For the next part of our Cornell and Diehl adventure, I tried some of their Engine 99. This blend took me a lot of time to wrap my head around but it was well worth it. Cornell and Diehl states that this blend is consistent of 1/2 968R: Red Odessa and 1/2 Pirate Kake, with the components being unpressed. If you take the ingredients of both blends, you have a blend that has Red Virginia, Turkish, Latakia, Perique, and Cavendish Cut Burley. Sounds like a lot of components for a blend, and it is. The blend is a nice mix of light and dark and is a nice medium sized ribbon cut. Opening the bag, there are all kinds of aromas, from the leathery smell to raisiny sweetness and a bit of chocolatey aromas as well. This blend is almost ready to go out of the bag and only takes about 5 minutes or so of air time to get it ready to smoke. The first light has a good amount of the leathery taste of latakia with a nice backbone of sweetness. The second light brings a kind of nutty and chocolatey flavor from the burley and another good shot of Latakia. I have to say that even though there is perique in this blend, it is very hard to pick out, and I could only sense it in a couple of good nose exhales, but it is there in small doses. The Turkish adds a little bit of a sour hint, and when clenching a pipe with this blend, there is a wonderful aftertaste that I can only describe as buttery. The Latakia is no slouch in this blend and can be tasted throughout the whole bowl but never dominates, and the other ingredients in this blend stand up to it very well. The burley provides some nice nutty and almost woodsy, hickory notes when combined with the Latakia. The blend took a match effortlessly and burned down to a very fine ash. All in all, this blend was hard to pick apart at first, and at first glance, all the ingredients can seem a bit overwhelming. But once given a chance, this blend has come to define what a good English blend should be, big on flavor with a good dose of Latakia, but not so overpowering that it is one dimensional. Everything is very harmonious and creates a unique taste that is very bold and is the perfect late night smoke, maybe with a good scotch or after a big meal. If you are a fan of bold flavors and clean burning English blends, you do not want to miss this one!
