Adam S.
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Cornell & Diehl - Sun Bear Bourbon Cask 2oz
I didn't get here in time buuuut...
I work in a hospital, what can ya do? Too busy. But to all the naysayers on here, while I do understand the frustration just go to your local brick and mortar. I'm willing to bet if you go to a Club Humidor they're gonna have several tins in stock. Happens every time. And while you can see it as an opportunistic ploy to get cash and drive up sales, I'd disagree. It gives us something to look forward to every year, and sometimes we luck out. Other times we don't. Personally there are plenty of limited blends C&D releases that I'm not interested in, but am still excited to hear about what I missed out on. Maybe I'm just mindlessly optimistic. Another option? Check out pipes and cigars every week for a bit! They tend to get a few leftover tins, and that's how I got stocked up on last year's From Beyond. Most importantly, be grateful that these companies even exist, and that we have a vendor that tries to find a way to make it work out. It isn't always perfect, but it's preferable to nothing at all.

Erik Stokkebye 4th Generation - Black Dot
I'll give it a five for now...
HAVE NOT TRIED IT but I'm sure I'd like it. However, black cavendish isn't listed in the components. Are we to assume it's a core of perique? Or is it more perique forward than bullseye flake but still has cavendish? I'm somewhat surprised it wasn't clarified.

Samuel Gawith - Cabbie's Roll Cut 50g
I got mine (now with update)
And it is absolutely what I wanted. Update: after a couple of weeks in the jar, it's perfect. Don't think I'd be able to cellar any because I don't have the self discipline to not smoke it. It's plum or raisin-like flavors remind me of a roughly 5 year old tin of escudo I had once, maybe even better. I read somewhere that the perique is cased in cherry (or was at one point years ago) but I didn't get note any of that. The blend is very balanced to me... Each lead component does as it should. Moist out of the tin (and still moist out of the jar), I choose to not give it dry time. It didn't take me a bunch of relights to keep it burning despite this, and it burned evenly, biteless in my opinion and had a clean taste that remained consistent throughout the smoke. Usually with Virginia based blends I feel like the moisture in the last quarter bowl sort of gives the smoke a strong astringent taste. Not like tea, but a burnt wet woodsy taste. This? This didn't. I didn't realize it was done until I knocked the bowl a bit and it emptied as white ash and nothing left. My tastes say it's excellent, and maybe the best I've had... But it's price and rarity do disappoint me. It has a rare quality that surprised me and would be my vaper desert island blend of choice. My advice? Set money aside for this one. I doubt you'd be disappointed if you like this type of blend, and you'll end up in wishing you'd bought more. I got 8 tins without having trier it before and I'm definitely glad I did.

Seattle Pipe Club - Hogshead 4oz
Lordy lordy
There's not much to say about Virginia flavors that hasn't already been said. But they're all present and it's honestly one of my favorite mixtures. To me it's more of a giant fat cake than a plug because it kinda chunks off the corners easily. Smoked bitelessly for me and it's just plain great. Hopefully it sticks around.

Cornell & Diehl - Redburn 2oz
May have to update
I really want to like this blend, and it's not that I don't. I typically don't dig burley blends too much. I'm more of an English and Virginia type smoker, but this sounded really good. I don't smoke aromatics, and was hesitant to buy this because I've heard people refer to it as such. Trust me, aromatic it ain't. I didn't feel like the room note had as much cigarette scent as other burley blends I've smoked which I was nice. The flavor was mild and sweet. The molasses was definitely there haha. Perfect moisture out of the tin, prepped perfectly and smoked with no bite or dottle. I smoked it out of a Peterson 314 (which is my pocket pipe) and it lasted over an hour. Will keep revisit it through the week and update if I feel it deserves revision.

Cornell & Diehl - Black Frigate 2oz
Instantly satisfied
It was hard for me not to love this blend immediately. Perfect moisture and cake density for my preferences, super easy to prepare, stayed lit, and well balanced. The rum is a nice compliment but to those worried about it overwhelming the natural tobacco flavors, I don't feel like it does. A solid English blend with fine tobaccos and a nice hint of rum.

