Latakia / English Tobacco » Cornell & Diehl Epiphany Tobacco Reviews

Epiphany!

A bit ago, I ordered a big bag of Epiphany on a whim. I received my package from 4noggins in good time (as usual). Right now I am smoking my seventh bowl accompanied by an oversized mug of black coffee.

The aroma when I open the pouch is very plum-y, with hints here and there of smokey latakia, and a backing of leather. Your eyes are assaulted by beautifully uniform ribbons ranging from black to bright yellow, the tobacco was a bit moist for me, so I let it dry on a paper towel for about two hours, I loaded my pipe (my Peterson System 303) with ease and settled into the smoke.

The charring light brought strong plum flavour, I noticed almost immediately the perique as well, adding a layer of authenticity to the plum casing, making it seem real. The smoke carried a very sweet aroma, plum, and latakia evident.

I had a bit of trouble getting the bowl lit, it took two tries after the original charring light. My initial impression is the same as the charring light, the plum is present, it is very sweet (without being cloyingly sweet), this tobacco tricks you into thinking it's one dimensional, then, BOOM! About 1/8th into the bowl the burley, and VA make their appearance, very clean tasting, a hint of walnuts teases your senses. Although I mentioned it earlier, it is really amazing how the perique compliments the casing, taking it from plum to wine and then back to plum again, giving the smoke a perfectly balanced top note, while leaving the power of the tobacco to take main stage! Roughly mid bowl, things are a bit more muddled, the latakia is ever present, accentuating the burley and VA in a most pleasing way, the taste of leather dances thru the flavour, dancing a fiery tango with a pleasant coffee like bitterness.

Right now I am getting close to the end of the smoke. The powerful vitamin N is very present in this part of the smoke (although that could be assisted by the caffeine coursing through my veins). The smoke has taken on a creaminess that wasn't present in the bowl before, a light tamp had me notice the mottled grey ash, very pleasing to the eye. This blend is delicious, well balanced, didn't bite, and stayed lit with a single relight at dottle level. Recommended!

Epiphany

Opening this year old tin of Epiphany revealed loose, uniform ribbons in dominating shades of brown with some black thrown in for good measure.  The tin aroma was fruity, and I could definitely smell the latakia component.  The tobacco was a little dry, and clean to the touch.

Since my sample was aged for a year, the taste may be different when this blend is younger.  An unlit sip brought a faint hint of the fruitiness, and the charring light brought almost a plum taste with some of the latakia making its appearance.  Overall it seemed the nuttiness of the burley played in the background like the drone on a bagpipe with the latakia and fruity/plum flavors of the Virginia going in and out with each puff.  The perique occasionally adds a hint of spice, but only rarely.  Epiphany burned to a gray ash leaving a pleasant room note and a short finish.  I have never tried the original Revelation that this blend was supposed to be emulating, so I have no opinion on how close the two blends are.

I enjoyed smoking this blend.  I found it to be a milder English blend than what I am used to, but I really enjoyed the Virginia and burley components.  I would recommend this to anyone wanting a blend containing latakia when it is not dominating the smoke.  I will probably be buying more of this in the future.