Cornell & Diehl Da Vinci

A sample from 2000, sent to me by a fellow smoker, that has dried out and in part turned to dust. Despite this, it is still perfectly smokeable if care is taken in packing to not begin loading the pipe with the dustiest of the dust, and to not puff too enthusiastically. Most of the dust is of Latakia, though the same could be said of this blend in general! Another Latakia Bomb from C&D, like Pirate Kake. I would be more likely to buy Pirate Kake (though not for a while, since I have 8 oz. and won't smoke it often) just because I love the fun of working with a Krumble Kake, but for those who prefer their Latakia Bombs in a less esoteric form, this will do nicely. I can't say much more, except that this is for the Latakia lover and those like me who, though I prefer Virginias and VAPERS for everyday, like the occasional Latakia mainline. There is some burley in here, they tell me. Who would know?

Warning: the above review contains two split infinitives.

The sample I was gifted was dry which prompted me to slowly smoke this blend - a tactic that payed off in a very high quality experience. The treatment of the Virginia and Burley leaf is a careful composition for the background influence of a rather mild latakia. A tawny visual presentation of browns and near black shades hint at the artful product of a skilled blender's hand. This smoke should be good indoors or outside as there are no nuances that need attention but instead a tour de force of full flavor. Not an everday smoke, it provides diversion to those seeking a full bodied evening's entertainment. This is not a blend for the novice, but instead a blend with swagger to capture attention from beginning to end.

Meerschaum Man Smoking a CAO Dunhill Man Pasha

This is what I would call a Great American/English Blend. My original smoking roots lay in burley blends, then I went onto the English/Oriental styles. While I am not partial to blends with this high a Syrian Latakia content, I find that the use of Cyprian allows this smoke to be a blissful experience. Is this due to the mellower type being employed? I think it is.

While the latakia plays the predominant role, one can enjoy the virginia and burley weaving in and out down the length of the bowl. The traces of nuttiness and airy subtle sweetness dance in and around the smokiness of the fine Cyprian.

Overall, I really enjoy this blend and always have several tins cellered.

It burns to a nice grey ash and a dry dottle.

A Really Nice Smoke.

A fairly good example of a “Dirty English” blend, that is, Latakia with Burley more prominent than Virginia. In fact, with tin time and jar time now totaling five years, the earthy Burleys actually dominant the flavor profile, while the massive dose of Latakia has already gone into senescence, now leaving just a muted charcoal taste (those in Europe will know the flavor from the charcoal pills you get for upset stomach at the apothecary). As for the bright Virginias, I spread out a bowl’s worth on a plate and found only three tiny specs of the yellow leaf, not even enough to cover the fingernail of my pinkie. So yeah, this is all about the Burley and Latakia.

C&D has crafted a distinctive blend here, perhaps not something for everybody’s taste, but I enjoy it every now and then. By visual inspection I’d say my tin had about 65% Latakia, 30% rough cut Burley, and 5% of bright lemon and medium gold Virginia, and evidently there seems to be some slight variation between tinning batches. The Latakia is said to be aged, which is why it has mellowed enough to not overpower everything else. There is also a slightly creamy sweetness derived from subtle manipulation of the pH tempering sauce. The Burleys provide the real depth here (a C&D specialty): some earthiness (but relatively clean, not musty), a hint of anisette, and some nice toasted nutty undertones (pistachio). The nutty tones can also become a negative and turn acrid if puffed to vigorously, imparting a bitterness like burnt walnut shell. If you do get a bowl with more of the brights I notice a slight tingle on the tongue like I get from ginger (which could have been part of their separate processing).

Good stuff, but I think I enjoyed it more when it was fresh, possibly closer to four stars.

