Tobaccos Cornell & Diehl - Opening Night (Simply Elegant Series)

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3046)	2014-04-17		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The earthy, woody red Virginia is mildly tangy dark fruit sweet with a few bread notes, and takes a light lead. The lemon Virginia provides a little tart and tangy citrus, a few blades of grass and very light spice and floralness as a supporting player. The strength and taste levels are medium. The nic-hit is just past the center of mild to medium. The flakes easily break apart, and burns clean at a reasonable pace with a cool evenness and a very consistent rich, deep flavor from top to bottom. Leaves almost no moisture at the finish. Requires an average number of relights. No chance of bite or harshness, though I would say this is only moderately smooth. Has a pleasant, lightly lingering after taste, and the room note is tad stronger. One of the better starter Virginia blends on the market, it will also appeal to experienced smokers. It's designed to please straight Virginia smokers whether they like a mild or a strong smoke. Can be an all day smoke.

-JimInks

73 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2010-03-02		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

Old Pipestud is singing with the choir on Opening Night. Truly an outstanding Virginia with an atypical sweet note that I found to be tantalizing!

This one, like most C&D blends, burns cool and dry right down to the last puff. It has been calmed by the blender and absolutely will not bite. Thumbs up all the way around - just one heck of a fine Virginia with enough strength to please the vets and cross the eyes of the newbies.

61 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-09-14		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Part of what determine's a blends greatness for me is how quickly I finish a tin. I finished this one in record time, and ordered several more.

This may become my new reference blend in the straight virginia genre. Yes, it may just unseat FVF, Blackwoods Flake and a few other well-known favorites. And this appears to be somewhat of an unknown! How does such a thing happen???

This is an excellent smoke - sweet but not too sweet, spicy but not too spicy, and complex as any straight VA out there. Nice broken flake of dark brown goodness with a tin aroma that made me salivate. As do most excellent VA's, this improved as the bowl progressed and was a medium-bodied but rich and mouth-filling smoke. It was also easy to smoke - no tongue bite or other aberrations such as an overabundance of moisture. It smoked very cleanly and down to a fine gray ash. Can't wait to crack my next tin! If you enjoy straight virginia blends that provide the sweetness of lemon VA along with the richness and coolness of red VA, this is definitely one you should try.

57 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2016-07-26		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is just right in nearly every category. Sweet, sour, fruit, citrus, spice, tang, grass, body, nicotine....you name it, it's just right. A "Goldilocks" flake if there ever was one. An outstanding smoke. If I had to nit-pick anything it would be that it gets just a little too sour for my taste toward the end of the bowl. I have to really nit-pick to say that though. I can live with that. This is an easy 4 star flake. Lovely stuff.

Medium all around. Burns very well. Not even a hint of a bite.

Pipe Used: MM Little Devil Cutty, Little Devil Acorn

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

18 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2080)	2018-07-05		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Cornell & Diehl - Opening Night (Simply Elegant Series).

A flake which has been loosened enough to enable easy filling. It isn't a case of having to remove a flake and give it a vigorous rub, a bowl's worth can be simply 'pinched' from the tin. The blend's medium brown in colour and of a good hydration.

The smoke? At first it could be mistaken as just another Virginia, but as a bowl burns the flavours 'chop and change' a little. Throughout a pipe the tart red Virginia leads, but as well as this there's a toastiness, some hay, and a little sharpness. If I'm honest I don't find this as sweet as some other Virginias, there's a gentle sweetness, but it doesn't 'lead'. It interacts with the other flavours creating a more complex Virginia smoke. It burns superb, mid temperature, clean, without needing much maintenance. Bite? None.

Nicotine: a healthy amount for a Va. Room-note: pleasant.

Opening Night? An easy four stars:

Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Caminetto

Age When Smoked: 9 months

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

17 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kraft1994 (54)	2014-02-05		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

What a full virginia blend should be. Sweet, Spicy and full of flavor. The tin note has a bit of that virginia ketchup smell but thankfully that dosn't come through in the smoke. The tobacco comes in nice loose flakes that are easy to rub out into a ribbon cut. Easy packing, easy lighting, slow burning and smooth smooth smokin. Opening Night makes for a great luxurious evening smoke. Flavors coming through in the smoke are predominantly sweet Virginia with a background note of wonderful spice to keep things interesting. As for room note it makes the room smell like a classy old fashioned smoking lounge. Thats the only way I can put the room note. It just smells classy. Still a tossup between Opening Night an Dunhills Royal Yacht as to which is my favorite straight virginia blend. However when you factor in price Cornell & Diehl always has an edge. As for a daily virginia smoke I think Opening Night is a winner. Fantastic, Classic Virginia blend. It amazes me how C&D can have so many fantastic blends like this that go relatively unnoticed.

Pipe Used: Micheal Thomas Featherweight

Similar Blends: Samuel Gawith - Full Virginia Flake, Dunhill - Royal Yacht.

16 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SmokeDawg (82)	2014-03-02		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Opening Night is offered at my local Tobacconist and based on the steady good reviews thought I would give this straight VA a go. It is my first Cornell & Diehl.

Great VA sweet smell from the tin with the right moisture, though I let it dry an hour before the light.

Wow! I was surprised by the complexity of this simple blend. There is a steady spicy note caused by the red VA balancing perfectly with the sweetness of the bright Va. When I mean sweet I mean the end of my pipe tasted super sweet like sugar water. I thought my mind was playing tricks on me. That's a first. I didn't expect the spice and it reminded me of Perique. I actually sat my pipe down and ran to look up the ingredients again.. Okay.. what am I smoking again?? I was shocked when this was a straight VA blend.

The smoke was thick and the ash was soft like velvet and burned down clean. All evidence of a fine high-quality-no-joke tobacco.

The rich flavor stays to the end and I love the warm spice and rotating sweetness. I must say be mindful of the nic kick. While puffing away trying to disceren this blend I was caught with a Tyson hook to the jaw. I awoke about an hour later in my bed with a cool fan blowing in my face. It made me quite nauseous. Now that's a VA blend by God!! Smooth, spicy, sweet, Med flavor.

Recommended for a good quality VA only smoke. Looking for a straight VA blend with some med flavor and some complexity? Give this a shot, but watch the left hook.

Update: 4/7/14 This tin has turned into my go to blend and its disappearing faster than any pipe tobacco I have ever bought. The blend has mellowed since opening and it went from spicy to a warm tasty red. I can handle the nic pretty well and even crave it. A very tasty blend. I will be buying more and in larger quantities.

Pipe Used: Bertram Prince

Age When Smoked: 3-28-13

Purchased From: JR Cigars

13 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-05-25		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

A great virginia. Full flavor, spicy, no bite. I have tried about 50 virginias, but this one is by far the best. Opening Night and Penzance, my two desert island tobaccos.

13 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	nkulk8r (90)	2019-05-11		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

I don't know why some reviewers proclaim it is essential to smoke an entire tin (or 3) in order to properly evaluate a tobacco. One bowl of Opening Night is all I needed to recognize an outstanding straight Virginia that is indeed Simply Elegant.

A tobacco of this caliber always makes me wonder how it would have been received by Union or Confederate troops had someone wandered into their field camp with a few pounds of the stuff. In other words, would (what I consider to be) a simply outstanding straight Virginia blend of the 21st century be considered the same by a seasoned piper of the mid-late 19th century(?) Opening Night has earned its place on the top shelf of my cellar (literally) right up there next to my McClelland Virginias.

UPDATE: June 4, 2019

I just discovered clay pipes, and what a difference they make -- all the difference in the world when it comes to straight Virginias. Smoking Opening Night out of a clay is like tasting the tobacco for the very first time. THIS is how Virginia's are to be enjoyed, in a clay pipe. All you get is the true taste of the tobacco, and nothing more. Cool, very dry smoke (no moisture at all). Started smoking pipes back in 2013, and have just now discovered I've been doing it all wrong when it comes to straight VAs.

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TXBulldog (74)	2015-11-28		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

It is Opening Night and the orchestra has been seated. This blend of virginias is a masterful combination for this genre. The Virginia provides the hue of natural sweetness without disrobing its earthiness and serves as the overture and is up to scale. There's a little pepper as accompaniment in the background that let's you know it's there. If you are looking to see what a straight up virginia is like out of a nice flake, this is a great show to see. Its consistency throughout is like a timely refrain from beginning to end letting you know there's a master conductor behind this one. So far, my favorite virginia. Has a little punch if you get jumping on it too hard and fast, keep it slow and savor this one. Enjoy the show! It's Simply Elegant and a fine one at that.

Pipe Used: Austrian Briar

Age When Smoked: 3-6 mos

Purchased From: P&C

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Grovesy (32)	2019-08-04		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I am not impressed with most of C&D's offerings. However, Opening Night was love at first puff. As a fan of C&D's Carolina Red flake and most other red Virginia blends in general, I began a journey of finding a readily available red Virginia flake that had a bit of that Mcclelland tang, and that deep red Virginia flavor. On a whim, I ordered a 2oz tin of Opening Night on a recent order. Upon opening the tin, the note was very similar to Carolina Red Flake, with a tangy, almost piney, IPA scent. In the smoke, Opening Night had both that tang and rich full flavor that only good red virginias can provide. The first half of the bowl is rich, full, and flavorful, while the last half of the bowl is candy sweet nirvana. I believe this to be the best tobacco C&D produces, and would also go as far to say that Opening Night rivals SG Full Virginia Flake and is vaguely reminiscent of the old Mcclelland's No. 27 matured virginia. I can only imagine that this flake will age beautifully and only get better with time. The tin I ripped through was only 6 months old and was already spectacular.

