Cornell & Diehl King Cake is the Mardi Gras confection translated to a pipe bowl — a Cellar Series Aromatic VaPer in crumble cake form, with plum, walnut, rum and a touch of maple topping a Virginia, Oriental, Perique and black Cavendish base.
King Cake was released in July 2016 as part of C&D's Cellar Series — blends built from the start for 10–15 years of aging. Head blender Jeremy Reeves has detailed his approach for this one: he started with the Virginia, Oriental and Perique base, got the tobacco balance right, and then layered the toppings — plum, walnut, rum, and a touch of maple — on top to accentuate rather than mask the leaf. The result is a crumble cake that reads aromatic in the room but tobacco-forward on the palate. The name points to the colorful King Cake confection that marks the start of Mardi Gras season on Epiphany, January 6th.
Blend Information
- Series: Cellar Series (aging-focused releases)
- Blend Family: Aromatic · Tobacco-forward VaPer
- Components: Virginia · Black Cavendish · Oriental · Perique
- Flavoring: Plum · Walnut · Rum · touch of Maple
- Cut: Crumble Cake
- Body / Strength: Mild to Medium
- Room Note: Pleasant, light sweetness
- Country of Origin: United States (Morganton, NC)
- Format: 2 oz tin
- Peak Aging: 10–15 years
- Released: July 2016
Tasting Profile: The tin opens with the King Cake namesake — plum and bread notes, walnut and a soft rum underneath, with a maple sweetness threading through. On the burn, the aromatic topping settles back and the tobacco steps forward: Virginia carries natural sweetness and body, Perique adds plum-and-pepper spice (which pairs well with the plum topping — that's not an accident), black Cavendish keeps the smoke cool and slightly creamy, and Oriental threads in a dry edge. Lots of components in balance; neither the toppings nor the tobaccos dominate.
The sibling release to Speakeasy Navy Blend — both are 2016 Cellar Series blends built around New Orleans themes, both aging-focused. For aromatic smokers who want something less sweet, VaPer smokers curious about a lightly-topped version of their comfort zone, and anyone building a long-term aromatic cellar.
