Cornell & Diehl Da Vinci

Real lumberjacks smoke Da Vinci, for sure. Holy smoke this is an interesting full-latakia blend. Only, it is not broken flake. But I am sure if you have a couple of consecutive bowls of it, you will nevertheless believe it is broken flake. Caution.

It's latakia.

I'll take them at their word that the 'blend' contains anything else, but it doesn't show up in the flavor, save for a mild sweetness on the retrohale.

That's not a bad thing necessarily, but it makes for a linear lat bomb. I like it. Many will not. Don't look for complexity here, but this one could be a great end of the day smoke...or you could throw yourself into a doused campfire or climb up a chimney.

I must confess, other than the cut of this blend I could tell absolutely no difference between this and Pirate Kake. Therefore, let my review of Pirate Kake suffice.

soli Deo gloria

This tobacco has a very strong, but I think pleasant aroma. Many who I smoked around found it unbearable, so it may be best to smoke alone or not in a confined area. This tobacco leaves a good after taste when you have finished smoking it. It burns nice and slow so you can enjoy the smoke. I had issues keeping this tobacco lit, and I'm not sure if mine is somehow over moistened or what, but this is the only blend I have that I have to relight 3 or more times per bowl. I've heard that this is a good blend to age for a while before smoking it, so you may want to try that.

Over dose of Latakia. I like it, but it isnt something I would smoke everyday. This seems to me a little more like a blending tobacco. If you dont like strong English, dont smoke this one. I gave it two stars only because I dont think most people would like it. I do.

I had grown fond of Maltese Falcon and ran out of it while awaiting the arrival of my first tin of C&D DaVinci. By the hype I was expecting Lat overload and was fully prepared for that. I was very pleasantly surprised upon my very first puff of the DaVinci. The lat that I was looking for was there to be sure, but what shocked me is that it doesn't overtake the blend. I'm not great at identifying flavor components, but I'll just say that the lat was very delightfully interlaced with the other elements of this blend in a way that I found very appealing. I also found it to be one of the most relaxing smokes I've tried yet. By the end of the bowl I was ready to flat out chill. I'm gonna store a few tins of this for sure.

This is the heaviest Latakia blend that I have ever tried. The flavors are of Latakia, Latakia, and well a but of zesty VA and well they say there is burly in the blend, but I will have to just take there word on it. I am a HUGE fan of Latakia blends, but I think this one has taken it to a bit too far. Yes, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. The Latakia is of very good quality, and has a delightful smoky taste. The blend is very cool and long smoking, I just feel it is a bit too much of a good thing.

It is quite heavy on the Latakia, which is not my favorite flavor. Overall I find it heavy and smoky. It burns very, very quickly. My friends and I smoked our entire bowl in a matter of a few minutes. Though Latakia is supposed to burn slowly, I found the opposite. Maybe I was puffing too hard (?), but I think I smoked it as I do all my tobaccos. If you really, really like Latakia, then you might like it, because I know Cornell & Diehl makes quality blends, and that is the only reason I am giving it two stars instead of one.

I had the CAO DaVinci, which I also reviewed and disliked. Luckily, this is completely different. There?s no Tuscan wine in the blend and none of the muck to accompany it. Here are beautifully speckled leaves of black, yellow and golden brown as if picked from the floor of an autumn forest. DV is a full strength, magnificently rich English with plenty of luscious latakia. It?s purity is that of Pease, especially the Montgomery Street or the Two Friends Valley Crucis series. Made with Pease's fastidiousness and C & D skill, this is one of the finest full English blends I?ve tried in a long time. It certainly makes me swear off Dunhill blends, which I find have diminished considerably in overall quality. Latakia enthusiasts should not miss this one under any circumstances.

Four and a half of five stars

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Revision - January 30, 2006

Much as I hate to, I'm downgrading. I bought another tin of this and don't like it nearly as much. It's really overpowering and should be taken in small doses. I still enjoy the cut and the burn once you get it lit, which is no small effort. However, it tends to overpower, and all you taste is Latakia. It seems a bit stronger than the first time I tried it. I appreciate it for what it is, but smoke sparingly. It's a real kick in the mouth.

Two and a half of five stars