Tobaccos Cornell & Diehl - Red Carpet (Simply Elegant Series)

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3022)	2017-05-17		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

The tangy dark fruity, earthy, woody red Virginia is the major component, and though it’s not quite as sweet as some red Va.s are, it does have a fair amount of flavor depth. There’s a savory, sour tartness and hints of “vinegar” and spice that hold down that sweet aspect a step. The perique offers light raisins, very mild plum and a little spice in an ever present condimental role. The strength and taste levels fall just short of medium. The nic-hit is a step shy of being mild to medium. Won’t bite or get harsh. A broken flake product that burns cool, clean, and a little slow with a mostly consistent sweet, savory and mildly woody taste, though the sour note is a tad less noticeable toward the finish. Leaves just a little moisture in the bowl, and requires a few relights. Has sweet and lightly sour after taste. Not quite an all day smoke, but it is certainly repeatable.

-JimInks

23 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2011-10-07		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Very Pleasant

As fine a blend as I've ever smoked from the C&D line. The Izmir leaf really shines up the Virginias and the Perique adds another level of spice to really please the palate. Due to the strength in this one I believe it will surprise most Va/Per lovers and may cause a few to swoon.

Simply sublime!

13 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Shane Ireland (8)	2014-09-16		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I basically feel the same way about Sunday Picnic as I do Red Carpet. This is not surprising as the blends are in fact the same proportions of Virginia/Turkish/Perique with the only difference being that Sunday Picnic uses golden Virginia, whereas... Red Carpet uses (you guessed it) red Virginia. For many years the blends that make up the Simply Elegant series have been a favorites of mine and are well-represented in my cellar. Both Sunday Picnic and Red Carpet are medium-strong and full of flavor. A dedicated Virginia smoker could probably make due with just these two blends! Strength, spice, salty-sweetness and cool burn. I tend to appreciate Sunday Picnic during the day (or during the warmer months), and Red Carpet in the evenings after dinner due to the slightly richer flavor profile. To my tastes Sunday Picnic is (of course) brighter and the Turkish shines with the Perique in the supporting role, whereas it is pretty much all about the Perique in Red Carpet, with the Turkish adding enough to keep the blend from being “just another VA/Per”. Both blends are must-haves and age incredibly! I do not believe that this blends gets the attention it deserves.

Age When Smoked: Fresh, 5+ years

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2012-05-28		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

To me, this is the answer to the question "What do you get when you cross a Kajun Kake with a Riverboat Gambler?". This is a small flake of deep mottled brown with a tin aroma that only C&D can produce... an earthy, toasty blend of dirt and old books with an underlying smell of baked bread. Smoked from a 15 month old tin I've been working on for a few months.

This lacks the sweetness of KK and the bravura of RG but it is still a rather powerful batch of nicotine. The flavor never wavers, which is good and bad. It has only slightly more complexity than RG (not much) and tastes more tangy and earthy than sweet. In fact, I got almost no sweetness from this but the Izmir lent a kind of sourish essence that worked well to offset the grainy mouthfeel. The perique is there but is far to the rear. Red VA's are my favorite but I can't help thinking that a bit of bright VA wouldn't have hurt. This is a fine blend but that cross between KK and RG keeps spinning through my head. I smoke and prefer those two. This one, while good, seems like a compromise. Then again, a lot of folks might prefer a settled down version of those two, so this is recommended for those people. Frankly, this is better than I'm giving credit for it - I just prefer not to mix the strengths of KK and RG... I'd rather smoke them full bore.

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Demetri (113)	2010-07-30		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Coincidentally I am smoking my first tins of both Sunday Picnic and Red Carpet at the same time. Hence I get to closely contrast these two sibling members of C&D's Simply Elegant series and make some other comparisons as well.

My tin of Red Carpet confused me at first. I expected a flake but found what appeared at first to be a ribbon cut. Closer inspection did reveal a lightly pressed product that had been sliced and had fallen back into ribbon. Only slightly moist, these easily packed and readily took fire. The burn cleanly persisted as long as I kept the top clear of ash. I have smoked this in just about every style pipe I own from little MM cobs to large billiards, squat pots, wide mouthed Custombilts and it performed similarly in all.

At first one is struck with a surprisingly sweet smoke, with the spicy components quickly coming on thereafter. The Kadota fig aroma of the tin renders into a slightly fruity taste (not quite to the degree that McClellands Blakeneys Best Arcadian Ribbon does, but close). The Izmir seems to be a condiment in this blend (it seems more pronounced in Sunday Picnic). The spicy tones of the perique may be boosted by the Izmir as well.

