Tobaccos Cornell & Diehl - Safe Harbor Flake

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-02-22		Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild	Tolerable

Let me start this review by saying that I am an unabashed fan of C&D tobaccos. Even since my first bowl of Morley's Best, I've been very fond of most of their blends. Sadly, this string comes to an end with Safe Harbor Flake.

SHF arrives in the tin very moist, completely unlike most C&D tobaccos. It is mostly a broken flake, even though it is supposed to be in flake form. I don't hold this against it, as I rub out most of my flakes. What is unacceptable is the moisture level, which gathers in the bottom of the bowl and requires several pipe cleaners throughout the smoke. I suppose I could spread each bowlful out and allow it several hours of drying time but this is just too much trouble with so many superior burleys on the market.

The taste of SHF is to me an unpleasant burnt flavor, possibly caused by the excess moisture and steam of the tobacco. It requires a lot of relights, too, match and lighter fluid companies will love this one. If there is one redeeming factor to SHF it is the pouch note. It has a very pleasant baking bread aroma. So if you buy your tobacco to sniff, this one may be for you.

I notice that C&D has four new burley flakes on the market and I will eventually try these. Hopefully they have learned some lessons from SHF.

Scores for SHF: flavor- 6 of 20; lighting and burn- 5 of 10; value- 4 of 10. 15 points equals a sad * for Safe Harbor Flake.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-08-02		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

UPDATE 8/8/10

Ok, relief! A friend sent me a large sample of this and what I bought was NOT Safe Harbor Flake. I can't imagine what was in my original tin, and I hope to never smoke it again. The sample was a very good burley with tons of flavor. Nice flake cut that crumbled when rubbed out. Made it easy to plug a draft hole but that's a small complaint. The topping was discreet and the burley flavor and aroma came through. I'd buy this again but only a tin at a time until I'm sure of what I'm getting. If you like burley and prefer something mild in strength and taste, give this one a try. Upgrading to 3 stars

ORIGINAL REVIEW

I sincerely hope that this tin was mis-marked! I see no reference to this blend having latakia in it, yet my tin contained this condiment. The cut was nowhere near a flake; not even a broken flake. It was sort of a rough cut. The smell of latakia was very noticeable amidst the burley. One of the worst tin aromas I've ever experienced but then again, so was Burley Flake #2 and that was an excellent smoke.

Nothing wrong with latakia in a burley blend... except maybe in this one. The latakia seemed an afterthought in the taste department but certainly took over the room via its aroma. Even though it wasn't easy to taste (but was still obviously latakia), it totally covered up the burley's typical nuttiness and body. I've seen references to this blend having no character. Believe me, no character would have been an improvement! This seemed like a blend that failed and yet was released. I'm keeping this tin and I challenge anyone to smoke it and like it. What happened on this one, C&D? You're WAY better than this! I can't read the date on the tin - did I get one from 2007 when you took it off the shelves???

Sorry for the snotty review, but I have great experiences with C&D in the past. Even their blends that I do not like have enough character to make me understand that tobacco taste is personal. But I can't believe they put their name on this blend and I can't believe it's really the same SHF that others have smoked since it definitely contains latakia.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	strongirish (249)	2015-08-20		Extremely Strong	None Detected	Extra Full	Tolerable

I am not used to giving C and D low ratings as. I usually really enjoy their tobaccos. This one however is just a very strong burly with an unusual flavor that I don't like at all.

It states it is a flake but came mostly broken in the tin. It has a very peaty pouch note and very moist. The color is a dark brown and even looks ominous. After rubbing out and letting dry, it packed easy enough in my pipe but upon lighting it had a very unusual flavor that I still can't describe, was very strong and rather harsh. As I smoked down the bowl, it just intensifies, and by the bottom of my bowl I felt like I had sanded my tongue. I have since smoked half the tin and get the same experience every time. This is just not one of their better blends, I normally like their burly but if this had been the first blend of theirs I had tried I would never buy any of their blends which I do a lot. Can not recommend at all. fun from this one.

Pipe Used: briars

Age When Smoked: 6 months

Purchased From: in trade unopened

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	hoo-boy (26)	2015-08-01		Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium	Tolerable

I will begin with saying I like most C.& D. blends . Having said, that this is NOT your fathers Burley blend ! I think he would have better tastes in Burley! The only thing I can think of positive to say it burns evenly with at most with only 2 lights. That and an attractive container! I was given a tin of this and I now know what he was doing he was getting rid of it . After trying to smoke it I cellared the rest hoping it would get better with aging, WRONG. I have passed it on to another and his response was similar to my own. He said he " it was so bad he was tempted to lick his cats butt to try to get the taste off his palate". It was flake cut and looked good but that was IT. Knowing that everyone does not have the same opinion of Blends and this is mine just try it and I will be surprised if your opinion differs. I know NOW why C&D. discontinued it, This is some god awful stuff! .....again my opinion!

Age When Smoked: nothing helps!

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Cumarinophil (108)	2015-02-03		Very Strong	None Detected	Full	Very Strong

Safe Harbor Flake comes in a beautiful tin, presented as a broken flake. Mine came a bit moist, too, but I just left the tin open over night to get it right. The tin note was of wet hay, grass, earthy, roasted bread and very reminiscent of a cigar. I did not sense a topping, fermented Burley tobaccos only. So far so good.

