Samuel Gawith Commonwealth Mixture

Bold, strong, full, smooth, deep, and with a strong personality. Obviously, it is highly suggested to people who absolutely love Latakia.

This is what my mind pictures when I light my pipe packed with Commonwealth: it is like smoking your pipe watching a beautiful winter sunset from the top of a silent volcano. Definitely an evocative smoking experience.

it s wonderful tobbaco for me.very nice english mixture and after smoke i have very nice feel.highly recommended.please smoke alone and relax when smoke.actully very very nice tobacco.i love it and its my favorate tobacco for ever

This tobacco is one of my favourites. I have to say it's definitely one of the best by Samuel Gawith (at least for me, because to be honest - the other blends aren't that great and not great at all). This mixture has the exact scent of an Englishman after he's had his tea & pipe at 5 o'clock. The combination of Latakia and Virginia is just right - it tastes harsh, but doesn't give you the feeling of wanting to call the fire extinguishers. Unlike some "Balkan" tries of Samuel Gawith this one is worth it.

As a pipe smoker you can smoke an English blend or you can smoke a man's English blend. Commonwealth Mixture is a man's English blend. I doesn't for a second try to hide ho unpretentious it is. You want Virginia? Well you got Virginia. Long cut, dark, angry Virginia that would make McClelland wet itself. You want Latakia? Well here it is, sweetheart. It's the other half of the blend. And that's all ya' get! Ha!

This blend is simple, pungent, and damned good. You have the almost unhinged and at times hot sweetness of stoved Virginia and, should you desire a reprieve, a full, meaty Latakia will come and rough you up for a little while. The flavor is full and the smoke is strong. You'll have to take time out to smoke this, because it will not take to the sidelines. You have to treat it with some respect too, smoke it slowly, otherwise it will hurt you.

Take it like a man and you will manage to experience, in equal proportions what fine, heavily stoved, African-grown Virginia leaf can do and also get a dose of the fullness of ashy, meaty Latakia in the process.

'You game, pilgrim?

Revised 04-14-2005

This was recommended as a replacement for "Raven's Wing" by the good folks at the now defunct Gus's Smoke Shop. While it did not have the same flavor, it did not disappoint at all. It smells like a strong Latakia blend in the tin, but when smoked, was balanced well with the steamed virginia. This blend developed the same type of chocolate, earthy note that "Charing Cross" has but not quite as complex although "meatier" in flavor. It is sweeter than that aforementioned blend too. I have been pleasantly surprised by this blend over and over, and will definitely recommend it to all those latakia lovers out there. I found it to be at the perfect moisture level for my taste and smoke it regularly, especially in big pipes.

If I were to undergo an exercise of imagination, and think back to what the old timers smoked in old Victorian London, I would imagine this is it. A simple blend, containing what seems to be equal amounts of Virginia and Latakia, starts and ends smoky and sweet. Since there are no mitigating tobacco variatles in the middle, it does tend to be a bit rough, but not unbearable ... I would even call it rustic. The nose is smoky, a tad fruity, a tad grassy, but mostly smoky. The nicotine content is a bit high, but quite bearable. Some people may not choose to smoke a second bowl during the day of this, due to the nicotine content. I did find myself in the past comparing SG blends with Asthon blends, the latest that comes to mind is finding some similarities between Squadron Leader and Consumate Genleman. Here I would compare this to Artisan't Blend, in as far as the smoky/sweetness combination, the later blend being smoother and a bit spicier due to the black cavendish, and the barely noticeable perique component. But I suppose if you like Artisan's, it is quite likely you will like Commonwealth as well.

An interesting tobacco for those who like mixtures where latakia is the main ingredient. Tin comes with a fairly high humidity level and at first it will be difficult to keep the pipe burning if the tobacco is not dried beforehand. After a few days, it can be packed directly without prior drying and the pipe can be kept lit without the need for many relightings.

As I have said, the main ingredient during the smoke is Latakia, with Virginia being a fairly silent guest. I was surprised to read in some reviews that speak of the sweetness of the mixture, when the tin that I got was on the dry side in this regard.

If I had acquired this mix when I started out as a pipe smoker, I would surely have praised its qualities, but now, fond of Balkan mixes as I am, I miss some other ingredients, such as oriental or perique. In this sense, I highly recommend Squadron Leader, from the same firm. Or in another case, I would also have liked it more if the virginias brought a little more sweetness, as happens for example in Balkan Mixture by Gawith & Hoggarth & Co.

However, it will give you one more chance, since I have smoked only one tin of this mixture.

09/13/2021: I am updating this review and giving the Commonwealth a star as I have continued to smoke it a bit longer.

The first pipe tobacco I ever smoked was Peterson Sherlock Holmes. I remember being surprised by the smell and taste, which was completely different from cigarettes. But the next one I smoked, Commonwealth, surpassed all these experiences. Latakia. This is the blend that showed me the appeal of a nice, earthy, musty, mellow, full-bodied leaf. I still buy and smoke a variety of blends, but Commonwealth is the one I smoke over and over again. There are so many gorgeous blends in this world. The only McClelland I have smoked in the past was Frog Morton on the Town. This blend had a sweetness and depth that impressed me. Commonwealth is always in short supply here in Japan, in the U.S., and around the world, but you can buy it. And you can smoke it. I will smoke Commonwealth for as long as the blend is in production, for as long as my life lasts.

50g Tin. A full on English,the sooty Cyprian latakia, its like a good old solid fuel coal fire chimney. Peppery spicy,woody like burning oak, leather and strong yellow English mustard hotness. Bready at times like a toasted french stick. The spice reminds me of lea and perrins worcester sauce. This sauce backs off when the tobacco is dried before smoking, then it gives a darker sooty beefy meaty toastyness. Sweet and piquant as well at moments,sometimes i get hints of burnt raisin taste. No need for perique in this one, its heavy anyway. My jar is from a Nov 2016 tin, its still got its creosote aroma. I think the virginias have rounded and become a bit sweeter in that time. They are so well melded with the latakia that I almost cannot differentiate the ingredients, I just taste the magic sum of the whole.

No bite, burns cool, burns long, tastes consistent down the bowl, no chemicals, stays lit, makes no gunk, burns to a fluffy dry graphite ash, no soap. Tastes more smokey latakia peppery when dried , produces a proper satisfying smoke that I can chew, see and smell whilst smoking. I really like the spicy autumnal bonfire room note this produces.

Capable of being an all dayer smoke, but I find that with all strong Latakias that the first bowl of the day tastes the most potent strongest. then the more i taste latakia the less I taste it so to speak, I only taste latakia best when I give it a rest period as well. A dry dedicated and well commonwealth caked briar is recommended for the maximum pepper factor, reloads gradually lose the special sooty pepperness and it becomes more of a spicy sauce taste. I suppose really I enjoy this best at the end of the day after dark, its atmospherics suit darkness to me. 4 Stars ****