Pipe Used: A favorite in a Castello shape #31

Age When Smoked: 6 months

Similar Blends: Samuel Gawith - Full Virginia Flake, Cornell & Diehl - Carolina Red Flake (Small Batch), McClelland - No. 27 (Matured Virginias).

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Country Piper (12)	2014-05-12		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

This is a fine Virginia. It is very easy to smoke. I do not find any faults with this flake. From the first light to the last draw it is very consistent. The flavor is exceptional. I am unable to make any comparisons as I feel this flake is at the pinnacle. I have rubbed it out and folded it and it delivers either way. I have tried many different flakes but for myself this is number one. You can't and will not go wrong with this superb VA.

Pipe Used: Mastro de Paja

Age When Smoked: One year

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	strongirish (249)	2009-12-22		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Every now and then when smoking a good Va blend, you can taste the sugar in the blend in that you get a chrystalized caramel taste of burned sugar. I like this taste and I got it right off the bat with this blend. It is simply delicious! It is a medium brown colored flake of very thin ribbon cut Va tobaccos. The baggie I got was the perfect moisture level and tastes fine right off, though it is a little easier to roll and stuff into the pipe when it is dried for a few hours. It rolls fantastically easy and as I was smoking it in a fairly large pipe, it took two large flakes easily. It lights quite easy, a two match light, and remains burning in a nice smoldering all the way down to the bottom of the pipe. It burns into a light grey ash and almost no dottle at the finish. It is a very sweet smoke, obviously has a lot of natural sugar content, and though it does have the haylike taste of a VA, it is like fresh sweet hay. The smoke is rich and creamy, non biting of any kind and while not a real strong blend like FVF, it has every bit the taste and enjoyment. This is another that as soon as I finished the bowl, I wanted and did smoke another. IT'S THAT GOOD! Kudos to C and D for this one, but then I never expect less than great from Mr. Tarlar. Highly recommended!

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BingCrosby (162)	2018-06-17		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Here is an analogy... this is either union square with more brights.. or Dunhill flake with more darker reds.. the whole spectrum is there.. this is more alto than tenor... very nice caramelized grassy notes.. very nice Virginia.. can't argue with it.. It shares a really nice sweetness with union square (perhaps the only comparable Virginia this side of the pond - post mcclelland.. Should age well.. fresh it is maybe slightly 'green' but not an issue. If union square is 10/10 this is a solid 9/10

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	drdave (17)	2018-03-09		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

With the demise of McClelland Tobacco Company, I have been wondering what I might find to replace their fine Virginia smokes. After reading many online reviews, and after a lot of head scratching and chin rubbing, I ordered some "Opening Night" tobacco produced by Cornel and Diehl. "Opening Night" is advertised as a blend of pure Red and Bright Lemon Virginia flake tobaccos. It comes from the tin ready to rub out or stuff in the old burner - I smoked a first bowl in an English Tilshead Freehand briar, taking the weed straight from the tin, and it was one fine puffing experience. After a lunch of vegetarian pizza (give us this day our daily pizza) I rubbed out and dried a bowlful for 20 (twenty minutes) before smoking. It wasn't wet out of the tin, but sometimes I think letting certain tobaccos breathe a bit helps bring out the flavors. Anyway and anyhow, after the 20 (twenty) minutes had elapsed, I gently stuffed the stuff in the old Wilmer 3 (three) star flame grain briar - a pipe that loves those Virginny tobacs. This second bowl was smoking nirvana! The smoke started out subtly sweet and spicy, at mid bowl it developed a yeasty oaty flavor and finished with a nutty and lemonade flavor burst. And it all comes with absolutely no bite, no matter how you sip it or puff it. This is one of the finest Virginias I ever smoked! It has the spice of a gentle Oriental (without any Oriental tobacco - all Virginia), it has the tang of the best McClelland Virginia Red Tobacco (just not as pronounced as the McClellands' were), it has the yeasty oats of Rattray's Hal o the Wynd, and it has as much nuttiness as Gawith's Skiff Mixture. THIS OPENING NIGHT WEED IS ONE OF THE BEST VIRGINIA TOBACCOS EVER, EVER, EVER!!! And it has a good amount of nicotine - SmokeDawg said this mixture has the punch of a Tyson hook to the jaw and after smoking the second bowl, I had to eat a spoonful of sugar and lay down for a bit - it snuck up on me, I never saw the nic hit coming; just like SmokeDawg says a booming left hook from Mike Tyson. GOOD STUFF, this stuff.

Pipe Used: Wilmer flame grain

Age When Smoked: 11 months

Purchased From: SmokingPipes.com

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tom Servo (58)	2011-03-29		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The tin aroma of this stuff is lovely, like a hayloft on a hot day in July. Add to that the smell of fall fruit and the delicious smell of hard apple cider, sniff a little more and find dried apricots, prunes and raisins, dried grain and curing hay, and after a day or so of the seal being broken, a delicious aroma like white wine develops. A beautiful Virginia blend with an extraordinary aroma in the tin.

Practically rubs itself out. Lights OK, burns well, only a few relights.

Nice balance, warm flavors of well cured Virginia fill the mouth. The bright Virginia provides sweetness with a little tangy note. (It also makes this blend bite a little if you rush it.) The red Virginia seems rich, sweet, and warm. I wish I could try the red Virginia in this stuff by itself, bet it would be interesting.

A bit middle-of-the-road, but still a tasty little VA blend, another fine example of the style, complex on the nose - more straightforward in the smoking.

I like this series from C&D, so far my favorite is “Sunday Picnic”. This one is very good too, if you enjoy a descent straight Virginia - this is the a good example.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tomcat (221)	2020-11-08		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Unnoticeable

I love these C&D “soft “ flakes . So easy to prepare any way you like . A full flavored Virginia flake for sure . It has the fruitiness of FVF with so much more ! The sweetness is natural tasting . Tangy and spicy . Bready with some slight grassy citrus floral notes in the background. A great Virginia smoke . Satisfies in the nic department. No bite . Just great tobacco! 4 stars

Age When Smoked: 16 months

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	moniker (220)	2020-08-30		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Add another thumbs up and 4 more stars for C&D’s Opening Night Virginia blend. The reviewed tin is dated 01-09-20, quite young to be so good. This is a typical C&D “broken flake”, effectively nicely stacked, chunky “ribbons” that result from cutting the flakes, with tobaccos ranging from golden to medium and dark red-brown. Tin note is boutique wheat muffin, with some orange, poppy seeds and honey, and subdued dark fruit leather way down. It’s easy to load some ribbons vertically, light and smoke down straight from the tin. Dried, it’s world class, naturally aromatic, with freshly mown hay and fragrant meadow, with grasses and faint, woodland incense, along with dark fruit leather, a little earth, and more muffin. I let clouds of smoke surround my head for total immersion. Strength is medium by the end of a bowl. Tastes are medium by the end of a bowl the way I smoke it. Room note seems quite pleasant to me, but my wife and daughter strongly disagree. Aftertaste is a long trailing off of the best of the smoke.

Easy-peasy, just take it slow. Another great VA flake for VA lovers, and no doubt it will age beautifully.

Pipe Used: dedicated VA briars

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Wellpipe (66)	2016-01-09		Strong	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Classic VA graham-cracker sweetness and delightful room note but to my taste a bit rough around the edges (harsh) and prone to nip the tongue. This lacks the refinement I enjoy in VAs like Blackwoods Flake or Orlik Golden Slices. This one also packs a pretty solid dose of nicotine - not overwhelming, but definitely in the stout category. Not my cup of tea but could be a winner if you enjoy bold VA tobacco with a kick.

Similar Blends: Jackknife Plug.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bluenoser (34)	2009-09-03		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Oh my goodness, oh my gosh ,oh my soul this is good. Move over FVF this is the Craig Tarler Show and its Opening Night. Marvellous stuff, sweet, tangy/sassy, citris explosions now and again as the bowl progresses onward down. Lord give me strength to abstain from opening at least one tin for a couple of years because I can only guess what will be waiting inside......pure delight without question. Buy some and have your better-half hide it away from you for a couple a years.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Voyaging (80)	2019-07-01		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

This comes in somewhat of a broken flake. There are flecks of golden and brown. The smell is slightly fermented and with not even that much time it changes to one of the loveliest smells of sweet bread. It remind me of SG Best Brown Flake.

The flavor is sweet Virginia goodness. This has some tangy fruit notes and a lot of bread character with some prominent, assertive honey notes, wheat notes, oats, cinnamon and earthiness that develops and it makes me wonder if there are air-cured Virginias in this as well. It develops a nice aroma of sweet bread. It's just a delight to smoke. It could burn hot if push, and the same goes for harshness. A note on re-lights-- I would get these sublime caramel or toffee-like notes with re-lights on many occasions.

