Cornell & Diehl Epiphany

It is going some distance for me to give any flavored blend three stars, especially English ones. I only bought this as I thought I could not think I had done the complete C&D Bulk English offerings and not taste it. At the same time I also bought a tin of Sutliff Private Stock R Blend (their version of Revelation) for comparison. Not having any idea of Einsteins favorite I can only test this and the Sutliff against each other and in my own biased way.

Opening the package and jarring Epiphany was a sensory assault - the unlit aroma recalled Bazooka Bubblegum and Wrigley's Juicy Fruit chewing gum from my youth. I prepared to be disappointed. In appearance it looked to be a standard English blend in the C&D style of ribbon cut. Not exactly elegant but it IS a bulk... Component wise it has all the goodies I like so I packed a Kaywoodie (with stinger) and fired it up. First light, bubblegum does not come through the smoke but some fruity sweetness does. It is considerably smokey in taste and heavier than the Sutliff in Latakia, much heavier. Flavor also reminds me of some light vanilla and maple with a berry base of some sort. For me at least the salty nature of this blend saves it.

For a non-aro guy it goes some for me to say I'll keep some of this around. My 4 ounce sampling is about gone, more to come soon, I'm sure. It is superior to the Sutliff (but that's another review).

Friend of mine sent this sample, with some others.

Pouch smells of an oddly familiar, yet completely unable to recollect fruit. I'd put it somewhere between grapes and plums, with a little berry as well. I can detect some smokiness but not very much. The blend smells very, very sweet.

Initial char is pleasantly spicy upfront, wait, this is an "English"? First few draws are spicy as well, with little-to-none of that fruity sweet aromatic smell coming out. I'm getting a little burley burp (the back of the throat lumping) but no bite other than the spice. A snork and french inhale tell me there is a topping, but I just cannot put my finger on it... again some strange plum/grape flavor that's really hard to pin down. The latakia is fairly subdued here, I get a hint of it early on and it does get a bit more pronounced as the bowl goes on, but just enough to be mildly smoky...

Midway through the bowl, I'm now getting a bit more lat and that unique fruit flavor... and it's actually got a surprising sweetness... I'm still scratching my head, waiting for that Epiphany of "name that topping", and it's pretty wonderful playing the guessing game with it. Oh, and it's still spicy. Even with the lat emerging it's not in the potency that I would put on par with Squadron Leader or Nightcap.

After finishing the bowl and letting my cob cool down, I sniffed it to try one last time to figure out the topping and came back with "fruit punch". Considering every kind of fruit imaginable is in fruit punch, it really didn't help me.

That's all I got. It's good, mildly complex, and pretty tasty. Not life changing, but a good smoke.

Update 11/23/2015

Well, I bit the bullet and paid big bucks for a sealed tin of Philip Morris Revelation from the 50's(?) I think. The tin was sealed with a red tape around the opening. Inside, it seemed to be in an envelope that resembled the texture of parchment paper. I am assuming that this was ideal storage at the time this was produced.

My point of stating all this is that the stuff was not that good at all. The topping had flashed, there was nothing much left in way of latakia and the blend took on that cardboard taste that old stale blends tend to take on. Having experienced this, I think that is impossible to actually compare this blend to what is being made for a match today.

I shared this with a couple of fellow reviewers here and they, in turn, shared some matches with me. One gave me the sutliff match, and the other, some Epiphany as it had been a while since I tried it. The Sutliff match was much better than the other blend I had previously tried by them. I think it was R Blend that is their other earlier match. However, the Epiphany was head and shoulders above all of these.

The sample I tried seemed to scream four stars to me and I can't decide if this is due to my taste and experience improving since I last tried it or a problem with consistency on part of C&D. In any case, I am not changing this from its three stars, but will definitely be buying more and may add a star to this one later as I really enjoyed the generous sample I just finished.

Original Review 10/7/2013

I never had revelation and likely never will. Not that it matters as this is a fine tobacco on its own. It must have been quite a blend to have inspired so many knockoffs from so many blenders. This is one of the better ones in my opinion. The Sutliffe version, Man's Best friend, is terrible by comparison.

To me this is good, but not great. It is reliable and can be smoked all day without a problem and will also fill a contemplative itch quite well. Like many of the C&D blends it relies heavily on their fine burleys. The perique is prevalent and the Lat is but a whisper in the background. The topping is light enough not to encroach on the natural tobacco flavor, but strong enough to make an impact on the blend. There is great balance amongst the components in this blend with none really stealing the show.

My hunting buddy loves this stuff and is more responsible for finishing off my 8 ounces than myself over the past few hunting seasons as he just can't get enough of it. He is in for a disappointment this November as I don't intend to buy any more any time soon. Just too much of other stuff in the cellar.

So I do recommend this one, particularly as a crossover to those looking to get into english blends. So three stars as it just doesn't jump in to must have territory for me.

After several tins of this stuff, I'm just now going to try and shed some light on this baccy. Epiphany is something special but odd. Like an earlier reviewer stated it is a smoke that will at first have you feeling a bit annoyed, but after a few more bowls you will begin to warm up to it and then feel like its something you need to keep around. The tin presentation is typical C&D well balanced and top grade leafs, the smell is a bit different, sort of like a kids cereal with a hint of smokiness lingering in the background (Toasted Lucky Charms comes to mind). The vitamin N is there throughout and should be respected b/c it will jump on you fast. Experienced 0 tongue bite, but did notice it like to heat up just a bit. I found around mid bowl this baccy really begins to shine and seems offer moments that kept me coming back for more. Overall a nice smoke that gives you a little something different.

I like this blend. Bob Runowski did a great job recreating the Philip Morris Revelation. I have some to compare it to! ..Anyways, The taste is almost SPOT ON...BUT...and a very BIG but...the room note is different. Revelation has a nice sweetish/earthy room note. Epiphany is lacking it. I really wish he could have captured that. Other than that, I love it. Good all day smoke.

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

I have to say that my take on this one is quite different from so many others. I would love to add another great review of this blend but alas it is not in the cards. I honestly cannot comment on it too much because here is what happens for me . . . on lighting I get the fruity top note nice enough, a little of the smokiness of the lat. a tiny amount of pepper from the perique and then I exhale, which comes out sour. Its all sour no nuance at all. The sourness just lingers and the more I puff the more pronounced that sourness gets. By the half way point sour is all I can taste and then it gets astringent and constricts my nasal passages I mean I can actually feel them getting tighter. I don't know what would cause this and this is the only blend that has ever done this to me. I have over the course of the last 6 weeks tried this 5 different times with the same result. I cannot finish the sample. I am glad that several reviews really enjoy this and I hope that they continue to do so it is just not smoke able for me.

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.