Tobaccos Cornell & Diehl - Dreams of Kadath (The Old Ones)

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3048)	2017-12-06		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

The grassy, citrusy, lightly dark fruity, earthy, woody Virginias form the base for the other components to shine, and I consider them to be team players. The smoky, woody, earthy, herbal, lightly sour and sweet, 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, herbal, floral, earthy 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 to help tame potential rough edges. The raisiny, plummy, figgy, lightly spicy perique mostly plays a background role. The very mild topping doesn't detract from the tobaccos. 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 few rough edges. Burns cool, clean, and a little slow as plug tobaccos will do. The complex, nuanced, deeply rich flavors are very consistent from start to finish which is a hallmark of a well blended, balanced product. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires some relights. Has a lightly lingering, pleasant after taste. Not an all day smoke, but it is certainly repeatable.

-JimInks

41 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Perdurabo (26)	2017-10-28		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

Whomever submitted this tobacco into the database claimed this blend to be a Krumble Kake. It's not. I tried to pull tobacco off the Kake and started getting whole leaves. It's a plug. I've changed the information above from Krumble Kake to Plug.

Update: Opened a 2 year old tin. Advice? Age it. It gets even better. The review below still holds true.

Dreams of Kadath is a plug of Virginias, with black cavendish, burley, Dark Fired Burley, Katerini, and perique. I swear there is a topping of some kind, but it's mild and adds to the overall sweetness. It's Almost like brandy... If this plug isn't toppped then the Katerini and perique are doing some wild things in the tin note department. DOK showcases the Katerini...Curry-like with a spice box feel, a little cinnamon bun at play with the virginias. At times I get a touch of burley and darkfired flirting around the edges, with a plummy perique, and sweetened with bready Virginias. The Katerini is the star player. The cavendish pops it's head out now and again offering a little brown sugar. This is a wounderful plug. It reminds me of GLP Temple Bar, but the dark fired and burley really take it away from clone territory.

I can say that this is in the "Smoke Exclusively" Deparment. It's complex at times and changes throughout the bowl. I've only smoked about three bowls. I will add on to the review if things change. 5Stars!!!!

Pipe Used: Clay, Cob and Meer

Age When Smoked: October 2017

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: GLP Temple Bar.

28 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	incendio (45)	2018-03-09		Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

[Edit: 3/12/2018]

This plug is your standard, boilerplate C&D tobacco. The tobaccos are rough around the edges. The Virginia is a notch below the grade they use to make Blairgowrie. And then there's the Burley. Always the Burley with this company. They must have more stake in this leaf than anything else, because they use it as filler in practically everything they make (well over 50% of their blends). As for the other ingredients, they may or may not be in there somewhere.

I believe they've used some amount of propylene glycol (a humectant). I don't blame them. It gives the leaf a supple, moist quality which C&D leaf otherwise lacks and also gives a sensation of "body" and "depth" on the tongue.

Second, is the topping. Yes, it has a topping. I'm almost certain it's the stuff from Barbary Coast. Don't worry, it fades quickly after opening the tin. The berries and the figs burn off with the topping. I'm convinced that with age, this topped combination will lose its rough edge and the topping will integrate into the nuances of the tobacco (which will eventually shine through after considerable, very considerable mellowing at the hands of father time).

Third, it's a plug. Everyone likes a plug.

Let me not be disparaging. The first quarter of the bowl the tobacco and the topping are like divorcées who refuse to speak to one another. The flavors meld and compromise as you continue smoking, and some of the richness of Virginia and the other tobaccos comes through in wisps as your bowl draws to an end.

I would buy several of these tins and promptly forget about them, to revisit in 5 or 10 years time.

It's a good blend for someone who likes C&D's style. Especially if you like their drier Burley blends. The best comparison I can draw is to say it's like a Briar Fox that's topped with a brandy (?). Two and a half stars, for its potential

