Samuel Gawith Commonwealth Mixture

Commonwealth Mixture is a full flavored Virginia/Latakia ready-rubbed ?English? mix. It has good packing and burning characteristics and is, overall, commendably behaved. The mixture produces a full volume of pungent smoke without biting ones tongue.

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.

This blend is better than the two star recommendation the problem is that there are a lot of tobaccos of this type that are a bit better. There is a full assault on your senses in the latakia department. I do not think it is the best quality Latakia that I have tasted but it is average. The Latakia overwhelms the VA tobacco and does not leave a lot of room for nuances. The tobacco burns completely and cool, leaving no residue in the heel. The blend is tongue friendly and never got out of hand. It is fairly strong but not like other Lakeland blends. Overall I wish there was a bit more nuances in the blend but it tastes and burns well.

This one is quite interesting but only for the latakia lover as it has loads in it! However the combination of cavedish with latakia is just wonderful! Lightly aromatic as well as i like it! Peculiar staff for peculiar tastes.. I am not in love with it but I believe that it worths a try..

This would be quite a good, solid, blend absent the persistent "soapy" aroma which pervades -- and ruins -- the smoking experience. The flavours of Latakia and Virginia tobaccos are literally covered in a musty, sticky and artificial aroma which gives off the impression of soap! What on earth made this happen? (This is somewhat http://dappered.com/ of the Bowmore FWP syndrome which affected an otherwise great malt whisy). And otherwise, Commonwealth mixture is great. It packs well, it is mild in that the VA are steamed and do not bite, and the latakias are somewhat muted making their percentage less daunting than one would expect... but alas all the above is moot, since the experience is tainted by this soapy flavour. Too bad.

The soapy flavour seems to calm down after a few years... I am writing this 8 years later. Lets reward the passage of time by giving this mixture an extra star!

This is a blend that I can take or leave. I enjoy smoking it when I do, but I don't go to the shop with the need for more. I know it is supposed to be a stronger blend than Squadron Leader, but it doesn't hit me that way. Overall, a quality yet forgettable smoke.

Do not be put off by the star rating. Samuel Gawith's Commonwealth Mixture is a good, solid tobacco. There are a lot of better choices for tobacco out there, however, and this does not compare to my three- for four-star rated reviews. Still, this weed is not without some good qualities. Indeed, it needs a bit of drying, but once that is done Commonwealth Mixture lights and burns rather well. The tin says 'full strength' and that is definitely the case. Those of you who are frustrated with the inconsistencies of Dunhill of late might find Commonwealth Mixture the perfect consistent alternative. (I do not care for Dunhill as a rule.) Samuel Gawith blends quality tobacco and this weed is certainly rich in the tin. It is too strong for my tastes, all the same, and the flavour never quite crescendos. With all of that said, it is worth a try if you enjoy full Latakia blends and feel like giving Dumhill (spelling intended) a well-deserved rest.

I had high hopes for this blend. At a 50/50 mix of my two favorite tobacco?s, I thought, how could I go wrong?

This nicely aged sample simply didn?t live up to expectations. The Virginia was weak, not at all assertive. All it seemed to do was to detract from the Latakia, because that wasn?t as flavorful as I had expected either. Surprisingly mild, almost to the point of being bland.

I just couldn?t get excited about this one. I can take it or leave it. Two stars.

This tobacco promises a 50/50 mixture of Cyprian Latakia and Virginias, well they are right in that respect, and that is it. I like a good Latakia blend, and I am certainly fond of good Virginias, and in the process of reading up on this and purchasing it I was hoping for more. A mixture of both mentioned tobacco's various Va's etc, made for an attractive blend on the eyes. The smell in the can reminds me of dirt, but well processed dirt. The tobacco was slightly moist, and few minutes in the air took care of that. Charring was no problem, and after the initial light I tasted the latakia with an essence of Va's. Not that the latakia overwhelms, but it predominit, smoking down the bowl offers no variation, except the changing of the lead between the two starters. A pale white ash shows a quality tobacco, but not much else. Bottom of the bowl leaves some dottle, something Mr. Holmes might prefer, first thing in the morning, but well... A well processed tobacco, burns evenly, and leaves one with a sense of did I miss something?

