Cornell & Diehl Jolly Old St. Nicholas

[aquadoc]

I tried to hold out until after Thanksgiving before giving this a try but impatience won out.
Cornell & Diehl Jolly Old St. Nicholas

The tin reads "A largesse of St. Nick's personal smoking mixture, this blend features golden Virginias, black Cavendish, and a hint of Perique, imbued with a generous touch of orange liqueur and hints of ginger, hearkening back to an old legend of Kris Kringle secretly gifting gold to a family in need."
I chose a small KBB and found that the ginger is non-existent to very light and the orange is in the background. The Virginia led this burn with a nice sweetness from the orange topping without losing the Virginia's smooth malt and the cavendish worked with the perique to add a nice sweet complexity that did not bite. I am glad I purchased 2 tins. I will save the rest of the opened tin for after Thanksgiving.
So for fun, I searched old Santa images to find the oldest reference to his pipe. I found the following:
From 1810, the elves are holding pipes by the fireplace but not Mr. Jolly:

1863:

1868:

1881:

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

Thanks for the review :clap: I've actually been planning on ordering a few tins of this soon. Fantastic pictures, too. Thanks for sharing those.

 

[aquadoc]

I am interested in hearing what others think of this blend. They sell it as an aromatic but it is not like most of that genre. Is ready to burn out of the tin, no drying necessary.

 

[pappymac]

I can safely say my nose and palate are different from aquadoc.
I didn't wait either I've had the opportunity to smoke four bowls of it so far and I like it. I'm a big fan of Rattray's Exotic Passion (formerly known as Exotic Orange) and Jolly Old St. Nick is similar to it.
If I believed that tobacco companies buy something that is selling well and basically experiment until they come up with something close, I would say that's what C&D did. But I don't believe that. Besides there are some striking differences to my nose.
When I open a jar of Exotic Orange and inhale deeply, I smell orange peel that has been candied is orange blossom honey and then I pick up other fruit flavors like the mango. It has always been an enjoyable smoke and one the wife likes the smell of, so that's a plus. When I smoke it, I get the honey and the orange up front and with the mango becoming more pronounced near the end of the bowl.
When I open my tin of Jolly Old St. Nick I get something more like the aroma of warmed Grand Marnier and candied ginger.

Just the tin note takes me back 40 years to when I was stationed on the Washington coast. There was a cocktail lounge I would go to on winter nights and sit around a huge round fire pit with my pipe and sip a warm brandy snifter of Grand Marnier.
When I smoke it, I first get the orange and and a hint of ginger and it pretty much stays until the bottom of the bowl. The citrusy notes of the golden virginia tobacco balance nicely with the flavoring and the touch of perique serves to bolster the spiciness of the ginger.
What's surprising to me is that Jiminks hasn't posted his review yet.

 

[aquadoc]

I think what you see as a different palate is my inexperienced palate versus yours. Exotic Orange is by far my favorite aromatic and that may be because it slaps you in the face with orange. This one was far more subtle to me but still a very good smoke.

 

[Civil War]

Thanks for the reviews!

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I need to try this. It sounds intriguing. There are some Virginias that have an orange flavor naturally. Was the orange added as a topping, or could it be just the natural flavor might have been enhanced by the ginger?

 

[jitterbugdude]

I found it to be extremely boring. Nothing really pops out taste-wise.I feel like I've been suckered by the slick looking tin art.

 

[delkhouri]

I saw it at my local b&m but I thought I would wait for reviews before I pulled the trigger..... I think I'm gonna pass.

 

[aquadoc]

I used a larger Weber bowl and this time the orange is much more in the front. What I like most about this blend is how smooth it is. No bite. Good tin note that translates mostly to the side stream and there is still a nice tobacco taste that indicates that better than average quality leaf was used.

 

[lightmybriar]

This was not at all something I’d usually order but I was pleasantly surprised by this tobacco. The flavor, while obvious, is at the same time subtle. This tobacco is not defined by the toppings, but enhanced. Grand Marnier and candied ginger is exactly what I got as well. Very enjoyable!

 

[pappymac]

Was at my local B&M yesterday and they had just received another 12 tins. This was their second order of Jolly Old St. Nicholas - the first order sold out in one day.

They said they were told only 1,000 tins were made.

 

[carolinachurchwarden]

They sell it as an aromatic but it is not like most of that genre. Is ready to burn out of the tin, no drying necessary.

That's just the thing I love about the C&D aromatic blends. They really do an aromatic right. It's never really overly cased and they always seem to be smokeable right from the tin. I love how it's an aromatic without being overly wet and feeling that, what I reckon I call "juciness" that other aromatics exhibit. I have been wanting to try this since I first saw it pop up, so I'll probably get a tin or two with the next order.

 

[kylef]

Fairly new pipe smoker here, so take my reviews with a grain of salt.
I ordered a tin of this last week on a whim, and just smoked some.
I am a fan of aromatics, and as this was a holiday blend, I guess I was expecting something with a bit of a heavier casing. There's definitely an orange and ginger tin note, and it's very pleasant. It didn't seem to translate that strongly when it came to the taste, though.
I dried it about 2 hours before I smoked it, and it burned well. I might have preferred a little stronger flavoring, but still, it was pleasant and enjoyable. I imagine that this was blended with the idea of appealing to a wide range of pipe smokers, and not just to fans of aromatics, so I get it.
It's a nice blend, and I'd give it a thumbs-up.

 

[scloyd]

I ordered a tin the other day and it should arrive on Tuesday. I enjoy Corn Cob Pipe and a Button Nose, not a fan of Golden Days of Yore....looking forward to Jolly Old St. Nicholas.

 

[shaintiques]

I smoked a bowl of this last week. The ginger was up front in my face as I started the bowl, but this mellowed over time and blended with the orange which then reminded me of Exotic Orange by Rattrays or whatever they are calling it these days. If you don’t like ginger give it a pass, but it really is a nice smoking blend. Also no bite.

 

[jaytex1969]

I'll not be competing with you guys for any of this.
The only two blends I've passed on as intolerable both had kitchen spices.
Angler's Dream (cinnamon) and Maltese Falcon (ginger)
Now, pies and cookies? I accept your challenge!

 

[milehighpiper]

I enjoyed a bowl at my B&M and loved it. I bought a tin and now 4-5 bowls later, I still enjoy it. Ginger comes to me on the retrohale and the orange mellows out as you work through the bowl. I am cooking a late dinner and after I plan on smoking another bowl of this. I suggest you try it and if you don’t like it, someone here will buy it from you.
I am waiting on a second tin to come in and I will save it for next year!

 

[perdurabo]

This one gets better as I smoke it and a loose pack helps out. I smoked a bowl the other day that must’ve had all the Perique in the tin pack in it. That was by far the best experience with this blend. More perique!

 

[tennsmoker]

Well, you guys have convinced me. I'm gonna open my tin right now.
Uh, it came with a new Pete Xmas pipe from SP.com!
Atta boy, Sykes!