Cornell & Diehl - 531: Yale Mixture pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
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ChicagoPipe	03/08/2007	Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Tolerable
I must say that I have not been very fond of English Blends over the last 43 years of pipe smoking. Most I tried were too strong with latakia or orientals. Having fond several C&D blends that have become my favorite, I decided to try Yale Mixture after reading the positive reviews posted here. I have to admitt, I really am enjoying this mixture and it is becoming one of my favorites. For my tastes, it has the perfect amount of latakia, and the VA's smoke cool and sweet. I find myself smoking two-three pipes in a row, and ejoying it very much. This is an excellent blend for those who are wanting to try English Blends for the first time. It will be added to my C&D rotation, along with Bayou Night and Night Train. 3/8/07: Moving Yale Mixture to three starts. It is an excellent English Blend, but after smoking SG Squardron Leader, it is my number one English.
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emmbee	02/02/2007	Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant
A stout English; one might even call it portly. This is a C & D tinned bulk I took another chance on, and luckily, it rewarded handsomely. This reminds me of what Dunhills were like before they outsourced their production to EU countries, specifically Germany & Denmark. It has the nutty characteristics of the Dunhill London, the forward yet smooth taste of 965 and the requisite spice of Aperitif. Just enough Latakia for balance and my palate detected a wee shot of orientals or stoved Virginias. Wonderful stuff on these cold late winter nights as the days get a bit longer and the anticipation of spring waxes anxiously. Truly one of the more satisfying English blends I've sampled in a very long time, especially since most of what passes for European English these days is EU lite. Three and a half of five stars
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smokey	01/22/2007	Medium	None detected	Very Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
My long-time favorite in C&D English blends has been #416 Plantation Evening. I've smoked a lot of this wonderful tobacco and never tire of it. I never figured Craig Tarler could top it, but now I think he's got one that's really close to being it's equal. Yale Mixture has an inviting appearance in the pouch with it's bright and brown VAs, along with the black latakia flecks. It's aroma is a little bit sour and not as appealing as some other tobacs, but sniffing is not why we buy them, right? It packs easily and lights readily with a couple of matches. Once burning, the first impression is of the VAs, then you notice the latakia in the background. Y/M is one of those tobaccos that likes your full attention, if you want to decipher all the flavors within. Doing so results in a lovely complexity, as the tang of the VAs wafts in and out, with the piquant notes of the latakia drifting in. It's a very pleasant tobacco to exhale through the nose, as I do occasionally. Y/M requires less relights than many tobaccos and burns down to a fine gray ash. Dottle is minimal. I've also noticed that I can smoke this tobacco when my tongue is still a little sore from too many long sessions with VAs and VA/Pers. Scores for Yale Mixture: taste- 18 of 20; lighting and burn- 8 of 10; value- 9 of 10. 35 points equals a solid **** for Yale Mixture. Nice work, Craig!
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SopwithCamel	11/16/2006	Medium	None detected	Medium	Tolerable
This is a good, medium strength English blend. The Virginias are dry, and smooth, the Latakia moderately strong and smokey. I have learned there is no Turkish in this blend. This matters not a jot as I still think it is delicious. I love the aftertaste I get with this blend. It is indeed very discrete, but consistent. The room note has an almost cedar like quality at times. Despite its relatively gentle flavor, this does have a good bit of nicotine, making it a pleasant, relaxing smoke. As with all C&D blends, this is a quality product and an exceedingly good value. From an old Yale Mixture tobacco jar: "May your troubles end in smoke."
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Ranger	11/02/2006	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable
I've just finished a tin of the Yale mixture and I must say it exceeded any expectations I had for a tobacco at such a relatively inexpensive price. I found it pleasantly tasty, with balanced amounts of Latakia, Burly and Virginia. I like this much more than other latakia blends from C & D such as Old Joe Krantz. The blend burned perfectly, had an excellent moisture content and great taste in the mouth and nose. I definately will purchase more.