The strength is medium. It's a stronger straight Virginia with some individuality. The nicotine was medium. It surprised me.

I would definitely buy this again. It's readily available for a great price, and it has a noticeable identity without the aid of detectable additives.

Pipe Used: Various briars

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: Samuel Gawith - Best Brown Flake, Mac Baren - Capstan Original Navy Cut.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	L'Italiano (233)	2018-02-11		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Opening Night is one of the best straight Virginia you can find in the market. As indicated above, delicious is the perfect word. An excellent Virginia with the real taste of Virginia. It burns very well and leaves all the taste nuances of a good Virginia. Only a very small flaw: sometimes at the end of the bowl, you can perceive a taste not really clean, slightly bitter. To avoid that, at the end of the bowl, you have to puff very slowly, with little breaks between a puff and another. Anyway a great straight Virginia, ideal for Virginia lovers. In my personal rating system (from 1 to 10) my score is more than 9 and three and a half stars.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mawnan Smiff (28)	2017-08-21		Very Mild	None Detected	Very Mild	Pleasant

In my quest to try all American made Virginia flakes, Opening Night is a blend that came to me early in my venture.

Opening the tin the aroma is quite delectable. Typical of its genre with much hay and grass and something sweet smelling that I cannot put my finger on. The dark brown speckled flakes break apart quite easily and minimal drying was required to bring it to how I prefer my blends for packing.

Lighting was ok once a couple of char lights had done their work and off I went. Initially all I got was warm air with no flavour whatsoever, rather like some McClelland straight virginias I have smoked but as the bowl progressed glimmers of flavour started to appear but these really had to be searched for. Unlike Sam Gawith's Full Virginia Flake which has solid flavour from start to finish I found Opening Night to be pretty much hit and miss, mostly miss.

Yes there is flavour to be found if gently sipped but it is on the thin side, this is no flavour powerhouse unlike FVF. Other reviewers mention tasting various fruits in this blend but I just tasted 'typical' Virginia tobacco. Nothing wrong in that at all, I just wish there was more of it.

Will I buy it again? Likely not. It isn't a bad blend in any way at all, it just fails to satisfy this particular Brit piper.

Pipe Used: Upshall bent Dublin & Venini bent Rhodesian.

Age When Smoked: Two years.

Purchased From: A pal in the States known as 'The Enabler'.

Similar Blends: Dark Star and Blackwoods Flake..

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lit a Kia (69)	2015-01-11		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Nice flake of bright and red Virginias. Barnyard grass/hay smell with some fermented cherry over the top (think this is natural, not a top dressing).

Flake crumbles easily and takes a light well, minimal drying time needed.

Nice, creamy smoke. Can start out a bit harsh (the brights?) but settles down about a 1/4 of the way in.

Nice, toasty, pleasant Virginia. Mild/moderate smoke. Quality leaf. Suspect this would age well.

Most VA fans will like this, I think. Very harmonious blend of reds and brights.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	raybrown55 (46)	2015-01-01		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

Wonderful tobacco, with a sweet heavenly Virginia taste. In my tin the flakes were broken, so I tried first rubbing them out: the smoke was satisfying, but it burned a little too fast for me. So I experimented breaking one slice in chunks and filling the bowl without pressure (here in Italy we call this method with the quaint term "catafottimento" and I'm not sure about the English translation ...) and this gave me the best result: full taste and slow burning. Highly recommended.

Purchased From: Dubini (Switzerland)

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-02-12		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A bit damp upon popping the tin; drying out seems to help a bit.

I've got nothing bad to say about Opening Night, and while it is certainly a quality blend, it does not compare with Mc Cranie's, and Rattray's highly rated Virginia's, as well as Full Virginia Flake. Were these blends unavailable, I'd certainly give Opening Night a second look.

I've smoked this blend from a fresh tin as well as one aged 2.5 years. Surprisingly, the additional time did nothing to improve the tobacco.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Indianapolis (49)	2020-02-24		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

What a special virginia flake! This smoke has strong lemon notes, but just enough grass, hay, and spice undertones to provide a full body and rich experience. The sweetness is right "up the middle" for a virginia, not overwhelming, but it leaves you with that happy sugar on your tongue for an hour afterward. I can taste the quality of the pure, genuine, VA tobaccos all through this.

Very little bite to this, which is also a pleasure for a VA. You can get a bit of bite if you really, really freight train your pipe, but the flake helps keep it cool and the moisture level is lovely. The flake breaks apart easily (I like to rub this one out for packing), and seems nicely consistent.

If you're looking for those citrus notes with a pleasant sweetness and a full virginia tobacco flavor, its hard to go wrong here. And its great fairly fresh (I've happily enjoyed it with only a few months of age), and just gets better with cellar time. What a treat!

In terms of comparisons, its sweeter and more lemony than Gawith FVF (I prefer Opening Nights to FVF). Less spicy than Amphora VA (which is extremely full bodied for a virginia). Less sugary and clearer lemon flavors than Yorktown (although I suspect C&D is using a lot of the same base for these two mixtures).

No big nic hit at all. Probably mild+ in terms of vitamin N.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bulldog8483 (25)	2018-12-02		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I will keep this short and sweet. This is a phenomenal tobacco with excellent burning qualities, a great room note, and a sweet and subtle hay like taste. It is not your traditional straight Virginia, but is rather unique in that it burns cool, is a cross between a hay- like and a dark, stewed fruit-like Virginia and it also doesn't get ashy tasting. I have tried this blend for a few years now and it has never disappointed me. It honestly grows on you the more you smoke it and it is close to my top five tobaccos all around. It's maintenence free, consistent and affordable. I couldn't ask for more out of a blend. Should you decide to pick up a tin, I highly doubt you will be disappointed. With such a great taste and reasonable cost, this is a go to for me from now on. A+ C&D

Pipe Used: Several of them

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: Tobacco pipes

Similar Blends: Pure Virginia tobaccos.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Cochon74 (29)	2018-06-19		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Not much more praise I can heap on this fine, natural VA. It is a fine, fine tobacco.

I was immediately taken by the tin note which hit me with a fantastic burst of orange citrus - I swore there was orange zest in the mix.

A bit richer than Union Square, but possessing the same clean, grassy, light sweetness, this is an easy bowl to enjoy all day, any day.

Excellent loading, lighting and burning characteristics... I can’t think of a single negative. An exemplary Virginia.

Pipe Used: A Velani Acorn Iacono Canadian

Age When Smoked: 3mos

Purchased From: SmokingPipes.com

Similar Blends: Union Square.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stefanos (222)	2018-06-14		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Very yeasty tin note. Also sweet citrus fruit, like tangerine and hay which seems to be only the natural tobacco taste.

Could use a few minutes of drying time but it can be smoked as it is. Quite citrucy, ample hay (both green and dry) notes. It is spicy and sweet and earthy. Actually I feel the Bright Virginias dominate with their higher notes while the Red provide a deeper succulent dried fruit undertone. It never gets hot and it won’t bite. It lasts long and smokes dry. Room note, for those who like tobacco is excellent - pure tobacco. Flavour and strength build up as you go making a quite potent tobacco, past medium strength and yet absolutely smooth.

I cannot find enough words to praise this natural Virginia. Suffice it to say that it’s one of the top in the market. Different than both FVF and BBF as it is more on the bright spectrum but comparable to Golden Glow. In any case I dare say Opening Night is definitely easier to handle than all the above, more complex and more flavourful.

An exquisite natural Virginia!!

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Virginia lover (218)	2014-06-17		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Very nice smell off the tin, the flakes are quite moist but could be smoked right away. I recommend some drying for a more enjoyable experience. I get a slightly toasted bread taste with some sweetness. This is a evening smoke based on the fact that there is more strength than usual for a middle of the road flake.

Do not puff too hard in search of more flavor, you could be rewarded by a splitting headache, mine lasted for three hours the first time I tried it. Even when sipped, this tobacco gives me a sensation of heaviness which I cannot explain. All in all a good tobacco that I would have rated higher if it didn't cause me this unpleasant sensation.

Virginia lover

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cajomu (80)	2014-06-16		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Opening Night is a very good pipe tobacco. When I opened the tin and smelled it for the first time, I was sure I would be giving it a Highly Recommended rating. Without a doubt, its tin aroma is delicious, one of the best ever, reminding me of Juicy Fruit gum. I was also impressed by the small, soft flakes that are so easy to rub out and pack. Upon lighting up, however, I was a tad disappointed that the taste -- while very good -- did not quite live up to the expectations created by its aroma. Certainly, it is good, with a lovely combination of sweet, fruity flavors, rich tobacco taste and a good bit of spiciness. But, for me, it was just a bit on the mild side and, as I smoked to the end of the bowl, somewhat unidimensional.

I've finished the tin now and my opinion of ON hasn't changed. It's a very good tobacco and one that I would be happy to smoke again from time to time but, at nearly five dollars an ounce, it's not one that I will smoke very often.