Age When Smoked: not nearly old enough

17 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Badmedicine (51)	2018-02-06		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Ladies and gentlemen, my favorite blending house channeled my favorite author (my favorite of his stories, no less) and came up with my new favorite tobacco. This is something of a difficult blend to describe, since my palate is rather unrefined and I've yet to find anything like it. But I shall venture to try... The first thing you need to know is that there IS a slight topping. A whiff off the tin reminds me of the "Rum Punch" topping from C&D's Cross-eyed Cricket, but much more subdued. It doesn't come through in the smoke or the room note, and only serves to heighten the mystery, calling out to one who would dare plumb its secrets. The Virginias are less citrus/sweet/tangy and more toasty. As such, it melds well with the nutty/buttery burley and the earthy/smoky spice of the DFK. The perique is at a perfect level, enough to lend some dark fruit and a hint of it's trademark "needling" sensation on the retrohale without searing the sinuses. I'm not familiar enough with Katerini to suss out it's contribution, but it may be that odd (but delightful) musty note that weaves in and out, like the breath of ancient, forbidden tomes. The Cavendish serves more as a buffer, smoothing off the rough edges of the other players while only rarely lending it's own molasses sweetness. The tobacco is presented as a loosely pressed plug, and I recommend cutting it into thicker flakes, then rubbing it out. This blend shifts a lot as it's smoked, and thicker ribbons help to emphasize those shifts. Add a little shake on top for kindling and to start it off with a representation of everything in concert. Smokes cool, dry, and slow, and never offers to bite. The room note might be something you will have to try in order to assess the tastes of your audience. My wife was at first puzzled that it wasn't an outright aro or a Lat-Bomb (both of which smells she likes), so she sat down and whiffed for a while, finally deciding she liked it. I have ordered four more tins, planning to socket them away to dream strange dreams in the cellar. I feel that (much like the abhorrent Necronomicon), it will lose none of it's potency with the passage of years, and only gain in it's tempting allure. A worthy tribute to the epic wanderings of Randolph Carter, full of it's own twists, turns, and Elder mysteries. Addendum 10/18: if you like this when new, I can heartily recommend giving it at least six months to age. The plug firms up a bit, making it easier to slice. Time has also altered the interplay between the topping and the tobacco's; the topping has become deeper, more wine-like, while becoming more integrated into the blend as a whole. It persists longer throughout the bowl without ever overwhelming the component tobaccos. It's still a rather dry blend, well-suited to those who like burley-heavy blends without a lot of sweetness. A drink is recommended, especially a nice Pu-erh tea.

Pipe Used: Peterson Aran 999, Al Pascia Curvy billaird

Age When Smoked: 4 months/ 10 months

Purchased From: SmokingPipes

14 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Doctor Willet (13)	2018-01-27		Very Strong	Very Mild	Extra Full	Strong

Dreams of Kadath is a flavor powerhouse that packs a wallop of nicotine. It's a tightly-pressed plug (at least by C&D standards) which contains an amazing array of component tobaccos that all work well together. A beautifully variegated plug of average size for C&D plugs and cakes is inside the tin. The aroma of the fresh plug is strong and unique—like a Maduro cigar paired with prunes and currants.

Alongside the array of components, the very light added flavoring sets it apart from anything else. Though difficult to describe, this flavoring is somewhat similar to SPC's Plum Pudding, being ever so slightly fruity—not a fake-tasting fruitiness. There's just barely enough of it to taste and smell it. It's reminiscent of Plum Pudding without the Latakia, and with a strong presence of Katerini. The Perique is not super spicy, and instead is more like a dash of pepper, and adds to these "dark" flavors.

Several key attributes keep me coming back to this one. Firstly, the flavor is incredible and unique. Second, being a plug it can be prepared any way you like, and it holds a light very well regardless of how you choose to do so. Third, it's strong! Out of the 32 C&D blends I've had so far, this is one of the strongest. Finally, despite all of these strong flavors going on, there is very little chance of ghosting your pipe with a weird or foul taste.

I simply can't say anything bad about Dreams of Kadath. Excellent aromas both in the tin and burning in my pipe, nearly zero potential for tongue bite, and a combination of flavors that just clicks. The H.P. Lovecraft theme is oddly appropriate too. If Lovecraft's short stories had a companion blend for pipers, this would be it!

Pipe Used: Savinelli Linea Pui (5), M.M. Mizzou cob

Age When Smoked: 3 months

Purchased From: SmokingPipes

Similar Blends: G.L. Pease Temple Bar (well-aged).

