Cornell & Diehl Mississippi Mud

The Cyprian Latakia is smoky, woodsy, earthy, musty, and a little sweet as it dominates the experience. The earthy perique is a mild addition, being more dried fruit-like (raisins, plums and figs) than peppery. The unsweetened black cavendish is brown sugar sweet as it rounds off potential rough edges as well as taming the strength of the Latakia to a fair extent. The strength and taste levels are medium. The nic-hit is barely at the center of mild to medium. No bite, no harshness, though it does have a few minute rough edges. Burns clean and cool at a moderate rate, though I notice a dull spot or two at times after the half way point. Seems more flavorful at the start than the finish to a minor degree, though the overall taste is fairly consistent. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Has a mildly lingering after taste and room note. More of a two and a half star blend due to the drawbacks I noted.

-JimInks

What an outstanding Latakia blend...scrumptious! I haven't as yet finished the bowl but this stuff is easily judged with just one puff...it's that good. Since smoking the Balkan Sobranie OM & enjoying it to the max, I've been on a quest to find a good Latakia blend that can compete with the great Balkans & English mixtures from days gone by...something that takes me back...& this one works. When one considers smoking a subsequent bowl, that's a sign of excellence. This & Old Dublin are the only Latakia tobaccos I use today. MM is a black/very dark, oily looking, ready rubbed blend. Tin note is similar to SPC's Plum Pudding...leathery, hickory smoked bacon, earthy, muddy, musty like an old horse blanket, smoky, sour & fermenty with a noticeable Latakia presence & the blend melds together well after one third of the bowl has burned off. MM is not nearly as wimpy as Penzance, Plum Puddings, etc. Mississippi Mud... what a befitting name!

The tin art is beautiful... incredibly nostalgic & takes me back to the reading of Mark Twain novels. If you're looking for an outstanding Latakia blend that is unique in flavor and reminiscent of the finer English/Balkan blends from yesteryear, look no further. I liked this better than Nightcap, Artisan's Blend, Wilderness, Tree Mixture, Britt's Balkan, White Knight, Balkan Sasieni, Penzance, Westminster & all the "Plum Puddings," ever produced etc., to name a few. This positively has a much better flavor, depth & more strength than most English/Balkan mixtures on the market today... IMO, of course. This produces tons of rich, creamy smoky flavor with "respectable" Vitamin N content & has an excellent burn rate. The aftertaste isn't all that intrusive but hangs on the palate for quite a while.

NOTE: No flavoring detected? Here's my take on that! All three of the ingredients in this blend have been treated via imparted flavoring or casing. Cavendish has always been produced with some sort of casing from the onset to give it a smoother, milder taste with less bite. Initially, with sugared water & or Rum. Nowadays with the use of various spirits or some tasty liqueur. It is not a type of tobacco but a VA or Burley that has been cased in some type of flavoring... named after the man, Cavendish, an Englishman if I'm not mistaken, who initiated the process. Also, the flavoring in Perique is imparted while the tobacco is under pressure in used rum casks. Does Latakia taste like it hasn't been treated with a smoky essence? If one had never smoked Latakia, he/she probably couldn't even identify it as tobacco... I know I couldn't. My compliments to the reviewers who understood this aspect & got it right.

For me, this definitely ranks among the top in this genre without question. I'm approaching mid-bowl now & this biteless mixture is morphing into a sweeter, softer, milder smoke that is very tasty and bathes the palate in total bliss. One can get caught up in the smoke. I received subtle nuances of The Balkan Sobranie, MM 965 & Aperitif in the smoke. It's an incredible blending accomplishment from Craig Tarler at Cornell & Diehl. I will highly recommend this blend without reservation.

I find no need in finishing the bowl before completing this review since it just keeps getting better. I sense that the "grand finally" will be awesome...& it was! The quality of this blend is truly admirable. I have finally found a Latakia blend that ranks number one in my rotation for this genre of blends & enthralls me almost as much as the Balkan Sobranie Original Mixture. I also contend that if one were to add the right proportions of SG FVF, a tad of Yenidje & a very minute amount of Coumarin or pure vanilla flavoring, he'd be even closer to the famed BSOM. I will be scooping up more Mississippi Mud & cellaring plenty for future, contemplative, celestial moments.

I doubt I'll ever sample another Latakia blend as it would only detract me from the alluring qualities of this masterpiece. Therefore, IMHO, Mississippi Mud merits four stars plus!!! Destined to become a classic. Join me at my campfire on the riverbank for a mud pie... down by the log where the catfish bite. We'll drink from the still by the pale moonlight & smoke a little mud from a corn cob pipe. Try it! You'll like it... sampled in a 2S Dunhill & a size 2 Stanwell.

What can I say? This is my #2 favorite tobacco. I tried this one on a whim when I friend came into the B&M with a tin of this.

