Cornell & Diehl Epiphany

Epiphany has a sweet tin note, almost that of a lightly topped American drug store mixture. The charring light brings forth some rich flavors that were not at all what I expected. The latakia is very light yet quite noticeable in flavor and aroma. The perique component is also very much at play. Having smoked my share of latakia forward blends than contain a bit of perique (Nightcap, various GLP offerings like Blackpoint, Samarra, & Piccadilly), it's interesting to taste a blend where the roles of the latakia & perique are essentially reversed. With Epiphany the tang & spice of the perique are very forward, while the Latakia gently tempers the background adding its pleasant and familiar musty aroma.

Altogether the smoke has a rugged quality to it and nasal exhale is a bit rough, the side stream is toasty, woodsy, a touch sweet with a pungency that definitely tickles the sinuses. The Virginia and burleys are very much the low note here and by mid-pipe the hallmark brashness of the C&D burleys come through both in a subtle nuttiness and in an astringency that develops as you work your way down the bowl. In other words, the Virginias aren't present enough for this to taste like a slightly altered VaPerBur. Instead an Old-Time burley flavor seems to lead the way and the perique continues to press, intensifying in forwardness. This is not a sweet blend, and as expected the Latakia is more of an accent.

Throughout the bowl the mouth-feel is a bold medium. There are some nice complexities in the interplay between components but I wouldn't call them extraordinary. Nicotine is very much a part of the party but it's not overwhelming. Strength wise I would rate Epiphany as a firm medium/borderline medium-strong. It's good for a noticeable buzz but not a dizzy swim.

Overall the primary flavors are fairly balanced, simple and straight forward, yet somehow understated. Epiphany takes to a match fairly well but some relights are required. The burley and VA's do burn quicker than the perique and latakia creating some performance problems, but in trade this attribute does add to the complexity of the blend. It smokes cool with no bite and delivers a satisfying pipe smoke that I find to be unique and quite enjoyable. I would not categorize this as a Mild English or an everyday smoke. The value of a blend like this is in its uniqueness. This, coupled with the fact that it's pretty darned good makes it a nice mixture to keep around.

This is a mix of a medium and medium-narrow chopped ribbon. There are some "fish food" torn bits and a few pieces of mostly rubbed out flake. It is mostly tan and brown ribbons with some black tobacco in there too. The pouch note is slightly sweet and a little earthy. Moisture level seemed pretty good to me, and I smoked it as delivered.

I have tried smoking this in a variety of pipes. The best smokes were in pots and cobs that had been altered to have a wide bore ID. Initially I was a little disappointed and got what I would term a slightly "muddy" taste when sipped. The flavors were a little meh, and it was uninspiring. I tried wider bowls and that helped. Finally I tried experimenting a little with cadence.

Puffed, you get bitter from the burley, and just before the bitter arrives is the sweet spot. It is earthy and sweet with a mild rum flavor. There are fruit notes. The latakia and perique are about as prominent as they are in Chestnut. You can notice them if you are thinking about them, but if you are just puffing away (a little faster than usual), there is a just a subtle, pleasant smokiness in the background from the latakia. I claim the perique contributes to the fruit.

This is a very good "all-day" smoke if people still look for such a thing these days. There was a slight learning learning curve for me as I learned what produced the best results, but it was well worth it. It was never heavy, and the nicotine is mild-medium. It was interesting enough to smoke consecutive bowls. It is burley forward, so you have to like burley to like this. Given that warning, it is very easy for me to recommend.

I really did not find Epiphany to taste like the HOW Revalation at all. I did, however, find it to be similar in many ways to HOW's Country Doctor as all of the elements are similar in both blends. HOW's Country Doctor was tastier, IMO, but Epiphany is decent. The flavor is too subdued and not enough strength for my personal tastes, but I sure see where this one can ring the chimes of those who like lighter "English" style fare.

Epiphany is easy to load, arrives at the perfect moisture level, burns easily and is a cool blend that won't nip, even when aggressive puffing is employed.

No concentration needed when smoking this simpleton. A blue collar blend all the way.

This blend is supposed to be similar to the old Revelation mixture, as it existed 20 or 30 years ago. I never tried the original myself, so I?m unqualified to judge whether or not this hits the mark of the original formula (although I have a friend who smoked it in his youth and swears this is a deadringer for it). Instead, I?ll focus on the smoke itself and my impressions, which were overwhelmingly favorable. Based on what I?d heard about Revelation, I had expected an American-English blend with a mild berry or fruit topping. This was only half-correct. When I first light up this blend, my impressions are of sweet Virginias and fruit. The overall effect can be compared to a very mild, burley-centric version of Haddo?s Delight, although the flavors aren?t identical. This impression only grows stronger after multiple bowls are smoked in the same pipe. This continues for the first third or so of the bowl, with only a slight hint of latakia. Then the blend seems to shift and I get a more traditional American-English taste of burley and latakia with the fruit/perique notes consigned to the background for the rest of the bowl (think of a sweetened version of Morley?s Best or Junkyard Dawg). The taste is great, and the room note is okay. I at first thought this blend was a little light on the nicotine, but I?ve since changed my mind. Smoking two medium-sized bowls of this in a three-hour period had me a little dizzy. It burns extremely well, if a little fast, and like a lot of burleys will grow hot if not smoked slowly. However, it doesn?t seem to bite unless I deliberately provoke it. In fact, I?m smoking some right now while drinking a Red Rock ginger ale with no problems, which is probably as good as a sign as any that it?s not too harsh on the tongue.

Conclusion: This stuff is very nice, somewhere between 3 and 4 stars. There are points when I?ve thought a little more latakia would be in order, but other times I've thought it's perfect just as it is. Only time will tell, but I?m inclined to think that this will hold up far better over time than most American English blends, if for no other reason than it's quite a bit more complex but just as easy to smoke.

