Cornell & Diehl Chenet's Cake
(3.46)
Named in honor of Pierre Chenet, the farmer credited with discovering the process that turns burley into perique in 1824, this combination of Virginia and perique, pressed into an old-fashioned crumble cake, is a perique powerhouse for those who simply can’t get enough of this “truffle of tobaccos”. Estimated peak: 10-15 years. But it's fantastic right now!
Details
| Brand | Cornell & Diehl |
| Series | Cellar Series |
| Blended By | |
| Manufactured By | Cornell & Diehl |
| Blend Type | Virginia/Perique |
| Contents | Perique, Virginia |
| Flavoring | |
| Cut | Krumble Kake |
| Packaging | 2 ounce 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 to Full
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
3.46 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 19, 2018 | Strong | None Detected | Medium to Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
It took me quite a few bowls to ''get'' this blend. My first smoke was fresh from the tin and all i felt was overwhelming spice. Subsequent smokes did not really change my appreciation for this tobacco. Until after about 6 months cellaring, i giave it another go. I filled the bowl with big chunks of cake and sprinkled some dry, loose baccy on top. For the 1st third of the bowl, i still didnt like it. The virginias are rather opaque, they dont offer much fruit or tang or sweetness to offset the spice from the perique. The perique itself also doesnt translate into figgy notes but rather peperry ones, with lots of spice and a taste evoking pencil shavings. But things changed as i reached the second third. Maybe the pipe had warmed up enough to coax out some flavor from the Va, maybe the burn finally really reached those big chunks of cake, i dont know. It suddenly went from hot, acrid, spicy air to malty, earthy, rich, spicy flavours, surprisingly close to a cigar taste. It becomes complex, has a velvet texture in the mouth and comes as a relief. The nicotine starts to creep up but doesnt overwhelm, rather it seems to be a warning for the last third. The end of the smoke, sadly, goes to opaque, dry and bitter notes. I really feel as though only by mid bowl does this tobacco shine. Burn qualities are excellent though, and it doesnt bite, though it may sometimes seem like it considering the amount of spiciness. For these reasons, i cannot wholly recommend this blend. Selling a ''young'' tobacco and asking people to cellar it for years to get the most out of it seems pretty strange, like buying a NAS scotch and being told to put it in a cask and wait 10 years to truly be able to appreciate it. And having to soldier on the first third of every bowl in order to get to the really interesting part seems like a chore to me...
Pipe Used:
Various cobs and bent sandblasted Lorenzetti
PurchasedFrom:
Tabagie Giguère
Age When Smoked:
Fresh from tin
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 29, 2018 | Medium | Mild to Medium | Medium | Strong |
The tin note on this blend is well, not good. I get chocolate and sour, foul smelling musty, rotting food. Probably the worst tin note on any tobacco I have ever smelled. I have 3 pounds of St. James Perique straight from a manufacturer and some of McClellands blending Perique and those smell like a florist compared to this. Thankfully the flavor of the smoke does not carry over from the tin aroma. However this VaPerBur is not one of my favorites, and I love VaPer's (and VaBur's). First off from the tin note through the smoke there is an obvious topping/casing of chocolate. Now a light chocolate topping often enhances Burley's but to my tastes this was a bit heavy handed. From the charring light to the last puff I can taste chocolate in this tobacco more so than I would like. It is not bad but it is distracting from the other tobacco's, namely the Virginia's and Perique which is what I had hoped for. That said it is not an awful flavor, just distracting. The perique is the main attraction in this smoke. It is peppery and loaded with dark fruits: plum, raisins and figs. The sweetness of the VA's are muted by the topping but they are first class red Virginia's that offer some bready, sweet and even earthy notes. There is a good dose of nicotine in this blend so if you are a lightweight like me be careful. This tin is 3.5 years old and it was quiet dry but still required a fair number of relights. I have found that if you slice it an let it air dry for 10 plus minutes prior to rubbing out it loses some of the chocolate flavor (suggesting a topping and/or casing), I prefer doing this but it is relatively inconsistent and due to the dryness it can cause the flake to turn to dust. Not a bad blend but based on the reviews I read, it doesn't live up to the hype for my palate. In fairness C&D says this hits its peak in 10 years or so so even with a few years of age in an unopen tin, it is still a bit young. I will go back for more but at this point it is on the low end for me when I want a VaPer. YMMV
Pipe Used:
Briar's and cobs
PurchasedFrom:
B&M
Age When Smoked:
3 + years
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 10, 2024 | Medium | None Detected | Extremely Mild (Flat) | Tolerable |
Hi folks.
The quick bio is, smoked a pipe 40ish years ago for a while.
Tried a few tobaccos and once I landed on Sail aromatic I liked it and stuck with it so strictly drugstore brands.
Now discovering the boutique blends.
Thanks to y'all for keeping the sport alive while I was finding my way back to it.
I'm learning plenty along the way.
So, now the review.
Well thank god it doesn't taste like it smells.
If you thought "dried fruit and garbage rotting in the hot sun" you'd be close.
The flavour for me was almost non-existent but plenty of spice.
I'm not too far into it so I'll leave room for an updated opinion.
Will try blending with other types to see what I come up with.
I notice quite a few people have more positive things to say after ageing so I'll try that too.
I DO have a couple of questions if that's ok.
So the blend is 35% Perique so common sense says to me that when your tobacco is laid out and ready to pack it should visually resemble about a third of Perique (black).
If one just jams a bunch in there and it ends up being 60% Perique and 40% Virginias then it would distort the intended flavour profile and thus the review.
Am I on the right track with that?
If so it begs the question, do I break the kake all down and put in the jar loose so that I CAN tweak the ratios or do people generally break off what they need when they need it?
Thoughts?
The quick bio is, smoked a pipe 40ish years ago for a while.
Tried a few tobaccos and once I landed on Sail aromatic I liked it and stuck with it so strictly drugstore brands.
Now discovering the boutique blends.
Thanks to y'all for keeping the sport alive while I was finding my way back to it.
I'm learning plenty along the way.
So, now the review.
Well thank god it doesn't taste like it smells.
If you thought "dried fruit and garbage rotting in the hot sun" you'd be close.
The flavour for me was almost non-existent but plenty of spice.
I'm not too far into it so I'll leave room for an updated opinion.
Will try blending with other types to see what I come up with.
I notice quite a few people have more positive things to say after ageing so I'll try that too.
I DO have a couple of questions if that's ok.
So the blend is 35% Perique so common sense says to me that when your tobacco is laid out and ready to pack it should visually resemble about a third of Perique (black).
If one just jams a bunch in there and it ends up being 60% Perique and 40% Virginias then it would distort the intended flavour profile and thus the review.
Am I on the right track with that?
If so it begs the question, do I break the kake all down and put in the jar loose so that I CAN tweak the ratios or do people generally break off what they need when they need it?
Thoughts?
Pipe Used:
Brigham Mountaineer/Mr.Brog
PurchasedFrom:
Victory Pipes
Age When Smoked:
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