Cornell & Diehl Back Porch

Very similar to Briar Fox blend from Cornell & Diehl. Same virginias, but more perique. I cannot taste the burley. Spicy, full smoke, not so strong and still quite tasteful. Overall very good choice for VaPer lovers. But the fourth star is lost because the tobacco is too dry. Which is another "feature" of Briar Fox too. I mean, there has to be a mid-way between briarfox/backporch and the stuff from Samuel Gawith (absolutely wet!!). Dunhill found it. Cornell and SG not, yet.

EDIT 2-12-2016

Three and a half years since I first reviewed this blend and I have grown immensely in pipe smoking knowledge from this green review of this blend. Shortly after I reviewed this blend, I purchased an 8 ounce can of this from C&D. I kind of miss those days of calling them up at the warehouse and ordering tobacco. I suppose the new arrangement with Smoking pipes is more convenient, but it is less special.

In these three and a half years I have tried several VaBurPers and they have become my preferred tobacco choice overall. When I first tried this I waffled on giving it four stars. I am glad that I did not. I think it is fine at the three stars that I gave it. I just have too many in the Four star range that are more special than this blend. There are actually quite a few in the three star range that are as well.

One thing I like about this blend is that it gives you a good amount of those quality C&D burleys without overwhelming you with them as Burley Flake 3 does as an extreme example. Also the perique percentage is spot on with the spice, but also stops short of overwhelming ala Old Joe Krantz. The Virginia's of course make up for the lower percentage of both and perhaps dilute the other two with a light sweetness.

I say light as the Virginias are pretty earthy and do not give off any citrus notes that I can pick up. As my own tastes have evolved, I have tended to favor the more hay like citrus Virginias and perhaps that is why I presently put so many blends above this one.

Overall, I still recommend this one for what it is and I did enjoy smoking this 8 ounces, but doubt that I will buy more. Thus, I am not changing the three star rating, but I did up the taste to medium to full as I have found this to be fuller than I originally considered it.

ORIGINAL REVIEW 7-11-2012

My first VaBurPer purchased at a my favorite B&M in the Metro Detroit Area (JR Cigar in Southfield.) I really like this and had to restrain myself from giving a fourth star as I don't feel qualified enough yet to give that high of a rating. Besides I have been giving too many of them out anyway.

Has a nice nic hit as do all the C&D blends I smoke. As American English seems to be my favorite, C&D is also my favorite as, in my limited experience, noone does this better.

As to room note, I go by only one reference as my brother told me it smells great. He is a cigar smoker so take that with that in mind. The taste is wonderful and does not remind me of any VaPers I have ever smoked. Certainly not Dorcester (my current favorite in that Genre.)

When I frirst bought this, I thought it a very unique blend of ingredients, but reading several of the reviews I find there are many different varieties in this genre. I really need to explore more. My next stop will be Old Joe Krantz and probably Haunted Bookshop. I may come back with a fourth star yet, but it will take a while.

Craig Tarler blends his tobaccos to order, and ships them as soon as they are blended. As a result they have not aged and the flavors are not yet melded. I advise allowing his tobaccos to age for at least a few months before smoking them so that the full flavor is allowed to come together. Back Porch is a mixture of three Virginia and Virginia/perique blends sold by Cornell & Diehl. Because C&D adds no water or humectant to their tobaccos, some may find this tobacco to be slightly on the dry side, but for my tastes the moisture level is very good. The blend is primarily a Virginia, with a bit of perique. The pouch aroma of Back Porch is heavenly; I could enjoy it as a room deodorizer. The tobacco lights easily and fully. The initial flavor of the tobacco is somewhat mild, but the nuances and subtleties come through quickly – usually after just a few puffs. For my way of smoking, the flavor remains pretty consistent through about 4/5 of the bowl and then strengthens slightly. The natural sweetness of the Virginia comes through from start to finish, while the perique, more of a condiment than a complete flavoring, provides nice hints of pepper and spice. Back Porch is a very pleasant tobacco once aged a little bit. I smoke it daily.

I opened the tin and the smell was, if memory serves, like that of Esoterica Dorchester, a tobacco I turned around and bought 3 more tins of after I tried it. Back Porch, however, did not smoke like Dorchester. I was going to give it 2 stars because it seemed to smoke a bit hot and with an unbalance of flavors at first. It really mellowed out halfway through the bowl, however, so I think this is a tobacco one needs to treat carefully. Best when sipped. It turned out to have a nice complexity and some really great burning qualities-no relights required. My tin is from 2003, and the tobacco was still slightly moist, but I did not dry it out any further before smoking. It nevertheless smoked down to a fine ash. Back Porch will not bite when smoked too fast, but doing so does not produce the best taste. I will experiment with it in different pipes, and maybe with drying it out some more, but think I would have to say that this is a good one.

