It's the kind of blend I like to smoke outside. Also, it doesn't appeal to me as an all day smoke due to its strength. At first, even though I grew to enjoy it, I didn't think I would buy more, but now I'm sure at some point I'll gladly revisit this blend.

Four(4) full strength latakia stars!

For what it's worth, I agree that it is monochromatic but neither dull nor monotonous. After every bowl I had the same feeling - "Hmm, that was pretty straightforward. No real highs or lows. Same at the start as at the finish".

I still managed to polish off 50g in less than a fortnight.

Tasty, latakia, relaxing. I liked it a lot.

Like diving into cold water, the initial shock is invigorating, then you enjoy it for a while, then go numb and it is not fun anymore. That is what this blend is to me, no fun to smoke anymore.

But in all fairness it lives up to its description, and if you want a strong but mellow and smooth blend full of latakia, this is a good one. I personally will never buy it to smoke, but I keep a tin around to smell. Overall, I love the brand.

"The Latakia? You can't handle the Latakia!"

If you think you know what a Latakia slap feels like, you ain't seen nothin' yet!

But perhaps I exaggerate. Or not. Your tongue will wonder what it did to make you treat it like this. Then it'll beg for more.

"Come on Baby, make it hurt so good!"

The label says "Full Strength Mixture." No, 'ya think???

Gotta tell you, I don't often write a tobacco review after only one bowl, but this one's a no-brainer. If you like Latakia, GET SOME OF THIS! (sorry, didn't mean to shout...)

Starts off smooth, ends up smooth. Starts off rich, ends up richer. Starts off creamy, ends with an explosion of flavor. Starts off full, ends up FULL. Don't confuse strong flavors with harshness. The quality of the Latakia is amazing, and of course building on a foundation of SG Virginias guarantees the building will stand strong. No way you're gonna forget there's a pipe in your maw.

Gotta order more...gotta order more...gotta order more...

Some view this as lacking complexity because of the ingredients, you have the virginias and lots of cyprian latakia and that's it. Here the complexity lies in the progression. It starts of with a sharp latakia attack which gradually leads to "soapyness" and becomes creamy and at the same time the sweetness of the virginias starts to surface somewhere at the last third of the bowl.

The room note repels people, but sometimes it's a good thing.

I'd give SL 3.9 and commonwealth 3.6 stars, both losing 0.1 star because of the moisture level in a fresh tin, but I'd rather dry than remoisturize my tobacco.

The first two-thirds of the bowl are creamy and rich with the taste of Latakia which is well grown and robust, much like a good coffee without the heat. The tobacco burns cool and even and has a very enjoyable aftertaste.

The end of the bowl takes on a sweet tone lent to it by the "heavily steamed" Virgina tobacco. This is a very nice flavor as it melds well with the taste of the Latakia creating a great blending sensation.

I prefer to call this a two-note tobacco because of it's robust start, and sweet finish.

Commonwealth is an English blend that is almost sure to please any palate looking for a exceptional tobacco. It is easy to see why it is compared to other big names in the latakia/English families.

The only downside is the room note as it is sure to be offensive to some if not many.

Although it’s said to be a full-strength mixture, and although it punches you quite hard on the nose when you open the tin, I don’t find that CM has a particularly high nicotine content. To my mind there are two negatives, though not very serious ones. One is that it comes very moist in the tin: it really does need quite a lot of drying. I see that several reviewers have said that it improves a good deal with age; I’m not surprised to hear it. Another negative is its very pronounced and distinctive room note. It isn’t unpleasant if you like the heavy, sharp-edged fragrance of Latakia mixtures, but innocent bystanders may well reel away choking.

In terms of my own preferences, this isn’t an all-day smoke; I have to be in a Latakia mood, and that doesn’t happen all that often. When I am, though, I like CM a lot. On this basis, I think that three stars would be a fair rating.

I also keep this mixture fairly moist which I prefer over the dry, but find that as always, moisture plays a significant role, perhaps more than most tend to think about or give credit to.

As a matured virginia plug smoker for over 45 years, I do enjoy some of the heavy Balkan type flakes or plugs and keep them in my rotation. If this were available in plug form it would suit me far more than the "broken flake". I buy this in 1 lb bulk, and I don't see nor have I ever seen a true broken flake with this tobacco.

I smoke this in a group 5 straight billiard. I especially like this in the morning with tea or coffee. In the evening with a smokey scotch. Definitely worth a good try!

....a pipe is to be savored.

I would perhaps suggest this as a good tobacco to try if you want to single out latakia and get a feel of it, to understand what it does in other blends. Or if you simply can't get enough of latakia and don't care about complex spiciness, fruity overtones and bouqets this and that. Simplicity in itself can be a great feature.

As others have also noted, it's somewhat of an overstatement to say that this is a "full" mixture. As far as strength is concerned there is really nothing to fear from Commonwealth Mixture. However, you might want to keep in mind that this is no light mixture either.

Personally I like to pack this in the morning, and smoke it in the evening (or better yet, the evening of the next day). To me it doesn't come to its right straight from the tin.

Now, I do like this mixture. The problem is just that I don't like it very frequently. I struggled a bit with how to take that into account for the sake of rating on this website, and I reached the conclusion that it's how I feel about it when I'm actually smoking it that matters the most, not how I feel about it when I'm not smoking it. And when I do smoke it, it's a 3-star tobacco.

The Latakia in Commonwealth Mixture doesn?t seem to meld well with the Virginian tobacco. Indeed, Commonwealth has a strangely monochromatic Virginia-Latakia flavor without ever achieving a Virginia/Latakia melded flavor. To be fair I?ve never let a tin of Commonwealth age for more than a few months and I?ve never aged a bulk sample: it may be that this Virginia/Latakia blend would ?meld? more if given time.

Taken as a whole, Commonwealth Mixture has many assets one might commend. Nevertheless, it doesn?t distinguish itself in a crowded field. I find Balkan Flake, another Gawith offering, to be a far superior representation of a pure Latakia/Virginia English-style tobacco.