Tobaccos Cornell & Diehl - Mad Fiddler Flake (The Old Ones)

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3046)	2018-04-19		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

The woody, earthy, floral and incense-like, lightly spicy and clove-like, mildly grassy, vegetative, citrus sweet cigar filler Indonesian Kasturi is the lead component. The spice reminds me of cinnamon, though that spice isn’t involved here. The tangy dark fruity, earthy, woody, lightly bready red Virginia plays a support role. The brown sugary black cavendish provides a smoothing sweetness to tame much of the rough edges. The plummy, raisiny, mildly spicy perique is a background player. The strength is a tad short of the medium level, while the taste is a step past medium. The nic-hit is a hair past the center of mild to medium. Won’t bite or get harsh. The broken flake is a little moist, but I saw no need to dry it. Burns cool, clean and a little slow with a deeply rich, sweet and mildly savory and spicy, consistently well balanced flavor that translates to the lingering after taste. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and requires some relights. The richness of the taste isn’t so much as to prevent this from being an all day smoke.

-JimInks

39 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Perdurabo (26)	2017-11-24		Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

The eerie sounds of Erich Zann's Viola da Gamba call to my ears from the vast Abyss of time, in this room drifts the smoky notes of The Mad Fiddler's grand design. Bready Virginia's wrap themselves around notes of spicy plummy perique. The Katsuri offers a dry cinnamon spice, perhaps a bit of clove. The katsuri also gives the smoke some body, like the cigar leaf does in C&D's Purple Cow. The Black Cavendish adds just the right amount of brown sugar sweetness. The tin note is delicious, Apricots and Cinnamon. It's got a topping but it doesn't really come through in the smoke. May add a bit to the sweetness to this wonderful broken flake. Mad Fiddler Flake is a complex all day smoke, finding itself in my "Smoking Exclusively" category. This is another fine example of Cornell & Diehl tobaccos and how they offer something out there for everybody's taste.

Pipe Used: Cob and Meer

Age When Smoked: 10-10-2017

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

18 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	moniker (220)	2018-07-09		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Touting Kasturi for pipe tobacco seems a little like touting Cheese Whiz for steak sandwiches, meaning, neither of these options would be my own first thought. None the less, I decided to try some Mad Fiddler Flake, based on TR opinions and the notion that – somehow - Kasturi was really “cigar leaf”, and given my fairly recent penchant for cigar-type pipe tobacco blends. The tin of Mad Fiddler Flake I popped was dated 04-28-2018. First thing noticed: it’s not flake, at all; rather it’s moist, short ribbons ranging from medium red brown, to dark brown, to black. Initial tin note was brown bread with faint whiffs of prune, baking spices and vinegar, with a trace of tonquin coming up after a couple of hours. As usual, my first bowl went straight from the tin to a pipe, and because of the cut and the moisture I packed it loosely in a large bowl. I’ve since learned that MFF varies pipe to pipe, and according to how it’s smoked. It lights OK when fresh and moist, but it’s better when dried some, IMO, if only because it’s then easier to smoke down. Lit, it starts out gentle and smooth, a rich, sweet, deep, fragrant Cavendish leading with brown sugar, molasses, and floral overtones. I like to take it slow, savoring the rich, sweet clouds of smoke, and at 1/4 the Perique and the Kasturi/cigar-ish filler leaf come up, with prunes and increasing spiciness that includes very faint clove and slightly musty, earthy, cigar spices. At this point the Cavendish fades but still adds body and ensures there’s plenty of smoke. Just as the spices start to assert themselves apart, the VAs kick in. They seem to be sweet, earthy, air-cured browns and some deep and piquant, stoved red. As the VA sugars rise they are met by bitter tannins from the Kasturi that keep my attention, along with souring from the Perique. Now MFF “turns” again, re-balancing itself just as its component varietals increase in intensity, continuing a smooth if not seamless transition from mild to more than medium in both strength and tastes. The entire time all this is happening the scents remain a delightful mix of brown bread, exotic spices, cigar, and meadow flowers, and all of this is decidedly of the tobacco ilk, and very much so for the last ½ of a bowl. For better or for worse, the “myriad” effects I’ve described seem to diminish with rest time; but the overall profile, etc. hold true. Strength is just over medium. Tastes build from just over mild to just over medium. Although some of the side streams are quite pleasant, the Kasturi kicks the room note up a notch to “tolerable”. Be aware, as well, before approaching significant others, that MF not only ghosts a pipe but it stinks up one’s hair and clothing, too. It’s probably best smoked at the tobacconist’s or outside for this reason. For all that, I quite enjoy the aftertaste, which is a lingering fade out of the best of the end of the smoke.

