Cornell & Diehl Autumn Evening

This has become my favorite "go-to" tobacco when I am looking for something light and easy. It pairs well with bourbon and is perfect for an evening smoke any day of the week. I love this blend and have already ordered my second bag after just 3 weeks.

This is no more than a three-star tobacco, but it certainly merits all three stars . . . and sometimes a three-star tobacco is what's called for. It will definitely have a place in my repertoire.

Full disclosure: I rarely smoke aromatic tobacco, much preferring Latakia-forward English blends. I tried this to see if it might be a nice entry-level pipe tobacco for my newly 21-year-old nephew (yes, indeed it is).

As has been mentioned in several other reviews, the tin note and flavor are nearly identical. Most describe it as French toast. For me, it was closer to the buckwheat pancakes my grandmother used to make for me on frosty autumn mornings ("Frosty Autumn Morning" is a better name for this blend in my opinion!). The buckwheat pancakes with butter and maple syrup were buttery and sweet like French toast, but also had a nutty, earthy flavor, and that's what I get from this. It is excellent with a cup of coffee in the morning (personally, I find it a bit too mellow for an evening smoke). It smoked quite dry, and it also smokes relatively quickly (I can smoke a half-bowl in about 8-12 minutes). To me this is actually a plus; I don't think I could smoke this flavored and sweet of a blend for an hour, and, sadly, sometimes you don't have that much time to devote to the briar anyway.

The main reason it doesn't warrant a fourth star from me is that I found it a bit harsh. I feel it a bit too much in the back of my throat. I know it is anathema, but I'll also take the occasional inhale of pipe tobacco--tried that with this blend a few times and had quite the coughing fit each time!

So, yes, three stars, so why then justify keeping a jar around? Well, given it's comforting room note, this would be the perfect blend for a quick morning smoke with coffee on a camping trip with strangers, women, and/or children. I can't imagine anyone taking a dislike to it, as some might to an English blend.

But even on a solo camping trip, I might be tempted to take a few bowlfuls of this along. One of my bucket list adventures is to take a solo canoe /fly-fishing trip down the Au Sable River in my home state of Michigan. The first time I smoked "Autumn Evening," immediately after I thought of Grandma's buckwheat pancakes, I could picture myself smoking a quick bowl of this with coffee alongside the wave-lapped shore on a chilly morning before I grabbed my paddle. Any blend that can both transport you back to the past and ahead to the envisioned future is worth keeping around.

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'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 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?

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.

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.

C&D's Autumn Evening has a jar note that is maple forward with a sweet vanilla and clear evidence of the liquor used to help the casing stick. The smoke itself has a rather light maple flavor, a few notes of liquor although I really cannot distinguish between the rum and whiskey. The vanilla is in the background but moves forward at times and becomes more pronounced throughout the bowl. The cav has a honey like sweetness to it and the VA's are not all that complex. I get some dry earthiness and maybe a touch of citrus although that too could be from the casing. A hint of dark fruits once in awhile but nothing else really stands out. The nic is not noticeable, The finish is rather short but has a sweet note to it. The room note is wonderful. Smoked a little wet but not overly so. A good but not great aro for me. I place it above average at 2.5 stars but not something I will pick up again so I am rounding down to 2 stars. If you are looking for maple my benchmark is G,H & Co. Sweet Maple twist.