Cornell & Diehl XX Flake

(3.60)
XX Flake features bright Virginias and two Oriental varietals alongside the vintage, 18-year-old perique — offering a nuanced flavor profile of spice and citrus notes, bolstered by the intriguing essence of Orientals overtop the familiar Virginia and perique tobaccos. Limited to 5,000 serialized tins.

Details

Brand Cornell & Diehl
Series Smoking Pipes 20th Anniversary Blend
Blended By  
Manufactured By Cornell & Diehl
Blend Type Virginia Based
Contents Oriental/Turkish, Perique, Virginia
Flavoring
Cut Flake
Packaging 2 ounce tin
Country United States
Production No longer in production

Profile

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

Average Rating

3.60 / 4
7

2

1

0

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 04, 2020 Mild to Medium None Detected Medium to Full Pleasant
The bright Virginias provide an abundant burst of fermented, tart and very tangy citrus, plenty of grass and hay, vegetation, slight acidity, and a few drops of honey, with a light spice, sugar and floral aspects. They are the lead components. The tangy Orientals offer some floralness, woody, earth, herbs, spice, vegetation, leathery, a little creamy sweet and sourness along with some slight incense in a secondary role. The very stewed fruity (raisins, plums, figs, dates), moderately spicy, musty eighteen year old perique is just above being a condiment. The strength is a step short of the medium threshold. The taste is a slot past the medium mark, chiefly due to the floral quality of the varietals. The nic-hit is a rung below the strength level. There’s no chance of bite or harshness, though it does have few minute rough notes. This easily rubbed out broken flake mixture contains a little moisture, but doesn’t need any dry time. Well balanced, mildly complex and nuanced, it burns cool, clean at a slightly slow rate with a very consistent, deeply rich tart and more tangy, fermented, sugary, fruity, floral and lightly spicy, creamy, slightly acidic flavor that translates to the lightly lingering, pleasant after taste and room note. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires a few more than an average number of relights due to the cut and light moisture of the tobaccos. Despite its inherent depth, it can be an all day smoke for the veteran, and nearly so for the less experienced. Four stars out of four.

-JimInks
12 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 03, 2020 Mild to Medium None Detected Medium to Full Unnoticeable
I'm really impressed with this one. While XX Flake Dark is rather good, it clearly needs tin time to get where it's going. This one is very enjoyable without the "it'll be much better in a year or two" caveat. This is great now. Which isn't to say the cellar potential isn't high on this (it absolutely is), just a commentary that it's going to take some restraint to not blow through my tin stacks on this one immediately.

I'm going to be honest, LightmyBriar hit the tasting notes dead on and he certainly earned an upvote from me on that review. I'm getting the fruity perique mixed with a spicy creamy exotic profile. Waves of easily accessible flavors, smooth cool burn. Just lovely.

And I'll echo the sentiments that buying both XX Flake and XX Flake Dark is not a fools errand; they are dramatically different blends and both showcase what can be done with a single identical component (the 18y perique). It's really rather impressive.

I'll also echo what I said in the Flake Dark review; if this is the quality of product C&D is going to continue turning out for their small batch/limited runs, man I hope they keep doing them. I'd love to have a cellar of unique blends that take the time and attention to quality these, plus Sun Bear etc do. More of these C&D, keep pushing the envelope and taking the time to turn out gems. You're getting yourself a *very* loyal customer in me if you do.

Buy while you can, this will be remembered as a benchmark VaOrPer in a decade imo.

Highly Recommended.
PurchasedFrom: Smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: Fresh
12 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 03, 2020 Mild to Medium Extremely Mild Medium to Full Pleasant
Tin Note: A little reminiscent of Union Square. Sweet, clean, pleasant. Very little Perique noticeable. No obvious orientals stand out to me.

First Light: Very sweet. Crisp. Slight bit of oriental tasting floral-mustiness. A little sweet chocolate aftertaste. Not really tasting any Perique yet.

Mid-Bowl: Very sweet! And wow, now here is the Perique! A buttery creaminess envelopes the very fruity-sweetness...Oriental, Virginia, and Perique, all shining, all at once, in perfect harmony. This is really something superb. The most polite and timid whisper of cinnamon creeps through the background.

End of Bowl: The middle-of-the-bowl flavors carry through to the end. All the deliciousness of all of the tobaccos combined into one wonderful flavor, coming together to create a new taste that is extremely satisfying. It’s difficult to keep a calm cadence as the flavor is so enticing.

Summary: I am very surprised at how this blend transformed from the first light to something altogether different by mid-bowl. I was pleased at the beginning of the smoke, but did not expect much to come. Then, the flavors exploded into a fantastic symphony of taste that lasted to the end of the bowl. I am very disappointed that this is a limited run, as I would love to always have it available.

If you are debating between this one or the Dark Flake, I encourage you to get both. They exist in different flavor worlds from each other, so don’t worry that they will be too similar. Both are fantastic and should bring the blenders great pride. Highly recommended!
Pipe Used: MarTelo Bent Billiard
PurchasedFrom: Smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: New
11 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 18, 2020 Mild to Medium Extremely Mild Medium Pleasant
I am a sucker for these limited edition runs but i don’t feel like one smoking this creamy smooth blend ! Lightmybriar summed it up well . Smooth as can be . The bright Virginia sweetness with a touch of fruity Perique and floral buttery creamy Orientals and not a harsh note tasted yet .I get that touch of cinnamon also . A little honey too . Highly recommend! Don’t miss on this one if you can get it . You won’t regret it .
Age When Smoked: Fresh
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 09, 2020 Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant
Bought this on a whim (sometimes we just get lucky).

