Cornell & Diehl Yale Mixture

I must say that I have not been very fond of English Blends over the last 43 years of pipe smoking. Most I tried were too strong with latakia or orientals. Having fond several C&D blends that have become my favorite, I decided to try Yale Mixture after reading the positive reviews posted here.

I have to admitt, I really am enjoying this mixture and it is becoming one of my favorites. For my tastes, it has the perfect amount of latakia, and the VA's smoke cool and sweet. I find myself smoking two-three pipes in a row, and ejoying it very much. This is an excellent blend for those who are wanting to try English Blends for the first time. It will be added to my C&D rotation, along with Bayou Night and Night Train.

3/8/07: Moving Yale Mixture to three starts. It is an excellent English Blend, but after smoking SG Squardron Leader, it is my number one English.

A stout English; one might even call it portly. This is a C & D tinned bulk I took another chance on, and luckily, it rewarded handsomely. This reminds me of what Dunhills were like before they outsourced their production to EU countries, specifically Germany & Denmark. It has the nutty characteristics of the Dunhill London, the forward yet smooth taste of 965 and the requisite spice of Aperitif. Just enough Latakia for balance and my palate detected a wee shot of orientals or stoved Virginias. Wonderful stuff on these cold late winter nights as the days get a bit longer and the anticipation of spring waxes anxiously. Truly one of the more satisfying English blends I've sampled in a very long time, especially since most of what passes for European English these days is EU lite.

Three and a half of five stars

I've just finished a tin of the Yale mixture and I must say it exceeded any expectations I had for a tobacco at such a relatively inexpensive price. I found it pleasantly tasty, with balanced amounts of Latakia, Burly and Virginia. I like this much more than other latakia blends from C & D such as Old Joe Krantz. The blend burned perfectly, had an excellent moisture content and great taste in the mouth and nose. I definately will purchase more.

A pleasant enough mixture with no obvious faults, but not memorable or exceptional in any way either.

I never knew the Craven Mixture, and wanted to try this to get perhaps a hint of what the fuss was about. At first there was a very strange pungent odour from the bag of bulk tobacco, but after leaving it about two weeks it has dissipated and I am left with a truly pleasant tobacco. C&D tobaccos are known to ship dry, and I can imagine some wanting to spray this with a little distilled water. Even as it comes, it doesn't burn too hot and doesn't bite unless you suck too hungrily on your pipe. It lights very easily, and rekindles after a pauses with a couple of deeper pulls on the pipe. If you smoke it slowly the sweeter virginia becomes more apparent, contrasting with the smokey latakia very pleasantly. I can understand why some people rave about Yale Mixture: it could easily be an all-day smoke.

I don't think this mixture is so "full bodied" as declared, having found it light and fresh and perfectly suitable for outdoor summer smoking. The balance and the smoothness I think are the main keys here, the latakia being a little in the background. There's a nice sweetness by the Virginias and on their layer I could aste a piquant note that made me think about Perique. The closest C&D blend I can think about is Rajah's Court, though Yale is a less classic-style English mixture.

This is a tricky Latakia/Va mixture. At first it seems a very well developed blend, but only ?technically? speaking. It has all the elements of a very traditional English mixture comprising red and tan Virginias with jet black and probably toasted Latakia (the manufacturer in fact states it is close to the original Craven mixture). But the flavour seems a bit harsh and raw, with non of the subtleties or undertones you may find in Dunhill?s, Gawith?s or Pease?s blends. I did not detect any Oriental or Turkish elements that would, IMO, enliven the blend. In fact this could very well be the extreme opposite of the Pease's Renaissance. A dry, cool smoke, pretty well balanced, but nothing more. However, as you smoke some more bowls, it kind of grows on you.

Almost monastically austere, with virtually no plum sweetness, it nevertheless provides a sobriety and elegance that lingers on through the smoke. There are no surprises in terms of varying flavours as you progress down the bowl. The Vas. are stronger and drier here than in other similar mixtures I?ve tried, and the Latakia, though potent and similar to the grades used in Standard Mixture, is not at all overwhelming. Such consistency of flavour and the coolness of the smoke make it an enjoyable, non distracting smoking experience. I have been reading and writing quite a bit whilst smoking this blend, and I find YM a most agreeable and discrete companion. The aroma is not particularly pungent and can be smoked indoors (window slightly open).

As a change of pace within the Latakia/Va. range this is an interesting and recommendable option. Medium strength and dry, it goes well with port, Holst and Huxley.

Yale mixture is the first "real" tobacco I've tried. Have reached the bottom of the tin and tried several others and it is still the best. A good picture has already been painted here, but I heartily concur. Very nice wood-smoky, pleasantly spicy tobacco. update 12/8/08 I have to lower this one to a three, after an accumulation of experience. There are too many other tobaccos I like better to leave it at a four.

Sweetly smokey, generally well-balanced, this blend's intended effect is obvious, but it lacks a proportion of components that would bring me back more often (more latakia), and there is a slight edge throughout the entire bowl. Peppy in nicotine content, though, and certainly constructed of decent leaf.