C&D Autumn Evening

[PfiifeCheib]

(Pre) Preface: I am an unexperienced pipe smoker by any definition. I have been at it extremely sporadically for a year now. I smoke about three bowls a week so my opinions need be pickled before consumed.

Preface: There isnt a negative word that can be said in terms of quality on this blend. With minimal drying time the tobacco behaved really well, took flame easily and stayed lit with almost no relights. Did not get bitey. Smoked out of a cob.

Once again the fault for any non enjoyment I had with a blend were my own expectations. From an extremely intense tin note to the phrase "widely popular", I was set for an enjoyable experience. My biggest gripe with this tobacco is that I dont understand what other people see or taste in it which is sort of infuriating. In my opinion this blend isnt sweet. Capstan tastes sweeter to me. This blend isnt maple-y to me at all. Not even the tin note is much maple in my opinion. And I would hope that I can identify maple because i drizzle (and occasionally sip) the stuff on my overnight oats every day. I will grant that the tin note somewhat transfers to the smoke but all i get is a sort of pecan note, which isnt bad its just underwhelming. The topping doesnt even overpower the base tobacco because overpower would imply there is something to be overpowered. All I taste in terms of tobacco is some dry hay. What confused me even more is that the mouthfeel was a bit prickly and spicy? Almost a bit bitter i think. I cant make sense of that either way.

Overall this tobacco left me more confused than anything. Ill take it as an important experience in developing my palate. I think ill be staying away from things sold as aromatics in the future. This certainly has not discouraged me from discovering further C&D products as i know they have other offerings.

 

[Brendan]

Firstly, I'm stealing that phrase "my opinions need be pickled before consumed" Not heard that one yet!

Now, how much have of the tin have you smoked? I'm wondering if it needs some 'open' time, or aeration, to help it open up a bit. I've not smoked this blend so I can't really help but I find some airing of blends helps to 'un-mute' the flavours.

But then maybe aromatics are not your bag?..

You should get some more in depth answers soon I'm sure. It’s a popular blend.

 

[PfiifeCheib]

Firstly, I'm stealing that phrase "my opinions need be pickled before consumed" Not heard that one yet!

Now, how much have of the tin have you smoked? I'm wondering if it needs some 'open' time, or aeration, to help it open up a bit. I've not smoked this blend so I can't really help but I find some airing of blends helps to 'un-mute' the flavours.

But then maybe aromatics are not your bag?..

You should get some more in depth answers soon I'm sure. It’s a popular blend.

I thought that pickling would be including enough grains of salt

Well to be fair ive only smoked about a third of the tin. I did transfer the contents to a mason jar immediately upon getting the tin last year. I think that with my repeated opening of the jar to sniff its contents i would have introduced enough air over the year count as airing. I certainly wont be throwing it out, as I am hopeful that the virginias can deepen a bit but well have to see.

For now im afraid ill have to conclude aromatics to not be my cup of tea in all likelihood. But that being said I do enjoy macb Navy Flake which i would consider an aromatic but then again that might not be fully fitting the definition.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I have heard raves about Autumn Evening ever since picking up a pipe. I can't say that I found it to be much more than a really good aromatic, which for me, isn't saying much. So, not being an aromatic guy, I can't judge it fairly. I tend to just taste candle wax from most aros. What I do like though, is C&D's Red Virginia Cavendish by itself. That is the base tobacco before it's been hit with that maple sauce. I have a good bit of that stashed in the cellar.

 

[pappymac]

I have smoked Autumn Evening and found it to be a nice smoke though I didn't pick up that much maple. In fact, I have a mason jar containing one of the old burley blends, George Washington, which was discontinued in the mid-1970s and it has more of a maple note. (I bought a sealed 14 oz. tin about seven or eight years ago because it was the only tobacco my grandfather smoked until he couldn't get it anymore.)

The one thing I've learned over the years is that everyone is different and our tastes can change. I went through a period where all I smoked were English and VaPer blends. Then I went though a few years where I only smoked aromatics.

Now I just smoke whatever I type of blend I feel like smoking.

Stick with pipe smoking long enough and you MAY find the blends you want to stick with.

 

[Chasing Embers]

If you're still in the first couple of years of pipe smoking, aromatics aren't going to do much for you. Retrohaling is a must when smoking them.

 

[Infantry23]

Just as @Chasing Embers said, retrohaling is a must with aromatics. I really like Autumn Evening, although I was also quite disappointed in my first go-round. Once I started retrohaling, I could taste the maple to the point that I thought I was smoking pancakes with maple syrup.