Of course, the best way to be really good and wrong is to assert oneself with great confidence. Still, on the strength of my experience, I am betting that Mad Fiddler Flake is a prime candidate for cellaring. I happen to like it a lot when it’s young; but I expect it will yet mature into something even better. 4 stars, as is.

Update, 12-07-2018: I just smoked some jar-aged MFF in a WWII era Comoy’s that I use for “cigar blends”. Oddly enough, it was not cigar that I got but a well-melded blend of savory, semi-exotic spices underpinned by something along the lines of Semois, with a perfect balance of red and brown VAs for body. Just glorious! I should have 5 tins of this iteration in reserve, for the inevitable time when this blend is altered or discontinued! Another case of hindsight as bitch! Here’s another one for my Favorites list, anyway!

Pipe Used: various briars

Age When Smoked: Fresh from young tin and from jars.

Purchased From: Liberty Tobacco

15 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	The Cigar Room Crew (1)	2017-10-21		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Upon opening the tin, the smoker is greeted with the heavenly aroma of dried prunes with a hint of something spicy like cinnamon. The rich, moist, mottled broken-flake promises a heady smoke. The perique in this blend is at the perfect level, present but not overpowering, and the mature Virginia gives this blend a solid foundation, allowing the more delicate spice-like Indonesian Kasturi cigar leaf a stage upon which to shine. This masterwork is not to be missed.

Pipe Used: Savinelli 606

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: The Cigar Room Shoals

14 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Grovesy (32)	2018-07-14		Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Tin note is like nothing I have run across before. Notes of a craft store during the Christmas season with hints of spices, wood, and fig. Tin note is not off putting in any way, just different, and aromatic in a most intoxicating way. Cut is rubbed out flake resembling many dutch style cavendishes like Amphora. The smoke is fantastic with the cigar leaf never being too overbearing, and the virginias always taking a slight lead. Nic hit is medium to me, and I find MFF to be an excellent smoke in the morning with a cup of coffee. Unlike most C&D blends, this needs some dry time but will reward the smoker with a very pleasant medium bodied smoke. Burns to fine ash with very little dottle and has a wife approved room note. An excellent blend that i have been enjoying all summer and will make a fantastic fall blend as well.

Age When Smoked: 4 Months

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: Nothing.

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WillBrown (137)	2018-05-18		Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

Another paid sample from the Chicago Pipe Show. I loved sipping this one. It's clear to me there are skilled hands at work here, this is a well constructed blend. The tobacco combinations are interesting. The only fault I can find with it, and this is merely personal taste, is the strength of this blend. It's strong, high in nicotine, and, therefore, not to my liking. I would recommend this blend to any who like stronger tobacco's, but not to those who do not. 2.50 stars.

keep on piping...

Pipe Used: Viprati bent egg

Purchased From: 2018 Chicago Pipe Show

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2080)	2018-04-27		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Cornell & Diehl - Mad Fiddler Flake (The Old Ones).

The title of this is missing something. It should be Mad Fiddler 'BROKEN' Flake, well broken at that! So, no rubbing's required, it can just be loaded straight away. Neither does it need any airing.

The smoke has a fairly pungent flavour. The more formidable leaf's the fragrant Kasturi. To begin with the smoke's a little more reminiscent of usual cigar leaf blends, but the fragrant note quickly gains weight, creating an inimitable character. The other tobaccos are much lighter. They give flavour, grass, spice, and sweetness, but are much further behind the cigar leaf. Mad Fiddler' burns well, giving bite free smoke.

Nicotine: medium. Room-note: pleasant.

Mad Fiddler Flake? I like it, but not enough for a full house! Three stars:

Recommended.