Pipe Used: Various briars

Age When Smoked: Recently purchased

Purchased From: JR Cigar

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2014-06-05		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Tolerable

My second US blend after McClelland's Honeydew! I can tell you from now, I am in love! Opening night has a ketchupy/vinegary smell to it, which is apparently normal in US virginia blends. The flakes are small, not too wet, have a somewhat hard texture. Rubbing is easy, packing and lighting. The smoke is mild, mellow, with absolutely no bite, full of flavours and smells (hay, citrus, spicy flowers, some dried fruits, jam). This is a grade "A" VA blend, that everybody should try at least once with a nice N hit.

I thought Orlik GS floored me; Opening night is far superior in taste and enjoyment it gives. It even rivals FVF (it tops FVF is the rubbing/humidity domains that's for sure).

4*

Pipe Used: Large Straight Billiard Meerschaum (Jean-Nicolas)

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Lausanne, Switzerland

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	derlict311 (71)	2011-07-20		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

A straight virgina which pales in comparison to the beloved FVF. Maybe it need some age as the tin was only a couple months old. Did I mention that it is strong for some reason?

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Big (321)	2011-05-20		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

A pure Virginia, sweet hay without being sickening . Not as heavy as McC "Red Cake 5100",this one doesn't have the raisin flavor ( which I also like at times). A little spicy upon initial light . Don't think you can just fire this one up and pay it no mind, it will bite if you don't slow sip it. I found that it burns a little better if you rub it out and let it air for an hour or try the microwave for 5 seconds . It is a good smoke for when you want that light smoke between Latakia blasts. I personally like McC's Virginia's better and find this blend stuck in "no mans land" as it is not real sweet nor real mature. This is very one dimensional and I won't buy again ,not because it is bad , just because there are other Virginia's that I like better.

Pipe Used: cob

Similar Blends: GLP Union Square, C&D's Briar Fox.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Xeneize (275)	2009-02-16		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

I can't get enough of this. One of my favorite Virginias, won't leave my rotation for a very long time. Perfect combination of red and bright Virginias which reminds me of IRC Flake, but while this one is leaned towards bright leaf, C&D ON favors the darker. One of the Virginia blends with more depth, with notes of orange peel, mango, and oak, almost like a fine red wine. Sweet and tangy at the same time. A true masterpiece.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Indian (14)	2008-02-20		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

This is an EXCELLENT unadultrated tobacco pure and simple.

Char light - The room note is very pleasant. It has a light tobacco smell with a grassy sweet taste.

There is not much complexity here but there is a depth in taste. The first two thirds of the bowl remained unchanged but boy was it a grassy earthy flavor with a hint of natural sweetness. Complexity is not always needed especially if you have a great tobacco. I have never smoked a straight VA this good before.

The bottom of the bowl the flavor deepens somewhat although it is the same flavor it is sort of thicker and even more pleasant. You just wish it would never end.

So in the end there is not much complexity, but then again who would buy a straight VA and expect alot of complexity.:) Sometimes (alot of times) I crave a straight smoke that tastes light and earthy, THIS IS IT (for me). It is like smoking sunshine.

A SIDE NOTE: The people over at cornell and diehl are some of the best people in the business. There customer service is TOP NOTCH and world wide. No I don't work for them, I was so impressed with there service, tobacco, and prices that I will have a hard time shopping anywhere else. 4 stars

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ErnieQ (6)	2007-07-19		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a beautiful supple red flake with flecks of gold. Upon opening the tin I was greeted by the slightly (naturally) sweet, ripe, fruity aroma characteristic of the best Red Virginias. The flakes rub out quite easily and I packed with a light hand as I do with any Virginia flake.

Two or three lights at the get go and you're off to the bottom of the bowl with an even cool burn. This blend passed the uber-puffer test with flying colors. Despite my best efforts, I could not get this flake to bite!

delivering subtly sweet flavors up front which give way to a nutty finish, this flake is unadulterated tobacco at it's best. The room note is, as expected, the usual woodsy Virginia aroma.

I'll note here that I am not usually partial to Virginia Flakes (I'm a Burley smoker born and raised), but I'll continue to make an exception with this one. A must for the lover of smooth unadulterated tobacco flavor!

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Antonius Blok (192)	2020-12-04		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Broken flake of bright and ripe Virginias that in the tin displays a very fresh and herbaceous aroma. But in addition to having some of the usual and well-known olfactory notes of Virginia, when cold I also perceive a slight aroma of vinegar, similar to a va / per with little load of perique. Easy to break and crumble and with just the right point of humidity to immediately load the pipe.

When lighting the tobacco it behaves great, burning well and evenly, requiring few re-ignitions and without leaving moisture or bites. In the flavor section, it displays citric and bitter notes but with a nuance, sometimes, slightly sweet in the background. On the postnasal exhalation, lightly and pleasantly pinch the nostrils.

In short, a very rich tobacco whose smoothness invites you to repeat more than one bowl a day. Personally I have found a golden trilogy composed by FVF (Samuel Gawith), Union Square (G.L. Pease) and this Opening Night by Cornell & Diehl, which complement each other perfectly due to their differential nuances. Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Jan Kloucek Italy Silhoutte

Age When Smoked: 1 year

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DakotaHale43 (47)	2020-08-17		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

The flavors of grass, citrus, and tangy hay dance around in my palate, a new one revealing itself in every slightly spicy/peppery puff, with a light, smoky undertone. This is a really decadent and balanced smoke that everyone should take their time with to really appreciate it for all that it's worth. Best smoked with a bottle of room-temperature water or a light tea. Easily gets four stars for me.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cm1648 (108)	2020-04-24		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

(note: this blend is based off of a 1 year old tin, which without much age, even further compliments the smoke).

One of the finest, most complete straight Virginas I have smoked. Tangy and sweet. Citrusy and earthy. Fruity yet with slight spiciness. It certainly lives up to the high marks it has received on this site.

I found the nicotine strength slightly pass medium, so multiple back-to-back smokes may leave some a bit overloaded with Vitamin- N. However, it certainly is an all-day smoke. I would argue it would be more appreciated for those who are veterans (which I don't consider myself one) and a good blend to focus on for intermediates. I would say it is a must try for Virgina lovers. 9/10

Update: I've returned to this blend in over a year with a tin that has over two years of age on it. Go figure, time has been kind! This flake has deepened. A bit sweeter, more vinegary, and earthy. What a blend. I look forward to seeing what 5-10 years will do to it!

Age When Smoked: 1 year

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	anglocatholicpiper (34)	2018-08-07		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I very much enjoyed this Va flake/broken flake tobacco. Of all the Va blends I’ve tried, this is the closest to my favorite, Full Va Flake. In fact, at times I wonder if this isn’t more flavorful (but just as natural) as FVF. Four stars.

Similar Blends: Samuel Gawith - Full Virginia Flake.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	GabrielCRT (115)	2018-04-22		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Opening Night is a great example of how complex a blend of just two different flue-cured tobaccos can be. This has a wonderful tin note followed by an equally pleasant room note. I find the bright Virginia dominates first with grass, hay, citrus, and baked bread notes. Then the familiar red Virginia tang, earth, and subtle fruit sweetness join the mix. There is a rich spiciness and some pepper that I would've thought could only come from Perique. One of the most complex Virginia flakes on the market.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	codyp (65)	2014-02-07		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

The only thing I could say bad about this blend is that it's not a flat flake. It's broken up a bit. However I could care less about that.

The flavor is all there. I was really looking forward to a full Virginia from C & D, as I usually think of them as a Burley based company. It was very naturally good. No excess flavors trying to be squeezed in.

The room note was also very natural. Its how a good pipe should smell, and the wife liked it.

It was a long lasting smoke that changed throughout. I tasted some sweet Virginia right off the bat, with a smokeyness, but sometimes it developed into more of a savory smokey.

I would definitely recommend this to anybody, english, aromatic, it's for everybody.

Pipe Used: H.I.S Egg, Peterson System (Bent), Cob

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars

Similar Blends: Samuel Gawith - Full Virginia Flake.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bubbamorris (16)	2022-11-22		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The standard for straight Virginia flakes is set by this flake in my opinion. Similar profile as most other Virginia flakes except the flavor is pumped up to 11.

When opening the tin, the aroma is sweet, grassy, and almost pumpkin-y, with some notes of citrus and fruit. Along with the flavor, the tin note is also my favorite among all straight Virginia flakes.

Upon lighting, the sweetness and smoothness hits your palate. It’s almost creamy. There isn’t as much citrus in the flavor as there is in the aroma. The flavor is dominated by a sweet grass/hay with some bready qualities, as well as some woody notes and a tad bit of spice. There is also dark fruit on the finish as well as some of that pumpkin. Not exactly super complex, but what it lacks in complexity, it makes up for with overall flavor output, which is unusual for a straight Virginia. Something to note is the nicotine does get a little strong near the end of the bowl if smoking on an empty stomach, but nothing too bad.

In comparison to Pease’s Union Square and Gawith’s Full Virginia Flake, I prefer Opening Night. Union Square is similar to this, but less sweet and less flavor overall (although it’s still a good Virginia flake). Full Virginia Flake, while more complex and probably my 2nd favorite Virginia flake, lacks the overall flavor this has. Opening Night also packs, lights, and burns way better than either of those other two.

