Cornell & Diehl Carolina Red Flake (October 2019 batch) - Short Review

[tradition]

Smoked some over the weekend, very spicy, some grass with a heavy nic hit. Could swear I tasted Perique.

Smoked great right from the tin, perfect dryness.

The nic hit forced me to put down a couple bowls as I neared the end, and I'm not a novice smoker.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Thanks for the review... good job.
The nicotine is what attracts me to C&Ds Virginias; however, I didn't find it overwhelming at all. But, I guess we all have our sensitivities. I knew a pipesmoker who gave me the rest of his pound of PS LTF because he felt it was just too strong in nicotine.
Also, I still had to dry out my flakes, as it just wasn't dry enough for my taste. But, one of the cool things about this hobby is that it is so subjective.

 

[kschatey]

I tried the Carolina Red Flake 2019 last night. Great aroma of fig with a hint of licorice. Burns at a moderate pace, but likes to swell up in the bowl a lot and needed a little most coaxing than usual to stay lit. Maybe I still need to work on my flake rubbing and/packing method. Flavors are subtle and starts out sweet is some maltiness and raisin and the becomes more spicy. The pepperiness ramps up at about the halfway point for me and that makes it interesting. What I really didn't like about this tobacco is the uneven burn and stocky mess that it makes in the pipe bowl. The high sugar content is evident since it caramelizes like the top of a creme brulee as it burns. As a result, it burns a bit hot and mostly in the middle of the bowl only despite using a thick walled pipe. It didn't feel too wet out of the can, but I will dry it next time before packing. I am still weak and sensitive to nicotine, but I took this smoke really slow and had no problem, although it clearly got stronger toward the end. Overall, this was a decent smoke but not something that I will reach for regularly. I'm hoping that the tobacco improves with a little more age on it.

 

[renfield]

Great review and welcome to this smoky corner of the world.

 

[d4k23]

I smoked some of the 2018 with a year on it just recently. I definitely get hints of fig and hay, good choice words. First two bowls no nic hit, then the third I was wiped! I think I smoked it too fast and may have been inhaling more than normal.

But when this tobaco is smoked slow, it is superb!

 

[danimalia]

Great feedback. Thought I missed out, but was actually able to snag a tin last night. Looking forward to trying it.

 

[Worknman]

Aren't all the recent editions in the last couple/few years from the same batch that was harvested in 2015?

 

[craig61a]

Aren't all the recent editions in the last couple/few years from the same batch that was harvested in 2015?

Yes. The batch was L2DH-0-15. And supposedly this last release was the last of it. C&D also used this Red in Speakeasy, and one other blend, which I can’t recall.

But you can watch the video here.

C&D L2DH-0-15

 

[bnichols23]

I tried the Carolina Red Flake 2019 last night. Great aroma of fig with a hint of licorice. Burns at a moderate pace, but likes to swell up in the bowl a lot and needed a little most coaxing than usual to stay lit. Maybe I still need to work on my flake rubbing and/packing method. Flavors are subtle and starts out sweet is some maltiness and raisin and the becomes more spicy. The pepperiness ramps up at about the halfway point for me and that makes it interesting. What

Yeah, I've noticed the swell too. Not a negative necessarily, just something I didn't think I'd see. Good stuff, though. Def right about the pepper; gooood stuff!!

Bill

 

[craig61a]

Its

Yeah, I've noticed the swell too. Not a negative necessarily, just something I didn't think I'd see. Good stuff, though. Def right about the pepper; gooood stuff!!

Bill

It’s broken Flake tobacco after all, so it will expand on smoking. Leave a little room at the top of the bowl.

 

[alaskanpiper]

Open my first tin yesterday. I'm a fan.

 

[craig61a]

Overall, this was a decent smoke but not something that I will reach for regularly. I'm hoping that the tobacco improves with a little more age on it.

Well, it’s already 4 years old. Perhaps your technique of loading has something to do with it.

If you’re not stuffing the flake, make sure you rub it out so the bits are of consistent size. Drying helps in some instances too.

A small coffee grinder can help. You’ll want to shred it wet so you don’t end up with a pile of dust. Then set it out to dry accordingly.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I have stuffed mine in by randomly grabbing some from the tin. Some are bigger flakes, some broken up pretty good. I would have preferred it in whole flakes but it is what it is. I fold and stuff all my flakes, have never saw a good reason to rub it out. I find the larger flake pieces smoke slower and I think the flavors are sharper and fuller. My subjective opinion. I happen to like Red Virginia and find this blend to be excellent. Slightly more earthy and not quite as sweet as McClelland Va Flakes but still quite good all on its own.

 

[kschatey]

Overall, this was a decent smoke but not something that I will reach for regularly. I'm hoping that the tobacco improves with a little more age on it.

Well, it’s already 4 years old. Perhaps your technique of loading has something to do with it.

If you’re not stuffing the flake, make sure you rub it out so the bits are of consistent size. Drying helps in some instances too.

A small coffee grinder can help. You’ll want to shred it wet so you don’t end up with a pile of dust. Then set it out to dry accordingly.

I definitely think you're right about my technique for loading this particular tobacco. I am going to try a couple different ways until I figure out what works best for this particular tobacco in the pipe that I typically use for Virginias. Drying it more is on the list to try as well as trying the cutting/cube method. Thanks for the ideas!

 

[cshubhra]

I had some very good smokes from this when dried for 1-2 hours and only on some pipes. I also had a couple of bad smokes (too earthy) when a bit wet and on pipes which burn a little hot

 

[bent1]

I’ve noticed that about virginia dominant blends cshubhra. They’re picky on which pipe they prefer.