Pouch Aroma: This tobacco is musty and dark smelling with only a hint of caramel sweetness. I can smell the slight leatheriness of quality Latakia and savory dark Virginias. Very nice, and just what I'm in the mood for.

Appearance: This is a dark blend, about 75% dark red and brown tobaccos, 20% dark brown and black and a 5% flash of lighter VA Bright and maybe Turkish. The cut is a fine ribbon which reminds me of Dunhill's #965.

Packing and Lighting: After packing easily into my Charatan long Canadian, the charring light goes perfectly with the tobacco raising a slight crown. The smoke is dense and rich and lacks the sharp spiciness which #965 has at first. I think this is going to be a very smooth, bite-free smoke!

Exposition: The initial flavor is very smooth, mild and smoky with no extreme flavors, i.e. no Balkan-style bitterness nor Frog Morton-esqe sweetness. It's just a mild, middle-of-the-road English blend with flavors tending to the darker end of that spectrum. Thus far it's an alright smoke but nothing to write home about as there isn't much complexity here nor any body to speak of.

The Story: Once I got 1/3 into the bowl the flavors had settled into a light, thin smokiness with hints of brown Virginias and Turkish. It's smooth, sure, but the smoke seems to lack both body and complexity, and could stand to have a more solid base of flavors for the Latakia and Turkish to stand out against. As it is, the condiment tobaccos just taste thin and strident as if the blend wasn't well balanced.

Further down, it's getting a little acidic tasting which is actually a welcome addition of /something/ to keep my interest piqued. I think the most disappointing aspect to this is the utter lack of what I call mouth-feel. I like to feel the smoke on my tongue, roll it around and really taste it. I can't do that with this tobacco - I can taste it but I don't get a sense of having something in my mouth. I guess the difference is between walking past a quality bakery and smelling cinnamon rolls vs. actually tasting one fresh from the oven. To use a term coined here on asp, I'd say that it lacks The Cookie' 🙂 The smoke rising from the bowl as I exhale little puffs is quite nice, but not enough to save it.

It does smoke easily, burns well and requires few relights and leaves a nice leathery-smoky room aroma, but I just can't get into it. To venture a guess, I'd say that the Virginias used as a base aren't well-integrated with one another, but a blender I ain't!

Denouement: It's still burning well as I approach the last few minutes of the bowl, and the density is finally increasing a bit and becoming more varied and interesting. It's still not enough to rescue me from my ennui though, and I'm finding it to be nothing more than a last-ditch effort to seduce me out of desperation. I'm not falling for it, either.

The last dregs of the bowl sweeten up and the oriental component mingles with the Latakia in a nice way but the base tobaccos are still nowhere to be found.

Don't get me wrong - this isn't a /bad/ tobacco. I usually smoke Virginia flakes, and when I smoke an English I like something rich and complex like Dunhill (965, Nightcap) or something with well-balanced Orientals like Dr. Truesdell from Hiland's or F&P's 'Silk Road' or Oasis'. This is just an adequate smoke, no more, no less.

Pros: Smooth, nice clean English aroma, burns well and clean to a nice medium grey ash, doesn't require a lot of attention.

Cons: Thin-tasting, very low nicotine, poorly balanced flavors and complexity, no body to the smoke. Even smoke rings blown dissipate quickly in still air! The most telling thing is that, with this bowl finished, I find myself craving a pipeful of Rattray's Hal o' the Wynd'.

(Later) I smoked this again in a small Savinelli #806 Canadian which is very well broken-in and got a slightly richer smoke but at best I'd say it's a competently mediocre tobacco to my taste. I don't smoke English blends often these days, and what I do smoke has to have either subtlety or complexity to hold my interest. This is nice and might be a pleasant all-day smoke for a Latakia lover but it just bores me.