When I first smoked this blend, it was way too moist. It didnt smoke well, and tasted tart.

However, now that its got a bit of age and time to dry out it has developed into something very nice. The latakia aspect is there, but it is really a sweet smoke. It is similar to early morning pipe, but with a much sweeter flavor. It also has a bit of a fresh hay taste and smell that is quite nice. The orientals are also pretty dominant in the flavor.

The blend is a well balanced mild english blend. It has a lot of flavor, but none of the flavors are very powerful like in heavier english blends.

Worth a try!

Pipe: smooth un-decorated Meerschaum ("Warrior" artist Tekin) Brand new pipe, first bowl.

Tin was 2 weeks old having been opened several times.

Bites a little but not paralyzingly when getting the char going on the way to the initial tamping. And again when re-lighting in the middle of the bowl.

Had to relight 4 times through out.

Mild is, as mild does.

Nutty, bit of fruit(like dried apple), not sweet. A very pleasant, dry and uneventful smoke.

Doesn't demand allot of attention other than keeping it lit so Id probably enjoy this mid day while reading or focused on some distracting activity.

Keeping it in stock.

As others have noted, it bites if smoked vigorously. Nicotine dose is moderate.

Overall, an excellent smoke, an all-day English, but not a Nirvana experience.

Update, January 2013: I purchased a tin of the new stuff and thought it would be fun to compare and contrast Murray's versus Orlik's.

To begin, the tin note of the Murray's is classic English: Orientals with a touch of Latakia. Orlik's in the tin is much stronger smelling, sour/acidic and fruity. And the new Mellow blend has more bright orange color to the blend.

I suspect that Orlik has added a little sugar-water topping that makes their version a little more moist and causes a little more tongue-bite. But by mid- bowl the bite has disappeared from both versions.

I smoked both in identical small acorn briars, alternating between the two. They both paired well with my glass of Laphroiag. It was a wonderful experience, a great indulgence.

I could nit-pick and say that the Murray's is more 'mild' and the Orlik's less 'mellow.' Perhaps the older stuff has a broader flavor range. But really, the main difference was that the Murray's tin was 7 years older. I suspect that with age, I would not be able to tell them apart. Smoking them separately, I felt a tad more nicotine with Orlik's, earning the name 'Mellow.' But they are both still in the moderate range of Vitamin N.

Overall, I think Orlik nailed it and has faithfully reproduced this blend.

Govern Yourself Accordingly.

I like mild (or "mellow") light English tobaccos as a first pipe of the day and SMM fits that bill. The Latakia is very much in the background. The Orientals are forward with some nice sweetness from the Virginias. In all, SMM is a nice blend in this category, burning to a fine ash and smoking cool. I'm putting some more away from cellaring. Recommended.

Other reviewers have already written about the blend's name change to Standard Mixture Mellow rather than Mild. Whether "mellow" or "mild" this blend suits my taste a little better than some of the heavier blends. The tin aroma is subtly English in character, the taste spicy but not overpowering, and the room note is a nice, warm campfire aroma that doesn't overstay its welcome.

And, I suppose we could all grouse about the loss of the old Murray's days, but there's probably no going back now and we simply have to decide whether we can tolerate the current Dunhill offerings or change to something else. (But, God! Wasn't that Baby's Bottom a treat?)

I like Dunhill mixtures, too. They are all quality tobaccos. SM Mellow is one English blend I will add to my regular rotation.

Not having smoked any Dunhill Standard Mixture before I can't say that this is the old "Mild" or another blend entirely. However, after my dismal experience with the current MM965, I held little hope for this when I cracked the tin (only a week ago); it looked too similar to that impostor. However, one whiff of the tobacco contained therein piqued my interest. This smelled like a Dunnie - and for more like the classic 965 than the new 965 does (even if it doesn't purport to be like it.)

Lighting up I noted the similar flavor to the current 965, but here rather than being overwhelming to the point of rudeness the experience was very pleasurable. If this had been in my 965 tin I might complain it had changed but I would still like it. The Latakia here, while still the same as in 965, is in greater quantity and that I do appreciate. This is tasty, almost addictive. The Orientals are noticeable to the eye and on the tongue.

I bought the only tin I could find and it is dwindling quickly.

I almost hesitated to give this four stars as I have yet to crack my tin of Standard Mixture, but it does deserve it. I will buy more, if any shows up.

UPDATE: 10/10/12 My second tin of this was disappointingly different and NOT in a good way. This one was horribly astringent and very bitey - something I rarely encounter. I would lower the rating to two stars but an average would really be three.

I got to try this with the re-introduction of Dunhill blends in England, and I bought this without looking at the contents. That done, it does pack and light easily and burns all the way down without a messy dottle. For someone trying Latakia / English blends for the first time, this might be a winner. Vitamin N content is almost negligable which for me is another dissapointment, on the plus side, a good quality leaf is used (or IMHO, wasted) but still two stars as previously stated, good for those starting out on Latakia or English forrays.

Definitively an excellent tobacco. But I prefer its brother the medium mixture which is tastier.