When I smoked it felt like sand paper treatment for my palate. Rough, bity, very high on nicotine and awful tasting of a bad cigar. Slow sipping does improve digesting it a little, using a carbon filter doesn’t change much. In several pipes, sizes, shapes I couldn’t get it to a comfort level and I had even trouble to get past half the bowl. It does ghost your pipe(s) and the after taste is intense.

The closest description I came up with, is when you finished a cigar to the slightly moist remaining quarter, put that in your pipe and relight, you'll get pretty much SHF. The room note indicates the same. If you find this thought appealing, SHF is for you, but I certainly do not and much prefer Germain's Brown Flake or even a real cigar.

Pipe Used: Several briars with and without filter, corn cob

Age When Smoked: fresh to 2yrs

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-01-16		Very Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong

I wish I would've known about Tobacco Reviews before I bought this tobacco. The flakes rubbed out perfectly, and the tobacco burned well, but other than that, it was horrible! It tasted like a bad cigar. The nicotine content was very strong which is not to my liking. I couldn't even get through half a bowl. I would not recommend it to anyone, but there's no accounting for taste (perhaps some people would like it).

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Captain Pete (83)	2008-04-01		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable

I am just plain stubborn. Despite many disappointing, and some downright awful, experiences with Cornell & Diehl, I have persisted in believing that this American company is capable of manufacturing a quality tobacco. Well, I am afraid that my most recent experience, this time with Safe Harbor Flake, has led me to finally conclude that I can now buy imported tobacco with a guilt free conscience.

While I acknowledge that I'm not a real huge fan of most burleys, I do ocassionally enjoy indulging in a simple and robust smoke. I have an affection for Carter Hall, and smoke this when I'm out and about running errands, or doing yard work. So I'm not a burlyphile, but neither do I harbor any ill will toward burley. This stuff, however, is quite simply downright crappy. If it is simply due to the fact that there were some bad cans that got out to the public, then I would be curious to know why C&D never bothered to issue a general recall.

Upon opening the can, I was greeted with a warm, slightly fruity aroma; something like Prince Albert on steroids. The even brown flakes were extremely moist, even in a can more than a year old. I dried a couple flakes for awhile, just to get them to smokability, and then loaded up and lit. The initial flavor was actually a lot like Carter Hall, only with a slight peppery feel on the tongue. The flavor bloomed and filled out for about a minute, and then disappeared. It seems that whatever flavoring agent used that resembled Carter Hall had quickly burned off. I was left with what I can only describe as "very Sir Walter Raleigh Like" (the regular, not the aromatic); very disappointing given the price.

About halfway through the bowl, the tobacco finally left SWR behind, and became absolutely chemical tasting. I realize that C&D creates a lot of their blends to be similar to some of the classic American blends of old, but I think they came too close to creating a classic drugstore blend. It lacked any real flavor; it created a very harsh smelling smoke; and it had the same acrid chemical taste found in the OTC drugstore blends. They have managed to create an exact replica of a $1.89 drugstore burley, but packaged in a $4 an ounce can. By the time I got toward the bottom of the bowl, this stuff was tasting like a bad bowl of Granger; same icky plastic like taste.

I'm not sure what the folks over at Cornell & Diehl are doing, that they have had so much trouble with the quality of so many of their blends. I cannot believe that they intentionally produced this blend to taste the way it does. And I cannot believe that they intended for Haunted Bookshop to be so dry that it nearly all blows away when you open the can. Nor do I believe they intended for cans of Kajun Kake to swell and pop while sitting on store shelves. I am now afraid to even open the remaining tins of other C&D blends I have cellaring. This experience has shown me once and for all that C&D is a company that still has many problems to work through.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	A. Morley (97)	2007-10-26		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Overwhelming	Overwhelming

In case everyone hasn't already heard, a good many tins of this tobacco were tainted due to God-knows-what disgusting chemical reaction. There might be some good ones floating around on the market, but not the one I was sent.

Don't fool yourself, if it tastes like all hell, it's not because it hasn't had time to grow on you. This was a single mistake amid a host of Classics from Cornell & Diehl and I have no doubt that it was only a sad fluke.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2007-08-31		Very Mild	Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

I have decided to give Safe Harbor Flake a two star rating simply because it is too limp wristed to get me excited. I appreciated the delicate addition of whatever casing was added but sure would have liked more strength. I will certainly smoke the entire contents of the tin and order more. But, I cannot fully recommend this blend to anyone looking for an alternative to the original Edgeworth Slices or any other Burley based blend that packs some punch.

Others here have perfectly described the visuals once the tin is opened (and by the way, mine held its water beautifully - is that a good thing?) I've smoked many a C&D blend over the years and Safe Harbor Flake wins the wet award.

