Cornell & Diehl Belmont Station Pipe Tobacco

Cornell and Diehl's Belmont Station is an aromatic blend flavored with dark rum and vanilla.  Like most C&D aromatics, the flavor is lightly applied and the tobacco is easily detectable.  If you don't like strong aromatics, but don't mind subtle flavoring that adds to the tobacco, this could be right up your alley!

Opening the tin you will find a motley assortment of leaf.  Beautiful ribbons of Virginia look very fresh and light, while there is some broken flake or cake that seems to be the dark Burley.  The Black Cavendish is large pieces of leaf that are frequently rolled up, possibly a result of the Cavendish processing method.  Very little Dark Fired Kentucky is visible.

 

Virginia: A fine ribbon cut Virginia is one main component.  The flavor is light, and has cut grass and citrus notes.

Burley: The other main component is a dark and robust Burley.  It appears to be pressed and is a broken flake in the mixture.

Black Cavendish: The jet black and large pieces of leaf are Black Cavendish.  Easily standing out as the largest chunks in the mixture, they add periodic bursts of sweetness.

Dark Fired Kentucky: There is a small amount of Dark Fired Kentucky in the mixture.  I see very little in the tin, but taste it through the bowl.

 

Cornell and Diehl's Belmont Station is an aromatic pipe tobacco.  It is not, however, a blend with the tobacco sauced into oblivion.  C&D is quite good at producing aromatics that are topped with restraint.  The odor from the tobacco is mostly rum and a hint of vanilla.  In fact the first few minutes of the bowl taste more like a dark rum than anything else.  After the bowl settles in, however, the rum slowly fades and the young Virginia takes center stage.  By the bottom of the bowl the flavor is of dark Burley and Dark Fired Kentucky.  I think the Burley has some age on it, and is probably aged in cakes.  The blend ends as a surprisingly strong tobacco with no apparent flavoring.  Periodically the ember will hit a clump of Black Cavendish and the the smoker is rewarded with a burst of sweetness.  This is not a "tobacco for people who don't like tobacco" aromatic.  I consider the taste varied and likely to please both the aromatic smoker and the smoker who usually eschews aros.  Nicotine is present and may be on the higher end of what is acceptable for some pipers.

 

In the tin is an easy to load ribbon with some broken flake and clumps of Black Cav.  I recommend not breaking up the flakes and Cavendish, as this presentation is probably why the blend varies so much.  You will find more moisture than a C&D English, but the blend is smokable from the tin.  It seems to dry readily, and this is a good sign that the extra water is just water.  A light pack and frequent tamping will keep things going.  This aromatic is quite housebroken and will not leave a puddle in your pipe.  This is a delightful and satisfying smoke, which is highly recommended.