Cornell & Diehl Five O'Clock Shadow (Working Man Series)

Moisture: a little bit wet, so it needs some dry time.

Cut: easily broken crumble cake and easily packed.

Burning: not bad, not very hard to light.

Tin note: Virginia is on its dark side rather than tangy sides like Mcclelland or fresh green tea smell like Dunhill Light Flake. Fruity and raisiny note from Perique is straightforward and a little bit earthy and woody from dark Kentucky.

When smoking: the first half bowl is kicky, raisiny and very spicy Perique based on dark smell Virginia, even though dark-fired Kentucky shines sometimes; the star of the second half bowl is woody, very earthy and robust dark-fired Kentucky with some rough edge. As "Gentleman Zombie " said: this is a very interesting evolution. Overall Five O'Clock Shadow is dark fruity, raisiny, very spicy, a little earthy crumble cake.

Strength: a step over medium.

Room note: very strong and very bad like the cheap cigarette.

My rating: Enjoy + Buy it on sales → Three Stars Rating. I think the dry time and Delayed Gratification Technique will help smooth round the touch of harsh rather than cellaring time. If considering the Delayed Gratification Technique, that will be a four-star rating blend.

Pretty flat delivery and dark flavors here. I get mostly ash and sour notes, whereas the Perique and Va should be delivering some high and fruit notes that seem absent in this blend. I even tried adding some golden Va to this, and it didn't really lift it either.

Jackknife Plug does more with less, and if you want a more interesting smoke that succeeds with the same ingredients, give Watch City Flake #558 a try. That one is a very entertaining smoke indeed. This one from C&D is not bad, but with these ingredients they should have made something cellar worthy, and I don't feel this one is.

This is a very good smoke with an interesting evolution. The earthy, nutty, very mildly smoky Kentucky is the one consistent component throughout the bowl. The Perique starts out leading the Virginias then at the halfway point they swap places and the Virginias take the lead. It's very spicy in the first half and somewhat sweet in the second. This is a 3.5 smoke for me, but I'm going to round up to 4 due to the unique evolution. This is good stuff.

Body and Nic are medium to strong. No added flavors detected. Taste is medium to full. Burns very well.

This is one spicy S.O.B! Black pepper, red pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg. The Red Virginia is spicy, earthy, and subtly sweet. The Perique is spicy with some fig. And the Kentucky is spicy, with some earthyness. Tickles the tongue without biting. This is great fresh but should age phenomenally.

I was looking forward to try this one but it wasn't for me. Then again, the sample I got was very dry, so that might have contributed to my disliking...

To me this blend tasted quite bitter, of course I could sense some Virginia sweetness, but it still tasted mostly like Burley (wich can be a bit tricky for me to enjoy). Not a bad tobacco, just not for me.

A crumble cake plug with a sour and tangy aroma. Smoke unleashes a mildly sweet grass and hay with a slight citrus tang and a white pepper spice on the light. Starts out medium in strength. There's wood devolping behind the grass and hay. The white pepper holds but it's smooth. A nuttiness and a mildly sweet bread develop. A slow burning tobacco. The white pepper has mellowed while the grass, hay and wood play well with the nuts and bread. All lending to the sweet characteristics of the tobacco. The blend is complex with it's strength passing medium and into the half way to strong zone. The perique and dark fired kentucky are fantastic. A 3.7 for Five O'Clock Shadow.

I got this tobacco as a sample at the Chicago Pipe Show. A C&D Rep asked me what I liked to smoke and he recommended this when I told him I liked the Orlik Dark Strong Kentucky blend. From the first light, I knew I would love this blend. The richness of the dark burley came out immediately and the Perique added just enough spice to round out the smoke. I was reminded of Chicory coffee while smoking this blend and would like to one day pair the two. I agree with other reviews that this blend smokes slowly and cool. Great blend!

I was given a nice sample of this from Gr8tefuldawg, a big thanks and one which he really likes. This has a nice earthy somewhat worm dirt smell, possibly from the Perique and dark fired. A dark colored flake and upon lighting up you can tell this is a real meat and potatoes blend. The dark fired was the first thin I noticed upon firing up and then later I believe I could detect some of the Perique. Also, I could tell because at times Perique will make me cough which I call my Perique O’meter. A really nice strong dark fired. I had some more this morning with my coffee and seem to enjoy it better than I did in the afternoons. I bought two tins but for now I am saving these. It is good but I need to thin down my open tins as it is. Thanks again Dawg for recommending this one.

Summary: a gentle topping brings out the interaction between spicy Perique and nutty Burley, sweetened by Virginias.

C&D has been leading the pack with toppings that emphasize more natural flavors that gently complement the tobacco, and this tastes like a combination between liquor, wine and citrus or something like the above. It is not intrusive and takes a background note that harmonizes with the Dark Fired Kentucky (Burley) and Perique which are the centerpiece of this blend. Like the blending Dark Fired Kentucky Burley, this leaf has been smoked less so has more of a nutty Burley flavor with barbecue undertones than the solid, Latakia-level smokiness of the usual dark fired blend. The Virginias soar in like violins behind a strong brass chorus, sweetening the mix and giving it a bit more space between these dueling flavors. With a moderate dose of Nicotine, this is a good smoke (ironically) for getting work done, and the convenient crumble cake is easy to transport and work with.

Thanks to Pipes Magazine founder Kevin Godbee and Smoking Pipes for this sample, which was gifted to me as a prize in the monthly caption contest.