C&D #417P Night Train

[RevSmoke]

Another old review I dug off the hard drive. Done in 2000.

Cornell & Diehl - Night Train
This blend is described as: Bright VA ribbon, bright VA flake, Cavendish cut brown VA burley and Perique. PRESSED ONLY.

Pressed only is correct, for it comes in a solid brick. In brick form, it looks almost predominantly black. I tried taking a knife to this brick, went and got my strongest and sharpest knife and after producing two strips, gave up. I then broke it in have a stuffed it in a container for keeping. I did break off a chunk to rub out - figuring that would be difficult too. I didn’t rub all of it out fully, but most of it into flakes. That which I rubbed out fully showed this blend not to be as dark as first appearance suggested in brick form. It has speckles of dark chocolate, I assume to be the Perique, and the rest is as the description states.

Trying to nose, this blend is very nice full tobacco. I set it aside to begin writing this, and interestingly, this blend has a pungent smell now that it isn’t directly under my nose with my face deep in the decanter. As it is sitting near me, there are some intriguing nuances coming through - it almost leaves a burning sensation in the nose. I can’t quite describe it - sweet, spicy, and yet pungent. The aroma is as seductive as it is illusive for me to distinguish.

OK, I packed a Stanwell 63 Antiqua full with some of that which I had somewhat rubbed out. It packed very easily. I packed it a little more fully and tightly than I normally do for a new blend. It took four matches to get going with a couple of tamps in between, but not a problem - probably because of how I packed it.. Once lit, I only had to relight once near the bottom to finish this bowl as it left a fine white-grey ash.

You remember that piquant tickle and almost burn to the nose, it was there again from the smoke that drifted up off the pipe and into my face, only stronger. It made me remove the pipe from my mouth and shake my head to get sensation out of my nose, but then, it inveigled me to let it get into my sinus passages again - I had to know what that scent was. I want to say it was the Perique, but I have done Perique straight and not had this experience. As much as it was frustrating, that scent wasn’t present in the mouth or when French inhaled - only in the tobacco and in the smoke rising from the bowl. If someone has experienced this and can identify the cause, I’d like to know.

Anyway, after lighting, I went to an archery league as a spectator. Others commented on the pleasant room aroma of this blend. I too was thoroughly enjoying it as it was a fairly full-bodied blend a Virginia dominant blend, as this is. While I don’t want to say this wasn’t a smooth blend - because it was - it also had some pungent qualities, but these were very alluring.

This is of course only a first impression, but this is a tobacco I will revisit again for further dissection. I will often take a first bowl of a new tobacco and try to sit back and just enjoy it, not trying to dissect it on the first bowl. This was such a blend that it demanded immediate attention to those details - “what in the world is causing that tingling/burning sensation in my nose.”

All said and done though, it was an enjoyable smoke. This had some of the wonderful qualities of a fine Virginia smoke but something more. It is the more that intrigues!