Cornell & Diehl Old College

Leaf/Looks: Somewhat flaky Virginias, the rest is a ribbon cut. Tin Aroma/Smell: Very light on the latakia, subtle sweetness. Not overpowering at all. Pleasant to the nose Taste: Straight forward mild english blend. Very well put together. The latakia is very light after the initial light up. Slight nutty taste on the retrohale. The Virginias are very nice and sweet. Not a whole lot to say about this blend. It is a tasty english blend from start to finish. There is no hidden complexity, and its well blended. Nothing in there is overpowering at all. Smoke Ability: Smokes great with no relights down to the bottom of the bowl Drying Time: 20 minutes tops didn't need a whole lot of time

C&D has been my main tobacco preference for several years now. I've always been impressed with their quality and consistency. Even after the business deal with smokingpipes.com I've not seen a single skip in their beat of consistency. This should give comfort to those seeking a company with a reputation for quality and consistency. All of this is a segue into my absolute endorsement of their bulk line of tobaccos. My tastes run from Old Joe Krantz to Pegasus to Big N' Burley as my main smokes. Old College fills a gap for that all day smoke that keeps your interest but is consistent.

Upon first light Old College may seem like a Latakia powerhouse but very quickly mellows out into a sweet, smokey and slightly nutty blend. There's not a lot of variation after the first calming down and remains consistent to the end of the bowl. The only (minor) drawbacks may be some slight ashiness towards the bottom and a slight, but not unpleasant, burley bitterness on relights that have sat for longer than 15 minutes. The cavendish really smooths out this blend and for those who did not like the bitterness of Morley's Best this blend may be more to your liking if you want a bit of latakia.

Overall a very good blend that is certainly worthy of consideration if you're a pipe smoker looking for a blend that is a bridge between different genres. It's perfect for the English smoker looking to get into burley's or vice versa. It also can bridge the Virginia smoker into English or burley blends. It's quite tame and there wasn't ever a moment of nip or nicotine overload. It's no weakling either and will certainly satisfy with a pipe load. It's not a blend that will wow you into cellaring pounds and pounds but it one to keep on hand for when you need an easy smoker and like a bit of latakia. Certainly recommended and I would jar this for 3 months before trying to let the leaves get to know each other a bit.

This could easily become my everyday go-to English smoke. Per other reviews it is an interesting cut but to me that adds to the character....kinda "rustic". It burns nicely, evenly, and has a pleasant, good overall character. I'd recommend it for anyone wishing to venture into the non-aromatic English blends.

This is a funny tobacco. I'm not quite certain what I expected from the sample that I had, but I think that I was hoping for a singular latakia moment, for the latakia to overwhelm me. The pouch presence was unremarkable, shades of blacks and browns. I could not detect that characteristic twinge of the nose, like from a John Cotton. "Old college" spoke to me of undergraduate days when my professors preferred BSWHite or Constantinople, and the air in the classroom resembled a Turkish train station. Here, latakia didn't push the limits. The sensation was more of a well-balanced medium strength blend, perhaps suggesting even an all-day smoke. The latakia and virginias were present and obvious, while the burleys provided a smooth under-base and the cavendish offset any bitterness. All-in-all, a very serviceable American latakia blend, w/o bite and a clean burn to the bottom of the pipe.

Similar to Old Court, minus the Perique. Pouch aroma is a wonderfully toasted aroma of burley with a nice addition of smokiness from the Latakia. A little sweet note from the cavendish, and a slight vinegar from the Virginia. Short, choppy ribbon makes packing easy. Typical moisture level of C&D bulks, slightly on the dry side (which I prefer). Initial lighting is easy with this moisture level.

Upon lighting, the Latakia seems to fight the burley for the most attention. The Va offers very little sweetness. As of now, this blend smokes hot and acrid with a very sharp tone. This like many other C&D bulk blends seems very, very young. For now, I see this as a 1 star blend. I will age this at least a year and come back to it.

Stay tuned...….

Update 6-2-20

Even with just a 6 weeks this blend has leveled out and melded well. The sharp tones are gone, amd a nice medium-full English blend is What we have now. From 1 star to 3! I recommend this, but age it a few months to a year!

I have learned to ignore most Names given to tobacco. The infamous fascination with the black arts, the references to dogs and even cochroaches and medeviel forms of torture, this OLD College is not well suited - but a REAL good tasting Latakia blend english. At the start, it is alittle acidy, and quickly mellows out into a creamy (yes creamy) smooth smoke. A Wine affect starts and contiunes for most of the duration - which I like alot. Caution: This is very strong and will whack you in the head. Also leaves a ashy coating in your mouth but, with most Latakia blends, par for the course. similiar to Gawith's perfection BUT MUCH STRONGER (not even Pirate KAKE gave the tummy turns like this did) and better quality.