Pipe Used: Altinok Lee Van Cleef: Friday Pipe

Age When Smoked: Stamped 10/10/17

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	gunner525 (66)	2018-08-26		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Just cracked a tin of the Fiddler that's been in my cellar for a couple months. The Kasturi is definitely evident carrying the cigar like spicy, earthy, incense like flavors. The Virginias are definitely more of the tangy fruity variety. The Perique ... adds a bit of that spicy Periquey punch. Not sure where it comes from, but also getting a bit of cinnamon flavor. The tin I got was more of a broken flake as opposed to the fully intact bubblegum stick flakes like Orlik Golden Sliced. The blend gives me a warming feeling, so I think this blend will really sing in the colder months.

Pipe Used: Scott Thile Strawberry bent apple

Age When Smoked: 5 months

Purchased From: SmokingPipes

Similar Blends: The Kasturi really makes it one of a kind that's worth trying once in your pipe life..

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Robby the Belgian (24)	2021-02-12		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

The tin note is different from any other tobacco I've tried so far. Imagine opening up a Fig Newton and sticking your nose into the filling. Figgy, plummy, reasiny goodness. Almost impossible to believe that this is not an aromatic tobacco. The Virginia, the molasses-like smell of the black Cavendish, the spice from the Perique and the unique spicy smell of the Kasturi blend into something that smells like it's meant to be eaten.

As soon as you light it, you can tell this is indeed not an aromatic. At first, the cigar leaf and the Perique add a bit of a rough edge to the flavor, but not an unpleasant one. Soon, all of the flavors blend together, although at all stages you can still recognize the four components: a deep sweetness from the Cavendish, a fruity, bready sweetness from the Virginia, a black pepper taste from the Perique, and the taste of a wonderfully mellow cigar, all combined.

Imagine a good VaPer, and add a mellow cigar and some black Cavendish to it. That might be the best way to describe the flavor.

After a while, the Virginia develops a bit of extra sweetness and the rough edge disappears.

The room note also combines the constituent parts in a smooth experience.

It is a bit too strong for me to be an all-day smoke, but it should serve well in the evening, after dinner, to round off your day.

The flakes pack nicely, and even though I gave it no drying time before folding and stuffing some flakes into my pipe, it burned nicely, leaving no noticeable moisture at the bottom of my bowl.

Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Peterson Dublin 05

Age When Smoked: 4 months

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BingCrosby (162)	2018-12-06		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Full	Strong

One thing cornell and diehl do amazingly well is creating a very broad range of different types of blends.. something for everyone. Mad fiddler flake is a very stout blend.. it reminded me of two things.. firstly, it smokes almost like a lighter version of a gawith and hoggarth rope tobacco.. but it also resembles kajun kake but with cigar leaf added and maybe a little less perique.. earthy, spicy, full almost leathery boldness.. these are all subjective but I think most would agree it's a flavorful smoke.. my first time trying this particular cigar leaf.. it sure is distinctive.. might be on the harsh side for some people.. but if you desire a big thick flavor I think this would be something to try.. I occasionally like this sort of thing.. not an all day or every day for me.. but I think I will certainly enjoy this periodically. The tin note kind of indicates a topping but hard to distinguish during the smoke.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Cole Thornton (1)	2018-08-17		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

Well, this is the tobacco I've been looking for. It is pleasant, it is full-bodied, it is spicy. Very spicy, if you normally smoke average strong mixtures. It is on the verge of being uncomfortable, but that is exactly what I wanted. "Innsmouth" is also good, but Mad Fiddler Flake is better. And it is not a real flake, it is ready rubbed. I like that.

Pipe Used: Stanwell Poker

Age When Smoked: 2 months

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BigSwede (93)	2021-01-05		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

On opening the tin I find about inch and a half long thick ribbons of medium brown tobacco. Everyone has his "experience" of the tin aroma. FWIW it's like the sweet smell of fresh bread dough and mild incense. Comes moist in the tin but smokes well without drying. Whatever you think about this tobacco it's not boring. Against a solid backround of cavendish (not too sweet) and virginia (not too sweet) is the perique just at the edges and the prominent cigar leaf which is spicy and not quite floral. A very interesting smoke. Burns fairly cool, no bite. My daily smoke is Havana Daydream, so I'm no stranger to cigar leaf based pipe tobacco, but this is in a different category. If I could only use one word it would be "spicy". Not quite a "4" yet but could see how that would be others ratings.

