Cornell & Diehl London Squire

As a connoisseur of English mixtures, I must say that London Squire is enjoyable, but not so much if you are searching for strong tasting blends and/or blends high in nicotine content. It is a good starting choice for the novice English smoker, as well as a mellow morning and afternoon smoke for those who smoke often. The taste is, in general, light with Latakia and Virginia dominating the bouquet with a subtle hint of Turkish announcing itself from time to time.

Very earthy, smokey, and with little sweetness, this seems to be of medium strength to my palate - but that from a relatively novice English blend smoker. However, I find the particular combination of Latakia, unsweetened Cav, and other tobaccos makes this considerably more interesting and satisfying than milder English blends that I have tried (thinking of Frog Morton AtP, Dunhill Early Morning, Boswell Countryside, and others). Heavy enough on Latakia to really satisfy that craving, but mellow enough a blend overall to not swamp the tastebuds and allow for other tobacco to be enjoyed afterward.

Have smoked this numerous times now, and it is the blend that opened the door for me to English/Balkan style blends. Therefore, I can wholeheartedly vouch for the recommendation that this is a good serious yet entry-level English for new pipers.

I am revisiting this tobacco (5/10) after not smoking it for 3 years. This one is a pretty good medium English tobacco, with emphasis on the orientals. The first 1/8 bowl has a tendency to be a little rough on the taste buds, but it settles down into a tasty smoke. The complexities of Latakia and Orientals meld together quite nicely. Believe it is somewhat unappreciated English in the C&D lineup.

What else can I say if I almost completely agree with Jiminks, except that I find the Latakia less dominant, the nic hit gentle, the touch of sweetness remaining to the end, and a blend deserves at least 3 full stars as a reasonably solid anytime smoke from a good maker that vexed my room-note-detector wife hardly at all. I've kept it around for years as a bowlful that will need little attention and lets me read...burns well, no/few relights if lightly tamped, little-to-no moisture, no need for pipe cleaner until cleanup at the very end.

"Earthy" is the first adjective that comes to ming while thinking about this blend. It isn't smooth, refined and somehow "aristocratic" like many English blends on the market, not subtle at all. It gives you exactly what you might expect: a great latakia blend, full, tasty, spicy...a true Balkan-style in the old fashion. Latakia is clearly the top note, but the orientals play a major role and that's the secret of its deepness. The Virginias are there to support with "meat", not sweetness. Recommender to the latakia lover.

General Comment for All C&D Blends. So far, all my samples have burned clean and dry. They contain quality ingredients. If purchased fresh from C&D, I find that I must adjust the moisture content, and let them rest for 3-6 months before sampling. They change flavor dramatically in just a few months.

In appearance, this is mainly a blend of mid to dark flakes with an occasional bright speck here and there. The blend aroma is that of a very mild English. The taste is that of a very mild to medium Latakia-Oriental type blend. There are a few puffs where the flavor goes flat but then returns again. It is smooth and does not bite. It burns clean to a powdery gray ash. I can smoke this when I want the flavor of Latakia, but do not want to have the smoke interrupt whatever I am working on at the time. This would be a great smoke for those that want to try a good English blend, but have not acquired the taste for stronger or more complicated versions.

I recently bought-out the pipe tobacco holdings of a close friend and in it were two tins of this blend, London Squire by Cornell and Diehl. Dated from July 2012 and appearing in the older blue and white C&D labels, I figured that they had lain dormant long enough to satisfy any speculation as to the effect of aging. I was right, as it smoked smoother than the alter ego bulk blend I had been pilfering over the years. In general, I feel about the same as reviewer Fumatore 2007-06-23, in that, I agree that it is a pretty good medium English smoke. I also, like he, found the initial 1/4 bowl a little spicier than the remainder; a trait I find in common with a lot of blends. You just have to wait for them to calm down, I guess. Smoked straight out of the tin, it is a more than adequate medium English and smokes consistently positive. I have always thought that this blend, ultimately, needs a little something else to elevate it to four star status. I found London Squire to be very copasetic in blending and that is how I will use it from here on out. I would give three and one half stars to it, if I could.