Cornell & Diehl Autumn Evening

I've noticed that some reviewers have found this tobacco difficult to enjoy. My experience was, at first, exactly like theirs: The tin note was overwhelmingly sweet, like caramel (it's actually maple.) It reminded me of the aroma of a coffee shop and so I was excited to try it, but my first few bowls were an utter failure.

At first, there was little flavor to speak of. I had packed it too loosely. So, I tried it again with an usually tight pack, and it burned well this time. It tasted mainly of dried autumn leaves -- sort of sickly sweet, but then it burned my tongue fiercely. So, I tried it again, found it unlikeable, and then gave up for a couple of days.

When I returned, I tried smoking it sloooowly, taking about 5 - 10 seconds per draw and using almost no pressure at all, just letting the smoke roll into my mouth. Using this technique, the true potential of Autumn Evening was manifest. Immediately, my tongue grew heavy with thick maple, as if someone had dumped a bottle of natural maple syrup in. I could feel the casing in my mouth, delivering the exact same flavor that I had smelled in the tin earlier. Combined with a complex and aromatic background from the tobacco, it blew me away completely. No other blend tastes quite like this. Anyone who likes aromatics and sweet tobacco MUST try Autumn Evening. If you didn't like it at first, give it another shot and try sipping on it ponderously.

Make sure you get a mason jar to store this blend. The can does not make an adequate seal and the flavor will almost completely disappear in about a week. Light it with matches, not a lighter, to enjoy the full aroma, and make sure not to scorch it too hard. This is a subtle and gentle tobacco, so be careful with it. I can see why so many have had a negative experience considering how temperamental it can be. Needless to say, this is not a good beginner's tobacco.

Lastly, the room note is exceptional and unique. It's salty, reminiscent of autumn leaves, and, just like the tin, smells of the interior of a coffee shop. Those around you will likely be rather curious about it, so it's a good conversation starter too.

I am not an aromatic smoker but this is good stuff. It doesn't taste artificial like most aromatics. You still get plenty of natural virginia flavor and nice sweetness without the addition of black cavendish or flavorings that end with a chemical after taste. One of only 2 aromatics I actually enjoy smoking. Not wet or goopy. Smokes like most virginia blends. Find a pipe to dedicate to this as it will ghost anything it is smoked in.

Very pleasant aromatic tobacco. Very mild but full of the softer flavours, almost floral with faint vanilla. Burns well and leaves a pleasant aroma. Will recommend.

I initially got this in an attempt to find something my wife wouldn’t mind the smell of, and liked it enough to buy some more. I bought the Peterson 408 Christmas edition around the same time, and it became a dedicated pipe for this blend.

The blend is rough looking, dark colored, with bits of lighter speckled about. The tin note is pungent, sweet and smells more confectionery than tobacco to me. Maple, liquor, fruit. It is pretty well described by the company, and easy to recognize the flavors and aromas. I found it be less flavored than I had anticipated. I don’t normally like or some aromatic tobaccos

Packed properly, this blends performs well. It is sweet on the light, and burns well. It maintains its sweetness throughout the smoke and the maple and liquor come through, with some fruit and caramel flavors. It does have a decently present tobacco flavor. I’d say that the leaf used in this blend is very good. The room note is pleasant, and not overpowering.

It’s not an everyday smoke for me, but I do find myself going back to periodically when I have company, or a bit of a sweet tooth. I rated it highly for what it is. It is a sweet, flavored blend, that smells nice in the air. It’s not syrupy sweet, and the tobacco flavor comes through for me. My wife says it smells like chocolate, for what it’s worth. I have come to enjoy this blend when I smoke it, which is impressive, because I don’t like aros.

I have been smoking pipes for 28 years, English blends most of those years. Recently my tastes have changed I guess and I was seeking something different. This was my first try again at an aromatic since I first started smoking a pipe and had scalded my tongue and left the aros alone. What a wonderful tobacco this is, the taste is that of sweetened tobacco with a touch of real maple syrup. There is nothing goopy or artificial about this tobacco. I am glad I hit this tobacco on my first return to an aromatic, as it gave me encouragement on how great they can be. Room note is apparently spectacular, everyone from family members to complete strangers complements the small of this tobacco. As I have gotten older and the anti-tobacco zealots have taken over the world a nice tobacco that can offend no one with any sense is much appreciated.

At first, I did not like this blend. It tasted like I was guzzling maple syrup and caramel. After 5 smokes, I began to really enjoy it. The room note is amazing but the taste is dull. Either way, anyone could enjoy this blend.

Yet another update, I have really grown so fond of this blend. I have been lightly coating the inside of my new cobs with a thin coating of maple syrup and breaking them in with Autumn Evening. The sugar from the syrup and the Virginia tobacco creates a rock hard cake very quickly. My mother is an anti smoking demon at times and told me today my pipe smoke in her house smelled very nice and much better than anything else I smoked. This is the highest praise an aromatic can get, my mothers room note review... If it passes her scrutiny it will pass anyone's 🙂 O and this is still the only pipe tobacco I readily inhale. As a cig smoker this goes down very smoothly!

3/9/2014 Update*** Wow I cannot believe its been over ten years since I reviewed this blend. I guess Im not a "Young Piper" anymore... Anyways this blend hasn't changed but I have, I find the blend much more enjoyable as I now have a decade under my belt of pipe smoking. I can handle a very hot blend. Virginias and maple sugar can be incendiary but this blend smokes cool now that I know how to smoke it. LOVE the artwork, I mean if it was named "griddle scrapings" would we all rush to purchase this? No... Hands off to whoever made the artwork, I would love a giant poster for my wall!! And wow a buck an ounce? O how I long to go back to 2004 🙂

Original Review: 2004-02-13 - I ordered this blend because i smoke townsman maple regularly and i wanted to try a maple blend without burley. Autumn Evening has much less maple aroma, and the taste is real tobacco. This is drier than townsman but does not have that great billowing clouds of pancake aroma. So that being said, those who love extremely heavily cased tobacco as i should try the MCC version. This is a nice change for me though. I bought several one ounce samplers from Outwest tobacco online. Good way to try new blends as they are only a buck an ounce.