Pipe Used: Big Ben Giant

Age When Smoked: 1 year old tin

Purchased From: PipesandCigars

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	stripping_welsh (1)	2019-07-21		Very Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

So my first review.

I had this tin imported for me by friend who was visiting USA, as C&D blends are almost impossible to get in EU. I saved it for some special occassion, which showed, so I popped the tin with a new pipe.

First the tin aroma - to me? Heavenly. I have to oppose those that say prunes or apricots. What I smell (confirmed by wife, and I did not tell her my impression so it´s 100% her, and she can smell things I can only dream of) is sour cherry liquor pralines - sour cherries, that tangy smell of alcohol, dark chocolate, some spice, the cinnamon sounds about right, but also some more spicy tones.

To me this translated to the taste a bit, which is definitely fine by me. The smoke was nice, had to relight, but well I was impatient - out of the tin,this needed some drying time.

There´s base of virgina notes, with the peculiar taste of ... I´d say the Kasturi - something between cigar, incense, and smell of spice on tongue, assisted by the Perique in the background that adds the amount of pepper and dried fruit taste.

It got a bit rought during the end, but that I assume was the wet tobacco - as stated above, I should have given it more drying time.

Overall, I really like this blend, but be aware. I´m used to tobacco, but this one kicked my arse - sometimes, when not in good condition (hydrated and not empty stomach) I get this, and I was light headed etc. It was pretty strong.

Pipe Used: VJ Pipes Brother

Age When Smoked: 6 months

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NonAromatic (1)	2021-10-07		Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

Bought this from an online vendor as it was marketed as a non-aromatic and C and D did not list it in the aromatic categories. The tin note made me quite suspicious about the non-aromatic status.

Had it run on gcms and found that it is in fact an aromatic. First, this thing contains a big slug of propylene glycol, the artificial solvent used for flavorings. Aromatic or not, this stuff being used as a flavor carrier or as a humectant is a major disapointment to find in any tobacco and I am hopeful that I do not find it again. In this case it was a flavor solvent as the analysis detected a bunch of chemicals that have no business being in tobacco claiming to be a non aromatic such as ethyl butyrate and other fruity esters common in artificial flavorings.

The fact that this stuff is marketed as a non-aromatic, treating tobacco connoisseurs like kids looking to vape a bubblegum concoction is disappointing.

I'll be checking any blend I buy going forward as when I smoke tobacco and try to decipher and enjoy flavors I want to know that that is what I am doing and not naively interpreting the nuances of whatever toxic fruity stew in artificial solvent from some chemistry lab I'm lighting on fire.

In the trash this crap goes. No offense to those who enjoy aromatics, to each his own. But I would prefer to not smoke them and was under the impression that suppliers and dealers were honest brokers on that point. As an aromatic this stuff might be great but as a non Aromatic, as it was marketed to me, I cannot recommend it obviously.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Theologia14 (24)	2020-08-21		Strong	None Detected	Very Full	Very Strong

First off, this blend's room note will not make you any friends. It is one of the few that my wife cannot stand. With that out of the way, it is a good cigar leaf blend. The tin note is unlike anything I have smelled before. It is a touch reminiscent of deer tongue blends that I've had before, but it is still odd. It is a robust smokey blend from the beginning to the end and has quite a nic hit. Every now and again, there is a sweet, grassy flavor that weaves in and out. Mad Fiddler Flake is a perfect blend for those moments when you are craving a cigar, but don't want to drop the money on a stick. I've been enjoying it in these hot summer months when a regular Balkan or English blend seems too heavy. As always, your mileage may vary; if you are not a fan of potent blends with strong room notes, then stay clear. On the other hand, this might just be your new cigar blend if you are looking for a robust one.

Pipe Used: Stanwell Danish Sovereign Zulu, Peterson Billard

Age When Smoked: 8 months

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	William H. Hardy (95)	2020-07-22		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

Mad Fiddler Flake is an enjoyable, but unique, tobacco blend from Jeremy Reeves. I find it difficult to put it into any category. Oh, there are some categories I can definitely rule out, but it's really neither fish nor fowl. Once the tin is popped, you are greeted with a a healthy topping of something like an herbal booze, if that makes sense. Cannot put my finger on it in the slightest. The topping, however, is not overwhelming to me. The flake is quite moist and can be difficult to keep lit without some drying time. I have had my tin open for over a month and it's still quite damp.

