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A smooth blend of Virginia, Turkish, Latakia and black Cavendish.
Notes: Reminiscent of old Dunhill Aperitif
Favorite Of 1 Users
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demetri (113) |  |
Medium | None Detected | Full | Tolerable |
In one place on C&D's website this is listed as an alternative to Dunhill Apertif (as it's name might imply). Unfortunately I never smoked any Apertif despite smelling it nearly every day for over twenty years (in my father's office at work, in his automobile, in his study at home, and at every family function). Both he and I are "old school" smokers from an age were men found a favorite blend and stuck to it as they did sitting in the same seat in the same pew every Sunday morning. I smoked MM#965 back then and never asked him for a bowl to try. When Apertif became unavailable to him, he quit pipes going to cigars for several years rather than another blend. Today, he's back on his pipe and will still readily inform anyone interested that he cannot get any Apertif. I can hardly wait to either send him some of mine or buy him his own supply outright. C&D lists several of it's blends as alternatives to other older mainstays but only adds that most are accidentally similar rather than outright clone attempts. I have no experience to form an opinion on this basis with Cordial vs. Apertif but it certainly is both unique and GOOD! My first bowl of Cordial gave me such a different (but pleasurable) smoking experience that I was befuddled at what to make of it. So I smoked another, and another, and another...and yet another. This stuff is a seductive temptress. It seems now that 7 out of 10 times I open my cabinet to load my pipe I come away with this loaded - even when I had intended to smoke another blend. My beloved Engine #99, Margate, Penzance, and Pirate Kake are languishing with neglect. Cordial showcases its Oriental componentS wonderfully with Latakia playing an equal but not oppressive role. It is tasty sweet without (I assume) any casings. It is dreamy, creamy. At times I taste what I think might be Drama leaf with its olive hints, and at others I taste a toasty caramel all the while with the Latakia playing right along. At other times I think I'm enjoying a glass of 7 Star Metaxa or a fine Georgian brandy. Bursting with flavor Cordial will not paste one's palate (true to the role of a cordial), neither does it ghost one's pipe. Even a shot of tobacco juice issuing forth from the mouthpiece onto my tongue or lips is tasty. While smoking this I AM licking my lips, literally. It tastes THAT good. These flavors persist throughout the burn until the end where it finishes with a rich mocha taste. Aftertaste is mild, and very pleasant and would not interfere with a forthcoming meal (true to a cordial). The closest I have yet smoked to this is McClellend's Syrian Super Balkan and Cordial is far better. Even with Cyprian vs. Syrian Latakia the flavor of Cordial is more pronounced and without any "ketchup notes" of lingering heavy aftertaste. If one is a smoker who enjoys Frogmorton but wish it had more breadth of flavor - this is your blend. If one finds Presbyterian just OK and wished it had more depth of flavor as well as a bit more Latakia, this belongs in your pipe. If one is an aromatic smoker who is interested in English style blends but been put off by too much Latakia, you should try this. Quite obviously I am rating #973 Cordial a solid 4 Stars.
(Note: if one allows this smoke-ready blend to dry out too much, a lot of the flavors become muted. Judicious use of humidification coins might be in order).
12 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Trumpetboy (19) |  |
Mild to Medium | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Mmmm-Cordial--I must admit the name did put me off for some time. Here in Australia, cordial is a sugary, sweet syrup that you mix with water or sodawater to make a soft drink. Anyway, I'm glad I finally tried this easy-smoking blend. It's hard not to compare this one to some of the other C&D more "English" style bulk blends available. This one is most definitely for me a bit lighter, and doen't have the Oriental or Turkish "tang' of say, Stratfordshire or Tuggle Hall. The Latakia is a bit more restrained here, and there is a touch more sweetness from the BC, but what makes me smile is the overall smoothness of this one. This is a wonderful blend in the morning with a cup of coffee--beats the heck out of EMP, in my opinion. The Virginia is very smooth and cool, and the Latakia just sings enough in the background to harmonize perfectly. I do love the solidity of some of the others--Stratfordshire, Tuggle Hall, London Squire, Byzantium, and my favorite, Red Odessa, but I think Cordial will hold a place when I just want a smooth, lighter blend, but with a nice English/Scottish character, and relatively little Nic hit as compared to some of the others---the absence of Burley, perhaps. Three and one-half stars for me.