I have been on a Burley binge of late and believe I'll now take Stan's advice (first review of this blend) and try Wessex Burley Slice in the hopes that my palate will get slapped around a little bit.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JohnnyMcPiperson (119)	2011-02-13		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I gave this blend a good run with a half ounce sample from a friend and never could bring myself to enjoy it. The closest I came to liking this blend was when it dried out a bit, but even then I found it to be somewhat boring and it would always get to be very bitter about half way through the bowl, suppose that was because it smoked to wet or something, but I'm not sure. Bottom line, this one was not for me. It tasted like wet hay, some blends can pull this type of flavor off, but for me this one was not a success. After trying it in a few different pipes I've come to the conclusion that I would not recommend this blend nor would I purchase it again.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Country Piper (12)	2010-11-19		Medium	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable

Tobaccos that I have purchased from C & D have always been of the finest quality. Until now. I bought a tin of this stuff and upon opening I found the tobacco packed and layered in a strange waxey sort of paper. The aroma was not very good. The stuff was so dry that when crumbled it fell apart and almost ended up like powder. I tried it anyway and I was not happy with the results. I tried misting some with purified water and the results were no better. Very hot on the mouth and poor flavor at best. Save your money and pass on this Burley. C & D has other very good blends from which to pick from.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	flaminbill' (57)	2010-01-24		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

For people that find McClelland's Virginia tobaccos offensive to their nose, they should try this. This stuff smells of rancid blueberries and tastes only marginally better. Not for me.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-01-31		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is undoubtedly the most gawdawful mess to ever come out of the C&D factory. Being a Burley smoker, I jumped on the Safe Harbor train as soon as it came out. I ended up wishing I had just laid down on the tracks instead. This shit (which is the most accurate descriptor) is just plain horrible.

It smells like egg nog topped Burley in the tin and is anything but a flake. Broken flake perhaps. I tastes like I would imagine smoking madrill ass hairs would taste like.

Avoid it.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SopwithCamel (255)	2009-01-07		Mild	Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant to Tolerable

If you have bothered to read enough of my reviews, you probably noticed I am a Burleyphile.

But not this one.

It is well made, discreetly topped, and smells good in the tin and while it burns.

However, where is the flavor? I smoked it rolled up as a flake, and it burns well. Rubbed out, it burns hot, and tastes like absolutely nothing.

There just isn't much flavor to it, and the cost makes it completely untenable for me.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-10-05		Medium	Very Mild	Mild	Tolerable

This is my first review here on TR, and is based on a small sample I received in a ziploc from another piper.

My tobacco came in a ready rubbed format, more or less, nothing like 2015 or 5100, much less FVF or other full sized flakes.

It lit easily and burned well, if a bit hot.

The mouth feel was much like other burly tobacco, a bit dry in the mouth, and a bit acrid.

I did not get much from this other than a traditional burly taste.

Flavor and strength were both similar to Prince Albert, and I'd rather smoke Carter Hall or Prince Albert, especially given the $4 per ounce cost of this flake.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-11-21		Medium to Strong	Very Strong	Extra Full	Very Strong

By reading the reviews, I noted a clear tendancy to a love/hate relationship to this tobacco.

I must admit I was disappointed: the tin description did not fulfill its promises. The tobacco was more into a very broken flake format, with a nice tin aroma. Smoking the tobacco was a disaster. A very strong peppery, discomforting taste invaded my mouth from the start. I had to surrender before reaching the mid-battle point.

By Jove, would I chance giving this to my Ship's Company, I would have to deal with a mutiny!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DoctorThoss (146)	2007-11-11		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Update: I'm afraid I'm downgrading this one. The tin aroma and initial burst of flavor are remarkable, but after a third of a bowl or so it just seems to go limp. No real taste other than a hint of bitterness, although the room note stays good. This is realistically about 1.5 stars. I'm "rounding up" to two stars, however, because it excels as a blending agent, especially with sweet virginias.

Initial review: This is about as pleasant a burley blend as you're going to find. It would be a perfect "all day" blend if it were cheaper or available in bulk. I wouldn't really call this a flake -- it's more like a loose crumble cake. Just tear off little chunks and let them crumble into your pipe, light and you're off! This stuff burns very well (if a little bit hot) but seems to have no ability whatsoever to bite. It does, however, dry my mouth out somewhat (most burlies do that to me, however). It seems to have a mild topping, but the topping has little impact on the flavor or room note. I never sampled the "slices" it's supposedly reminiscent of, but I can definitely say this is the highest-quality burley blend I've encountered except for Stonehaven (which is a different beast entirely).

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-09-10		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Strong

Update 10 SEP 07

Well, how funny things are, sometimes. I loved Solani Aged Burley Flake in a Meershaum, but could not stand it in a briar. I bet it would be the same with Safe Harbor Flake. And it was! I tried it in my Meershaum, and loved it!

So, as in Solani's, weirdly, I would recommend SHF in a Meershaum, but not in a briar...

Recommendation upgraded to somewhat recommended, in the name of objectivity.

Update 06 SEP

If you were disappointed with Safe Harbor flake and want a real Burley flake, try Solani's aged burley flake; it's absolutely delicious!

Update 18 AUG 07

You guys being pretty keen, I'm sure you noticed the general tendancy for rating is either 4 stars, or 1, with a few 2; I suspect there is an inequality in the tobacco being canned...the reason more for me to reassess later, hoping the next tin will be better...or either it's that the all burley flakes are not for everyone...I'll found out eventually.

