tobacco review

  • Carolina Red Flake (2026)

    Carolina Red Flake (2026)

    In August, I had the privilege of visiting Cornell & Diehl. As it happened, what they were working on at the time was this year’s release of their popular Small Batch: Carolina Red Flake. Kaz Walters, who gave me a tour of the facilities generously gave me a sample of this year’s CRF which I…

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  • Due to a comedy of errors, our initial shipment of Silent Spire, the newest edition to Cornell & Diehl’s Summit Series, did not arrive until yesterday. So, while a bit late to the game, I really wanted to get a review out on this tobacco. We have had a number of people calling Twins asking…

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  • Per Jensen’s Aftensmad

    Tomorrow, Aftensmad, Per Jensen’s first limited release in his Legacy series hits online and B&M stores on September 8th. When I visited Laudisi Enterprises in August, Kaz Walters was kind enough to give me a sample which I saved for this review. Aftensmad may mean “dinner,” but I had it for breakfast! There is a…

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  • Unboxing 4th Generation’s Heritage LE 2026

    Erik Stokkeye, the man behind 4th Generation Tobacconist, recently released this year’s annual small batch blend, The Heritage Collection Limited Edition 2026. This is not a repeat of the Heritage Collection Limited Edition 2025, but an entirely new blend. Is it worth picking up? In this video I do an unboxing for you and give…

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  • Dark Birds Eye is back! But is it the same?

    I was very excited to see Gawith Hoggarth’s Dark Birds Eye available again. But when I opened the bag, I immediately noticed that it was not the fine shag cut that I remembered. Looking at the bag again, on one side it was labeled Dark Birds Eye and had the same SKU as the shag…

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  • Jolly Old St Nicholas is this year’s holiday blend from Cornell & Diehl. It is an aromatic blend of Gold Virginia, Black Cavendish, and a smidgen of Perique with notes of “orange liquor, spice, and hints of ginger” according to the tin. Will this blend put you in the Christmas spirit? Watch in find out!

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  • Review of Cornell & Diehl’s Montford Point Marine

    A Burley Based Latakia blend? Montford Point Marine, named after Montford Point, the first Marine base to train African American Marines, is a blend of dark fired Burley, Latakia, and Perique. The blend intrigued me, so at the recommendation of Joe Fabian, my LDG rep, I brought some tins into our store. In this video,…

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  • Sun Bear has been a popular Small Batch offering from Cornell & Diehl since it launched in 2019. Each year the blend of tobaccos has been largely unchanged along with the use of silver tequila and elderflower. But each year the honey has been from a different source, and that change has had significant impact…

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  • Kurt Kendall, owner of Twins Smoke Shop, recently came across a cache of estate pipes, accessories, and tobaccos. Among them was an open but well-kept tin of Capstan Blue Navy Cut from around 1960. I open this up and share my thoughts with you on this 65–70-year-old tin, which was one of the blends favored…

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  • Kurt Kendall, owner of Twins Smoke Shop, recently came across a cache of estate pipes, accessories, and tobaccos. Among them was an open but well-kept tin of The Balkan Sobranie Smoking Mixture, which research showed to be from around 1960! I unpack this vintage in, show what is inside, and (of course) light some up!…

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