This is delicious stuff. It reminded me also of C&D's excellent bulk English 973-Cordial with the Latakia and black cavendish removed. Both effected lip-licking for me just to taste all the juices (wife commented that I looked like one our dogs savoring a tidbit). I have smoked bowl after bowl of Red Carpet over the last three/four weeks trying to place its sweet taste and finally have decided it evokes a fine port wine. Strength is medium but to the heavy side of medium. Excellent VaPer variant and slightly my favorite over Sunday Picnic (a golden Va blend rather than red VA), but only by a very slight edge. I can handle and enjoy several bowls of Red Carpet a day, leisurely puffed, while I can't say that of Sunday Picnic without qualification.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	michaelc (40)	2018-04-25		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Since McClelland has discontinued production of their very fine blends, I have been searching for some suitable replacements and this may be one. The tin note reminds me of the smell of a sweet vinegar with some tomato accents. It is kind of like the McC catsup essence, but not as pronounced. The flakes are moist, but they light straight from the tin. Some drying time may improve the ignition. I've had to relight several times. I rub out the flakes and then stuff them mainly because I am impatient. The red Virginia is sugary good to the palate and there is just enough Perique to give it some fruitiness with a spicy accent. It is a keeper as for as I am concerned. C&D will probably help me with my desire to replace some of my missing McC favorites.

Pipe Used: Several briars

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stefanos (222)	2018-07-19		Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Comes in broken flakes which need just a little drying. Very easy to rub out though. Tin note is quite intense and very typical of Va/pers with stewed fruit, spice and yeasty pure tobacco aromas.

Red Carpet behaves very well, smokes slowly while producing a fair amount of smoke and it is also very smooth. Strength is past medium but not very strong, nicotine is there to satisfy.

Taste-wise, I find it neither overtly fruity although there is a dark element reminiscent of stewed fruit, nor particularly spicy although there is a mild pepperiness and it does tingle the nose a bit. The Virginias are yeasty and bready and I feel the Perique cancels out much of the juicy sweetness they might possess. So overall it is rather dry, quite full bodied with a satisfying full flavor which lingers.

Concluding this is an excellent Va/per, one of the best surely, depending on taste could easily be one’s favourite.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2076)	2017-04-29		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Cornell & Diehl - Red Carpet (Simply Elegant Series).

More of a broken flake than a solid flake. The blend's kept the length of a flake but there isn't one piece in there that has the width of a flake: tobacco strips. The amount of moisture's good and the aroma's almost rustic.

As the expected rubbing of a flake isn't needed, I just take a pinch and stuff it in. It lights easily and burns without the need for re-lights, but the problem with the burn's the speed: it's over too quickly. The flavour's pretty good from R.C.: I get quite a balanced amount of fruit and hay, with a touch of spice. I get no tongue bite and the temperature's medium.

The nicotine's medium and I'm indifferent towards the note.

Red Carpet? A nice smoke, but not a great smoke.

Recommended.

Pipe Used: Erik Nording

Age When Smoked: Three months

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SmokeDawg (82)	2014-05-28		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Unnoticeable

Ive put off the review for red carpet as Im trying to figure out what c&d intended with this flavor profile. Ive gave it some time and waited to see if it would change and waited to do its thing..... Nothing has changed...and its apparently done all it will ever do. ok here we go.

I love Va's and Va's and perique, so I've taken a tour of some of vapers from c&d where they added a little something for interest. I love opening night and like sunday picnic. In my opinion, Red Carpet is a good tobacco but not a great one. The flavor is a warm heavy natural tasting tobacco like royal yacht and doesnt have a lot of flavor notes or changes. It just has a heavy musky profile with little sweetness from the Va's and the distinction between the other tobaccos were hardly noticed so it was a bit muddy. This blend is a strong one and has a decent enough nic kick. A good blend but didnt wow me. Ive gotten to where if it doesnt wow me I move on to the ones that do. Decent, But I wouldn't purchase again.

Pipe Used: Select grained billard

Age When Smoked: Tin dated: 6-17-13

Purchased From: Jr cigars

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	jackinthegreen (6)	2015-08-09		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is my favorite blend and has remained so since Craig introduced the Simply Elegant line. Something about the mix of red virginias, perique, and barely discernible izmir creates a complex mix of flavors that nothing else does. It is slightly winey in a way that brings out the tangy red VA perfectly. The only other blends that come close to that perfection for me are Embarcadero, Opening Night, and in a very subdued way, McClelland 5100 and McCranie's Red Ribbon. I hope it never gets discontinued.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Flatticus (24)	2015-05-05		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

I'm surprised I waited so long to try this one, and wish I'd tried it sooner. Nice and spicy, and with a healthy amount of kick to it. As good as any blend from C&D I've had, and I will be buying more of this. Gives the spice I didn't know I was missing from my Vapers. Very good!

