Tom Eltang Virginia
(1.75)
The natural sweetness and appealing fragrance of red and bright Virginias take the center stage of this beautiful, ribbon-cut blend, with a touch of burley added to enhance a cool smoking experience.
Notes: This blend is being released at Tom Eltang's house in Denmark on September 17, 2014. Per Mr. Eltang: For some time now (about the past 15 years or so…) I have been playing with the idea of blending my own tobacco as a natural extension of my craft. Finally this happens - through the help and guidance of Sykes Wilford, Smokingpipes.com and the American Pipe Tobacco Manufacture, Cornell & Diehl tobaccos.
Details
| Brand | Tom Eltang |
| Blended By | Cornell & Diehl |
| Manufactured By | Cornell & Diehl |
| Blend Type | Virginia/Burley |
| Contents | Burley, Virginia |
| Flavoring | Alcohol / Liquor |
| Cut | Ribbon |
| Packaging | 2 ounce tin |
| Country | United States |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Mild to Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Extremely Mild
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Tolerable
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Feb 21, 2017 | Strong | Very Mild | Full | Tolerable |
Finished what will definitely be my final bowl of this mostly light colored ribbon with a very pronounced tin note of some kind of topping, brandy perhaps? I've been working on this since last November but haven't been able to stick with it. This review is based on 8 bowls, some very large and some very small. The tin is dated Aug 2014.
Either something happened to C&D around the time of Craig Tarler's passing (RIP, Craig) or my tastes have changed drastically*. This is predominately a Virginia blend, and C&D's Virginias now taste like burley, while their burleys taste like a rope made out of Kentucky leaf. I bought this fresh but had such trouble with C&D blends that I held it for over two years, hoping it would smooth out. If it has, it was unsmokable fresh. There is a whisper of red Virginias tang and crispness and almost zero sweetness from the lemon Virginia. The burley, on the other hand, was very forward, of less than dubious quality, and turned this into a cheap cigarette. The topping, whatever it is, dissipates quickly. Overall, It's a very rough flavor and texture and has no delicacy of taste or measure of skillful blending. It tastes like a slapped-together affair made from tobacco that is very green and unsuitable for smoking. It certainly does not do justice to Tom Eltang, the pipemaker. One star is a gift.
*Without pointing any obvious fingers, I still have my older stashes of various C&D blends (and GLP blends as well) that compare very favorably to their new stuff, which I cannot smoke. So if my tastes have changed, I guess they only changed on the post-Tarler output. Odd. 😉 At any rate, tobacco blends coming out of the Cornell & Diehl company these days hold zero interest for me and I sincerely hope there aren't any more hiding in my cellar. I really miss Oriental Silk and GLP's Picadilly, to name just two. I find whatever change they went through to be nothing short of tragic.
Either something happened to C&D around the time of Craig Tarler's passing (RIP, Craig) or my tastes have changed drastically*. This is predominately a Virginia blend, and C&D's Virginias now taste like burley, while their burleys taste like a rope made out of Kentucky leaf. I bought this fresh but had such trouble with C&D blends that I held it for over two years, hoping it would smooth out. If it has, it was unsmokable fresh. There is a whisper of red Virginias tang and crispness and almost zero sweetness from the lemon Virginia. The burley, on the other hand, was very forward, of less than dubious quality, and turned this into a cheap cigarette. The topping, whatever it is, dissipates quickly. Overall, It's a very rough flavor and texture and has no delicacy of taste or measure of skillful blending. It tastes like a slapped-together affair made from tobacco that is very green and unsuitable for smoking. It certainly does not do justice to Tom Eltang, the pipemaker. One star is a gift.
*Without pointing any obvious fingers, I still have my older stashes of various C&D blends (and GLP blends as well) that compare very favorably to their new stuff, which I cannot smoke. So if my tastes have changed, I guess they only changed on the post-Tarler output. Odd. 😉 At any rate, tobacco blends coming out of the Cornell & Diehl company these days hold zero interest for me and I sincerely hope there aren't any more hiding in my cellar. I really miss Oriental Silk and GLP's Picadilly, to name just two. I find whatever change they went through to be nothing short of tragic.
Age When Smoked:
2+ years
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