Cornell & Diehl - Carolina Red Flake w/ Perique
I saw that my local B&M had tins of the new Carolina Red Flake with the 18 year old perique and quickly called them to confirm. I am a big fan of the original Carolina Red Flake from 2015, so I had to try this. I drove over to the B&M and picked up one tin for myself and one for my friend at $25 each, along with two packs of tapered pipe cleaners. The price did not bother me, because I like supporting local small businesses in a time like this, especially tobacco shops. Because of this virus fiasco I had to wait outside their front door for them to bring the tins out. No problem at all, and great service.
Today was supposed to have rain, but instead brought partly cloudy skies, with a rare deep blue sky since the traffic (pollution) in Los Angeles County has been nonexistent with the shutdown. It was quite a sight to see such a hue of blue, along with some warm sunshine. This did make for some great Virginia weather, which was perfect as I originally planned on smoking Bothy Flake all week.
Upon opening the tin I saw neatly organized dark flakes, with a tin note of tea and raisins. The smell reminded me of a tea shop in San Francisco. Some sort of hippy, heavily incense-laden tea shop (if those even still exist in the San Francisco I once knew more than a decade ago). The tea smell was one of authentic Chinese tea, perhaps with jasmine floral-like characteristics. If you think of tea when smelling this tobacco, you will smell tea. If you think of raisins, you will smell raisins. It was about a 50/50 split.
I got the tobacco to a perfect moisture level: Dry yet with good spring still left in the tobacco when squeezed. I loaded up one of my old Barling EXEXELs, and as the sun went down I stepped outside in my Patagonia fleece sweater.
Once lit, I knew that this was going to be a smooth, quality smoke. The taste had not yet settled, but I could tell that there was quality tobacco present. Immediately I was reminded of a Vegas casino, in a good way. Memories of the West Coast Pipe Show, gambling, and Vegas Golden Knights games. Now this is likely because I have smoked a lot of 2015 Carolina Red Flake while gambling in Vegas. It brings back good memories, and this tobacco shared that quality, although it was from a different crop. This is what I imagine Vegas casinos smelled like in the 50s and 60s - with good cigars and lit pipes. The second thing I noticed was a bready taste. I didn’t detect bread on the tin note, but did when smoking. There were also subtle notes of chocolate which were even further back than the bread.
The blend is smooth, but spicy. The perique is definitely there and in-your-face. If you are not a fan of perique, this will not be your blend. I am not even sure if I am a fan of perique, because at times this blend made me want to go home to my 2015 Carolina Red Flake. However, the perique is high quality and well aged. You can taste the quality and beauty of soft, aged, smooth tobacco. It is both smooth yet spicy. A strange interplay of extremes.
I then paused my smoke to talk to a neighbor that walked by. This talk lasted maybe five to seven minutes. Now, after this conversation was where the tobacco showed its potential. When re-lit, the tobacco took on a sweeter flavor, and the hints of chocolate were accentuated. The tobacco showed its aging potential here, because the sweetness will only be increased with time.
The blend stays lit perfectly with a normal cadence, and burns at a slower rate. In regards to this, I never listen to advice on cadence. If I am enjoying a tobacco at a slow rate, then I will smoke it at a slow rate. But some tobaccos do well with a fairly fast pace. With the original 2015 Carolina Red Flake I load up my pipe, stick it in my mouth, and puff away using a combination of normal puffing and the breath method. Contrary to what many will tell you, I like Carolina Red Flake when smoked at a faster, hard puffing pace. Not a chimney pace, but faster than what many will say you should smoke a Virginia blend at. I do not sip that blend. With Carolina Red Flake w/ Perique, I found that it needs a slower cadence. Let it hit your tongue and taste the interplay of flavors.
Although I am still deciding how I like the tastes this tobacco gives off, the room note on it is great. It gives off a true, vintage tobacco smell. When intentionally smelled it stings your nose. This is likely from the perique. I would rate the strength on this tobacco a high medium. I usually smoke standing up, and the nicotine hit me hard. I had to stop about 70% of the way through, whereas I smoke other blends in this bowl all the way through. The tobacco left a jasmine tea aftertaste in my mouth.
All-in-all, I have mixed feelings about this blend. I need to give it a second chance, but if I am still not feeling it I will likely jar it up and cellar it. The main thing here is whether I like the amount of perique or not. I like Va/Per blends, but this particular blend is an undecided for me as it seems to be more spicy than other blends in its class. I also have a hunch that the Virginias need some time to age to reduce their slightly rough edges. I feel this way about the XX Flake series as well. There is an absolutely beautiful quality to this blend, but an also average quality at the same time that could leave you frustrated while smoking.
Using the Tobacco Reviews rating scale I would give this a 3/4. I would need some more time to think of similar blends, but Bayou Morning does come to mind.