_____________________________________ 17 JUL 2007

If this is what sailors are looking for after a stormy sea, there would be no navies anywhere in the world! I would rather face the storm that come alongside and smoke that bad, acrid Bakkie!

To start with, this is no flake; this is ready rubbed, so rubbed that tobaccos like Sail or Amphora are superior in quality and look more like flakes, if you can believe this!

I have never indulged myself in a full Burley mixture before, and if this is an American classic, I will stay away from them! If this is what an all Burley tobacco is, I will steer clear from them! Especially at the price that they sell it...

The tin aroma was very nice, of sweet walnut, the tobacco dark brown with just a few lighter shades; filling is easy - of course, it's all broken up to a point that it is half dusty.

Upon lighting, I was welcomed by an acrid smoke coming out from the pipe, a peppery taste, very unpleasant taste that is still leaving a bad breath in my mouth, and a predominant vintage Tongue bite no 5, as one of our colleagues said once about one of the MacBaren blends.

The more I smoke, the worse it gets, to the point that I will not finish my first pipeful: this is one of the worst tobaccos I've ever had and the taste in my mouth is so repulsive that it makes me sick to my stomach!

DEFINITELY NOT RECOMMENDED

Maybe I've had a bad tin; as objective as I am, I will let my two other tins age and reassess in 6 -9 months from now, but this stuff would even turn off the last man on earth that would fill his pipe with this after running out of tobacco for two years! He'd rather go without, or smoke hay or anything else!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-09-10		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Upon opening the tin, what you will find is some dark, rich rubbed out burley flake wrapped in some thin white paper. Unlike most C&D blends,the tobacco itself is extremely moist and unsmokable. The tobacco has been lightly topped and the aroma very familiar. I don't know what is used but to me it smelled somewhat like egg nog.

Basically, it smokes wet and hot. There's little to be appreciated here. Even when dried out to a smokable moisture content, it's a foul tasting, mouth burning mess.

I can hardly believe that Craig Tarler would market something so utterly putrid as this tobacco.

=UPDATE=

Craig Tarler has announced that C&D is ceasing the sale of Safe Harbor Flake. According to Craig, the natural fermentation process has made this blend rather putrid. He states, "The fermenting is just causing a terrible odor and it is affecting the taste. I smoked a bowl today and it was definitely something I wasn't proud of."

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-08-30		Medium	Strong	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Yuck! I though I was buying a burly flake not an aromatic!!! This was false advertising. Nowhere on the tin description or website did C&D disclose that there was a flavoring added to Safe Harbor Flake. I have since heard it was a liquor of some kind, but who knows.

There is no burly taste that I can detect. Also, this is the first blend that I actually had to dry to smoke. I smoked it wet at first, it was awful, so I dried it. Dried a bit, it was more burnable, but still not smokable. I am painfully working my way to the end of the tin and cannot wait to toss the finished tin and never look back.

If looking for burly, pass this up. If looking for an aro, you might want to consider this.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Buster Bluth (56)	2007-04-19		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I'm a lover of Burleys and a lover of flakes. I bought this tobacco hoping it would be a Burley 'par exellance'. Liking everything C&D makes, I bought 2 cans.

Disappointing to say the least. Upon opening the can, the moisture and aroma hinted to Redman. Where's my chocolate, nutty aroma?

I gave it a weekend of air, then tried a few bowls. Nothing of note that justified the price.

This burley does nothing to justify the price. Go with Granger of Carter Hall for real Burley.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-07-25		Strong	Medium to Strong	Overwhelming	Very Strong

I had a very bad experience with this tobacco.

The tin aroma was awesome, close to something like molasses.

The broken flakes were dark coloured, which I enjoy. But they would break easily into the hand and were moist.

Smoking proved to be a disaster. It just got more and more peppery and hot.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-09-24		Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Strong

Tin: Not exactly a flake cut, but a sliced cake. Each slice crumbles and falls apart in your hand, when touched, into a powder. Brown mahogany. Essence of licorice smell.

Lighting: Took two lights to start it, whereupon, itstayed lit, burning to the bottom of the bowl. The tobacco, being moist, obviously has to be lightly packed. Produced moisture in the stem, the bottom of the bowl burned hot, but the smoke remained warm. May want to air dry, to minimize the moisture in the pipe.

Aroma: Top of bowl--gentle nutty burley. Bottom of bowl--very strong molasses and licorice, nutty.

Taste: Not much, vaguely burley, not sweet. No tongue bite.

Nicotine: light

Room Note: lingering, heavy nutty, licorice, medicinal burley smell; not smoky.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Captain bob (38)	2008-08-06		Medium	Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

SHF is a great way to begin your transition to non-aromatics or for that change of pace for a natural tobacco taste and comfortable smoke from your favorite aromatics. SHF is "classic smooth". But, don't be fooled, this very high-quality grade Burley based blend does have a kick! It will satisfy that urge for less aromatic (flavoring) and more natural tobacco taste. Beautiful Flake Burley. An easy rub or fold didn't matter. Great smoking characteristics and natural Burley flavor that just won't quit!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StimeyStrongwater (10)	2019-10-25		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is exceptional. My favorite burley flake to date. The tin I am reviewing is dated 11/07/07 so it has about 12 years of age on it. The flakes are loose and fall apart as soon as you begin to handle them. They are a lovely, consistent, dark brown. The tin note when I first opened it was very fermented, sharp like dark dried fruit and yeast. That smell yielded to a less stinging version of the same thing.