Pipe Used: Briar, meerschaum

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	derlict311 (71)	2013-04-16		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Tin date 5/10/07

Nice presentation on the Simply Elegant series. Cool artwork. Unusual smell. Not offensive, not really attractive, just different. The flakes pulled apart like a pot roast with a fork. RC smokes beautifully for me, offering loads of tang and copious amounts of mature smoke that brings a smile to my face. The perique is nice and not overdone. There is enough there to feel the sharpness of it and some strength. Izmir adds seasoning. They all word together like the Three Stooges, playing off each other. Unique is the word that keeps popping into my head. Unique and good with coffee. I like this smoke in the morning.

Three stars based on aging beautifully, availability, character and price.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2012-02-25		Very Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong

New tin to me, but bought with other C&D tins that were from 2009. Tin aroma is very strong fig aroma - almost overpowering. After airing out and aging in a tin a bit, there is no significant change in aroma, which is for some reason a bit off- putting.

The flakes are dark burgundy, dense, and leathery. They don't rub out well, but rather crumble into smaller pieces and individual ribbons never seem to flake off. The flake cross- sections reveal what look like A LOT of large stems, and rubbing it out confirms that. One of the larger stems had what looked like white mold in the pith. I cannot pinch a bit of rubbed out flake without getting a big stiff stem in there, which I have to remove or I can't pack the bowl. The texture and cut, and mold don't bode well for me. Bad batch?

I have managed to smoke one or two bowls in a cob that were enjoyable, but most of them whether in a briar or cob have been disappointing, especially since I LOVE Sunday Picnic and C&D in general.

The smoke starts off very earthy and mouth drying with a bit of bite. A little later I do get some red VA toasty-breadiness with a hint of sweetness but it doesn't last. I often get pleasant tingling with VA blends, but this bite is not as pleasant. The taste remains earthy-dry and spicy but the balance is out of whack. I try to adjust my draw, pack, tamping, etc to compensate and get some more sweetness or something else than this one- dimensional flat taste, but I only get a very infrequent reward for my efforts in the form of a blast of VA sweetness, then its gone.

It seems like this blend has quite a lot of Perique, which would account for the constant earthiness and major nicotine. I cannot smoke this without feeling a little queasy unless I have had a big meal. I love Perique, but it has to be in balance, and it's just not in this blend.

At the end of the bowl, when Perique rightfully takes center stage, it becomes overwhelmingly spicy and mouth-drying, and any already subtle nuances of flavor are gone. I usually can't finish this one.

Ironically, the aftertaste is wonderful and I enjoy the lingering VA sweetness and fig undertone taste in my mouth for hours.

I wanted to love this one, but I can't. The texture of the flakes and the sheer amount of large stems (perhaps accounting for the out of whack taste?) was troubling. I'm curious whether anyone else has noted this. My Sunday Picnic flakes are fluffy, springy and lively smelling, with no stems at all, while these are leathery, crumbly, and sort of stale smelling.

Is this a bad tin or do I just not get why this blend is great?

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2007-07-24		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Ouf! When I saw the description for this tobacco, " The perfect blend of Red VAs and Périque with a touch of Izmir for interest", I went Yea Man, this is what I need to try! Needless to say, the proportion of Périque, plus the Izmir, makes it quite...interesting. This tobacco, in a broken flake form rather than a full flake like, say Erinmore Flake, is something I have never tasted before.

When I opened the tin, I was welcomed by a medium dark broken flake, with some strings of golden tobacco, with a very strong aroma of Périque and a very present earthy and oriental tones; I can't say I was pleased by the aroma at first, and the tobacco's moisture level was very high, too high for me to think about smoking it right there. I had to let it dry, sealed with the plastic top on it, for a couple weeks before I ventured into trying it. By then, the somewhat not very nice smell had cooled down, still dominated by the Périque, but the red Vas had started to shine through and the oriental had a better presence too. By then, the smell was way better than at first. Just the "plain" smell of strong Bakkie.

I usually prefer to fully rub out the flake, leaving some small flakes in to slow down the combustion, but this bakkie smokes slow, it needs some relights; but at the time of my review, it is because the tobacco moisture is still kind of high. However, it still smokes dry.

As I was saying, the lighting up takes a few retrys and right from the start, the Périque is dominant, letting the Vas and Izmir emerge every once in a while. The taste and strength are full but, despite the dominance of the Périque, it is still an enjoyable smoke. The room note is, by no means, strong like Irish Flake or Haddo's Delight. By mid-bowl, my tongue was slightly numb but the Périque settled down somehow to let the Vas emerge more, combined with a background of Izmir.

I suspect the Bakkie needs to dry a bit more, and most certainly some aging to allow the three bakkies to merge together more properly. I believe this flake has a lot of potential but needs some time of aging. So I will certainly update my review in a couple months. I'm pretty sure the Vas and Izmir will be more dominant by then. Strength wise, it is comparable to Irish Flake so, if you don't have hair under your chin yet, you better pass on this one. It is a very nice tobacco, but certainly not a daily smoke for me.