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Talonr1701	10/17/2006	Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
I just thought I liked this blend. Its a latakia lovers dream, with virginia body to back it up. I had read that it was close to Craven- And being a new pipe smoker, I got no idea what Craven was like- But it must have been the bomb....Cause this can take you to your own Arcadia...Its a contemplative, smoky, mysterious blend. In a conversation with Craig Tarler, he says the way to order it is to have them press it for you, as it further marries the flavors that I thought were seamless. Can't wait to finish what I have to get the next batch pressed... ********updated********* I did what I said I would and split a lb of pressed Yale with a friend. He opened his- I did not, opting instead to let mine age. Aftter having several bowls of his however- I can say that pressing definatly binds this blend. It deepens the flavor and creates a more unified front. This will probably make you love it more, but it does change the blend- For me? In a wonderful way. I am told that this blend is exported to the UK in pressed fom predominantly and they are on to something! In pressed form, rating increases to 4 stars. Its an experience.
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zionhead1	05/27/2006	Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
I completely agree with you Talon ol'boy!! You said everything I thought!! though, you didn't mention that in the mid bowl, there is this incredible nutty flavor and through the nose it swirls around so delicously words cannot begin to describe it. I also plan on ordering a brick pressed just to see how the craven (which was pressed) tasted. I can't imagine it being better - Hats off to the folks at Cornell and Deihl!! James Barrie would have been so proud. Lady nicotine is alive and well...
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Pipepundit	04/04/2006	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
A pleasant enough mixture with no obvious faults, but not memorable or exceptional in any way either.
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jackhackett	03/30/2006	Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong
Sweetly smokey, generally well-balanced, this blend's intended effect is obvious, but it lacks a proportion of components that would bring me back more often (more latakia), and there is a slight edge throughout the entire bowl. Peppy in nicotine content, though, and certainly constructed of decent leaf.
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RCUSElder	01/06/2006	Medium	None detected	Medium	Tolerable
Appearance and Tin Aroma: Beautiful broad-cut ribbons of browns, yellows and ocassional black. Smells earthy, musty. The ribbons are pliable and oily. Packing and Lighting: Packs easily and moisture is perfect. 2-3 lights max. Initial Flavor: Dry, cigar-like initial flavor. Not bad, but surprising. Mid-bowl: Just as the description blurb states, full, but not sweet. Bottom of Bowl: a decent increase in strength, no bitterness. Ash is dry and grey. Overall: this is a high quality blend, but it is in a flavor spectrum that I don't like to venture in. It is a very dry blend, not in moisture level, but in flavor with cigar-like overtones. I won't be purchasing any more, but if someone offered it to me, I probably would not turn it down...
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Lancelot Gobbo	09/28/2005	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
I never knew the Craven Mixture, and wanted to try this to get perhaps a hint of what the fuss was about. At first there was a very strange pungent odour from the bag of bulk tobacco, but after leaving it about two weeks it has dissipated and I am left with a truly pleasant tobacco. C&D tobaccos are known to ship dry, and I can imagine some wanting to spray this with a little distilled water. Even as it comes, it doesn't burn too hot and doesn't bite unless you suck too hungrily on your pipe. It lights very easily, and rekindles after a pauses with a couple of deeper pulls on the pipe. If you smoke it slowly the sweeter virginia becomes more apparent, contrasting with the smokey latakia very pleasantly. I can understand why some people rave about Yale Mixture: it could easily be an all-day smoke.
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sasha	09/01/2005	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant
I don't think this mixture is so "full bodied" as declared, having found it light and fresh and perfectly suitable for outdoor summer smoking. The balance and the smoothness I think are the main keys here, the latakia being a little in the background. There's a nice sweetness by the Virginias and on their layer I could aste a piquant note that made me think about Perique. The closest C&D blend I can think about is Rajah's Court, though Yale is a less classic-style English mixture.
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akaiser77	08/30/2005	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
I do not know how close this is to the original Craven, but whatever its pedigree, it's a masterpiece. Indeed, this is the finest English mixture I have ever filled my pipe with, and a member of that small and exclusive club which I fondly call "My Favorite Blends." Spicy, dark, rich, and smooth, Yale Mixture comes dry when you order it (which I, for one, like) and is so well cut that it packs without any effort. Once lit, it will burn and burn at just the right pace; this is the epitome of the "one-match smoke." It does have a faint cigar overtone, as Beer mentions, but only at given points in the smoke. The flavor of this tobacco is absolutely unique and unmistakable. Yale Mixture is not "complex" in the GL Pease sense of the term, but this is one of its many virtues. Smoking a pipe can't always be a neurotic pursuit of flavor nuances. This is a consistent and rewarding blend, and one that holds a special place in my heart.
