Aromatic Tobacco » Cornell & Diehl After Hours Flake Tobacco Reviews

C&D After Hours

This is one of my favorites. If you're one of those who doesn't really like flavored tobacco of any kind, it might not be your cup of tea. If you're like me (I wish I thought aromatics tasted good), read on.

After Hours is what I would call a "sloppy" flake. The tobacco is in flakes, yes, but they aren't the perfectly formed, lined up in the tin to be taken one at a time flakes like FVF or University Flake. They're just kind of crammed in there like McClelland's bulk 2015. The difference is that they are really soft, while 2015 feels more "coarse" to me. (Maybe it's strange, but I always notice whether a tobacco is "coarse" or "soft." It doesn't really have to do with moist or dry; just how the leaf feels in my hand.)

For my tastes, the moisture content of the flakes is just right for smoking. Some may find them a little moist, but they are certainly not overly dry: a rap I have heard against C&D tobaccos. The flakes are very shy and sensitive and fall apart if you look at them the wrong way. After you've had your hand in the tin 5 or 6 times, you pretty much have a broken flake, a la Beacon. I have never tried to fold & stuff these. I'm not sure you could. I rub out tobacco in the palm of my left hand with the first two fingers of my right hand. With After Hours, this process takes 5, maybe 7 seconds.

The tin note, which I think is marvelous, is of Virginia tobacco and rum. Not surprising, because as far as I can tell, that's all that is in the tin. There is no Burley here, and no Cavendish. After Hours behaves and smokes like a Virginia. The rum, whether it'a a casing or a topping I don't know. I suspect that it's a casing, because it has real staying power. It's still there at the end of the bowl, albeit a little less intensely. There is no cloying sweetness or artificial flavor here at all. You have the hay-like natural sweetness of the Virginia, which, to my mind, is just enhanced by the rum, not overpowered by it. They really go hand in hand and play off one another all the way down through the smoke.

And that's about it. It isn't the most complex of tobaccos.

This one probably isn't for everybody (well, what is?), but if you've ever wished for a good marriage of a natural tasting tobacco with a subtle but present complementary flavoring, and you've never tried this, you ought to pick up a tin.

A Good Virginia Blend

At the time of this review, the tin had been opened for over 1 year. I do not recall what the original tin aroma, flavor, and moisture level was when I opened it. This could explain the lack of rum in the aroma and flavor.

The tin aroma is a grassy/hay type smell with some tang and a light sweetness. I do not smell any rum. I grabbed a couple of the flakes and fully rubbed them out.

At the start of the smoke I picked up on a straight forward tobacco flavor with some sweetness to it, but I do not taste any rum. I picked up on a depth to the flavor that is different than most other Virginia flake tobaccos that I have smoked. I picked up on a light spicy feeling to the palate. It is difficult to explain. It is not a spicy flavor, but a spicy feeling. The flavor profile was the same from start to finish.

This is a good Virginia blend; it smoked cool and dry. I could tell that if it was pushed too much that it would bit, just like most Virginia blends tend to do. This is a one dimensional smoke, but it is a good dimension. I Recommend it.

Read my full review here:
PipesMagazine.com - Cornell & Diehl After Hours Pipe Tobacco Reviews