Pipe Used: Well- seasoned briars.
Age When Smoked: New
Purchased From: 4 Noggins
Similar Blends: Dunhill Apertif, Motzek Latakia Cake, Blairgowrie (sort of).
5 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Pipestud (1829) | |
Very Mild | None Detected | Mild | Pleasant |
An Oriental forward Scottish style blend with Virginia in strong support and Latakia playing ever so softly in the background. For those who enjoy a milder smoke at a bargain price. The flavor was a little bland to me, but then, I like a more full flavored Scottish blend in my pipes. Still, I can see where this one would be perfect for those who enjoy a milder smoke.
5 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| StevieB (2082) | |
Medium to Strong | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Cornell & Diehl - Cordial.
There's no way I'd call this a ribbon as per the description. There's quite a lot of broken flake pieces, twigs, leaves, clumps, AND a few ribbons. The pouch can't have been properly closed when it arrived as after a few months in my stash it's dry; note to self: ALWAYS check in future prior to cellaring!
The Turkish rules the roost with Cordial, it's easily the leading taste, the others are a fair way back, in comparison. The Virginia and Latakia are equal in proportion, without the Lat' being too zealous with smokiness. On my first bowl I didn't notice any black Cav', but after a few I became more confident of a slight vanilla trait. Because I allowed it to become too dry the burn becomes a bit of a moot point: it's way too fast, but that's my fault!
I don't find the room-note TOO bad, and the nic's just above medium.
The bowls I've had are worth only two stars, because of the burn. But, because I'm to blame for that I'll give it a flavour-only rating. Recommended:
Three stars.
Pipe Used: Savinelli Siena 320 KS
Age When Smoked: Two months
Purchased From: 4noggins
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| cakeanddottle (105) | |
Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable |
This is simply a superior Lat blend. I've been making the tour of C&D Burleys and Lat blends, and they kind of lull you to sleep, and then you stumble across a blend like this or Super Balkan. Amazing for the price, this is a rich and complex smoke. No fermented fruit tang due to no Perique, but there is a quality to this that reminds me of that. A full sweet and sour element that really gets the anticipation up. Curry- like may be the best description. A deep, piquant, spicy melange that satisfies the palate.
I've never smoked Aperitif, but I have smoked Park Lane's An Aperitif, and that one reminds me of Cordial Lite. I don't have a rotation, but I only have a handful of tobaccos that I keep in excess of a couple pounds in the cellar, and this is one of them.
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Emeritus Account (30194) | |
Medium | None Detected | Medium | Tolerable |
This is a delicious medium English blend. Sweet and smoky. It has been too long since I smoked a tin a Dunhill Aperitif to compare the two, but I can say this is a excellent blend in its own right.
I started to give this blend three stars - there's just so many English blends out there so it lacks in originality and the burn is less than perfect - but the blend's smokeability and price point put it over the top.
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| twaksak (54) | |
Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant |
In the tin: Smoky lemony with maybe a hint of cinnamon.
Taste: Another wonderful balanced taste of a good stash of Latakia, covered in chocolate – I don’t know if its only me, but all the tobacco I’ve reviewed lately, has this clear traces of chocolate or roasted / dark chocolate. But then again, all the latest reviews are tobacco which were all cellared for at least 4 years and more. So, smoky with this sweet chocolaty after-taste. Very nice, especially after dinner. But I also had it early in the day and was equally good.
Pipe Used: Bari, Erik Nording, Savinelli
Age When Smoked: 5 years
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| constantsmoker (65) | |
Medium to Strong | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable |
Another pleasant surprise from C&D. Turkish and Virginias interplay with the Latakia nicely, producing a slightly sweet yet full-bodied taste. An enjoyable smoke. Update (18 Aug 2014): Opened a tin dated March 2008. Wow! The years have been kind to Cordial, to say the least. It has maintained its slightly sweet character with the serendipitous addition of a little bit of spiciness that, I assume, is attributable to the Turkish and Virginia components aging so nicely. Go for it.
