Cornell & Diehl Red Stag
(2.37)
Red and Golden Virginias provide a pleasant base for this medium-strength English. Latakia and Turkish Orientals offer their own addition to the blend giving it a pungent smoky and earthy flavors and hints of pepper. An excellent all round medium English, Red Stag is a nicely balanced and very well rounded blend.
Notes: Reminiscent of old original Rattray's Red Rapparee.
Details
| Brand | Cornell & Diehl |
| Blended By | Craig Tarler |
| Manufactured By | Cornell & Diehl |
| Blend Type | English |
| Contents | Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia |
| Flavoring | |
| Cut | Ribbon |
| Packaging | 50g Tin |
| Country | United States |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Tolerable
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
2.37 / 4
|
Reviews
Please login to post a review.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Dec 12, 2013 | Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant |
Interesting choppy cut, sort of typical of a lot of C&D blends. Nice latakia tin aroma with an undercurrent of spice. I'm not sure which version of Red Rapparee is the "original" but I've smoked it for about 30 years and this is not much like the RRR I'm used to. It looks different, smells different and tastes different. So perhaps the blender is talking about an earlier version. Not that it matters. This isn't the classic that RRR is but it's still a pretty decent, if somewhat confounding blend.
Where RRR is oriental forward, this one starts out with the taste of latakia. It isn't overly strong in this character, but latakia is what I noticed first and foremost. This does change a bit somewhere around the halfway mark of the bowl, where the oriental becomes more apparent. The virginia and other condiments are well to the rear. The taste is smoky and kind of minty, the way some blends merge latakia and various orientals to form a sort of menthol flavor and mouthfeel. The confounding thing about this blend is that I'll get about a dozen or so puffs of this most incredible sweetness and then it'll disappear. Later some nice spicy puffs will come forward and disappear just as quickly. I'd take a full bowlful of either one, but I'm lucky to get a quarter bowl of both, sum total. The rest of the time the blend provides a smoky flavor that is nice but hardly revelatory. Perhaps a little more cavendish or oriental and a tad less latakia? Hard to say... I'm an amateur blender with a strong emphasis on amateur, but it might be fun to play with this one a bit to see if I can make it hum like it does when those fantastic sweet or spicy notes come out. Wish they'd stay longer. Still, this is a worthy blend and a good one to try if you like a nice medium latakia-style blend.
Where RRR is oriental forward, this one starts out with the taste of latakia. It isn't overly strong in this character, but latakia is what I noticed first and foremost. This does change a bit somewhere around the halfway mark of the bowl, where the oriental becomes more apparent. The virginia and other condiments are well to the rear. The taste is smoky and kind of minty, the way some blends merge latakia and various orientals to form a sort of menthol flavor and mouthfeel. The confounding thing about this blend is that I'll get about a dozen or so puffs of this most incredible sweetness and then it'll disappear. Later some nice spicy puffs will come forward and disappear just as quickly. I'd take a full bowlful of either one, but I'm lucky to get a quarter bowl of both, sum total. The rest of the time the blend provides a smoky flavor that is nice but hardly revelatory. Perhaps a little more cavendish or oriental and a tad less latakia? Hard to say... I'm an amateur blender with a strong emphasis on amateur, but it might be fun to play with this one a bit to see if I can make it hum like it does when those fantastic sweet or spicy notes come out. Wish they'd stay longer. Still, this is a worthy blend and a good one to try if you like a nice medium latakia-style blend.
Pipe Used:
Meerschaum... always
Age When Smoked:
1 year
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 21, 2018 | Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant |
Cornell & Diehl - Red Stag.
Sure, tobaccos get a subjective reaction, but I can't figure why Red Stag has had so many poor recommendations? One person's trash is another's treasure!
This was in a selection of blends my wife bought me at Christmas, so I knew it had at least 7 months of age on it. But, upon opening it I noticed the sticker denoting the age read 11/15/16. So, it has more than 7 months on it.
From the freshly opened tin the ribbons were a little underhydrated, not 'dry', but I'd rather them have been moister. The cut's a little coarser than a standard ribbon, there's some small, broken flakes in the tin, too. The pieces are medium and light brown with just a few darker ones. The tin smells 100% natural.
