Cornell & Diehl Engine 99

I'm very well impressed with this tobacco.

Is an modified MI, complete and very rich in latakia, as Pirate Cake.

The cut is more easy to fill than Pirate Cake... and for me, is very similar, the same flavour, the same taste but this in even better,,,

not complex, only for the people that loves Latakia. Medium to Strong Nicotine.

Is an improvement od Pirate Cake, and i've not smoked Odessa, but mau be also an improvemenet of Odessa.

4 Stars and goes to my favorites.

Summary: an English light on Latakia but heavy on Virginia flavor.

This is my preferred substitute for Dunhill "Nightcap," as I detail (http://www.deathmetal.org/news/substitutes-for-dunhill-pipe-tobaccos/) elsewhere. You taste a lot of Latakia, but it is not a Lat-bomb per se; instead, it seems to be a mix of "Cube Cut Burley" and "Virginia Flake" with added Balkan touches like a lot of Turkish relative to the Latakia, and Perique rounds this out to give it an aged, stewed, and zesty quality that nicely complements the dark fired Latakia. Englishes are tricky, because like death metal, they are easy to make but difficult to make well. This one comes in a rough cut and seems like a mess, but it burns well, tastes sweet, and has multiple dimensions of flavor that emerge slowly just like "Nightcap." It seems weird that one of the best English blends comes from America, but every time I lose faith in the venerable English, I turn to this one and find my faith restored.

This is an awesome blend. As with most C&D blends, it's not straight by the book like let's say Dunhill English mixtures. First part of the bowl, you get some unusual taste that goes away after few puffs. It's like dried out latakia with Perique in a bad way. After that you catch the Burley here and there, Latakia in the background, followed by some very fine sweetness and oriental deliciousness. Perique isn't peppery and for my account, it's not even detectable. Maybe it brings just a little sharpness to the blend. It develops a wide spectrum of flavors from the beginning to the end. Smoky leathery latakia on one end, aromatic orientals in the middle (although faint), metal nuttyness of the Burley and sweetness of the virginia on the other end. Perique just enough for to avoid blandness. And they all play in harmony. And it's not a picky tobacco either. It's good in every occasion. Just stuff it into your pipe, and enjoy it, either as a connoisseur, or just for relax, it's good. I love C&D blends. They never fail.

I've got to say this is a very good English blend. Whatever the mix, it really agrees with me. All it took was one day drying. Smells great and balanced moisture right out of the container. The texture turns a bit ashy quickly. The smell and taste are "deep", if such a word can be used to describe smell and taste. Perhaps "sophisticated" is better. Definitely smooth and rich. Anyway, bite was minimal. Packing and lighting was easy. Also, I try to get inside the name of the blend and make associations. This definitely evoked a sense of the heyday of steam engines. Very cool, very classy. This might become a favorite of mine.

A nice English smoke. Hevay on the orientals and, as it happens with most C&D's, with a strong Burley presence. A good, quiet smoke but nothing to write home about. If you like a slightly muted English/American smoke, this is it.

Cornell & Diehl - Engine 99.

A low point in my pouch, is one I've had with a few C+D bulk's: twigs. But, that problem can be easily overcome by simply not loading any into my pipe!

I find the smoke gives quite a buttery quality upon first light. Once this has settled down I get some strong cedar from the Latakia. The Oriental/Turkish are still present, but a little bit behind. I don't really get much Perique from #99; there's a delicate fruitiness but nothing particularly sharp or spicy. The rest of the flavour's nutty and rustic; it makes a good platform for the others to work with. Likewise, to the Perique, the Virginia gives me very little. Engine 99 burns consistently enough, but it's too bloody quick; it goes like the clappers!

When I first took a puff of #99 I felt quite impressed, but after about ten minutes the enjoyment lessened somewhat. Towards the end of the bowl I felt bored:

Somewhat recommended.

About a month ago a fellow pipe club member gave me what was left of a 2 oz bag he had picked up somewhere. I had three small bowls of this in an Acorn Corn Cob. I like Pirate Kake though I have never tried the Red Odessa but find this blend nice and smokable. So many Latakia blends out there I do not know how to describe them to differentiate them from each other. Also, three bowls really aren’t enough to give it the proper review and respect it deserves but I may buy some more down the road. I would give it a try.

Pipe smoking is an amazing hobby. I smoked cigars for 20 years before I braved my way into pipedom. You can never go back to a good cigar and see if it changes over time. The caveat to that is, I guess, you are wealthy and buy boxes of several cigars at a time and can go back to a box with the same, exact cigars. I am revisiting some C&D and GLP blends. I decided early on that I would start a tobacco collection that allowed me as much variety as my wallet would allow. I am blessed and have dozens of open tins in jars along with unopened tins put down to age on a whim. I know the range of my pallet and try to buy blends that I know I will like, not to many wide ranging purchases. C&D and GLP have so many lines that appeal to certain tastes, that you cannot say this blender will have a "type" Each line has a type. As I have broadened my collection I realized that I had to backtrack and re-experience some blends. Having gone from John Bull pouches to Penzanze and back again, I had found my preference and upon revisit rediscovered some amazing blends. Engine 99 was one of them. This tobacco is something you cannot appreciate until you appreciate Red Virginia's. This English takes in the earthy, mellow and spice character of the Red VA and plays it off of the other varietals of leaf masterfully. The Orientals and Latakia are the stars of the tin note. Sour, smokey are the two that hit you first, the sweetness of the VA and some dark fruit is also in there but way in the distance The smoke is really interesting. My first pass on this was Latakia and classic English. Not a Balkan, I think the Perique is what kills the malty flavor I love in Balkans, but that does not mean that it kills this blend as a leader in this genre. The lead flavors come from the Red VA and the Latakia, to my palate they are in a dead heat. The Latakia is smokey and sweet and it plays wonderfully with the Red VA. The earthiness and the smokey sweetness are prominent from first light to the end of the smoke. The Perique provides a white pepper spiciness that work well with the Turkish/Orientals that are woody and a bit buttery (I think that is from the interplay of VA and Oriental). There is Burley in here but I cannot call it out as a "flavor" in this blend. I think in all great blends that you are not supposed to be able to call out each leaf, we only try to show off in our reviews, the Burley is a complement to all of the other leaves in this blend. I really like what C&D did here, I can't say it is a favorite but it is an amazingly good blend and each time I go back to it I am surprised all over again at how good it is. A must try.

Very nice and mild English for my tastes. This and Star of the east very much comprises my English/Balkan rotation. Tin note and aroma is just wonderful.