Cornell & Diehl Yale Mixture

Cornell & Diehl - Yale Mixture.

This is from loosely pouched/bulk, not tinned.

The blend looks a bit eclectic: I see some leaves, long and short ribbons, a few twigs and some tiny specks. There appears to be more Virginia than the jet black Latakia. My moisture's acceptable, if anything, it's too dry.

If I'm honest, even though the quality of the blend is unquestionable, I don't like it. I class a Latakia/Virginia blend as being in the camp of Balkan's and English's, but this has nowhere near enough Latakia richness for me. The Latakia lacks the big smoky qualities, or robust woodiness, and sits very much in the background; miles behind the Virginia. Now, some people will see this as a positive, but not me. To be fair, it burns well, gives quite a cool smoke and doesn't bite; so it's not all bad!

The room-note causes a feeling of indifference, and the nicotine's mild to medium.

If you fancy a very light English or Balkan I recon you'll love this! Solely for the decent quality this gets two stars, but I won't be ordering more of it.

Somewhat recommended.

The tin note on this one is fairly flat in my estimation. Latakia is the most prominent tin note with just a hint of grassy virginias in the back ground. That seems to be the main flavor profile as well. I've tried to tease out more of the virginia but it seems to mainly be smokey Latakia with some flat grass flavor underneath. I was really hoping for more out of this blend, especially since the components were similar to Frog Morton. The leaf is good quality, it behaves well, smokes right down to a fine ash, yet it was a bit too one dimensional for my liking. Might work as a morning smoke or a working blend that doesn't require attention.

This blend falls into the somewhat recommended category. Nothing wrong with what it is but there are just dozens of Lat. blends I gravitate towards over this one. This has VA/lat. only. the VA's are more bread like in their sweetness much like a brown VA, with its toasted grain notes. I do get a hint of dark fruits from the Red VA, and every once in a while a grassy note from the smattering of brights that are there. The lat is Cyprian and has been added lightly and has what one would expect with notes of wood, smoke and sweetness. It does not overpower the VA's and remains in the background throughout. That said, when I reach for a VA/Lat only blend I expect the lat to be a little more forward and the VA's to pop a little more. the nic is closer to the mild side overall strength right at mild to med. The finish is med. long and will not linger throughout the day. Not bad just not a bell ringer for me. That said, I could recommend this to someone starting out or to anyone who prefers their lat on the lighter side. Still if a lighter lat blend is what I am in the mood for I find myself reaching for Dunhill's EMP (although that has oriental in it as well). Room note will not be a favorite of the wife and it does stay with you for quite a while.

The first time I tried it I wasn't impressed at all, revisiting it after a few months and much drier, it fared slightly better. There's a extremely mild sweet topping that comes and goes at the beginning but it's mostly a cigarette like Virginia with a light Latakia presence. It has it's campfire moments but for the most part it's a nondescript smoke. The after taste is not the best but not the worst I've had either. Beginners with Latakia mixtures might want it but there's better tobaccos out there.

Virginia lover

English Light would be a good name for this blend. That's exactly what it is. If you like a very mild English blend with the flavor of latakia but not in any way overpowering, this may be a favorite for you.

The tobacco is dry upon opening. Packs and burns very well and is reliably consistent. It's just too light for my personal taste. Honestly, it's surprising you can get a blend to behave this mildly when it's only ingredients are virginia and latakia. That speaks strongly to the proportions I suppose, and says these are really good quality virginia tobaccos. I only gave 2 stars because for me it's just too soft.

This one didn't really do much for me, although I think it's worth revisiting. To me this blend was rather plain and one dimensional, with that said it would probably make a good all day English. I am a once or twice a day smoker so I think I need something a bit more complex when it comes to my tobacco. This one is just okay, an middle of the road English with no real special characteristics.

Bought a sampler of eight C&D English blends. This is the first I tried and although it was not bad, have other favorites. First smoked it in a oversized Ser Jecapo Apple and it got boring. Had it in my favorite billard and it made it more tolerable however, still not up there on my list. Almost bitter to some extent and I was expecting more latakia. Something tasted not right. Alternating this with Plantation Evening...both similar but YM has more latakia and not as sweet. Like both but if I wanted more latakia, would go with something else.

What I like about Yale Mixture is that it is one of the few medium English blends that it doesn?t suffer from an Oriental overload. Just a straight smoke that is very enjoyable from time to time. Those of you looking for an all day tobacco or one that?s not intended for sitting and contemplating might appreciate this one.

Appearance and Tin Aroma: Beautiful broad-cut ribbons of browns, yellows and ocassional black. Smells earthy, musty. The ribbons are pliable and oily.

Packing and Lighting: Packs easily and moisture is perfect. 2-3 lights max.

Initial Flavor: Dry, cigar-like initial flavor. Not bad, but surprising.

Mid-bowl: Just as the description blurb states, full, but not sweet.

Bottom of Bowl: a decent increase in strength, no bitterness. Ash is dry and grey.

Overall: this is a high quality blend, but it is in a flavor spectrum that I don't like to venture in. It is a very dry blend, not in moisture level, but in flavor with cigar-like overtones. I won't be purchasing any more, but if someone offered it to me, I probably would not turn it down...