Cornell & Diehl Five O'Clock Shadow (Working Man Series)
(3.33)
Red Virginias and perique, pressed into a cake with a pinch of dark-fired Kentucky for an extra bit of depth, C&D's "Five O'Clock Shadow" is blended to provide that simple sort of treat we could all use when the workday is, finally, over.
Details
| Brand | Cornell & Diehl |
| Blended By | |
| Manufactured By | Cornell & Diehl |
| Blend Type | Virginia/Perique |
| Contents | Kentucky, Perique, Virginia |
| Flavoring | |
| Cut | Krumble Kake |
| Packaging | 2 oz. & 8 oz. Tin |
| Country | United States |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Medium to Strong
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Tolerable
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium to Full
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
3.33 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 11 - 14 of 14 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 15, 2021 | Very Strong | Extremely Mild | Very Full | Tolerable to Strong |
Very intense blend—in appearance, in smell, and in taste.
You're first confronted with a dark, crumbly cake. Some say they can break it apart with their fingers, but mine was packed a bit more tightly and needed a knife. Once cut, it resembles brown and black fish food flakes.
The smell is what you would expect from the components: a dark, smoky, leathery, earthy smell from the DFK mixed with a spicy, raisiny small from the Perique and the grassy, fruity (almost tea-like) smell from the red Virginias.
The first puffs were very earthy and leathery, with DFK at the forefront (and the charring light cloud even stinging my eyes a bit from the Perique!). For the remainder of the smoke, though, the DFK and the Perique battled it out (both at quite strong levels—just right up at the border between amazing and a little too much, but firmly on the side of the former), with the red Virginias always a background presence.
There's a surprisingly nice mouthfeel and aftertaste, which makes me suspect a tiny bit of flavoring of some sort (not as bold as a topping would give, but maybe in the casing).
The smoke is pretty thick and pungent, giving both a spicy—but enjoyable—retrohale as well as a borderline tolerable room note.
From my experience, it seems as though this smokes best with a gravity-filled bowl tamped down very gently once after filling, and it will burn extremely consistently and slowly with a lot of rich, spicy, leathery smoke.
This is definitely not an everyday smoke (let alone an all-day smoke), but rather good for an occasional knock-your-socks-off experience.
Also, a big, deep bowl might be too much of a good thing, and so I'd go with a smaller—albeit wider—one, maybe a pot (a Savinelli 316KS works perfectly for me).
The nic hit is pretty high, too, so an empty stomach is not recommended!
Overall, I reserve my perfect 4-star ratings for those blends that I would turn to often, and I know this would simply be a rare treat because it's definitely a mood-dependent selection. Also the strength pushes the limits just a bit at times, and so all that said, it's 3.5 stars for me.
You're first confronted with a dark, crumbly cake. Some say they can break it apart with their fingers, but mine was packed a bit more tightly and needed a knife. Once cut, it resembles brown and black fish food flakes.
The smell is what you would expect from the components: a dark, smoky, leathery, earthy smell from the DFK mixed with a spicy, raisiny small from the Perique and the grassy, fruity (almost tea-like) smell from the red Virginias.
The first puffs were very earthy and leathery, with DFK at the forefront (and the charring light cloud even stinging my eyes a bit from the Perique!). For the remainder of the smoke, though, the DFK and the Perique battled it out (both at quite strong levels—just right up at the border between amazing and a little too much, but firmly on the side of the former), with the red Virginias always a background presence.
There's a surprisingly nice mouthfeel and aftertaste, which makes me suspect a tiny bit of flavoring of some sort (not as bold as a topping would give, but maybe in the casing).
The smoke is pretty thick and pungent, giving both a spicy—but enjoyable—retrohale as well as a borderline tolerable room note.
From my experience, it seems as though this smokes best with a gravity-filled bowl tamped down very gently once after filling, and it will burn extremely consistently and slowly with a lot of rich, spicy, leathery smoke.
This is definitely not an everyday smoke (let alone an all-day smoke), but rather good for an occasional knock-your-socks-off experience.
Also, a big, deep bowl might be too much of a good thing, and so I'd go with a smaller—albeit wider—one, maybe a pot (a Savinelli 316KS works perfectly for me).
The nic hit is pretty high, too, so an empty stomach is not recommended!
