Excellent smoke in every way, and truly does remind me of my original experiences with 965. The latakia seems especially leathery (best word I can think of to describe what I'm trying to say) in this blend, a characteristic I happen to like. There is also a good deal more sweetness than I find in most of the other latakia blends I smoke. If you're in the mood for this kind of sweetness, and just enough latakia goodness, try this one out. Highly recommended.

There is a seamless integration of flavors that never has me thinking of the components comprising the whole, but only the whole itself. Beck’s is very reminiscent to Penzance, not in flavor but in the characteristics inherent with that perfect melding of all the right flavors. Or better yet, “superbly balanced.” Any earthy or spicy tones are wonderfully supported by a subtle yet full sweetness that gently navigates the whole experience. The fragrant aroma is bewitching and for me sits just outside the realm of a good descriptor. Musky, acrid, sweet, musty, and uniquely pungent. All these descriptors can’t really do the fragrance of Beck’s any justice. One just needs to experience it. Altogether this is an expertly crafted Latakia mixture. Highly recommended.

Beautiful appearance, great feel, good moisture. Packed a bowl full, lit it and waited to find something to complaint about. I still haven't. No, it's not MM965, but it is excellent. Has, to me at least, what the old 965 did. A comfortable and willing feel. It simply tastes like pipe tobacco should. It may not be a pipe tobacco you look forward to smoking on special occasions, but it feels like I have found a long lost old friend. It has become my daily/almost only tobacco. Guess I should stock up on a few pounds, my Dunhill paranoia is starting to kick in.

Jon wx5nco

That being said, I wish to offer my opinion as to the differences and similarities between Becks new contribution and Murray's 965. First, Murrays had a sweeter taste that I believe might have been captured, in part, by the unique use of a high quality Cyprian Latakia (I seem to recall 965's description always mentioning the use of a young or small Latakia plant). Becks I assume, uses standard Latakia (and precious little of it), and what sweetness there is in the blend is from the Virginias. Too, Murrays had a smoothness and nuttiness about the smoke. Again another assumption is that the feature came from a distinctive use of some Burley tobacco in that Cavendish mix. I believe Beck's to be the more typical Virginia Cavendish (and a cheaper tobacco too). None of this would matter if Beck's could have captured the overall taste of the Murray blend since that is what we seek/desire. Those of us who loved the Murray blend were appreciative of the lack of Orientals in the blend, as I believe that is part of what made 965 quite distinctive from many other English types. Beck's seems to use very little oriental tobacco (perhaps none) which should make it an appealing choice for many. However, Beck's uses precious little Latakia too. Overall, there is no rich creamy smoke to the Beck blend. I find a little stringent flavor too. Further I consider OLB to be more akin to "Early Morning Pipe", rather than "965" - and some of you may indeed like it for that quality. While I am not saying this is bad tobacco, it tastes like cheaper tobacco is used, and it's just not worthy for this 965 lover to keep around. However I will attempt to add some age to this blend and together with a little more Latakia, will see if I can improve it. My rating gives the Beck version a half star bump just for the admirable attempt at recreating such a superlative lost blend.

Footnote: I don't hold much hope of ever finding anything I enjoyed like 965 and it is said that Sir Alfred Dunhill himself preferred the older version of this classic (pre Murray). I find that I only smoke a bowl or so a day now (mostly Pease tobaccos) and rotate between several mixtures. In one pipe smoker's forum, I practically begged Greg Pease to turn his attention to recreating 965, and although he mentioned that it had indeed crossed his mind, he had many projects he wished to pusue as well being conflicted as to which 965 might garner the most appeal, the original Dunhill or the Murray blend. Lord how I wish he would just pick either one!

While Beck's OLB has a nice pouch note, it is not the same olfactory delight as 965. Not as strong or rich. Beck's OLB comes a little overmoist in the pouch, but with a few minutes of drying before loading, it smokes well with few relights. It is smooth. No bite. And it has a fairly flat taste, some licorice notes which I like, but there's something else - a slight whiff of pine needles burning.

Overall, it's not bad, but it's not 965 either. A start maybe. Adding some more latakia? Perhaps if they keep tinkering with it they'll come close.

Pipestud

I think it's extremely difficult for one blending house to copy the recipe of another from scratch. That said, how important is it, really? If the blend stands on its own, isn't that what should matter? And this one does.

I taste less of the cavendish in this one than in 965, same as the previous reviewer mentioned. In that sense, OLB is a bit more robust tasting, yet it is smooth as well. Where it truly deviates from 965 is the lack of a sharp flavor burst. 965 isn't a strong tobacco, but like the original Sobranie, it had a flavor that demanded attention from the first puff. This OLB lacks that signature, which I prefer but that may not be preferred by others. This is a blend to try if you've enjoyed 965 in the past or if you're looking for a smooth but rich latakia flavor without being overpowered by it. I don't know these blenders but they've notched a winner here.

The real issue, however, is how it smokes and while it's not exactly the same as the Orlik 965 I know and love, it's similar and a great blend in its own right. Beck's helps fill the 965 void for me and I recommend it to people looking for a replacement or to those who are simply looking for a very smooth medium English tobacco.