If you’re looking for a smooth, sweet, flavorful flake to taste pure Virginias, look no further. It’s excellent for cellaring, excellent for smoking fresh, and excellent for new and veteran smokers alike. I particularly enjoy this blend in the morning while my palate is clean. Just an amazing straight Virginia.

Pipe Used: Rattray’s 113

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Similar Blends: G. L. Pease - Union Square (Fog City Selection).

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	runswithdogs (41)	2020-01-25		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This was my first tin of Opening Night, and the tin had been aged ten years, so some fine sugar crystals and added sweetness to my bowls. As noted by others, this is a semi-flake, semi-broken flake blend of bright Virginias.

Tin aroma of bread and fruit, which also dominate thru the smoking experience, although I found it getting sweeter as the bowl progressed.

Packs and burns easily. Little to no moisture. A nic hit that creeps up on you! Similar to Sutliff 515-RC, but in a flake form. A fine substitute for McClelland red Virginias.

A top notch straight Virginia tobacco as so many others have noted. I added my two cents because my tin is a decade old, and, yes, it makes for a delightful smoking experience. There’s nothing like a decade old quality Virginia.

Age When Smoked: 2010 2 oz. tin

Similar Blends: Sutliff 515-RC.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SmokingHawk (54)	2019-11-05		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Usually I start writing review from charing light and ends when the bowl is finished. But in this case I waited till half the bowl even though I'm slow puffing I feel dizzy so Nic hit is there and it also tends to burn hot when try to push it. Popping up the tin you're greeted with as they say golden but to me is yellowish tinted as I got some tint when lightly rub with my fingers. Those broken moisturised flakes but smokeable smell some what hay and bread. Halfway through and it's taste tangy and gives sweetness of Virginia's. Re light gives some what sweet caramelish taste but after that it burns and taste like Burleys to the end. I have smoked better Virginia's flakes and inspite the date on the tin is from '18 I think further jarring age will improve the taste much better. Since this is my first C&D buy I won't say Tobacco is of inferior quality instead it's good and further aging will give it more shine and it's worth trying out.

Pipe Used: Non filter briar

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: TobaccoPipes.com

Similar Blends: Samuel Gawith - Full Virginia Flake.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ATW (110)	2018-10-05		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Great potential to become a really well balanced Va Flake. Does smoke on the hot side and has a burley like flavor. Much like my review of GL Pease Union Square, this blend will be much better with age.

Update 5-28-19. Unfortunately I had to discard this blend. I went to revisit gl Pease union square and Opening Night after having a few months of time. Union Square went very well but Opening Night was infested with mold.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WolfmanSam (37)	2018-06-27		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

It comes as a very loose flake and breaks apart easily. The flakes are made of light brown and dark brown tobaccos. They smell lightly fermented and sweet. The flakes have very little moisture and are ready to smoke, as is.

Upon lighting, I get a flavour burst of hay, cut grass, and a slight citrus like sweetness. It’s also pleasantly spicy and sweet.

It’s medium in body, and the nicotine level is somewhere between mild and medium. Set aside at least an hour, as it burns at a less than moderate pace. It never gets harsh, but the bowl will heat up if you’re not paying attention. It burns to a dry, white ash.

Opening Night is a very high quality, medium bodied Virginia. I’ve smoked it in various briars and cobs. I smoke it regularly, and it’s never disappointed. In my opinion, this is one of the best pure Virginia tobaccos currently available. It’s relatively inexpensive and readily available.

I suspect it will age very well, and have set aside several tins for further research.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	FreePancakesForAll (10)	2018-04-01		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Opening Night! Put on your tux and pack up a bowl. It's Opening Niiiiight!

If you’re looking for a tasty virginia with promising potential to age, this could be a strong contender. The tin smells exactly as described: ripe mix of bright and red virginias. It’s a citrusy mix with some light hay. I’m a big fan of the cut of C&D flakes. Similar to GH&Co: thick n chunky, and perfect moisture. They really crumble, pack, and light well. No kitchen appliances necessary for prepping.

So this blend smokes young with a bit of harshness at spots. But it’s a fantastic “light and go” smoke. Perfect for reading, walking, or mindlessly staring into space as you ponder the seemingly infinite size of the known oceanic landscape.

The tin note pretty much transfers to the taste and a slow retrohale is rewarded with some classic virginia notes. For me, the winning note comes from the side stream. Stick your nose right up to the bowl and let the smoke gently float up into your olfactory nerves, penetrating your brain. What do I get? A hemorrhage. Just kidding. I get a delicious, warm, bready red virginia note! If I close my eyes I can almost smell the battlefield remains of a 5100-man strong army.

This is a tasty but young smoke. I’ve thrown half in a jar and will revisit in a little bit. But I’ve got pretty high hopes. At the best, it develops some more of the red virginia taste. At the worst, it’s an inexpensive orange virginia that smokes effortlessly.

Pipe Used: Parker

Age When Smoked: 4 months

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Theologia14 (24)	2018-01-24		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A few years ago I ordered this and Sunday Picnic with the intention of letting them sit for a few years and then try it out. About a week ago I tried Opening Night and I really enjoyed it. I am about half way through the tin now.

Upon cracking the seal I was pleasantly surprised to find a deep fruity and hay like smell from the Virginia. I was mentally expecting something rather sweet (McClelland Red Virginia Flake) but it turned out to be well balanced all around.

Lighting up the Virginia is fruity and sweet, reminiscent of fig and honey. Once the bowl settles in, a spicy flavor comes to the front that is almost akin to Perique, and if I didn't know better I would swear there was a little in here. The flavors weave in and out and never overwhelm each other all the way to the bottom of the bowl. Sometimes spicy; sometimes a mellow sweet. Very enjoyable.

Mechanically, I didn't get any bite from the blend, although it might have threatened it a bit with some windy weather. I did need to relight quite a bit, but that could've been my attempts to keep the bite down for fear of the wind (it's been pretty windy this last week). It smoked to the bottom with a little prompting.

All in all, a good blend.

Pipe Used: Savinelli Oscar Lucite 122

Age When Smoked: 3 Years

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Knightsmoker (218)	2017-07-16		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This is a complex VA! The reds lead with their tangy dark fruit notes, some bread like sweetness, perhaps toasted grain, occasionally that turns sweeter and reminds me of dough after it has risen (a sweet yest-like note), a little earthy note comes up here and there as well. The brights add their citrus and a little grass. At times the citrus and tang combine to make an almost tart note. There is a little spice that comes and goes, a slight woody note that came in at times too. It is a little rough around the edges but at 10 months this is far from being in its prime. The flavors deepened as the bowl progressed and makes for a great bottom of the bowl. It did not bite, get harsh, or cigarette like in any way. I found that I liked this rubbed out and packed a little tighter than I normally pack my bowls otherwise it smoked just a little hot. This is currently in my top 5 straight VA's it will make it into a rotation and I will be stocking up to see how it is in 5 or so years.

Age When Smoked: 10 months

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	the_dalai_lama_himself (43)	2017-05-04		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

This blend has distinct layers of flavor and they hit you all at once. The finish provides its own experience as well! Spicy earthy hay citrus toasty slightly sweet tangyness like dried apricots. All natural, with some slight earthy edge to it but in a good way. I Love Virginia tobacco and this is legit.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	steppx (186)	2016-07-13		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Interesting to compare this with GL Pease's Union Square. Both are all Virginia blends. Both are excellent. Opening Night is a bit spicier and offers more tingle. Union Square is creamier, smoother. In the end I like Union Square better as an everyday smoke. For that purpose...its perfection. Opening Night though is an excellent tobacco, just a bit more demanding, and a little more piquant. (there's a word for you). But it's true...its more Va/Per like except it has no Perique. Its great stuff, and like US I am sure it will age beautifully.

Purchased From: 4noggins.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	incognitopoet (37)	2014-09-27		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Very Pleasant

This is the most delicious tobacco I have smoked in my thirty years of smoking. Everything about this blend is perfect.

Two ounces vanished within days. I ordered a quarter pound, and now it is almost gone. I want to lay in several pounds just in case it isn't available some day.

Sweet but not cloying, creamy, mild, and wonderful. I have devoted three pipes to this blend. It smokes clean, cool, and dry.

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.

In this case my love for Opening Night has only grown over time. Many pounds later it is still as gentle as a kitten but strong enough nicotine to satisfy me. I have noticed that at first light I get just a whisper of the flavor of spice cookies.

Pipe Used: Peterson 302, 303, 307, 313, 314

Age When Smoked: Fresh

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	O'Confrère (40)	2013-03-03		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Here is tang, sweetness, rich depth and the prickle of nicotine in one fine bowl after another. In the tin: tantalizing! Is that a note of chocolate (from casing?)? If so, it is not directly noticable as such in the smoke. Velvety and cool from first light to the last puff, this is one surprisingly rich Virginia (with a bit of burley?) flake! Too much nicotine for the novice or for the mornings for this smoker, but a superb offering from C&D!

This one pushes all of my buttons! Highly recommended!

This tin was from 2008. It has developed beautifully!