Well, by golly, this tobacco is a sweet surprise. Lately I've been smoking virginia / burley aromatics. I like Latakia in mild doses but my regular "Frog Morton Cellar" is no longer made. So, I've been looking for a mild aromatic light english to take its place. Must have read a couple of thousand reviews before settling on this.

Here I am smoking my first bowl in a brand new corncob and I have to say, I like it. It's mild, and moderately sweet, and lightly aromatic. The thing that otherwise stands out is a light spiciness - probably the perique. It pleasantly tingles the nose just a bit. Leaves a nice taste on the palate. I can't really taste the topping yet but maybe when I've broken in the pipe. It doesn't do to tamp it down too much. It needs to breathe in the bowl.

I'm on my second bowlful. Very consistent. Don't feel a nic hit til I'm halfway through the bowl and not too much... this is a very contemplative smoke. Like all the English blends I have tried it tends to be acrid if it gets too dry in the pouch. I can't taste the toppings but it probably is making the smoke sweeter. I like it but I don't know if will take a place in my rotation. Good quality tobacco. All-day sort of flavor. First impression three stars.

I'm well into the pouch now and have been smoking it more. I'll probably keep this in my rotation. Nice and smooth. This is supposed to be a match for Einstein's favorite - Revelation. It's nice to have a connection to that peerless scientist. I still can't taste the toppings. I keep it slightly moist so that there is no bite.

I'd like to let this one cellar for a bit, but I'll give my initial impressions. By some, this has been generically billed as a burley blend. I would tend to disagree with that. As I have mentioned in other reviews, I prefer burley blends. For me, the Latakia and Perique were very up front, although I could sense the burley. (I will admit that I may have been puffing a bit too hard, and this may have brought the smokiness and spiciness to the front.)

Generally speaking, I found this to have a mild burley flavor with an assertive smoky and peppery taste. Vitamin N needs should be satisfied for most of us -- -- certainly not overwhelming though. Some others have mentioned a fruity taste, perhaps raisin or figs. I did not detect any fruitiness, although I'm not bothered by that at all. I will continue to smoke and purchase this blend, although I am going to cellar a portion of mine for later comparison. This does not bite and smokes pretty cool.

Recommended for those who enjoy burley, yet want something with a bit more punch.

UPDATE (10/15/11): I'd like to add a few additional insights that have made this a more enjoyable blend for me.

1. Despite the C&D reputation for relative dryness, I like to spread each bowl on a small saucer for about 20 minutes prior to smoking.

2. I smoke this one in smaller/medium bowls. Not one for the big boys.

3. I usually don't smoke a bowl full of this one. I've found that if I do that, the last third is not pleasant. I usually load a half to two-thirds of a bowl.

With the above approach, this blend tastes fresher and more multi-dimensional (for this blend). Hot-boxing a full bowl will, of course, not be a pleasant experience. (It never is, right?) I'd pair this with a nice, full bodied, black coffee (one sugar).

By in large, a pipe smoker of strong Virginia plugs/flake tobaccos, I have spent the last several weeks smoking a variety of old American OTC tobaccos...Back in the 1960's I smoked the PM Revelation and decided to try the other "Revelation" match tobaccos as well...

...this C&D version is a solid tobacco...rounder than the HOW version,a bit more refined than Altadis R-Blend, and not as "rich" as Painter Hills, 4 Noggins version... That said, each version has its own characteristics, and I've enjoyed all these versions...

For an "Americanized" light english mixture, any one of these will do...however, my top two choices are Epiphany and Painter Hills...

Easily an all day smoke, Epiphany is well put-together with quality leaf, and I believe will age quite well...

...a pipe is to be savored...

I find Epiphany to be mainly a Burley/Virginia blend with just a very small amount of Latakia and Perique. Of the four tobaccos, the Burley is the most dominate but not overpowering. Each component seems to be added in a way that compliments the others. Seeing the large number of reviews that rate the “flavoring” i.e. casing at medium, a level usually commonly reserved for full aromatics, I was a little slow to smoke this blend. Epiphany is a very well blended tobacco, and it burns smooth and cool. I notice the fruit topping the most around mid-bowl but never overtakes the tobacco flavor. There is some complexity in this blend too. But I don’t consider this to be an English blend. I’m not a regular smoker of Burley forward blends and Epiphany isn’t going to change that fact for me, but I think that many will find this very much to their liking as it is very well done.

This is a blend that I have been meaning to try forever, for some reason i have not until now. I am a huge fan of Einstein and of C and D Blends so it makes since that i would like this blend. I also think that Craig produces some of the best burleys in the business, just love the taste. This blend has a somewhat spicy pouch aroma, with the Latakia and perique rising to the task here along with a top dressing that is somewhat fruity. It is a very mixed bag in appearance in the pouch, from a lot of very blonde collored flakes running through the browns darker to the Latakia. It has a ot of very large cut burley in it so one has to be careful packing at to not make the draw too hard. One loaded, I found I had to light it often and had to relite several times during the bowl. But, it was worth it. It had a very nice, creamy flavor, the topping giving it a sweetness that was not over the top, but just right, the burley giving it plenty of body and the perique and latakia, giving it a spice that changed back and forth as the bowl burned down.

It is a slow burning blend, bite free unless pushed too hard, then it would bark a little. But sipped, it had a very peasant sweet smooth smoke that I enjoyed a lot. It burned down to a grey ash with just a little dottle. It was a little moister than most C and D blends I have received and this might account for that as most of Craigs blends burn to a fine ash. While I did enjoy this blend very much, i can't give it four stars as it required too many relites. But I do recommend trying it.