Cornell & Diehl Stanhope

The smokey, woody, lightly sweet Cyprian latakia is present in a moderate amount. The nutty, toasty burley has a little sweetness and is a little more obvious than the grassy, light citrus Virginia, which is mainly acting as a base for the other components. The light raisin, very peppery perique has a strong continual presence through out the experience, more so than the Virginia. It fights for attention with the other components and in short bursts here and there, almost takes a lead. That indicates the tobaccos are not properly mixed. The nic-hit is mild to medium. Needs a light hydration, and when done, burns at a more reasonable rate, fairly cool, very clean with a very mild sweetness. Few relights are needed, and it easily burns to ash with very little moisture in the bowl. The after taste is smoke, wood and pepper, and that pepper lingers a little. It doesn’t bite, but the perique does tingle the tongue. Can be an all day smoke. It gets two and a half stars in the mild genre of English blends because of the lack of complexity and depth, and muddled inconsistency of taste.

-JimInks

I am not a huge fan of Latakia, but like to strive for a well balanced tobacco diet. In trying to include an English blend in my summer rotation, I wanted something that wouldn’t be oppressive in the heat/humidity. Stanhope is maybe 3-5% Latakia by volume, but similar to the C&D blend Golden Ash, the Latakia speaks loudly, as if it contained double the amount. There is seemingly even less Perique by appearance. Red and gold ribbons make up most of the mixture.

The pouch aroma is generically sweet and smoky. There are musty old book notes that come out during some bowls. The Virginias are lemony and sour. This is balanced by an alternating cast of bitterness from the burley, some mild sweetness from the VA, and even some saltiness reminiscent of an Oceanside breeze. All areas of the tongue are engaged. The Virginias are important participants, but behave more as a stage for the other components to dance on. There are even notes of black licorice notable in the last third of some bowls. There are continuous echoes of campfire from the Latakia.

This blend is mild to medium strength, but punched above its weight regarding body and taste of the smoke. There was a significant amount of black Latakia dust that came out with each pinch from the bag. The bottom of the bag is loaded with this black powder by the time I got to the last few bowls. Stemmy.

Bottom line: great summer English blend, would likely appeal to those who enjoy a mild English.

Cornell & Diehl - Stanhope.

This would have been FAR better had it not arrived dry as a bone! Never mind, you can't win 'em all!

Forgetting about the dryness, the mixture's mainly medium and light browns with far less black pieces. Although it smells English the aroma doesn't imply it's to be a Lat-Bomb.

As your conjecture would lead you to believe, from the hydration, it lights MORE than easily. And then burns like the clappers! So, we've already attested that the mechanics of Stanhope are far from the best, but, those aside, the flavour isn't too bad. The Latakia's a definite addition, although, it doesn't dominate the smoke. The Lat' has a stronger presence for the first quarter bowl, but calms down after this. The Burley's a formidable ingredient, and gives clear flavour; nutty, slightly rugged. The Perique has a sharp/spicy character, and adds life and vibrancy to the smoke; it's presence can't be mistaken. The Virginia, unequivocally, is the lightest of the ingredients; unpretentious, with a 'bready' quality. As I highlighted, I don't rate the way it performs in the bowl, but on the plus side I get no bite!

Nicotine: just below medium. Room-note: not nice.

Stanhope? Considering everything I'll give it two stars:

Somewhat recommended.