As another reviewer said, it is a bit scary in the tin, both in smell and even look. All black, with some very dark brown bits from the Unflavored Black Cavendish.

Anyone that says Unflavored Black Cavendish doesn't have flavor is full of poop. It is rich and smooth, a bit cigarish. The combination of this with Latakia is just phenomenal. The two in these proportions just play off of each other so well. I don't notice the Perique per-say, but I'm sure it it doing wonderful things to this blend.

Overall, I absolutely love this blend. It is smooth, creamy and rich. I get hints of chocolate and coffee when I smoke it, and I love it in the morning with a nice strong cup of joe. 4 stars all day long.

Just what the name implies...MUD! Perique, Latakia, and unsweetened black cavendish. All these tobaccos scream earthy, muddy, sweet wood notes. The Latakia brings smokiness, and the perique brings that mossy earthiness. The kicker is the sweetness from the Cavendish which brings balance to the different tobacco's. All in all another great blend from C&D and something maby to strong for some but great on a warm spring/summer evening after a great BBQ!

I love Latakia and Perique so it has to be the Black Cavendish that puts me off this blend. I've had this tin for almost a year and I can't bring myself to finish it. Maybe one day I will...maybe.

I actually rather enjoyed Mississippi Mud with its stronger Latakia and Perique presence. I can see where this blend might be enjoyed as an occasional smoke or a blend to enjoy all day. Although a solid medium in strength and flavor, it does not wear out the palate. Just a great old English style blend with extras. What I call a blue collar smoke.

Taste is subjective. That said, Mississippi Mud is my favorite pre-blended tobacco ever. I do not have subtle sensibilities. I love super spicy food, Lagavulin Scotch and the Mud. This blend is not subtle, it is not complex. Mississippi Mud is a simple blast of spicy, robust flavor that stings the eyes and I can smoke bowl after bowl of it. Not for everyone, but if what I describe is to your liking, this is an incredible option. I run it through my meerschaum bowl Kirsten pipe, because no tobacco on earth can burn too hot in that thing. I chug the "Mud" like a freight train in utter delight. C&D is like the Dogfish Head Brewery of tobacco and they are my faves because of it. They try new things, they experiment and that is to their credit and very fun. I am actually inquiring that they blend me something with a nuclear powered punch of latakia and perique with just a dash of something thrown in to tie it together. I will let you know! I hope this review was helpful to you. Cheers!

Well, a favorite old smoke shop of mine traded hands, and what was left of the tobacco tins have gradually disappeared over the years. I don't know who's been buying them, but this tin was one of the few remaining. Dated 2004, it had some 8 years on it when I picked it up, and the contents inside were bone dry, crispy enough to resist packing.

So I came up with the idea to douse the tobacco in Rum, but having none on hand I thought Vodka might be a better bet. And then I decided to go with simple water. I had a few prior smokes, and enjoyed every one, so why bother trying to change the formula?

To me, this is a Burley blend, and I suppose I'll attribute that to the Cavendish, though I know C&D has their Virginia Cavendish. But someone mentioned the Earthy taste, and I'll concur. It's not as strong as I imagined, even with the Perique. A step behind Nightcap in my estimation, and perhaps from all of those years on the shelf.

This is really a novelty blend of sorts. Of Latakia, Perique, and Cavendish, few are actually used as a base, and though Cavendish can be quite bland and weak, you'd never know it smoking Mississippi Mud.

It's a wonderful piece of work, with a fitting tin art to match. It conveys a feeling aptly estimating the essence of this blend--a dark, thick muddy silt of an experience, a fertile ground for ideas to germinate while puffing away. I don't believe there is a blending house out there willing to take such risks as C&D (though McClelland does a fine job), and Mississippi Mud is a singular example of that ethos. Well done.

Opening a 4 year old tin of Mississippi Mud I was greeted with dark charcoal black ribbons with some dark brown sprinkled throughout. It smelled of leather, vinegar, Ortho tobacco spray, and stewed prunes. The moisture level was about right. An unlit sip was smoky and lightly sour and the charring light was smoky and peppery. Overall there was a smoky Latakia taste over a steady sweetness. The taste of dark stewed fruit was there that at times was tangy like a blackberry cobbler. Other times it was peppery and made a nice contrast with the sweet and smoky. The smoke is very creamy and full of volume which adds to the experience. It was oily like a cigar, and sometimes it tasted like a cigar. This blend has a good nicotine hit to me. It had a short finish and a room note that was described to me as “yucky” though I rather enjoyed the smell. Sometimes I hate Mississippi Mud; sometimes I crave the stuff, so it’s hard for me to pin down what I enjoy about this blend. I’d recommend this to Latakia and/or Perique lovers looking for something different.