This tobacco has a velvety soft mouth feel and has a great nutty, earthy, slightly cocoa flavor which is typical of quality burley. I love the earthy character to this smoke, it adds a bit of dynamic to the monochrome burley is known for, which is fine with us burley smokers. The earthy flavor reminded me of carrots at one point, with a deep earthy taste that is sweet but not because of sugar.

I have never rubbed these out and this tobacco burns like a dream with a dry fluffy white ash. I pack the broken flake peices without rubbing them and have experienced no issues with burn.

This tobacco does better if smoked all the way through and does not stand up very well to many relights. It is still nice to smoke but it seems to lose much of the nutty and cocoa character, and behave a little more harshly if you smoke half now and half later.

I wish I had a stockpile of this tobacco but unfortunately once my tin is gone I will never have it again. I really wish this was not discontinued. If you know anybody sitting on tins that they want to get rid of, let me know!

Pipe Used: Various cobs and briars

Age When Smoked: 12 years

Purchased From: Puff and stuff

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CoolPilot (69)	2011-09-05		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is good stuff, and it smeels just like the Simply Elegant After Hours Flake, but with less Rum. Right, there is no rum according to C&D, but nevertheless this stuff is very similar to their After Hours. It's not a flake, since it is broken into stripes and it looks like wet. It's not: I like the fact that this good tobacco lights up and burns to ashes or even better to white dust. I found the Safe Harbor not much mild, and I would call it a mild-strong in fact. It does require its own pipe or you risk you pipe to taste Safe Harbor for a couple of bowls after. I am not disappointed at all and will buy it again. But this is not an all-day tobacco both for its strenght and its cost.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-11-09		Strong	Mild	Overwhelming	Very Pleasant

Let me begin by saying that I would find it difficult to name a tobacco that smells better than this when you open the tin. I liken it to the smell of a sweet tawny port. However, the flavor is a bit harsh and overwhelming. This is a property of pure Burley that I do not prefer. However, I give it a good rating based on its accomplishment of its particular mission: A finely crafted, full-bodied Burley flake. It's just not my cup of tea.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-05-12		Very Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

Sit back, folks. I have a bit of a funny story about this one. I like to place my orders online. Sometimes I like to pay by phone and add extra stuff on at the last minute when I think my tiny budget can handle it. I decided to ask for this blend to finish off an existing order. When I recieved my parcel, I was suprised and somewhat dissapointed to find I had been sent "Sunset Harbor Flake" by mistake. I emailed the company after a long 10 hour second shift at the press shop, not feeling very clear-headed or focused. No biggie, I thought. Another C&D for the collection, right? They returned my email and said that what I originally asked for was indeed "Safe Harbor Flake" and that they sent the other by mistake. But what they couldn't understand was why I was asking for "Snug Harbor Flake" last night. It doesn't exist, they said. I emailed back saying it does if you request it pressed from Craig at C&D. Apparently this confused them even more. On the third email, I wrote it twice in capitol letters "SAFE HARBOR FLAKE". I must have struck a nerve. A week later I recieved another parcel, containing YET ANOTHER TIN OF SUNSET HARBOR FLAKE! This was both perplexing and hilarious. I have since ordered it again and finally recieved it. As you can imagine, I have learned to love Sunset Harbor Flake! I guess its very easy to land in the wrong harbor when its late, or your tired and confused like a second shift worker or a phone order recipient. Thank goodness it was worth the wait. I heard rumors and read up about it on the Cornell & Diehl website (which I recommend) to find that it had been recalled and the sale of it was temporarily halted for certain issues. Then an update stated that the problems had been remedied and the quality was improved to boot. Believe me, you can take their word on it- there's nothing wrong with this tobacco. I half-expected to see a flake similar in texture to that of its multiplying counterpart. I was not dissapointed to find it pre-crumbled and perfect for instantanious packing. The first whiff reminded me of fresh sliced cantaloupe on a mid-summers day. As easy to light as it was to pack. I thought it most appropriate to put such an infamous tobacco into the notorious Petersons System #31. The design is unusual, because it doesn't allow for smoke-shaft clearing mid-smoke, but it has a nice small bowl and the system design keeps the expected moisture away from the pallet. This tobacco didn't strike me as a big bowl tobacco, as it is very moist and would likely get gloppy in large portions. The initial flavor (my nose would tell you if it could taste and talk) is reminiscent of warm, wet cedar. Then it travelled to a place that reminds me of Pennington Gap, but much more subdued in the way of a liqueur sweetness. This harbor IS safe! No muck on my finger after poking the top ashes down to see where I was at. After leaving the room, I returned to find it smelling like a cedar lined walk-in humidor! Upon relight, the same good flavor picked up where it left off and stayed with it to the finish. Some might call that one-dimensional or monochromatic, but I personally don't like too many drastic changes while I'm having my pipe meditation. This blend is both contemplative and comforting. It only gets better with every bowl. No unwelcome suprises at the end, either. Although the ash is dry and dusty, it leaves a good surplus behind, making it perfect for building that ideal cake! I can't knock this at all, and if you've had troubles in the past, maybe you should try again...this baby's back up and ready to sail!

