Cornell & Diehl Bridge Mixture

Relatively new to pipe smoking.

This blend is hard to pin down - perhaps to be expected with a kitchen sink blend. Each time I smoke it, I get something a little different. Interesting so many other reviewers reflect on how well the tobaccos blend. While I agree there isn't a painful dissonance, my experience is more like wandering through a series of brightly colored rooms. Each tobacco has its time to shine, distracting (not detracting) from the others.

Mechanically straightforward, but has a stronger tendency to bite than most tobaccos I've experienced. It's manageable, but not a blend that I would smoke while heavily distracted. When I smoked this moist, the latakia, virginias and burley were stronger for most of the bowl, like a mildy sweet english. When I dried it, the perique took over, with more sourness from the orientals. The perique was actually more overwhelming than I was used to. When dry, it also has a bit of a stale cigarette note.

I can't rate this blend easily. The first time I smoked it, it was just ok. The second was excellent. I certainly recommend smoking this a bit moist. All in all, I think this is a fine smoke for that night when you don't know what you want (assuming you like at least an occasional english), but it would never be my go-to blend.

NO, not the candy...

The pretty terrific blend of premium tobacco by Cornell & Diehl.

Ribbon, cube, and rough cut, with even a tad of flake, Bridge Mixture is a sneaker.

You light it - takes readily to the flame - and you are unimpressed and neglectful for about 20 seconds. Lots of components will surely wake you up. Va, a little fired kentucky, red cavendish, perique, and every now and a short while...a whiff of latakia.

It alternates between heavy hits of perique and kentucky and then relaxes into VA/ red cav country. For the record, i really dislike black cavendish unless it is unsweetened. The red cav in this blend is welcome, even if it does rob a little strength from the blend. Even still, the blend is maybe a tic up from medium on the strength scale. The smoke is unusually soft in the mouth, but occasionally there is a nice pinch from perique. I am a big fan of the burley in this blend which reminds me of the burley leaf in cumberland. In Bridge Mixture, it is used as a condiment and not as forward as Cumberland.

Lights and burns very well right out of the tin. This could be a "sleeper hit" for C&D; most reviews are favorable, but not overly zealous. That's a good sign. It really isn't a loud "wow" of a blend, but more of the type that speaks softly, timely, and profoundly. A good go-to blend when all else fails.

3.5 or so stars out of 5. I recommend it.

Bridge Mixture is unlike any other tobacco I have tried. There are a lot of tastes in there, and they work together in a unique way. It really is difficult for me to describe, but I liked it quite a lot.

Of course, the physical characteristics of the tobacco were excellent as they always are with Cornell and Diehl blends: properly dry, attractive in appearance, and clean burning to a dry ash.

The only reason I won't smoke this all the time is that it is just too distracting. There's too much going on for me to ignore it and read or listen to music; I usually prefer calmer pleasures. But make no mistake: this is a good one and I will be enjoying it again in the future.

Liked it more than I thought I would. This is one of those eclectic blends like Revelation (which I have never tried) and the various flavors meld together without a single element dominating. I smoked it in my Marxman Jumbo, which has a large capacity yet tends to smoke fast. This seemed right for this blend. I wasn't sure about it at first, but it really improved halfway through and towards the end I was puffing heavily, producing clouds of smoke and sucking hot ashes into my mouth! No bite at all despite this, and a unique flavor. Rustic, a little soapy, but not perfumed soap-more like Ivory. My tin was also bulged out like a full can of beer that has been rolled down the street, so there must have been some fermentation going on in there over the last five years.

This is a good hearty smoke that is fullbodied and at it's peak striaght from the tin, an interesting change of pace. The flavor developed very nicly throughtout the bowl,it is now in my roration.

Burley and Perique, seasoned with Latakia? Who'd'a thunk it?

Well, fortunately, C&D did. The Burley/Perique combination is a nice change of pace from the standard fare, and the Latakia just kicks it up a notch.

If you like English and are not adverse to Burley, definitely give this a try.

A good smoke.

I was thinking of a good blend with which to "break in" a John Hamilton McGrath pipe I had won recently on EBAY. The bowl on this pipe is on the smaller side and the style could be called a modified prince shape. I decided to try some Bridge Mixture in it as, in my opinion, many latakia and turkish mixtures work well in smaller bowls. What I found was what might be the perfect combination of pipe and tobacco.

Bridge Mixture, while not a blend that will overwhelm you in any one department, is an interesting mixture whose various components add to the whole without any one committing a hostile take over. The latakia remains the main voice in the mix, while the VA's are singing softly in the background. The burley in this is marvelous and adds a cocoa (though not chocolate) like richness. There is just enough turkish in this mixture to take the edge off the latakia and the perique is not overly noticeable though it does add nicely to the aroma.

Bridge Mixture is excellent. I would certainly recommend it for the seasoned smoker and also for one looking into the world of latakia mixtures.