Purchased From: smokingpipes.com
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Piper@thegates (20) | |
Medium | None Detected | Medium | Unnoticeable |
Very fine, lighter or 'modern' English. A fairly small, rough cut blend which when bought bulk arrives slightly on the dry side but which smokes and tastes superb. Latakia although very much present does not dominate but supports the Oriental, Cavendish and Virginia to produce an exquisitly balanced smoke. Much lighter than many latakia forward blends but for a lover of such blends searching for a good alternative or change of pace for the warmer days I would suggest you take a few ounces of Cordial, you won't be disappointed. V.f.m. wise this blend far outstrips many of the more recognised and famous blends and has become one of my favourites, on a par I'd say with Old Dublin. well, maybe not THAT good. I will be stocking up with much more of this lesser known blend, a little gem which I recommend.
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Ryepipe (21) | |
Medium | Medium | Medium to Full | Pleasant |
This is the one C & D blend that I stick with. I first purchased some in a sample pack around 2007. Which ever the Oriental is in this particular package has consistantly hit the right flavor buttons for me. I wanted more. I called and spoke with Craig T and he advised, without hesistation, to add a pinch more of the sweet and earthy Oriental and some Cav. He thought that any blend should be altered to the smokers delight if it can be managed.. Actually I added a bit more than a pinch and am sad that varied and choice Orientals are hard to come by these days. It's far easier to edit than create. So my review is of a slightly doctored version. Highly recommended none the less.
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Emeritus Account (30194) | |
Medium | None Detected | Medium | Tolerable |
I bought 4oz bulk from 4noggins, coarse cut, perfect humidity. It's a good blend, a modern English. And not quite compare with Dunhill Aperitif, one had a taste with a great personality, with strong spicy hints, so far, I have not smoked a blend so special. I would say the light of this spicy blend of oriental and subtle sweetness of Virginia and black cavendish is what most distinguishes him. However, it is good to start a day in English taste! A tip that I always give is smoke with small puffs, and occasionally let off the pipe!
-----update:After smoking 2oz, this mixture can confidently say that it is more than excellent!
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Emeritus Account (30194) | |
Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable |
What a find this tobacco has proved to be. I rate it highly as a medium-bodied English. It's smooth enough for all-day smoking But with enough strength to move it out of the wimp league. What immediately strikes one is how round the flavour is - no harsh edges here. It reminded me of Dunhill 965, perhaps amped up a little (nor much). Cordial is certainly the rounder, creamier smoke. I recommend it.
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Big Blue Jazzman (73) | |
Mild to Medium | None Detected | Mild | Tolerable |
Received a free sample with my last order from C&D. I found it to be a mild, pleasant, and flavorful smoke. The tobacco's seemed to be of good quality, burned slowly, and remained consistent throughout. I did have a little trouble keeping it lit at first, but burned well after the first few minutes. Not a complex smoke, and mild on the Latakia. Could easily be an all day blend. A good change of pace, I liked it!
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| neuron_md (37) | |
Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
I love this one!
It's nutty, buttery, creamy, smooth, and fragrant. It doesn't bite. Very much like the Dunhill blends that I love, like #965.
A quintessential English blend!
Highly recommended!
Pipe Used: various briars
Age When Smoked: around 6 months
Purchased From: smokingpipes.com
Similar Blends: Dunhill My Mixture 965 , Peterson - My Mixture 965.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Knightsmoker (218) | |
Medium | None Detected | Medium | Tolerable |
C&D's Cordial has a sweet, smokey, creamy jar note that reminds me a little of Balkan Sasieni's tin note. The smoke is slightly oriental forward with notes of spice, very earthy, with a slight herbalness, I also get some saw dust from time and time and they have the characteristic sour note that contrasts with a buttermilk like creaminess in the smoke. The Lat. follows behind this for me. It has its characteristic campfire smoke, it too may be just a little earthy, and I think the musty note may come from here or perhaps this too belongs to the Turkish it is hard to say for sure. The VA's are more felt than tasted for me. A note or two of grass maybe a hint here and there of citrus but nothing else really stands out. The Black Cav adds a little sweetness maybe a touch of brown sugar and vanilla to the base of the blend. The nic hit is at the upper end of mild to med. but the overall strength from the lat and orientals is just below the center of med. The taste is solidly med. It will not bite or get harsh unless you really push it. Needed a few more than average relights for me but burned clean and dry. A solid 3 stars.