The nicotine kick is absolutely guaranteed. Also, it took me approximately 2 hrs to get through a medium size bowl.

Overall, a different bakkie, strong and tasty, beautiful leaves but that needs some time for the bakkies to mix together and mellow down.

For now, I recommend it for those who like a good dose of Périque. If you don't like it, this Bakkie is not for you!

Update - 24 JUL 07

I needed to update earlier than I figured, because because the Bakkie has settled down a lot in the last week.

The tin aroma is now of pure tobacco, not unpleasant as it was at first to my nose; but the smell of good tobacco, mostly composed of the Oriental and Red Va, while the Périque has cooled down even more, but remains present.

As for the smoking, the change is very interesting, the red VA and Izmir are now in the "avant-scène", creating a nice mixture of sweet/earthy/spicy flavors, backed up by the tasty Périque which wraps it up beautifully without trying to take over. I have to change the strength to medium to strong, instead of strong and the taste to medium to full, instead of full, for they both diminished as the tobacco dried up a bit more and the leaves had more time to merge in.

Red Carpet is a wonderful smoke because the addition of Izmir changes the traditional relationship between VAs and Périques, bringing it a new, zesty dimension. This brocken flake is worth the try, Lads.

Highly recommended, I am sure that with a couple years of aging, this bakkie will become a classic.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	joeljcj2 (13)	2020-03-03		Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

my first ( and will be my only ) tin.--sharp,a little heady...eachtime i refill my pipe i get atad woozy, too much perique for me. but oh, what a wonderful tin aroma. if i could just smell the raw tin and not smoke it. i continue to search for a replacement for samuel gawith st james vaper which is so often out of stock.

Age When Smoked: just bought

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tomcat (212)	2019-08-26		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Unnoticeable

Love at first light ! Nice fruity pungent smell from the tin . Stuffed this right into a GBD pot out of the tin . Love these red slightly sweet and fruity like a light red wine Virginias . I get a little catsup and vinegar and the Perique is just perfect spice and slight fig and date . A little more vinegar at the bottom of the bowl but not too sour . As good as it gets for me ! Very natural tasting .

Age When Smoked: 2 weeks old

Purchased From: P&c

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BingCrosby (161)	2018-12-10		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

This tastes like opening night with a big punch of perique. One of the best c&d va/pers in my opinion.. the g l pease va/pers are subtle and graceful.. c&d is a little more rough and ready.. but absolutely what the doctor ordered.. the perique really pops in this although it is probably not an ultra high percentage.. it melds with some kind of natural red Virginia tart spice.. an overall tart experience. Sweetens and calms as the bowl progresses... mellow dry raisin quality but still plenty of spice.. seems like a perfect cellar blend. Interesting how this somehow reminds me of regents flake minus the oriental leaf.. with all the blends c and d produces there has to be a lot of overlap.. but it is nice to get slight variations..

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipers' Domain (16)	2017-10-04		Very Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Considering that this is definitely a non aromatic blend, your nostrils will probably activate your taste center, as the tin aroma shines with vinegar, spice and earthy hints. As a va/per, the perique is mostly dominant on that one, in a way that makes it really pleasant. Was the nicotine content higher than that, I would have given it a 3 star. Still I cannot do so otherwise, simply because this blend smokes better and better as combustion progresses, but smoking fast might leave a sour effect on your roof. To me, not an all day smoke, but I would definitely purchase it again. Hint; Try your churchwarden.

Pipe Used: Briar

Age When Smoked: Straight from the tin

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Greekpipesmoker (201)	2017-09-26		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Red carpet differs from typical Va/per blends not only due to the addition of izmir orientals.when the tin opens a tense smell of vinegar notes and spicy earthy notes comes out.the flakes are dark brown,moist and seem to be aged.rubbing is easy and i do not recommend the folding method.while smoking the flavours differ from what might expected from the tin aromas..the virginias are dominant being tangy and sour mostly.dark fruits and some citruses are present.the perique is following being spicy,with plum and vinegar notes.also some fig notes come out rarelly.the interesting addition of izmir orientals offer sweet spices and some earth notes.generally the flavours are pleasant and complex.burns cool and slow without chance of tongue bite.the nicotine level is medium and the room note tolerable.not an all day smoke.i recommend it for va/per lovers who wanna try something different.not an ideal blend to insert the va/per world.

Age When Smoked: Rubbed and left to dry for 1/2 hour

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrT999 (317)	2017-05-09		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Nothing very surprising about this blend, but in this case, that wasn't a bad thing. It was tinned just this past January, so I probably opened it too soon. If you've smoked much Red VA, you know how this basically tastes, as it is a nice standard example, perhaps a tad more sour than usual. The Perique adds a bit of peppery middle to the blend, but there is a bit of a cigarette aftertaste.