Petersons Rule! (especially with C&D blends in them!)UPDATE Apparently what I have IS the old version. I will have to try the newer version and see how it compares for myself!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-02-02		Mild	Medium to Strong	Mild	Tolerable

Not as bad as all that, but not a keeper either.

I'm a bit out of my league, as I know nothing about 'lost American classics'. Usually I smoke English blends, sometimes aromatics. My main issue with SHF was that I couldn't taste tobacco. Rum or brandy, yes. Molasses, yup. But not a hint of burley. Might be good as an after-dinner aromatic, but not for my larder.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-11-09		Mild	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

I think there are a few that have been overly harsh on this tobacco, but I would have to agree I expect more out of C & D. It is a very pleasant smelling tobacco in the tin. Hints of brandy and chocolate. Upon lighting those smells turn into a basically flat burly taste. There is some casing but nothing obnoxious. It burns cleanly and completely, but really does not leave me wanting to come back for more.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-08-11		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Safe Harbor has everything that one could look for in a Burley based tobacco. The burn is even and complete, leaving no dottle or gunk in your pipe. The flavor is like a good burley - deep and cocoa-like and the aroma is not so strong that it chases the dog away. I have found that SHF is my new "go to" burley tobacco. It is comforting, in that burley/comfort food sort of way. If you are not a fan of burley tobacco, then this will probably not become a favorite for you. If you, like I, enjoy a nice and uncomplicated smoke that is rich and satisfying, then you might like Safe Harbor.

Jay

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-08-04		Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

After reading some of the reviews here, I tried a second tin to be sure I didn't get an anomaly. It appears I did not.

This is the worst effort I've tried from the good folks at C&D. I love many of their blends, with Haunted Bookshop being in my top 5. Maybe my negative opinion is due to high hopes for a burley flake from C&D, but I don't think so. I tried to like this blend, I really did. I simply could not find anything positive.

First, it is not a flake by any stretch of the imagination. I love Craig and C&D tobaccos, but this is not a flake. It falls apart immediately and soon turns to unsmokable dust. Finally, it comes far too wet and trying to dry it results in the topping evaporating leaving you with a bitter, dusty mess.

I simply cannot imagine what some of the reviewers here could be thinking to compare this to other quality burley flakes like Edgeworth Slices, Wessex Burley Slice, or Solani Aged Burley Flake.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-05-12		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

With a fresh opened tin, I found this to be a smooth and unique Burley Flake that breaks apart upon the slightest touch. It loads and lights easy, burns dry and cool regardless of preparation method. Great with a cup of coffee. However, the topping begins to diminish after a tin has been open for a few days. This greatly changed the flavor in a negative way for me.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Group 4 (8)	2007-02-08		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I just bought a 2 ounce tin of Safe Harbor and during the first few minutes into the first bowl, I knew I was going to buy more. I've read other people's opinions on this blend and don't taste the molasses/vanilla sweetness that others mention. There is a slight sweet/sour component which hovers in the background, adding some complexity to what is basically a very round, gentle burley. Though it's advertised as a flake (and comes in a sliced cake) it breaks off into a irregular pebble cut. Some have commented that their tins were too wet to smoke right away. And while I'll agree there's a little more moisture in this one than many C&D blends, mine smoked beautifully without any drying out. Just make sure you don't pack the pipe too tightly, leave some air between layers. No bite and little alkalinity with this blend, so I can load up another pipe right away; but I find it pretty satisfying so rarely do. I give this 4 out of 4 stars. A solid winner.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Dottle (162)	2007-02-01		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

In short, this is a great burley! Previous reviewers have likened the subtle flavor from eggnog, vanilla, licorice, brown sugar to molasses. The flavoring is hard to pinpoint but I will agree with a molasses / brown sugar taste. I also tasted wisps of cocoa and chocolate. Regardless, the taste is why you perceive and if you perceive a taste you like, you will like this blend. The flavoring is not overpowering or overly sweet and it dissipated somewhat as I progressed down the bowl into a truer, cleaner, honest burley smoke.

The tobacco is very moist and comes wrapped in a ball of thin, white paper. To quickly get it in a more smokeable condition, I spread the tobacco out in a plastic mixing bowl and placed it directly under a hinged 75 watt lamp for 5 minutes + -.

This isn?t a true flake????yet. It is more of a broken flake for the time being. But as Craig Tarler mentioned in a recent ASP post, flakes are difficult to produce and blenders, unlike pipe smokers themselves, are loath to share their methods, secrets, tips and tricks with each other.

Quoting Craig, in part, from his post:

?SH has some rough cut burley and that's causing the flakes to break up. We will correct this. Please bear with us until we get the fix. FWIW, flake is extremely difficult to make and "Gimbels doesn't tell Macy's" when it comes to getting information.?

The old maxim says ?A high tide floats all boats? but I have no doubt that Safe Harbor Flake will ?float YOUR boat,? ????even at low tide! ?Harbor? some of this flake in your cellar! Good stuff! Hats off to Craig and, if he had any hand in it, hats off to Bob 'The Polish Tobacco Prince? Runowski as well!

