Cornell & Diehl Mocha

I've not posted any reviews of C&D blends over the past couple of years although I have nearly 100 of them in my personal tobacco log. So, I am running through them as I get time to transcribe here on my favorite place to hang out and blab with my fingers. (-;

My Mocha from a few years ago came in a bag instead of a tin. I am always seeking out tobacco that has true Mocha flavoring. This one even had some sort of Alcohol essence in it. The Cavendish produced the sauce but was very dry and so, no goop in the bowl when I finished smoking.A lighthearted fun smoke, but not strong enough to wake me up in the mornings. For that, I'll stick with my trusty Gevalia Breakfast blend. I drink that one.

This tobacco is very similar to #305 Espresso, with the exception that a chocolate flavor is added to the coffee. As with #305, this is an aromatic with a casing that smells much stronger than it tastes. The actual taste is very good, a high-quality, darker tobacco flavor that is totally different from the goopy Lane stuff. Even those who don’t normally smoke aromatic tobaccos may want to try this one! The smell is very strongly coffee with chocolate undertones, an aroma that was noticeable through the sealed shipping box when I got the package. I imagine that the chocolate smell would be much more obvious if not overwhelmed by the coffee. The tobacco is very dark black, made up of smaller and larger chunks of irregularly cut leaf. The moisture level, when I first got the bag, was high; indeed, I was amazed at how much moisture was in this blend, as C&D tobaccos are usually bone-dry. It was almost as damp as the McClelland aromatics (though not sticky)! After a week, however, the tobacco dried out to the normal moisture level, leading me to believe that the dampness was due to water alone and not PG. It packs easily and lights quickly, burning through a bowl with a below-average number of relights. In the first third, I notice an initial flavor of coffee and chocolate, in roughly equal amounts. These flavors are by no means overwhelming, however, and the base tobacco quickly asserts itself as a mild, smooth, dark taste. In fact, as with many C&D aromatics, the smell of the casing is much stronger than the taste upon smoking. After the very start of the bowl, the strongest flavor I'm noticing is a dark, sweet, and slightly sour tobacco flavor. It is very smooth, with absolutely no bite and a definite presence on the palate. I'm still getting bursts of coffee and chocolate, and these meld well with the tobacco taste. This tobacco produces large volumes of smoke, even when I’m smoking it slowly, and the room note is excellent. It is also very nice exhaled through the nose. In the second third, the casing flavors have lessened, leaving the Cavendish tobacco base more dominant. There is none of that goopy, chemical taste that many people hate in aromatics, and the tobacco is obviously high-quality. This is a very mild smoke, uncomplicated and not very full at all. Still, it isn't all that boring, and it is most definitely a crowd pleaser. There is some moisture in this third, but it isn't severe. In the last third of the bowl, the casing flavor is mostly gone, though the sweetness remains. The tobacco flavor is pretty much the same, though not quite as smooth. Regardless, there is still no bite and only minor moisture, and the bottom of the bowl is nearly dry. Overall, this is another high-quality aromatic tobacco from C&D. It is truly remarkable how they can produce a product so totally free of the normal aromatic bite and moisture problems. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes aromatic tobacco, but is looking for a more natural, PG-free flavor. I will likely buy more of this in the future. Excellent!

Again, another from the C&D sampler. Very black broken flake that has a beautiful aroma in the can. As I have mentioned, don't really smoke aromatics but think this is good. I tend to like this more than the frutier blends. Room note is exactly like chocolate coffee. Burns well. Would like to try this with a little latakia added which I will try and comment.