Cornell & Diehl Epiphany

I just bought a pound of Epiphany and WOW! I normally smoke mild English which I believe they have changed the name to smooth English, anyway this stuff is awesome. I've found a new favorite. Just finished my first bowl of it and it is absolutely the best blend I've ever stuffed in my pipe. It is everything smooth English is but better. A little stronger and slightly more bitey but truely delicious. I'll be switching to this blend as my all day smoke. I understand this blend is a copycat of Einstien's favorite tobacco. I don't know about that but if it's true the man has impeccable taste in tobacco. Definitely 5 stars here. The best tobacco I've ever tasted

I get the nutty sweet burley and the almost sweet VA a bit forward and suspect by themselves would be a good smoke. The latakia is very mild but always present, the perique is not quite spicy but, as one reviewer noted, a bit like raisins. The topping is what I call "berry-ish" but lightly present so as to not cover the very nice tobacco flavors. A real American blend, soft and very smooth without a bite. The flavors deepen over time but remained balanced. I do the first light by holding the match high enough to see the individual ribbons catch on and keep the pace slow. A very good blend with a nice old timey room note.

Not a big aromatic fan.. I will say this blend however Is a wonderful switch up kind of blend for me. It's not syrupy nor soapy like some other aro's.. it's a fine English blend with some body that gives forth slightly exotic fruit flavoring (think pomegranate) in a clean manner. Between this and SG chocolate flake pretty much the only aromatics I've gone back to.

Revelation as per House of Windsor was not a favorite of mine, but I had to try Epiphany as it was described to be a good duplicate of Phillip Morris Revelation. Opening the tin the smell reminded me of Sir Walter Raleigh , which is not a bad thing in itself. That similarity ended there Tobacco packed well into the pipe, lit well and smoked like a dream. This is one of those smokes that left me wondering why the bowl wasn't bigger! No one tobacco or flavor dominates this blend, it is well balanced in everything but cut. While it is a little chunky, it is consistent. Solid smoke, highly recommended! Will smoke this one for many years to come!!!

****Update #2***** Two years since my review. I ordered a couple more ounces of epiphany from smokingpipes and found it completely different. I honestly believe that I got either the last bit of the batch or that it was mixed right. If this is how the tobacco is now than that is upsetting. I taste almost nothing but perique. The blend is a lot darker than it used to be, and I cannot take the pepperyness. I am not going to change my rating until I try it again, as I had smoked 4 ounces of the good stuff and honestly believe that I just got a batch not completely mixed this time around. Just putting this out there, if more people feel the same it should become apparent in the reviews and we will know the blend has changed. ***Update*** Okay, this tobacco has grew on me heavily over a short amunt of time. Just recently I rated it two stars, and had confused feeling about it. The first two times i packed a bowl, i couldn't even finish it it was so appalling to me, but now I am just about out of my two ounce sample, after smoking it daily for a couple of weeks. It is a fantastic morning smoke. I still feel the burly is sometimes too dominant, but the other flavors are now a lot more prevalent. Fantastic "American Light English" is the best way of me describing it. Give it a try, and if you don't like it at first, go back to it periodically and watch it evolve into the delicious blend it will become.

***Original review** this one is a little bit hard for me to review. If you love Burly blends, I am positive you will be a fan. The quality and flavor of the burly is perhaps the best i have tasted, but, it is completely dominant. The first couple bowls of Epiphany that i smoked i was completely disappointed. I am not the biggest fan of straight burly blends, but i enjoy, and actually prefer burly in my english blends, to give that nutty sort of backbone. The first few bows however tasted of nothing but burly, with something weird going on behind the scenes that i couldn't quite put my finger on. I am guessing that i tasted the other ingredients, but so slightly that i couldn't pick them out. After a couple more bowls though, I am beginning taste something a little more complex, the Virginia and the Latakia are coming up to the surface, then fading away, and then returning again.I think the perique is becoming apparent as well, but definitely in a supporting role, and is hardly detectable. I am not sure if it is a coincidence, or if it is because I made sure i got the blend real mixed up and made sure some black leaves were being packed, but it is now pretty enjoyable.

In conclusion, if you love burly, you will love this, but if you are expecting a sort of Early Morning Pipe type light english, you are probably going to be as confused as I am =)

If this blend continues to grow in complexity, i will have no problems bumping it up a star. currently **

to my palate, and despite the presence of burley and lack of virginias, the taste is very similar to the classic Presbyterian mixture. I have tried many of the C&D 'English' blends and I love this one. A really nice cool smoke which gave me an unexpectedly welcome kick. I recommend it highly.

My first foray into the realm of English blends, this tobacco (technically considered an "American English") opened my eyes to a new, personal revelation: non-aromatics, and more specifically, latakia. Upon opening the tin, my nostrils were filled with the burning tire sensation so many have described here -- I knew immediately that it was the latakia I was smelling. A bit of swelling on light up, probably due to my horrible packing technique. My tongue was swaddled with my first taste of unadulterated burley, latakia, and perique, and I knew I would never return to the land of aromatics -- yes, it was epiphanic. As lame as that may sound, it truly was a revelation for me as far as tastes are concerned: the tobaccos slowly coalesced into one fine, thick pot of mellow goodness; all the flavors of the peppery perique, the creamy (or soapy) latakia, the sweetness of the virginias and burley. . . I doubt even the original Revelation was this good, but if this tobacco is any testament of its model, it is truly well named.

UPDATE:

I have had several more bowls of this and it seemed inconsistent in flavor. After a deep pipe clean days ago, I came back to it this morning and had the same joyous experience as the one above. Could just be the alignment of mood/climate/time of day, but I cannot get enough of this blend. Very contemplative and special to me as I would not have continued my journey into the land of non-aromatics were it not for this.

This is the best tobacco i ever tried i no longer have a rotation i only smoke epiphany now this is my tobacco.5 stars.

When the breeze blows through the autumn leaves still drying on the trees, it makes a different sound than during the hot humid days of summer. The rustling in the boughs this warm overcast morning made me contemplative, the perfect mood for a bowl of Epiphany.

No problem at all packing and burning. This particular sample was quite dry, and because it was a gift I don't know if it came from a tin or bulk, but my guess is bulk. Makes me happy since I plan to buy a pound for aging. Seems to me this blend will only improve with some time in the cellar.

The first word that comes to mind is earthy. It starts off mild, as the description suggests. Earthy and warm, it makes for a perfect autumn outdoor morning smoke, with a mug of Starbucks at my side. I'm thinking it's the Burley that gives that earthy note, and it works perfectly in this particular blend of leaves. I'm literally tasting what I hear rustling in the branches above my head - autumn, dried leaves, fall colors. The Latakia is very mild and serves only to provide some flavoring and richness. All the ingredients meld so well that the overall end result is all that comes through. This is perhaps one of the best balanced combination of tobaccos I've had in a while.

Sweet Virginias make an occasional appearance, but most of the time it's that consistent blend of flavors that create what is in my experience a unique combination. Yes, it's a mild English, but it gains a bit of strength during the smoke to push it toward the medium part of the spectrum. About half way though I notice a toastiness that lasts the rest of the bowl. This is where it really gets good. The occasional hint of a very light topping comes through, but I can't honestly tell whether that's just natural sweetness of if they added something. For those of you who don't prefer toppings, there's nothing to fear as it's so light as to make me question whether or not it's just the natural tobacco flavors.

Yes, I will certainly acquire more of this. It's a keeper and easily earns four stars.