Cornell & Diehl Habana Daydream

Cornell & Diehl - Habana Daydream.

I don't smoke many cigar leaf blends, I adore cigars (I have one every evening), but I often find it can be too overpowering in a pipe blend: hogs the flavour and can seem bitter. So, for some strange reason I bought this, lol!

It's quite a clean cut ribbon, with only a few twiggy pieces in there, and there's not enough of them to be a hindrance. I enjoy the smoke from Habana Daydream: a smooth cigar quality, on top of quite a complex combination of pipe leaves. These work together to form a flavoursome taste: Rich, is the one word that sums up this confluence of flavours. I get no tongue bite, at any point, and the smoke's just below medium in build.

The nicotine's close to being strong, and I'm indifferent toward the note.

I wouldn't want this regularly, but it's an extremely well accomplished blend:

Highly recommended.

I bought this tobacco as bulk. It is an affordable English blend with some tasty cigar leaf.

First Impressions: You can see uneven sized ribbons of golden Virginia, dark brown cigar leaf and black Latakia. Tin aroma is mostly Latakia and natural tobacco smell. I cannot detect any toppings here. Moisture is perfect, you can fill your pipe and begin smoking without any preperation.

The taste; you mostly feel sweet, tangy Virginia. Latakia is always there but does not dominates the smoke. Cigar leaf adds body and Perique, which is barely detectable, adds some spiciness.

The tobacco burns easy and cool. No tongue bite here.

Verdict: This is an easygoing blend, not very sophisticated but delicious and satisfying. If you like cigar leaf blends, this is one of the best alternatives.

EDIT 11-22-2016

I just finished up the second half of the pound I had purchased back in 2012, the first half of which I reviewed below. This one still has not really done it for me. Complicating this further is the fact that I have tried some other blends with cigar leaf that I prefer to this one. From C&D alone, I prefer both Billy Budd and Purple Cow to this for their IMO better use of the other leaves in the blends.

HD has a lot of different components, all of which whisper to the smoker leaving a rather boring smoke. The cigar leaf is apparent though and this should, no doubt, be the focus on these types of blends. It is for that fact that I am leaving this one at three stars, but it actually falls closer to the 2 star mark in my own mind as the two mentioned above, as well as all the John Patton blends containing cigar leaf, GLP Robusto and Key Largo outdo HD with regard to cigar blends to my tastes. YMMV

ORIGINAL REVIEW 12-27-2012

I can't believe with just over a year of pipe smoking I am already writing my 40th review. Maybe this is a natural progression as I have found myself settling into a few different blends I like. I am positive it will take more than a year to get to my next 40.

Anyway, on to this blend. It is my first blend with cigar leaf added and I do taste the leaf. I do enjoy the blend, but after smoking through half the original pound I ordered, I don't find it highly recommendable as of yet and likely won't. I have just ordered three more blends with cigar leaf so I will have something with which to compare. I may come back to this review if anything causes me to change my mind about HD.

Great for a manageable jolt of the N vitamin. But good pipe tobacco, where the sweet Virginia and the cigar leaf complement each other perfectly, with latakia seated far in the background. As someone noted, a real pipe tobacco, not just a cigar in bowl. Not an all-day smoke - a bit too strong and heavy for that, but almost. You know you're smoking pipe tobacco with this one. I smoke only two or three bowls of it every month or so, but when I want to smoke it only this one will do.

This is really a fine blend, and since purchasing a few ounces on a whim, it has become a steady rotation blend for me.

Sweeter than Billy Budd, Habana Daydream really puts the cigar leaf in the forefront, but with enough support from the VAs, Perique and Latakia to sand off the rough edges a bit.

The Latakia component is second in line flavor wise, combining with the cigar leaf in a way that enhances the darker flavors found in the cigar leaf while providing some extra smokiness.

The VAs are, to my tastes, less the “Citrus” type and more the “dark fruit” type, and add an essential element of sweetness to the smoke-rounding the bitterness of the cigar leaf just enough.

The Perique is way in the background, adding some fig notes and spice, a great compliment against the cigar leaf.

The cavendish serves to thicken the smoke, providing a bit of body and some sweetness of its own, but really just providing a good vehicle for the rest of the flavors to ride on.

Like a lot of C&D blends, this is A LOT better with age, which brings out a subtle figgy/fruity tone from the Perique, which is fairly in the background for a C&D blend. It also benefits from moisturizing, as opposed to drying. In fact, bringing it up to the moisture of level of Bayou Night (which comes very moist) raises the silkiness factor to a high level without any bite penalty.

Also, every now and then, a bowl of this will taste just plain bitter and I'll want to dump it out. And every now and then, it will taste wonderful. OK,the same goes with other pipe tobaccos, but more so with this one. I think the hit and miss factor here are the random bits of cigar leaf, because if you've ever experimented with cigar leaf, you realize it can get very harsh and bitter in a pipe real quick.

The predominant taste in the first half or so of the bowl is nutty, figgy, and the creamy Latakia is definitely there. Very full and also surprisingly harmonious. Close your eyes and it's very much like a Dunhill English of some type, despite the different ingredients,

The cigar leaf is usually so well integrated that I didn't even mention it yet, though it is there, always in the background, only really becoming cigar like for me at the very end.

This blend definitely cannot be inhaled, not that I recommend doing this with any pipe tobacco, but the cigar like quality (mainly in the creaminess of the smoke) also translates into "don't inhale". Soft in the mouth but harsh on an inhale, which is not the case with many C&D blends without cigar leaf.

I like this better than Billy Budd, which I find more Latakia forward and inharmonious.

I've had this tin cellared for two years and I can only assume that this is as good as it gets. Well, it's OK, but I wouldn't sell my first born for a second tin. I didn't like "Billy Budd" and this is similar. Maybe a little sweeter but not really to my personal liking . To me, it seems to fall into that strong , " Old Joe Krantz", old style of Baccy. Don't puff too hard on this or you'll be smoking a "Phillies" cigar!

Great blend with the cigar leaf standing in the foreground. All the different tobacco flavors come through delivering a perfect smoke every time. Moisture level perfect. Medium to above average nic hit. Great after dinner smoke.

I bought this September 2019 along with other C&D bulk tobacco on sale. This smokes smooth, mild, natural sweetness and low nicotine in my opinion. With the cigar leaf added I was expecting a fuller smoke. I have been smoking this on and off over the past several weeks. This is a nice blend but unfortunately for me I had to force myself to smoke this as it is just too mild, too smooth. If you like a smooth blend as in a Macanudo vice a Camacho this might be up your alley.