Upon lighting the blend, I was a little surprised by the flavor. It was quite unlike any tobacco I have had before; Not bad, just different. My wife smelled it when I was smoking it and asked what smelled like cloves. I assumed that it was the Kasturi in the blend, as Kasturi is supposedly used in clove cigarette manufacture. At any rate, I do really enjoy this one. It's a solid 3.5 stars. Definitely worth a try.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HabaneroHardy (401)	2019-11-07		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Unnoticeable

I bought this at our pipe club the other day and have been smoking it some throughout this week. Upon opening the tin dated 042518 I was hit with a very strong pungent smell that some other reviewers have described as spicy. The broken flake was very moist. For not being an aromatic this sure was pretending to be one so far. This has cigar leaf in it and since I am not a tobacco leaf expert, I googled Kasturi and one of the first things that popped up was deer musk. My first thought was I have had Musk Cologne but never in a pipe tobacco. I searched a little further and find this link, https://www.wholeaf.com/wholesale-tobacco/tobacco-leaves/cigar-tobacco-filler-leaf/indonesian-kasturi-cigar-filler/. Kasturi is an Indonesian cigar filler leaf that is primarily used to produce local Kretek (clove) cigarettes as stated on this website. So, with that dilemma resolved I fired it up. The tin note does not transpire much into the smoke but I also read this could be a ghoster so I used pipes that I was comfortable with in taking the chance. This to me is an odd blend and though I am sure good quality leaf and blending expertise I cannot begin a love affair with this one. So, I am giving this a two star only because I just don’t dig it that much. Glad I got to try it I may add but that is as far as it goes.

Pipe Used: Ones I did not care if got ghosted.

Age When Smoked: 1.5 years

Similar Blends: One of a kind..

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Badmedicine (51)	2019-11-03		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Hmm... A most Eldritch blend. VaPer-ish, but not really. There is pepper, there is stewed fruit and bread, but there is something... Other. Sweet spices, leather, and a sweet woodiness wend in and out. Perhaps that's the Kasturi? Refuses to bite, but the spice can get a tad overwhelming if pushed too fast. The room note is something you will have to try to judge; my wife is not a fan, but many customers at my part-time job (A B&M that sadly doesn't carry this) adore it. Strength is another factor that can be polarizing; this is a stronger Tobacco (though not in the same category as 1792, there are notable similarities in the taste), and one just he sure to fill your belly and a glass of water at hand. I cannot determine if there is in fact a top-note; the tin note is intoxicating, rather like a fine holiday fruitcake. Because of this, there may be some added top note, although it may be the combination of the tobaccos. Regardless, this has become my new favorite of The Old Ones, and is becoming one of my favored blends; enough so to cellar en masse. Much like the manic notes of Erich Zann, it is at the same time alien, unsettling, and deeply fascinating. Update 11/02/21: I still have this constantly on hand, but I will make a disclaimer: it benefits immensely from at least 6 months of age. Fresh off the line, it has an unpleasantly sweaty/cheesy smell that carries into the smoke. Green Perique, I would wager. Just means I need to plan ahead and keep at least 3 tins in reserve at all times.

Pipe Used: Al Pascia RC, Nording Royal Flush

Age When Smoked: Fresh to one year

Purchased From: Hearth (local B&M), SmokingPipes

Similar Blends: Not much. It's kinda-sorta a VaPer, but not really..

