Cornell & Diehl Dreams of Kadath
(3.14)
Your journey to Kadath will not be an easy one. Before you descend the steps into the dreamlands, prepare yourself with this fragrant blend of dark fired Kentucky, Katerini, perique, Virginia, burley, and black cavendish.
Details
| Brand | Cornell & Diehl |
| Series | The Old Ones |
| Blended By | Jeremy Reeves |
| Manufactured By | Cornell & Diehl |
| Blend Type | Virginia Based |
| Contents | Black Cavendish, Burley, Kentucky, Oriental/Turkish, Perique, Virginia |
| Flavoring | Other / Misc |
| Cut | Plug |
| Packaging | 2 ounce tin |
| Country | United States |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Medium
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant to Tolerable
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium to Full
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
3.14 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 09, 2018 | Medium | Mild to Medium | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
[Edit: 3/12/2018]
This plug is your standard, boilerplate C&D tobacco. The tobaccos are rough around the edges. The Virginia is a notch below the grade they use to make Blairgowrie. And then there's the Burley. Always the Burley with this company. They must have more stake in this leaf than anything else, because they use it as filler in practically everything they make (well over 50% of their blends). As for the other ingredients, they may or may not be in there somewhere.
I believe they've used some amount of propylene glycol (a humectant). I don't blame them. It gives the leaf a supple, moist quality which C&D leaf otherwise lacks and also gives a sensation of "body" and "depth" on the tongue.
Second, is the topping. Yes, it has a topping. I'm almost certain it's the stuff from Barbary Coast. Don't worry, it fades quickly after opening the tin. The berries and the figs burn off with the topping. I'm convinced that with age, this topped combination will lose its rough edge and the topping will integrate into the nuances of the tobacco (which will eventually shine through after considerable, very considerable mellowing at the hands of father time).
Third, it's a plug. Everyone likes a plug.
Let me not be disparaging. The first quarter of the bowl the tobacco and the topping are like divorcées who refuse to speak to one another. The flavors meld and compromise as you continue smoking, and some of the richness of Virginia and the other tobaccos comes through in wisps as your bowl draws to an end.
I would buy several of these tins and promptly forget about them, to revisit in 5 or 10 years time.
It's a good blend for someone who likes C&D's style. Especially if you like their drier Burley blends. The best comparison I can draw is to say it's like a Briar Fox that's topped with a brandy (?). Two and a half stars, for its potential
This plug is your standard, boilerplate C&D tobacco. The tobaccos are rough around the edges. The Virginia is a notch below the grade they use to make Blairgowrie. And then there's the Burley. Always the Burley with this company. They must have more stake in this leaf than anything else, because they use it as filler in practically everything they make (well over 50% of their blends). As for the other ingredients, they may or may not be in there somewhere.
I believe they've used some amount of propylene glycol (a humectant). I don't blame them. It gives the leaf a supple, moist quality which C&D leaf otherwise lacks and also gives a sensation of "body" and "depth" on the tongue.
Second, is the topping. Yes, it has a topping. I'm almost certain it's the stuff from Barbary Coast. Don't worry, it fades quickly after opening the tin. The berries and the figs burn off with the topping. I'm convinced that with age, this topped combination will lose its rough edge and the topping will integrate into the nuances of the tobacco (which will eventually shine through after considerable, very considerable mellowing at the hands of father time).
Third, it's a plug. Everyone likes a plug.
Let me not be disparaging. The first quarter of the bowl the tobacco and the topping are like divorcées who refuse to speak to one another. The flavors meld and compromise as you continue smoking, and some of the richness of Virginia and the other tobaccos comes through in wisps as your bowl draws to an end.
I would buy several of these tins and promptly forget about them, to revisit in 5 or 10 years time.
It's a good blend for someone who likes C&D's style. Especially if you like their drier Burley blends. The best comparison I can draw is to say it's like a Briar Fox that's topped with a brandy (?). Two and a half stars, for its potential
Age When Smoked:
not nearly old enough
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 15, 2018 | Medium to Strong | None Detected | Full | Tolerable |
Cornell & Diehl - Dreams of Kadath (The Old Ones).
Looks can be deceiving! What I mean is although it has the appearance of a firm Krumble Kake and can, indeed, be prepared in the same manner by using a firm hand, this isn't a method to give a decent smoke. You see, it rubs out into big leaves of tobacco which won't stay lit for love nor money. So for optimum smoking bang it through a coffee grinder!
I'm unsure if my tin contained the same as the majority of the reviewers. You see, I detect zero added flavouring. What I DO detect is a fairly potent blend of tobaccos. The Kentucky can take the credit for boosting the formidability up a notch or two 😉 Out of them all I get the least from the Perique, virtually nothing. The black Cavendish brings a mellifluous character and softens some of the piquancy from the other ingredients. The Burley and Orientals work excellently with one another, creating a nutty, rustic, woodiness. The Virginia doesn't seem too sharp or citrus like and acts as the stage on which the others perform. It burns medium in temperature but does issue me with a bite.
Nicotine: medium to strong. Room-note: not very nice.