Additionally, for me, I felt that the more seasoned I became as a smoker, the more flavors I could taste. I was smoking about 2 or 3 bowls per week when I initially tried Autumn Evening and eventually it just clicked with the retrohale.

Hopefully these pointers help and you get to enjoy it!

 

[Brad H]

It’s good as an aromatic. Which I’m not an aromatic guy. Still the less if you are getting into pipes and like aromatic, I find it to be fair.
About as aromatic as I go and enjoy is Mac Baren plumcake and G&H brown Irish twist aromatic.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Maybe if my sinuses could handle a retrohale, I would be more inclined to smoke aromatics (a hard maybe). But, if I drag smoke through my nose, I end up coughing the rest of the day and then have sinus issues afterwards. Maybe if, like me, you have sensitive sinuses, then maybe steer clear of aros.

 

[Skippy Piper]

What confused me even more is that the mouthfeel was a bit prickly and spicy? Almost a bit bitter i think. I cant make sense of that either way.

Overall this tobacco left me more confused than anything. Ill take it as an important experience in developing my palate. I think ill be staying away from things sold as aromatics in the future. This certainly has not discouraged me from discovering further C&D products as i know they have other offerings.

I smoke a whole ton of aromatics and I can safely say that prickly, spicy, almost bitter mouth feel is unique to Cornell & Diehl blends and not something you'll experience with aromatics from other companies. C&D doesn't steam treat their tobacco very much (or sometimes at all) before processing it like all the other big blenders do, so what you end up getting is a really raw, natural, and often downright harsh smoking experience from their blends. That style can work really well for their Burley blends and some of their Virginias, but I don't think it works for their aromatics.

Try aromatics from other companies and you'll notice a big difference. Lane Very Cherry and Captain Black Original are my personal favorite aros and both are extraordinarily smooth, though you can't go wrong with Cult Blood Red Moon either and Lane 1-Q is basically mandatory for every pipe smoker to try at least once. I'd also recommend Gawith Hoggarth Bob's Chocolate Flake if you're comfortable rubbing out flakes. In any case, I wouldn't let Autumn Evening put you off aromatics. Cornell & Diehl does a lot of things very well, though I don't think aromatics are one of them.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I smoke a whole ton of aromatics and I can safely say that prickly, spicy, almost bitter mouth feel is unique to Cornell & Diehl blends and not something you'll experience with aromatics from other companies. C&D doesn't steam treat their tobacco very much (or sometimes at all) before processing it like all the other big blenders do, so what you end up getting is a really raw, natural, and often downright harsh smoking experience from their blends. That style can work really well for their Burley blends and some of their Virginias, but I don't think it works for their aromatics.

Try aromatics from other companies and you'll notice a big difference. Lane Very Cherry and Captain Black Original are my personal favorite aros and both are extraordinarily smooth, though you can't go wrong with Cult Blood Red Moon either and Lane 1-Q is basically mandatory for every pipe smoker to try at least once. I'd also recommend Gawith Hoggarth Bob's Chocolate Flake if you're comfortable rubbing out flakes. In any case, I wouldn't let Autumn Evening put you off aromatics. Cornell & Diehl does a lot of things very well, though I don't think aromatics are one of them.

For years, C&D's aromatics have been compared to the Sutliff, Lane, and MacBaren ones, and lost due to the things you mention. It will be interesting to see how perceptions change as we lose these goopy ones from the market. Ten years from now, will the STG ones be shoved aside for the C&D ones? It will be interesting to see, if I am not too old to remember, ha ha.

 

[sablebrush52]

For now im afraid ill have to conclude aromatics to not be my cup of tea in all likelihood.

Why? Because you didn't like one aromatic?

Yes, aromatics take a little practice to find the sweet spot, but it's still not rocket science. Forget about C&D for the moment and try some Wilke Pipe Tobacco blends. They've been around since 1872, so they likely know a thing or two about blending.

These are unapologetic aromatics, no missing the rum, maple, chocolate, blood orange, or peanut butter for that matter. And their Va/Per blends aren't half bad.

And if you really want to find some more sophisticated use of flavorings, check out British and German made aromatic blends. C&D is hardly the Alpha and Omega of aromatics.

 

[kg.legat0]

Autumn Evening was a challenging blend for me ...it actually took years for me to enjoy it. Nowadays, it's an absolute favorite. It's one of the aro's I smoke that really, in my perceptions at least, benefits from aging.

I would always, always get the most fierce nasal burn from this blend...no matter what I did. I put about 4 oz in a jar and forgot about it for ~3 years. After I came back to it, with a lot more experience under my belt and some aging on the blend...I was amazed: tangy red Virginia flavor accompanied by a fantastic maple flavor. The end of the bowl develops into something special, too.

