Cornell & Diehl Ghost of Christmas Past

The white burley is a little more obvious than the dark and cube cut burleys, and they are the lead components by a small margin. They provide plenty of nuts, earth, wood, bread, dry, sour sharpness, light sugar, cocoa, molasses, and a small spice note. The very sugary bright flue cured Virginia offers some tart and tangy citrus, vegetative grass, bread, floralness, mild sour lemon, light spice, and a touch of acidity. It’s a couple of notches below the burleys though sometimes it’s a tad closer. The leathery Cyprian Latakia produces a fair amount of smoke, earth, wood, floralness, vegetation, some herbs, and light spice as it occasionally competes with, and surpasses the bright Virginia. More often, it’s right behind the bright in terms of effect. A little inconsistency in multi-varietal crumble cakes is typical. The strength and taste levels start out a couple of steps past the center of mild to medium, and settle in at the medium threshold after the first third of the bowl. The nic-hit settles in at a step below the previously mentioned aspects. There’s no chance of bite or harshness. It does have a few small rough notes. This easily broken apart crumble cake is mildly moist, and I saw no need to dry it as per my custom. Burns cool, clean and slow with a smoky, sweet, floral, mildly sour, nutty flavor that extends to the pleasantly lingering after taste. The room note is tolerable. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires some relights. Not an all day smoke, but it is repeatable. Three and a half stars.

-JimInks

Tin note of campfire, mildly sour and mildly sweet. The soft Krumble Kake rubs out easily, and is moist and slightly tacky, a few minutes drying is needed. Burns slow with more than the average amount of relights. The strength is mild to medium, starting mild, ramping up as it goes, and nic is medium. No flavoring detected. Taste is mild to medium, starting out a little stronger than medium and leveling out in the mild category. Tasting notes of sweet grass, smoky wood, tart lemon, floral, leather, dry earth, mild spiced herbs, mild sweet bread, mild bitter toasted nuts, and a very mild peppery retro. Virginias have short lived lead over the Burleys in the beginning but settle into a supporting role. Latakia supports both the Virginias and burley. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is great.