Cornell & Diehl Sunday Picnic

Can't go wrong with this one, dry it out for a few hours or overnight, rub it out, pack and enjoy. Excellent!

Sunday Picnic is sweet, tangy and has one heck of a nicotine hit. I went through the tin in just a couple days but I couldn't shake the strength. So strong, in fact, it takes away from some of the enjoyment. This may not really matter to many, but to me it would be even better if it was two clicks lighter in strength. Oh well, solid anyway. Maybe age will do it some justice. I currently have another six year old tin waiting for the right moment.

Update: Finished the old tin of this. Recommend.

3 year old tin. First opening the tin it smells heavily of fig, but it settles with airing out and drying into a very nice sweet tobacco smell similar to dried apricot. I do not think that these are added - this is natural tobacco and the changing aromas over time confirm that for me.

Very fluffy, moist flakes that need little rubbing out - they fluff out on their own, but need lots of drying.

Nice natural golden VA sweetness through the first 3/4 bowl with occasional hints of Perique. At the end of the bowl, a mellow Perique spiciness comes in with less sweet nuttiness. Didn't really notice the Izmir, although it probably blends in nicely and adds backbone to the high VA sweetness and earthy-spicy Perique.

Nicotine is not too strong here, just right for most times of day. This is one of my favorites and the quality leaf and blending is evident.

Sunday Picnic was an instant classic for me, becoming one of my all-time favorite blends! This is one of the most delicious & enjoyable tobaccos you'll ever find. Burns cool & even with a wonderfully mellow VA/Turkish sweetness. I can't get enough of this blend. Strangely, I find myself returning to this every Sunday afternoon... 🙂

Vaper lovers look no further.

I was told more than once, as I absolutely love Exhausted Rooster, that I would love Sunday Picnic as well. I must admit that it surprised me a bit at first, considering that Exhausted Rooster is a VA - BU - DFK and Sunday Picnic, a VA - OR - PER... How could people compare these two totally different tobaccos? And assure me that I would love Sunday Picnic as well??? Anyway, after reflecting on these comments for a while, I finally decided to order a couple 2 oz tins of it so I could find out for myself. When I opened the tin last night, its aroma - oddly - somehow reminded me of ER, but in a much less pungent way. There was also faint raisin and hay undernotes. The colour of the flakes, though, is different. As where ER has medium brown with some darker leaf, SP displays a range from golden brown to very dark brown. SP is similar to ER in that, once the flakes are partially rubbed out, it smokes as slowly as ER. But SP has a very different taste than ER, there is no possible comparison between the two. SP reveals a combination of grassy/hay notes from the Golden VA, that becomes slightly sweet past half bowl; a spicy touch from the Izmir that remains throughout the bowl; and the peppery characteristic of the fermented PER that started showing up after the first quarter of the bowl. The Vitamine N dose, I must say, is more than satisfactory, making SP a very satisfying smoke. Don't puff too hard though, because it will then bite because of the fair proportion of Golden VA. I believe that, with a bit of aging, this flake will become very interesting in 2 or 3 years from now. So, you must be asking yourselves, does he love it, or not? Yes, I do! Not as much as ER, but the addition of some Izmir brings a new dimension to the classic mixture of VA with PER. 😉

Great Cornell and Diehl product. I have to describe this tobacco in stages because it changed so quickly. Upon first opening the tin, I found moist golden brown to dark brown flakes. The tin smelled of rich tobacco. The smoke was straight forward single note tobacco taste, but pleasant and rich with a short finish. The room note reminded me of the Camel cigarettes my father smokes, except not as stale but tolerable. Sounds bad, I know. That was the Turkish blend dominating.

After just a few weeks the tin note smelled more of figs and a subtle smell of prunes. I would open the tin at times just to inhale the aroma. As a I smoked this 2 week old tin it had become more complex with a longer finish. Virginia tobaccos were in the forefront, the Turkish blended into the back for the finish with a touch of pepper from the Perique. It tasted of fruit, maybe fig or prunes and a subtle sweetness that wasn't there before.

A month later, It had changed again. I know, just a month. I couldn't place the tin aroma but then it struck me. It smelled like bread with a hint of dried fig. The smoke was now even more complex, smoother than before, and rich with flavors of leather, dried grass, wood, mild pepper, and a mildly sweet grassy long finish. Room note had not changed. If you like Va's this is worth a try.

This is a spicy and robust VaPer rounded in a brilliant way by the Oriental leaf. A genius blend.

Sunday Picnic is one of the tastiest VA/Per & Oriental infused tobaccos I've ever tried. The combination of tobaccos meld together very well after the first 1/3 burns off to deliver one of the tastiest smokes of this genre. The apportionment of the various types of tobaccos seem to be just right to create a remarkable, well rounded flavor. If Yenidje, rather than Izmir leaf were used, it would taste similar to McClelland's Tudor Castle... another extremely tasty oriental blend that is "Gone With The Wind." Well, "That's The Way Love Goes."

It doesn't get much better than this & the oriental adds an extra dimension that creates a unique, well rounded flavor that will leave most pipers craving for more. This mixture smokes cool & won't bite. Although not overly abundant, there is enough Lady N in this mix to add plenty of extra pleasure to an after picnic dinner. Needless to say, C & D are "crafty" blenders. Many fine blends circulating & this Simply Elegant series is aptly named. This stuff will keep calling you back for more... especially if you're not too nitpicky & enjoy "picnicking," especially with a pretty young lady who knows how to "cook."

Craig Tarler responded to an email I sent him shortly after this blend hit the market & thanked me for complimenting C & D on this Sunday Picnic blend & appreciated that I left a good review. I smoked both of my tins in less than a week and went back for more. I still love it to this day. I think it's a great value... less than thirty dollars for an 8 oz. tin. That was then, twenty-ten... that's how long that it's been & now, being almost 2019 is to quote the frog, "Time's fun when you're having flies." I think I became more addicted to the flavor than the tobacco itself. Try it! You'll like it. I couldn't possibly comprehend why a piper wouldn't like it.

This is a winning blend from C&D. Upon popping the tin, I got a subtle grassy VA aroma. The flakes are somewhat broken so I folded a few and started my charring light. I had to relight a few times so I decided to rub the flakes out for subsequent smokes and that worked very well. The taste is sweet and savory on the palate with no hint of tongue bite or any bitterness. Give Sunday Picnic a go if you are searching for a world class VA/PER with well balanced Izmir Turkish as a condiment.