Tobaccos Cornell & Diehl - Shandygaff

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cobacco (52)	2015-02-15		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I just bought an ounce to try before stocking it. Bag note: cinnamon raisin bread. Moisture level: perfect, ready to smoke. I'm not a big Turkish smoker, because I tend to associate Turkish with cigarette flavor. But this blend is amazing! It's the sweetest non-aromatic that I've ever smoked. It tastes like Old Joe Krantz dipped in corn syrup. And these flavors are natural, not some sugary topping. Shandygaff behaves very nicely in the pipe; it's easy to light, stays lit well and it burns cool and reasonably slow. This blend tastes like I want Five Brothers to taste like after it goes nuclear (about two minutes into the bowl). I'm very impressed! Smokes to a fine ash, leaves the pipe clean and dry.

Pipe Used: MM DIPLOMAT COB

Age When Smoked: Fresh bulk

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

21 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3048)	2015-06-02		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable

The burley is toasty, nutty and kind of bitter with a dull card board taste. The Turkish is sour, smoky and woody. In a supporting role, the perique has a very light spice hit, and has some raisin and fig notes. The topping is apparently a lightly applied ginger, but it doesn't do much for this blend. The percentages of the tobaccos dull the effectiveness of the burley, and the overall sourness is unattractive, especially when a noticeable tone of cigarette becomes more obvious in the final third of the bowl. The raisin and spice from the perique doesn't do enough to off set its short comings. Burns well and fairly cool, has a little nic-hit, and leaves no moisture in the bowl. Needs few relights. The after taste is no different than the actual flavor of the mix.

-JimInks

20 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2012-01-21		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Cornell & Diehl have created blends I loved, blends I sort of liked and blends I have not liked. With this one, they've created a blend I find characterless (although this supposedly is an Atlas blend they picked up).

A mostly mahogany brown mix of what appears to be pencil shavings and twigs, this has a heavy tobacco bag aroma with a very faint citrus note. Based on the definition of Shandygaff, I would guess it to be ginger but that very slight taste was more 7-up than Ginger Ale to my taste buds. It was very much to the rear. Up front was the "flavor" of non-descript burley with a perique overcoat. Whatever flavor this is supposed to have was garbled and confused. Mostly the effect was warm air with the full spectrum of nicotine.

Recommended for cigarette smokers looking to move to the pipe. Other than that, there's really no point to this one. One star ratings are usually for those blends I hate the taste of but this one earns one star for being a waste of time.

17 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Brooklynsmoker (10)	2015-01-16		Strong	Medium to Strong	Medium	Tolerable

What an interesting tabaco. I just got two ounces from SP.com and It is real good.A burly perique that has something else going on.Came ready to smoke as far as moisture and took flame real good.It is kinda a cross between OJK and briar fox in my opinion.Not a smoke for a hard puffer, just like Briar fox You need to sip and take your time or you will get bit.There is a fine sweetness and a nice nic hit like OJK.I did not get a ginger taste or salt like others but it did leave a pleasant after taste. A good smoke if you like Burly.

Pipe Used: Some briars

Age When Smoked: pretty new I guess.

Purchased From: Smoking pipes.com

Similar Blends: Briar fox and Old Joe Krantz.

14 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2004-06-20		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Shandygaff certainly lives up to its description when they say it is unusual. Honestly, I'm not sure if I would have purchased it, the combination of tobaccos didn't sound too promising to me. I knew I had to try it though when 'chaplikc' handed me a sample and said "You have to try this!" I'm glad he did.

This blend is full of surprises. Frankly, I had my doubts when I got home and looked up chaplikc's review. Salty? Yes, kind of. It does remind me of the sea air.

In a medium sized bowl, the Perique started off a bit strong for my taste, but soon settled down to a very pleasant level. In a narrow bowl, the Perique was much better behaved.

Burley is the base, and it forms a very sound foundation in this blend. The surprising thing, to me, was the way the Turkish supported the Burley without becoming overbearing.

After the first 1/3 of the bowl is where I feel Shandygaff really begins to shine. The nutty/bitter Burley is in full bloom with the Perique doing a little dance in and out. The Turkish is seasoning things ina very enjoyable manner.

At the end, I often got the usual "flourish of Perique" as the bittersweet Burley retreated. The bowl was bone dry with nothing but a powdery ash.