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	riobrew (80)	2018-04-17		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Okay, here are my thoughts on this blend. This is a tobacco that you will remember for a long time after smoking it. It is the most unique blend to date that I have ever had. Dean Eric Rice review is very well written and should be looked up for reviewing. What I will add is when you do try this blend, sit back relax and enjoy. There is a lot going on from first light to end of bowl. I used a wooden match to start and because of the deep bowl used a lighter at the end. Really didn't need a lot of relights. To me it was fruity, plum, dates, alcohol, figs, spicy, woody, sweet, sour, Virginia, Cavendish, Katerini, you see where I'm going. There's a lot going on. The Katerini tobacco is the star of the show. Mild strength to start, medium at the finish. As Dean said not for everybody, but for some a must try. Sweet Dreams.

Pipe Used: MORETTI GPSS POTY 2017

Age When Smoked: 2 mos

Purchased From: Smokingpipes

Similar Blends: Class by itself.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2081)	2018-10-15		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

Cornell & Diehl - Dreams of Kadath (The Old Ones).

Looks can be deceiving! What I mean is although it has the appearance of a firm Krumble Kake and can, indeed, be prepared in the same manner by using a firm hand, this isn't a method to give a decent smoke. You see, it rubs out into big leaves of tobacco which won't stay lit for love nor money. So for optimum smoking bang it through a coffee grinder!

I'm unsure if my tin contained the same as the majority of the reviewers. You see, I detect zero added flavouring. What I DO detect is a fairly potent blend of tobaccos. The Kentucky can take the credit for boosting the formidability up a notch or two ;) Out of them all I get the least from the Perique, virtually nothing. The black Cavendish brings a mellifluous character and softens some of the piquancy from the other ingredients. The Burley and Orientals work excellently with one another, creating a nutty, rustic, woodiness. The Virginia doesn't seem too sharp or citrus like and acts as the stage on which the others perform. It burns medium in temperature but does issue me with a bite.

Nicotine: medium to strong. Room-note: not very nice.

Dreams of Kadath? Due to the bite and Kentucky I feel comfortable with awarding it just two stars:

Somewhat recommended.

Pipe Used: Peterson

Age When Smoked: 12/02/17

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrT999 (318)	2017-11-10		Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I can endorse Perdurabo's observations on the underlying tobaccos, as well as saying this this a softly-packed plug rather than a crumble cake. The mild topping strikes me as black raspberry or perhaps blackberry; noticeable especially in the first 2/3 of the bowl but not the primary flavor. A very pleasant autumn blend.

Pipe Used: briars, cobs, and meers

Age When Smoked: 1 month after release

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	doc pipes (110)	2021-10-28		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Stop me if you’ve heard this one.

A Kentucky gentleman, a Greek, a Cajun, a Virginia Squire, a Tennessee planter, and a guy with dark complexion who goes by ‘Dish(the others think he is Desi but nobody is sure or bothers to ask) walk into a bar. They get pressed together tightly in that bar for over 18 months and all sorts of drunken escapades ensue. This plug did come more tightly pressed than I would have expected and I was pleased. The tin aroma is all alcohol, like some kind of high proof fruit brandy. I would believe that the topping is pomegranate as others have suggested but I have no guesses myself. It lends an incredibly sour, fruity, and tart quality to the rich thick bodied smoke. The Kentucky gentleman is just that, he minds his own business at the end of the bar, drinking bourbon neat, and making the occasional wry comment. He lends a background smokiness that comes and goes, playing nicely off the sweeter/sour elements. The Squire, the Greek, and the planter all converse loudly for most of the session leading to some truly sweet harmonious moments. At other times, the planter gets bitter, the Greek gets fresh, or the Cajun drunkenly stumbles into the mix and gets spicy. It is quite entertaining and no true bar fights ever broke out, partially because ’Dish is successful at smoothing things out and keeping the peace.

In all seriousness, this is a beautiful mix of red, near black, brown, red brown, and yellow leaf. I cut thick 3-4mm flakes and rubbed these out revealing wide ribbon and some gigantic pieces of torn leaf. This is a remarkable blend in that virtually all areas of the tongue are engaged by the fruity, leathery, spicy, salty, sweet, sour, and bitter flavors that evolve over a bowl. It can be peppery and woodsy through the snork. The are sour plum and what I would liken to tart cherry notes at times. Others have said that this blend improves significantly with age. My fairly young tin had a generous coating of sugar crystals, and even larger mines of sparkle are revealed each time a new flake is sliced off. The topping seems a little heavy handed, but it works so damn well. This goes well with black coffee, or as I accidentally found out on one occasion after refilling the mug at the hospital, chocolate/mocha flavored coffee. No bite, smells great in the room. As one would imagine, not all kitchen sink blends succeed at letting all parties speak and fulfill distinct roles. This one does and it is complex, mouthwatering, mouth filling, and delicious.