Age When Smoked: 3 months
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| PennsylvaniaPiper (20) | |
Mild to Medium | Extremely Mild | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
I've had the pleasure of enjoying lots of Dunhill "The Aperitif" in my day and still have a small, dwindling stash of it in my cellar.
That said, Cordial by Cornell & Diehl resembles "The Aperitif" in some ways, but is different than it in many others.
Getting right down to it, the taste/roomnote of Cordial at times is somewhat similar to "The Aperitif" with the tobacco cut, moisture, overall quality and burning characteristics being very different than "The Aperitif".
On it's own merit, Cordial is a pleasant mixture that is just a tad stronger than mild. The pouch note smells like a lat-bomb but the latakia is a supporting character just like in "The Aperitif". Hard to get lit, but once it gets going it provides a nice, subtlety spicy/sweet/smokey experience without being too overwhelming on any of those fronts. Priced nice.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Robby the Belgian (24) | |
Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Pleasant |
One of my all-time favorite tobaccos. Perfect to relax after a busy, stressful day.
The cut is not quite a ribbon, but more of a ready-rubbed, with some chunks of flake. This might require a few more relights than your average tobacco, but your mileage may vary. With a few more relights, it burns to a nice powdery ash, though.
The first thing you notice is the latakia and orientals, blending very nicely with the other flavors to give a full-bodied flavor profile. Imagine a wood fire built from aromatic woods, with a bush of heather thrown on for a bit of a floral note.
As it is being smoked, it gets a bit sweeter (as is typical for blends containing virginias) but still very nicely blended.
If you like full-bodied Scottish blends with a good (but not overwhelming) amount of latakia and spice, make sure to get some of this. It won't disappoint.
Pipe Used: Brigham Mountaineer
Age When Smoked: 6 months
Purchased From: smokingpipes.com
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| point9 (114) | |
Medium to Strong | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable to Strong |
This is a serious English blend, not a latakia bomb, but full of flavor with good balance. The bulk came a little dry and chunky, better jar it or you have to rehydrate it after some time. Smoky. I think it's a little stronger than Dunhill's Aperitif (Orlik version).
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Emeritus Account (30194) | |
Medium | None Detected | Medium | Tolerable |
This is very good stuff,but requires a spritz of distilled water and 24 hours before it should be smoked. Very heavy in Turkish flavor.Some might consider this slightly bitter,and it is ,but in a good way.Latakia is the secondary flavor here with Virginias coming in last. A very smooth blend with no bite at all.This is an amped up version of C&D's Black Duck(which I love).This is really for the connoisseur of fine Turkish leaf. 3 of 4 stars. ====================UPDATE 6/15/07============================= DIRT IN A CAN! READ EMMBEE FOR THE REST OF MY SENTIMENTS.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Emeritus Account (30194) | |
Extremely Strong | None Detected | Extra Full | Overwhelming |
At first I didn?t rave about this mixture. It reminded me of a watered down Valley Crucis. It?s a lovely large cut of what appears to be Virginia, Latakia and some type of black Cavendish. Perhaps some Perique as well? It has a light, buttery aroma of pepper and ember and behaves very nicely when smoked. Midway down the bowl, an autumnal charm takes hold and the very subtlest nose of fruits and leaves begins to hypnotize. It leaves the room smelling grand for up to 30 minutes. I?m appreciating C & D more and more for its masterful blending and experimentation. This is one I will turn to every now and again. This is really a late fall, outdoorsy smoke. Mmmm Mmmm, Gooooooooood!
