Cornell & Diehl Shandygaff

This baccy is actually really good. It reminds me of some the great American OTCs. I cannot detect any toppings at all, but the base tobacco seems to be pretty much in line with Half & Half, Carter Hall, etc. The smoking experience is very nutty and chocolatey, and it never gets harsh on the palate like other Burley blends. As you open the bag the Oriental leaf cannot be missed. It is grey in colour, and this is in contrast with the brown Burley leaf it contains. The tin note is very OTCish as well, and would indicate the addition of a flavouring of some sort, but like I am saying this does not show in your smoke. Also, I usually find Orientals quite boring when they are not being paired with a pinch of Latakia, but in this particular case I am finding this blend quite balanced and down to the point. As for the salty/sea air flavour it reads in the description, it kind of shows ever so slightly in the background, and I must say this is a feature I have been wondering about before I could lay my hands on it. Do I like it? Yes I do, and this is perhaps the reason why this tobacco could be just perfect for the summer season, sipped in your porch with a glass of unsweetened ice tea or lemon water. In true honesty, I would have given this review a rating of 3 stars, but this time is gonna be 4 to offset the unwarranted bad reviews, which I do not think it deserves.

**My girlfriend and I had tasted several different Virginia blends to add to Shandygaff to give it a little more sweetness (she prefers her blends much sweeter) and we settled on McClelland's Virginia Woods. While McClelland's has the best Virginia's on the market (IMHO), they have almost no nicotine, C&D has all the nicotine and great Burleys but their Virginia's are not as rich as MCC. So we tried several variants and settled on 4oz of Shandygaff mixed with 2oz of Virginia Woods. Man the VW elevates Shandy to a whole nother level! We both really love this mix and she has started labeling the Ball jars as "Summer Woods". We wish C&D and MCC would combine forces on a blend or two, C&D Burley with MCC Virginia making a Two Friends type deal. I think it would be a huge hit...**

This is not a review based on 30 year old notes I had written in a notebook on a pre Viagra night in 1978, blends change, manufacturers change hands and tobacco crops differ year to year, because of that I only review a blend if I have smoked it in the last 6 months or so. Saying that you loved 3 Nuns since it contained perique doesn't help the guy that wants a review of the Macbaren version with Kentucky, see what im getting at? 🙂 I asked Rich at 4Noggins to get this in stock for my Dad so if you have wanted to try this blend now is the time since he just got it in stock this week and it is very fresh! I love the cedar / #2 pencil / salty taste I get from Shandygaff. I mostly agreed with the positive previous reviews. This blend is much closer in taste and cut to the John Patton blends than the traditional C&D blends since it is far from harsh or rough and the cut is also much finer than most C&D bulk blends. I was wary not ever having a blend without Virginia or Cavendish to sweeten and smooth out a blend with Turkish and Perique but there is some sweetness present perhaps from the Burley? Really really tasty and the closest thing to an all day blend from C&D that is not an aromatic. No dottle or wet pipe cleaners and the room note while not Apricots or Vanilla did not provoke violence from the ladies in the room so that's a plus! A nice Nic hit but not overbearing at all.

Ok, I'm not an aromatic Guy. Really don't like the stuff- Seems the taste is always kinda flat. If your anything like me, You'll probably like Shandygaff. Not unlike Spice nut, It has a great tobacco flavor, with a touch of something else. Mr. Dottle says ginger- and I won't argue. By definition, Its Ginger if the name is accurate to what it is. Whatever- I dig it. Great burley, Turkish tase. Throw just enough perique to make it spicy, and throw that flavor.... Its exotic, Tasty- and can throw you a mean head buzz if your not carefull.... Give it a shot.....Its worth it.

I have been smoking this for a couple of months now, and I have come to really appreciate it. When I first smoked it I though it may be a little on the bland side. The flavor was so interesting that I stuck with it knowing it had potential that I was not yet picking up on. I am glad I stuck with this one. For being a "Burley Blend" it has a unique brightness to it, this brightness with a sharp pepper zing give the sense of a sweet ginger note, couples with effervescent character. There are also some notes of malt and earth and wood, but these flavors are more in the background. For me this blend has found it place as a morning smoke. It's a little too light as a evening smoke. As a first smoke of the day this blend is a great choice. I also noticed that this blend seems to like being smoked in a cob. I have smoked this in briars, pears, and cobs and it found the flavors to really shine in a cob. In the briar pipes the flavors seems a little muted. If you tried this in a briar and was underwhelming try it in a cob. As for the performance, it burns easy and cool with minimal effort. It will need a couple of relights early on. But overall a easy smoke.

I’ve been smoking pipes since the early 70’s with primarily Balkan, vaper and Virginia based blends like Rattray’s Hal O The Wynd, Escudo, Balkan, etc... - all good and all exceptional blends.

This year I’m taking a break from the aforementioned and getting back into burley based blends mostly C&D Old Joe Krantz, Old Joe Krantz White and Haunted Bookshop - all very good burley based concoctions.

Just recently purchased some Shandygaff on a whim and I’m glad I did. Shandygaff is in my opinion is an exceptional blend.

The nuttiness and cocoa of the burley is dominate but the Turkish is right along side the burley - my guess is Smyrna or Ishmir leaf. The Perique is noticeable on the retrohale - not too strong, just about equal to Old Joe Krantz. The tobacco burns well to a white ash. Minimum re-lights. No tongue burn or other mouth irritation. I love the bag note - that kind of nutty / mushroom / pungent aroma. And the taste is almost exactly as the bag note.

I enjoy leaving the room for a while and returning just to smell the room note - very intoxicating.

This stuff is truly an underrated blend - if you like burley blends with the spicyness of Perique and that little twang you get from Turkish tobacco then this is a must try.

I agree with a lot of other reviews regarding how dry it burns and general characteristics. Obviously a burley, but the saltiness was apparent to me immediately. The ginger was there faintly at first but became quite forward in the last half of the bowl. It's not ginger as in ale, but more like something you'd find in a bitter Italian liqueur. Finally the perique really stood out in the final 1/3 of the bowl, very sour but it fit the overall profile perfectly. I'm starting to really appreciate the oddball tobaccos out there, and this is one of them.

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.