I saw that my local B&M had tins of the new Carolina Red Flake with the 18 year old perique and quickly called them to confirm. I am a big fan of the original Carolina Red Flake from 2015, so I had to try this. I drove over to the B&M and picked up one tin for myself and one for my friend at $25 each, along with two packs of tapered pipe cleaners. The price did not bother me, because I like supporting local small businesses in a time like this, especially tobacco shops. Because of this virus fiasco I had to wait outside their front door for them to bring the tins out. No problem at all, and great service.
Today was supposed to have rain, but instead brought partly cloudy skies, with a rare deep blue sky since the traffic (pollution) in Los Angeles County has been nonexistent with the shutdown. It was quite a sight to see such a hue of blue, along with some warm sunshine. This did make for some great Virginia weather, which was perfect as I originally planned on smoking Bothy Flake all week.
Upon opening the tin I saw neatly organized dark flakes, with a tin note of tea and raisins. The smell reminded me of a tea shop in San Francisco. Some sort of hippy, heavily incense-laden tea shop (if those even still exist in the San Francisco I once knew more than a decade ago). The tea smell was one of authentic Chinese tea, perhaps with jasmine floral-like characteristics. If you think of tea when smelling this tobacco, you will smell tea. If you think of raisins, you will smell raisins. It was about a 50/50 split.
I got the tobacco to a perfect moisture level: Dry yet with good spring still left in the tobacco when squeezed. I loaded up one of my old Barling EXEXELs, and as the sun went down I stepped outside in my Patagonia fleece sweater.
Once lit, I knew that this was going to be a smooth, quality smoke. The taste had not yet settled, but I could tell that there was quality tobacco present. Immediately I was reminded of a Vegas casino, in a good way. Memories of the West Coast Pipe Show, gambling, and Vegas Golden Knights games. Now this is likely because I have smoked a lot of 2015 Carolina Red Flake while gambling in Vegas. It brings back good memories, and this tobacco shared that quality, although it was from a different crop. This is what I imagine Vegas casinos smelled like in the 50s and 60s - with good cigars and lit pipes. The second thing I noticed was a bready taste. I didn’t detect bread on the tin note, but did when smoking. There were also subtle notes of chocolate which were even further back than the bread.
The blend is smooth, but spicy. The perique is definitely there and in-your-face. If you are not a fan of perique, this will not be your blend. I am not even sure if I am a fan of perique, because at times this blend made me want to go home to my 2015 Carolina Red Flake. However, the perique is high quality and well aged. You can taste the quality and beauty of soft, aged, smooth tobacco. It is both smooth yet spicy. A strange interplay of extremes.
I then paused my smoke to talk to a neighbor that walked by. This talk lasted maybe five to seven minutes. Now, after this conversation was where the tobacco showed its potential. When re-lit, the tobacco took on a sweeter flavor, and the hints of chocolate were accentuated. The tobacco showed its aging potential here, because the sweetness will only be increased with time.
The blend stays lit perfectly with a normal cadence, and burns at a slower rate. In regards to this, I never listen to advice on cadence. If I am enjoying a tobacco at a slow rate, then I will smoke it at a slow rate. But some tobaccos do well with a fairly fast pace. With the original 2015 Carolina Red Flake I load up my pipe, stick it in my mouth, and puff away using a combination of normal puffing and the breath method. Contrary to what many will tell you, I like Carolina Red Flake when smoked at a faster, hard puffing pace. Not a chimney pace, but faster than what many will say you should smoke a Virginia blend at. I do not sip that blend. With Carolina Red Flake w/ Perique, I found that it needs a slower cadence. Let it hit your tongue and taste the interplay of flavors.
Although I am still deciding how I like the tastes this tobacco gives off, the room note on it is great. It gives off a true, vintage tobacco smell. When intentionally smelled it stings your nose. This is likely from the perique. I would rate the strength on this tobacco a high medium. I usually smoke standing up, and the nicotine hit me hard. I had to stop about 70% of the way through, whereas I smoke other blends in this bowl all the way through. The tobacco left a jasmine tea aftertaste in my mouth.
All-in-all, I have mixed feelings about this blend. I need to give it a second chance, but if I am still not feeling it I will likely jar it up and cellar it. The main thing here is whether I like the amount of perique or not. I like Va/Per blends, but this particular blend is an undecided for me as it seems to be more spicy than other blends in its class. I also have a hunch that the Virginias need some time to age to reduce their slightly rough edges. I feel this way about the XX Flake series as well. There is an absolutely beautiful quality to this blend, but an also average quality at the same time that could leave you frustrated while smoking.
Using the Tobacco Reviews rating scale I would give this a 3/4. I would need some more time to think of similar blends, but Bayou Morning does come to mind.
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