Cornell & Diehl Red Carpet

This tobacco was a sample tin at my local tobacco shop, thus I can not attest to the moisture level of a new tin. What I sampled was of perfect moisture level. I prefer a VaPer blend to be a bit drier so that it will not require as much drawing, thus less bite. I noticed a bit of sweetness in the tin, but none in the smoke. I upon match was a bit concerned that the Oriental addition was a bit too much, but the earthiness subdued after a few puffs. The VA tobacco was more tangy than sweet, and the Perique was more hit and miss than a constant. The blend seemed well balanced and rather refined, but it did leave me wondering what a bit more Perique would do. The bottom of the bowl was a bit more like the top with the Izmir letting its self be known. I would try this blend again but think that a bit of cellaring might make a good blend an excellent one.

If you read the updated description and the newer tins there is no Izmir and THERE NEVER WAS. M'kay?

I got this because I wanted a red Va with perique that would keep me from popping my 4 remaining tins of Carolina red flake with perique so that they can age.

This is a very worthy replacement/alternative to that. It's red Va and perique, stewed fruit a bit vinegary and all that. Nice spicy perique hit on the retrohale... Oh so nice.

I can see buying a lot of this in the future, so I am glad that it is a regular production blend. Should age nicely too if that's your thing.

Wish it came in 8 or 16 oz tins.

Back again after another hiatus. Not going to be in buying and trying as much I was before, but more of a stashing back my favorites for aging. This is one I've wanted to try for a while.

Judging from the tin note, I was almost certain this was going to be similar to C&D Interlude since they both have that same red va aroma that reminds me of tomato sauce / stewed fruit but it's totally different.

My tin is only 2 months old but tastes like it's 10 years old. Flavors are very smooth and mature sugary bread notes with a dark tone to it. Also has a powdery quality throughout the bowl. The perique isn't very noticeable but helps add the aged quality to the blend and with the deepness of the flavors. Burns cool with no bite.

To compare this blend with anything, it would be Dunhill dark flake and Robert McConnell black flake. Though I prefer black flake over dark flake, Red Carpet is a very nice substitute for both.

This should be a 3 star blend. It gets one star for two major and glaring reasons. MOLD! I thought I had seen some in a bulk purchase of bayou morning that I made several months back. I figured that I must be an idiot,I must be wrong, and because the white mold was limited, I kind of forgave and forgot. After smoking this, I am more convinced that the bayou morning I had purchased was indeed contaminated. These broken flakes (they cannot be called true flakes as I could not identify one full flake throughout the entire tin) are a bit wet by c&d standards, though almost immediately smokable. The other massive problem that plagued this tin were the massive and commonly encountered stems. I would bet that by weight, the stem portion would take up between five and 10% of the total dry weight. I am not exaggerating. Putting the above evidence all together would suggest that quality control measures have suffered significantly. Being that C&D has had previous troubles with mold that have been well publicized going back to 2016, it is somewhat frightening to see that this is still happening. This is really a sad state of affairs. I cannot think of any other tobacco manufacturer that has regularly had these problems.

The smoke itself wasn’t bad. Upon opening the tin there is a sweet fruity and sour fermented aroma. There were very few sugar crystals noted on my young sample. Right up front, there is some rich dark fruit leather. The red VA is sour and tangy. There is some nice pepper on the retrohale in the second half. The last third is all about earthy autumn leaf matter. If I was blinded to the above problems, and all stems were picked out prior to my smoking, this would be a three star blend. I would warn all fellow pipe smokers to look out for tins dated august 2020.

The tin I received came with a broken flake cut with some slightly more whole chunks forming some half flake. The smell is slightly sweet vinegar. The humidity is very correct to immediately load the pipe directly from the tin, although there will be those who prefer a little drying time. Once the pipe is lit, a rich, smooth va / per appears, which performs very well in the pipe, with a flavor profile a notch darker than the average of most va / per, with some subtle notes of wine. Fruity, sometimes sweet, other times sour and even a touch salty. It generates good amounts of smoke, providing a relaxed and pleasant smoke.

I think it could be a perfect tobacco for starters, due to its blend of smoothness, good taste and friendliness to the mouth, as it doesn't bite the tongue at all. The only thing that could oppose this recommendation for beginners is that it should be smoked at a slow pace so that the flavor is not lost.

I was very excited about this blend but was a little disappointed. I was hoping for something a little more along the lines of Sunday Picnic but found that this blend (as other reviews have said) leans far more toward the red virginia, with a spattering of perique and Izmir. No doubt with some drying it was a good quality tobacco, but just a little rough around the edges for a perique blend in my opinion. Might try adding some blending perique to this blend to see if it smooths out.

A fair VaPer. The VA tobacco was more tangy than sweet, and the Perique flavour was not sufficiently apparent in the smoke. The Izmir, other than the very first bowl, was never detected at all. This 2oz can, over two years in my cellar alone, was dry when opened and required very little (if any) additional time on the side board. Rather unflavorful when compared to many other Virginias and VaPers...and begs the question if the Oriental condiment waned too much over time. Somewhat recommended, but would not order again.

A companion infusion: Jasmine Tea.

I see it as a sweet virginia blend. Not tongue biting, but still a bit tickling into the mouth. Perique and Izmir look contribute to taste, but the blend does not get spicy, just sweet and quite pleasant.

I'm halfway through my first tin of Red Carpet. It's from the first tinning; I bought it at the Chicago Show in '07. With a solid year and a half of age, I believe I'm getting a sense of this blend. The flakes are primarily dark brown with some bright leaf and a red hue. The flakes are first-class. C&D has come a long way in their flake production. The flakes came just a tad on the moist side, but dried very quickly.

The burn is outstanding, with flavors leaning toward the sweeter side, but with something extra I'm attributing to the Izmir. The perique must be in short supply. I get a tingly feeling on my tongue and the back of my throat that I haven't experienced before. Is it the Izmir? I am a Va/perique fan, and I thought I'd tasted every possible variation, but this one's different folks. Definitely worth a try.

Update: 6/4/10 After finishing this tin of Red Carpet I have to upgrade my recommendation. I have enjoyed this blend more with every bowl I've smoked. It's absolutely delicious and has outstanding smoking qualities. Too bad I only have one more tin in my cellar; I should have bought more back in '07. I'll stock up as soon as I can afford to.