This particular tin was all broken flakes, easy to pack, light, and keep going. Moderate burning, no tongue bite, a nice solid blend. The first half of a bowl usually seemed a bit light on N, but it caught up to just past medium by the end.

Pipe Used: briars, cobs, and meers

Age When Smoked: 3 months

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ap (57)	2014-04-26		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Sublime flake of Red Vas , medium Perique content and light notes from the Izmir. The smoke is cool and dry with good nicotine !! Another winner from C&D

Pipe Used: Askwith Strawberry wood Billiard , Castello # 10

Age When Smoked: fresh tin

Purchased From: 4noggins

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2008-09-20		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This tobacco was a sample tin at my local tobacco shop, thus I can not attest to the moisture level of a new tin. What I sampled was of perfect moisture level. I prefer a VaPer blend to be a bit drier so that it will not require as much drawing, thus less bite. I noticed a bit of sweetness in the tin, but none in the smoke. I upon match was a bit concerned that the Oriental addition was a bit too much, but the earthiness subdued after a few puffs. The VA tobacco was more tangy than sweet, and the Perique was more hit and miss than a constant. The blend seemed well balanced and rather refined, but it did leave me wondering what a bit more Perique would do. The bottom of the bowl was a bit more like the top with the Izmir letting its self be known. I would try this blend again but think that a bit of cellaring might make a good blend an excellent one.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Big Tom (20)	2022-03-01		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

If you read the updated description and the newer tins there is no Izmir and THERE NEVER WAS. M'kay?

I got this because I wanted a red Va with perique that would keep me from popping my 4 remaining tins of Carolina red flake with perique so that they can age.

This is a very worthy replacement/alternative to that. It's red Va and perique, stewed fruit a bit vinegary and all that. Nice spicy perique hit on the retrohale... Oh so nice.

I can see buying a lot of this in the future, so I am glad that it is a regular production blend. Should age nicely too if that's your thing.

Wish it came in 8 or 16 oz tins.

Pipe Used: briars, meers

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: tobaccopipes.com

Similar Blends: Carolina Red Flake with perique.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ATW (110)	2021-10-06		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Back again after another hiatus. Not going to be in buying and trying as much I was before, but more of a stashing back my favorites for aging. This is one I've wanted to try for a while.

Judging from the tin note, I was almost certain this was going to be similar to C&D Interlude since they both have that same red va aroma that reminds me of tomato sauce / stewed fruit but it's totally different.

My tin is only 2 months old but tastes like it's 10 years old. Flavors are very smooth and mature sugary bread notes with a dark tone to it. Also has a powdery quality throughout the bowl. The perique isn't very noticeable but helps add the aged quality to the blend and with the deepness of the flavors. Burns cool with no bite.

To compare this blend with anything, it would be Dunhill dark flake and Robert McConnell black flake. Though I prefer black flake over dark flake, Red Carpet is a very nice substitute for both.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	doc pipes (107)	2021-07-16		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This should be a 3 star blend. It gets one star for two major and glaring reasons. MOLD! I thought I had seen some in a bulk purchase of bayou morning that I made several months back. I figured that I must be an idiot,I must be wrong, and because the white mold was limited, I kind of forgave and forgot. After smoking this, I am more convinced that the bayou morning I had purchased was indeed contaminated. These broken flakes (they cannot be called true flakes as I could not identify one full flake throughout the entire tin) are a bit wet by c&d standards, though almost immediately smokable. The other massive problem that plagued this tin were the massive and commonly encountered stems. I would bet that by weight, the stem portion would take up between five and 10% of the total dry weight. I am not exaggerating. Putting the above evidence all together would suggest that quality control measures have suffered significantly. Being that C&D has had previous troubles with mold that have been well publicized going back to 2016, it is somewhat frightening to see that this is still happening. This is really a sad state of affairs. I cannot think of any other tobacco manufacturer that has regularly had these problems.

The smoke itself wasn’t bad. Upon opening the tin there is a sweet fruity and sour fermented aroma. There were very few sugar crystals noted on my young sample. Right up front, there is some rich dark fruit leather. The red VA is sour and tangy. There is some nice pepper on the retrohale in the second half. The last third is all about earthy autumn leaf matter. If I was blinded to the above problems, and all stems were picked out prior to my smoking, this would be a three star blend. I would warn all fellow pipe smokers to look out for tins dated august 2020.