1-09-10 My experiments have ended until I buy another tin, and I just might, especially if I can get an aged one. Nice on its own, and especially nice for blending. I would never go up to four stars. nor detract from three. Recommended.

12/28/2006

My youngest son presented me with a tin of Back Porch for Christmas this year. I had asked for Redwood by the same blender, or Red Ribbon. But Back Porch turned out to be a very pleasant and acceptable substitute. I like it.

My tin appears to have been blended and packed in 2003; the stamped date is a little hard to read. In any event, the moisture level was perfect. Some of the other blends purchased from Cornell and Dielh have been much too dry upon opening for my taste.

I smoked this in a well used Missouri Meerschaum; I believe they call it "The General." It has a large deep bowl. I have several and it has become my default pipe. It is inexpensive, holds enough tobacco for my trip to or from work and for me smokes like a dream.

The blend was smooth. I experienced no tongue bite. After the charring light and the second match, it burned to the bottom. There was no dottle in the heal, and only a little condensation in the stem.

Most importantly, it yielded a very nice tobacco taste and smoking experience. In this tin, the Perique made its presence known, but I enjoy Perique. The Virginia and Burley work well together. If you are looking for complexity and nuance, this would not be your tobacco. But it is a very nice smoke. It won't become my first choice, but it will be in the top ten, which are comprised of Virginia and Verginia and Perique blends.

Please accept my wishes for a safe, prosperous and blessed New Year.

Prison Chaplain

The humorous picture of the three pipe-smoking mice on the tin's label prompted me to purchase this blend. This line of thought may well be akin to the "don't judge a book by its cover" cliché, but can we really apply that to pipe tobacco?

For some reason, I perceive Virginia-based blends as smelling like Raisin-Bran. Back Porch is no different. Like the other Cornell and Diehl blends I've sampled, it needs little drying time, and if you don't mind a little bite, can be smoked comfortably right out of the tin.

I smoked this in my Virginia-based-blend pipe, a Stanwell that has heretofore only been loaded with this blend. It is easy to pack and pretty well-behaved. The Virginia mixutre is overall pretty mild, but the Perique gives it a nice little kick. The Burley is just along for the ride; it has no impact on the taste as far as I can tell.

Pipestud says this isn't trying to be an elegant blend, and I agree. It's something you'd smoke, as the name implies, while sitting on the back porch and relaxing, preferably with a little Jack Daniel's. I've discovered that Virginia-based blends aren't my favorites, but the Perique does indeed bring this alive. This is one of my change-of-pace smokes, and I can also recommend it to the Virginia fan who's looking for a bit more power than his/her usual blend provides.

As other reviewers have noted this blend - for the most part - is very straight forward yet there is considerable variation within the bowl. These variations are not the symphonic notes of a Pease balkan or Esoterica English. Instead it is like lightly seasoned, home made soup that just toys with a bit of spice here and there.

Unlike most of my favorite C+D blends, this one is much more focused on the VA aspect, rather than the perique or burley component. In Back Porch, the latter two tobaccos provide a hint of body and pepper, instead of becoming dominant tastes. The overall taste is naturally light and sweet, almost refreshing like iced tea. At points there is a bit more robustness but never something heavy or overpowering. I classify very few smokes as "all day". This one could fit that bill. I generally prefer a little more body and flavor intensity - but this will easily work when I want something a bit more quiet and not so complex.

I don't know, maybe I've been smoking too much Royal Yacht and have numbed my tongue -- But, here again is another blend that I must upgrade after giving it a second chance. 🙂

My first shot at Back Porch revealed a very dry, somewhat harsh tasting tobacco. The tin I popped yesterday was a year old, revealed a perfect moisture content, and was only a tickle at the back of my throat during consumption instead of a grate.

Back Porch is not an elegant blend, but I don't think it tries to be. It is just a down home Virginia/Burley combination with a smattering of Perique that stays mostly hidden until the last third of the bowl. And yes, enough nicotine to keep the addicted....well, addicted.

Because I am not particularly a fan of Perique my latest tin might possibly be my last. But, if you enjoy straight forward tobacco taste with a little pepper added, Back Porch may just be the pipe weed you've been looking for.