Samuel Gawith Commonwealth Mixture

A very enjoyable smoke straight out of the tin. I'm a fan of Latakia so this 50/50 suits me well, but certainly wont be for those who don't like Latakia.

Strong dominating Latakia hits as soon as I open the tin, smoky, earthy, and I get some almost oaky barrel notes, maybe even a hint of whisky, smells great. The first light is good and the flavor takes off from the aroma, the Virginia carrying the Latakia. It's a good cut, packs and burns well. I've heard some people complain of tongue bite the first few bowls, and they recommend some aging to combat this, but from my experience I don't find this a problem, for me it's a very enjoyable smoke straight from the tin. I could agree with others that some Perique could work with this, but it is a great smoke as is, could be really interesting with a bit of whisky stave in it, a la FM Cellar.

Overall I very much enjoy SG Commonwealth, and would recommend it to English and Latakia lovers as a must try.

This blend is no joke!!!high latakia content only for strong blend smokers.when you open it you get a smelling punch in the face!(latakia)woodsy coaly smoky.lights ok and burns nice.moist is absent.very rich latakia flavour and sorry no virginia flavour detected though i could see them.even an english blend fan might not like it due to it's harshness.if you are not sure don't go there it might bite you!!!i suppose this blend has only haters and lovers noone in the middle.

My favourite Latakia now days.I'll smoke it as regular daily blend(around 5-6 bowls a day).Steamed Virginias keeps it intresting and the Cyprian Latakia gives the nice rich smokiness and strong aroma-as you would imagine a blend with 50% steamed Virginia and 50% Latakia would be dull but I haven't notice such a thing.There's people who'll say that it's one dimensional mixture but it is not.I just bought 3 more tins.No bite,cool smoke with fine Grey ash in the end as Gawith's blends usually has.

Ready to smoke out of my tin. Tin note latakia woodsy and creosote like. Lit well, char light was very pleasant with some sweetness and much latakia flavor. Burn rate was excellent. Full of rich flavor with not much complexity. Smoke mouth feel was excellent, no tongue burn. Billows of righteous smoke from this blend. My wife would not be present when smoking this great blend, yet commented how well it smelled on my clothes and stache.

I made a mistake with this blend from the beginning. I thought it was an aromatic blend and I didn't open it. Huge mistake. You didn't know? Couldn't you ask? Probably my mistake was beneficial for the blend, as it was sealed in my “cellar” for 2 years. 50% Virginia 50% Latakia. At times it gave me the impression that it has a very subtle but pleasant scent. It is the first time that I got excited by smoking Cyprian Latakia. Its Virginia is very good and it adds a sweetness and a creamy texture to the mix. Its moderate nicotine strength lets you smoke it pleasantly all day long. It does not contain Oriental, but even though this blend has a well balanced flavor that will surprise you. It is broken flake with very good moisture and a very nice aroma when you smell the tobacco inside the tin.

This is the one Samuel Gawith tobacco you're likely to find between shipments as it doesn't seem to enjoy the popularity of the rest of the line.

I have mixed feelings about this one. I have had both nondescript and awe inspiring smokes with this one. I have not been able to figure out what made for the good ones, and anyway no tobacco should make you work so hard to play to its strengths.

On a good day, there is a marvelous sour tang to the Latakia here that elevates this smoke into incredible territory. Good luck replicating that experience though. Most bowls are a lackluster, ordinary smoke that you could easily miss if something else in the room caught your attention. This one should age well due to the 50% Va content. Also worth mentioning is that this is pretty tame for a blend that is 50% Latakia.

Update 11/21/2011

I am adding one star. I don't know what it is about this simple 50/50 mixture. I get wildly inconsistent experiences with it. At its worst, it's an ok medium-full blend. Somewhere in the neighborhood of average. But I've had numerous bowls of this that had me singing its praises. I need to narrow down the factors that contribute to making this one sing. If you can dedicate yourself to figuring this one out, it's a great Lat blend.

On the back of all that I have heard about the monochromatic nature of this tobacco, I expected it to be somewhat dull.

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.

UPDATE (2016-09-05): Smoking from a stash dated May 2010 (more than six years old). Some say high Latakia blends don't improve much with age, but this stuff is so smooth and tasty I had to give an update. I was jonesing for some big Latakia and i remembered "Hey, don't I have some Commonwealth in my cabinet?" Yup. A pound of it in jars plus a couple tins. Had to crack one open tonight, and so happy I did! It's probably been three or four years since I had it and it's better than I remembered! Strong flavor, a bit tangy on the retrohale, but still surprisingly complex for a blend with only two weeds in it!

ORIGINAL (2009-12-13): Your tastebuds will revolt. They will picket, they'll throw rocks, they'll beg for mercy.

"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...

After many recent Virginia-letdowns, i decided to opt for sampling something quite different during my last visit to my local tobacco specialist. A sweet, woody, and cool jar aroma led me to try this - and I have not regretted it!

The ribbons are rather long, but presented no difficulty in packing, lot and stays lit easily.

What struck me as rather peculiar about this smoke, is it delivers a thick, cool smoke, but no overwhelming flavours. It delivers a slightly warming spice and cool woodiness, but impressed immensely with its aftertaste! It lingers on the tongue, and is impeccable throughout its stay, with delicious, sweet woody spices and vanillin, cool liquorice, and a slight fruity sweetness. Most prevalent is its woodiness. Not the least sour or ashy (bonfire-ish) as some Latakia blends tend to be. Peculiar and remarkable - this blend is really delicious!