Age When Smoked: 8/14/20

Purchased From: Smokingpipes

Similar Blends: An unexpected and undeserved kick in the crotch.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Antonius Blok (190)	2021-06-03		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The tin I received came with a broken flake cut with some slightly more whole chunks forming some half flake. The smell is slightly sweet vinegar. The humidity is very correct to immediately load the pipe directly from the tin, although there will be those who prefer a little drying time. Once the pipe is lit, a rich, smooth va / per appears, which performs very well in the pipe, with a flavor profile a notch darker than the average of most va / per, with some subtle notes of wine. Fruity, sometimes sweet, other times sour and even a touch salty. It generates good amounts of smoke, providing a relaxed and pleasant smoke.

I think it could be a perfect tobacco for starters, due to its blend of smoothness, good taste and friendliness to the mouth, as it doesn't bite the tongue at all. The only thing that could oppose this recommendation for beginners is that it should be smoked at a slow pace so that the flavor is not lost.

Age When Smoked: 9 months

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2011-10-01		Strong	Strong	Full	Strong

I was very excited about this blend but was a little disappointed. I was hoping for something a little more along the lines of Sunday Picnic but found that this blend (as other reviews have said) leans far more toward the red virginia, with a spattering of perique and Izmir. No doubt with some drying it was a good quality tobacco, but just a little rough around the edges for a perique blend in my opinion. Might try adding some blending perique to this blend to see if it smooths out.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2011-08-07		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

A fair VaPer. The VA tobacco was more tangy than sweet, and the Perique flavour was not sufficiently apparent in the smoke. The Izmir, other than the very first bowl, was never detected at all. This 2oz can, over two years in my cellar alone, was dry when opened and required very little (if any) additional time on the side board. Rather unflavorful when compared to many other Virginias and VaPers...and begs the question if the Oriental condiment waned too much over time. Somewhat recommended, but would not order again.

A companion infusion: Jasmine Tea.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-08-16		Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I see it as a sweet virginia blend. Not tongue biting, but still a bit tickling into the mouth. Perique and Izmir look contribute to taste, but the blend does not get spicy, just sweet and quite pleasant.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-02-01		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

I'm halfway through my first tin of Red Carpet. It's from the first tinning; I bought it at the Chicago Show in '07. With a solid year and a half of age, I believe I'm getting a sense of this blend. The flakes are primarily dark brown with some bright leaf and a red hue. The flakes are first-class. C&D has come a long way in their flake production. The flakes came just a tad on the moist side, but dried very quickly.

The burn is outstanding, with flavors leaning toward the sweeter side, but with something extra I'm attributing to the Izmir. The perique must be in short supply. I get a tingly feeling on my tongue and the back of my throat that I haven't experienced before. Is it the Izmir? I am a Va/perique fan, and I thought I'd tasted every possible variation, but this one's different folks. Definitely worth a try.

Update: 6/4/10 After finishing this tin of Red Carpet I have to upgrade my recommendation. I have enjoyed this blend more with every bowl I've smoked. It's absolutely delicious and has outstanding smoking qualities. Too bad I only have one more tin in my cellar; I should have bought more back in '07. I'll stock up as soon as I can afford to.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2008-11-08		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I don't go into specific detail with my reviews due to my lack of knowledge/experience with pipe tobacco. But I can say if I like or dislike a blend (or something between).

The only time I looked forward to smoking this blend was with the first 3-4 bowls. After that, my interest waned quickly. I liked the spice of the Perique but it wasn't always there. I had a hard time with this one's bite. I tried it straight out of the tin to bone dry but didn't really buy into what any moisture level had to offer. Maybe it's just a little too complex for me.

I had a good amount left by the time I was ready to pitch it but held onto it for experiment purpose.

The two stars that I gave this blend(moved up from 1) came from its blending properties. I mixed 2 part of this tobacco with 5 parts of Ben Hartwell's Signature blend and had a nice smoke.

-Z

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2008-08-12		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I have tried probaly 40 Virginia blends in the last 6 months. Most I have liked....some I LOVE. I have sampled the best blenders from England, Ireland, Germany, Denmark, and America. IMHO the Tarlers at C&D hold thier on with the very best. Out of the 8-10 C&D blends that I have tried they have each recieved a 3 or 4 star rating.

Red Carpet is 'bout as good as a VAPER gets. After drying, and rubbing out this blend packs, lights, burns great. The Va. have the lead, supported by the Perique/Izmar. Mildly sweet, peppery taste with no bight when sipped. This is not my favorite from the "Simply Elegant" series....but it's close.....good enough that I have orderd a couple of pounds to consume/cellar.

Rate *

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2008-07-23		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

**"Rosebud"

One look at the one pound tin's attention to detail clearly demonstrates C&D's love of ingredients and pride in craft. The two tissue wrapped bundles of joy show the superior care that elevates a mere blender into maestro status. Bravo! The contents are very good too.

Youth is wasted on the young, but in this case it became the center of attention. This tadpole needs some aging. But its youthful exuberance is so much fun to tangle with. Bright, Sassy and full of promise.