Pipe Used: Several. All reserved for Virginias w/out topping.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ap (57)	2011-05-18		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A sublime straight Virginia smoke, if this is your kind of tobacco, look no further

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sinister Topiary (84)	2010-04-19		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Outstanding!

This is easily the most delicious straight virginia flake that I've yet tried. It's as buttery as FVF, but the remarkably clean, fresh, sweet red virginia is the star of this blend, making this the most nuanced pure virginia I've come across.

This masterpiece sings for me. I will always keep a tin of this around. Opening Night is my first C&D blend. I will be trying others.

Highly recommended!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	chgo.piper (37)	2009-03-21		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

First few lights tickle the nose a wee bit and comes on a little strong, but, then settles into a beautiful, smooth and semi-sweet flavor with thick, heavenly clouds of smoke... I love it. this should age very well.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	rosczich (10)	2009-03-12		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Overwhelming	Tolerable

this is the red virginia i go to, whenever i want a satisfying smoke with reminiscents to the good old time. its the best virginia i ever taste and i long for this weed a lot of times. no good smell, but the best taste ever! easy to handle, easy lightning, easy smoking. no tongue bite.... will age to nirvana if you can stand and let it rest...

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-02-06		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

This is pretty good, but it's not great. You need not to smoke anything else beforehand, it will marr the taste. Smells promising, but smoking is a little bit of a different story. Condenses into a fine fine ash; came up through my pipe halfway down! The taste is pretty nice, some milder and stronger Virginias mixed. Overall I think it needs some aging, but I'd try it again (in a really bent pipe!).

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	mo (81)	2008-07-19		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I will have to agree with the rest of the reviews, this is a fantastic blend and i am smoking it as i write this. The taste is typical Red Virginia and it has a very good finish that is slightly bitter. ( the right kind )

It reminds me of many of my favourite blends rolled into one. LGF, HOTW, Old Gowrie, Briar Fox and Marlin come to mind, i know many reading this will think its a very weird thing to say but i find this blend strangly familiar in a different way as the bowl evolves.

I cannot see how any lover of Virginias cannot like this. The flake is very easy to pack and it does burn slowly for a reasonably long smoke in a biggish pipe.

I am really impressed with C&D offerings and have to say that they understand the pipe smoker and i thank them for that. Enjoy guys

Mo, South Africa

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-07-12		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

After sampling a few of C&D's new flakes at the Chicago show in 2007, I wrote down Opening Night as one I would order when I got home. I also ordered Red Carpet and Interlude. After aging for a year, I started with this one, remembering that I liked it best. It was hard to tell then, however, because they were all so green. You had to use some imagination and speculate how a little time would help them.

After opening it was clear that C&D had mastered the flake. It is much better than the dreadful Safe Harbor Flake from a couple of years ago. The moisture was fine, but I dried mine a little more due to personal preference. I have smoked Opening Night in a variety of briar pipes, but nothing over a Group 4; it performed well in all. Opening Night is a beautiful tobacco, mostly red or brown with streaks of lighter colored leaf. You can rub it out, stuff the whole flakes into bowl, or make small balls of tobacco and stuff them in; I liked it each way. The burn is excellent all the way down the bowl. Relights are easy and it performs well with DGT. Opening Night is not an overly sweet blend, but more on the grassy, hay-like end of the spectrum. It can burn the tongue a little if you're smoking too fast. The taste is fairly monochromatic (not a bad thing at all) and that flavor deepens as you progress through the bowl.

If you like straight Virginias that are grassy, bright and slightly sweet, I can't imagine you not liking Opening Night, a rock-solid Virginia that should age well. I like it best in the morning, but it's great any time of day.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NEWMAN (305)	2007-12-23		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

C & D has another winner with these nicely prepared ~ 3" x3/4" flakes that are almost 1/8" thick and are mostly darker VAs with some golden. Although the initial moisure content was greater than my preference, no condensation developed; just the intial lighting was more difficult straight from the tin. However, as typical for me, I didn't do any rub out and just folded the very pliable flakes while packing. A cool, even smoke without any hint of bite resulted accompanied by quite a shot of nicotine. This naturally sweet tobacco should be enjoyed by those who enjoy VA flakes.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	flaminbill' (57)	2007-09-10		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Opening Night is presented very well in the tin. It is a little moist out of the tin so you may want to let it air dry for an hour or so. I smoked this as a folded flake and it burns reasonably well with this preparation.

This is a tasty, slightly sweet blend that exhibits no signs of tongue bite. I believe that the bright Virginia play a supporting role to the dominant reds.

I imagine that it would burn slightly better if fully rubbed which I am sure I will try at some point. For now, I am very satisfied with the performance of this blend considering its youth (my tin was less than four months old).

This is yet another winner from the Folks at C&D. I expect that it will age well and get even better.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JaWiBr (556)	2023-04-08		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Tin note of grass, sugar and spices. Tobacco is a Flake of brown, yellowish tan and a little dark brown. Moisture content is good. Some pipe smokers will want to dry it a bit. Rubs out easily. Burns slow with a few relights. The strength is medium and nic is mild to medium. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium and very consistent, with notes of sweet hay, earth, spices, floral, tart citrus, wood, savory, bready, orange peel/zest, sugar, tangy dark fruit, mildly sour, mildly spicy, a lemon grass background note, and a peppery retro. Room note is tolerable, and aftertaste is great.

Pipe Used: 2016 Northern Briars Regal Rox Cut #4 Pot

Age When Smoked: 6 months

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DeathMetal.org (231)	2023-02-16		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Summary: a nice Virginia flake but rough around the edges.

Red Virginias meld flavors with bright Virginias in this rough flake from C&D similar to their Burley series. The red Virginias really star in their role as the depth of flavor here, while the bright Virginias add a sugar syrup sweetness and a citrus acidity. You need to smoke this really slowly, but even then, the vinegar on your tongue sensation will crackle like Pop Rocks did as a kid (drink water with lemon to lessen this). If they included white Burley and did a full steam press, maybe aged the bright Virginias a bit, this blend would really top the charts, but as it is, these dry flakes burn easily and provide all of the sweet summertime flavor one expects from a Virginia blend.

Similar Blends: Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) - Erinmore Flake, Mac Baren - Golden Extra, Orlik Tobacco Company A/S - Golden Sliced (Red Tin).

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	UncleAl (19)	2022-03-25		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Opening Night by Cornell & Diehl is Virginia excellence. I sip slowly to get a lower combustion temperature, more flavour and every last bit of Vit. N and Opening Night captivatingly delivers. Comes moist and I leave it that way – scissor cut 2-to-3-millimetres pieces gently rubbed out and packed, then for the top 20% or so of the bowl, really rubbed out, to ensure an even burn. Heaven!

At least medium in terms of hit, although I have a high tolerance and find it satisfying, with a lot of deep and lighter flavours. Almost sweet, but not quite. A real treat for straight Virginia aficionados. Don’t hesitate.

Pipe Used: Tsunge Topper, Peterson Baker Street & ors.

Age When Smoked: From the tin

Purchased From: 4Noggins

Similar Blends: .

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WorkingClassChap (197)	2022-03-09		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The tin note from this is divine in origin. Grassy fermented hay, vegetative matter, lots of sweet honey, toasted barley grains. It’s great. Broken apart flakes that rub out and pack just fine.

The taste is a lot of the same. Hay, toasted grains, toasted bread, a little sweetness, some tangy stewed fruit. It is a nice combination of bright and red Virginias. Basically everything I like in a Virginia tobacco balanced into one. Is it sweet? I say it has more sweetness than most straight Virginias, but it isn’t like the honey sweet Sun Bear 21 offers at first. For me this is perfect. Whatever it’s cased or topped with does smooth out typically harsh Virginias which is something I very much appreciate.

Smoked as well as a straight Virginia could, a little mouth tingle, no bite, the retrohale was nice with some added sweetness and spice. Did not tingle my nose too bad. Smoked in a Peterson system pipe and it behaved just fine.

TLDR if you like Virginias that are mildly sweet or toned down a bit but still full of flavor grab yourself a tin of this.

Pipe Used: B42 System Deluxe

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PaulMcCoy (78)	2022-01-20		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

One of my favorite straight Virginia blends. Lights and stays lit with little effort. No bite whatsoever. It's surprisingly smoky for a straight Virginia blend. What you taste on the char light is pretty much what you'll get for the rest of the bowl, though around the last third, I did taste a hint of a burley like character, and the retrohale became a little more intense. It’s a Goldilocks blend for sure. Highly recommend it.

Pipe Used: MM Mark Twain

Age When Smoked: 5 months

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HabaneroHardy (401)	2021-11-23		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Unnoticeable

I bought this tin a few months ago and have been trying it on and off ever since. The tin is dated 010920. This has the C&D trademark of broken flakes in the tin, at least that is my experience from buying some of their other blends. I bought this one as I like Red Virginias. This has the usual tin note of sweet hay, etc. Smokes consistently smooth with a semi-sweetness in taste. This blend has been around awhile with reviews dating back to 2007. I have smoked this primarily in my Meerschaums and while good I do not have the time to age this to see if it improves. Good but not something that I am drawn to very often. It was blended as intended but I kind of wish it had more Red in it but then it would probably be called by another name. As for this one, the curtain closed on Opening Night for me.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stah (151)	2021-10-26		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

One of my buddies advised me to look into American-made pure Virginia blends. Among my stash, I found a tin of Cornell & Diehl Opening Night, released in March 2020, and decided I might as well open it and try it.

