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

This working man series is just messing up my routine and Five O'clock Shadow is no exception. This is really a pleasant smoke. The krumble kake is really easy to break down to pipe size. It crumbles easily and packs nicely. It does have a little more oomph than the others in the series. I enjoy it at five or later in the evening. You get a lot of creamy smoke and it is easy to get too eager so go gently. The complexity of it is kind of lost once you get going, but relights show there is a lot going on in the bowl. I recommend it. Oh and don't fill a large pipe this tobacco burns a long time. I small bowl it most of the time. A large bowl will take forever.

This is a wonderful blend in the Krumble Kake form that I really like. Sweet Virginia combined with the smoke like presence of stout dark fired Kentucky made for a dandy smoke with strength and depth. The Virginia is at the forefront and keeps the overall presentation from running away with one's palate.

I think I recall when this blend was released that it was really Kicking Chicken (KC was a limited release blend for the now defunct Pipe Smoker's Forum) with a different name. Whether that was accurate or not, I couldn't really say; nor does it matter as Kicking Chicken is no longer available. Even if it isn't identical to KC I can see why someone would think it was as I find this blend to be a dead ringer for that blend.

I bought a few tins of this a while back but hadn't got around to trying them. When a forum friend decided he wanted to repay my kindness and said he had some of this open, I jumped on the opportunity to try some.

As I stated I found this blend about identical to kicking chicken and I really liked that blend a lot. Which is also to say, if you do not like perique that much, then you will not like this blend. It is a strong blend with perique and Dark Fired Kentucky taking the lead in many cases. Sure, there is Virginia which offers subtle sweetness. I am sure this blend would be overwhelming without it. But it is spicy, and as some may say, a pepper pot.

I still have a tin of Kicking chicken from 2012 which I may have to compare the two more closely when I get around to cracking the tins. Until then, I am happy to know that C & D has made a worthy replacement for that blend.

I am only going with three stars on this one for now as my sample only probably netted me about 5 bowls. But I expect this one to get a fourth star when I later revisit the blend.

The tobacco comes a a pressed brick about the size of a brownie. Mine was pressed a little too firmly to crumble, so I sliced it and rubbed it out. The result was short chopped flake and fish food. I smoked it as delivered and did not dry it.

The smoke initially is sweet, earthy and spicy. It is a tasty smoke and delivers on the flavor. It seemed to pick up a little strength as the bowl progressed and there was more of the earthy fullness and less of the spice. Depending on your palate, this earthy fullness might present as having a harsh edge at the end.

This was a very slow burning blend in the various pots I used to smoke it. It was easy to sip and keep lit and did not require a lot of relights.

The tin price point for this is a little high for me to make it a regular smoke. If I were on a desert island with this as the tobacco that washed ashore, I would smoke a lot of it and be grateful. It is a solid 3 in the recommendations.

One warning is that this is probably not a good blend for you if you have a nicotine sensitivity.

Edit: As the block of pressed tobacco dried a little (and perhaps with a little handling), I could just pinch off a hunk and rub it out to load from my palm like Briar Fox. Some blends wear on you and some get better as you are about to finish the tin. This one is in the "gets better" category.

This is another fine example of a Virginia/perique blend with a little Kentucky added.. Has a nice richness to it.. More on the earthy/spicy side but also with some sweetness from the Virginia.. Pleasant and satisfying in the strength department.. I find a couple minor drawbacks.. it is a very dry smoke with a little bit of harshness to it.. fatiguing is the word some might use.. it also is what it is.. not loaded with complexity.. but that is not necessarily a bad thing.. the tin I had was of the older more hardly compressed crumble cake type.. breaks into very small pieces.. I like to dry it substantially.. I really like this blend but there are quite a few others in this genre i prefer.. i will say it has an interesting tin note.. kind of earth and chocolate with a little spice. I am noticing that this one smokes better in certain pipes.. I have a small billiard that really likes it.

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.

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 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.

Update: Scratch that, either ageing has done its miracle or my palate changed to appreciate this blend's nuance, but I quite enjoy it now. NOT disappointing, well-balanced, 3 stars.

A rather bland and tasteless blend. Tried it several times with the same result. In spite of its nice presentation, the smoke tastes of hot nothing. Disappointing.