Three and a half of five stars
----------------- 9/10 update: make that five of five stars. it took a few pipefuls to truly appreciate it. too bad it's available only in large 8 oz tins. though i believe i will break down and get one. cordial really is pipe smoking perfection. one of my new favorites & one of c & d's grandest accomplishments! ----------------------------- 4/10/07 update: If there?s one thing I do not readily accept, it is change for no damned good reason. A masterpiece of architectural design doesn?t need to be torn down for a towering monolith, when that eyesore can be built elsewhere with no loss of profit. Gentrification and neighborhood revitalization need not result in soulless urban playgrounds. Not all of nature should be paved over to make way for endless suburban sprawl. Or how about wars fought without an exit strategy so that certain members of government can pass out economic windfalls to pal oil barons and Texas cronies? What?s the analogy of my ramblings to pipe tobaccos, you ask? Well, for one thing, change has been taking place among too many of them, and for no good reason. Pipe smoking is like harpsichord making or woodcut illustration. There are few folks these days engaged in manufacturing and not many more consuming these time honored arts. Let?s face it, pipe smokers are an odd lot and there are not a lot of us left. Just walk down the street with a pipe in your face and you will be looked or laughed at as a relic. Thus, would you buy a badly voiced musical instrument or a cheap oil on canvas that looked as if the artist had painted by numbers? I should hope not! One of my all time favorites, Cordial has not changed ala European blends, taking an element out here and replacing it with something different there. This is wholesale alteration and misrepresentation of the product. All the light speckled tobacco components have been completely removed. The luscious latakia has been overpowered by a ton of hot, smoky Orientals and Balkans. There?s none of that gingery topping left nor any unsweetened signature black Cavendish. This is an over the top Balkan blend with an aroma that will surely offend everyone around you, and this is hardly the first time ol? cracker Craig T has been playing games with his tobaccos. You can read my other C & D reviews to see what he?s done to Pennington Gap (hit and miss depending upon the tin you buy), Strathspey (from magnificent to totally horrid), DaVinci (powerful to overbearing), all of Serad?s discontinued blends (sublime to ridiculous), Pirate Kake (hot, hotter, hottest), the overrated Peases (all marketing) and a host of others. Buying a C & D tin is now a crapshoot, as you never know what Tarler is going to do with his creations, altering some beyond the point of recognition. He must think pipe smokers can be hoodwinked and won?t know the difference from one tin to the next. Is he trying to cut costs? Is he taking too many trips to the still behind the curing shed? There are few things one can rely on in our fickle, ?now you see it, now you don?t? culture. The least one can expect is some regularity in a tin of pipe tobacco! I mean, how hard can it be? Unlike most other blenders, there?s absolutely no consistency with C & D nor is there a common thread that makes its products readily identifiable. Even drugstore blends such as Sir Walter Raleigh or Captain Black have a perennial consistency to them. And lately, C & D exhibits a total lack of any form of quality control. At 8 to 15 dollars a pop, these are becoming expensive mistakes that are really (sorry) pissing me off. I?ve resolved to end my journey with C & D and stick with a host of other great tobaccos made by blenders that are consistent and reliable: McClelland, Peretti, Fader?s, etc. With the Chicago Pipe Show only weeks away, I can assuredly tell you that when I see Craig and Pam I won?t be stopping, though I?ll try to smile as I go by.
One of five aggravated stars
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Emeritus Account (30194) | |
Mild to Medium | Medium | Mild | Tolerable |
I had heard very good things about this blend from my friends “Erinmore” and “Hetfield”. Vasilis brought me some to taste it, but unfortunately it didn't respond to my friends recommendations. Many times, because of the good credits some people give to a mixture; your expectations are raised, maybe resulting to an unfair judgment. Perhaps this is what happened with this blend. The blend contains Virginia, Turkish, Latakia and Black Cavendish. First of all I am under the impression that the Turkish element is way too strong with heavy odor. Latakia was not soft in flavor. I've read that it is considered a substitute of Dunhill's Aperitif. I didn't have the honor to try that one, so I can't make a comparison
Nobody has rated this review yet.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Emeritus Account (30194) | |
Medium | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
As a replacement for/or "reminiscent of Dunhill Aperitif" this blend fails. Yes it is a milder English blend but it lacks the subtely and the body of Aperitif.
But on to the blend itself: It is a slightly lighter English blend from the norm and relatively mono-chromatic. It is a gorgeous blend to the eye with great mix of light and dark Virginias and smoky Latakia. I have 1 lbs of this aging away and it does get better with age (I open a 1oz jar every year). I have smoked about 2 lbs of this over the last 2-3 years and I find the quality control is an issue. Sometimes the tin is so dry I have to rehydrate the blend - and some of the blend has turned to dust in the tin. If you get a good tin the blend is quite nice and doesn't overwhelm the palate. I like it enough to age it for future use and as an early morning/afternoon no fuss no muss English blend.
Nobody has rated this review yet.
600 Perdue Ave
Richmond, VA 23224