist, it’s a diver, isn’t it?… you know which one I mean. Have a look at your record collection. That Eiji Nakayama 1978 Aya’s Samba Vinyl hasn’t been played in a while. Today is a good day to give it a go. Take the vinyl gently from its sleeve. Clean the dust off. Gently position the record and the tonearm. Remember to adjust the speed as well. Lower the tonearm and hear the speakers come to life. Get a nice tumbler, put a good-sized chunk of ice into it, and pour yourself a good measure of Hibiki Harmony. Sit down. Open that zippo ... God, I love the Click sound it makes… go ahead.. fire up your pipe, and lean back. Let the music take you away. The tobacco will produce clouds of milky creamy smoke. You will feel like you’re in Tokyo’s Blue Note and not in your house. Treat yourself King!

For me, this is a relaxation and celebration tobacco, that will reward you with a very pleasurable smoking experience. It doesn’t require much overthinking or analysis, it’s pure luxury in a tin. It’s like chatting to an old friend or hugging your wife. I suggest pairing it with coffee or a nice sparkling wine. Do not pair it with Islay Scotch ... you will feel like you're smoking air ... but Japanese whisky could do wonders for it.

Got two tins initially, but I’m getting two more.


FOUR STARS
Pipe Used: Peterson 107
PurchasedFrom: smokingpipes
Age When Smoked: 1 year
2 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 01, 2021 Medium None Detected Medium to Full Strong
Bottom Line: Not quite what I expected. It's rare to find a cigar-leaf blend that actually tastes like a cigar, let alone one that uses a more niche wrapper leaf like Corojo. The description of this intrigued me; I used to work at a cigar-centric B&M, and I always had a weakness for our house-blend Corojo puro sticks. I loved the combination of wood and sweet spices this leaf tends to bring. Mix that with red Virginias and a good whack of Perique? Say no more. Well, it seems my initial hunch was partially correct. The notes of Corojo leaf are front and center; if anything, they are overbearing. Although I can occasionally get the pepper of the Perique and some woodiness from the Virginias, the flavor of Corojo overwhelms them. Smokes dry, both in terms of moisture and flavor. Can get a little bitter if abused. Room note will not make you any friends; again, the Corojo dominates with its characteristic "Barnyard" scent. Body is not quite as heavy/creamy as some cigar blends can be; a Corojo characteristic again. Nicotine is not outrageous, but the flavor might be a bit rich to be an All-day blend. I feel like I would like this blend better if the Perique and Virginias were increased, and the Corojo Cavendish and burley backed down. That said, it achieves what it sets out to do. It's certainly different. Feels like it might appeal more in colder weather, but I can't stand having more than three open tins at a time; one has to be finished to try something new. As I always do with new blends, I bought two tins. This review is based on the fresh product; I will update after 6 months to a year.
Pipe Used: Bones Sausage, Charatan Egg
PurchasedFrom: Smoking Pipes
Age When Smoked: Fresh
2 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 15, 2021 Medium to Strong None Detected Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
Knowing that I like full bodied VaPer blends, this one sounded interesting. This blend has a typical VaPer with added Burley and Cigar Leaf Cavendish. The tin is simple in an elegant way. When I opened my tin I found a typical C&D crumble cake mostly dark brown in color. When I first opened the tin a strong smell of Perique mustiness took over the tin note. Now that I have had my tin open for a while I smell musty, plummy Perique, bready matured Red Virginia, and slightly nutty Burley. The cake is a little moist, but not too wet to crumble and smoke. It does take a light fairly easily as most of C&D's crumble cake's do.

When I light the blend it takes on the character of a well made VaPer. The first thing I taste is the Perique, it's plummy, dark fruity, and it gives a lot of spice on the retrohale. Coming up behind the Perique is the Burley with nuttiness and earth; it adds a lot of body to this blend. The Virginias are bready, and just a hair citrusy and rounds out the blend. The cigar Leaf Cavendish is interesting, like the other two blends I've reviewed it adds a floral complexity and a herbal note to the overall experience. This one would be an excellent blend to age.

The taste is a Medium edging toward medium-full. It does fill my mouth but in a soft way. The strength is a medium-strong, the amount of Perique really boosts the nicotine, but in a way that makes me satisfied. The room note is typical of a VaPer. I think this could easily be an all day blend, especially for those of us who like VaPers with a heavy Perique content.
Pipe Used: Peterson Short 150 Bulldog
PurchasedFrom: Smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: New
2 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 25, 2021 Strong None Detected Full Strong
Upon opening the tin I found a kake with some loose chunks and crumbling tobacco on the bottom, which gives off an aroma that already points to a va / per / bur, with a barnyard smell (totally according to moniker) that reminds me of Old Joe Krantz, but with the addition of a slightly different nuance of tobacco, which I assume will be the cigar leaf. It falls apart very easily, simply by pinching the tobacco. It is slightly damp, but this does not prevent it from being loaded directly from the tin and that after the first ignition it does not cost too much to keep it on.

Once underway, I have the impression that the intensity with which the ingredients were captured during the cold sniffing are perfectly translated during the smoke, with the same proportions, something that does not always happen with pipe tobaccos. It produces a fairly creamy smoke and is highly flavorful, inviting you to linger on, without even a hint of bite. The amount of nicotine is noted.
Age When Smoked: 4 months
2 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jun 27, 2020 Medium to Strong None Detected Full Tolerable to Strong
Kings Stride is a cigar-based blend from the Warped Folks at Cornell & Diehl that uses the same cigar leaf Cavendish as their Until the End blend, but IMO KS makes better use of this leaf, by putting it in a starring role, with a more simpatico supporting cast. My tin is dated 5-18-20. Inside are soft, moist, thin and fairly wide ribbons pressed into what has come to be known as a krumble kake. The ribbons range from tan, to red-brown, to dark brown, to black. The tin note is funky, mushrooms over rotting hay and wild flowers, peat and loam, with dark fruit leather and moldering fig under that, with a top note of sour milk and dark chocolate. There is a significant barnyard component here that also comes out in the smoke. It handles, loads, lights and smokes down fine, with lots of smoke. First up and leading the charge is the cigar leaf Cavendish, which is both strong and smooth, also floral,with proud but civilized cigar spices through the course of the smoke. Next is the sour Perique, stewed figs and dates, well melded with the sweetened, grassy, bready, dark fruit leather VAs. The aged Burley is nutty, woody, quite fragrant, floral, and bitter, and it may well be the source of the barnyard thing. It's more than gratuitous here. This is a complex blend that is somehow both strong and restrained. Of note: there is no Latakia, and it is not missed in this blend. Tastes are full. Room note is tolerable. Aftertaste is a long, drawn out tapering off of the best of the smoke.

Reading the above, my first thought is that the parts do not sound nearly as good as the whole turns out to be. This is a first class blend that will certainly benefit from aging and rest, both. Four Stars.
Pipe Used: cigar leaf briars, circa #5
PurchasedFrom: smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: right from a young tin
2 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Aug 18, 2023 Medium None Detected Medium Very Pleasant
I have both the first edition of 2020 and this 2023 version. For some reason I haven’t opened the old aged one. But, going with the newer one it’s fantastic. It’s been jared. When opening the jar is when I smell the cigar component. I could sniff it all day. Smoking produces wonder flavor and the cigar cavendish a lot of smoke. Leaving the room and returning gives a fantastic room note. Certainly an all day smoke.
Pipe Used: Kurt Huhn billiard and Kurt Huhn
PurchasedFrom: Smokingpipes
Age When Smoked: 2/2023 tin.
1 person found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.

target="_blank"