Cornell & Diehl Awakened Elder

Huge fan of H.P. Lovecraft's mythological horror works. So, browsing new tobacco on the Cornell & Diehl website, I was thrilled to see a few blends with cryptic names familiar to all Lovecraft fans. I didn't even look at contents or descriptions, I just ordered what I could find. And this is the first one tried.

The tin art is simple and suggestive - matte black with algae green lettering, complete with tentacles and a brief reference to the reawakening of the Elders. Popping the lid, you're met with dominant smoky, leathery latakia, some sour notes of orientals, and a peaty sweetness of perique and VA. Cut is a mid-length shag and is of typical makeup. I've not had experience with Katsuri before, but I'm assuming it's the yellowish white pieces seen in the mixture.

Just a tad damp, I air dry for about 15 minutes to get it perfect packing ready. On lighting, I'm surprised at first to find the latakia does not take center stage, but shares the lead in a mid-range fashion. I get plenty of its fermented smokiness, but I equally get an interesting tartness from the Katsuri leaf...interesting because it's not as bright or high-end as most orientals I'm familiar with. The burley is discernible with some nuttiness backing up the tart, but I can't seem to place the VA or black cavendish. I can tell the cav is smoothing the smoke down, but it's tastefully done.

I'm happy to have tried this blend, but I want to see what age will do to it. There's nothing to it that really rocked my world, but it's a solid 3 stars for now. C&D always puts out quality tobacco and this one is no exception. I'm excited to see what the other Lovecraftian blends will bring to the table.

If you are an English fan like me, this is one to keep in stock. The Lat/Ori is not overpowering but is well balanced, still strong though. The Cavendish is an excellent back note with limited aromatic quality and the burley provides enough balance to keep the bowl going.

While not as powerful as say Squadron Leader right out, it is very pungent on the nose but pleasant. I find that the slight aromatic nature and the addition of the Katerini make it quite enjoyable. I would recommend a longer stemmed pipe (l like it in my warden) to allow the smoke to cool. It has a powerful taste that sticks with you, has you wanting a second bowl, and begs to be paired with a strong bourbon or Isle scotch. A wonderful smoke to relax and read with or to simply sit and clear your head.

I’m surprised there’s hardly any reviews for this. I must admit the Old Ones series feels a little gimmicky to me. Just a whole lot of kitchen sink blends. But this one. Really good stuff. It surprised me and it’s a fun tobacco. Lemme explain …

This blend is like a Mullet. Or a centaur. Business in front, party in back. (Even though they don’t say that about centaurs, they should.) Anyway.

I say that about this blend because upon first light, it’s an English. Full bodied, heavy Latakia. Cream from the Black Cavendish and spice from the Indonesian leaf. Red Virginia brown sugary-ness. But then towards the tail end of the finish you get a hint of classic C&D burley. Nutty, toasty, caramel-y goodness, but then after THAT on the retrohale…Oh man. On the retrohale this stuff tastes like a VaPer. Leathery, tannic, earthy Perique and the oriental makes a second appearance as well in the form of chili pepper kick. If you’ve ever wondered what “rough edges” taste like in a blend, this has it. Not to an intolerable degree but the roughness is there. Very fun blend. It’s practically like two blends in one with how much this blend changes on the palate throughout the smoke.

Like a Mullet or even a Centaur: Weird. But in the right setting, good.

An interesting blend that is unique in its own right, but may not appeal to everybody.

Upon opening the tin, you’re greeted with a musty, earthy, tangy, slightly smoky, and spicy aroma. There’s a lot going on with the aroma. It smells like an English with something a bit more, which is essentially what this blend is.

While lighting it, you get a strong spice, earth, smokiness, and a slightly nutty flavor. There’s sweetness every once in awhile, and the perique flavor shows up in the finish. Getting it lit was a bit of a challenge, despite it being relatively dry. At different points in the bowl, it tastes like multiple different blends. Sometimes it’ll taste like an English/Balkan, sometimes it’ll taste like a spicy burley blend akin to Haunted Bookshop, sometimes it’ll taste like a cigar, sometimes it tastes like all of those things combined. It’s definitely an interesting blend, though I’m not sure if it’s something that keeps my attention due to the ADD-like behavior it exhibits. I can’t explore the flavors thoroughly because they change so often. For some people, blends that vary a lot throughout the bowl are appealing. I’m more of a consistency type of smoker. I like a blend that has a consistent flavor throughout the bowl that also has a lot of nuance and gives me time to explore those nuances. Throughout the bowl there is some roughness, but nothing too bad. Nicotine wise, it’s on the medium to strong side. I think the Kasturi adds to that factor.

Overall, this isn’t a bad blend by any means. It contains very good, quality, flavorful tobaccos. However, it’s just not my type of blend. Still, if somebody gave me this to smoke, I wouldn’t complain. I’ll give it 2.5 stars rounded up to 3 due to the fact that it may very well appeal to some people and the fact that I’m a sucker for anything Lovecraftian.

Cornell & Diehl
Awakened Elder

Blend notes: “After centuries of undisturbed slumber, something has awakened them. In their return, a great plume of exotic smoke rises from the Deep, redolent with notes of Latakia, Katsuri, Virginias, Burley, Perique, and black Cavendish.”

Ingredients: Black Cavendish, Burley, Cigar Leaf, Latakia, Perique, Virginia.

The cigar leaf used in Awakened Elder appears to be Kasturi. This is grown in Indonesia and used primarily to produce Kretek (clove) cigarettes. The Kasturi (as a cigar filler) has an almost spice-like smell, which suggests why it is used in clove cigarette blends.

There is a goodly amount of Latakia as well giving up sweet char and that sense of BBQ. The Black Cavendish softens the edges. The Virginia is structural as is the rest of the Burley. The Perique is present as a condiment.

The Katsuri does in fact bring incense and mild spiciness and works well with the Cyprian Latakia. There is an easy production of smoke and a woody, earthy, forest-like smell and taste. The Virginia is the grassy (not citrusy) type and, like the very mild plummy Perique, provides the backdrop along with the base Burley.

The nic-hit is near the middle. The blend burns cool. The overall taste is very consistent. The taste lingers.

There are a number of cigar leaf blends which might be good transition vectors for a serious cigar smoker who wants to bridge to pipe tobacco. In my view, the strongest contender is King’s Stride which integrates all of the components very well. I would put Awakened Elder a half-step below. Then a full step below this AE, I’d rate Cloud Hopper, and near the bottom of this group, Seersucker.

Awakened Elder is a 3.5 star out of 4 blend rounded down.

Ok . quick review.

**TIN NOTE** strong Latakia .. straight up. If you're on this webpage you know what that is ..

**WHAT YOU TASTE IN ORDER** Latakia campfire/peat smoke forward. Kasturi is right behind. Burleys with their nuttiness Grassy Virginias and Perique are just condiments in this blend.

**ROOM NOTE** You won't be making friends .. and the Kasturi will give some cigar after smells which other people won't be crazy about.

**MECHANICS** Requires no dry time (at least for me) Slow steady burn. Good smoke production on the fact of Kasturi and Cavendish present in the blend. Doesn't turn on you. Is consistent throughout the bowl.

**THREE STARS**