To me the only perceptible negative is caused by the slight dehydration, it burns a bit quick. But other than that I can't find anything wrong with it. When the ingredients list Latakia it always instils the 'will it be a bomb' possibility. A Lat bomb this isn't. The sharp-spiciness from the Oriental leaf gives far more flavour than the Lat-smokiness. The citrus from the Virginias makes this a sprightly morning smoke; zesty and lively. I've been smoking it incessantly today, all without a bite.
Nicotine: only above medium at a push. Room-note: alright.
Red Stag? Not quite a four star blend but definitely worth three:
Recommended.
Sure, tobaccos get a subjective reaction, but I can't figure why Red Stag has had so many poor recommendations? One person's trash is another's treasure!
This was in a selection of blends my wife bought me at Christmas, so I knew it had at least 7 months of age on it. But, upon opening it I noticed the sticker denoting the age read 11/15/16. So, it has more than 7 months on it.
From the freshly opened tin the ribbons were a little underhydrated, not 'dry', but I'd rather them have been moister. The cut's a little coarser than a standard ribbon, there's some small, broken flakes in the tin, too. The pieces are medium and light brown with just a few darker ones. The tin smells 100% natural.
To me the only perceptible negative is caused by the slight dehydration, it burns a bit quick. But other than that I can't find anything wrong with it. When the ingredients list Latakia it always instils the 'will it be a bomb' possibility. A Lat bomb this isn't. The sharp-spiciness from the Oriental leaf gives far more flavour than the Lat-smokiness. The citrus from the Virginias makes this a sprightly morning smoke; zesty and lively. I've been smoking it incessantly today, all without a bite.
Nicotine: only above medium at a push. Room-note: alright.
Red Stag? Not quite a four star blend but definitely worth three:
Recommended.
Pipe Used:
Ramazan Baglan Lee Van Cleef Rep'
PurchasedFrom:
Gift. I believe Smokingpipes.com was where she purchesed it.
Age When Smoked:
11/15/16
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jul 18, 2008 | Mild | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
In the same genre, but not a copy or "me too" attempt at duplicating Dunhill Durbar or Rattray's Red Rapparee. This has that signature Tarler Twist. Perfect moisture for tin to tinder treatment. Short cut, as C. Rattray endorsed in his treatise. To me, a hint of Red Virginia Cavendish, but in no way sweet in the "cavendish" tobacco of Danish origin.
Relaxed, friendly and reliable. Like a good buddy, great with a cold beer...make that a properly chilled ale...not too cold.
I thoroughly enjoy the subdued role the Latakia plays in this mixture. Masterful treatment of top shelf raw materials, allowing the Virginias and Orientals to perform their dance without any interference from the choreographer.
Nice!!
Relaxed, friendly and reliable. Like a good buddy, great with a cold beer...make that a properly chilled ale...not too cold.
I thoroughly enjoy the subdued role the Latakia plays in this mixture. Masterful treatment of top shelf raw materials, allowing the Virginias and Orientals to perform their dance without any interference from the choreographer.
Nice!!
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 13, 2010 | Medium to Strong | None Detected | Medium | Tolerable |
I echo the review of BriarChef. This is very nice tobacco, just short of the top rating.
Govern Yourself Accordingly.
Govern Yourself Accordingly.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 07, 2003 | Medium | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Tolerable |
Allow me to dissent from the esteemed Stag reviewers above. First an observation on my encounter with this creature. My stag came in very poor conditions from its Vegas-smoke residence: it was virtually dehydrated. I know Cornell & Diehl tend to the dry side of moisture in their offerings, but this was ridiculous! Crisp dry, brittle, it was on the verge of turning into dust when I opened the plastic bag inside a tin dated, on the bottom, Oct. 1999 (mind you, neither the lid nor the plastic bag had been previously opened, so I cannot explain the excessive dryness of the product). Anyway, a couple of weeks on therapy with distilled water turned it into something smokable; still, I waited another week before taking the stag for a ride.