Dreams of Kadath? Due to the bite and Kentucky I feel comfortable with awarding it just two stars:
Somewhat recommended.
Looks can be deceiving! What I mean is although it has the appearance of a firm Krumble Kake and can, indeed, be prepared in the same manner by using a firm hand, this isn't a method to give a decent smoke. You see, it rubs out into big leaves of tobacco which won't stay lit for love nor money. So for optimum smoking bang it through a coffee grinder!
I'm unsure if my tin contained the same as the majority of the reviewers. You see, I detect zero added flavouring. What I DO detect is a fairly potent blend of tobaccos. The Kentucky can take the credit for boosting the formidability up a notch or two 😉 Out of them all I get the least from the Perique, virtually nothing. The black Cavendish brings a mellifluous character and softens some of the piquancy from the other ingredients. The Burley and Orientals work excellently with one another, creating a nutty, rustic, woodiness. The Virginia doesn't seem too sharp or citrus like and acts as the stage on which the others perform. It burns medium in temperature but does issue me with a bite.
Nicotine: medium to strong. Room-note: not very nice.
Dreams of Kadath? Due to the bite and Kentucky I feel comfortable with awarding it just two stars:
Somewhat recommended.
Pipe Used:
Peterson
PurchasedFrom:
Smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked:
12/02/17
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 09, 2019 | Medium | Medium | Medium | Tolerable |
This is a decidedly improved offering over what Old Grove was, but it is essentially Old Grove with the addition of some Kentucky (and it’s a plug, not ribboned). I suspect the topping is the same “pomegranate” that was used in Old Grove -- more sparingly perhaps -- but the tin note is nearly (if not virtually) identical to Old Grove: “a lively, zesty, sweet, tangy, almost indescribable fruitiness that is unlike any other tobacco I’ve encountered” (is what I wrote about Old Grove back in 2016). It’s a beautiful tin note, but I instinctively recoiled from it (PTSD from my previous experience with Old Grove), so I put it in a jar for a little over a year, and I’ve just now gotten back around to it. I believe this is what C&D had in mind when they initially put Old Grove together – they just missed the mark a bit – so, back to the drawing board, and Dreams of Kadath was the end result. The plug softens and becomes spongy after some time in solitary, and peels apart easily (reminds me of buckbean peat), though I did have to defrock a few stems of their leaf before removing them altogether. It is a complex blend that does indeed change, chameleon-like, from top to bottom, beginning to end. As a rule however, if I can’t retro-hale a tobacco, there is something wrong with it. It’s not the Burley or Kentucky (if I can retro-hale Irish Flake) . . . I suspect it’s the topping along with some PG which are the chemical culprits that are so caustic to my sinus membranes, hence, there is that. I will leave what remains of this (along with an additional tin) in the dark and quiet for another five or so years to see if anything miraculous occurs between now and then. But until that time, I can only muster a luke-warm, two-star recommend.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 12, 2018 | Medium | Very Mild | Mild to Medium | Tolerable to Strong |
Dreams of Kadath just didn’t do anything for me, the smoke tasted similar to having a lukewarm glass of unsweetened iced tea. It wasn’t really bad, it just wasn’t at all good, the spicy flavor others have noticed came across to me as an indistinct cigar store smell, I don’t know how else to phrase it. The overall taste was flat and uninspired.
Age When Smoked:
Fresh
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 14, 2024 | Medium | Medium to Strong | Medium to Full | Pleasant |
I do not understand the ratings and the reviews stating that the topping is mild or subtle. To me the berry topping is the main thing about this blend, and it is medium to strong. It is very much well done though, stays till the end, and isn't cloying. It is very sour, as forest berries tend to be. The tobaccos that lend themselves as a base to it are very good, no doubt, but because of the strength of the topping, I wasn't able to tell them apart precisely.
Many people also reported that the blend was strong, which I don't understand either. It may be one hair on the stronger side of medium. Let's say that to me Old Dark Fired is the entrance gate to the strong blends: this doesn't even compare to it.
I think reviews are useful mostly as far as one understand the taste profile of the reviewer, as likes and dislikes are very individuated. So my main point here is that the topping is very prominent and this blend to me is an aromatic. Many reviewers will consider the toppings in, say, Irish Flake and University Flake to be very mild, but to me they are already a distraction and prevent me from fully enjoying the leaves. The topping in DoK is much more front-stage and overwhelming than in these blends.
Many people also reported that the blend was strong, which I don't understand either. It may be one hair on the stronger side of medium. Let's say that to me Old Dark Fired is the entrance gate to the strong blends: this doesn't even compare to it.
I think reviews are useful mostly as far as one understand the taste profile of the reviewer, as likes and dislikes are very individuated. So my main point here is that the topping is very prominent and this blend to me is an aromatic. Many reviewers will consider the toppings in, say, Irish Flake and University Flake to be very mild, but to me they are already a distraction and prevent me from fully enjoying the leaves. The topping in DoK is much more front-stage and overwhelming than in these blends.
Pipe Used:
Dunhill
Age When Smoked:
New
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