Happy Birthday, and may good health be one of the presents you receive!
Skippy's Blend of the Week
- Thread starter Skippy Piper
- Start date
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
Site Sponsors
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
Penblwydd hapus, as they say in Wales (and a few of us in the Marches). That's twice in a week you've mentioned cider... I'm in the northernmost extent of cider country in UK (the shops here stock more cider than beer). What kind are you drinking over there?Well, it's my birthday today and I'm still sick as a dog (or is it a coyote?) but my sense of taste is starting to come back a bit so I'm celebrating anyway with a pizza, a pint of cider, and a pipe of Coniston Cut Plug! Cheers and happy Tuesday to you all!
View attachment 371943
Thanks for the kind wishes all! I had been kinda dreading this birthday since it's the big 40 and I wasn't sure I was really ready to be officially middle aged, but I've decided to just embrace my inner codger and say, "God has let me live another year and now I'm gonna make it everyone's problem!" 
Where I'm at up in Minnesota, USA cider is far less popular than beer, but I've always been a cider person myself and thankfully most shops and pubs around here stock at least a few varieties. The most popular cider here is easily Angry Orchard Crisp Apple, which I do like a great deal, though my favorite cider is Woodchuck Amber from Vermont.
I'm also partial to Angry Orchard's Imperial cider, but that's 8% ABV and ever since I had to get my thyroid gland taken out 7 years back I've become a real lightweight when it comes to alcohol; so a pint of that will put me right to bed!
Where I'm at up in Minnesota, USA cider is far less popular than beer, but I've always been a cider person myself and thankfully most shops and pubs around here stock at least a few varieties. The most popular cider here is easily Angry Orchard Crisp Apple, which I do like a great deal, though my favorite cider is Woodchuck Amber from Vermont.
I'm also partial to Angry Orchard's Imperial cider, but that's 8% ABV and ever since I had to get my thyroid gland taken out 7 years back I've become a real lightweight when it comes to alcohol; so a pint of that will put me right to bed!
Happy Birthday Skippy! Thanks for all your additions to the community!Well, it's my birthday today and I'm still sick as a dog (or is it a coyote?) but my sense of taste is starting to come back a bit so I'm celebrating anyway with a pizza, a pint of cider, and a pipe of Coniston Cut Plug! Cheers and happy Tuesday to you all!
View attachment 371943
Angry Orchard's local to me, they used to sell at the local farmer's market before they got big; great stuff!Thanks for the kind wishes all! I had been kinda dreading this birthday since it's the big 40 and I wasn't sure I was really ready to be officially middle aged, but I've decided to just embrace my inner codger and say, "God has let me live another year and now I'm gonna make it everyone's problem!"
Where I'm at up in Minnesota, USA cider is far less popular than beer, but I've always been a cider person myself and thankfully most shops and pubs around here stock at least a few varieties. The most popular cider here is easily Angry Orchard Crisp Apple, which I do like a great deal, though my favorite cider is Woodchuck Amber from Vermont.
I'm also partial to Angry Orchard's Imperial cider, but that's 8% ABV and ever since I had to get my thyroid gland taken out 7 years back I've become a real lightweight when it comes to alcohol; so a pint of that will put me right to bed!
Woodchuck Amber is easily my favorite as well. IIRC, it was the first cider to be distributed nationally. It is delicious.Where I'm at up in Minnesota, USA cider is far less popular than beer, but I've always been a cider person myself and thankfully most shops and pubs around here stock at least a few varieties. The most popular cider here is easily Angry Orchard Crisp Apple, which I do like a great deal, though my favorite cider is Woodchuck Amber from Vermont.
I'm also partial to Angry Orchard's Imperial cider, but that's 8% ABV and ever since I had to get my thyroid gland taken out 7 years back I've become a real lightweight when it comes to alcohol; so a pint of that will put me right to bed!
Wife and I are big English dry cider fans... Enjoyed Aspall and Thatcher's when we were over there two years ago. Even got our local here to start carrying Aspall.
Happy belated Birthday , Skippy . Hope you're feeling better .Well, it's my birthday today and I'm still sick as a dog (or is it a coyote?) but my sense of taste is starting to come back a bit so I'm celebrating anyway with a pizza, a pint of cider, and a pipe of Coniston Cut Plug! Cheers and happy Tuesday to you all!
View attachment 371943
After being down for the count for the past couple weeks with a particularly nasty cold my taste buds have finally recovered and my sinuses are clear again, so it's time for a long overdue blend of the week review! 
Blend of the Week #23: Cornell & Diehl Autumn Evening
This is one I've been really looking forward to doing, since Autumn Evening was a big favorite of mine back when I was a new pipe smoker. Have my tastes changed since then though? We'll just have to give it a good smoke and find out!
Popping open the tin of Autumn Evening you're greeted by a somewhat spicy smelling maple syrup and caramel aroma, which is little odd since neither of those flavors are something you'd generally think of as "spicy", but there is a very prominent spice note on the nose from the lightly cavendished red Virginias that form the base of the blend. Giving it a little rub between the fingers, this is about the driest aromatic you'll ever come across. There's no goop to speak of and just barely enough moisture to keep the tobacco from becoming crispy and crumbling between your fingers. Needless to say, it's ready to smoke straight from the tin!
