Cornell & Diehl Sunset Harbor Flake

Sunset Harbor Flake feels like a very soft crumble cake that falls apart in my hands and makes every method to fill your pipe obsolete. Using the advanced “just put it in there somehow and light it up” method I get an immediately gentle and extraordinary smooth smoke. It has a slight but deep sweetness reminding me of Tonka, Cardamom and maybe Cinnamon. There is also a satisfying mellow spiciness, that’s never upfront or aggressive. I find remarkable, that the aftertaste is pretty intense only when smoked right out of a fresh tin and becomes barely noticeable when aged a few months.

A soothing experience that feels like a warm blanket when you sit out on your porch and the sun goes down on late summer evenings (I should stop looking at the tin while I write…). Enjoy!

A Balkan broken flake, with a varietal, Izmir.

Cool, dark and having all the savory properties of a decent Balkan or good full English.

Somewhat comparable by me to Penzance but not as intense.

Not much more to say, other than I like it. Let's see what others add.

I have become a bit leery of Englishes. I have a pretty low threshold for latakia. But I recognize a good blend when I smoke one. I first tried this as a broken flake, and later as a normal flake. They smoked about the same. this will undoubtably change with ageing. My suggestion is buy 2. Open one and hold off 6 months on #2. Start up light does bring the latakia to the front as expected. But rather than being overpowering, it as a nice exotic backbeat from the izmir. Once cruising speed is reached, the perique adds some different spice, while the latakia calms a bit....Strength increases a bit toward the end, but not unpleasant. Overall this is a nice english flake. The overall effect is a plus. Nice estetic tin, Great presentation, Flavor is perfect for after dinner or a stroll in the cooling winter air.

Sunset Harbor Flake is a distinct full English. It is a Latakia and perique bomb with a cedar smokiness and a spicy maduro like quality. There is just enough Izmir leaf to bring some kind of balance. Overall, it reminds me of a flake form of C&D Byzantium.

*This review is based on a small sample and limited life experience.

these flake are crumbling realy easily and are easy to pack and smoke. i found it not relly evolutive from start to finish but it's not a bad thing. It taste alot like chocolate to me and i like the little spiciness. It leave a good after taste in the mouth like a floral nutty taste if i can say.

I've opened a tin from more than one year old and smoked a pipe of this. Not so heavy in latakia in my opinion. A very good and sweet taste coming from the latakia and oriental spiced with perique. Not a latakia boost like Pirate Kake but the latakia is clearly there. Broke up the flake almost completely, very slow burning, one lightning.

This has come highly recommended from folks in the Bones Pipe Club.

My tin has a 032819 date on it, so just over a month of age. Tinnote is fruity/spicy. The flakes crumble apart, haven't seen anything quite like that. Easy to load and light.

Taste starts out smoky from the latakia. There is def some fruit taste from the Perique and some "spice" from the Turkish. It is a real consistent smoke as I didn't notice much difference from beginning to end. Nicotine was stronger than I expected but not overpowering.

I can see why this one is so popular.

Tin note of tangy fruit, smoky, and mild spice. Tobacco flakes rub out super easily. The dark brown flakes need no drying. Burns slow with a few extra relights. The strength is medium and nic is mild to medium. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium to full and consistent, with notes of smoky, raisin spice note, lemon zest, musty sour wood, dry earth, floral, mild tart plums, mild sweet grass, mild bitter herbs and a moderately peppery retro. Latakia and Izmir are tag teaming the lead, with perique providing support. Room note is tolerable to strong, and aftertaste is great.

Appearance: 2 oz tin, production date May 19, 2010. 13 years is a long time for a Balkan blend, so I suspect the latakia has weathered a bit. The blend has dried slightly and over the course of storage has turned into a broken flake, almost entirely the color of a medium roast coffee, in which it is almost impossible to distinguish visually the individual ingredients. The tobacco is very easy to prepare by simply kneading the particularly large flake pieces a bit. It's light, lush, a little dry, and generally ready for immediate consumption.

Flavor: A smoky, slightly woody, cheesy acidity blend of latakia and oriental is the first thing you smell. The latakia notes are very mild, smoky rather than peaty. Smoked cheese on an oak board comes to mind. A little later, as the aroma begins to pick up new notes, spicy cardamom and allspice open up. Very light notes of raisins and prunes make it clear that the perique has been used only as a spice in this mixture. After lying in the air, mixed with woody and spicy flavors, the initial excessive acidity turns into something that looks like a slice of green apple. Other than that, the sweetish notes in the flavor are generally absent.

Taste: creamy-spicy, slightly sweet, with a mild hint of meat juice, nuances derived from a mixture of latakia and oriental, somewhat dominate the palate. For the second roles there is a slight spice of perique, quite noticeable only at the beginning of smoking. The overall bouquet is bright enough, but smooth. Towards the middle of the pipe, the taste gains a little more woody notes, and the smokiness of the latakia goes into the background. The tobacco becomes a mild-sweet and spicy blend and stays that way until the end, which I find somewhat atypical given the lack of Virginia in the lineup. The woody notes are more pronounced in straight pipes than in bents. The strength of the tobacco is somewhat above average, a slight nicotine kick is possible even in a medium sized pipe. The tobacco burns slowly, evenly, very cool, does not bite, leaves some moisture in the pipe. The aftertaste is not persistent, woody and spicy.

The smoke from the tobacco has a spicy smell with a hint of smoldering wood. It is persistent enough in the room, but quite bearable.

Conclusion: A rare old-school blend among Balkan blends that doesn't contain Virginia. Its absence may scare off those who are afraid of large amounts of latakia, but in this blend it is very mild, and nicely flavored with izmir. The amount of perique is insignficient, and almost doesn't affect the overall flavor and taste picture. I believe the taste will be more vivid when fresh, but the old tobacco was very good, although I would not call it an everyday tobacco. It's a tobacco for the mood. A glass of rum would be a very good accompaniment to it.