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jorge Soler (203)	2018-06-27		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Very Pleasant

This baccy is actually really good. It reminds me of some the great American OTCs. I cannot detect any toppings at all, but the base tobacco seems to be pretty much in line with Half & Half, Carter Hall, etc. The smoking experience is very nutty and chocolatey, and it never gets harsh on the palate like other Burley blends. As you open the bag the Oriental leaf cannot be missed. It is grey in colour, and this is in contrast with the brown Burley leaf it contains. The tin note is very OTCish as well, and would indicate the addition of a flavouring of some sort, but like I am saying this does not show in your smoke. Also, I usually find Orientals quite boring when they are not being paired with a pinch of Latakia, but in this particular case I am finding this blend quite balanced and down to the point. As for the salty/sea air flavour it reads in the description, it kind of shows ever so slightly in the background, and I must say this is a feature I have been wondering about before I could lay my hands on it. Do I like it? Yes I do, and this is perhaps the reason why this tobacco could be just perfect for the summer season, sipped in your porch with a glass of unsweetened ice tea or lemon water. In true honesty, I would have given this review a rating of 3 stars, but this time is gonna be 4 to offset the unwarranted bad reviews, which I do not think it deserves.

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2081)	2017-07-01		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Strong

Cornell & Diehl - Shandygaff.

I've wanted to try this for ages, and I'm not ashamed to say the reason why was the funky name! As every time I checked the usual suspects for a sample size pouch just to try I'd been constantly met by 'out of stock', I threw caution to the wind and bought a bigger pouch from Cup O' Joes!

Unlike one of my favourite reviewers DK my blend is free from twigs and unappealing pieces, but like DK I don't rate it too highly.

At first light it isn't too bad a smoke, the Burley tastes richer than the subsequent smoke. The Perique doesn't require much work, at all, to notice, and unlike the rich Burley quality, the Perique holds its formidable stance throughout a bowl. I'm not a fan of the topping, although it's lightly added it's not pleasant. I find it has a slightly sharp, zesty, gingery flavour, but it tastes almost bitter, as well. Shandygaff burns fast, even when I'm deliberately gentle it's far too zealous.

The nicotine: medium. Room-note: tolerable.

Shandygaff? Not recommended:

One star.

Pipe Used: Brebbia Fat Bob

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Cup O' Joes

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TallPuffO'Burley (633)	2015-10-19		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I was given a sample of this from a forum friend with a bunch of other samples and about 4 ounces of Ennerdale Flake that was not to his liking. The samples sat in a big bag with the ennerdale for about five months before I got to them.

My first bowl was odd as I figured that I was using a pipe with a Lakeland ghost. It seemed to calm down later and the burley and Perique really took over and gave a pretty good and stout blend. It wasn't until I smoked some follow up bowls and reached further in the bag that I realized it wasn't a ghost in my pipe it was the scent from the ennerdale that pervaded my leaf. This was confirmed when a bowl of Morley's Best had the same scent to it.

So what to do, I can't in good conscience give this four stars as my sample was flawed, but the base tobaccos of shandygaff were quite enjoyable. I found it to be a lot like several C&D blends in composition Light on the Virginia, heavy on the burley and Perique. It was tasted a little like OJK to me, but not quite as overwhelming. A little like haunted bookshop, but more enjoyable to me.

There is no doubt that I will be reordering and in the interests of giving Shandygaff a fair shake on TR, I will leave this at three stars for now.

Similar Blends: OJK.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Young Piper (304)	2015-04-30		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

My girlfriend and I had tasted several different Virginia blends to add to Shandygaff to give it a little more sweetness (she prefers her blends much sweeter) and we settled on McClelland's Virginia Woods. While McClelland's has the best Virginia's on the market (IMHO), they have almost no nicotine, C&D has all the nicotine and great Burleys but their Virginia's are not as rich as MCC. So we tried several variants and settled on 4oz of Shandygaff mixed with 2oz of Virginia Woods. Man the VW elevates Shandy to a whole nother level! We both really love this mix and she has started labeling the Ball jars as "Summer Woods". We wish C&D and MCC would combine forces on a blend or two, C&D Burley with MCC Virginia making a Two Friends type deal. I think it would be a huge hit...

This is not a review based on 30 year old notes I had written in a notebook on a pre Viagra night in 1978, blends change, manufacturers change hands and tobacco crops differ year to year, because of that I only review a blend if I have smoked it in the last 6 months or so. Saying that you loved 3 Nuns since it contained perique doesn't help the guy that wants a review of the Macbaren version with Kentucky, see what im getting at? :-) I asked Rich at 4Noggins to get this in stock for my Dad so if you have wanted to try this blend now is the time since he just got it in stock this week and it is very fresh! I love the cedar / #2 pencil / salty taste I get from Shandygaff. I mostly agreed with the positive previous reviews. This blend is much closer in taste and cut to the John Patton blends than the traditional C&D blends since it is far from harsh or rough and the cut is also much finer than most C&D bulk blends. I was wary not ever having a blend without Virginia or Cavendish to sweeten and smooth out a blend with Turkish and Perique but there is some sweetness present perhaps from the Burley? Really really tasty and the closest thing to an all day blend from C&D that is not an aromatic. No dottle or wet pipe cleaners and the room note while not Apricots or Vanilla did not provoke violence from the ladies in the room so that's a plus! A nice Nic hit but not overbearing at all.

Age When Smoked: Fresh Bulk

Purchased From: 4Noggins

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2006-05-14		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Ok, I'm not an aromatic Guy. Really don't like the stuff- Seems the taste is always kinda flat. If your anything like me, You'll probably like Shandygaff. Not unlike Spice nut, It has a great tobacco flavor, with a touch of something else. Mr. Dottle says ginger- and I won't argue. By definition, Its Ginger if the name is accurate to what it is. Whatever- I dig it. Great burley, Turkish tase. Throw just enough perique to make it spicy, and throw that flavor.... Its exotic, Tasty- and can throw you a mean head buzz if your not carefull.... Give it a shot.....Its worth it.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HabaneroHardy (403)	2021-01-22		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Unnoticeable

I was given a nice size sample of this several days ago. I had a bowl on Sunday and have tried some more recently. The tin note out of the bag smelled to me like Burley. The ribbon appears to be slightly moist. I have had a few of the old Atlas Blends but what frustrates me is I cannot really find any information about this company on the web until I hit paydirt this evening. This is from an article from the “Western North Carolina Magazine” from 2008 about Craig Tarler, Cornell and Diehl, “It was a long way up for Tarler when he bought the business in 1990. Then called Amar Blends and located on Long Island, the company started in the 1880s as The Atlas Blending Co. in New York City. When Tarler took over the outfit, of which he was a patron, it had about 175 individual customers and was sold in 100 stores. He fit Amar Blends’ whole operation—some tobacco, scales, flavorings, and blend recipes—into his van and set up shop in the cellar of his Pennsylvania home. Tarler paid $17,500 for the lot of it, the same amount of his gross sales in the first year.” https://wncmagazine.com/feature/pipe_dreams. Now that the history lesson is out of the way, here comes the hard part, the rest of the review. I did not like it, there I said it. Even compensating for my diminished sense of smell and taste this was just not enjoyable. Kind of one dimensional, harsh, and kind of a bitterness to it. Maybe I was in a bad mood but I do not think it would have mattered. I did not even finish my samples; life is too short. But as always, I do appreciate the enjoyment of trying new blends. Can’t win them all. My third one star.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pipesmoker33 (18)	2017-03-09		Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium	Strong

Got this as a free sample. I wasn't sure what to think at first. Very burley forward. Good nic hit. I do get a touch of salty flavor, but I don't detect any ginger as others have. Also get a buttery aftertaste. I learned after the first bowl to take it slow with this one. I puffed a little fast as I have a habit of doing and got the nic-hups. Overall I really like this one when I'm in the mood for something strong. A good bed-time smoke. I have since ordered a pound of it.

Pipe Used: Various cobs and briars

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: Cornell & Diehl - Haunted Bookshop, Cornell & Diehl - Big n' Burley.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Dottle (162)	2005-02-25		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Unlike the two previous reviewers, I did not detect a salty taste in this blend nor was I reminded of the sea air. What I did taste in this blend was a lightly spicy, gingery flavor that, for me, grew old quickly. The description does not state that ginger topping is present but another C&D blend, Valle Crucis, does have a ginger topping. Not knowing what 'Shandygaff' meant, I subsequently looked it up and it is defined as ?A drink made of beer or ale mixed with ginger beer, ginger ale, or lemonade.? So perhaps my taste buds were true to me with this blend. Shandygaff is a good and different tasting occasional smoke but not an all day smoke or a regular smoke for me.

A cigarette is to be smoked. A cigar is to be enjoyed. A pipe is to be savored.

I rate this tobacco 6.9 out of 10

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2004-06-08		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

I had to try this when I read the description. This is indeed an unusual combination for a blend. The burley took center stage followed by the turkish and then the perique. It is hard for me to describe the flavor in that I've never tasted a blend quite like this. It is nutty, salty, and had a pleasant sourish note that intermingled in the flavors. The perique would come in and out of the flavor throughout the smoke. This smoke very cool and packed very easy. Overall this kind of reminded me of the ocean or sea for some reason. Maybe it is that salty element that is in this smoke. This is a definate must try for the adventurous or curious.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JJ Sir Emmitt (40)	2021-06-13		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I have been smoking this for a couple of months now, and I have come to really appreciate it. When I first smoked it I though it may be a little on the bland side. The flavor was so interesting that I stuck with it knowing it had potential that I was not yet picking up on. I am glad I stuck with this one. For being a "Burley Blend" it has a unique brightness to it, this brightness with a sharp pepper zing give the sense of a sweet ginger note, couples with effervescent character. There are also some notes of malt and earth and wood, but these flavors are more in the background. For me this blend has found it place as a morning smoke. It's a little too light as a evening smoke. As a first smoke of the day this blend is a great choice. I also noticed that this blend seems to like being smoked in a cob. I have smoked this in briars, pears, and cobs and it found the flavors to really shine in a cob. In the briar pipes the flavors seems a little muted. If you tried this in a briar and was underwhelming try it in a cob. As for the performance, it burns easy and cool with minimal effort. It will need a couple of relights early on. But overall a easy smoke.

Pipe Used: Many

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	USVI sailor (16)	2019-07-24		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

I’ve been smoking pipes since the early 70’s with primarily Balkan, vaper and Virginia based blends like Rattray’s Hal O The Wynd, Escudo, Balkan, etc... - all good and all exceptional blends.

This year I’m taking a break from the aforementioned and getting back into burley based blends mostly C&D Old Joe Krantz, Old Joe Krantz White and Haunted Bookshop - all very good burley based concoctions.

Just recently purchased some Shandygaff on a whim and I’m glad I did. Shandygaff is in my opinion is an exceptional blend.

The nuttiness and cocoa of the burley is dominate but the Turkish is right along side the burley - my guess is Smyrna or Ishmir leaf. The Perique is noticeable on the retrohale - not too strong, just about equal to Old Joe Krantz. The tobacco burns well to a white ash. Minimum re-lights. No tongue burn or other mouth irritation. I love the bag note - that kind of nutty / mushroom / pungent aroma. And the taste is almost exactly as the bag note.

I enjoy leaving the room for a while and returning just to smell the room note - very intoxicating.

This stuff is truly an underrated blend - if you like burley blends with the spicyness of Perique and that little twang you get from Turkish tobacco then this is a must try.

Pipe Used: Caminetto and Savanelli

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: SmokingPipes.com

Similar Blends: Most similar to Old Joe Krantz but with the tangy taste / aroma of turkish.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JohnnyMcPiperson (119)	2011-01-28		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This was an interesting blend to try. I got a sample from a friend and was able to smell the tin as he put some in a baggie for me. The aroma that hit my nose was oddly enough that of Va and ginger ale, an aroma that I never thought I would pick out from a freshly opened tin of tobacco. Upon lighting the tobacco the taste of some wiley Va's hit my buds and as I continued to puff I exhaled a bit through my nose, this proved to be a good tactic with this blend as I again picked up some of that ginger ale flavor that I found so perplexing from the tin note. I found this blend to be one that I was willing to smoke indoors, and especially enjoyed during the spring season, it is a bit biting if one is not careful to sip as you usually should with VA's. I smoked this one during my second real streak of interest in Va's and found that it fit right into the rotation. If you smoke alot of Va's and you are looking for something a bit unique to throw into the mix, try this one, I don't think it will disappoint.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DJFalsifier (2)	2020-08-08		Medium to Strong	Strong	Full	Tolerable

I agree with a lot of other reviews regarding how dry it burns and general characteristics. Obviously a burley, but the saltiness was apparent to me immediately. The ginger was there faintly at first but became quite forward in the last half of the bowl. It's not ginger as in ale, but more like something you'd find in a bitter Italian liqueur. Finally the perique really stood out in the final 1/3 of the bowl, very sour but it fit the overall profile perfectly. I'm starting to really appreciate the oddball tobaccos out there, and this is one of them.

