Cornell & Diehl Shandygaff

I wanted to see what a pre Tarler/Reeves et al C&D blend would taste like. This would have been one of the blends Craig bought the rights to when he started C&D. This blend is an unusual combination of leaf and is categorized by Jeremy Reeves as underrated.

The same thing could be said of this blend when discussing things like black licorice or the Grateful Dead. There are a lot of people who probably would hate it, but the people who like it, REALLY like it. I love the dead, but I hated this blend. I have nothing against any of the constituent tobaccos, but this particular titration did not work for me. The first thing I noticed was an offensively sweet and cloying butterscotch/caramel sort of note. I actually wondered if I had gotten a mislabeled pouch of some other blend. Then I wondered if perhaps, though unlikely, it was a ghosted pipe. Nope. This pattern repeated each time I lit a bowl. This sweetness segued into some pleasant sweet curry/spicy notes. Then, almost on cue, all flavor disappears and my mouth is blasted with saltwater/baking soda flavored steam. If you are a fan of salt water taffy, this might be your bag. Definitely an unusual blend, Shandygaff is really in its own category. I can definitely see how this one is divisive, but that does not mean the reader shouldn’t try an ounce or two based on my vitriol. I was curious. I gave it a try in multiple pipes and with various preps. It is not for me.

This one is hard to make heads or tails of. I don't really disagree with any of the negatives pointed out in the one star reviews but at the same time I just like it. It's mild to medium in strength and taste with mostly some nutty/woody Burley. Some dry/sour Izmir and slight spice and faint raisin notes from Perique give it a little complexity. A ginger-ale note pops up now and then and at some points in the bowl tastes pretty good. Just a little sweetness not much. Reminds me a bit of Half and Half. The cut is absurd with huge ribbons, some broken flakes, and a good amount of stems. It's pretty rough and a little harsh on the palate but never bites. Not easy to recommend because of all the bad qualities but it's intriguing enough that I've been smoking it all day lately.

While I have seen a whole lot of reviews by JimInks, I haven't seen too many one star reviews from him. Surely it can't be that bad, can it? Oh, it is that bad, lol. I neither get nor enjoy this tobacco. At all.

I ordered a one ounce sample based upon a YouTube video by smokingpipes.com where they were chatting with C&D's head Blender and they were reviewing a few different bulk blends they felt were underrated and people should try. Shandygaff was one of the blends discussed. The Head Blender was even smoking a bowl of it himself during their chat.

Well, I tried it. And it's pretty bad. No offense meant to anyone at C&D or who enjoys this blend, of course.

It does redeem itself, slightly, when rolled into a cigarette. For whatever reason that they do, Oriental tobaccos absolutely explode with intensity and flavor when smoked in cigarette form for me, so it got a little bit better as a cigarette, but this is certainly no Picayune cigarette, despite the similar Burley/Oriental/Perique profiles of the two. Not even close. Shandygaff is just so much more harsh and less refined.

Maybe you'll like it, but I sure didn't ...

I bought 2 ounces about 3 years ago, but did not smoke it very often. I decided to give it another try. Wow, did it grow on me, and I finished the rest of the three ounces very quickly. The first blast of flavor that I get is from the Turkish, almost like smoking straight Izmir. Then as it settles in, there is an interweave of flavor from the Burley tobacco. Towards the mid-bowl is when the Perique kicks in for me a little more. There is a sweetness that is there through the entire bowl, I assume it is the Ginger topping, but not totally sure. I enjoyed it so much over the last couple of week that I ordered some to cellar in bulk by the pound! Give it a try!

Well, knock me over with a feather, another instant favorite popped up “out of nowhere”! Let it serve as either a recommendation or fair warning that C&D’s Shandygaff reminds me of a somewhat milder version of D&R’s Picayunne, without the nicotine wallop. Though it seems unlikely that this will appeal to beginners, who ever knows for sure? In the bag are finely cut ribbons and bits ranging from medium to dark brown, smelling like musty, earthy, spicy, dried goat dung, at least at first. It handles, loads, lights and smokes down very well straight from the tin, but it took some rest and some drying, also some messing around with it, in order to get the most from it. A large-ish pot and just a little tamping slows the burn rate some while still giving the delicious Turkish blend room to flower. Combusting tastes and scents include the tin notes, also rough, rustic brown bread, dates, dried figs, exotic, aromatic woods, something like ginger, and middle eastern baking spices, sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. Plenty of taste including plenty of spices, and aromas that are not often found ensemble in pipe tobacco anymore. The lot is well melded, with the dark and white Burleys in front, then the Turkish, then a musty, Burley-ish version of Perique. Strength ramps up quickly past medium, likewise the tastes. Room note is swell for me, likely torture for bystanders, I suppose. Aftertaste is a nice trailing off of the best of the smoke.

Again, I don’t think Shandygaff is aimed at beginners, and even experienced Burleyphiles may be surprised by the spices. I give it 4 stars, and my stash won’t last long.

It needs to be called “nastygaff”! I usually am patient when trying a new blend and will give it few bowl fulls before passing judgement, but I’ll make an exception here. I only made it through half a bowl before I dumped the bowl and threw the bag in the trash. And that half bowl ghosted my pipe! Took me about 3 bowls of good tobacco to get it out. I love several of C&D’s blends, but this one is a negative.

This tobacco blend is a bit of an oddity in flavor and experience. The taste is tumultuous, changing through the bowl with a general build in potency after the first 1/3 is fired.

If you aren't getting sassy, sour ginger and salty sea air, just wait until your first relight and take a little in through your nostrils.

Pleasant wouldn't be my description, more like strange in an enticing way. Reminiscent of how one wants to look at something unearthly, over and over, but only for brief moments as it's too overwhelming otherwise. But, you keep coming back for more!

Truly a fun bowl to 'mix it up' if you're looking for that, and the flavor from the topping is potent when hot, though seems to sink away quickly. That's followed by a consistent smoke with the Burley filling an unlikely sweetening role towards the Turkish and Perique (of which there seems so be only a small percentage, visually).

Seek the odd and you shall find it, here. Good tobacco for a new comer to expand their palate and experiences with.

Smoked best with a gravity fill, light pack.

Smoking now:

The bag note is that bard yard aroma of hay and wood. Molasses and honey. Quite nice. Mine sample is rather dry, or rather just right according to my preferences. Packed it tight into one of my favorite briar pipes.

Lights just fine. Rather dry so this is easy to keep lite. Speaking of dry this is a very dry tasting tobacco. The perique I find enjoyable as I can get some of the dried fruit notes with a healthy helping of pepper. The orientals come and go and it’s a sour floral note. The burley gives it some bass, it’s mostly woody and vegetative. I taste more orientals and perique, or maybe it’s because I smoke more orientals and perique tobaccos than burley. The retrohale is sharp and full of perique.

Rather hated this the first few puffs but as the bowl progressed it started to enjoy it. I enjoy the oriental and perique without the usually accompanying Virginia. It makes those two stand out for me. Smoke it slow as this may get harsh and cigarette like if too hot.

Will definitely smoke more of this because the burley didn’t bite me it dry my mouth out too bad. A rather unique and interesting blend. Behaved very well no relights except one when I put the pipe down for too long.