Jim's C&D Old Ones Reviews.

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JimInks

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Here's my reviews of C&D's Old Ones series:


C&D Awakened Elder:
The very smoky, woody, musty sweet Cyprian latakia is the lead component. The woody, earthy, floral and incense-like, lightly spicy and clove-like, mildly sweet cigar filler Indonesian Kasturi is a strong supporting player. The nutty, earthy, woody burley and the citrusy, grassy, lightly dark fruity, earthy Virginias are condiments in their effect. The burley is a little more obvious than the Virginias. The plumy, raisiny, spicy perique and the sugary black cavendish are in the background for the most part. The strength is medium, while the taste is a step past that level. The nic-hit is a little closer to medium than it is to mild. Won’t bite, but the spice content may tingle the tongue of a fast puffer. It does have a couple rough edges. A fairly well balanced blend with nuance, it burns cool and clean at a reasonable pace with a rather consistent, deep, rich, sweet and savory campfire flavor that sticks with you in the after taste for a bit. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Not an all day smoke, but it’s certainly repeatable during your smoking day. Three and a half stars.

C&D Dreams of Kadath:
The grassy, citrusy Virginia forms the base for the other components to shine, and I consider it to be a team player. The lightly smoky, woody sweet and floral Katerini also has a spice note as an important supporting player, though it doesn’t over take the other varietals. The nutty, woody, earthy, lightly sweet burley and the woody, nutty, dry and mildly spicy dark fired Kentucky are condiments. The overall spice level is fairly mild. The unsweetened black cavendish provides a little smoothing brown sugar. The raisiny, plummy, lightly spicy perique mostly plays a background role. The strength is just past medium and the taste level is a hair past that. The nic-hit is in the center of mild to medium. No chance of bite or harshness, and has no rough edges. Burns cool, clean, and a little slow as plug tobaccos will do. The nuanced flavors are very consistent from start to finish which is a hallmark of a well blended product. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires some relights. Has a pleasant after taste. Not quite an all day smoke, but it is certainly repeatable.

C&D Innsmouth:
The light and darker Virginias offer a bit of citrus, some dark fruit, grass and earth, and a drop or two of honey. They form the base of the blend. The rather smoky, woody sweet, lightly spicy and floral Katerini starts out just behind the Virginias, and take a small lead just before the half way mark. The raisiny, plumy, spicy perique is an important condiment. The brown sugary black cavendish adds a smoothness in the background. The strength is just past the center of mild to medium and almost reaches the medium level in the second half of the bowl. The taste level is consistently medium. The nic-hit is in the center of mild to medium. No chance of bite or harness, and barely has an occasional rough edge. Burns cool and clean at a moderate pace with a sweet and mildly savory, woody, rich flavor that translates to the lingering after taste. Burns to ash with little effort on the part of the smoker. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and needs an average number of relights. Can be an all day smoke for the veteran, and perhaps for the less experienced as well.

C&D Mad Fiddler Flake:
The woody, earthy, floral and incense-like, lightly spicy and clove-like, mildly sweet cigar filler Indonesian Kasturi is the lead component. The spice reminds me of cinnamon, though that spice isn’t involved here. The tangy dark fruity, earthy, red Virginia plays a support role. The brown sugary black cavendish provides a smoothing sweetness to tame much of the rough edges. The plummy, raisiny, mildly spicy perique is a background player. The strength is a tad short of the medium level, while the taste is a step past medium. The nic-hit is a hair past the center of mild to medium. Won’t bite or get harsh. The broken flake is a little moist, but I saw no need to dry it. Burns cool, clean and a little slow with a deeply rich, sweet and mildly savory and spicy, consistently well balanced flavor that translates to the lingering after taste. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and requires some relights. The richness of the taste isn’t so much as to prevent this from being an all day smoke.

C&D Miskatonic Mixture:
The mildly smoky, woody sweet, lightly spicy and floral Katerini is the lead component. The tangy dark fruity, earthy red Virginia is a supporting player. The raisin and plum from the granulated perique is a little more obvious than the mild spice. This varietal is an ever present in the background. The brown sugary black cavendish adds a light smoothness to the mix. The strength is just shy of the center of mild to medium, while the taste is a step past that. The nic-hit is mild. No chance of bite or harshness, and has no rough edges. The tobacco is a little moist in the tin, but I did not dry it. Burns cool and clean at a moderate pace with a very consistent, well balanced flavor. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and requires an average number relights. Has a pleasant, short lived after taste. An all day smoke that won’t wear out its welcome.
 
Brewdude":rcerar2u said:
Great reviews as always Jim. I can see trying virtually all of these!

8)


Cheers,

RR
Thanks. I should say this is one of the best series C&D has made, at least in my opinion.
 
For an ignoramus still early in his pipe-smoking career, how would you compare these to existing blends? My points of reference are Frog Morton, Nightcap, Early Morning Pipe, C&D Good Morning, and G.L. Pease's Ashbury.

Thanks!
 
Dorchester":mm78oi8p said:
For an ignoramus still early in his pipe-smoking career, how would you compare these to existing blends? My points of reference are Frog Morton, Nightcap, Early Morning Pipe, C&D Good Morning, and G.L. Pease's Ashbury.

Thanks!
These blends are fairly unique, and I can't really think of any equivalents to them. None of the ones you mention fit in any way. You'll just have to try them when you can.
 
Awakened Elder and Mad Fiddler arriving at my door next week. I forgot to tell 'em JimInks sent me, so hopefully this will suffice for your commission. ;)
 
Dorchester":rml5cmqt said:
Awakened Elder and Mad Fiddler arriving at my door next week. I forgot to tell 'em JimInks sent me, so hopefully this will suffice for your commission. ;)
I wish I got a commission! :D Seriously, I could never accept money for reviews, because that might create expectations from whomever asks me to review. I'm going to write what I think without influence from others. Anyway, I'll be interested to hear what you think of the blends. I thought this is one of the better C&D series.
 
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