Cornell & Diehl Mississippi Mud

I've heard a lot about this blend, it seems to have a bit of a following. I can't for the life of me figure out why.

To my taste, the Black Cavendish just seems to clash with the Latakia.

Mississippi Mud brought about a first: My wife, who usually likes Latakia, asked me to dump the bowl at about the halfway mark the first time I smoked it around her.

This mixture is ​​quite unique to me, strange and familiar at the same time.

The opening of the tin is like one of those tricky riddles that make us smile when we realize the deception. Because when you uncover it and keep it at a short distance, the first thing that appears is the smell of ferment from the perique. If you asked me at that time about its composition, I would say that it is a va / per and yet, when introducing the nose in the tin, the smoky of the Latakia becomes very evident and predominant. At this point and to the same question I would answer that it is an English mixture.

After lighting the pipe and taking the first puffs, one discovers with surprise (in case he does not know its composition previously), that it is not one thing or the other, but that it is a different type of mixture. The absence of sweetness as it lacks virginias and orientals is striking, as is the slight salty aftertaste in the background. In general, Latakia smoky predominates, but depending on the puff you can notice more or less the fruity of the perique and often the two in conjunction. Provides a pleasant, relaxing and thoughtful smoke.

The humidity is correct to be able to load the tobacco and smoke it directly with very few re-ignitions and at the same time so that it can be kept well preserved until the tin is finished. However, a downside is that it often leaves more moisture in the pipe than average tobaccos, even when the tin is running out.

In my particular case, I like latakiado more with the addition of virginia and oriental, but this does not mean that I miss them when smoking Mississippi Mud because then it would stop being what it is: a different mixture. For this same reason I would recommend trying it and from there, you may discard it or it may stay with you. That already depends on the tastes of each one.

Happy Friday and TGIF! I have a nice cup of Turkish coffee and some time to relax.

This is a bit of an odd blend for me. The tin is enticing with an image of someone playing a banjo looking across what I assume is the Mississippi River. Now as a banjo player that gives me hope. When you open the tin you will find a really coarse ribbon cut with some stems. The tobacco is almost completely black. The tin note smells of earthy, smokey Latakia and musty fruity Perique. This comes at a good moisture and packs and lights easily. Burns cool.

When you light this blend it is Latakia forward. The Latakia is creamy, earthy, smokey and woody. I think there is a fair amount of Perique in this blend and I can taste the dark fruit, and mustiness its also quite spicy on the retrohale. There is some Brown Cavendish which adds some smoothness and sweetness to the blend and rounds out some of the rough edges. It can tend to be a one note blend, the Latakia has to be around 60% of the blend.

The taste is a medium-full. The nature of Latakia fills your mouth in general. The strength is a medium-strong. The Perique always add some strength and I feel like it could be around 15% if not more. I do feel the nicotine at the back of my throat if I haven't eaten. This blend does well when the sun is down, the air is cool, and I have a strong coffee. I think this is a good blend, but not to my taste. I give this two stars.

Once upon a time when I was in high school, I took the Pepsi Challenge – only once, as it turned out, since Coke won, even after three tries by its competition to thwart me. To use an expression popular with my generation in those days that understates the inner turmoil I experienced at the recent news of McClelland’s passing, like the death of an intimate friend, I was bummed out. Nevertheless, having failed to find any of the late great American tobacco blender’s products anywhere online (other than some aromatics in which I was not interested), I girded myself with all the magical thinking I could muster to try my local tobacconist. Nary a tin was left, all of the brand’s former haunts supplanted by expansions of Cornell & Diehl and G.L. Pease. I tried to bolster my trampled spirits with the view that they also are among my favorites, but still resorted to asking the shop’s owner if she had a secret supplier who could get his hands on any non-aromatic McC mixes. She did indeed, with the caveat that all of them were scoundrels price gouging at no less than $50 for a 50g tin. I confess to being tempted.

And so, I rummaged through the other two fine tobacco masters’ choices in search of something new to me and narrowed the list down to three, all of them from C&D: Founding Fathers, which I read in the tiny print is an aromatic, Speakeasy, one I’ve wanted to try, and the one I chose and am getting around to discussing. As I had so wanted a McClelland, my tobacconist mentioned that she had heard from several trusted sources that Mississippi Mud had similar qualities to Frog Morton Across the Pond. Well, that decided it! I took the MM Challenge.

I should now begin my critique with a note that had my first taste of the stuff been blind, I would have noticed the striking comparison to Across the Pond with a subtle, inexplicable disparity but nevertheless had to venture a guess that it must be the renowned Froggie recipe. That’s how close the two are despite the very different ingredients. While Across the Pond is, or rather was, a complex blend of Virginia, Syrian Latakia and Turkish, MM is nothing more than coarse cut Latakia, Perique and unsweetened black Cavendish. Somehow, Craig Tarter at C&D found the perfect varieties of the three to pull off an amazing, twin-close match, no doubt without meaning to do so. I still can’t put my finger on the divergence, and I really don’t care. MM is tasty.

