Cornell & Diehl Autumn Evening

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a couple of posts in the ASP news group in a thread discussing Black Cherry Aromatics. I have yet to find a cherry pipe tobacco that even came close to be of any real interest, but a couple of posts mentioned C&D's blend as being a similar to the Gawith, Hoggarth & Co's blend at a far cheaper price.

So to make a long story short I called C&D and one of nicest ladies answered the phone who seemed extremely knowledgable about tobacco (turned out it was Patty Tarler) and offered to send me a free sample of their Black Cherry. Since I hadn't called with the intention of getting anything free, I quickly began to check out several of their many other blends while we were chatting. I had her add a tin of tobacco called Autumn Evening which from the description looked much more like a tobacco I might like.

Well, 2 days later the tobacco arrived and I still haven't found that elusive cherry blend, but the Autumn Evening was a very pleasant surprise. The aroma from the tin was of maple, but also of Virginia. It was far too moist to smoke, so I set out enough for several bowls to dry for a while. I think most of us have found that few tobaccos taste anything like they smell in the bag or tin, but when I fired up a bowl in a Dunhill Cumberland, the taste was not only of the maple which seemed to be more in the background, but also of some very good Virginia leaf. Being a Virginia, it will bite, so if you tend to be a fast puffer, take this one slow and enjoy. The only difference I noticed from the top layer of tobacco from that lower in the bowl, was that the maple flavor came through a little stronger in the first half of the bowl.

It didn't burn quite all the way to the bottom of the bowl, but that was probably the result me not letting it dry out further. However, there was no trace of goop in the bottom of the bowl. I don't know if I would call this a full blown aromatic, simply because the flavoring added is not sufficient to mask the taste of the Virginia leaf. So for lack of a better term, I'll just call it a very tasty and enjoyable blend. So if you're a Virginia/Perique smoker such as myself, you might find this one an interesting change of pace.

The Black Cherry? Well I'll smoke a few more bowls, but it seems it may be the case that I was simply predestined never to like cherry flavor tobacco. I may review it later.

F. Prefect

If Lane 1-Q could have a maple version this would nearly be it but with coarser cut. Perfectly paired with a pumpkin spice latte for Autumn. I can see why this is one of their best sellers. If dried out a tad it smokes easily and without bite. Worth checking out especially if you already enjoy 1-Q.

Its very sugary. It smokes fast. Has some potential to bite. The problem, I find, is it's artificial. It's Aunt Jemima's not maple syrup. It has an artificial quality to it, a PG like butteriness. There are lots of brown sugar notes. Not much tobacco taste. The red virginias bring some zing and a bit of depth, but it's still unequivocally in the shallow end of the proverbial pool. There is some body to the smoke. It's very, very sweet and the room note is tops. Probably the best room note there is; nobody is going to complain about the smell. I get why it's popular, but I'm not really impressed by it. The taste is good, but not great. It can bite. I'd wager it'll give you popcorn lung if inhaled and smoked repeatedly. 2.5 stars. Kinda overrated, but if you're an aromatic lover give it a go. Good bulk price. They should change the name from Autumn Evening to Cornell & Diehl Milling Company.

I had high hopes for this one based on all the positive reviews but, unfortunately, my love for this blend stops at the tin note/room note. I get minimal maple flavor for about a third of the bowl and nothing but hot/dry air from that point on. I’m also not impressed with the actual quality of the tobacco. I keep giving it chances but it still hasn’t done anything remotely remarkable for me.

C&D Autumn Evening.

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October 7, 2021 Pipe – 3 faced Jack O Lantern Billiard (Purchased from Facebook) Beverage – Screwball Peanut butter Whiskey Straight and on the Rocks

Bag/Tin note is Caramel and Chocolate . Dry Draw, Sweet and Sugary. Consistency – Moist but not goopy - Springy, C&D Autumn Evening - On Thursday October 7th, 2021 – I Tried my first smoke of Autumn Evening I had purchased this tobacco in 2019 season. The tobacco storage method was in an unopened tin and stored in a cool dry place. The initial Char light was smooth but I did have to re-lite several times to establish the initial ember. The introductory taste was mostly nutty with a pleasantly sweet room note. I did taste some hints of caramel and chocolate during the smoke about ¼ way through the smoke. Overall impressions were mostly nutty though. Once an acceptable ember was established the flavor/smoke stayed very cool and smooth through the bowl. I found this blend to be cool burning smoke with absolutely no tongue bite and no gurgle from excessive moisture. It required a few relights after the ember was established. I was drinking screwball peanut butter whisky straight and on the rocks during this smoke. Overall I would give this blend a 2 out of 4 stars for my taste. It was an ok smoking experience and this is a blend that I will revisit in the future to see if it improves with age.

