Miskatonic University Blend Reviews

[rigmedic1]

Well, I am going to default to the briar in this case. I am enjoying a rather large bowl of it in an Edwards Oom Paul this morning, which has a big, deep bowl and thin walls. It's a sturdy pipe that I have had for about 25 years. Again, the smoke is cool and sweet, very relaxing with my morning coffee and computer time. I smoke outside on the back porch, and the air is cool, around 65 degrees, and humid, of course, this being a swamp, lol. I am pretty sure the coolness is the Perique, and the sweetness from the cavendish. Surely the Latakia is there, but it doesn't stand out to me. Perhaps it works here as an agent to bring it all together. I don't think I would be able to keep any in a cellar long enough to age. I rather like it. Oh, and it still smokes dry, even in all this humidity. Perique's natural habitat, I suppose. ::

 

[baronsamedi]

The Latakia will find you... :twisted:
You're one of the first who didn't get a big nose full of Lat right off the bat. I'm glad you're enjoying it. I do too!

 

[romanza10]

I have been making a real effort to keep smoking Miskatonic University since this past Wednesday, at least a bowl a day. I only have two pipes that I’m currently willing to smoke latakia blends from, my meerschaum and my MM Corn Cob. I switched between the two while smoking this blend.
And to be honest, my first impression that I posted, still really hasn’t changed that much. The flavors it seems stand out differently from bowl to bowl and from pipe to pipe. I’ve seen other people say the same thing. And by no means is this a bad thing, it keeps it interesting.
But at the same time, people become loyal to particular blends because they know that when they smoke them they will get the experience that they expect. Almost each time or close enough to make up for how different pipes smoke a particular blend.
I feel like I can taste where you are going with this blend. I may be incorrect, but this is what I think you are going for, this is just my interpretation.
A mildly sweet, yet smoky tobacco with the spiciness of Perique and just a hint of vanilla.
Just about every time I’ve smoked it this past week, that is what keeps coming to my mind. I mentioned it before and have others that this blend would do well to age. I hope I don’t sound like a broken record by saying this, but it’s the only conclusion I can come to.
Cram some in a jar, or build a box that can press it tight, and put it somewhere and forget about it for a year or two. I feel that is the only way to really finish this blend off. Only time I feel will help with you getting what I think you are looking for.
I hope you find this somewhat helpful in you endeavor, and please let us know what you plan to do next.
Thank you again.

 

[baronsamedi]

So far, it looks like I'm going to pull back the Latakia just a little and bump up the Perique about the same amount. Then I'm gonna squash it in a jar and age it. I may also mess with the content of the VA to Burley ratio, as that seems to be the source of some rankness that some people (including myself) have detected. Now, for some of you guy who like this, that is really stretching the taste limits, as the rankness I detected, and I think Jason noticed doing the DGT with his cob is way back in the mix, and can actually be the source of a nice nuttiness sometimes, but the smoothness and effortless contemplation one can achieve by smoking this tobacco is one of the chief goals.
If it seems like I'm nitpicking, I am! But that was my purpose in collecting all this data and I thank every one of you who participated! It's a good blend and with some tweaking aging it can be a great one!

 

[crpntr1]

It sounds good, can't wait to try it. Hurry and perfect it so the vaper can begin. :mrgreen:

 

[rigmedic1]

Looking forward to trying the next Iteration of Miskatonic University. I think the elder gods will be pleased.

 

[baronsamedi]

That VaPer ia going to make the perique lovers very happy!

 

[crpntr1]

You're such a tease.

 

[baronsamedi]

When I was playing with my blending baccys I mixed half Perique and half East Carolina Ribbon and I loved it! The only problem is Perique is 'spensive and J want a lot of it!

 

[batdemon]

Perique is costly, but so worth it. Yum!