Certainly I would not define this as an outstanding or extraordinary blend. It definitely is not a Balkan type of mixture, but all in all the stag is not a bad English style smoke. As it happened with the three other Cornell & Diehl blends I have tried (Briar Fox, Yale Mixture and Haunted Bookshop), it took me some time before I realized how palatable and richly sober this mild to medium mixture actually is. Red Stag is prepared after the traditional C&D fashion: pure quality leaf, virtually untampered with, that IMO accounts for an initially unsettling raw, harsh and grassy under taste, but eventually yields an excellent smoking experience.
If anything this is an educated Stag, for it is a close relative of C&D?s Yale Mixture. The great difference is that being mellower, on account of the unsweetened Virginia Cavendished base, the Stag also carries abundant Turkish leaf. This ingredient makes it livelier, crisper and, IMO, a bit more perky or ?wild? if you so wish, than its Yale relative. The Latakia (Cyprian, probably) dominates the first half of the bowl, with the toasted Black Cavendish providing a discreet background. But don?t be fooled. The fact that there is a Cavendished ingredient does not put the Stag anywhere near Dunhill?s 965, Lane?s Crown Achievement or McConnell?s Original Scottish blend. In this case, the Latakia and the toasted Cavendished Virginia have a similar bitter earthiness, somewhere in between mineral and mutedly sweet, so the contrast between them is not that sharp.
By the second half of the bowl, when the Turkish comes alive, this esteemed breed turns from a down to earth, almost passive attitude, to a vivacious and energetic creature. The spicy and tangy sour-sweet leaf cuts through the thick density of its heavier partners, and the whole mixture becomes more vigorous, lighter and tastier. It has a great finish that doesn?t tire the palate nor induces tongue bite.
While Red Stag would not be my first choice for an English style blend, IMO it sure beats Dunhill?s Standard Mixture Mild (Ah, sacrilege!), Gawith?s Skiff, or even Rattray?s Highland Targe. So if you are in the mood for a light but hearty English style smoke, give the Stag a try?probably best outdoors, when taking a stroll without wanting to think things over too much.
Certainly I would not define this as an outstanding or extraordinary blend. It definitely is not a Balkan type of mixture, but all in all the stag is not a bad English style smoke. As it happened with the three other Cornell & Diehl blends I have tried (Briar Fox, Yale Mixture and Haunted Bookshop), it took me some time before I realized how palatable and richly sober this mild to medium mixture actually is. Red Stag is prepared after the traditional C&D fashion: pure quality leaf, virtually untampered with, that IMO accounts for an initially unsettling raw, harsh and grassy under taste, but eventually yields an excellent smoking experience.
If anything this is an educated Stag, for it is a close relative of C&D?s Yale Mixture. The great difference is that being mellower, on account of the unsweetened Virginia Cavendished base, the Stag also carries abundant Turkish leaf. This ingredient makes it livelier, crisper and, IMO, a bit more perky or ?wild? if you so wish, than its Yale relative. The Latakia (Cyprian, probably) dominates the first half of the bowl, with the toasted Black Cavendish providing a discreet background. But don?t be fooled. The fact that there is a Cavendished ingredient does not put the Stag anywhere near Dunhill?s 965, Lane?s Crown Achievement or McConnell?s Original Scottish blend. In this case, the Latakia and the toasted Cavendished Virginia have a similar bitter earthiness, somewhere in between mineral and mutedly sweet, so the contrast between them is not that sharp.
By the second half of the bowl, when the Turkish comes alive, this esteemed breed turns from a down to earth, almost passive attitude, to a vivacious and energetic creature. The spicy and tangy sour-sweet leaf cuts through the thick density of its heavier partners, and the whole mixture becomes more vigorous, lighter and tastier. It has a great finish that doesn?t tire the palate nor induces tongue bite.
While Red Stag would not be my first choice for an English style blend, IMO it sure beats Dunhill?s Standard Mixture Mild (Ah, sacrilege!), Gawith?s Skiff, or even Rattray?s Highland Targe. So if you are in the mood for a light but hearty English style smoke, give the Stag a try?probably best outdoors, when taking a stroll without wanting to think things over too much.
target="_blank"
