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.

Sweet, citrusy Virginia coalescing with delightfully musky, smokey Latakia. Can’t really mess this up.

However, like all SG blends, I have to wait until they’re in stock, get them, jar them because the tins don’t seal. Can’t stock up because they’re either sold out or retailers have a purchase limit on them…then the tobacco itself is impossible for me to smoke because it’s almost goopy out of the tin, so it has to dry for a bit and then be carefully smoked, or else the bite comes on. It’s too hot, too wet, and just not worth it to me as far as flavor goes. There are other blends from both sides of the pond that are just as, if not more enjoyable, that one can reliably acquire, store, and smoke without the extra drama.

It’s good, just not that good. It’s not worth the hassle and artificial demand. I’m all for slowing down, enjoying the ritual. But the ritual itself has to lead to a fulfilling pay off, and this blend falls short for me. Just like the rest of my Gawith blends—some I love, some I’m ambivalent towards—I’ll smoke it all but probably won’t bother with it again.

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.

First a big thanks for the over generous sample of this fine pipe tobacco from a fellow piper. So, this is Latakia and Virginia only. Interesting. This is a nice-looking ribbon of medium/dark reddish-brown tobaccos interspersed with black tobacco which I take to be the Latakia. The tin note reminds me of a nice mild smell of leather. It was really foggy and damp this morning as I sat on the porch with my coffee and proceeded to lite this one up. Maybe it was the dampness but it took me quite a number of matches before I could get this one started properly. We will blame operator error. Mostly what I tasted throughout the day as this was the only blend, I smoked was the Latakia. I am sure the Virginia was lurking in there somewhere. Quite a few of the reviewers mention that this is a 50/50 blend and it may well be but the Lat tends to override the VA. Not sure if this makes sense but throughout the day smoking this felt like the smoke kind of lays thick on the tongue, probably due to the fact I smoked more than normal yesterday which I always seem to do at the club. I did a search on this site out of curiosity and found 79 Latakia/Virginia blends that are listed. If you can live without the Turkish/Burley/Perique/Cav give this one a try. If you buy it and tinker with it by adding your own ingredients you might as well pass as this is a good smoke in its own right.

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.