Age When Smoked: 02/26/2020

Similar Blends: The ONLY blend I can think of that is so pleasantly tart and sour in such a way as this would be Robert McConnell’s Black and Gold.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Shaun_Pearson (21)	2019-07-29		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

As soon as you light a bowl of Dreams of Kadath, you will get a blueberry, cocoa, alcohol flavor that will draw you in mysteriously. After getting through the first third, you will find a lot of good character from the dark-fired kentucky and other pleasant tobaccos with the fading of the blueberry flavor. Overall, this is the best tobacco I have smoked for far.

Pipe Used: Multiple Briar Pipes

Age When Smoked: 1-2 Months

Purchased From: Twin's Smoke Shop (Londonderry, NH)

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	King Slender (9)	2018-06-12		Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Medium	Tolerable

As a fan of Cornell & Diehl in general, as well as trying new and different-style tobaccos -particularly in summer when Latakia-based blends can sometimes feel a bit "hot", I was really looking forward to this one. Unfortunately, it hit well wide of the mark for me in several ways.

As other reviewers have noted, Dreams of Kadath does have a fruit topping, but reminiscent of the way red wine can have a fruity essence. Initially, it is unusual and somewhat intriguing. By mid-bowl, however, this fruitiness turns decidedly soapy, much like a scented bar hand soap, and this will be the dominant flavor for the remainder of the smoke. It does burn cool and without bite, but can be a challenge to keep lit and is prone to gurgle. Care must also be taken not to be overzealous with the tamper, as it can easily become compressed. Add in that this is a plug, which requires some significant preparation time, and the experience simply isn't worth the effort.

It's a "heady" smoke (made more so with occasional required hard-puffing) and the tobaccos are no doubt of very high quality, but I did not find the topping to be as subtle as others have suggested and after a time the prominent scented-soap character was all I could discern. Sadly, it's not something I can recommend even to the more adventurous pipe smoker.

Pipe Used: Tsuge Mizuki

Age When Smoked: 2 Months

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	FreePancakesForAll (10)	2018-04-01		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Appearance: A whole lot of everything. It's a plug made up of lots of different small leaf tobacco. It's workability is about 95% plug and 5% krumble kake. Meaning that when slicing, chunks of leaves will just fall out of the plug and crumble. Not too bad. A couple of stems to discard and some unworkable sections, but overall a lovely presentation. The profile is gorgeous with a lovely distribution of leaf.

Tin Aroma: This was one of the harder ones to pinpoint for me. The first thing to hit me was a sweet, slightly sour liquor note. Like a fine cognac. The topping reminded me a LOT of GL Pease Sixpence. Which I also suspect is a cognac/brandy. So if you love that topping, you'll love this one. Beneath that it gets a little tricky. There's just a bit of everything coming at you. I could pick up the dark fired pretty easily but there were some interesting notes I just couldn't put a finger on. I'm guessing that's the katerini.

Taste: The cognac topping from the tin aroma barely transitions over to the taste. It's a VERY mild addition. The perique was noticeable for me right away, with dark fruits and pepper, as was the earthy, smokey dark fired. And while the virginia presence was obvious, I'd say the main highlights of this blend were the perique and dark fired. So I'd classify this as a BurPer with virginia for body and sweetness, cavendish for smoothness, and katerini for a floral, woodsy complement. There's also the faintest of cocoa in there. The retrohale was mostly peppery while the sidestream was dominated by the dark fired. If I had to smell the sidestream blindfolded I'd have sweared it was a cigar. Or semois. Very woodsy, earthy burley. But maybe that was the katerini. I don't know. I normally save these rambling thoughts until after I've smoked something at least four or five times.

Closing Thoughts: To date, this is the most impressive Cornell & Diehl blend I've ever smoked. It's complex, it's flavorful, it lights and smokes well, and most of all it's just plain interesting!

