Cornell & Diehl Da Vinci

Practically a softer and already rubbed out version of Pirate Kake. It smokes wonderfully, with an incredibly intense taste: latakia is clearly the main character, but nutty burley plays a significant role too. Of course it doesn't feel as "full" and sweet as some more typical English tobacco, due to the lack of orientals and a light hand with the Virginias: it's just a spice feast. Tasty but doesn't calm the appetite, not "meaty" enough or complex at all. The Latakia is clearly similar to the leaf used in some GLPease blends, as it has quite a similar taste. Very good, anyway! Minor complaint: too much fine tobacco dust in the tin!

Another interesting product from Cornell and Diehl.C and D is one of the most innovative blenders in a market that is often driven by tradition. The krumble-kake koncept they are famous for is a good example.("...overwhelmed by the smoky pungent aroma of Cyprian Latakia"- it almost sounds too derogatory to put on your label!) .

So... I had high expectations DaVinci. Now let me say right up front that I like this tobacco, even though it had a few strikes against it. First off, the tobacco in my tin was too @#%& dry, even by C and D standards! Bone dry! Dry as the death of a sponge. This of course could be remedied. It was also in poor condition consistency-wise, however. Tiny pieces of ribbon and lots of powder. Seems like it was the very bottom dregs of the batch, 'cause no one would purposely sell tobacco in this condition intentionally. This being one of my first experiences with C and D I was quite disappointed. (In retrospect, I guess the consistency is what you would get if you over rubbed-out something like Pirate Kake.)

So I put a little unsweetened burley cav. in the bottom of the bowl to keep the crumbs out of my mouth, filled up a half bowl and lit her up. Surprise, this stuff tastes good: "The perfect blend for the true lover of Latakia". Well not perfect, but definitely a good latakia fix. I would say that the burley is of fairly high proportion in this blend (C and D love their burley blends, don't they), making this an atypical "english-style" smoke. All the component tobaccos made their presence known as the bowl smoked down, with a little sweetness from the Virginias poking through from time to time

Though I had rehydrated it a bit, it was still quite dry, which seemed to work OK. The dry powdery texture was easy to light and burned fast, giving amazing clouds of lat-heavy smoke. I kind of enjoy that. A real "mouth-feel" to the dense smoke. It is no Pirate Kake, mind you, but still good stuff.

One interesting feature of the tobacco IMHO is the immediate and short-lived ammonia-like aftertaste this tobacco has near the bottom half of the bowl. I am struck by this every time I smoke it. Not too bad,just weird.

In my book this is a "niche" latakia blend that has me coming back for more when I am in the mood. Sure hope my next tin is in better condition...

This is definitely a unique blend. The burley is not in cube form as I am used to but all 3 tobacs are in a medium/short ribbon cut. The moisture upon opening is perfect. The aroma in the tin is delicious with the latakia making its prescence known. I tried half a tin of this in a Radice classic poker (not all at once, of course). The taste upon first light is of the burley grassiness with the brightness following but after the second light, the latakia harmonizes nicely. What I like most about this blend is how it develops as you smoke it down the bowl. The nuttiness of the burley with the smoky sweetness of the latakia and the brightness of the virginia make for a truly exotic journey for the tongue. Speaking of which, there is no tongue bite in this blend and as advertised,it smokes slowly. This is marketed as a vintage blend and if this is what the old-timers smoked, I think I was born in the wrong era. This is truly a great unique blend. Highly recomended......... Update 07-03-03: This blend is not to be confused with Dan Tobacco's Da Vinci which IMO is an aromatic abomination.This blend is very full flavored, I liken it to a "maduro" wrapped cigar. It leaves a fluffy grey ash when finished, but be warned,this is for latakia lovers only......

This is truly a masterpiece by Cornell and Diehl. The cut is the usually fine ribbon typical of the house. Lots of Latakia to enjoy. Lights well, burns well, and it's not overpowering or too strong, neither. Tin art is superb, as usual! Not to be confused with the same tobacco from Dan Tobacco, which is an aromatic.

I think the blend contains too much burley at the expense of the Virginia. I smoked a can of this over ten years ago and it was memorably good. This second can is a disappointment, though well aged. I think C & D tends to rely too much on burley.

What a wonderful blend. I ordered Da Vinci on a whim. I was expecting the 75% Latakia blend to be a bit of a gimmick but I was pleasantly proven otherwise. What a splendid example of what Latakia is capable of. Smokey, smooth relaxing blend sure to invoke deep thoughts. The perfect blend for those time you just want to be alone with your thoughts. The tobacco burns slow, even and produces thick, milky smoke. The flavor is also of the highest caliber. Bold, smokey with just enough Virginia to add a sweet undertone to this bold lakakia blend.

That's what I call tobacco for a real man! It reminds me of Pirate Kake, but mor like its "younger brother". It has the same ingredients as P.K., but I find it a little milder. Recommendation: A word of advice: avoid smoking it in the presence of your wife, keep it for men's company!

As others have mentioned this is the poster child for "lat-bombs." But there's no attempt to hide it, it says right on the tin: "Heavy Latakia" (I read somewhere that it's 75% latakia). So if that isn't your thing, move along.

There are flakes of virginia and burley mixed in but you'll never taste them in the smoke. The lat flavor is in full force here and the virginia serves only to "take the edge off" so to speak from the latakia overload.

In conclusion I would say that, while I enjoyed this blend myself and if your a lat lover consider this 4 stars. If not, look elsewhere. And of course, pipe beginners need not apply. There really isn't any middle ground with this blend.

I am a true lover of Latakia, but this was the first Latakia blend I could not finish smoking. It truly tastes like you are smoking straight Latakia, and overwhelms you with the taste of burning tires. About the only thing I would do with this is use it to add some Latakia punch to one of my "house" blends in the event I ever run out of my straight Latakia.