Cornell & Diehl Virginia Gentleman

A very satisfying mixture with the taste and manners expected of a gentleman. The light citrusy casing is applied gently and adds to the pleasure of this excellent blend. The Virginia and Turkish come to the fore, with the Burley adding depth and coolness. It's been a long time since I've so enjoyed a Virginia blend. The Turkish does indeed add interest, with the Burley eliminating the usual sharpness associated with most Virginias I've tried. I can understand why the other reviewers have rated this blend so highly. If Virginia Gentleman stands the test of time, I'll be raising my rating to 4 stars.

As a cigar smoker for over 20 years, I've started taking up pipe smoking by getting a sampler pack of well rated tobaccos from Cornell and Diehl. I must say, after 5 bowls of VG, only the best cigars from Havana come even close. I agree totally with the prior reviews.

The non-burning taste of the tobacco along with with the sweet complex of aromas make this a keeper. I'll be buying a large batch of this soon.

It just goes to show how subjective these things are. Unlike most of the reviewers, who find this to be a burley forward blend, it has a little too much red Virginia and Turkish for me. It has a perfume-y taste and smell that some people love but I don't. It makes my nose run and slightly ghosts my pipes. I won't give it less than 3 stars because it's a quality product and it's what it says it is, and it might be your all day smoke. It just isn't for me.

Most bulk C&D blends come bone dry, Virginia Flake is a perfect example. Bone dry, surprised it even stayed in flake form. I don't mind, I do prefer most of my tobacco on the dry side, plus you aren't paying for added moisture weight.

Virginia Gentleman comes a bit more moist than most C&D blends, which ends up as optimum level for immediate smoking.

Thin, short ribbon cuts made up of medium brown and blonde tobaccos. The burley aroma stands out the most, offering a toasted nutty/bran note, followed by some sweet grass and wood.

Lights well and stays lit. Those same toast/nutty/bran notes transfer to the smoke as well as the sweet grass. Smokes cool and mild, zero tongue bite. Gets a bit spicy in the nostrils after the halfway point. A great blend to break the constant English blends.

Pairs well with Grand Marnier neat, or morning coffee black.

I really don’t know why it took me so long to try this. It’s a truly satisfying smoke and is in my pipe more often than not these days. I bought this one on a whim and will be buying more quite soon.

Burley is the front runner in this one, followed by the Orientals, with the Virginia adding some welcome sweetness. The Orientals are deftly blended, lending a spicy wordiness to the smoke. A very satisfying tobacco, this one gets high marks from me. I admit that I’m a little fickle and go through phases with my tobaccos. This one is a real winner in my book.

This was a bulk purchase for me, but I’m planning to buy a tin of it to see how it ages. I’ve been enjoying Virginia/Orientals and Burleys more recently and this one scratches both itches. A very pleasant surprise. Highly recommended.

Carlos, I agree with you. A mainstay tobacco for me.

This could be a five star blend! It’s that good. It gets three and only because I’m fairly certain I got another powdery white mold tainted sample. All that being said, this blend tastes awesomely delicious and exhibits ideal burn/ smoking qualities (cool, slow, dry etc).

A blend of long skinny ribbons ranging from gold to red to tan. There was also some scattered broken flake. The pouch aroma is a union of sweet hay and wildflower. The long ribbons lend themselves to a fairly loose pack that leads to a nice long and cool smoke. Sweet earthiness, toast, freshly fallen crisp leaves and funky/musty tones paint an interest grabbing and delicious picture. There are some rare curry notes and some light but appreciable floral/incense like notes on the retrohale.

An earlier reviewer noted this goes well with grand marnier. I don’t drink alcohol, but did find the orange/citrus complement to be true. VG smoked even more beautifully with “constant comment” tea, which is a black tea with orange rind and spices. Delicious!

This is one of those rare blends that is so good that I am basically forced to forgive and forget the powdery white stuff.

This is the blend I grab when I'm working in the garden/painting the fence etc. It is a pleasant flavourful blend that you don't have to think too hard about.

This was a nice smoke. Burns well, satisfying, and decent flavor. I don't know if I could detect the turkish component, though it did seem a bit perfumy/incensy at times. Not too grassy for a yellow virginia, which I appreciated. I definitely prefer After Hours from the same company, but this is better than anything else I tried from them. I got more smokes from this than anything else I have ever tried: 33 from 2 ounces! But even though that is good in itself, I really got tired of this by the end of the tin. Nice for every once in a while, but not every day.