Cornell & Diehl - Star of the East Flake 2oz
Darkness
While this isn't a total lat bomb, it definitely scratches that itch for me. The first few bowls kinda bad me struggling to discern the flavors of the different components (Latakia aside of course), but on bowl four I totally understand it now. The oriental leaf is at just the right level to give a little bit of a floral or spice to the blend, and the Virginia gives what Virginias always give. But the Latakia is different than any Latakia heavy blend I've had. It's rich, dark and smooth tasting. Obviously smokey but the leather aspect is what hits me the most. Creamy mouth feel. I've been folding and stuffing the flakes but I think this needs a bit more rubbing out than flakes I'm accustomed to. All in all, a solid product I plan on keeping in the rotation.

Cornell & Diehl - Folklore 16oz
Wow.
Even just the scent of the cake upon opening the bag was enough for me to know I'd love it. To me it smelled like a hint of cloves or some kind of spice, tea, and some scent I can't place. It burns beautifully and has a soft mild sweetness that rounds out the rest of the flavors. Not quite as complex as I feel SteamWorks is but that's the closest thing I could compare this stuff to. Absolutely phenomenal and glad I managed to get one package of it.

Two Friends - Redwood 2oz
Updated review
Opened a fresh tin tonight and had a bowl after not opening a new tin in some time. I gotta say, having smoked my initial tins over the course of a year or two, the flavor really grew on me more and more. Hints of pine, soft cocoa, a little bit of sugar and bread. The cavendish really smooths this blend out to me. The perique isn't super pronounced but does lend a bit of the dark fruit that compliments the some of the hints of fruit from the Virginia. Moisture was perfect. As in my prior review, this isn't a typical VAPER type blend to me. Difficult to explain but it's a perfect all day smoke - mild, cool burning and biteless. Almost like a classic codger blend in a way. It isn't complex but doesn't need to be. This is a blend like an old comfortable flannel shirt. It fits just right.

Tampers & Tools - 8deco Tamper - Kokka
For the price?
An excellent deal. Works far better than a Czech tool's tamp piece if you don't mind losing the spoon and poker. I feel like the cupped curvature really allows me to get an ideal pressure along the side of the bowl without pressing too much in the middle ash. This is the first tamp I've had that isn't a Czech and already I see results I didn't have before.

Cornell & Diehl Tins - Evergreen 2oz
Perfect with a price
So I've given it some time before reviewing this blend. Being as the first tin I got (operative word, first) and opened has been beyond phenomenal. I'm not a cavendish person at all. My go-to blends are vapers or straight virginias. But as a peterson pipe fan, I picked this tin on a recent purchase. Smooth. So (expletive) smooth. Creamy. All of the constituent tobaccos in this tin do EXACTLY WHAT CORNELL AND DIEHL INTENDED. Sweet, yet nuanced and not cloying. The perique teases a hint of spice and dark fruit. The virginia hints of grass, yeasty bread and sugar but never overstep anything else. And the cavendish! It adds great body, creaminess and a teases of a molasses or brown sugar. Everything in its place. Herein lies the problem... you must buy a Peterson. Now, I have spent quite a bit on pipes here. All of em are Pete's. I have two extra tins (like I said, Petersons are my thing)... but this immaculate blend is basically prohibitively expensive. It kinda makes me sad. I talked to a rep of smokingpipes today briefly and if I'm not mistaken, once this deal is done they're not going to sell it anymore even if they have more tins. But this blend would be a hit under any name! If anyone from this site reads this I am literally willing to pay 16 bucks per tin for it, sanz a new pipe. Trust me. I plan on buying more Petersons, but this is the kind of blend that could really be a hit. I'm going to TRY to contact Cornell and Diehl in regard to this blend. Please smokingpipes... yall gotta do something about this. I'd throw away all of my Dunbar and And So To Bed for 3 tins of this. The quality, smooth and cool smoke never bites. It always and I mean HAS ALWAYS PLEASED ME. Even the room note is sublimely enjoyable. I hope to have more :(

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2025 In Review
  • ► I miss Whiteknight :/
  • ► I would say I'm a habitual pipe smoker. At 42 years old, I have built quite the supply of my favorites as well as limited blends... Maybe because I'm scared that as time goes on, there will be less a variety as well as problems obtaining tobacco due to ever changing laws. But I hope 2026 will see a positive change in the pipe landscape. Sure this past year had it's ups and downs, but I'm optimistic that this year will have more ups.