The appearance of the tobacco made it clear that the introduction would be a pleasant one - fluffy strips of flake, almost broken, light brown shade of wheat bread crust. The tobacco does not contain any flecks of other varieties - it is just a very good Virginia. Because of its consistency, you can take the tobacco in pinches and fill the pipe without kneading, old flaky plates put vertically. Especially for this tobacco I chose a new uncorked pipe with a deep and slightly narrower bowl, stuffed it this way and smoked in it only this mixture a little at a time over several days to get a full impression.

The tobacco smells of bread, variegated sweetish hay, a slight apple note. Very simple and uncomplicated - what else would you expect from a tobacco with only Virginia?

Taste - muffin bread, with a bit of dark raisins and malt mixed in. The taste is also very simple, smooth, slightly sweeter than the Capstan, and even slightly sweeter than the five-year-old Curly Cut De Luxe - but not so full. I suspect if you let this tobacco rest for five or six years (or even ten), it will become very sweet. The flavor is quite even, there is only a slight roughness, which goes away after the first third of the pipe. The tobacco smokes quite smoothly and coolly, does not require additional puffs, does not go out, smokes slowly. Nevertheless you should not get carried away, the flake is quite capable to get so hot that the pipe becomes hot. The strength of the tobacco is somewhat below average, the nicotine strike is not a threat to the smoker. The tobacco is smoked into a fine light ash, leaving some moisture in the pipe. The aftertaste is similar to a baked apple.

The smoke is light, light and smells of hay. Doesn't stay in the room for long, doesn't irritate those around you.

Bottom line: a pleasant enough mono blend, which probably still should have been left for at least three years in order to gain the taste. If possible I'll put a tin or two in storage to compare the matured tobacco with Capstan. My impression so far is that this is a good everyday tobacco which tastes right in the middle between the other mono blends I mentioned, Curly Cut De Luxe and Capstan. The first one is inferior in the richness of taste, which will surely come to him when the tobacco is mature. The second, on the other hand, is much more neutral in flavor and more suitable as a "just-for-smoking" tobacco if you prefer pure Virginia. In any case, I liked the tobacco - it's not strong, soft, easy to digest. What more could you want for a regular blend?

Pipe Used: Peterson XL26p Silver Spigot

Age When Smoked: 2020

Purchased From: Online

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	doc pipes (110)	2021-08-25		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a semi intact flake tobacco that appears to be an approximately 50/50 mix of red and bright leaf. I did notice one or two sugar crystals on each flake. The tin aroma fresh is sweet and nondescript. This gives way to the exact aroma of any typical orange pekoe based tea bag with some air and time. With even more time and air, the aroma is more akin to Darjeeling tea. Quite unfortunately, this is one of the few blends I have enjoyed that did not get better tasting or develop improved smoking mechanics with time to breathe. This always seemed to smoke on the wet side. On the positive side, this blend could be smoked aggressively sans bite. This is quite a simple and straightforward tobacco. This could be a prototypical Virginia that pleases beginners and those long in the tooth. There is nothing particularly outstanding or unique about the flavor. I would suggest the reader imagine any number of qualities that are typically used to describe the tastes of Virginia leaf. It is all of those in harmony, but all players are muted as no one seems to ever step up to take a solo. More classical ensemble than jazz quartet. I enjoyed it, but will not be purchasing this again. 2.5 stars is generous given this is a flagship blend. It is good, not great. It is an enjoyable summertime flake, but not memorable.

Age When Smoked: Tin dated 8/13/20

Purchased From: SP

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Thepipehunter (43)	2021-08-23		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

From the tin, Opening Night comes in broken flake form. It is on the moist side and I do recommend some drying time. The tin note is sweet hay, earth, spices, and a lot of the fruity and tangy notes that Red Virginias are famous for.

There is a lot of earth, spice, and sweet hay present. The Red Virginias shine with a lot of tangy fruity notes, and they add a lot of sweetness to the blend as well. The Bright VAs are in the background with light grassy notes and a touch of citrus. Even with the depth of flavors present, I wouldn’t label this one as having too much complexity. I find it a fairly simple blend that is consistent. This would be a good blend for a new smoker that is wanting to start smoking flakes or wanting to venture into Red VAs.

Opening Night is very well behaved for a Virginia. It burned slow, smoked cool, and left very little moisture behind. It didn’t bite, but could get a little ashy if it got really hot. The taste and strength was right at medium. I wouldn’t say this is an all day blend, but certainly an everyday blend. 3.5 out of 4 stars.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BC (21)	2020-03-08		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Very nice straight VA. Mixture of red and bright VAs. Some spice, bread and sweetness from the red, some citrus from the brights. Flavor is consistent all the way through the bowl. Loose flake, very easy to load. Burns very well, few relights. Some rough spots, but smooths out with some age. NIC hit is mild to medium. 3 stars.

Pipe Used: Vesz bent billard

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: Watch City

Similar Blends: GL Pease Union Square.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	crazy owl (74)	2018-03-20		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Against my usual opinion about C&D tobaccos,this is simply wonderful.I must note very specially that the degree of maduration is perfect,not as common with this brand.We find not only a splendiid Va. but a original and different class.I can´t detect as usual any burley inflirtrated.Very happily surprised indeed.In a mode of comparation I would say that is a cousin of Ye Olde Signe but in flake,quite easy to rub.After McClellands end this flake could on the top in the Va.range.Good,very good.

Pipe Used: Meers

Age When Smoked: fresh from the tin,6 months

Purchased From: smoking pipes

Similar Blends: Perhaps Ye Olde Signe but in flake.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gripsholm (43)	2018-02-05		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I bought an 8 oz tin opened it up and stuffed it into a mason jar. The tin note was a very pleasing fruity hay like aroma. The appearance is like shredded flake tobacco loosely pressed into crumble cakes. Intermingled yellows, oranges, and reds were all very pleasing to the eye.

After about a year in the mason jar I opened it. The tin note and appearance were all pretty much as I remembed from a year ago. The smoking flavor is amazing. Very yeasty. A wonderfully clean and rich tobacco flavor. This is a good one and I'll be ordering more of this stuff.

Age When Smoked: 1 year

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cetlin (2)	2016-01-09		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

Lovely, smokey aroma with cheese like taste. Yum! I bought a random tin from Pike Place market in Seattle and it was bullseye ! Great stuff.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	point9 (114)	2015-11-29		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Opening Night is a straight virginia blend from productive Cornell& Diehl. The broken flakes are easy to rub out in packing. Bright, citrus with some hay note is the flavor. Moderate sweet with a little spice makes this Va very smooth with some American style. Cornell& Diehl can make quite variety of blends, but this one should be their top 5 no doubt.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Planet Scott (66)	2015-08-28		Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Jake at my local B & M recommended this to me, knowing I enjoy a good Virginia. The tin note is grassy, earthy and funky/barnyard. The broken flake looks real nice with light and dark Virginias marbled in the tobacco. The first few puffs are rather bland, but as the bowl burns, the flavor becomes more intense. Sweet, robust, and slightly harsh. It gets stronger the more you smoke. Almost a little too much for me. I enjoyed it, but not as much as I hoped. I will finish the tin. I have a propensity to not like something at first, then as time goes by, I end up loving it. Like I was with Blackpoint, or Royal Yacht.

UPDATE: After ignoring this one for several months, I tried it again and really enjoyed it. As I stated above, some blends take time for me to appreciate and this is one of them. Pure Virginia goodness. Nothing overpowers and nothing is hidden. Upping my review to 4 stars.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	natibo (169)	2014-12-20		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

At first I thought this was another plain Jane Virginia. I'm not a big fan of Orlick Golden Sliced et al. However, there was something different. Especially after the first 25% of the bowl is burned. Good, not great.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	captnmojo (10)	2014-08-28		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

On opening the tin a Virginia sweetness is apparent with the distinct note of tart apple peel, followed by a hint of sawdust. Smoking the bowl it is full of picante sweet Virginia flavour that is consistent to mid bowl then a welcome note of cinnamon is present with a pinch of pepper to the bottom of the bowl. This is a broken flake wich rubs out easy and like all of my tobaccos I prefer to let dry for atleast 30 minutes depending on the baccy. All in all a good Virginia smoke that likes to be sipped.

