Samuel Gawith Commonwealth Mixture

I tasted some but found the rough edge and flat, if not dull, taste may not be my personal preference. So I rated it as two stars: just smokable.Then I put it somewhere and forget.

After six months, when I discover it, commonwealth become as dry as brittle paper. Surprisingly, it smokes like heaven because commonwealth shows more mellow and smoky aroma, Virginia and Latakia perfectly merge and balance. So I rated it as four stars. In result, I conclude that if you significantly reduce the moisture of SG tobacco and cellar it carefully, the quality of mixture will be glowing.

Enjoy + Require buying + An all-day smoke → Four Stars Rating

Top latakia - virginia mixture! For all fans of real, powerful English mixtures and Latakia lovers , all around the world! This tobacco impressed me from the first bowl, so I immediately order from my US tobacconist 250 grams of this divine ambrosia! And to quote my predecessors; only for true fans of latakia, others - better to avoid! My deep respect, good old Samuel!

Probably the best English mix out there. And I say probably because I havent tried them all .....yet. Mellow, balanced and powerfull. Round all along the bowl, its mellow and powerful without being overwhelming. An underated beauty.

It´s curious just now I discover that my most dear blend of every day from 3 years ago,when it arrived at local tobacconist,were not yet reviewed.So simple blend La-Va but married to the top of perfection.I don´t know where from comes the leaf but remains year after year above the rest.Yes,we know the incredible Mc Clelland virginias of heavenly flavour,but they can get the balanced point of mixture with Latakia.Samuel Gawith get it,blessed mistery.Today I,m smoking the cellared stuff,in ceramic jar beside the local very long and hot summers maduration is overpowering,3 years become more than 12 in the tins,and it´s wonderfully different.Both versions,fresh and aged are excellent.Let´s hope the quality keep on the front line of these trustable tobaccos,the last bastion in the brithish pipe world.By the way,if you are looking for complexity obviously you can´t find it on this blend,but depth is another question.Easy to smoke every day,only when trying several pipes,to enjoy bowl variety.Nice cut.I also realize that are people who don´t like Samuel Gawith´s tobaccos as a rule.Taste is free but with Presby found again is ,at present time,my choice.

This is the best in its class (Lat. and VA only). I have smoked several English styles that lack the oriental component and this is one of the very best available. Lat is strong, although it is starting to mellow a little now. Nice smokey, peaty, earthy. The VA's are a little sweeter now too. Although steamed I think there must be a lot of red and browns as I get a sweetness that is malty and of roasted grain/breads but every now and then a note that is different, not citrus but sweet nonetheless. I cannot quite put my finger on it but it adds another element. Should age well I would like to try it at 5 yrs now too.

It says "Full Strength Mixture" on the tin, but this is not the same beast like Nightcap. Commonwealth Mixture is a light, cool, sweet smoke with a creamy tone. The tin aroma is smokey-sour, the room note drives your wife away, but the pipe is pure joy from the beginning to the last puff. High grade tobaccos, quite moist in the tin, needs drying else you need to relight every two minutes. Apart from that, five of five stars! Everybody who likes Lat should have this in rotation. Definitely recommended.

A traditionnal English tobacco, tranditionnal in its taste and in its quality. Good mixture of the Viriginia with a full Latakia addition which will please the smokers who enjoy that kind of blend.

One of the best of the Samuel Gawith range. I was disappointed by the Squadron leader blend, lacking Latakia to my taste. Here is something fully satisfactory. May I say it reminds me of the legendary Balkan Sobranie although I did not smoke that blend for twelve years?

First let me say I was going to give this three stars, simply because I will not be hoarding this tobacco, having said that, I have just compared this tobacco with Germain 1820 in a previous review, to which I gave three stars, and comparing the two together, this must surely rate four.

A dark broken flake of quality tobacco's, a good honest English tobacco and well balanced. Packs and lights easy, a well behaved burn requiring minimum maintenance and a good flavour all the way through.

Personally, IMHO, I do not find this to be a full strength mixture, more in the line of medium, a good but by no means, an overpowering amount of latakia, complimented by fine quality virginias. This can make a nice diversion, if not an occasional change from Squadron leader. Most certainly worth a try.

Contrary to my apprehensions the mixture arrived at the perfect moisture level for smoking (the tins were bought in London). The initial aroma was, of course, latakia, but by no means over-whelmingly latakia. The virginias hold their own.

Predisposed to the combination of virginia and latakia only by Balkan Flake, I expected Commonwealth Mixture to be just a latakia heavy version of BF. It is not so: I cannot tell whether the virginias are different or the latakia is different, but BF is a little smokier than CM. Perhaps the flake form concentrates the flavours.

The mixture is very cool smoking and lasts a long time. The virginias continue to hold their own when the pipe is lit, and are not trodden over by the latakia. The over all effect is of a rich and opulent blend, not at all one-sided. (I wonder whether the proportions of the two tobaccos are by weight or by volume, and whether it would make a difference?)

I had described Nightcap as being Wagnerian, and Pirate Kake as a brass band. CM could perhaps be best described as a sonata for organ and trumpet - though I am not sure which tobacco is the organ, and which the trumpet.