Having already made clear the basic personality of MM and that I enjoy it very much, I’ll just add that I try to find pipe tobaccos that burn long and evenly. This one is remarkable in that respect, one ample chamber full proving to last a good number of re-lights over a two-day period. I give it five stars.

One tin gone, now review. Going to be quite technical, as all I see in earlier reviews is a lot of blahblah about sun setting, old school years, blues music... whatt? Anyway. Opened a two years tin, and found it a bit too moisty for that age, but C&D knows how to do it. Both Latakia and earthy at the nose, not enough perique to be smelled, nice fluffy cut on the fingers, black and "masculine" (as the label goes) at sight. Super easy to pack and light, will only need one relight in a small danish bowl. After lit, Latakia is over all, but mild and soft, even softer than the softest latakia/virginia blends. Before mid bowl the interplay with cavendish and burley makes its sense: they never really come forward, rather stay in the background for a mellow and round smoke, always creamy and consistent. No bite, good nicotine punch. Evolution comes in after mid bowl, that is when you feel perique, both in the nose and on the tongue. Slowly, latakia disappears and leaves just a hint that will still diminuish towards the end. I must admit that... I can't understand what is perique for in here.... oh well, a nice substitution for the missing virginia zest but.. is it really worth it? Can't go to four stars for this "pineapple on pizza" adjoint (yes I am italian and NO, you don't put pineapple on pizza!). Excellent blend anyway, loveable and manageable. Maybe I need some Louisiana blues to better grasp it...

Upon opening this tin I was like oh my god what in the world is this going to taste like. My first bowl I just could not keep lit and had to age this tobacco for a few weeks after opening.

This is one of those offerings that you wonder why it works but if you enjoy it you understand. The taste is just not for everyone and my wife said she cannot stand the room note nor the after smell it leaves on me. I told her that I'd give up smoking altogether if she would leave me with her own scent regularly (lol); but alas, that hasn't happened yet.

I simply have fallen in love with this tobacco it is really an enjoyable smoke. I try to smoke at least one bowl of this every week. It is super mild, no bite at all, but oh so flavorful. It produces a thick, rich smoke and the skeeters will leave you alone in the summertime for sure!

Many reviews of other blends use terms like "hint" of this or "note" of that. This powerful blend does not have many hints or notes. This Cornell & Diehl offering comes at you with the subtlety of an incoming howitzer shell, size XL. The can says "An unusual blend of Perique, Latakia & unsweetened black cavendish. A truly cool smoke with a flavor unlike any other." It is all true. An intense earthy flavor and smokey aroma that hits right between the eyes.

This extraordinary blend is aptly named. Mississippi Mud. When I was a young man I worked on tugboats out of southern Louisiana on the river delta, and the taste of this tobacco did bring back memories of that place. There is a certain earthy smell about the river area down there, not unpleasant, and I swear that as I finished the bowl I could smell it all again after all of these years.

I used a Missouri Meerschaum corncob, which only seemed appropriate and worked out very well. This tobacco is not for every smoker, and I would not want to make a steady diet of it. But, I highly recommend it if you enjoy a strong smoke now and again. It really is unlike any other that I have seen.

Craig Tarler is a genius. There is no other possible description of one who can think out of the box and come up with a blend such as Mississippi Mud. It is truly unique. The blend notes above do not lie. Not an aro'. Not an English...just unique. The only other blends I can remotely compare the Mud to are McClellands Syrian Full Balkan (based on smoking experience and tin appearance, not on components)and C&D's own bulk English blend, Byzantium. SFB is all cool, almost, menthol-like Latakia with little other flavor. Mississippi Mud is cool but not mentholy and does have notable flavor. Byzantium is Latakia, Turkish and Perique; it is somewhat spicy with just a hint of bitterness (I just smoked a bowl of it before typing this; smoked the Mud a couple hours ago). I suspect Craig replaced the Turkish in Byzantium with unflavored black cavendish (possibly prepared from Green River Valley burley) in this blend. No matter. The result by whatever route is wonderful. Toasty nutty flavor, mellow smokiness and just a touch of peppery spice.

Enjoyable at any time of day.

EDIT to add 12-08-2020:

I can say this one still remains a bell ringer for my Latakia fix. Wish to add it ages very very well. Smoking a tin with over 6 yrs on it..smokes a treat

Rev:11/21/04 Tin dated 08/11/04 I'm currently sitting here enjoying a bowl of Mississippi Mud now. I love this stuff, As others have said its a wonderful Latakia/Perique mixture. The coolness of this smoke reminds me of Frog Morton original. Zero bite here as well. The play between the Latakia/Perique is phenomenal in this blend as neither takes over for long. Just a happy coexistence. Smoke slowly and you can lose yourself in this blend. A great blend for fans of the above and has easily earned a spot in my rotation. Oh by the way as with most C&D tins, the tin art is great. Hmm..This weeks picks will be Rajahs Court by day & Mississippi mud by night 🙂