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DragonBriars Josh (3)	2019-07-20		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

If you like complex blends that tend to make other people run, this one is for you. The tin note immediately made me think of SG 1782. There is a little.something extra there in the fruits and spices department. It smells and tastes so familiar one one hand, but then you can only come close.to describing which actual fruits you taste. Plum? Maybe. Prune? Closer but not quite so dried. Spices are close to cinnamon, but not really. Whiskey soaked raisins? Maybe. Bready for sure. None of these flavors can be 100% identifiable which is what makes it so enjoyable. There is a background tangy vinegar or yeasty feel like drinking a porter. Earthy and damp like walking in a mossy hardwood forest. Straight from the tin with no dry time it lights right up. Stays lit and has a nice slow and cool burn. Baby soft on the palate, but by no means mushy or goopy. Just very soft and round. The complexity is amazing as throughout the bowl it brings you on a roller coaster of flavors and sensations in your mouth. Whatever you do, I wouldn't dry it very much. It loses something if you do. Have your self a cold beverage on hand and enjoy the journey. Deep narrow bowls are best.

Pipe Used: No name meerchaum, Dragon Briars various designs

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: Sam Gawith 1792.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	LoutreMJ (14)	2021-03-28		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Ce tabac ne ressemble à aucun autre. L'odeur dans la boîte est très singulière, sentant fort la terre retournée, le fungus, les feuilles macérées, un peu d'épices comme de la pomme cannelle. S'allume facilement dans la pipe. L'odeur est très plaisante, envoûtante même si elle peut désarçonner au début. Chacune des pipes fumées avec ce tabac étaient légèrement différente de la dernière. Globalement, en bouche, j'ai un goût de terre légèrement différent de celle de la boîte, boisé, mais toujours avec cette impression de fungus. Globalement très très agréable, avec une "ombre" en fond. J'ai toujours du mal à trouver avec exactitude les goûts ressentis, c'est vraiment un tabac qui n'a pas de pareil. C'est le premier de la série The Old Ones que je fume, et c'est un tabac que je rachèterai par la suite, propice à l'introspection et à la méditation. Le fait que le tabac ait attendu un an doit jouer dans cette impression d'ensemble de sensations plutôt que des à-coups de saveurs. Note : c'est un des seuls tabacs que je fume sans filtre, et il est assez fort, qui va crescendo lors du fumage, et dont il faut un peu se méfier, à ne pas fumer trop vite. Chose qui me frappe : à chaque fumage, c'est toujours avec une certaine déception que je constate que la pipe est finie.

Edit : Je viens de terminer la boîte, et ce tabac m'a quand même surpris, j'ai fait un choc nicotinique alors que j'en ai fumé un grand bol en n'ayant pas mangé.

Pipe Used: King in Red (Eldritch Pipe)

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: Madness

Similar Blends: Nothing..

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Redfive67 (1)	23 hours ago		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I really can't add to what has been said by Jimlnks. I really love the spice notes of this blend. It was a little moist, but very manageable. It's in my rotation.

Pipe Used: Meerschaum

Age When Smoked: 2 years

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	wick (1)	2021-12-20		Mild to Medium	Very Strong	Medium	Strong

Disgusting crap, heavily cased, confusing blending, tongue bite and harsh aftertaste. It is so disappointed that every is just blind to the flavor. Please keep away from this blend.

Age When Smoked: three months

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sir John Moore (29)	2021-09-25		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

The note from the tin is a cinnamon, fruity, floral scent. More of ready rubbed than broken flake. I have jarred mine for six months and the flakes have broken apart under their own weight making prep pretty quick. Quite moist from the tin the time in the jar hasn't changed that yet it seems more like an oily texture to the touch rather than just moist tobacco. A small amount of drying time required however.

Packing is simple enough and the flavour of the Kasturi is forward from the charring light. I would say this is better described as an "Exotic VaPer" than a "Cigar Leaf Based" as the Perique and Kasturi compliment each other very well as there is a spicy maduro quality in the latter and the cinnamon note compliments the fruity richness of the Virginias and Perique perfectly. There's a herbal almost cedar tone throughout like a good oriental that prevents this blend being one dimensional in terms of overall profile adding the depth.

I don't think I have smoked anything quite this unique and I doubt that I will unless something pretty off the wall comes out in the next decade or so. This is a bold blend and is executed incredibly well. A full flavoured versatile smoke that goes well with a morning coffee or at the end of the day.

Pipe Used: Peterson 306, Corncob, Falcon

Age When Smoked: Fresh from tin when new and Six Months jarred.

Purchased From: SmokingPipes

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	McClintock (15)	2020-11-25		Medium	Medium	Full	Tolerable

This was an interesting one for me. I found myself experiencing several shifts in impression over time. This was a generally quite highly rated, so, I’m a bit of an outlier.

