Cornell & Diehl Autumn Evening

What an unexpected disappointment for me! I found the maple casing extremely cloying - to the point of being nauseating. And that was not the only negative ...

One day I was enjoying a bowlful in my private library when a non-smoking colleague (who loves the smell of most aromatic pipe tobaccos) peeked inside and asked in an alarming tone, "Have you started smoking cigarettes again?" Autumn Evening has been the only aromatic tobacco to have ever triggered this reaction - and I have smoked dozens of different aromatics.

My experience leaves me with no choice but to agree with another reviewer that the room note is of pancakes and stale cigarette smoke. The concept reminds me of covering up pre-existing body odour with strong deodorant. It makes distinguished noses reel.

Interestingly, many smokers and ex-smokers find the room note pleasant. I suspect they are not sensitive to the smell of cigarette type smoke and observe mainly the strong maple aroma. I have had no such luck with non-smokers.

The cloying casing and vulgar room note push me in the direction of a one star rating but I'll add another star for the good quality tobacco leaf used.

This somewhat harsh review is not meant to put fellow pipers off this popular blend. I have merely attempted to succinctly describe my personal experience. By all means try Autumn Evening for yourself, if you haven't already. Your mileage may vary.

In my quest for high quality aromatic blends, I decided to try C&D's No.1 seller. I am glad I did. The initial aroma is strong with maple flavor but that did not transfer to an overly sweet experience. The dark brown coarse cut packed easily and lighting was effortless. I enjoyed this tobacco right after breakfast with a cup of coffee and it was delightful. High quality tobacco will always stand out even when the casing appears it is going to be overwhelming. I love Virginia tobacco and this did not disappoint. Cool burning with no bite, it can be smoked all day with great real tobacco taste unmasked by hints of maple walnut. No dottle or goop in the heel when finished. Give it a try.

The description I found indicates that this tobacco "actually tastes the same as it smells". As a new pipe smoker, this was a huge draw. This is the first tobacco for me that actually lives up to that standard. I will most certainly be ordering more and if you like aromatics, I heartily encourage you to do the same.

As for defining the flavor, I leave that to those with more refined palates than mine. All I can say is I found the maple enjoyable, and the flavor itself conjured a cool "Autumn Evening" even though it was smoked in late July.

This tobacco is of medium flavor and smokes easily with no unpleasant after effects. It undoubtedly has and will provide many more relaxing autumn evenings for smokers. The low star rating is based only on subjective preferences and should not discourage anyone who is so inclined towards the flavors associated with the "hotcakes" served at McD's (or the like) from smoking CD's AE. To its credit the flavor of the smoke is consistent with the pouch aroma which smells overwhelmingly of margarine. Perhaps this is what is advertised and understood to be the vanilla flavor, in which case it is of the artificial variety. Again, the smell and flavor are consistent, so if you have a chance you will want to take a whiff of the tobacco before purchasing. Mine was a free sample as part of a pipe and accessories purchase and it is not a flavor I would have chosen on my own. Very subjective of course, but AE was not too sweet or too much nicotine for me, prefer more of both, the artificial margarine (vanilla?) flavor is what was disagreeable. There are tobaccos that I don't care for but still return to from time to time but this particular CD offering will not receive any future invitations.

Vendor: Smokingpipes.com; Time between purchase and opening: 1 day; Storage: sample ziplock; Pipe: Dr. Plumb bent brandy with 9mm charcoal filter; Environment: Tropical outdoors, hot rainy season - definitely not an evening in the autumn.

Autumn Evening is a sweet smelling aromatic from C&D. The pouch scent is that of maple syrup. After some needed dry time, it packed with ease and smoked with ease. The maple scent doesn't translate well to the smoke as the taste is sweet, rather than maple in flavor. The good news for me is that red Virginias generally don't like me, but I had no problem with AE. When I want a Maple aromatic, I prefer Vermont Maple Cavendish from Pipeworks and Wilke, but still worth a try for lovers of maple aromatics.

I can see why people enjoy this blend, but I didn't like it at all. The maple comes through and definitely takes a front-row, center seat in this blend.

To my tastes, this blend tasted like someone found a 10-year-old freezer-burnt Eggo waffle, threw it in the toaster on Black, twice, soaked it in gas-station-tier "maple" syrup, forgot about it and left it on the counter for a month, then crumbled it into my pipe. I wasn't a fan.

This bowl dried out my mouth and I thought the tobacco under the maple syrup was harsh and dry. I definitely like this tobacco in the jar rather than out. One of the few blends I didn't get through the bowl.

2022-08-20 Update: I kept this jar in the back of my cellar, and I just pulled it out and put it in a cob. The three years on this blend did nothing to add any complexity to the blend, but it did mellow out the maple syrup. It was more enjoyable than the first time I tried it, but I still did not enjoy it. Maybe I moved from 1/2 star to 1 1/2 star.

I am satisfied that I have given this blend its second shot, and I'll be passing this on and making room in my cellar.

Maybe it's the red Virginias that make this blend a winner but C&D's Autumn Evening is a great aromatic. Smell is outstanding, no bite, and wonderful, wonderful room note. Easily a top aromatic for me.

UPDATED...again 12/17: I watched an interesting video on youtube where a youtube blogger visited the C&D factory and inteviewed the owner and blender of Autumn Evening. They described AE to be the most difficult and time consuming of all the blends they make for C&D and all private label blends due to the flavoring process. This is not a casing by any traditional sense. As they describe it is an infusion where the "sauce" is actually soaked into the tobacco and not applied by traditional process. The tobacco actually absorbs all of the flavoring in the soaking and then requires some significant drying to get it to the packaging phase. I found this informative and interesting. It may also help in understanding the concentration of flavor and sweetness in this tobacco. And now you know...

This is the poster child for a solid aromatic. Cool smoking subtle flavors of maple syrup and vanilla bean and the clean Virginia's coming through. Tobacco and casing in a perfect marriage. The maple flavor is front and center with a grassy nutty Virginia in the background. I read pancakes a few times in reviews but I'd say french toast (mom always added vanilla extract to the french toast in my house). Room note is fantastic, like IHOP at 2 in the morning on a Friday night. If I had to have one aromatic, this might be it.

Update: The above review was probably due to the transitional period I was in from aro's and non aro's to almost exclusively non aro's these days. I have gone back and smoked this a few times and find it rather one dimensional and it has a tendency to bite. I still enjoy the pancake flavor it provides but I have noticed with age that taste has faded. Still a nice aro if you are looking for a sweet breakfast smoke with a cup of coffee.

Great name. Great label. Great marketing. It ends there for me though.

There are a number of people who obviously love this blend, and I should note that I do enjoy a high quality aromatic, I am a lover of the autumn, and I enjoy maple syrup.

The problem for me is that this is not maple syrup in flavour; it's butterscotch, and there's a world of difference between the two. You can love the one and hate the other. The tin note is butterscotch and whatever flavour it might impart, maple is not the association I am particularly left with. (Nor do I have any sense of any citrus or alcohol flavourings.)

The biggest issue for me is that what this does remind me of, flavour wise, is a bitter, walnut shell kind of taste, with occasional, slight hints of butterscotch. I relish neither flavour. The bitterness is likely the chemical nature of the topping and it is there right from the beginning of the bowl and does not go away.

If I want an aromatic, I enjoy Cult Blood Red Moon's sour cherry flavour, or the chocolately flavour of Lane 1 Q, but for all its marketing appeal to me, I cannot imagine myself ever reaching for this tin other than to give it away. Shame. The idea seemed so promising to me.