Cornell & Diehl Autumn Evening

Cornell and Diehl, an outstanding blender of boutique tobaccos, has a winner in Autumn Evening, and this pipe mixture racks up big sales for them. For those who puff aromatic pipe tobaccos exclusively or mostly, and for those who use aromatics as a change of pace, the chances are that Autumn Evening will tickle their fancy. The minority of pipe smokers who absolutely do not care for aromatic offerings need not sample this offering.

Open the tin (it is also available in bulk) and you will be greeted by coarse cut, short chopped ribbons of some girth, and some bits that are close to being cubes.

The tin aroma seems predominantly maple. This pancake smell is slightly deceiving, for Autumn Evening in fact has a complex blend of casing agents, which includes (aside from the maple) rum, whiskey, fruit, citrus and vanilla.

The moisture content open first opening is a bit high; this tobacco improves with some drying time. Lighting is not difficult, and I generally get by with a single relight. Surprise, surprise! Once lit, Autumn Evening is an aromatic tobacco that actually tastes the same way that it smells. Do the aromatic agents completely overcome the citrus note of the base Virginias? "Purt' nigh but not plumb."

The great majority of bystanders will approve of the room note, sweet and fragrant,but not overbearing.

The pipe load smokes down to a dark grey ash with less goop that you would expect from a tobacco as aromatic as this. In fact, if you puff very gently, the goop is surprisingly scant. Autumn Evening contains both cavendish and Virginia, and I take it that the cavendish treated element is also Virginia. The nicotine content registers on the minimal side of the scale. Virginia dominant tobaccos create a tongue bite challenge for smokers with sensitive tongues. If you are one of these, a filter pipe will help.

As this tobacco can ghost a briar, enjoy it with pipes dedicated to aromatics, or use it in a Missouri Meerschaum. I personally find that the maple dominant flavor really shines in a cob.

Automn Evening is, simply put, a remarkable maple cased tobacco! The tin note was incredible, as if I had smelled an actual can of maple syrup. The tobacco is a dark brown Ribbon-Cut which is really small in length. Being 8 months old, the tin offers a slightly on the dry side tobacco that is perfect for immediate packing without any wait. It is wonderfully easy to pack my pipes and the small Ribbon-Cut is a charm to light up. The taste of the casing comes to me as a genuine maple extract. I cannot make out the other casings supposedly in there and, honestly, I don't care for them. The maple stands on its own and is just wonderful. Automn Evening is not complex at all. It will not develop a myriad of flavours. The Virginias used for this mixture are strangely similar in behavior than a Burley would be. It starts with the maple casing which slowly attenuates to make room for some tobacco taste once past mid-bowl, but retaining a bit of the maple flavour. It burns very easily and I have not experienced tongue bite once. The nicotine strength is mild to medium, pretty much right in between. I will be buying more. I am always seeking a top of the notch aromatic and have found very few over the last almost thirty years I have been smoking a pipe. Well, let me tell you this is one of the very few. I understand why this is C & D's top aromatic seller!

I’m an equal opportunity smoker, but aromatics are probably my least visited pipe tobacco genre. I’ve been disappointed too many times by great smelling tobacco that turns into a bitter steamy mess once lit. Autumn evening is one of the few aromatics that passed the test of combustion.

The tin note is awesome. Sweet maple syrup, with a touch of vanilla. There’s a hint of bourbon as well, which adds an “adult” component to an otherwise “kids cereal” aroma.

This cavindish is unlike any I’ve smoked before. Reddish color, not sticky or oily feeling. The thin ribbons pack easily without worry of over-compressing like most aromatics.

The smoke is very mild, with a light cinnamon vanilla flavor. The maple is heavy in the room note. The pipe burns well, very little moisture or dottle left over, but definitely a ghost in the pipe.

If you like natural tobacco flavor, you won’t find it here. If you want a quality aromatic, this is hard to beat. Not something I would smoke often, but it’s one of the best in its class.

