Details
| Brand | Cornell & Diehl |
| Series | Brick and Mortar |
| Blended By | Jeremy Reeves |
| Manufactured By | Cornell & Diehl |
| Blend Type | American |
| Contents | Black Cavendish, Burley, Virginia |
| Flavoring | Molasses, Plum, Rum |
| Cut | Broken Flake |
| Packaging | 2 ounce tin |
| Country | United States |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Mild to Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Very Mild
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Mild to Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 01, 2021 | Medium to Strong | Very Mild | Medium to Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Just the name of C&D’s newest release, “House Reserve”, got my hopes up, and – as ever – I went in search of 4 stars, with perhaps a little more determination than usual. Since many of C&D’s blends require aging and/or rest before their best is available, I was not at all deterred by my initial impressions, which were that it’s a decent crossover. Long story short, there are 4 stars to be had here; it just takes a little waiting and a little doing. Back to the Long Story: Tin popped, House Reserve smells like its topping (sugar, molasses, plum and rum) poured over yeasty wheat/rye bread and drying hay, with a side of fruit wood. Soft, fairly delicate, well- broken, red-brown flakes are nicely stacked for scooping up and dropping, then pushing into a pipe. Moisture appears fine but it burns better and it also opens up after some rest, and it comes into its own after about 2 weeks of rest. My tin is dated 11-20-20, and I have no doubt this blend will benefit from in-tin aging. Lit, there is ample smoke that in the early going smells and tastes pretty much like the tin note, along with bitter nuts, a little earth, and the floral note that comes with some Burleys, and some faint, dark fruit leather from the VAs, and some sourdough from the Cavendish. With rest the topping fades considerably to become a mere enhancement of the tobaccos. Meanwhile, the rested, high-quality tobaccos bloom, with the white and dark Burleys, including C&D’s proprietary brown Cavendish, just forward of rich, fairly robust air cured and stoved red VAs. From “the right pipe”, a dedicated #4, strength, nicotine and tastes combine to build past medium, toward strong. Room note is a little much to stay pleasant. Aftertaste is a lingering best of the smoke.
House Reserve, indeed. The longer it rests, and the more I smoke it, the better I like it. Note that this blend burns down just fine, but it makes some soot, like C&D’s Carolina Flakes. I keep a couple of pipe cleaners at hand for this while smoking House Reserve. Not sure if newbies will cotton to this one, but plenty of geezers will like it if they stick with it. 4 stars.
House Reserve, indeed. The longer it rests, and the more I smoke it, the better I like it. Note that this blend burns down just fine, but it makes some soot, like C&D’s Carolina Flakes. I keep a couple of pipe cleaners at hand for this while smoking House Reserve. Not sure if newbies will cotton to this one, but plenty of geezers will like it if they stick with it. 4 stars.
Pipe Used:
dedicated #4 briar
PurchasedFrom:
Liberty Tobacco
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 09, 2023 | Mild to Medium | Mild | Medium | Pleasant |
I bought this on a whim and was NOT disappointed. This instantly became one of my favorites. Gentle and soft are the best words to describe every aspect.
The strength profile is notable. You can see the various differences in opinion in the rating. In the first few draws I thought to myself, “WOW - this is stronger than nightcap (which I call a solid medium) and AS strong as Royal Yacht. However - I suspect that the natural sugar content makes the strength seem more than it is. Most brands will get stronger in the last 1/3. This one is strongest in the 1st quarter. The tin note is very similar to dunhill ready rubbed - but there is less citrus. What some call citrus in this I would call bergamot. (Which I guess is citrus.)
However - the soft body of the smoke and delicate flavor even out. This is just ultra top quality. I would call this the BEST example of an aromatic - quintessential aromatic. Anyone with some “tough guy” prejudice against aromatics should give this one a try. The topping is very subtle - like a bergamot that (as tends to be true with burley) becomes more prominent if you can dry it without too much exposure.
You don’t really need to dry it - but gentle drying helps. I’m curious as to how this will age.
The softness of flavor I’d have to compare to the excellent Brebbia “small leaf” blends like Romanza or opera. There is ZERO bite to this - and it is not tart. They nail the “classic tobacco shop” thing even better and in a more natural way than Lane 1Q.
The flavor profile starts mildly sweet and develops into a very nice natural flavor and gets closer to but never hits bitter. Drying keeps it farther from bitter. It should not be rushed and is *very* relaxing to enjoy. The cavendish rounds out the Virginia perfectly, mildly dark but not grassy.
I’m told by the tobacconist that this is in continual production - and I really hope that is the case.
The strength profile is notable. You can see the various differences in opinion in the rating. In the first few draws I thought to myself, “WOW - this is stronger than nightcap (which I call a solid medium) and AS strong as Royal Yacht. However - I suspect that the natural sugar content makes the strength seem more than it is. Most brands will get stronger in the last 1/3. This one is strongest in the 1st quarter. The tin note is very similar to dunhill ready rubbed - but there is less citrus. What some call citrus in this I would call bergamot. (Which I guess is citrus.)
However - the soft body of the smoke and delicate flavor even out. This is just ultra top quality. I would call this the BEST example of an aromatic - quintessential aromatic. Anyone with some “tough guy” prejudice against aromatics should give this one a try. The topping is very subtle - like a bergamot that (as tends to be true with burley) becomes more prominent if you can dry it without too much exposure.
You don’t really need to dry it - but gentle drying helps. I’m curious as to how this will age.
The softness of flavor I’d have to compare to the excellent Brebbia “small leaf” blends like Romanza or opera. There is ZERO bite to this - and it is not tart. They nail the “classic tobacco shop” thing even better and in a more natural way than Lane 1Q.
The flavor profile starts mildly sweet and develops into a very nice natural flavor and gets closer to but never hits bitter. Drying keeps it farther from bitter. It should not be rushed and is *very* relaxing to enjoy. The cavendish rounds out the Virginia perfectly, mildly dark but not grassy.
I’m told by the tobacconist that this is in continual production - and I really hope that is the case.
Pipe Used:
Savinelli 804 KS 6mm Canadian
PurchasedFrom:
Tobacco Trader, Culver City
Age When Smoked:
From tin
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jan 22, 2021 | Medium | Very Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
It appearance of broken Virginia flake. Packs and lights easily. It's reminds me of what a good Virginia flake would be if you took all of the bitey elements from it. I attribute this to the Burley and Cavendish. Taste is that of a naturally sweet tobacco flavor. The blend does have a light casing, which I could not identify but is quite pleasant. It's good enough that it saddens me that this was a limited run as it is a very good smoke.
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