Cornell & Diehl Miskatonic Mixture

I was really looking forward to trying this tobacco since I haven't had many tobaccos previously that were oriental-forward without Latakia as the main component. Also, I'm a big fan of Lovecraft's stories and any tobacco themed after those and the somewhat mystical Miskatonic University holds a special appeal.

I tried it first in a cob and was... Underwhelmed. It was a pleasant enough smoke but rather plain. No aspect of the flavor really stood out to me in any noticable way. I thought this tobacco might just be a lost cause since everything usually tastes great in a cob.

I decided to give it another go however in a briar. I grabbed my Dr. Grabow Omega, which I normally reserve for burley blends, and gave Miskatonic Mixture another go. Man! What a difference! What initially was an unremarkable tobacco took on greater complexity and flavor than it had on my first try. Maybe I was getting some flavor from the burley built cake or maybe it just needs something in briar to bring out the best in it, but it really stepped up. Don't get me wrong, it was still a mild flavor, but it was a mild flavor with more subtlety and depth. I don't have a discerning enough pallet to name off all the individual flavors, but I still know an improvement when I taste one.

I recommend this tobacco for anyone looking for a pleasant smoke with low nicotine to enjoy while active or relaxing and I heartily recommend using a briar pipe.

To really get the most of this blend I found using a large bowl makes all the difference. The flavours fluctuate but really come to the fore in the second third in my experience. There's the sweetness of the cavendish and the spicy dark fruit of the perique and Virginia's doing their thing and the peppery herbal earthiness as the baseline flavour that brings you back from the others. Mild and subtle I really think this is a grower in terms of flavour profile. As a ready rubbed this comes fairly dry from the tin and after a month in the jar is perfect for loading straight up though some pieces of the cavendish might need rubbing out for uniformity. The cavendish doesn't come across like in some other blends i.e. artificially sweet and coating the inside of the mouth. In Miskatonic it really does bring the blend together

Full tobacco flavor. A nice blend that has the Turkish come through. The tin note is not as attractive as the smoke, but the mouth feel and taste is there for sure. Nice middle of the road smoke for me.

Along the road to understanding Orientals comes Miskatonic Mixture.

The mildly smoky, herbal, mildly spicy and floral Katerini is the main actor as we might expect. The tangy red Virginia is a supporting player. The raisin and plum Perique makes itself known. The brown sugary black cavendish adds a light smoothness to the mix.

There is a mild soapy smell that creeps along at times but only a hint. As if lightly perfumed. I imagine a blender got this far and thought let’s try and stop here and forget about Latakia and see where we are.

This is a tasty but mild smoke. Dominated by the Katerini with complementary support from the Perique. I had this is a medium bowl Grabow. Burned slow and smooth. My tin was about 7 months old.

Not a VaPer classically but well a straight Oriental. Good stuff. 3 out of 4 stars.