A cigarette is to be smoked. A cigar is to be enjoyed. A pipe is to be savored.

I rate this blend 9.8 out of 10.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NEWMAN (305)	2007-01-21		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I was surprised again when I opened the tin based on the cut description in the header for this blend . I don't consider what I received a flake but rather a cube cut and don't know if the blend is offered in multiple types. As a flake, I'd probably rate it **. The rather moist tobacco is hand wrapped in a small bundle of white paper that makes packing difficult if done directly from the tin. However, overall an effortless smoke results. Smokes evenly, cool and dry without any hint of bite and with a mild, enjoyable, nutty flavor. If you enjoy burleys, give this one a try.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stan (179)	2006-12-09		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

This is a good all day smoke. I just scoup us some broken fibers and drop them in the bowl with a light tap.

It seems closer to the recently demised European version of Edgeworth Slices than does Wessex's (which is sweeter like the Richmond original, but still full sized flakes), but this is a broken to fully rubbed flake and on the lighter side than Edgeworth.

Neverthless, whether a dab of licorice or brown sugar passed over the flake, this is a little bit of extra fragrance added to accompany the white burley base. Pleasant, nutty, and light.

Mild as May aroma and taste. Cool and dry but don't puff too fast, as flavor is light and will be lost. Better than the protype previously offered by C&D which was grandular and burned too fast IMO.

Higly recommended for nostalgia and as an excellent all day smoke. Mild as May. I dig it but if you want fuller, try some estate Edgeworth or go to Wessex.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	rsteele (1)	2022-05-15		Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

After the topping burnt off it was terrible. Just nasty stuff. I’m not a burley fan, but this was over the top bad. Just terrible. I understand why it is no longer in production. I regret keeping 2 tins in my cellar for so long :(

Pipe Used: linkman de luxe 9726

Age When Smoked: 13 years

Purchased From: JR Cigars

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	King Weed (228)	2020-09-05		Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Too late for our 2018 NASPC show, I bought three tins of this blend from an Ebay seller (You know, back when we had the freedom to do that sort of thing) and put two of them on my 2019 table. A long term smoking buddy of mine came to the table to help, saw the tins, exclaimed "Oh, you've got these" and scarfed them immediately. This led me to believe that it was a descent blend and people liked it. Then, I read our reviews and all I can say is-wow! Its not often we, as a group, feel this negatively about a blend we have just tried. So, let's open this sucker. Now, I feel I should tell you that I have opened off-gassed tins before that were bulging, but nothing like this tin. With both the white plastic lid and the white background of the paper label yellowed with age, this thing was distended so strongly that it spun around on it's bottom like a top and the pull top was straining at the seam to pop. I have never, in my sixty tears of pipe smoking, seen a pull top so taut. Stupidly, I held it in my hands and pulled and-it exploded! It didn't go "pop", so much as, "pow". In reaction, the tin flew backwards out of my hands and the gas rush hit the bottom of my left index finger and left a red area like I had hit it on something. Now, how's that for an exotic tin opening? So, drama set aside, what do we have? Well, it used to be flakes; now about half rubbed out and damp enough to make me wonder just how wet was this tobacco when new? Very dark umber brown in color, there is very little that is even, somewhat, lighter. Then, there is the aroma. Strong after all these years and smelling like a winey apple spice cake that is well aged. I set a wad of this stuff aside to air out and checked every now and then until ready; about an hour and a half. Every time I checked on it the aroma was weaker until it arrived at a smokable state with an apple aroma. All winey and spicey aromas now gone, we have an apple flavored Burley; not an experience I was looking for. I lit up and discovered that the apple flavor did translate to the smoke in the upper third of the bowl. Then both the apple flavor and my enjoyment went south for the remainder of the smoke. I am in agreement with reviewer Doctor Thoss 2007-11-11 who noted an initial burst of flavor that went limp at the 1/3 point. After the first bowl, I lost any desire to smoke this blend straight out of the tin. I did try blending with it; to limited success. It dominates other tobaccos in mixtures and was not useful in increments > 25%. All in all, a weird experience that never actually offended or anything and I somewhat, hesitantly, recommend it at two stars. Two stars because you will never open another tin with this many sugar crystals in evidence. I removed flakes that were absolutely encrusted with them; to the point that it reminded me of fish scales. And, as if that weren't enough, the paper liner in the tin was festooned with white sugar crystals growing out perpendicularly from the side. If you can find a tin, you will be treated to all of this and more.

Pipe Used: Ashton ELX Pebble Grain 1/3 bent billiard

Age When Smoked: tinned 3/26/07

Purchased From: an Ebay seller

Similar Blends: A dirty, sweaty, smelly Edgeworth..