This is my first review on Tobaccoreviews.com or any pipe tobacco site for that matter. This is also my first aromatic from C&D, yet I am a huge fan of their other tobaccos. Autumn Evening is the first aromatic that I have experienced that is not "goopy" or wet with some sort of humectant and can be smoked straight from the freshly opened tin. I quite enjoyed these properties.

The tin note smells like warm maple syrup. The reason that I added the word "warm" is the maple smell is very forward. I loaded my brand new "Bones" bent billiard from Morgan Pipes with Autumn Evening and mouth some fire to it. This blend was rather receptive to the flame and only needed additional ignition twice after the initial light. The taste of the smoke aligns well with the tin note. My study smelled like the hot maple and brown sugar oatmeal with extra maple syrup that I frequently have for breakfast.

My tongue seems to be a bit sensitive to bite on occasion, however this blend did not offer to irritate my palate. Autumn Evening also made my mustache smell of maple syrup which my wife liked much more than some of the other blend that I smoke.

Stay smoky my friends....

Smells like maple syrup. Pleasant enough Virginia base but the diacetyl butter flavouring has a sickly smell to me. Like some people I have the same response to microwave popcorn. If that smell is agreeable to you, then knock yourself out.

Tastes just like it smells in the can - maple syrup.

I don't love many aromatics but I do love this one. A rich, sweet, smooth tobacco with not a trace of harshness or bite. Has a great smell for bystanders and a cool illustration on the label.

If this is indicitive of the quality of the rest of C&D's tobaccos, I will be smoking them a lot.

As I don't live in the Land of the Free I have had to order this (and others) over the internet from US based tobacconists. All of the companies I've dealt with have been very reasonably priced and quick to dispatch the packages. I've kept the orders small (200-300 grams total weight of tobacco in sealed tins) and had no problems with UK customs.

Cornell & Diehl - Autumn Evening

Well.  Clearly a blend like this won't be for everyone, but I'd like to share a couple what I feel are keys to doing this blend.  A little background: I've bought this both in tin and bulk formats over several years, and I smoke it in a smaller straight long stemmed Grabow acorn that's dedicated to maple aromatics, no idea how it would perform in a larger bowl.

Key 1 - pay heed to your cadence.  No need for super close attention, but if you go at it too hard obviously it will get hot.  It probably won't bite but it will start to taste ashy.  You'll get the best flavor keeping it cool.

Key 2 - unlike most aros this is virginia based rather than black cavendish based.  The virginia has been cavendished to remove bite potential.  But, the virginia hasn't been rendered a tasteless vehicle for artificial flavor delivery, so you'll taste tobacco too.

The flavor as I'd describe it is mainly maple, with chocolate and vanilla.  I don't really catch the others.  The room note as I see it is a pleasant maple - vanilla, but also can have something of a slight cigarette type note, still an overall pleasant scent. I was once told it smells like a vanilla cupcake...this instance was outdoors.

Key 3 - buying in the tin, you may find the flavoring overwhelming for the first week or so after cracking a fresh tin.  The flavoring will start to mellow out after a couple weeks, even if you jar it.

Not the goopy, glycol laden mess a lot of aros typically are.  Glycol free, made with quality tobacco that has tobacco taste and a little bit of kick.  One of the more quality aromatics available today.

I bought and tried this blend prior to 2010. My tastes have changed since then, but here is what I remember:

Tin note: "My Dear, are you making pancakes for dinner?" Big on the Maple. Zero tobacco essence.

Room note: "Honey? I'm making chicken for dinner. Are you eating pancakes in the living room?" Burning syrup.

Smoking: "yummy! Wow maple!" That was the first half of each bowl I tried. The second: "Dear God, why I am sucking ash up the stem?"

Summary: smells great, tastes great for the first 10-15 puffs, then hot air and disappointment. Unless you are a syrup junkie, give it a pass. 1 1/2 stars. (Will rate 2 just for tin/ room notes.)

Excellent. If you are looking for a good solid Aromatic this is a good one. It's billed as Red Va Cav but reminds me of soft burley. Pleasant smell and smoke. I get more out of it than Maple. I got the Vanilla and taste of a sweet whisky. I can see why this is a best seller for C&D.

Recommended for an all day smoke or special time to relax on the porch after a meal.