Shows up pretty moist but a 20min dry time gives me a perfect smoke.

Blast of maple, whisky, vanilla, & brown sugar & LOTS of it. There's also a lovely floral quality that grows through the bowl. This stuff is heavily topped/cased. If your not into strong flavorings this isn't for you. Allthough the flavorings are strong I do not find them cloying or perfumey. Halfway through the bowl everything died down a bit and I can taste just a bit of the hay of the Virginias, and a nice coconut/almond of what Im guessing is the Cavendish. I find this one needs good attentive tampering, and a steady pace or else things will get a bit bitter, however I didn't encounter any tongue bite.

Overall I give this 4 stars mainly because it TASTES just like it smells. It is heavily, heavily flavored but I quite enjoy the flavors. It's very unlike most aromatics and seeing that it's available in bulk for very little I don't see any excuses not to give it a try. Definitely a nice little "candy" or "treat" when I feel like something with a little sugary sweetness.

This is a wonderful blend. Not TOO aromatic. You can taste the tobacco. If Haunted Bookshop is described as cigarettes, I would describe Autumn Evening as French Toast!

Delicious, relaxing, almost an all day smoke but I like to move on to English blends later in the day.

Buy this one. You won’t regret it.

I was very pleased with this blend and found it to be a very interesting smoke. The tinnote was a very bold, maple and vanilla. The ounce I received was a little drier than I prefer, but I gave it a shot without trying to rehydrate it. It packed well and required very few relights.

Early on the maple was prominent,but at times would fade to reveal a bright, citrusy flavor. About mid bowl it changed gears again and developed a nutty/honey flavor. For the finale, the tobacco became very oaky and tasted of Canadian whiskey.

The roomnote throughout was tolerable, but had somewhat of a deer urine odor to it. Most deer hunters will know what I am talking about. Ironically, when I think of Autumn Evenings, I think of setting around in my hunting clothes preparing for the next days adventure, the reek of deer lure stuck in my nose

I will definitely be adding this into my rotation

Very popular Cornell & Diehl aromatic. The consistency of the flavorings bring this one above many others. I'm reviewing this a year and a half after first opening and jarring the tobacco. It's a bit more mild now in flavor than when I first smoked it. Recommended to smoke when freshly opened.

The tin note might be the best part of this blend. It's a strong toffee/caramel/maple and vanilla aroma. Strongly reminded me of the toffee candies I used to eat as a kid.

The smoke itself brings notes of sweet vanilla, some spice, some smokiness. But caramel/maple pretty much dominates this blend. I don't get the Virginia distinctively. This is really a toffee-flavored blend for me.

Mild in body, mild-medium in strength (on the milder side), medium in flavor. Beautiful aroma. Not overly complex blend, but then again, it mostly tastes like a variety of added flavors that are all brought together beautifully.

Fairly consistent flavor. Smokiness and pepper develop a bit after the initial few puffs, possibly due to the Whisky or Rum flavoring. Otherwise, I'm not tasting any noticeable Whisky/Rum, nor fruit/citrus flavorings.

Ribbon cut, easy to pack and smoke. No relights. Perfect moisture level out of the tin. Doesn't get hot nor does it give a tongue bite. Can be an all-day for a very happy aromatic smoker.

This is a very nice aromatic tobacco. Now that I'm finishing the tin I start to miss it a bit. But throughout the time I had it, it wasn't one of my favorites. But for its unique consistency, strong toffee notes, and medium flavoring, I give it a three stars rating and will probably buy more next year close to, you know, Autumn.