Cornell & Diehl Epiphany

I enjoyed this blend. It is not a Latakia "dump", rather a nice blend of what I call an "American mixture" given it contains Burley and no Oriental (if you exclude Latakia) leaf. I never smoked Revelation, but assume it's a close match given the fine work of C&D. It is, as the tin description attests, a light blend. It provides a complex smoke that provides a subtle sweetness from the Virginia, inter-mixed with the spice of Perique and nuttiness of the Burley. They all marry nicely. The mixture is far from a ribbon cut. I would call it a chop cut. It does light easily and stays lit providing a cool and relaxing smoke. Moisture content is perfect. I will keep Epiphany in my rotation and highly recommend it to lovers of American blends.

Opening this year old tin of Epiphany revealed loose, uniform ribbons in dominating shades of brown with some black thrown in for good measure. The tin aroma was fruity, and I could definitely smell the latakia component. The tobacco was a little dry, and clean to the touch.

Since my sample was aged for a year, the taste may be different when this blend is younger. An unlit sip brought a faint hint of the fruitiness, and the charring light brought almost a plum taste with some of the latakia making its appearance. Overall it seemed the nuttiness of the burley played in the background like the drone on a bagpipe with the latakia and fruity/plum flavors of the Virginia going in and out with each puff. The perique occasionally adds a hint of spice, but only rarely. Epiphany burned to a gray ash leaving a pleasant room note and a short finish. I have never tried the original Revelation that this blend was supposed to be emulating, so I have no opinion on how close the two blends are.

I enjoyed smoking this blend. I found it to be a milder English blend than what I am used to, but I really enjoyed the Virginia and burley components. I would recommend this to anyone wanting a blend containing latakia when it is not dominating the smoke. I will probably be buying more of this in the future.

Epiphany? I suppose it may be, depending on what you were looking for. If you are searching for a very mild (very little Latakia) English blend, well this is it. I prefer a bit more Latakia in a mild English blend, myself.

There is a very slight sweetness indicative of a very light topping. This is not an Aromatic blend. I found it pleasant and pleasing from pouch to the bottom of the bowl. I have a pound on hand and will smoke it because it is good.

Epiphany is a premium quality blend for those who desire just a spattering of Latakia (barely noticeable) and just a touch of sweetness in a tobacco that could easily be an all day smoke. Another winner from C&D. I give it four stars.

Damn you Tarler and Runowski!! Now I have to add another blend to my regular list of purchases.

After my first bowl of Epiphany in a Peterson's Kapet I thought it was a nice, pleasant light english blend with no bite. By the third bowl I had fallen in love with the blend. I smoked three bowls within a 4 hour period and still had no bite and wasn't tired of the taste!

Packs easy, lights easy, stays lit, good taste without any overpowering features, good nico effect, non-offensive room aroma, no bad aftertaste. This is neither sweet nor harsh. Just a nice, cool, even smoke for those of us who like English/Balkan blends.

This is a lighter smoke then my all time favorites - Nightcap, Odyssey, Crowley's Best but will join Peterson's Irish Whiskey as a must have smoke on a daily basis. Good for the 3 or 4 bowls in between the heavier blends.

These are my initial impressions of this blend, I've only had a few bowlfuls of this stuff but in these few bowls, a lot of character can be picked up in this tabac. The tin note was very fig like, maybe raisins or prunes. Assorted black/brown/ruddy red colors. It packs well and takes to a light extremely well out of the tin. Tons of transitions in flavor are abundant with this blend. I instantly pull out a fruity/dried fig flavor. Then I can really feel the spicy notes of the perique, it actually took me by surprise because all the other flavors are smooth and the perique periodically plants itself in your nose. From other reviews discussing the minimal addition of perique, I really didn't expect it to be as pronounced. The Latakia drops in once in a while and adds a little depth and body to it, kinda rounds it all out. I got a nice little nic hit from it mid-bowl. It burns very easily, no dottle and white ash. I'm really happy with this blend, I highly recommend.