Pipe Used: Peterson 106 Dublin Edition

Age When Smoked: 2 months

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	nkulk8r (90)	2019-02-09		Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

This is a decidedly improved offering over what Old Grove was, but it is essentially Old Grove with the addition of some Kentucky (and it’s a plug, not ribboned). I suspect the topping is the same “pomegranate” that was used in Old Grove -- more sparingly perhaps -- but the tin note is nearly (if not virtually) identical to Old Grove: “a lively, zesty, sweet, tangy, almost indescribable fruitiness that is unlike any other tobacco I’ve encountered” (is what I wrote about Old Grove back in 2016). It’s a beautiful tin note, but I instinctively recoiled from it (PTSD from my previous experience with Old Grove), so I put it in a jar for a little over a year, and I’ve just now gotten back around to it. I believe this is what C&D had in mind when they initially put Old Grove together – they just missed the mark a bit – so, back to the drawing board, and Dreams of Kadath was the end result. The plug softens and becomes spongy after some time in solitary, and peels apart easily (reminds me of buckbean peat), though I did have to defrock a few stems of their leaf before removing them altogether. It is a complex blend that does indeed change, chameleon-like, from top to bottom, beginning to end. As a rule however, if I can’t retro-hale a tobacco, there is something wrong with it. It’s not the Burley or Kentucky (if I can retro-hale Irish Flake) . . . I suspect it’s the topping along with some PG which are the chemical culprits that are so caustic to my sinus membranes, hence, there is that. I will leave what remains of this (along with an additional tin) in the dark and quiet for another five or so years to see if anything miraculous occurs between now and then. But until that time, I can only muster a luke-warm, two-star recommend.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	moniker (220)	2019-01-20		Strong	Mild to Medium	Full	Tolerable

Not sure what Cornell & Dielhl were aiming at with Dreams of Kadath, but I’m pleased to report they’ve hit the bullseye in terms of the smoke! It’s nothing if not “different” from the many tobaccos I’ve smoked, and in this case, that’s mostly all to the good. Like it or not, this is a complex, multi-faceted, “kitchen sink” blend, and I find myself thinking it through again as I type this review. To begin with, my tin of DoK was filled with a very loosely pressed block or “mat” of chewed up, partial leaves (including veins and stems) that look like rejects and leftovers from other, more serious efforts. Colors range from golden tan, to British khaki, to dark brown, all very “natural”, as though the usual processing was interrupted mid-process. The leaf remnants pull off the mat quite easily, but they are tough, so they don’t easily tear into smaller pieces, and I’ll address this, anon. I was immediately smitten with the tin note, which starts as something like an exotic, fruit blossom brandy - maybe plum or pear - that I hoped would come through in the smoke. The proof-y part of the topping soon evaporates, and the tobaccos come up some, but the ethereal, plum/pear blossom thing hangs on. For my first smoke, I just ripped up some roughage as best I could to stuff a bowl. After that, I tried to have serrated utility scissors on hand, to cut the leaves into manageable pieces. Although I followed my usual protocol and smoked my first bowl right from the tin, and it can be smoked like this, I dried it out a little after that, and the actual smoking notes in this review are based on chopping, re-blending, and some drying. Chopped to size, dried some, and loosely packed, DoK lights and burns fine, and it smells and tastes great while it’s burning. Indeed, the liqueur is even more fragrant when it’s smoked, and the butt ugly leaves smell and taste like heaven, right from the match. My first few smokes were all good, also each was different from the previous smokes, owing, I supposed, to the “variety of varietals” I happened to wind up with for each smoke. Despite all the smokes were good, I finally decided to cut up and “re-blend” all the DoK before I put it into jars, “reasoning” that would “best represent” “what the blenders had in mind” (like I could know that…). Since then, I’ve dried it to suit myself and stuffed it loosely each time, in deference to the Katarini, which is always important, through all the twists and changes as other varietals rise and drop back during each smoke. For all the listed tobaccos, they speak together in tongues rather than separate or individual voices, even as the blend entire establishes its own overall character. Think, kaleidoscope. Mainly, the Katarini plus the Perique and the liqueur come across like exotic, spicy, slightly musty, woody meadow flowers and exotic fruit, both sweet and sour, with just a little meadow grass and wood resin, along with some salted, slightly smoky meat from the KY. The Burley adds nuts, butter, and some bitterness. The VAs are both smooth and piquant, quite fragrant, and sweet, and they certainly provide some needed structure to DoK. The Cavendish is both sweet and sour. The lot has some soft baking spices from top to bottom. There is tons of smoke. The most notable variable is the KY. It comes on pretty strong from time to time, adding both depth and ultimately power to the smoke. Strength is stealthy, rising slowly to strong. Tastes rise faster or slower to full. The room note strikes me as divine when I smoke this, but I know better, based on feedback on Turkish, KY and Perique. Aftertaste is the best of the smoke, lingering on and on, which I suppose owes mostly to the VAs and KY.