As an infant, it smokes with brassy high notes from the Orientals and the tang of Virginia. The Perique aroma in the tin doesn't translate into the flavor of the smoke...it merely plays peek-a-boo. The deeper flavors of red virginia don't come into their own until mid-bowl, but are delicious.

**My nickname for this tobacco, and Citizen Kane's final word on his deathbed. I hope I utter the same word while puffing on this wonderful weed on my deathbed..... In about forty years.

I want to go quietly like my great-grandfather did. Not screaming and wailing like all his passengers.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2008-05-11		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

I found this blend to be as good as could be expected, after having tried other similar C&D products. That is, after I found the right pipe for it. Let me just throw this in- after trying the best that England, Denmark and Germany had to offer, then bringing it back home to put these guys up against McClellands...aside from the Grand Orientals, C&D wins my vote as best blenders IN THE WORLD. First I tried RC in my Peterson Barrel because I love to smoke Sunday Picnic out of it. Seeing as how the blends are siblings from the same series, and different only in the type of virginia used, I thought it would be close. Oddly enough, these siblings don't get along in the same pipe. At this time, I only have so many Petersons and clays that I will smoke, so I try to keep similar blends labeled for specific pipes.(This is probably not uncommon.) Eventually, I'd like to have one for each, but for now this blend works very well in my Peterson 150, which is dedicated to Fillmore, Kajun Kake and Bayou Morning Flake. I'm trying to keep the training wheels on my new pipes a while, so I'm only packing half a pipe for the sake of the cake building process. So far, it's been fantastic. I'm just as pleased as I was with Sunday Picnic from the "Simply Elegant" series, when I christened the Barrel with it. It starts off just mildly sweet in the VA department, with a gentle perique presence. Halfway through the half-packed bowl, the turkish spoke up a bit and the gingery spice of perique moved aside. For a moment, the turkish brought forth a slight curry-like sensation that merely presented itself and drifted back as though it were part of a good bluegrass trio. A little nicotine tingle, (less than Fillmore) but nothing to go running downstairs for a glass of milk to coat my stomach over. I really can't say say a bad thing about it, other than 2oz will not be enough now. Great change up for the die hard VaPer fans. And before you know it, the show is over. No fuss, easy lighting, no glop and a nice powdery ash. If I have something I don't like at first, I try again later. That happens to me and my pallet...what's bad today seems good tomorrow. Who knows, the sinuses and condition of your tastebuds can drastically change the way you experience something. Sometimes some C&D blends seem a little off at first, but the more I smoke them, the more I like them. Find the right pipe, and I bet they're all winners.

Petersons Rule! (especially with C&D blends in them!)

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DoctorThoss (146)	2007-10-06		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

This one struck me as being relatively unflavorful when compared to many other Va. I was barely able to taste the Oriental or Perique, and I've now opted to use the rest of this tin for blending. I think that many others, however, might really enjoy this well-presented Va., so I'm giving this two stars instead of one. The quality really seems to be top-notch.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Poodlejuice (49)	2023-01-19		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

A rich red VA blend with predominantly bready & woodsy notes. A bit of cocoa, black pepper, & citrus. A little rough around the edges and a bit of harshness at times. Strength is medium.

My tin came rather dry, but it smokes well, albeit that bit of harshness. I have good luck simply balling up flakes and just shoving them in the pipe. Burns well with few relights. A very simple and minimally processed VaPer with a satisfying amount of body. Well suited for the fall/winter months.

Age When Smoked: 1yo

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Cap'n Lev (19)	2022-09-26		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Firstly, I got to say that smoking an American blend is somewhat rare to my available options. So there it is a nicely appeal to the blend cause of its rarity to me. I find the smoke pretty pleasant, almost peppery stout but on the medium to light strength. If that makes sense the red Virginia and perique on this one reminds me a mixture of marlin flake( rattray's ) and university flake( peterson's ) but rather a more elegant light version of them (ageing ain't the factor here ,cause it's compared to similarly aged blends of those three). I could recommend it for a more official evening smoke occasion, perhaps before a main event (like weddings etc). Highly recommended to 3.7 out of 4!

Pipe Used: Briar

Age When Smoked: 5 years

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	UncleAl (17)	2021-04-17		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Cornell & Diehl Red Carpet is a high quality VaPer with an above medium, on the front foot strength. There’s the perfect amount of peppery, spicy Perique; from gentle, nose-tingling beginning to forthright, throat-catching end – gorgeous! Take straight from the tin, rub out and gently pack. Relights well after resting, if you need a break. A delightful blend that engenders quiet attention and deep contentment. Highly recommended for VaPer aficionados.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: From the tin

Purchased From: 4Noggins

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Nuvoleazzurre (36)	2020-12-05		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Con questo tabacco mi sento a casa, sarà il Virgina? Sarà il Perique. Qui in più il virginia e che Virginia, il Virginia Rosso. Con quel gusto di spezie, di dolcezza di sale e frescura.