Tin note of sweet smoke, earth, and soda. Tobacco is mostly rough cut, mostly black with a little Bown and tan. Tobacco is dry but soft, no prep needed. Burns normal with few relights. The strength is medium to strong and nic is mild. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium to full and consistent, with notes of smoky, dry wood, earth, spicy incense, musty hay, toast, mild sweet grass, tart lemon, nutty, mildly salty sweet background note, and a peppery retro. Latakia is leading with little support from the Virginias. Burley steps up a little when Virginias are lacking. Room note is tolerable to strong, and aftertaste is great.

Wow.

I’m not gonna lie, I was hesitant to try this tobacco based on some of the polarizing views here on the site. But this tobacco just proves the intensity of my continued love affair with Latakia.

I tried another C&D produced “Lat-bomb” recently: Captain Earls Stimulus Package. And I loved it. This is essentially that but instead of oriental tang/sourness/creaminess there’s an underlying nutty/warm/cocoa burley note.

Da Vinci is not sweet in any traditional sense, but to me there’s a hidden layer of sweetness to this blend that’s similar to grape flavor to me.

It’s not as piney, or woody, or pencil shaving-esque as Latakia heavy blends I’ve tried in the past and I suspect that’s because there’s not oriental/Latakia interplay happening. But I like that change of pace and there’s really not enough burley punch (until the end) that you would notice. I am not a fan of burley. But I am a fan of this.

I would recommend this to someone whose enjoyed Balkan blends for their rich smokiness and want a more Latakia focused Balkan taste. I can’t say Da Vinci is well balanced like Plum Pudding or something like that with equal parts sweet, smoky, spicy. But there is a certain simplicity and intensity to this blend that I enjoy.

Surprisingly, about half of the tobacco in this thin comes in a Shag cut and the other half is a very fine Ribbon cut. I generally prefer a much coarser cut for any pipe tobacco. However, it loads and burns well.

It truly is a mixture for aficionados of Latakia. The 25% of Burleys and Virginias are here to sustain the 75% of Latakia and they do a good job. Honestly, I cannot pick up individual aromas of neither Burley nor Virginia. It’s just a great combination to create a perfect bed for the all-dominating Latakia. What else can I say? This mixture is made to savour and enjoy Latakia. Therefore you may call it one-dimensional. Pleasant and lingering aftertaste.

Let me compare “Da Vinci” with Cornell & Diehl’s “Pirate Kake”:

“Da Vinci” is 75% Latakia, and 25% Burley and Virginia, that’s about it. “Pirate Kake” is also 75% Latakia, but the other 25% is Burley and Oriental (Turkish), instead of Burley and Virginia. (Check my respective review of “Pirate Kake”.) Therefore the main difference in taste between these two blends is Oriental/Turkish.

Conclusion: If you like Orientals, definitely go for “Pirate Kake”. If you are not keen on Orientals and prefer Latakia as a standalone (or dominant) aroma, go for “Da Vinci”. For myself I prefer “Pirate Kake” because I love Orientals. This explains, why I give “Pirate Kake” 4 stars, and “Da Vinci” 3 stars.

As per usual C&D misses the mark once again. I have tried many C&D blends over the years. They always leave me wanting each and every time. Both aromatics and English blends just fall short of the mark for me. Don't get me wrong they are fine blenders but just seem to not go quite far enough in the flavor and taste catagory. I love Syrian Latakia but this blend is very chincy with it. Yes it is there but not at the level I wanted. To me this is one notch below Frog Morton and two notches below Northwoods and way below Railroad Station. Great tin note where you get that wonderful sweet wood smoke and barbecue aroma. That is where it ends. Smoke is mild at best and Latakia is always in the background. I should have expected this from C&D as they have fallen short for me many many times. Now don't get me wrong this is a fresh tin so it may get better as it sits but going from these reviews I was hoping for much more than I got. For Syrian Latakia lovers like me....you will be disappointed! If your not a big Latakia fan, which judging by these reviews many are you may really like this blend. What is weak to me maybe strong to some as I notice from some of these reviews.

This is a very strong blend with a lot of latakia. This blend is a delight to smoke. It is a rather typical English blend.I still have some in my cellar.