I guess the main thing I want to say in closing is that I recommend an open mind and some patience in dealing with what is actually – in “practical” terms - sort of a weird pipe tobacco. If good weird is something you might like, give Dreams of Kadath a try. Some have mentioned that DoK is like GLP’s Temple Bar. I agree, and I’ll add that Temple Bar is to Dreams of Kadath as Thoreau is to Blake! 4 stars, and keep ‘em coming, C & D! For what it’s worth, I am betting that DoK will age very well.

Pipe Used: briars; #5 minimum preferred

Age When Smoked: 9 months

Purchased From: Liberty tobacco

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2018-12-25		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

The tin note smells of a CAO cigar—slightly sweetened. The Katerini first hits my senses leaving some nutmeg spiciness at the tip of the tongue. The burley is very present. The dark fired Kentucky gives off a little smoked oak flavors. The Perique gives a little spiciness but not much. The blend is a quite complex and takes time to decipher. It honestly shocked my senses at first. It definitely reminds me of the clove cigarettes that I smoked in my youth. It is not a blend I could smoke throughout a day, but a nice excursion away from my regular rotation. There is no bite.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Philo Beddoe (221)	2018-12-12		Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable to Strong

Dreams of Kadath just didn’t do anything for me, the smoke tasted similar to having a lukewarm glass of unsweetened iced tea. It wasn’t really bad, it just wasn’t at all good, the spicy flavor others have noticed came across to me as an indistinct cigar store smell, I don’t know how else to phrase it. The overall taste was flat and uninspired.

Age When Smoked: Fresh

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	OziFlyer (2)	2018-08-04		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Im still a relative newbie at 18 months, so my palate is still very much a work in progress. This blend though is so very complex to me. May I just suggest to new smokers like myself, give this a try, it’s worth the effort just to try to identify the myriad of flavours. A wonderfully contemplative exercise. And isn’t that what pipe smoking is all about? A note of thanks to all the other more experienced reviewers here, too. Your reviews really help us newbies to find these surprisingly lovely blends.

Pipe Used: MM cob, Creator’s Design poker

Age When Smoked: Fresh and again at 9 months

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	William H. Hardy (95)	2020-07-22		Medium to Strong	Strong	Full	Tolerable to Strong

"Dreams" and I started off on the wrong foot. When I first opened the tin, I was overwhelmed by the boozy topping that almost slapped me in the face. After opening a tin that had about five months or more in age, I cut the plug into thin flakes and stuck them I my pipe. At first blush, all I could taste was the topping. It settled down a little bit, but was still overwhelmingly present. I tried another bowl the next day and left the top off overnight. The topping was less pungent than before, so I tried it again the following day. The third time was nearly identical to the second. I was at a loss and didn't mess with it for a while after that.

I had nearly given up on it and threw it into a mason jar. Several months later, I saw the jar and decided to give it a whirl. The topping, though still present, was quite subdued and enhanced the tobaccos, rather than obscuring them. I found "Dreams" to be a quite nice Virginia?Oriental plug with some strength and unique flavor. I really like the stuff now and have been smoking a bowl at least once a week for the past couple months. I have another tin sitting in the closet with the rest of my "cellared" tobaccos. It now has close to two years on it, so when I finish the jar of "Dreams" that I am dipping into, I will open it up and start with it not long afterward. I'll see if I have to leave the lid off the tin for at least a night again. All in all, a really interesting and enjoyable tobacco. Just needs some preparation. At least for me, anyway.

Recommended! I don't think I can give this blend more than 3 stars. the preparation required to get it to the point that I enjoy it is a bit much. However, once it's at that point, I find it a rich, satisfying, and enjoyable smoke. It won't replace Temple Bar as one of my top plug Virginia/Oriental blends, however.