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Beer	10/07/2004	Strong	None detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong
It's good, tasty and robust... but I find it too spicy, perique-laden and cigarish for my habit. Check Bayou Night instead...
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Daniel Morlan	08/07/2004	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium	Tolerable
If you want a change of pace between smokes, and you're looking for a nice, medium-bodied smoke with a little VA sweetness, and a little backup of latakia, this blend is for you. It's very, very nice. It's very pleasant to the very bottom of the bowl. Sweet, reminiscent of some very faint citrus notes with the smokey clove-like support of the latakia. I find it funny that the sales pitch for this tobacco is that it is not so sweet. By God it is PLENTY sweet tasting (not from casing, but from the virginias in there!) Unless my tastes are off with the five bowls of this I've had (which were consistent throughout!) It's pure-and-simple, a sweet smoke with that good ol' VA tang and sweetness. It can bite, so just puff carefully. Not nearly as dangerous as pure VA's, but it'll get you if you don't show 'er respect. A very fine tobacco. I'm surprised they don't have it tinned. High class, nice, mild, good flavor. 83 out of 100 (Very good!) DJM
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CaptnDan	08/01/2004	Medium	None detected	Medium	Tolerable
Yale Mixture packs easily, lights easily and has a nice light natural flavor. The burn is relatively slow, even and dry. There is some subtle complexity. The only thing that keeps me from liking this tobacco is that it bit like a rabid squirrel. I smoked it slowly, I tried it in different sized bowls, I even tried it in a Kirsten. The result was the same every time. I guess this one just doesn?t agree with me. I can't figure out what it could be.
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Aureliano	08/01/2004	Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
I smoke this in rotation with C&D #063 Bayou Night. It at best is an ok afternoon smoke as it comes, but it is not strong enough to keep in rotation (for me) without doctoring up. I usually add some perique to this blend to strengthen it up a bit. After that it is a really satisfying smoke for me. There is some complexity in the blend that rotates through as I puff; some raisin/nut like flavor and with perique blended in it adds a bit of pepper to the mix. I rarely have a bad smoke from any C&D blend, but for my liking this one just needs a little zap with some perique.
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chaplikc	03/18/2004	Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong
I am a big fan of latakia and english blends and very much enjoy this. The flavor of this is unique. Even though the description does not mention turkish, that was the first impression that I recieved on light up. After about the first eighth of the bowl the other ingredients realy come into play. The virginia seems to be that of a dark, round, full unsweet variety. The latakia is present but is not the main focus of this blend. As far as english blends go this is not on the sweet end of the spectrum. This has a slightly bitter note that weeves in and out of the other flavors. Oddly I found this aspect appealing in that it was bitter but not overpowering, just enough to keep it interesting. There are alot of little subtletys in this blend that can be missed if attention is not paid to it. This is also very good if you are pre occupied with other things other than distinguishing the minor variations of flavor in a blend. I enjoy smoking this in that it realy is a sharp contrast to sweet english blends (which I also enjoy). This is very good and highly recommend it.
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Ivanhoe	01/16/2004	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
Yale Mixture is my default smoke now. When I am not yearning for anything specific, this is what I smoke. As Tantric says above, the taste is subtle. If you don't pay attention you may not notice how nice it really is. One of its sterling characteristics is that it is very nice when you think about it, but it doesn't distract you when you are thinking about something else. I like to smoke this when I am reading or listening to music. It's delicious, consistent, and predictable, sort of like an old friend. Highly recommended.
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alandp	10/11/2003	Medium	None detected	Medium	Tolerable
I will state right up front that this tobacco is my own personal Arcadia. I have found it, and so far in the 10 years or so that I have smoked it, nothing has managed to unseat it. The Virginia and latakia are perfectly balanced for my palate. It is a very consistent smoke that tastes pretty much the same throughout the entire bowl, and the latakia isn't strong enough to drive away the neighbors. I put some of this stuff away several years ago (along with Pirate Kake, see my other review), and have recently finished off the aged stuff and had to buy some fresh. This one most definitely improves with age, so much so that the fresh stuff almost seems like a different blend. Buy some and smoke a little. If you like the fresh stuff, put some away for a few years, and I promise you will love it. I smoke Yale any time of the day, any kind of weather, any time of the year. However, I seldom smoke it outside. The room smell of those wreaths of smoke around me is so nice I don't want to dilute them by smoking it outside. In my opinion, this is Mr. Tarler's finest recipe.
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