By far and away THE most decadent Virginia blend in my portfolio: sweet, tangy, citrusy, grass & hay (and everything else that Jim noted). Mind-blowing, wickedly delicious, elegantly sumptuous blend. These 5000 tins will go quickly. If you can find it, buy it.
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 20, 2020 Mild to Medium None Detected Medium to Full Pleasant
The age, fermentation, and subdued pepperiness of the Perique is noticeable in this blend compared to other Va/Pers. The grassy citrusy bright virginias do taste young but that will easily change with age. The red virginas and orientals add a dark fruit and woody notes. The orientals seem to stay in the background throughout the smoke. A fairly easy all day smoke that is incredibly enjoyable without any aging. I can only imagine the enjoyment after several years in the cellar. Pick some up before its gone.
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 19, 2020 Mild to Medium None Detected Mild to Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
Upon opening I found a very user friendly flake. These flakes are very supple and easy to pack and the burn is a pure pleasure . I notice that C & D are using this flake format lately and it represents a huge step forward for them . The tin note is very pleasant with overtones lite fruit and grass . This blend is a combination of Orientals , perique and Virginias that all work very well together . I would call it a lite VaPer with oriental overtones . The smoke is very creamy and smooth with the Orientals leveling off the VaPer taste. The flavor , however , is not really full enough to satisfy , Compared to other lite VaPers such as HU Janneman or Astley #2 this falls a little short . True , these two tobaccos do not include Orientals but they are lite VaPers that give basically the same smoke . XX flake falls a little short because the Virginias are young . That is the reason that other reviewers said that it still needed time in the can . I remember when we used to get Virginias that were well aged right out of the can . Today the makers expect us to age their tobaccos for them . I have little doubt that in a few years XX flake will be a 4 star tobacco but , as it stands I could only award 3 stars right now . This blend has a delicacy that can be appreciated only with a loose pack smoked very slowly and with total concentration . C & D seems to be moving up by presenting pure tobaccos with no topping , tobaccos presented for their own taste and qualities . I Think that C & D is now concentrating more on pure tobacco blends and less on adding aromatic agents . Good move C & D ,
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 01, 2020 Medium None Detected Medium to Full Pleasant to Tolerable
This is some fine smoke and one that really encaptured me for a while! Sadly I only have this one tin, which is nearing the end, but I'll keep this in fond memory.

Scent from the tin is very bready, with some dark fruits notes and some exotic spiciness. This translates perfectly into the smoke once you packed the neatly cut flake into your pipe - I prefer rubbing it slightly out before packing.

Very bready and earthy on the Virginia side, with a decent Perique on the nostrills and its unique dark fruit notes. The perique seems to have aged wonderfully, as it's very smooth on the palate with less of its peppery notes, but moreso a distinct spiciness. Accompanied by the two orientals, which offer pleasing spice and an exotic touch to the blend.

I highly recommend this to anyone really.. I'm by no means a VA- or Va/Per-guys, but this one has some nice qualitites that really caught me. The Orientals give it that certain something to distinct it from your average Va/Per. 4-stars, awesome smoke!
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jun 27, 2020 Mild to Medium None Detected Medium Tolerable
Bright VAs that taste like grass and dried hay and field corn. A cardboard woodiness and the sour orientals. This reminds me of C&D Sunday Picnic but tastes a bit better due to the aged perique. I do not taste many red VAs in this which is my preference. I also seem to be gravitating away for orientals in my Va/Pers so this blend will not make it to my desert island.
Pipe Used: Sav. 106
PurchasedFrom: Smoking Pipes
Age When Smoked: 3 months
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 25, 2021 Medium None Detected Medium to Full Pleasant to Tolerable
Cornell & Diehl - XX Flake (Smoking Pipes 20th)

Tin 4147 of 5,000.

XX Flake is constructed of whole flakes which are starting to break, unlike it's sibling XX Flake Dark where they're more broken. These flakes are a lighter shade of brown and have a hay-like yet slightly musky aroma. My tin had a level of moisture that was indispensable for imminent smoking; perfect!

Objectively speaking it's a four star blend, subjectively it hits three; I'll try to expatiate better! The Virginias and Perique coalesce together in a fabulous way; zesty, ripe Vas and just a little 'zing!' from the Perique; it's not a spice bomb, to me. What lowers the rating are the Orientals. Herby, ambrosial, a slight piquancy to compliment the Perique..... great! BUT, there's a touch of a stale, camphoraceous, unpleasant flavour (IMO) which lessens the enjoyment. Back on the plus-side it behaves excellently in the bowl and doesn't bite!

Nicotine: medium. Room-note: not great.

XX Flake? It isn't, by any means bad; like I said, objectively it's a belter. But for me the Orientals diminish the score. Three stars:

Recommended.
Pipe Used: Mr Brog
PurchasedFrom: Smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: 02/15/20
1 person found this review helpful.
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