Cornell & Diehl Red Carpet Pipe Tobacco

Product Description
Specifications
Reviews

Cornell and Diehl's Red carpet is a broken flake of Red Virginia and Perique tobaccos. From the "Simply Elegant" line of pipe tobacco, this is a somewhat dark and rich blend. This blend was initially sold in tins that that listed three ingredients, Red Va., Perique, and Izmir (Oriental). The head blender at C&D has reported this was a mistake, he still has the original recipe that contains no Izmir, and there should have a never been Turkish tobaccos in Red Carpet. What you do have is a high quality flake made with a type of Virginia that is hard to come by lately.

Brand: Cornell & Diehl

Series: Simply Elegant

Blended By: Cornell & Diehl

Model: Red Carpet

Tobacco Type: Perique, Virginia

Cut: Flake

Blend Type: Virginia

Strength: 3 of 5

Taste: Full

Room Note: Tolerable

Flavoring: None

Amount: 2 oz.

Country: US

What is in it?

Inside the tin is loosely cut flakes rolled together instead of stacking. The tin is on it's way to breaking down all the flakes to a ribbon cut.

Virginia: Red Virginia is featured in this blend. This is bit a grassy and super sweet Va, but has a darker flavor that tastes mildly sweet and earthy.

Perique: The Perique here is not overdone. There is a tingle in the nose on retrohale, and a dried fruit taste that is partially Red Va and partially a light dose of Perique.

What does it smoke like?

Cornell and Diehl's Red Carpet is a flavorful Red Virginia blend. With some regular suppliers of Red Virginia not producing their usual blends, there are fewer options like this on the market than there used to be. This blend, like many Virginia blends, is very likely to become more sweet and mellow with age. However, this is a very flavorful blend while fresh. In fact, you may notice more flavor when the tobacco is new. The sweetness that Virginia is known for is darker and almost semi sweet here. The smoke is more earthy than grassy, with the Perique lending a fruity and spicy note. The Perique is not more heavily applied than the average VaPer. It does need a slow smoke to avoid any harshness, which is typical of Virginia tobaccos.

How to prepare it?

In the tin you will find a very broken flake. This tobacco is in between a broken flake and a loose ribbon. I think the flakes were loose to start with, and some tins that have been roughly handled may be entirely broken up upon opening. The loose flakes can be a good thing, especially if you are not a fan of a long preparation process. Easy to rub out in the hand, and even easier to just grab a piece of flake and stuff in a pipe. Many flakes that are densely pressed can clog a pipe quickly, but there is so much air in these flakes you need not worry about accidental over packing. Do not smoke this blend in the wind, as it will stay hot in the bowl and lose taste. The slower and cooler you smoke this, the more flavor you will find.

Brand:: Cornell & Diehl

Tobacco:: Perique

Tobacco:: Virginia

Cut:: Flake

Blend:: Virginia

Strength:: 3

Taste:: Full

Room Note:: Tolerable

Flavoring:: None

Country:: USA

Packaging:: Tin

2 Reviews

4
good blend

Posted by bob on 28th Apr 2021

I think this blend is "simply elegant" as the quality of the Virginia and perique is great. Soft rich plumes of smoke with no bite become more satisfying as you near the end of a bowl. For experienced pipe enthusiasts the blend may be a bit light in power but to me, that is what makes it a nice blend for a lot of folks. A smooth, creamy, slight sweetness from beginning to end. very relaxing experience as the flavor and a mellow richness work together. I like it!
4
Very Nice

Posted by Lightmybriar on 10th May 2018

I am on the hunt for something to fill my McClelland gap and thought I'd try this. While it is a wonderful example of red Virginia, it isn't quite the gap-mender I was looking for. I will enjoy the rest of the tin, though, and certainly would recommend this to anyone looking for a nice and rich red Virginia. Solid flavor and great smokability.