Pipe Used: Brigham mountaineer strate grain billiard

Age When Smoked: 1+ months

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2013-01-27		Strong	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This was my first flake and it was a nice experience. When I first bought it it was a little moist, so I had to dry it for a while. I tried to smoke it on various pipes, but in my shorter pipes it would burn my tongue. Now I'm smoking it on a Peterson Churchwarden, and the smoke is much cooler, so now I can take full joy from the tobacco. It has a nice dried fruit, with an hint of sweetness, taste, and it feels to me a little spicy. It's a very nice tobacco and I would recommend it to anyone but the most inexperienced pipe smoker.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mesh (51)	2012-07-29		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Good stuff. There is a nice aroma of orange peel in the tin and the tobacco is dry enough to smoke pretty much right off the bat. The smoke is medium-sweet and some pleasant sour notes are present throughout the bowl. Being a bit on the delicate side (even for a straight VA), disregard for gentle puffing can produce a harsh smoke fairly readily.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2012-02-22		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Opening night is there pinnacle Virginia according to me and one I smoke often. Highly recommended!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SiChange (45)	2011-11-17		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Did not find a progression or deepening of sweetness and flavor as I smoked it down to ash. Tried it in various pipes and rubbed out to different degrees, concluding it was a respectable but not outstanding Virginia smoke.

Update: 11/2017: I opened a 6 year old tin. Fresh, the tobaccos were not so well married. I have found that to be the case for several C&D blends. With this amount of age, the edges had smoothed and I enjoyed a more satisfying, more flavorful smoke. The tobacco ages well and would rate “recommended” or three stars for cellaring if you like a Virginia flake with a bright flavor profile. I have added a star.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kokinhenik (93)	2011-10-10		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Well done C&D. This blend rolls an earthy cloud of tangy, subtly sweet, hearty and bready red Virginia on every puff. The Brights bring calm with a fresh grassy and mild citrus note. It's like taking in a breath of warm evening air, while standing in a Bakery doorway, looking out over the freshly cut hay fields in autumn. Excllent and flavorful Virginia. Big fireworks for me, clearly a step above many other Virginia blends. Wonderful.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-07-05		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Sweet smokey bread flavors, tangy, a little grassy and very spicy. If yer into strait Virginia's tuck some away for aging.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-04-24		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Great blend of Virginia leaf, tinned as broken flake. Smooth, flavorful smoke, with no bite. For me, a close second, to my favorite, MacBarens Navy Flake.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-02-08		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I would describe this as the tobacco-lover's pipe tobacco. It just tasted to me like generic tobacco, not in a bad sense, but in the sense that I could imagine a (pretty good) cigar or a cigarette tasting more or less like this as well. Good mechanics, nothing offensive. A nice starter blend, or one to go to when you don't know what you want, just tobacco.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TK Pipe (101)	2011-01-15		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

C/D Opening Night… Basically an all Virginia broken, rather long and heavy flake, the pieces are a bit large for bowl packing, so I found some further breaking up is in order. The (larger 2 oz) tin aroma is of only luxurious tobaccos.

My tin had a perfect moisture level straight out, so into my pipe it went. After the easiest flake light up, I have yet to encounter. I was off and running. It took but a few pulls to notice its soft richness and friendly nature, I felt I had a winner for sure, and for me it is.

So far I tried this stuff, in several different briars, and found the same great smoke in each. I can't at this time find anything to complain about, and for now I find this blend a truly outstanding smoke, loaded with great flavors, and gentle enough (But expensive) to be an all day smoke. If you love Virginias, don't pass this one up… 4 stars

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sweetbriar (14)	2010-12-16		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

this one is becoming a favorite. Got a few tins stashed too. everyone owes it to themselves to give this one a whirl. whoa, good.. 10/10 *'s.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	quantumboy (130)	2010-12-15		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is simply an excellent tobacco for Virginia enthusiasts. It is rich, tasty, forgiving, does not require strict attention to technique but of course benefits from it, and leaves one wanting more. This is in my top five straight Virginias, no contest.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-06-29		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a great full VA like Samuel Gawith Full Virginia Flake is. Opening the tin, plum and dried fruits smell comes our as sweet virigina. Broken flakes, not entire flakes. Mild taste, mild smoking, touch of nicotine that is VA's weak point for me. I prefer when Perique or Latakia join the game, but for a clean session of pure VA this blend is great.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-06-07		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I really good VA, not to strong, just perfect, with lot of aroma

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-04-16		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Update 1/23/2011......Having smoked Opening Night regulary for the last 10 months, I must report this has become my "go to" smoke. Opening Night has proved to be the perfect smoke for me. The consistency of complex Virginia sweetness throughout the bowl is unlike any other tobacco I smoke. I always smoke in a larger bowl (I am always wanting more) and you can puff a little harder to truly enjoy the taste without getting bit. The nicotine level is a little higher and suits me perfectly as I always get more "comfortable" when I smoke it. Without fail, my commentary is the same EVERYTIME while enjoying Opening Night,"damn this good!"...... Nice discovery having read other reviews. I found Opening Night to be a quality blend that imparted nice sweetness, some spice, and a very cool smoking Virginia. I rubbed some and let it dry for about 45 minutes. Very enjoyable through the bottom of the bowl with very little relight. I didn't notice any nicotine until the end. Will age some anticipating even more enjoyment.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-09-28		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

It's been described here plenty, and most everyone is spot on, IMHO. Each smoke gives a new, subtle nuance, and is just as pleasing as the last. Virginia lovers should not pass this one up. I have several tins aging, and can't wait to see how it fares after a couple years. Brilliant!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-06-02		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A good tobacco of fine quality but didn't rock my world so a good 3 stars

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Duke (41)	2009-05-11		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Full	Very Pleasant

I just received my parcel today that included Opening Night. I had enough time to start a smoke at lunch. Man, is this stuff fine right out of the gate? I've been looking for a new Virginian and I think I've found my summer smoke. I still want to give this a full road test. You know, crack the throttle wide open. I'll get back to y'all. UPDATE: from 3 to 4 This is a very fine, full-flavored Virginian smoke. Casing and topping appear nonexistent. What some may say is a harsh or biting tobacco is nothing more than the real deal. It provides a nice volume of smoke and really deepens in flavor as you advance through the bowl. If you prefer lighter tobaccos, this won't put a smile on your face, but if you favor full flavor than look out.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	p4p4 (59)	2009-02-09		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is not the best virginia smoked, but it's very well done. Slightly sweet and pleasant, good burning qualities. Recommended ------------------------------------------------------------ Questo è un virginia facile facile, medio in tutto, dolce ma non troppo, brucia bene, umidità non eccessiva, piacevole, cremoso e non banale. Lo consiglio.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-01-09		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

A mans smoke. Excellant. I like the moisture level.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-11-03		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This is one of the finest flakes I have come across, the sidestream reminds me of a good incense. Good mouthwatering, musty, pungent, bitter red virginia tobacco. Abracadabra this flake should be called every night!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-09-06		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

My favorite Virginia right now. This is the third English I have tried, and I would recommend it, highly. I do prefer Latakia, but this is a good change from it. I found the tin to be a little moist for my preference, but I tend to load the pipe, char light it and then let it sit for a few hours before lighting for real.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-07-24		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

"Life is a Flat Bitch. Then you get to Die."

I want to die from an overdose of Opening Night. What a great way to go. Great Virginias seasoned with....more Great Virginias!

There's a party in my Pie-Hole!! (Keep the noise down, I'm trying to get some sleep here.)

Could do with some aging, but in order for that to happen, I'll have to have them put up a 55 Gallon Drum of this great weed. When it's empty, you can bury me in it....along with the big shit eating grin on my face.

I love the way the virginias play tag all the way down the bowl, especially in my Autograph that has a bowl about the size of that 55 Gallon drum referenced above.

Very nicely done.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-07-10		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

The fine folks at Cornell & Diehl have another winner. O.N. comes in a nice flake. I like the "all tobacco" aroma from the tin. As with most C&D blends I fully rub out the flaks after drying. This gives me an easy pack, light, and burn. The taste is pure, simple unaltered, Virginia..... slightly sweet, and "grassy". Someday this may be "my desert island" blend, but for now I'm having to much enjoyment in my mad dash down the Virginia hiway. This blend gets a solid

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	b7q (53)	2023-01-05		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Sometimes I need a mixture,Sometimes even looking for specific flavors that highlight the mixture, and now I need something low frequency and one-dimensional to meet the nicotine needs, and Opening Night does that.

I'm now taking him from bowl to bowl, looking for a suitable home for him,good stuff!

Note: When you open the tin, there are two beautiful rabbit ears. It is very ritualistic

Pipe Used: Briar&Meerschaum&Corn&Clay

Age When Smoked: new

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrHoo (20)	2022-09-27		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I can't add much to what the brothers have written about this great Virginia flake. It, along with GLP Union Square are now my exclusive flakes. I'll just say this: Opening Night has every good quality of all the best Virginia flakes with none of the troublesome qualities. It packs and burns well, it won't bite unless you really push, it has a mild/medium nic level _and_ full flavor. And you can't really beat the price. I'm not an all day smoker but, if I were, this would be the flake I reached for. My only complaint is that I try to limit myself to two bowls a night and Opening Night always leaves me wanting another.

Pipe Used: Various old briars

Age When Smoked: Good fresh from the tin but also ages well.

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: GLP Union Square.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tobaksrøg (53)	2022-09-03		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Not that different from Union Square, which is not necessarily bad. There is nothing that sticks out, rendering this blend rather unremarkable. Which is also not necessarily bad. 2 and a half for this American VA.

Age When Smoked: New

Nobody has rated this review yet.