Being a quite dry ribbon cut it's very easy to pack and light, and putting the flame to it reveals that Autumn Evening is one of those rather rare blends that actually tastes exactly like it smells. Up front you get real proper maple syrup as the predominant flavor, a bit of caramel behind it (the kind you dip apples in, specifically), and a base of good honest red Virginia tobacco flavors. The red Virginias are woody, earthy like the aroma of damp autumn leaf litter, and have a little bit of spice to them as well that's been somewhat tempered by the cavendishing process. This is an aromatic in which you'll taste both the toppings and the tobacco in good measure, and surprisingly it's not very sweet. You'd think with the predominant flavors being maple and caramel that this would be an extremely sweet blend, but it's really not overly sweet at all and the natural tobacco flavors also do a good job of toning down the sweetness of the toppings.
As far as the retrohale on Autumn Evening goes, it's very temperature dependent. If you keep the tobacco burning slow and cool the smoke stays pleasant and smooth through the sinuses, but if it gets going just a touch too hot it'll really send a powerful zing through your olfactory bits! This is a blend best smoked indoors where the burn temperature is more easily controlled, at least if you're someone who's prone to retrohaling your tobacco to get a better taste of the blend.
Another reason to smoke Autumn Evening indoors is that (for me at least) if it gets burning even just a little teeny tiny bit too hot the smoke tends to turn quite harsh and can really scratch the heck out of my throat in the same way most Burleys do; especially when you get down to the last third of the bowl. I would say that this blend isn't very beginner friendly, since it can be rather challenging to get a smooth smoke from that doesn't turn harsh, but I remember enjoying it quite a bit as a beginner; I just got a sore throat most of the time after smoking it. Unfortunately it seems I still do, but more on that later.
As far as what the rest of the household thought of me smoking Autumn Evening indoors, the room note got a mixed reception. The maple and caramel flavors definitely come through in the aroma of the smoke, but it's also got a little bit of that cigarette'iness that's typical of red Virginias. It got the approval of the family for occasional indoor smoking, but was still too cigarette'y for them to want to smell all the time.
Lastly, the nicotine content is right square in the center of medium; which for an aromatic is fairly strong and might catch your average aromatic smoker off guard. If you're accustomed to non-aromatic red Virginia blends or Burley blends then you'll feel right at home and nicely satisfied by Autumn Evening, but aromatic-only smokers might want to exercise a bit of caution with this one.
Wrapping up the review with my final thoughts and personal opinion on the blend, I actually had a fairly hard time deciding whether or not Autumn Evening was a keeper for me. It's a rather nostalgic blend for me that always takes me back to my early days of pipe smoking whenever I have some, and in most regards I enjoy it very much. It really does remind me of the autumn (which happens to be my favorite season) every time I smoke it. I like the flavor, I like the burn mechanics of the blend, and I like the nicotine content too. There is a "but" coming though, and that "but" is that Autumn Evening—like the vast majority of Cornell & Diehl blends—is rather rough around the edges and smoking it tends to leave me with a sore throat afterwards more often than not. There's just something about Cornell & Diehl's blending style that makes almost all of their blends aggravate the everliving daylights out of my throat!
If I had to venture a guess as to why I think what it really comes down to is that Cornell & Diehl just doesn't steam treat their tobaccos nearly as much as other blending houses do during the initial processing, which does preserve more of the natural flavors of the leaf but also makes for a harsher and more abrasive smoke. That isn't necessarily a bad thing though, it's just Cornell & Diehl's style and what makes all their blends distinctly their own. Not everyone wants to smoke ultra smooth and heavily processed aromatics like Captain Black and Lane blends, where the tobacco has been steamed to the point that it's mostly just a vehicle for the toppings.
Unfortunately though my throat is rather sensitive and really doesn't care for Cornell & Diehl's more raw and rustic style, so as fond as I am of Autumn Evening on many levels I just can't call this one a keeper. In a lot of ways it's a really wonderful blend and it's easy to see why it's Cornell & Diehl's best seller, but for me personally I don't see much reason to smoke a blend that gives me a sore throat most times I smoke it when there's so many other blends to choose from that don't; even if the blend in question is one so nice as Autumn Evening.
For next week's blend of the week I'm going to get back to my bread and butter of strong dark fired blends, and do one that I've been smoking quite a bit of lately when I couldn't decide what to smoke and just wanted something to stuff in a pipe quickly before heading out the door. The shag cut makes it an extremely convenient and easy blend to pack, light, and smoke on the go, and while it might not have the most complex flavor profile in the world it's certainly got more than enough nicotine to satisfy anyone's cravings.
Next week's blend of the week is...
Gawith Hoggarth Kendal Dark
Blend of the Week #23: Cornell & Diehl Autumn Evening
This is one I've been really looking forward to doing, since Autumn Evening was a big favorite of mine back when I was a new pipe smoker. Have my tastes changed since then though? We'll just have to give it a good smoke and find out!