Overall, I reserve my perfect 4-star ratings for those blends that I would turn to often, and I know this would simply be a rare treat because it's definitely a mood-dependent selection. Also the strength pushes the limits just a bit at times, and so all that said, it's 3.5 stars for me.
Pipe Used:
Savinelli Oceano 316KS
PurchasedFrom:
Smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked:
A few months
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 22, 2019 | Strong | None Detected | Full | Strong |
Cornell & Diehl - Five O'clock Shadow (Working Man Series).
In the tin, the kake appears to have the consistency of a plug. But, a piece breaks away easily and rubs to having a fine texture with extreme ease. The smell from it's fruity, yet a little smoky. My moisture couldn't be better.
The smoke? Heady! It lights scintillatingly; just a quick touch of the flame is all that's required. Then, this isn't a smoke for the 'less experienced'. The Virginias and Perique compliment one another perfectly; fruity, sweet, Virginias and plummy, spicy, Perique. The Kentucky is a little more than a 'background' player; fire-cured, coarse and rustic. This increases the strength of flavour, and would be the constituent to perturb the newer folks; IMO. The burn from it's good, but the temperature can increase to above medium if puffed with too much vigour.
Nicotine: lots. Room-note: unpleasant.
Five O'clock Shadow? A good smoke, especially for the mornings, but just a bit too potent for a full house. Three stars:
Recommended.
In the tin, the kake appears to have the consistency of a plug. But, a piece breaks away easily and rubs to having a fine texture with extreme ease. The smell from it's fruity, yet a little smoky. My moisture couldn't be better.
The smoke? Heady! It lights scintillatingly; just a quick touch of the flame is all that's required. Then, this isn't a smoke for the 'less experienced'. The Virginias and Perique compliment one another perfectly; fruity, sweet, Virginias and plummy, spicy, Perique. The Kentucky is a little more than a 'background' player; fire-cured, coarse and rustic. This increases the strength of flavour, and would be the constituent to perturb the newer folks; IMO. The burn from it's good, but the temperature can increase to above medium if puffed with too much vigour.
Nicotine: lots. Room-note: unpleasant.
Five O'clock Shadow? A good smoke, especially for the mornings, but just a bit too potent for a full house. Three stars:
Recommended.
Pipe Used:
Ben Wade Elegance
PurchasedFrom:
Smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked:
12/21/16
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 28, 2016 | Medium to Strong | None Detected | Medium | Tolerable to Strong |
The portion of the brick, given to me by a friend, was very dark in nature. The crumble cake brick looks mostly black with bits of dark brown flecks. It smells like fermented fruit with hints of raisins, plum, and just a bit of spice.
Easy to crumble out and load. Lights easily and remains so with light tamping.
The smoke is very much dominated by the perique. It tastes of dark fruit, raisins, and plum, mixed with spice. I detected very little red va, however, this did come out more about halfway down the bowl, at which point the bready and slightly tangy flavors mixed well with the dark fruit and spice. The dfk would make an appearance here and there by giving more spice and adding some earthy tones. Overall a good smoke. I'm glad I tried it but not sure it's one I'll add to my rotation.
Easy to crumble out and load. Lights easily and remains so with light tamping.
The smoke is very much dominated by the perique. It tastes of dark fruit, raisins, and plum, mixed with spice. I detected very little red va, however, this did come out more about halfway down the bowl, at which point the bready and slightly tangy flavors mixed well with the dark fruit and spice. The dfk would make an appearance here and there by giving more spice and adding some earthy tones. Overall a good smoke. I'm glad I tried it but not sure it's one I'll add to my rotation.
Pipe Used:
Neerup Tomato
PurchasedFrom:
Gifted
Age When Smoked:
Gifted/Unknown
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 01, 2016 | Medium | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Tolerable |
For me, the Red Virginia was the main player, with support from the Perique and hints from the Kentucky. Despite that, this was very moderate in terms of taste, even on the light side at times. Fully rubbed out, this burned a tad on the fast side but not too hot. And the same time, it left a moderate cigarette-like aftertaste. Not quite fully rubbed out, the aftertaste was missing, it smoked slower, but needed the odd relight. So, looking for a light/moderate tasting straight forward tobacco, with little to no extra casing? This might suit you.
Pipe Used:
briars, cobs, and meers
PurchasedFrom:
Smoking Pipes
Age When Smoked:
7 months
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