Cornell & Diehl Autumn Evening

I'll be honest: I've been going around this blend for a long time. I'm quite cautious about anything that has rabid popularity. And the indication in the status - "produced continuously" is not an exaggeration. Rumor has it that the conveyor belt for blending this tobacco doesn't stop for a second, and the tobacco itself is what Cornell & Diehl management claims is the company's best-selling blend. The latter seems to be true - I've watched jars of this tobacco literally fly off the virtual "counter" of the store I usually shop at three times. Eventually, "curiosity killed the cat," and I bought a tin of this tobacco to try.

The tin was dated "August 31, 2021," and the tobacco was very fresh. The appearance of the tobacco was a sliced ribbon of light roasted coffee color, almost monochrome. The tobacco is of very high quality, a little damp, obviously with the fact that it will be bought for the future and will last a while. The tobacco is very easy to get into the pipe.

The tobacco aroma literally sweeps you off your feet. Rum, whiskey, honey, rich prunes, a little vanilla, a hint of bitter chocolate... Behind all this riot of smells the tobacco note of Virginia itself was hardly felt. The overall bouquet was a bit heavy, so I stuffed the big pipe with some apprehension.

Taste... Initially, I had the impression that I was drinking a cup of sweet mocha with cream and rum, snacking on some bitter chocolate, and there was a smoking pipe somewhere nearby. The tobacco was very smooth and, unlike many American flavored blends, had a topping not only in the aroma but also in the taste. Smoking this blend was very pleasant - it doesn't bite even on long puffs, doesn't warm up the pipe, burns cool and evenly. By the middle of the pipe flavoring weakens a little, there is a woody-earthy flavor of dark Virginia. The tobacco is frankly weak in terms of strength, after smoking a large pipe, I did not feel anything. The aftertaste is honeyed, woody and plum, but not very distinct. The tobacco burns into a fine ash of dark gray color, a little moisture is left in the pipe, there is no tar.

The smoke from the tobacco hangs quite a thick carpet, has a very pleasant aroma which, however, seemed a bit heavy to me.

The bottom line: the wife is delighted. I have mixed feelings about it. I really liked the taste, but the flavor is still pretty intrusive. I should probably take a few jtins in reserve and let them store for a couple of years. Perhaps over the years, the smell will weaken a bit, and the sweetness will become even more intense, and then this blend will be an amazing dessert tobacco.

I smelled butterscotch out of the tin, then it turned more maple after drying some out. The cut, burn, and room note were all perfect. No bite, but all I could really taste was warm air with a hint of maple, and vanilla. Towards the end of the bowl it had a light maple syrup pancake thing happening. Maybe a better name for this blend would be Autumn Breakfast?

This is the only maple blend so far that has lived up to the hype it receives. It’s a very good tobacco and has a nice maple flavor to it. Need to go through slowly to most enjoy.

This is ready to smoke out of the tin and drying does little to the flavor, but can speed up the burn making for more caution not to go too quickly. I’ll spare the pancake breakfast references and stick to it being a good maple flavored tobacco.

I generally reserve this for smoking in the morning, and generally keep with me outdoors on camping trips for my first smoke of the day. Good way to wake up the taste buds and goes good with coffee. I thought burley would be a better compliment to maple flavor, but this Virginia based blend has somewhat stolen the show.

If you’re looking for something that tastes like licking syrup out of the bottle, look elsewhere. It’s just not that strong, although it’s the strongest maple flavor I’ve tried to date. I also don’t really get the other flavors it lists and I think those only help compliment the maple flavor and make it stronger. Only my opinion.

One thing I really like to do with this is blend it with other tobaccos. It goes great in some vanilla flavored tobaccos and other similarly profiled aros. A few I’d recommend trying are Boswell’s Best, Lane’s RLP-6 and 1-Q. Add to suit your own taste.

I want to give this four stars, but three and a half is the best I think it can go. I will likely always have some of this on hand.

The cut is flaky but not too dry. It's easy to pack into the bowl and stays put. The bulk aroma is quite intense, with a strong chocolate liquor flair somehow reminiscent of cardamom.

Pre-draw brings a slightly sweet vanilla. The first few draws show a combination of flavors that remains constant through the bowl. It burns eagerly and evenly. Smoke it with periodic pause and it will reward you. Gently tap down the very light ash to keep things going. The Virginias spice things up a little all over the tongue and mouth. The citrus and vanilla are distinct. There's a touch of a darker spirit. The draws remain sweet but this barely lingers, giving way to the more natural Virginia taste. The cavendish remains in the background.

This blend is easy to prepare, light, and relight. Though the tin note is rather strong, the flavors during the smoke are even and not overwhelming and balance out in favor of the Virginia. This is quite an enjoyable blend.