Popping open the tin of Autumn Evening you're greeted by a somewhat spicy smelling maple syrup and caramel aroma, which is little odd since neither of those flavors are something you'd generally think of as "spicy", but there is a very prominent spice note on the nose from the lightly cavendished red Virginias that form the base of the blend. Giving it a little rub between the fingers, this is about the driest aromatic you'll ever come across. There's no goop to speak of and just barely enough moisture to keep the tobacco from becoming crispy and crumbling between your fingers. Needless to say, it's ready to smoke straight from the tin!
Being a quite dry ribbon cut it's very easy to pack and light, and putting the flame to it reveals that Autumn Evening is one of those rather rare blends that actually tastes exactly like it smells. Up front you get real proper maple syrup as the predominant flavor, a bit of caramel behind it (the kind you dip apples in, specifically), and a base of good honest red Virginia tobacco flavors. The red Virginias are woody, earthy like the aroma of damp autumn leaf litter, and have a little bit of spice to them as well that's been somewhat tempered by the cavendishing process. This is an aromatic in which you'll taste both the toppings and the tobacco in good measure, and surprisingly it's not very sweet. You'd think with the predominant flavors being maple and caramel that this would be an extremely sweet blend, but it's really not overly sweet at all and the natural tobacco flavors also do a good job of toning down the sweetness of the toppings.
As far as the retrohale on Autumn Evening goes, it's very temperature dependent. If you keep the tobacco burning slow and cool the smoke stays pleasant and smooth through the sinuses, but if it gets going just a touch too hot it'll really send a powerful zing through your olfactory bits! This is a blend best smoked indoors where the burn temperature is more easily controlled, at least if you're someone who's prone to retrohaling your tobacco to get a better taste of the blend.
Another reason to smoke Autumn Evening indoors is that (for me at least) if it gets burning even just a little teeny tiny bit too hot the smoke tends to turn quite harsh and can really scratch the heck out of my throat in the same way most Burleys do; especially when you get down to the last third of the bowl. I would say that this blend isn't very beginner friendly, since it can be rather challenging to get a smooth smoke from that doesn't turn harsh, but I remember enjoying it quite a bit as a beginner; I just got a sore throat most of the time after smoking it. Unfortunately it seems I still do, but more on that later.
As far as what the rest of the household thought of me smoking Autumn Evening indoors, the room note got a mixed reception. The maple and caramel flavors definitely come through in the aroma of the smoke, but it's also got a little bit of that cigarette'iness that's typical of red Virginias. It got the approval of the family for occasional indoor smoking, but was still too cigarette'y for them to want to smell all the time.
Lastly, the nicotine content is right square in the center of medium; which for an aromatic is fairly strong and might catch your average aromatic smoker off guard. If you're accustomed to non-aromatic red Virginia blends or Burley blends then you'll feel right at home and nicely satisfied by Autumn Evening, but aromatic-only smokers might want to exercise a bit of caution with this one.
Wrapping up the review with my final thoughts and personal opinion on the blend, I actually had a fairly hard time deciding whether or not Autumn Evening was a keeper for me. It's a rather nostalgic blend for me that always takes me back to my early days of pipe smoking whenever I have some, and in most regards I enjoy it very much. It really does remind me of the autumn (which happens to be my favorite season) every time I smoke it. I like the flavor, I like the burn mechanics of the blend, and I like the nicotine content too. There is a "but" coming though, and that "but" is that Autumn Evening—like the vast majority of Cornell & Diehl blends—is rather rough around the edges and smoking it tends to leave me with a sore throat afterwards more often than not. There's just something about Cornell & Diehl's blending style that makes almost all of their blends aggravate the everliving daylights out of my throat!
If I had to venture a guess as to why I think what it really comes down to is that Cornell & Diehl just doesn't steam treat their tobaccos nearly as much as other blending houses do during the initial processing, which does preserve more of the natural flavors of the leaf but also makes for a harsher and more abrasive smoke. That isn't necessarily a bad thing though, it's just Cornell & Diehl's style and what makes all their blends distinctly their own. Not everyone wants to smoke ultra smooth and heavily processed aromatics like Captain Black and Lane blends, where the tobacco has been steamed to the point that it's mostly just a vehicle for the toppings.
Unfortunately though my throat is rather sensitive and really doesn't care for Cornell & Diehl's more raw and rustic style, so as fond as I am of Autumn Evening on many levels I just can't call this one a keeper. In a lot of ways it's a really wonderful blend and it's easy to see why it's Cornell & Diehl's best seller, but for me personally I don't see much reason to smoke a blend that gives me a sore throat most times I smoke it when there's so many other blends to choose from that don't; even if the blend in question is one so nice as Autumn Evening.
For next week's blend of the week I'm going to get back to my bread and butter of strong dark fired blends, and do one that I've been smoking quite a bit of lately when I couldn't decide what to smoke and just wanted something to stuff in a pipe quickly before heading out the door. The shag cut makes it an extremely convenient and easy blend to pack, light, and smoke on the go, and while it might not have the most complex flavor profile in the world it's certainly got more than enough nicotine to satisfy anyone's cravings.
Next week's blend of the week is...
Gawith Hoggarth Kendal Dark
Last edited: