A lightly flavored, sweet tasting and calming black cavendish.
I purchased this from a local tobacconist and it's been aged sometime (he didn't remember when he bought it). Reluctantly, I decided to give this a try because I'm a sucker for rich dark chocolate and this had the smell of my favorite high-end dark chocolate bar. When I purchased this it was on the dry side. I re-humidified it and loaded into my meerschaum corn cob (my favorite tester). Upon the char-light I could instantly smell and taste the sweet chocolate and caramel notes. However, it didn't taste as such. It's a mildly cased black cavendish and has a sweet taste with light hints of chocolate, vanilla and whiskey, when you add in the nose. The tobacco smokes cool and offers little to no tongue bite. The room note is quite pleasant and of course, my g/f loves it.
I find this very similar to 305: Espresso, with a chocolate flavoring instead of sweet coffee. The difference may be evident in the pouch aroma and to those around you, but the smoke tastes more or less the same. I slightly prefer 305, and I have even smoked a 50/50 mix of 305 and 700.
OK aromatic, nothing outstanding, but soft and mellow, pleasant and not goopy.
One thing I can say for sure if you buy a Cornell & Diehl product you will get excellence each and every-time. Now you may not like the blend due to personal taste but the product itself remains awesome. thankfully in this one I and my dear friend loved it. With only he and myself smoking it one time in the outside garage in the dead cold of winter in Wisconsin the room-note days later was just what a man wants when he visits the shop. Awesome with all day smoking capabilities.
Although my travels in the through-the-looking-glass world of aromatic tobaccos have been short, I can say this is by far the best chocolate blend I have tried. It doesn't bite, it's fairly dry, and it has a nice flavour. This flavor isn't particularly "chocolate," and it isn't really tobacco, but I'm not sure how else to define it, except to say I enjoyed it. I think the taste of caramel is closer to this blend than that of chocolate. Anyway, if you like aromatics, you'll like this. It won't goop up your pipe, your wife will like the smell of it, you'll like the taste of it, and the world will be good.
A jet black mixture of mid-size ribbons. Even though this is from bulk the moistness is how I like it, a little tacky to the touch.
Upon first light the initial flavour's smooth, mild, chocolate. But once the charring light had settled I noticed a subtle sharpness. 'Hmm' I thought, but this is the whisky; the whisky gains strength as a bowl burns. The tobacco gives a pleasant, but unexceptional, vanilla black Cavendish taste. Dark Chocolate's cool burning and bite-free.
Nicotine: not a lot. Room-note: pleasant.
Cornell & Diehl Dark Chocolate? It's an okay smoke, but not worth any higher than two stars:
Ok guys I’m not an experienced long term pipe smoker but I found this blend to be smooth and delicious. I am somewhat biased as I am a fine bourbon enthusiast in my old age but this is not the bourbon talking as I haven’t indulged in several weeks. I’m sure there are many more interesting blends out there but I do find this to be an extremely relaxing blend. As I purchased in bulk, I put away 2 mason jars (quarts) and still have plenty left to smoke.
Pipe Used: Viking calabash and Brandon Heath briar billiard
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