Cornell & Diehl Blockade Runner
(2.85)
C&D's true Navy cavendish crumble cake is made with hand stoved red Virginia and golden Virginia, soaked in a premium rum for seven days, then lightly stoved again, pressed and cut.
The seven days are the time it took our seagoing forefathers to sail back to New England from the Islands with the tobacco in their casks soaked with rum. The ship on the label is the Advance, the South's most successful blockade runner.
Details
| Brand | Cornell & Diehl |
| Blended By | Craig Tarler |
| Manufactured By | Cornell & Diehl |
| Blend Type | Straight Virginia |
| Contents | Virginia |
| Flavoring | Rum |
| Cut | Krumble Kake |
| Packaging | 2 ounce tin, 8 ounce tin |
| Country | United States |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Medium
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant to Tolerable
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
2.85 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 11 - 20 of 75 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 10, 2015 | Medium to Strong | Medium | Medium to Full | Strong |
This being my first Crumb cake. Upon open the tin I was hit first with Rum the with a closer sniff. It smelled like an old wet bowl of smoked tobacco. With much reluctance I cut a piece with my pocket knife and started packing my bowl. I wasn't sure how strong of a smoke this would be. If all those reviews I read were right and I would get light headed. Okay Now!!!! Ready 3 2 1 Light it Up!!!!! Much to my surprise this blend was neither over powering or load with enough nicotine to give me head spins. Now this is how I perceive this blend Blockade Runner. This is a good Rum based Cavendish with that good Ol' C&D Tobacco Flavor. This blend did not bite no matter how hard you puff. The smoke itself was very musky and smokey but with a good enough of a Rum Punch aroma and flavor as not to make this an overly sweet smoke. I truly enjoyed this blend. It Burns and lights well no relights needed. Mild enough for an all day smoke. The aroma is good and pleasing to only the pipe smoker. So room note is not applicable to this blend. If you like a change of pace and going back to those good ol' liquor cased blends then this is one you cannot pass up. and for all those who thought it was to strong then "Man Up Dudes." This blend is a medium smoke with good dimensions.
Pipe Used:
1984 Paradise small Churchwarden
PurchasedFrom:
smoking Pipes
Age When Smoked:
July 2015
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jan 20, 2021 | Mild to Medium | Medium | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Upon opening the tin I get a nice blast of rum. The kake crumbles easily. First few puffs after lighting seemed a bit harsh, and bowl heated up fast. After a bit it calmed down (or I just slowed down) and the sweetness from the Virginia and the rum comes through. Usually with flavorings I notice they fade as you smoke, but with this one the rum flavor seems to become stronger as I went along. That was the impression I got (maybe it's just the rum talking). Stayed pleasant til the end of the bowl. Recommend for any pipe smoker.
Pipe Used:
Savinelli Caramella & Corn Cob
PurchasedFrom:
SmokingPipes.com
Age When Smoked:
Fresh out of the tin
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Mar 10, 2016 | Medium | Medium | Medium | Very Pleasant |
I wish I had found this tobacco when I started smoking a pipe many years ago. It would have saved me so much money, and my cellar would be deeper than it is wide. This is by far, the best Navy Cavendish blend I have ever smoked.
Upon opening the tin, I found the biggest block of tobacco I had ever seen (besides Wessex). a good 1.5 inches by almost 2 inches long, the cake weighed in at 2 and 1/8 oz.
Intoxicating aroma of high quality rum, along with great moisture content. Crumbled as a Crumble Cake should, loaded nicely. Initial lighting is easy, if sipped at an even, slow pace, the rum lasts throughout the bowl. Burns clean flavorful down to the bottom. Most Navy Cavs I have smoked burned the hell out of my mouth and became harsh after mid-way. Not Blockade runner! Never a hint at biting.
If you are looking for a great Navy Cavendish, look no further. I can see this blend taking over as my most smoked tobacco of all time. It may even surpass Escudo!!!!!
Upon opening the tin, I found the biggest block of tobacco I had ever seen (besides Wessex). a good 1.5 inches by almost 2 inches long, the cake weighed in at 2 and 1/8 oz.
Intoxicating aroma of high quality rum, along with great moisture content. Crumbled as a Crumble Cake should, loaded nicely. Initial lighting is easy, if sipped at an even, slow pace, the rum lasts throughout the bowl. Burns clean flavorful down to the bottom. Most Navy Cavs I have smoked burned the hell out of my mouth and became harsh after mid-way. Not Blockade runner! Never a hint at biting.
If you are looking for a great Navy Cavendish, look no further. I can see this blend taking over as my most smoked tobacco of all time. It may even surpass Escudo!!!!!
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 17, 2013 | Medium to Strong | Medium to Strong | Full | Tolerable |
A square block of old school navy cavendish, heavily cased with Rum. Stout and full-bodied. I really like this in the evening after I've spent a day smoking sweeter Virginias. I like the tactile feel of breaking off a chunk of this tobacco, rubbing it out, and seeing the dark patches on my fingertips. I usually smoke this with a sweet liqueur like Jack Daniels Honey or Cuarenta y Tres. Definitely recommended for anyone looking for something off the beaten path.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 03, 2008 | Medium | Medium | Medium | Tolerable |
I've been struggling with this blend now for a couple of weeks, and despite at least half a dozen bowls, I just can't get it to work. I managed to come across a decently aged sample, dated to 2002, thinking this would be heaven. Unfortunately, I've had nothing but trouble.
