Cornell & Diehl Bulk: AUTUMN EVENING

The maple casing is simply fabulous.

Only tobacco that gets approval from my significant other and/or when I'm smoking around others. Mixed 50/50 with Haunted Bookshop (my on-the- porch 'for me' go-to) also gets approval from others. Great blend & mixer.

I honestly love this stuff! It smells GREAT, it tastes great (with NO bite!) and it's room note doesn't drive my wife off the porch in the evening! If I had a complaint it would be that it is VERY dry, almost to the point of being unpackable which makes it burn quick and hot (at least based on the couple of times I've ordered). I NOW fix this by mixing 8 oz. of Autumn Evening with 4 oz. of Sutliff's Creme Brulee (which I read is the same tobacco that Sutliff uses in their Private Stock Molto Dolce tins and is so wet I was tempted to put it in a colander and let it drain!) and Voila! the best after dinner smoke I have EVER enjoyed! (The mix packs well, burns nice and steadily and hits your sweet tooth with a sledgehammer of goodness!)

As far as aromatics go this is a pretty good quality one. C&D don't seem to over-case things, but the combination of sugary cavendish, hot virginias, and then more sugary maple on top of it all is kinda a mess. There are some great flavors in there, but unless you smoke at a snails pace it tends to burn too hot, char all the sugars, and just be a bitter mess by the end of the bowl. would be much nicer with a touch of burley or something IMO.

This one really surprised me. Whenever I try an aromatic blend as a change of pace, I usually regret it. Not with this one. It's a top seller for a reason. If you don't love maple don't buy it, but if you do, you're in for a treat, Maple works superbly well as an aromatic flavouring, more so than the typical vanilla, butterscotch, berries, tropical fruits you often get. I find the mid bowl is perfect. The Red Viginia gives it a lovely woody spicy background. I find the blend closer to a medium in strength than mild. It would go well with a Jameson, maybe even a not too peaty malt. Good stuff.