Cornell & Diehl Sunday Picnic

I was thinking the would just be another VA flake blend. I am not a big fan of OGS or Dunhill flake. But this flake proved me wrong. It has a lot of good flavor and the perique really shines. Excellent blend.

Opening the tin released a symphony of rich, clean, delicious scents. I didn't expect to love this one as much as C&D's Opening Night, but I think I like it more! There is a cavalcade of flavor waiting in every bowl, especially if smoked slowly. There wasn't any bite at all. I rubbed it out and it lit and stayed lit. I folded it and it was almost as easy to light and keep lit. Moisture was perfect right out of the tin. The perfect tobacco, in my opinion, is one that can be smoked all day without overloading the palate and without bite. I have smoked this blend in an array of Peterson system pipes. At first I tried small bowls, then I discovered that this blend is delicious in a larger bowl too, without being overwhelming. Sunday Picnic is on my short list of perfect tobacco. I just placed an order for a bunch of this stuff. Outstanding!

February 12, 2016 Update: I am going through some of my past reviews just to see if further experience with smoking each blend over time. Several pounds later this is still an amazing blend. It has everything I want and nothing I don't.

I am smoking through a large sample of this using a GBD Prehistoric Pot. This is good, and I am enjoying it. It tastes like mild Turkish base with Virginia to fill it out. The perique is a applied with a light hand, and it does not contribute much to the signature. There is no doubt this is made with quality tobaccos, but it does not punch my buttons. I don't detect any topping at all. I may warm up to it, and sometimes a blend of this sort benefits from a dedicated pipe. I could smoke this every day, but I am not likely to buy a tin.

My idea of a Sunday Picnic is sweet pickles, carrot sticks, cucumber salad, potato salad, cold fried chicken, a nice bottle of sparkling white wine (not too sweet), a piece of pie to top things off, and my sweetheart to share it all with.

This blend did not deliver all of these particular flavors BUT it does consistently deliver a very elegant treat to the palate across the spectrum of sweet (matured VA) and spicy, all WONDERFULLY balanced and delicious from the top of the bowl to the bottom. Rub out gently, pack inverted and let rest for a few hours (the day before is best) before firing up.

This is a prince of a blend and deserving of all the stars possible. Keep some on hand. Highly recommended.

I really wanted to experience what others have said about this tobacco, but I can't. Maybe it's chemistry, maybe it's technique, but this just burns so hot and spicy that I can't enjoy this tobacco. My story started about 6 months ago when I purchased my first tin and had a few bowls, these were hot. I resealed the tin ( tip: try a hot glue gun to seal your tins) . After 6 months, I just tried a few more bowls from a cob after allowing 2 hours of drying, still spicy hot. I couldn't sip this any slower, ended up at a 1 1/2 hour pipe of "Tobassco". I've enjoyed many Vapers and have not had trouble with Perique before so I suspect the "Izmir". Has anyone else experienced this?( maybe reviewers "Katharsis", "Jason" below)? I can't give this a high review,although it looks like quality tobacco, sorry

Updated 6/8/12- This tin now has almost two years on it and it has smoothed out and is very flavorful. It still has some spice ( Izmir ?) with the first half of the bowl and I feel it smokes better fully dried , but I will move this to 3 stars.

The tin aroma on this one is brilliant and balanced. Tangy new mown hay, sweet overripe figs, warm raisins in buttered oatmeal, moderate Perique presence, spicy, pancake batter, malt extract, dried lemon zest, cocoa powder. All balanced as perfectly as the one-legged winner of an ass kicking contest. I would love to be in the blending room at C&D when this stuff is being made.

I light this stuff up and it blows me away. The Golden Virginia is sweet and tangy, lemon grass and hot cereal. With just enough Perique, and the Turkish tobacco's sweet, salt-air flavor, It's different, it's delicious. Complex and just darn tasty.

Definitely one of my new favorites. If I could give it 5-Stars I would.

I normally like to wait a while before reviewing a blend but this one jumped out at me as having all the things I like about a tobacco. Sunday Picnic is a quality, flake tobacco that has that C&D "spongy" feel to it. It needs a tad drying out before packing, then lights easily and produces plenty of quality smoking pleasure. It reminds me of Dunhill's Early Morning - but better (less harsh). Previous reviewers do a better job than I at describing the taste, but the components listed in the tin description are exactly what you'll experience when you try this blend. I have a feeling this is going to be a big seller and hopefully be around a long time for us to enjoy.

When I popped the lid on my tin of Sunday Picnic I found that the flakes had already broken into 3/16 to 1/4 inch strands and these were still a bit moist. I found it smoked best when I let a loaded pipe sit out in the air for 45 minutes or so.

As I normally smoke C&D Bayou Morning as a first smoke of the day I was expecting a VaPer experience - classic Va and Perique with some Turkish notes. What I got at first light was a blend in which all three components seemed in equally weighed roles. I did not expect that as that is what I assessed sibling blend Red Carpet to be a VAPer with the Izmir in condiment quantity.

If a pipe blend could be considered food, Sunday Picnic would be gourmet fare. It is aptly named as both elegant and worthy of leisurely Sunday afternoon enjoyment. While Red Carpet with its Red VAs is sweet, Sunday Picnic with its Golden VAs is a robust VAPer with the initial taste reminding me of blend containing a Thracian rather than something from Smyrna. But what do I know? I got a taste of well-cured Kalamata olives (which I love).

This is a wonderful offering obviously blended by someone who loves his art. I can only handle this a once or twice a week however. Not that it is bad, it is great. But it for me at least requires the respect of full attention and unrushed enjoyment. I will be buying more if that helps this stumbling review.

When I reach for a tobacco that has no latakia this is the one. The golden VA's along with the perique, and izmer turkish oriental provides a truly wonderful experience. I love how this stuff smells in the tin. I love even more how it was when I lit it up. It truly is a tobacco that I reserve for my weekend Sunday laid back kind of time. I smoke it on a regular basis when I want a break from my blends that have latakia. Although I absolutely love latakia blends there are many times I desire to smoke a blend without it. For me this is it. As the picture on the tin shows--I HIGHLY recommend a pipe, and a tin of "Sunday Picnic" with your butt parked under a shade tree on a Sunday afternoon to enjoy a little relaxation. Take short easy puffs on your pipe with this stuff, and you will appreciate a mild tobacco that when lit up, and smoked slowly will allow you the pleasure of picking it apart as you smoke it. This is another tobacco that I keep at the top of my list of must smoke tobaccos.