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-12-10		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

if you are looking for solid flakes for fold n stuff this may not be for you. the flakes in my tin were broke up into long strands. work great for rubbing out, not so much for fold n stuff.

smell reminded me of corn silage from when i was a kid, pleasant on the nose, earthy.

easy light and stayed lit. lots of smoke and a pleasure to smoke.

even with the broken up flakes i'll buy again

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-05-22		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Update: After smoking my 2 oz. can, I'm taking off one star due to the fact that after a couple of weeks, the flavor wore off and the tobacco became a little bitter. Also, the flakes fall apart and looks more like a broken flake mixture. After smoking Samual Gawith flakes and Orlik's Dark Strong KY, I have to rate these tobaccos higher. I know this is C&D's first try at flakes, but I think they need to work on their process a little more. I tried some of their new flakes at the Chicago Pipe Show and will review soom.

I smoked Edgeworth Slices over 30 years ago when it was made by the House of Edgworth. I also smoke the UK version of Edgeworth Slices. IMOP Safe Harbor Flake is as good if not better than Edgworth.

I had to re-read the past three reviews to make sure I had the same tobacco. My flakes, which were one month old, arrived with a nice moisture level. I opened the can for 45 min. before I smoked. The flakes burned cool, down to a dry ash with two lights.

This is an excellent burley with a light topping of what I think is molasses. This topping does not over power the tobacco flavor of this blend like a aromatic, but stays in the background. If you looking for a high end burley blend, this is it.

Highly Recommended

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-04-17		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I am a huge fan of C&D's virginia's and vapers enjoy the occasional virginia/burley mix. Safe Harbor Flake (SHF) is all burley and I rarely smoke all-burley blends; the closest is GLP's Barbary Coast. I was not taken by SHF, unfortunately, as the natural topping (I believe, rum) and the burley produced an odd taste in my mouth as I smoked. This is odd since I enjoy C&D's Blockage Runner and GLP's Haddos Delight. About mid-bowl, the flavor got harsh and non-descript and never recovered. The tobaccos are top quality and the flake, or at least, the crumble flake, presentation was wonderful. For me, a boring blend.

aj

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-03-31		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

Bob Runowski has created some of my all-time favorite blends, but this is not one of them. Even brought to proper humidification, I could find no combination of pipe and pack that alleviated the harsh and nippy nature of SHF. It also has a non-descript, medicinal taste despite the truly wonderful tin and room aromas.

I think I'll be in the significant minority not appreciative of this effort (there is no blender that has not struck out in terms of pleasing me with at least one of their blends). However, it is not a wimpy blend if that is what you seek, because you will get a moderate nicotine jolt with SFH.

Two stars for the wonderful aroma and easy crumble cake cut.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-03-30		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

First off, I have to echo another reviewer ... the moment I lit up I knew I was going to enjoy more of this tobacco. That being said one must have to consider this tobacco like a very young Cabernet with great flavor that will only get better. This Burley seems to me to be a wonderfully aged Burley in a brand-new recipe. That being said it could use a little settling down.

My tin was much the same as some of the reviewers that were not impressed, except my approach was a little different. This was very moist - anyone lighting this up with no drying time or even a little drying time was going to find that SHF would be the equivalent of a putting a steam nozzle in one's mouth. My option was to let it air dry a bit in my dedicated wooden bowl, and then sip it as a temperamental VA but pack it lightly. Like many ... I was going to smoke this without further postponement - ready or not. As I suspected, on subsequent occasions (many), SHF has gone beyond expectations.

This is a mildish - medium kind of blend ... but there is a velvet hammer in the pouch. It actually moves to the medium category by mid-bowl in both flavor and strength. I suspect ... that this journey will be even shorter with some aging and some open tin time (typically about one month before smoking - opened then sealed with the plastic top after about an hour). However, I have been unable to accomplish this because I am a hog.

I'm buying more today so I can report back with the findings. My rotation has a lot of Rattray's blends because I find them very appealing in the Oriental blending and their Red VA's. However, C&D rules the world in Burleys and among ALL tobaccos I have smoked, this is one of the most magnificent, ever.

The flavoring is extremely mild and seems to have more to do with tying things together. Compared to University Flake - this flavoring is non-existent, however the Burley flavor is by far the best. It's tame - not harsh. Despite the moisture (it was so moist the flakes fell apart when I removed the paper) I couldn't stop smoking it. Mildly nutty, sweet and I dare say ... not boring at all.

I'm glad that I have developed a taste for straight Burley and Burley blends or I would have missed out on this.

This would have received 4 stars, but to be fair to my Piping Brothers - there is a lot of aging and drying (well more than expected) and it seems as though while the blend was impeccably created - it was rushed out the door ... I attribute the scattered poor reviews to similar observations. It can be quite frustrating if you're not in love.

Cheers, VC

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2006-12-28		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a classic American Burley Blend! What else can be said? A no -nonsense, straight forward, simple Burley blend. If you like The C&D cube cut burley blends, this will be a nice change of pace, while still remaining in the same vein. Cool smoking with a Vanilla/ Nut flavoring gently applied - a real Winner. !

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2006-12-09		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is my favorite of the Harbor collection. Bob Runowski and Craig Tarler have faithfully resurected a flavor from the past and made its current incarnation obsolete. Tried this both as a broken flake and flake form. The flake form was more enjoyable, if for nothing else, the flavors blended together more succesfully. From start to finish a wonderfull burley flake with the spice that was so characteristic of a once proud blend. Amazing what those two gentlemen can do when they get together with some quality leaf. Whats an Edge worth? Not as much as a Safe Harbor....

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