C & D is certainly the most adventurous tobacco company operating in this PC, nicotine-hating world we live in today. And I am glad they have the gumption to recreate blends from the past which seem to be disappearing faster than new ones are showing up on tobacconists' shelves every day. Their newest blend, EPIPHANY, is a noble effort to recapture the "heavenly" REVELATION from House of Windsor, often described as a "drugstore" blend (not in any drugstore I knew of, though). As for appearance, Epiphany and Revelation are virtually identical, a black, brown and tan chopped ribbon; and likewise the casing/dressing tantalizes with a deep aroma of Juicy Fruit chewing gum with not a little menthol thrown into the mix to anesthetize the tastebuds (Yes, menthol!). I'd say the perique ratio is about the same as in the original, but, perhaps, of higher quality, i.e., more winey, raisiny. But here's the kicker... Maybe in earlier incarnations, Revelation contained much larger proportions of latakia, and, if that's the case, Epiphany is a more faithful replication of the original. Whereas Revelation offers but a soft whisper of latakia, in Epiphany it's a Rebel Yell! Many will prefer this---I don't. Epiphany arrived very moist in the tin and required a substantial drying out. Still, I would recommend this to any pipe smoker on both sides of the latakia fence (love it or hate it). There's really nothing else like it on the market today. For you Revelation junkies out there going through withdrawal, also try C & D's COMFORT blend.

Over the years, there's been 3 different versions of Revelation. 1) The original Phillip Morris version (The best, in my opinion.) 2) The early House of Windsor version (visually different, but possessed the same basic flavor). 3) The last House of Windsor version (Large, chunky cube cut, fruit top note non-existent at times, difficult to keep lit, harsh on the tongue).

Cornell & Diehl's Epiphany is a virtual copy of the original Phillip Morris product. A near perfect blending of Burleys, Virginias, with a touch of Latakia and Perique. The fruit top note is done with restraint, yet is evident for the entire bowl. A visually interesting mixture of small cubes, long cut Virginia, black bits of Latakia and Perique, and flakes of Bright Virginia. Beautiful! The pouch aroma is typical, old fashioned "pipe tobacco", reminiscent of times past.

Flavor is creamy, nutty and smooth, with no single tobacco taking center stage. The sweet top dressing is a bit pronounced at first light, but settles down nicely, never interfering with the base tobacco flavor. Little to no bite is detected, even with vigorous puffing. Burning qualities are excellent, with very few re-lights needed.

I've smoked bowl after bowl in various pipes, and never tire of the taste, always anticipating the next bowl. I can't say that about most blends I've tried. Usually, one bowl is enough, then on to something different. Not so with Epiphany.

Overall, an outstanding rendition of an old, classic mixture. Craig Tarler and company have created yet another masterpiece. Bravo!

Highly Recommended!!!

CACooper

A good quality, classic American English blend. One that I greatly enjoy. It did take a few smokes and some age for me to warm up to it, however.

This is a match for the blend Revelation, a favorite of the great Albert Einstein. I've never had any variation of Revelation, new or aged. I cannot speak on this blend as a match, only as it stands on its own.

The latakia is minor in the blend but is noticed in every puff, a smoky flavor that plays very nicely with the other components and the flavoring added. I don't get much spice from the Perique, mostly the figgy fruit side of it. The burley is nutty and earthy, one of the dominant players of the tin. Quality burley, as is par for the course for C&D. I barely pick up on the Virginia, the sweetness is noticeable, though I occasionally pick up on citrus notes, which I assume comes from the Virginias, but could be the topping as well. The topping is very light, playing a minimal background part.

Very good stuff, a good classic Aromatic English, an old-school American blend, like the grandfathers and great-grandfathers of yesteryear, enjoyed.

This is a very nice, easy going, all day smoke. It is very similar to both Haunted Bookshop and Pegasus, but with very discreet amounts of Latakia and Pèrique added. Thus it is a tad stronger and has more body than the other two, yet it is still mild enough (in the friendly sense of the term) to be smoked through out the day. The Latakia does not impart the strong burnt-leaf aroma that many wives hate. The Pèrique imparts a gentle sour-sweet after taste that is very "cozy". I was greatly surprised and, unlike the other two, will be ordering more in the future.