Cornell & Diehl Awakened Elder

Hmmm... Not my favorite of the Old Ones. When the series released, this was the first to catch my eye, but I kept talking myself out of trying it. "Just one more tin of Mad Fiddler instead..." I wish I had stayed in the Mad Fiddler rut. There isn't anything necessarily bad about this blend (besides the room note, more of which anon), but there really isn't much to distinguish it from the glut of medium English blends on the market. Even the unusual Kasturi leaf contributes little; perhaps a bit more spice and body than your run-of-the-mill Lat blend, but it also adds an oddly vegetal/sulfurous undertone that clashes with the other components. Despite the Virginias and Cavendish, I can't find an iota of sweetness. Latakia leads the charge, shifting to more cigar-ish notes at the halfway point. Smokes a bit hot but dry, and the level of spice can be a touch numbing. Room note will likely provoke a call to the HazMat team (for toxic exposure). On that merit, it has a place for when I am in public and want others to keep a wide berth. Considering that is more the rule than the exception, I might reorder, or just save what I have to use as Human Repellent.