C & D Winchester

[mortonbriar]

Evening all,

I just wanted to sing the praises of this bulk blend i stumbled upon earlier this year. I do not want to do a formal review, but you can go see what the crew says over at tobaccoreviews

Pipestud refers to Winchester as his sleeper pick for 2010, but I cannot back that claim up personally as I only smoke while awake.
Over the last ten years I have smoked through 120ish blends and it is not that often that anything new makes it to the top ten. Winchester made it in with the first couple of bowls. I had been looking for a blend that had a bit of a cigar note and I find WInchester has a hint of cigar that is just perfect for me. It has a natural sweetness and something in the flavour that is very mildly floral, like a really reserved version of a lakeland blend, not to say it is cased but something about the flavour profile has a floral 'vibe'...this is why I did not want to do a proper review, because I knew I would at some point use the word 'vibe'.
In summary, highly recommended.
Isaac.

 

[smittyd]

Thanks for the info...I will give it a try. Sounds good.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

From SPcom

Red Virginia and unsweetened black Cavendish combine to create Cornell & Diehl's Winchester, a mellow smoking experience with a room note that calls to mind that "old time pipe fragrance" we remember so fondly from days gone by.

Interesting. I am fascinated by color cured Virginias, so I will have to check this one out. I know that Red Virginias are processed similar to cigar leaf, and some Bright Leaf varieties can be harsh in a cigar-y sort of way, especially when cured to red. I will have to order some of this to try it out.

 

[mso489]

Oh yeah, sounds right up my street.

 

[danimalia]

Haven't tried this one, but it sounds interesting. Hard to beat the sheer variety from C&D.

 

[mso489]

C&D does for burley what McClellands did for Virginias. And it seems Smoking Pipes has only expanded the C&D keyboard of possibilities.

 

[krizzose]

The Vibe
This is a blend that’s been on my “should try” list for a while. I’ve been trying (remarkably unsuccessfully) to make a homemade VaBurCav blend that I really like. Maybe this will fill the niche for me.

 

[mortonbriar]

Krizzose, I love 'The Castle'...so much serenity....

 

[trubka2]

I'm finishing up a 2-ounce sample of Winchester. I've enjoyed it and plan to order a bunch more for the basement. It's very laid-back, nothing really jumps out at me, but it's a nice session smoke. It's not as sweet as I feared it would be; it's certainly not cloying. I'd say it's more fruity than sweet. I don't get any cigar note, but I'll keep looking for it. Good stuff - both interesting and easy.
Another unsung blend in the C&D VA stable is Derringer, which I happily smoke all day when I'm focused on other things. It's very simple, but very smooth and easy to deal with, has decent nic content, and is, to my tastes at least, pretty delicious. Never bites and never burns hot. And, believe me, I've provoked it. Next up for me on the C&D bulk VA trail is VA Flake, which is due in tomorrow's mail. Can't wait!

 

[mortonbriar]

Trubka, I probably should have added that the cigar note does not even seem to present itself to me every smoke, but when it does it is very pleasant.

 

[alexnc]

Mortonbriar- thanks for the post. I really liked it and would not have tried it otherwise!