Many reviewers have noted that their cakes have come rather dry in the tin, which is normal with C&D blends. Despite six years of age, my tobacco was soaking wet, a bit understandable considering the tobacco was doused in rum. I tried foolishly to smoke several bowls, in pure agony as my tongue blistered in pain. Then I got smart and decided to break apart the cakes, rub them out completely, and leave the tin open for as long as necessary to crisp the tobacco. This took a couple of days. I was ready to enjoy my stoved Virginia goodness.
I'm left with more burns and little to show for it. Blockade Runner just never materialized for me. The two stars are offered in respect for C&D's commitment to quality work. They certainly didn't cheap out on the ingredients, which is more than evident.
In my book, Blockade Runner is a rare miss from the folks at Morganton. Happy smoking...
Two of Four
Many reviewers have noted that their cakes have come rather dry in the tin, which is normal with C&D blends. Despite six years of age, my tobacco was soaking wet, a bit understandable considering the tobacco was doused in rum. I tried foolishly to smoke several bowls, in pure agony as my tongue blistered in pain. Then I got smart and decided to break apart the cakes, rub them out completely, and leave the tin open for as long as necessary to crisp the tobacco. This took a couple of days. I was ready to enjoy my stoved Virginia goodness.
I'm left with more burns and little to show for it. Blockade Runner just never materialized for me. The two stars are offered in respect for C&D's commitment to quality work. They certainly didn't cheap out on the ingredients, which is more than evident.
In my book, Blockade Runner is a rare miss from the folks at Morganton. Happy smoking...
Two of Four
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Feb 08, 2017 | Mild | Mild to Medium | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Nice solid compressed cake. Mostly light brown intermixed with golden brown. Aroma of light rum out of the tin. Crumbles easily into small pieces. For me this tobacco likes to be lightly packed and lightly tampered. Cold draw it is sweet rum and nice bright tobacco flavors. Tangy. Background of dried fruits. Takes a couple lights and tamps to get going, probably because I enjoy a light pack on this one. Charring light flavor is grassy, citrus and rum. Needs to be puffed slow or the tobacco gets harsh and single noted. Slow puffing rewards with an extra sweet Virginia smoke. The rum disappears and just comes across as a sweetener to the tobacco. Real simple and basic VA flavor, the extra sweetness really helps it for me. Room note is light tobacco. I plan on buying another tin and letting some age get on it.
Pipe Used:
Briarworks Dublin
Age When Smoked:
2 months
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 28, 2016 | Medium | Medium | Medium | Pleasant |
Cornell & Diehl make some very good tobacco blends. Im not sure this is really a winner....but, it gives you a good hit of Rum taste in a krumble cake and even when you reach the bottom of the tin and its dried out a lot, the rum doesn't go away. Its not the most complex navy flake out there, but perhaps its not meant to be. But I can understand those who become huge fans of it. Smokes cool(ish) and once dried just a bit it wont need relights. I buy it regularly but its not in the pantheon of all star blends. Aging will probably help cool the smoke I suspect. There can be a tendency to get a bit hot at the bottom of a bowl, so sip this one.
PurchasedFrom:
4noggins
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Aug 08, 2015 | Medium | Medium | Medium | Very Pleasant |
The virginias used are harsh. The rum used and the cake are great but the virginias leave a rough aftertaste. I think this is the reason another reviewer said it tastes like they are soaked in tobasco sauce. I don't think it's the rum used because that has a nice flavor. The rum may be the virginias saving grace. Also some of the tobacco is cut too small. It seems to be partial ribbon and odd little confetti cuts. Because of this I'm wary to rub out fully. I pack little chucks of the cake. It's really too bad because I love the rum and the cake presentation. It's really a fun tobacco but I don't know what's going on with the tobaccos used. Everything seems like great quality but with an odd harsh taste. Seems a notch or two over medium in nicotine strength. I'll rate as medium strength though. Good tobacco to smoke around non-smokers. The room note is very pleasant.
Age When Smoked:
new
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jul 14, 2013 | Medium | Mild | Medium to Full | Strong |
A very nice krumble cake. Gotta love those krumble kakes from C&D. This one is a tightly packed, strong to the nose tobacco. The cake breaks off in little pieces that are readily put into the pipe. Usually when it breaks off, fine 'unspent' dottle falls on the table. It's a strong tobacco, plenty of nicotine. My wife hates the smell in the tin and in the smoke. This one is an outsider. It reminds me of what I think they might have smoked on a navy ship for sure. The cake is a dark and light brown flake.
I tasted a bit of casing, not much though, comes and goes, mostly just a nice hardily stoved Virginia. Stout, nicotine, nice kake.
Doesn't that sound appealing, try some. If you like it a bit strong, you'll like this one.
I tasted a bit of casing, not much though, comes and goes, mostly just a nice hardily stoved Virginia. Stout, nicotine, nice kake.
Doesn't that sound appealing, try some. If you like it a bit strong, you'll like this one.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 14, 2006 | Mild | Very Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
This blend is beautiful in the tin, but my expectations about it were greater. It crumbles and burns easily, but the taste left me puzzled: the rum taste is not so strong, and this can be good, but the Virginias are raw, toasted, almost bitter...In my opinion, this type of blend requires more refinement and sweetness. As always, however, here you can smoke a good quality leaf but it isn't one of my favourites.
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