Cornell & Diehl Epiphany

This blend just did not do anything for me. No flavor, no strength. Tasted like I was smoking a stale cigarette. Tried smoking the blend in different pipes but nothing. 1 star.

A difficult review as Epiphany, ostensibly a Revelation match, is a reviewers' favorite. And its tough to buck the history on this one - it was one of Dr. Albert Einstein's top choices. Challenging credentials to contest.

I've wrestled off on on throughout my life to like this blend. I really wanted to like it, but just never been able to do it.

As teenagers we managed to illicitly acquire a few supermarket blends like Holiday, Rum and Maple, Prince Albert and Hickory, but Revelation was one of those finds we'd obsess over. The Burley, Virginia, Latakia and Perique configuration made it intriguing and a joy to have around. It smelled different and exciting. But as I recollect none of my pals ever actually smoked Revelation much because it was just an unpleasant encounter, bitter and biting, like Popa's Camel cigarettes.

And things haven't changed for me. Acquired 8 ounces recently in another attempt to embrace this icon tobac only to find it still smells great, but that is where the adventure ends. It smokes hot, has a tendency to require multiple relites, tastes bitter, is hard on the throat, and ghosts any pipe I ever put it in including the cobs. I'm relegated to using it as a mixer and for me that is where its salvaging grace lies. I give it ** stars in deference to all good Revelation lovers out there.

Sorry Dr. Einstein but your passion for it athwarts a dimension I have never been able to enter.

The previous reviewer is right in that this is a shag cut, not a ribbon. But no matter. It is a very well balanced English blend. Hints of natural sweetness coming together with spicy Latakia. MM MM good! I bought a whole pound of this and stored it in mason jars. When you get to the crumbs at the very bottom of the mason jar, it tends to smoke ashy and strong. So buy a big bulk amount so you can get the good stuff. You save a lot of money that way too! Only about $30/pound.

Well, I have to say that I think I must've gotten my 2 ounces from the bottom of the bulk jar. This was supposed to be a "ribbon" cut but really I all got were tiny little flakes and dust. This, of course, made it impossible to smoke in my favorite cob as I kept sucking the flakes through the stem into my mouth. So, I switched to my Savinelli bent apple. This was a slight improvement but as the bowl wore on, the unburnt flakes started to pack themselves against the draw hole.

As for the smoke itself I got some smokiness (i.e. Latakia) in the bag but this didn't really transfer to the bowl where I found mainly burley and perique. The lack of latakia made it a little too spicy for me and because it lacked the smokiness of the latakia, the burley and perique just sort of hung there with nothing to support it. In the words of the 42nd president of the USA, there really was no "there" there.

I blended some in various ratios with 1Q and will see what that does in a week or so. I'll order some BCA and blend it with that, too, and see what happens.

A friend gave me a sample of Epiphany and Billy Budd, my first experience with Cornell and Diehl. Epiphany has many reviews so there is not much I can add except I like this one, even though I like a little more Latakia in my English Blends. A good amount of burley gives this one a bit of a kick, but not anywhere near as powerful as Billy Budd. No bite, a nice change from my usual English blends.

The taste is quite multi-dimensional. Early in the bowl the tobacco is slightly sweet with a slight rooty taste (not quite licorice but difficult to put a finger on) later in the bowl the sweetness wanes, giving way to medium woodiness. There is a spiciness throughout. It is reminiscent of an eastern chai tea and can really be experienced if exhaled through the nostrils. Overall it is something that all smokers should try, but not my absolute favorite (it leaves my mouth pasty and somewhat dry). It will always have a place on my shelf.

I do kinda like this blend, however I get that black Cavendish mouth paste feeling that keeps me from reaching for it very often. I also notice an added flavoring or maybe its just the flavoring that's present in most C&D burleys that Ive smoked. C&D is one of my favorite blenders but black Cavendish will ruin any blend for me. 2 stars because I will smoke the rest I have but not re-up when its gone.

Being a relatively new pipe tobacco smoker and a ex cigarette smoker. I don't have the expertise or knowledge that most have here. That being said, I liked this tobacco. It has a nice flavor. I'm still discovering what certain tobacco tastes like what, but I have figured out what latakia tastes like and i like it. As far as nicotine, I'm not a good judge on that. The more nicotine the better for me. This brand definitely curbed my cigarette cravings so, it must have a good amount of nicotine.

OK, I'm updating my review from one star to three, I found that in the pound I received that I stored two quart jars and took the last bit on the bottom and put it in a jelly jar for my immediate use, only problem is that it seems that this tobacco wasn't mixed up good enough and I got mostly burly in my first pipe full. It's a rather large cut for my small pipe, probably better smoked in a larger pipe for consistency.