Pipe Used: Custom-bilts and Petes

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stefanos (222)	2020-05-21		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

The aroma from the tin is delightful, it reminds me of apple cider with sherry notes. Of course it’s an added aroma, but yet it smells very natural. The plug is not very hard and its rather easy to cut, though not in perfect flakes as the plug is quite soft offering little resistance. After that, a little rubbing is needed and the tobacco is ready to let dry a few minutes and then smoke. I find that a little drying is essential to Dreams of Kaddath.

The plug (or rather cake) consists of leafs pressed on upon another which can also be pealed off and then torn apart with the fingers. It’s a wonderful tobacco, real tobacco taste with the added aroma which complements and does not overwhelm though it has some bitter notes. It’s only a once in a while tobacco for me, but I quite enjoy a bowl here and now. Dreams of Kaddath is a blend which will appeal to smokers of plain and flavoured blends alike. Unlike most aromatics it smokes to end very nicely and the ghosting does not last for long.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PaulMiami (6)	2019-11-15		Very Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The tin note was a raisin/dried apricot aroma. It wasn't overpowering, but it was snappy. My immediate reaction: "this is going to smoke like a bowl of apricot jam... yuck!" I was wrong - The cake is more like a plug, albeit moist and reminded me of the old "Days O's Work" plug chaw. It was moist and pulled apart/rubbed easy. Again, the Apricot aroma was up front during these manipulations... I was reluctant to break-in my new Molina Barrasso Unfinished with a sweet aromatic, but I dove in. To complete the experience, I put on Ian Gordon's audible version of HP Lovecraft's The Shunned House. The bowl packed easy but not tight. Charring light needed to be a bit more sustained to get the ruby. Tamping and re-lighting was probably not the best approach, but the pick worked well. I had several re-lights throughout the bowl, but not a problem. It is floral and not overly sweet. The tin note and the apricot faded into the background - gone! Replaced by orientals. This was really a unique smoke. I would give it a week to dry out a bit and it should be improved. It was a cool smoke and not complex. Had some finish notes of English quality like a charcoal fire. I like it and would probably buy it again.

Pipe Used: New Molina Barrasso Unfinished - Bent Rhodesian

Age When Smoked: recent purchase

Purchased From: TobaccoPipes.com

Similar Blends: cannot compare..

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BrokenRecord (124)	2019-07-23		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Dreams of Kadath: Pushing the bounds of pipe tobacco blending in the best possible way

With Dreams of Kadath, I was pleasantly surprised by new flavors I had not tasted in pipe tobacco. C&D's use of Katerini is exquisite. It adds a pleasant sourness and a bit of spice. The Virginia varietals provide a tangy, grassy, and slightly sweet foundation. The burley, perique, and dark-fired add to the body of the smoke. The dark-fired leaf adds an oak-fired flavor to the blend and plays well with the tanginess of the red Virginia leaf and the spice of the Katerini. The perique adds a little spice but remains mostly in the background. Together, the tobaccos offer a pleasant earthy, sweet, and interesting smoke that behaves well.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	hawky454 (107)	2019-01-18		Medium to Strong	Medium	Full	Very Pleasant

This is the best blend I’ve tried from C&D and I’m a fan of a lot of their blends. Hats off to Jeremy Reeves for producing such a fine blend and to make it a Plug just gives them more props in my book. This is a full flavored blend with some nice top dressings, some say they taste berries but I don’t. This has a lot of similarities to GL Pease’s Temple Bar but there is a bit more going on in DoK which, because of the complexity, I prefer this to TB but there is definitely room for both in my cellar. This is a stout blend and it packs a punch so nicotine lightweights may want to try it in a small bowl first. Several bowls in one pipe will leave a slight residual flavor (ghost) but nothing bothersome enough to dedicate a briar solely to this blend, however if you do, the pipe will continue to season and give you more flavors with time, for this reason, I have dedicated a few briars to this Plug. This will absolutely be sublime with some age on it, I’ve put several tins away to ferment in my cellar and I have several for my present enjoyment. Wonderful room note and great after taste that will stay with you for awhile. I’m really excited about C&D these days, they’ve really been making some instant classics lately and I’m always looking forward to see (taste) what they’ll be putting out next.

Absolutely essential!!!

Similar Blends: G. L. Pease - Temple Bar (Old London Series).