I found the tin note unsettling and unpleasant when freshly opened - a cloying combination of spicy, musty and spoiled fruit aromas. I kept coming back to the tin for another smell to see if my senses were off when I first cracked the tin . No, same experience for about a week - off putting and cloying. After a few more days, I was close to giving the tin away when I noticed it smelled considerably better...a milder blend of apple, cinnamon, clove, with a heavy musty cigar element. Complete improvement after letting it settle a few days past a week’s time. It’s definitely topped with something, but not a full aromatic blend by any means. This is a robust, medium/full smoke. It’s very spicy and a rather rough at times, especially if rushed. It’s definitely got the whole earthy/musty drug store cigar-type flavor profile as the dominant theme, over which the other tobaccos add embellishment. It’s not true cigar flavor, but cigar-like. The fruity topping (which I assume is a topping due to the reduced tin note with time to off gas after opening ) is noticeable but subtle in the actual smoke - mostly apple and cinnamon. The broken flakes are easy to prepare and it takes a light without need for significant dry time. The first half of the bowl was the most the most tolerable part of the experience for me, as the harshness/spice increased beyond my preferred zone as I progressed . It might be a good blend for someone who likes a somewhat rugged, rough, fuller flavored tobacco sans Latakia. I lean more towards a medium to full English if looking to scratch the itch for something heartier. I love dark birds eye and the other heavy hitting gawith and hoggarth shag cuts, so I’m no stranger to stronger, darker blends. This one is better suited for autumn or winter as it’s a bit oppressive (to me at least) in the heat of the summer. I’ll revisit it in a year and see if my tastes have grown. I give it 2.5 stars, rounding up from 2.0, as I think it is fairly unique and accomplished what it was probably intending . I’m just not a the intended audience, no fault of the blender.

Edit 12/26/20

Still not feeling this one, and I like a variety of full flavored cigars and pipe tobaccos. Unfortunately, the overall flavor experience me reminds me of a long lost flavor variant of those budget Al Capone cigarillos . I used to impulsively buy Capones too often (no comment ) from various party stores in my youth. Mad Fiddler just seems overbearing, rough, and cheap tasting to me, like a budget cigarillo topped with spiced apple brandy. I guess I just don’t like kasturi. Sadly, two stars for this one. I’ll stick to the gawith and Hogarth dark offerings as well as my preferred Latakia blends when I want something robust.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: Smoking pipes

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Deckard Cain (39)	2023-04-25		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Full	Tolerable to Strong

I'm not sure I agree with all the reviews of this tobacco. This is a good tobacco. It is interesting and different. But a lot of the reviews on here talk about the same old raisiny, plummy, woodsy, grassy etc etc, descriptive notes that we usually give to rich Virginia blends. Let me just say this is not like any of those rich Virginia blends. This tobacco is mellow and does not burn you, however should you accidentally inhale it you will know immediately that it has a very strong component lying underneath. It has a noticeable nick hit, more so than most. The body of it does remind you of a cigar, a little bit. My son thought it smelled a little bit like cigarettes. Not unpleasant though. 5 to 10 minutes into the bowl it starts to meld together into a very nice smooth and satisfying collection of flavors, which are either very simple or too complex to differentiate. But it works. This is a satisfying smoke with a tasty, almost savory flavor at its sweet spot. But there is some definite strength in there, that you notice when you retrohale or accidentally inhale the smoke coming off the bowl. I believe this is the cavendish. Not the traditional American Cavendish. But a more pure form from Europe. And I think you really get to taste the spectrum of the Cavendish, it's somewhat concentrated. There is a few unique flavors in there, probably from the secret ingredient. It has only the smallest amount of incensiness, that is also noticeable in the tin note. It produces a decent amount of moisture, this is especially noticeable in a falcon pipe. This is not a playful blend, but a more mature blend. The flavor is interesting and one I'm not familiar with. I can think of no other blend to compare this to. It seems a lot like an age-old custom blend that was produced for a mysterious man who knew what he liked. I like it a lot. I think as I smoke more of it I'm going to notice more nuance. I will update my review accordingly.

Pipe Used: Falcon

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: P&C

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