Pipe Used: Peterson system

Age When Smoked: fresh bulk

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tomcat (226)	2020-08-01		Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Unnoticeable

I agree with the flavors of ginger and old salty sea air and I would add cinnamon. Strange but true and plenty of ginger indeed. Way too much flavoring here for me ! It’s not a sticky aromatic or anything and i know tobaccos need a binder but I want to taste tobacco also ! I can taste some nutty sour/bitter white burleys and the Orientals which taste like Izmir leaf which have similar notes as the burleys with a little spice . The Perique i can barely detect . I usually smoke about a tins worth before I do a review but with this blend I will never make it that far along . Sorry but not for me . Although I am sure it has its fans . Maybe I will mix in some red Virginias that have some good age on them but I would hate to waste them . I say get 1 oz and make your own judgement.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	The Hun (38)	2015-06-12		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I don't know about this one.

As I have mentioned in other reviews, I love perique and the spicy goodness it adds to blends. Even though I can gets its tingle in this mixture, it can't save what came across as a muddled mess called Shandygaff.

I got no ginger. I got no saltiness. All I got was burley and turkish trying to fight each other for supremacy with neither one succeeding.

Maybe my taste buds are shot. Maybe it's a bad batch. The tobacco did behave well in the pipe and burned completely to ash, but other than that I can only recommend this somewhat. Someone may find it interesting.

Pipe Used: Various briars, cobs

Age When Smoked: fresh from bulk

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	doc pipes (110)	2021-06-12		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Unnoticeable

I wanted to see what a pre Tarler/Reeves et al C&D blend would taste like. This would have been one of the blends Craig bought the rights to when he started C&D. This blend is an unusual combination of leaf and is categorized by Jeremy Reeves as underrated.

The same thing could be said of this blend when discussing things like black licorice or the Grateful Dead. There are a lot of people who probably would hate it, but the people who like it, REALLY like it. I love the dead, but I hated this blend. I have nothing against any of the constituent tobaccos, but this particular titration did not work for me. The first thing I noticed was an offensively sweet and cloying butterscotch/caramel sort of note. I actually wondered if I had gotten a mislabeled pouch of some other blend. Then I wondered if perhaps, though unlikely, it was a ghosted pipe. Nope. This pattern repeated each time I lit a bowl. This sweetness segued into some pleasant sweet curry/spicy notes. Then, almost on cue, all flavor disappears and my mouth is blasted with saltwater/baking soda flavored steam. If you are a fan of salt water taffy, this might be your bag. Definitely an unusual blend, Shandygaff is really in its own category. I can definitely see how this one is divisive, but that does not mean the reader shouldn’t try an ounce or two based on my vitriol. I was curious. I gave it a try in multiple pipes and with various preps. It is not for me.

Age When Smoked: Fresh bulk

Purchased From: SP

Similar Blends: This has nothing in common with any previous burley, oriental, or perique blends that I’ve had experience with..

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	GabrielCRT (115)	2018-05-17		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This one is hard to make heads or tails of. I don't really disagree with any of the negatives pointed out in the one star reviews but at the same time I just like it. It's mild to medium in strength and taste with mostly some nutty/woody Burley. Some dry/sour Izmir and slight spice and faint raisin notes from Perique give it a little complexity. A ginger-ale note pops up now and then and at some points in the bowl tastes pretty good. Just a little sweetness not much. Reminds me a bit of Half and Half. The cut is absurd with huge ribbons, some broken flakes, and a good amount of stems. It's pretty rough and a little harsh on the palate but never bites. Not easy to recommend because of all the bad qualities but it's intriguing enough that I've been smoking it all day lately.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Quiggifur (99)	2023-02-25		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Tin note: I struggle to detect anything worth mentioning. Smoke: nearly tasteless. Wisps of burley, and having tried Izmir Turkish plain, there's some comparison to that. Second hand smoke is not pleasant, has a cigarette character to it. Not really getting any perique. No sweetness detected. This is very bad, the first bowl in a while I chose to dump rather than finish.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Cat Jockey (21)	2022-10-22		Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

While I have seen a whole lot of reviews by JimInks, I haven't seen too many one star reviews from him. Surely it can't be that bad, can it? Oh, it is that bad, lol. I neither get nor enjoy this tobacco. At all.

