Cornell & Diehl Easy Times

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!

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.

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.

Easy Times is yet another fine example of a unique blend from a master tobacco blender. It is a different type of smoke than my usual rotation of English/Balkan/Virginias, and so it has taken me a bit of time to warm up to the blend and develop an appreciation for it's character.

Upon opening the tin, the aroma is quite inviting and the Latakia is most noticable. The cut is a medium ribbon, and the colors range from light to medium brown w/ about 25% darker leaf showing. Moisture content was good, although I feel that a little drying will result in a smoother smoke.

Upon lighting up, the initial flavor is good; Latakia and burley mostly w/ the the Virginia providing a pleasant background, but with very little of the residual sweetness that I was expecting. Mid bowl, the burley turns nutty and balances out the smoky component nicely. By the end of the bowl, the flavor has developed towards a smoky creaminess w/ little or no trace of Virginia left at the finish.

I have no trouble lighting or keeping this blend lit, and it smokes well right down to the last bit in the bottom of the bowl. The room aroma is not the most pleasant to the uninitiated; my wife won't come outside when I smoke this one and says that it smells like burning leaves. Oh well, more for me...

As with many burley blends, this tobacco definately needs to be smoked slowly. Puffing too quickly, especially in the last 2/3 of the bowl, will result in a harsh bitterness. Gently sipping at this one provides the pleasant goodness described above. Overall, my impression is a different type of smoke; full bodied but not intense. I find this to be a nice change of pace on occasion.

Cornell & Diehl Easy Times is a bold, yet simple Burley based blend that packs a punch. The tobacco was dry out of the tin, but ready to smoke. The cut was a typical ribbon cut that included some larger chunks. The tin note was earhty, with a nicely fermented leaves note and hint of smoke and wood.

Upon lighting the taste is earthy with spice, with woody and smokey notes following. The Kentucky/Burley is the major player. It is bold, punchy, dry, and earthy, yet lacks the typical nuttiness associated with Burley. The Red Virginia and Latakia are in the background with the Virginia giving the blend hints of sweetness, grass, and a little citrus that occasionally creeps up, while the Latakia offers smokey, woody undertones. Somewhere in the blend dark fruit and cigar notes can also be found. It leaves a fine gray ash.

This is a consistent blend from start to finish that is simple and doesn't require a lot of thought. It burns cool but has a slight rough edge that is enjoyable, but continues remain smooth and uncomplicated. This is blended to be an all day smoke, but I would categorize it as repeatable. Medium to full in flavor with a Nic hit that matches. I think fans of Haunted Bookshop will appreciate this blend.

I bought a tin of Easy Times based on the above review. It is not too Latakia laden! A little Red virginia thrown in. I mostly taste the exquisite fire cured burley to be honest which is rather potent in the nicotine department. Like the tin artwork shows, maybe you should smoke this blend doing something safe. Like playing checkers. Tin aroma is pure latakia, so it scared me at first but alas Easy Times is easy going....

I have smoked several of the C&D bulk burleys and enjoy all of them. This C&D burley is no exception. It is one of my favorites. One difference between this and the bulk burleys is that the physical characteristics of the tobacco look more consistent. The blend is cut in a fine ribbon with little dust or sticks.

It is packed (very!) tightly into a small tin and the moisture level is on the dry side - perfect for smoking - when it is opened. The taste is of high-quality burley, rounded out and mellowed by the added latakia and Virginia. It tastes slightly musty, rather than sweet, with a slightly bitter burley edge that gets stronger later in the bowl. It is very satisfying, with a taste that does not get tiresome for me and with a moderate-to-strong nicotine load.

The only reason I gave this three stars instead of four is that it is substantially more expensive than the C&D bulk blends that are comparable to this one. I definitely will try this one again; my tin disappeared quickly.

Very good but... 1) the content of my tin was too dry, although I must say it burns out just perfectly.. so maybe it was intentional. 2) latakia is really just an idea here.. Wonderful and rich smoke to me, lovely. Reminds me CD Brian Fox, a lot, must be the same burley . Will buy again.

I did enjoy this, I felt it was similar to Sunday Picnic in its basic form, but a slightly different character. Either that or my pipe was heavily ghosting the Sunday Picnic.

It was a most enjoyable smoke, the smoke was a bit nippy at the tounge, and was much warmer (temp.) than Sunday. No real flavor popped out, it was a nice afternoon smoke while walking along the hudson. Temp 80deg at 78% hum. Felt like 90 at 90%......