Cornell & Diehl Virginia Flake

I am reviewing several C+D blending tobaccos as a precursor to some blending experiments. I know not many people blend, but these reviews may provide some hints to those wanting to do so.

Full flavored and very woodsy VA flake. Tangy and warm tasting. It gets very "peat" like down the bowl. Provides substantial body and a solid nicotine hit. Could easily be smoked alone or in a blend.

This is in fact the flake that you see added to Haunted Bookshop. Sometimes I would just pick out the flakes and smoke them straight. So I decided to order a 2 oz sample to try on its own.

The bag came too dry to smoke right away so I did the steamed towel trick to rehydrate it quickly and effectively. The bag aroma is great. Its stated that the flakes are not cased but I swear it has brown sugar. Has a sweet, spicy, and citrus like aroma.

From first light to half the bowl it is sweet, spicy, zesty with a good amount of orange citrus. In the last half, the sweetness turns to a brown sugar, the orange citrus has a more darker tone, and the zest tones down some. A nice creaminess comes out closer to the bottom of the bowl. Burns cool and clean. The nicotine isn't very noticeable as with most high sugar content virginias.

Another excellent Virginia. None of that grassy, hay crap. Well worth stocking up on and aging. This is a hidden gem that is right up there with the best McClelland Virignias.

Update 4/16/2021. I've been having issues getting more Virginia Flake in bulk, so I've been getting it in tins instead. Every tin I've had is just as dry as the bulk form. I highly suggest if you want to long term age Virginia Flake to not do it in the tin since it's too dry to even do anything. The right amount of moisture is key in aging. Crack your tins open, hydrate and age in Mason jars. It just won't make a difference in the tin with no moisture.

Update Dec.16th/2015: I feel the need to add this information since my original review as I don't wish to be held accountable for any misguided purchases nor scrutinized for an inaccurate review. Now C&D has either changed this blend all together, or ive bought 2 bad pounds months apart from each other, either scenario is leaving me apprehensive about buying more in the future, or any C&D blend for that matter. The cut is now a mishmash of ready rubbed, cavendish, loose ribbons, slender broken flakes and cubes throughout and is quite moist to the touch. It now burns hot and on the wet side and has lost its sweetness, not like the old stock of wide and thick continental flake cuts that were dry and crispy for the last 5 odd years that I've been smoking it. I also think there is far more red Virginia than brights which again was never the case prior. Add this to the list of steady reliable blends that have been bastardized or eliminated on the market, a shame really. My original review and rating shall stay, but let it be known those thoughts and opinions are not for the current production of this blend. The picture seen above is not a reflection of this tobacco's current state.

Original Review:

A superb blend of bright Virginias presented in a thick and wide America broken flake. Our piping brothers across the pond in Europe and Britain may be mislead by the name, this isnt the long thin symmetrical and moist flake cut that you may be used to. It's akin to a large cube cut, or really course crushed plug and is served very dry right out of the pouch. Others here have attributed it's appearance and texture to that of granola and im at a loss to describe it any better than that. It might be best to store it out of the kitchen and labeled well, otherwise it may end up in a bowl with some milk. Some pieces are quite large (about the size of an Almond, and about as dense) it's advisable to rub those ones out a tad otherwise this blend is fine filler as received. I find it burns at optimal performance when packed on the looser end of the scale, but individual preferences will prevail. Flavour is that of pure sweet Virginia with a clover/floral sugar note and stays that way the whole way through. Excellent dose of vitamin N and medium in body from start to finish. Terrific on its own, and I think it will age quite well. This flake cut Virginia can be dressed up with nearly anything and taken anywhere. If you are VA/PER smoker it's quite good with a quarter Perique, or just add a pinch of green river vanilla to make a it a lady pleaser. Also pairs nicely with a sliced burley. A well put together blend, continental in nature and an American institution in my books. Every VA smoker should try it.

Summary: the light Virginia flavors you want.

Combining bright and orange Virginias into a flake that is compressed, dried, and partially rubbed out, C&D "Virginia Flake" gives you all of the grassy, honey, hay, toast, grain, citrus, agave, wheat, and oat flavors that you expect from the lighter-colored forms of Virginia leaf. This results in one of the few honestly sweet blends that one encounters, but also, a blending component of pure excellence. Mix this 50-50 with C&D "Cube Cut Burley" and then dust with Latakia, Perique, or dark fired Kentucky Burley and you have a long-smoking, clean-burning, and flavorful all-day blend. The chunky rough cut ready rubbed makes this one burn more like flake, hence the name, which keeps it cooler burning than Virginia leaf by itself. I can never have too much of this in the cabinet.

A straight virginia with no flavoring, propylene glycol or sugar added. Smells like oats/bread/hay in the tin and has a straight forward bready/oaty bright virginia flavor. Mild nicotine. Comes very dry, but that's fine because it still tastes great and you can always rehydrate.

Not really complex, but totally satisfying if you're wanting that pure virignia experience without the sweeteners and added flavors that literally all European blenders use on literally all of their virginias.

I had some of this land today and had a couple of pipes. I was fairly impressed it burns well, tastes quite good also. The thing that surprised me were the number of neg. reviews about it. Frankly, I'm glad I have it because it's a good all day smoke and excellent value for money. I will say it was a little drier that I expected, but then smoking pipes appear to always have drier than average bulk leaf. Highly recommended for a solid standby all day pipe.

Jar note of sugary spices, sharp hay and mild stewed sour fruit. Tobacco is a reddish orange broken flake. Moisture is good to go, Flakes rub out fairly easily. Burns slow with few relights. The strength is mild to medium and nic is mild. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium and consistent, with notes of sweet bread, wood, tangy citrus, orange peel/zest, floral, hay, mild lemon, spice, acidic, mild fruit, a sweet grassy background note, and a moderately peppery retro. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is great.

It's not a flake in particular...it's more like chips. But that's obvious by the pictures. I don't mind though, it's thicker and packs well, and came dry enough to pack right from the package.

It smells grassy and oaty and slightly sweet. Tastes the same and smoked dry and cool. It's very mild and great for any time of day. The aftertaste leaves you with a pleasant oat taste and you don't smell "smoky"

The price is cheap for what you get but it's overall a great product.

I like a Straight Virginia flake a few mornings a week. This one’s what I’m looking for as it’s fairly mild, yet has plenty of flavor so as not to leave me wanting. C and D has a nice combination of dark and bright leaves so you can expect some complexity with some malty bready sweetness and some tart citrus balance to keep the tobacco in check. This smokes cool and never bites and a bowl last through several cups of coffee.Whenever I smoke straight Virginia this one is my go to……This would be a good mixer with a few I could think of right off hand like Perique, several kinds of burley and Oriental Silk and I think C and D sells these by bulk.