I bought an 8oz bag of bulk after this - I have no problems smoking it 'fresh', but I do think it's better when aged.

Good luck!

 

[cosmicfolklore]

It really depends on one's way of thinking as to whether they will like aromatics or not. I think that those of us who came to pipes from cigars usually have a perception of aromatic flavored tobaccos as "less than," and I understand this, especially when you've avoided the flavored cigars for years. My wife will almost get me into fisticuffs at the cigar bars when she will crack a joke on the guys looking for vanilla rum cigars, with her "want a tampon with that?' jokes.
Some guys come to pipes from grandpa's cherry scented pipes during the holidays. And, that's ok, also.

It's ok to not like aromatics, or know that it's just not going to be for you. It's also ok to like aromatics. But, sometimes these two groups clash in discussions.

 

[Skippy Piper]

For years, C&D's aromatics have been compared to the Sutliff, Lane, and MacBaren ones, and lost due to the things you mention. It will be interesting to see how perceptions change as we lose these goopy ones from the market. Ten years from now, will the STG ones be shoved aside for the C&D ones? It will be interesting to see, if I am not too old to remember, ha ha.

Aromatics can be really tricky to get right, for sure. On one end there's C&D with their minimally processed tobacco that'll just about set your sinuses on fire if you try to retrohale them, and as Embers mentioned retrohaling is pretty much mandatory to get a good taste of an aromatic. On the other end of the spectrum though was Sutliff, who's aromatics were so heavily processed and utterly drenched in toppings that they were difficult to keep lit and often gave new pipe smokers tongue bite just from the heat of the steam coming off them when you did finally apply enough heat to get them burning.

In the middle though you've got Lane and Peter Stokkebye (and had Mac Baren) who know how to process and top the tobacco for their aromatics just enough to make it smooth and gentle on the retrohale but without requiring too much heat to get going. Gawith is pretty good about that too, flavor consistency issues aside.

All that isn't to say that C&D's blending style is bad though, it's just different from a lot of the other companies and there's a great many pipe smokers it appeals to. Is your average brick and mortar rebranded Lane 1-Q smoker going to enjoy Autumn Evening? Probably not. Is a hobbyist pipe smoker who freight trains Haunted Bookshop like they're trying to bring Matches860 back from the grave going to enjoy Autumn Evening? They very well may. There's something for everyone in this hobby, and that's no bad thing.

 

[Pipke]

I agree that with top seller status at the vendors and very good reviews, what's there not to like? As new pipe smoker I was lured into trying out Autumn Evening for similar reasons to yours. Autumn Evening was just OK for me. What I have of this blend was set aside to age a bit and my pipe smoking journey has led me elsewhere.

To really get to know a blend, you need to smoke it more than you do. At three bowls per week you will take a long time to derive any nuance from the blends you try. Generally, if many people claim that this or that blend is good, it is because it is good. Please take no offense if I suggest that you be more patient with yourself and with whatever you are smoking.

 

[FLDRD]

My wife will almost get me into fisticuffs at the cigar bars when she will crack a joke on the guys looking for vanilla rum cigars, with her "want a tampon with that?' jokes.

 

[PfiifeCheib]

I have heard raves about Autumn Evening ever since picking up a pipe. I can't say that I found it to be much more than a really good aromatic, which for me, isn't saying much. So, not being an aromatic guy, I can't judge it fairly. I tend to just taste candle wax from most aros. What I do like though, is C&D's Red Virginia Cavendish by itself. That is the base tobacco before it's been hit with that maple sauce. I have a good bit of that stashed in the cellar.

Hmm thats interesting! Where can i find the red virginia cavendish by itself?

 

[PfiifeCheib]

I agree that with top seller status at the vendors and very good reviews, what's there not to like? As new pipe smoker I was lured into trying out Autumn Evening for similar reasons to yours. Autumn Evening was just OK for me. What I have of this blend was set aside to age a bit and my pipe smoking journey has led me elsewhere.

To really get to know a blend, you need to smoke it more than you do. At three bowls per week you will take a long time to derive any nuance from the blends you try. Generally, if many people claim that this or that blend is good, it is because it is good. Please take no offense if I suggest that you be more patient with yourself and with whatever you are smoking.

None taken! Ill take that suggestion.

 

[Hutch Piper]

As far as maple blends go I enjoy Sutliff Maple Shadows and Sutliff Rum and Maple. Unfortunately, you can’t find Maple Shadows as it was a yearly limited release the past few years, and will be discontinued by STG.