 

[lordnoble]

I'm going to take some of this with me to Habana Premium in August. I'll give some to rickpal14 and Russ (if he's there) to see what they think of it, if it's OK with you, baron... I kinda want to pick Russ' brain about what could cause the "harshness" after DGT'ing AND what effect aging will have on it. Also, I think it'd be cool to "spread the word" about a blend which has some serious potential, if you know what I mean.
-Jason

 

[baronsamedi]

Certainly nothing wrong with that.

 

[jharvard]

The Baron was kind and generous enough to send me a sample of Miskatonic University Blend that was stored a bit longer longer than the other samples. First of all; Thank you Baron Samedi you are a true gentleman.
The initial impression of the aroma before you even plunge your nose into the blend is robust and satisfying. Oriental aroma, strong and pleasant smokiness of Latakia with faint hints of pine, sweet chocolate and vanilla are easily noticeable.
The physical aspects of the mixture were not too moist (not too dry either) and in my opinion ready to smoke right out of the envelope. The tobacco ribbons were consistently cut and the blend was well balanced.
I smoked Miskatonic University Blend five times in the following pipe order: (Poul Winslow Crown Collector Freehand, Missouri Meerschaum Co. Corn Cob Pipe Straight “Diplomat”, Peterson “Hansom” (smooth finish) Return of Sherlock Holmes, again in the Corn Cob and finally in my Dunhill Dress (6105)), every smoke was outside in the evenings at about 75 to 80 degree temperatures.
Each smoke averaged about 40 to 45 minutes which was a pleasant surprise. Very cool and mellow burn. Nice and easy smooth smoke. No harshness or bad burn or unpleasant aftertaste that makes you run for your mouth wash!
Most importantly all five smokes were consistent throughout with the following tastes:
Strong but not overwhelming smokiness of the Latakia (I am a member of the "Dark Side" so perhaps other smokers would find the Latakia stronger than I did).
Nutty Burley maybe a bit of almond? I wasn't sure but there was absolutely a nutty flavor.
Hints of a light vanilla and smooth chocolate. This was easy to detect and combined with the smoke and light spice made this blend a very pleasant, robust and complicated smoke.
A tease of spiciness and plum from the Perique but not enough in my humble opinion.
It was a really nice combination of all the above and somehow the Latakia does not overwhelm the smoke. It really was very well balanced and consistent. It was a very complex smoke and this made it even more enjoyable for me.
So my 2 cents; I wouldn't take out the amount of Latakia in the blend (but I understand why others would want to smoke less), and it would be nice to see what the next batch of Miskatonic University Blend would be like with more Perique. And the batch after that with some age to it!
The Baron is onto something special and interesting in my opinion. I really enjoyed his blend and hope when I run out he still provides it for us but this time allows us to compensate him for our smoking pleasure! But will gladly take another freebie! LOL
Thank you again Baron Samedi! Good smoke and a lot of fun testing it for you.
Cheers brother! :puffpipe:

 

[photoman13]

Great stuff I can't wait to get my grubs on some more.

 

[baronsamedi]

I want to add that the reason he got some late in the game is because he had inquired early on when I had mentioned it in another post. I told him I was working ion something and offered to send him some, but He wasn't able to get back to me until late. Lucky for me because I got to hear how it tasted with a little jar time.

 

[photoman13]

Baron,

You need not explain yourself. He gave you a good review and I don't think anyone here would be upset. Thanks again for letting me try it.

 

[rlunderhill]

Who sells this? I'm not familiar with this name.

 

[photoman13]

This is just a blend that Baronsamedi made himself. He is trying to get this into retailers but isn't currently.

 

[baronsamedi]

The stuff for batch number 8 will be ordered next payday. Got distracted by a certain Meerschaum this time. Doing 5 lbs this time and aging it so people will be able to buy some in the forseeable future. I had some ina meer last night and I like it better the longer it stays in the jar. I'm thinking 3 months will do it. Maybe I will set Solstice 2012 as the release date. Lovecraft loved astronomy and it's supposed to be the end of the world, so that's perfect to me.

 

[crpntr1]

Count me in!!!