I'm not entirely sure why some would rate this blend poorly. I think unless you were an aromatic only smoker you can't be disapointed by Westminster.

The taste is amazing. The room note is wonderful (except perhaps to my wife). A pleasure to smoke, this will be a mainstay in my rotation.

I have read others talking about various ways to age, dry or otherwise treat this stuff. Look, I am not a tobacco chemist. I do not have a cellar, nor do I want one, nor do I care to take time to somehow treat what I have spent many a hard earned buck on. I want something that I can take straight from the package and smoke and enjoy. This is definitely not it, and it has in essence turned me off of GLP altogether.

Not sure whether it's worth four stars though, the jury is still out on that.

Update: I have spent the last two weeks smoking nothing but this. What I have noticed is that smoking it in a pipe with a higher bowl really brings out the interplay between the Latakia, Orientals, and the Virginia. In a pipe with a shorter bowl height the taste is one dimensional / muted / flat / dull.

Four stars.

Westminster produces a lovely "bowl smell" as well, which is a smoking metric that I rarely hear mentioned. You always hear talk of the room note, and of course the flavor to the palate, but how many of you out there like to sniff your bowls, especially during the end of a long burn, towards the bottom of the bowl, when things begin to get delicious?

Westminster really produces a nice burnt caramel smell to the bowl that really enhances its smoking in my opinion.

Hard to get bite out of this one, even if you go at it hard. Also it smokes well in any pipe you put it to, unlike strong Ver / Per tobaccos that do better in smaller bowls.

If it wasn't for my love of Perique, Westminster is where I would land.

Cheers,

I came to pipes from the world of cigars, where cigar buffs write flowery, overly serious reviews of subtle aromas and flavors in snobby tones.

For wine snobs or Scotch buffs who can taste subtle hints of this and that by swishing liquid in the mouth, this might be a tobacco for you.

I read somewhere that this was G.L. Pease’s effort at re-creating the old pre- Murray's version of Dunhill London Mixture. I don't know if he succeeded, as I never had the pleasure of trying the tobacco that inspired him. Whatever it is, this is really good tobacco.

I suspect that the quality of the Latakia in this blend is of better quality than some other Englishes I've tried. The figgy, rasiny Virginia taste so prominent in some Englishes are balanced nicely against the smoky Latakia, yielding a full, round richness.

Hearty and deeply satisfying, Westminster is soft, briny, savory, smoky, creamy, round and smooth all at once. Perhaps a shade less sweet than Old Dublin or Squadron Leader, less citrusy than Black Mallory. No flavor dominates, but all meld harmoniously. While this has a nice full body, the flavors are subtle and invite attention. The flavors change and evolve as the bowl warms, so that it imparts a taste of bitter licorice by bowl’s end. To my uneducated palate, it was a beautiful smoke.

My 2oz tin was neither moist nor dry when I opened it, but I think I should let it sit out a bit longer for my next bowl as I had a bit of difficulty keeping it lit.

I smoked this blend in a brand new author from brebbia, so perhaps after I build up the cake a bit, I'll have a more comprehensive understanding of this beautiful blend.

I've had people comment on how good this tobacco smells, and I couldn't agree with them more. I keep buying tins of the stuff even though I don't smoke too often. It makes me want to horde.