Potremmo dire che questo è un tabacco adatto nei momenti di svago o quando ti serve compagnia nello studio. Un gusto unico fresco e sapido che accompagna tutte le cariche.

Si è accopagnati in ogni puff dal variare delle intensità ora Perique ora Virginia, Lui è li ti fa compagnia, ti accompagna, non pretende attenzioni, come il gatto che ronfa sulle gambe, è li e vuole solo la compagnia.

Poi in estate col caldo torrido dona frescura in bocca.

Non credo che questa miscela ottenga l'attenzione che merita.

Lascialo invecchiare e ogni mese che passa saprà donare una sfumatur nuova, non puoi farne a meno

Voto 5/5 appieno.

Age When Smoked: 3

Purchased From: Tabaccheria Dubini, chiasso, svizzera

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	LV9 (85)	2019-12-16		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This was very by the number va/per nothing really stands out a little boring but solid, in a weird way everything is just balanced in a way that none of the ingredients jump forward iff you like Cornell and Diehl va/pet blends you’ll like this one. Side note a lot of the early reviews go on and on of how great Izmir leaf is and how it brings up the blend and so on I did not noticed it my Tin is 10 years, so as always there is no better reviewer than yourself don’t let others influence what you smoke or you don’t.

Pipe Used: Mario grandi pot.

Age When Smoked: 9 years

Purchased From: Smoking pipes

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CoolPilot (69)	2014-04-30		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I fully second the review by DK. I confirm also the strength in nicotine is quite important here! A medium to full blend in both strength and taste. The izmir is making the blen a bit sour, and that's why I can only rate it 3 solid stars.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2013-10-26		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Tangy strange change-up from the ordinary if you like red virginias check it out

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	chgo.piper (37)	2010-11-14		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

After smoking this baccy with great potential of only getting better with age, I've had a dozen tins in the cellar for a couple of years now... I don't think I'll be disappointed in a few more.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-07-25		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

Cornell & Diehl, as well as Gl Pease blends, share the same problem: the tobaccos they put in a tin is not quite ready for immediate consumption.

Red Carpet was too moist. It took a while to let it dry out. The tin aroma was absolutely bizarre and uninviting.

The dark flakes proved to be rather strong but the Izmir brought a very interesting side to the smoking experience.

I think that once aged for a couple years, this should reveal itself as a good tobacco.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-05-08		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Now this is good stuff IMHO. Kind of a cross between Embarcadero and Fillmore. I'm going to buy a couple of pounds of this tobacco for aging because I think that with a year or more in the can, this tobacco will be even sweeter and approach Medium to Full in the strength department. As I start smoking a bowl of this tobacco, I am struck with the sweetness of the Virginias. In the nose warmers I smoke these days, I also get an aroma from the bowl that is very close to the tin aroma. As the bowl progresses, I notice more of the Perique and Izmir. This is just a very tasty tobacco for me.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NEWMAN (305)	2008-08-01		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Once again. C&D offers nicely prepared, high quality flakes of dark VA/Per ~ 1/16" thick. I felt that the initial moisture content was too high from the tin resulting in difficult intial lighting and numerous relights but solved by further drying. I don't rub out my flakes. However, I left the tin open on my desk for this process and received several compliments on the tin aroma even from non smokers. Just a great tobacco smell. I missed the sweeter taste of my preferred golden VAs but this blend offers a nice change with the addition of the Turkish. However, if you don't enjoy a healthy Perique influence, go elsewhere.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Max1a (38)	2008-06-16		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

While it is typical of all C&D tobaccos that in that some aging is necessary for this blend to reach its full potential, it shows great promise. Perfect flakes rub out nicely, the initial light is quite sharp from the orientals. The second light gives a very good representation of the fine blending of red Virginia and Oriental Izmir. This is another tobacco that should be sipped for it can bite. I recommend that everyone that cellars should put a few of these away for a year or two.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2007-09-01		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong

The flake is dark with some lighter mottling, moist, and easily shreds. Although a moist flake, I have had no difficulty is lighting and it smokes completely to a light gray ash. I should note that I do not "rub out" flakes when I pack them.

I am having difficulty is describing the flavor. It smells sweet out of the tin and yet there is no real trace of sweetness in the smoke. The first half of the bowl displays an expresso aftertaste and I get a slight pepper on the tip of my tongue. I get a distinct cirtrus as the bowl finishes.

This is a contemplative smoke that is best enjoyed in quiet reflection. The flavors are complex and vary during the smoke. Be careful on the pack, however. It gets hot and bland if packed a little too tight.

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