Cornell & Diehl Mountain Camp

This was also a gift from a friend Thank you to him for this I see some claim this is a Lat bombs, others that it is heavy in Latakia but not quite a bomb. I am thrilled to try another English Blend for I am finding I like them as much as my favorite Burleys. The change between the two give me a nice variety in my smoking lineup.

This is made of Burley, Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Perique and Virginia. Upon opening the bag I was met by a beautiful and very rich and sweet smoky aroma that was joined with a background of mild woodiness, medium musty and light spiciness. These really played together well and I already ready to smoke this. I put it out on paper towel for a half hour although it seemed ready to smoke. This is a sort of odd ribbon cut that seems to have some rubbed out flake mixed in. This did, however load nicely into the bowl and as is typical with all C&D baccas when lit it is amazing to see how much it swells up over the bowl.But, I was prepared It seemed to not hold a light until the 3rd time and then away it went and it needed very few relights after that point. It smoked at a medium and consistent pace and the flavors stayed consistent the first half of the bowl. The second half was still very good, but there were changes which I will describe below. The smoke was creamy and was thick and hung in the air for a long time. I thoroughly enjoyed this for I do enjoy sitting with smoke wafting in the air above me. The room note was Pleasant and smelled of a rich smoky sweet campfire with a very, very light touch of marshmallow in the background. This left a very pleasant, slightly spicy, rich sweet smoky, slightly woody and very light touch of pepper in my mouth during and after the smoke. After the smoke the sweet seemed a bit more dominant in the aftertaste and lasted for over an hour. Sipping really brought out the flavors and puffing it left no bite and made the taste a bit more sour and peppery with a very lite tingle on the tongue. A very easy on the tongue blend. This left no moisture in the bowl. Not an all day smoke but the Lat is less in this one and I wouldn't call this a lat bomb at all and one could smoke it several times during the day perhaps. For myself it is a very fulfilling blend and one bowl will do me just fine, although I am tempted to do it again today... perhaps.

Lighting up the bowl I was greeted by a thick creamy smoke that hung in the air. The flavor was delightful. The number one ingredient in this is Burley which I enjoy and second is Latakia which I really like also. The taste of a very thick, creamy, rich, slightly sweet smoke was complimented nicely by a close background of mild woodiness, a medium mustiness and a lightly pleasant sour that complimented the sweet nicely joined by a very good tasting dash of pepper. Now this played well together but the addition further back of a nice light spiciness, touch of citrus, lightly toasted and a flash of butter with a very slight nuttiness really made the flavor pop for me. As the smoke progressed the sweet flavor gained a touch and each sip was a delight. Just before the half way point I believe I tasted a very light taste of Chocolate. Just past the halfway point the flavors changed. The smoke faded a bit, the sweetness dropped a level and a nice tart flavor came to the forefront to join the nice woody and pleasant mustiness with the near background being the smoke which slowly kept fading. The smoke became creamier on the tongue and the pepper picked up a notch also. Up until this point this was a 4 out of 4 stars for me. While this change was not unpleasant and actually tasted nice I loved the rich sweet smoky flavor. Not a disappointment for the smoke was still there, but rather a moment of surprise. This burned to a dark ash and ended very pleasantly with the smoke still in the first background.

I am with those who claim this is a strong Lat English, not a Lat Bomb. This was a very delightful smoke and I thoroughly enjoyed it. So many flavors that placed nice and stayed consistent till the end with the exceptions noted above. While not a perfect 4.0 I give this a 3.8, putting this on my favorites and into my rotation to join the growing number of English blends which have captured my attention as of late and which I enjoy switching with my old OTC burleys which I enjoy so much, keeping a nice variety in my smoking world. This is a must try for those who love English blends, love Lat Bombs, for while it is not a Lat Bomb is has a strong Latakia presence that I found very enjoyable.