I ordered a one ounce sample based upon a YouTube video by smokingpipes.com where they were chatting with C&D's head Blender and they were reviewing a few different bulk blends they felt were underrated and people should try. Shandygaff was one of the blends discussed. The Head Blender was even smoking a bowl of it himself during their chat.

Well, I tried it. And it's pretty bad. No offense meant to anyone at C&D or who enjoys this blend, of course.

It does redeem itself, slightly, when rolled into a cigarette. For whatever reason that they do, Oriental tobaccos absolutely explode with intensity and flavor when smoked in cigarette form for me, so it got a little bit better as a cigarette, but this is certainly no Picayune cigarette, despite the similar Burley/Oriental/Perique profiles of the two. Not even close. Shandygaff is just so much more harsh and less refined.

Maybe you'll like it, but I sure didn't ...

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gus Evening (10)	2021-11-30		Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

I bought 2 ounces about 3 years ago, but did not smoke it very often. I decided to give it another try. Wow, did it grow on me, and I finished the rest of the three ounces very quickly. The first blast of flavor that I get is from the Turkish, almost like smoking straight Izmir. Then as it settles in, there is an interweave of flavor from the Burley tobacco. Towards the mid-bowl is when the Perique kicks in for me a little more. There is a sweetness that is there through the entire bowl, I assume it is the Ginger topping, but not totally sure. I enjoyed it so much over the last couple of week that I ordered some to cellar in bulk by the pound! Give it a try!

Pipe Used: Castello Searock

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: Pegasus.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	moniker (220)	2021-04-17		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

Well, knock me over with a feather, another instant favorite popped up “out of nowhere”! Let it serve as either a recommendation or fair warning that C&D’s Shandygaff reminds me of a somewhat milder version of D&R’s Picayunne, without the nicotine wallop. Though it seems unlikely that this will appeal to beginners, who ever knows for sure? In the bag are finely cut ribbons and bits ranging from medium to dark brown, smelling like musty, earthy, spicy, dried goat dung, at least at first. It handles, loads, lights and smokes down very well straight from the tin, but it took some rest and some drying, also some messing around with it, in order to get the most from it. A large-ish pot and just a little tamping slows the burn rate some while still giving the delicious Turkish blend room to flower. Combusting tastes and scents include the tin notes, also rough, rustic brown bread, dates, dried figs, exotic, aromatic woods, something like ginger, and middle eastern baking spices, sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. Plenty of taste including plenty of spices, and aromas that are not often found ensemble in pipe tobacco anymore. The lot is well melded, with the dark and white Burleys in front, then the Turkish, then a musty, Burley-ish version of Perique. Strength ramps up quickly past medium, likewise the tastes. Room note is swell for me, likely torture for bystanders, I suppose. Aftertaste is a nice trailing off of the best of the smoke.

Again, I don’t think Shandygaff is aimed at beginners, and even experienced Burleyphiles may be surprised by the spices. I give it 4 stars, and my stash won’t last long.

Pipe Used: briar pot preferred

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: compare/contrast to D&R Picayunne.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WorkingClassChap (197)	2022-10-16		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

Smoking now:

The bag note is that bard yard aroma of hay and wood. Molasses and honey. Quite nice. Mine sample is rather dry, or rather just right according to my preferences. Packed it tight into one of my favorite briar pipes.

Lights just fine. Rather dry so this is easy to keep lite. Speaking of dry this is a very dry tasting tobacco. The perique I find enjoyable as I can get some of the dried fruit notes with a healthy helping of pepper. The orientals come and go and it’s a sour floral note. The burley gives it some bass, it’s mostly woody and vegetative. I taste more orientals and perique, or maybe it’s because I smoke more orientals and perique tobaccos than burley. The retrohale is sharp and full of perique.

Rather hated this the first few puffs but as the bowl progressed it started to enjoy it. I enjoy the oriental and perique without the usually accompanying Virginia. It makes those two stand out for me. Smoke it slow as this may get harsh and cigarette like if too hot.

Will definitely smoke more of this because the burley didn’t bite me it dry my mouth out too bad. A rather unique and interesting blend. Behaved very well no relights except one when I put the pipe down for too long.

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