Cornell & Diehl Easy Times

Easy Times is very appropriately named. It's easy on the nicotine, easy on the Latakia, easy on the Virginia and easy on the flavor. The Kentucky leaf kept me interested for a bowl or two before I donated the remainder of the tin to my pipe club's tobacco bar. I prefer something that demands my palate's attention.

Cornell & Diehl - Easy Times.

The first thing I noticed when I removed the lid was a huge piece of tobacco that looked like the cap from a cigar! O.K., I can accept that, but I can't accept the dryness of the blend. One star went before a bowl had even begun!

The smoke: I can see how many folks will find this brilliant, but the appeal somewhat misses me. The boldest of all the tobaccos is the Kentucky, for the initial quarter it's a little too much for me. After a quarter of a bowl the Latakia becomes more of a flavour; not a 'driving force', but a tasty seasoning. The Virginia sits WAY behind, struggling like anything to compete with the brash Kentucky. The last quarter tastes a bit more like an 'English', compared to the first. Although the Latakia's nowhere near the strength of something like, say, Sam Gawith Balkan Flake, the Kentucky begins to subside a bit. Due to the dryness the burn is terrible, hot and fast, and I also get some bite from it.

The nicotine: strong. The room-note: strong.

I'm not a fan, but I'll give it the benefit of the doubt by awarding two stars, not one!

Somewhat recommended.

Fun With C&D Samples, Vol II, #3

Ugly and dirty looking in the pouch... sort of a long, dark pencil shaving appearance. But in the pipe, this is a nice one! The Kentucky plays the lead role, with the VA and latakia in the background. There is just a touch of sweetness and smokiness and all this huge burley flavor. C&D burleys tend toward the "earthy" side of things rather than the "nutty", in my experience. This tends to make for a more robust smoke and, quite frankly, Easy Times is not what I would have named this blend. I wouldn't care to smoke this all day long. But at the right times, this is a winner.

This is a highly non-complex blend with excellent full flavor and a nice punch to it. If you love burley, you have to give this one a try. Runowski and Tarler's genius with the burley leaf is amazing!

This is a truly amazing blend. The flavor of slightly sweet and nutty burley takes the lead, but the latakia adds just the right amount of smokiness to keep it interesting. The body is creamy smooth throughout. Easy Times burns cool and leaves little to no tongue bite. In fact, I find that it leaves a dry (not coating) and very pleasant aftertaste. I enjoy this blend clear down to white ash, so it's great for breaking in a pipe.

Cigarette smokers should know that they can puff more aggressively on this blend without their pipe turning into a torch or their tongue swelling. But smoking it cool brings out the variety of flavors and makes the bowl that much more enjoyable. I have smoked this in a newer Rhodesian that I am still breaking in, and by the third bowl (following Frog Morton Across the Pond) it was heavenly. I've also smoked it in a brand new cob, and it was even better, to my amazement.

I can't say enough good things about this blend. It is a masterstroke, but needs to be smoked medium to cool for full effect. I will definitely be ordering more.

If you like your tobacco strong, earthy and not too sweet, this one has you covered. Not as smoky as I expected given the components. The Latakia is light and provides a little woodiness to the Kentucky's strong earthiness. Smokiness is on the mild side with only a slight acrid note that can be easily ignored. The Virginias are very light offering only a hint of sweetness and no flavor. I can see that this would be handy as a quick fix when you don't have time for a full bowl. It'll get the job done with just a few hits. I don't think I would like to smoke large bowls of this ever, but a medium sized bowl every now and then would be welcome. This is a good one.

Body is full (strong). Nic is medium to strong. Taste is medium to full. No added flavorings. Burns beautifully. Same in briar or cob.

My first burley based blend, big bold burley flavor, light Latakia and a dash of sweetness from the Virginias, a full bodied smoke that burns like a dream.Excellent

20/05/2011 I just received an 8oz tin of this wonderfull weed and i can honestly say that this weed will never leave my rotation.

This is a nice blend but nothing "wows" me. The latakia is very very light, which is OK with me, unless I'm in the mood for latakia. Seems more like a Virginia blend to me. It is, however, nice and strong. That's a plus.

Tin: Smells like stale cardboard and bread. Quite dry and not sticky. Mahogany and dark tan wide ribbon cut, with a small amount of black chunks.

Taste & Aroma: The taste and aroma are a muted red VA-burley.

It smokes fairly cool, meaning the bowl did not get hot. There was a noticeable lack of even the slightest hint of moisture. ET smokes about the driest of any tobacco I have ever smoked. It smokes incredibly well, down to a fine ash, and absolutely biteless.

Nicotine: That rat, Mr. Nic O'Tine, came creeping around last night. Forget about the velvet hammer; try a 10-pound sledge. Nicotine is a rodenticide.

Room Note: It leaves a lingering, stale, red VA-burley scent, and that is a bit surprising, by contrast, in that ET has correspondingly less taste and aroma, compared to a noticeable room note.

Overall: ET smokes cool and dry. The contrast between the taste and aroma, and strength, the ratio of aroma to nicotine, is remarkable, maybe the greatest I have ever experienced. I just wish it had more taste and aroma. 2.5 stars.

C&D easy times (please note that the blend dose not have the 20 year old Kentucky but C&D states a similar quality is used) none the less a great smoke from C&D with red Virginia bringing great sweetness a little smoky from the mild addition from the Latakia and a good Nicotine hit from the fire cured Kentucky burley. A great creamy smoke that when left to dry for an hour smokes easy and cool.

I have a friend (an admitted nic fiend) who swears by this stuff, and he gave me a sample. The first few puffs were pleasant, kind of a fuller-bodied and somewhat sweeter than Carter Hall. But about a third of the way in, WHAMO! In comes the nic! I was dizzy by the time I hit midway through. It took all my resolve to finish the bowl, and I stumbled back into the house like a drunken man. I'm sure it tasted good to the last puff; but by that time the nicotine had smacked me so hard I didn't care what it tasted like.

Against my better judgment I tried a second bowl. All of the sweetness was gone; I smoked it in the same pipe, but this time all I tasted was ash. After the nic hit this time I dumped it out.

I know many love this blend, and the burley tastes great (when it wants to). For that I add a star. But I would caution you--if you're not the type who can tolerate a LOT of nicotine, like smoking three Marlboro Reds one after another, stay away!