Cornell & Diehl Cross Eyed Cricket

Cornell + Diehl :Are one of the finest blenders of tobacco(second only to McClelland...in my opinion) There are very"few"modern(within the last 15yrs)tobacco blenders that are NOT Afraid to try new combinations;I have caught myself on more than one occasion reading the Description on C+D blends...going NO-WAY that combo will never work. Always a very pleasant surprise;regardless of C+D's blend. As a matter of fact there are Truly "No Blends"from C+D that i can say that i"dislike";some i prefer more than others....So If you are looking for something truly UNIQUE/C+D...any blend is worth a try! THIS one happens 2b MY FAVORITE !!! :+)

Just like they say an Engish Aromatic. Very Different!!!!!!! Fruity punch bowl flavor with the zesty english flavoring. Fun smoke with a pleasant aroma. GOOD STUFF Get a Tin now

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This is the first aromatic English blend I experienced, and one of only two I've ever tried, GLP Mephisto being the other. If these two are any indication of the type as a whole, I need to look around for other similar blends! As is usual with C&D aromatics, this blend's casing odor is far more intense than its flavor. Opening the tin, I see that the tobacco is packed in a vacuum-sealed clear bag, though the casing odor is clearly present even before this is opened. The tobacco itself is very dry, as usual with C&D, and appears to be a mostly dark-colored blend, with a small amount of lighter brown mixed in. The smell is VERY strong when the bag is cut open. I added a small amount of distilled water to the bag with a sprayer, as I normally do with C&D blends; I prefer a somewhat damper tobacco. After sitting for a few days to equalize, I choose a Savinelli second 1/8 bent bulldog to test the blend in. It packs fairly easily, and lights easily, too. The casing flavor is fairly strong at first, though nowhere NEAR as strong as the odor! Even in the first third of the bowl, however, the taste and odor of Latakia is obviously present, and the rest of the tobaccos in the blend are not overwhelmed either. This is a blend that is very good blown out through the nose. By the second third of the bowl, the flavor of the casing has diminished quite a bit, and the Latakia is the predominant taste. The casing stays present, however, giving bursts of flavor that mix well with the excellent tobacco without overwhelming it. So far, the bowl has burned well, needing roughly the average number of relights. In the last third, the flavors of tobacco continue to mix and interact very well, with the casing finally giving up towards the bottom. Very little moisture is present at the bottom; the little that *IS* there may be due to my addition of water earlier. Overall, this is an excellent change of pace for those who like light aromatics and English blends, but detest the normal aromatic problems. It leaves a great room odor too! With a high-quality, well-blended tobacco base, I can easily see this becoming one of my regular smokes, especially in mixed company that might not appreciate Dunhill 965-style blends.

I purchased a tin of Cornell & Diehl's Cross-Eyed Cricket from smokingpipes.com. Upon opening the tin, the ribbon cut tobacco is extremely dark, a little wet, and has a strong aroma of play-doh and some kind artificial alcohol, apparently rum. On initial light, the topping is extremely evident with a strong, deliciously nutty, fruit-forward aroma and taste. The black cavendish lends to a very creamy body and the smoke remains thick and full throughout. Notes of smoky, woody latakia floats around in the background and reveals itself through the topping from time to time, and uniquely compliments the near-constant sweetness that it provides. The perique and Turkish are a little less noticeable, but give the blend a touch of sweetness, spice, and earth and more nicotine than your average aromatic blend. The tobacco burns very cool and even to the bottom of the bowl and leaves a fine, white ash with no chance of tongue bite, even when puffed quickly. Cross-Eyed Cricket is an extremely addictive, quality English aromatic that I can't seem to stop smoking.

Fresh from the can, the scent was a mild warm rum with rumblings of darker and deeper tobacco behind it. It was a bit damp, but dark and lovely. Some time breathing and some time in the cellar are clearly called for. The rum is not the deep mysterious rum of an old tobacconist's shop. It is lighter and softer. This is no Swisher Sweet. It is noticeable but gentle. From other reviews I expected something outrageous, but there is no call for alarm here. I packed it using the soft bread test method. Just pushing enough to tell the bread is fresh, not enough to leave a dent. No real layers just a light packing. I will use the three layer approach next time since it did not stay lit well. The smoke is ideal for blowing rings and watching patterns slowly drift heavenward. White with a hint of blue and strong shapes. Despite puffing more that enough to make for tongue bite, there was none. The taste of soap that comes with drawing too fast came, but left when I regulated my puffing. None of the expected bite came with it. This tobacco manages to give a good smoke despite poor technique. As far as notes go, it has a rum and oriental feel. Warm and cheerful, and just a hint of mystery. In the end, I managed to get a touch of moist burble, but not enough to ruin my experience. Despite smoking this badly, too soon, and wet, I had a delightful time with it. I look forward to seeing how it works with proper care.

I found this tobacco to be albeit stinky from the start .was a little moist out of the tin.with some drying time and the right packing burns good. Keeps me coming back..it is one of those blends its it's own class..heard good things about black frigate

A surprisingly sweet tobacco. The rum tops off this robust English blend. A reliable standby for me.

I'm on my second tin, noticing that this time it comes without being in the plastic bag it was in the first time. Also, and this may be subjective, the so-called mild aromatic rum aroma seems a bit more subdued, which is the only suggestion I would have made if any. One obvious way to make that sweetness lighter also is to combine this with a tin of Mississippi Mud, which is basically the same thing sans rum aromatic. However, I like both and I think the sum of the parts would be less, so to speak. I like the flavor, which was described by an earlier reviewer like a cheap cough syrup, which in a way could be a good way to describe it. However, adding the spice and pepper of latakia and perique to a sweetness that's less pronounced as the smoke progresses makes for a pleasant afternoon smoke. The burn qualities are good for an aromatic, but I would reserve a pipe for it's use and not use it for just any in your collection, it will leave it's signature. This is an aromatic for those who don't like aromatics like me, and worth a try at least once. I'm finding that the flavor mellows as the blend dries out a bit, and that makes it even better.

Upon opening the tin, i find this blend to be moister than most C&D tobaccos, probably from the dressing, but not too moist, the smell is immediately fruity and upon closer sniffage a nice Latakia smell.

The tobacco, packe nicely into my bent apple and lit immediatly, after tamping i only had to rilight twice to keep it lit.

This is surprisingly good, you can definately taste both flavors the rum punch and the Latakia, and they blend really nicely. If you havent tried it yet do so i think you'll be surprised by how good the combination works highly reccomended.