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JaWiBr (566)	2022-11-27		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Tin note of spices, mild barbeque, and sugared Rasins. The dark brown, tan and black marbled plugs need cut thin with a razor or thin sharp knife. Rubs out easily, may need a bit of drying. Burns slow with a few extra relights. The strength is medium and nic is mild to medium. Flavoring is medium, with notes of licorice and stone fruits?. Taste is medium to full and consistent, with complex notes of dry earth, sweet raisin bread, floral, herbal grasses, lemon zest, peaches, spice, sour plums, smoky charred wood, toasted nuts, mildly spicy, sugary background note, and a moderately peppery retro. Team Virginia & Perique are barely leading Team Katerini & Cavendish with Kentucky supporting both. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is my jam.

Pipe Used: Peterson Bard Rusticated 221 Fishtail

Age When Smoked: 3 years

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Singularis (18)	2021-05-04		Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

A plug -- not a krumble kake -- was fully expected upon opening this tin dated 08/23/19. The age, the reputation and descriptions, and the fact that it is my first plug, are what forced my hand to give this a try: I was honestly excited to use my Gerber folding knife to slice off some fine flakes.

One of the first things to note is, of course, the powerful tin note: a plummy, boozy fragrance that reminded me at once of C&D's Black Frigate. But from the first light and initial puffs, I knew this would be a very different smoke from BF.

The aroma of that smoke! That's what I'll remember most, seeing that the taste was so complex and ever changing (but never in a disjointed way) that it is hard for me to put a finger on it. I could taste the Virginias and Kentuckys at times, and the Perique, of course, though not so much the BC (which no doubt added to the rich creaminess of smoke). The Katerini, however, was likely adding some mysterious and spicy elements that I couldn't quite grasp. Perhaps if I could taste it in isolation, I'd have a better sense of what was going on.

I think I will have to come back to this one for better notes, but it is a very full flavor experience, and even stronger effect in the vitamin N department: I was glad I stuck with my smaller bowled "taster" meer for this. And I am glad I waited nearly two years to open the tin. Though I would have liked to try it a couple years down the road. I could always jar up half the cake and forget about it. Hmm, tempting ...

I'm putting this at 3.5 stars, but rounded down, noting that it is probably best for the experienced smokers, so tread lightly!

Pipe Used: Paykoc Meerschaum

Age When Smoked: 2 years

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CKC (15)	2023-04-28		Medium to Strong	Strong	Medium	Strong

Not for me thank you. Tin note smells likes someone pulled some sour patch kids out of a fire. Strength good, but difficult for me to get beyond the cloyingly sweet, obviously artificial topping. I do enjoy some aromatics but often add a little burley so I can taste tobacco. This was just too much for me…

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Deckard Cain (39)	2023-04-15		Mild to Medium	Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I purchased this tobacco because the description said it was mysterious. Which usually means it has a mystery ingredient that they never admit to. But I'm always hoping to find a mysterious tobacco that leads to some type of otherworldly smoking experience. Well it is neither of those. It is a fairly straightforward American type non-aromatic tobacco that has a little more fruitiness this than most. It may be a topping or dressing, or may be the unique kitterini tobacco used in it. But it is definitely fruitier than Royal yacht. It doesn't have the same punch as Royal yacht either. But that's fine. This tobacco is less monochromatic. First off it comes in a very tight plug, which means you will need a sharp knife to slice through all of the layers and get a nice mixture in your bowl. It rubs out easily enough but you will end up with large pieces of tobacco mixed with small pieces. This often affects the flavor and burn rate. It lights easily enough, and it burns for quite a while. Took me about 45 minutes in a medium size corn cob pipe. There were a few lights, nothing wrong with that. In the first 5 minutes of smoking it you could detect a great number of components. Little spiciness, quite a bit of raisiny fruit, definite plum flavor, fresh cut hay. But 5 minutes later everything came together perfectly. The Sweet spot lasted a long time and it was a very satisfying smoke. Rich, full, and good. I suppose I'll be smoking more of it today and throughout the summer. But my initial impression was very positive. I like this tobacco, I like its thick smoke, and it's sweetness. And it even satisfies a little bit. I was sitting with my son and he said it smelled like the tobacco I used to smoke at Christmas when he was little. That would be Gawith and Hogarth rum flake.

Pipe Used: Cob

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Pipes and cigars

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