Samuel Gawith Commonwealth Mixture

Upon opening this ripe old tin, you will be greeted by a very oily wax paper cover that protects a dark, rich looking blend with a smattering of sugar crystals all over the leaf. The tin bouquet is enticing and will cause the body to undergo a trembling sensation as you load your pipe. It was not all that easy to pack anyway because the leaf is very long-stranded. At the match, this one provide a pleasant, sweet Latakia flavor with delightful aged Virginia playing in the background. A 50/50 Virginia/Latakia blend that will please.

A real manly smoke. I personally love Latakia so a mixture of 50 percent Latakia and 50 percent Virginia would be a mix made in heaven. This blend is very smoky, leathery, and earthy, has some floral overtones as well. Holds a light. Burns clean and smells ever so lovely and stinky strong. Like I said a real manly smoke. Peace.

For all you English/Latakia lovers out there, you are really missing out if you haven't tried this one. For those of you who are not fans of English blends, you should stay away. This stuff is awesome. I would give it four stars if they reduced the latakia by 10%, the virginias by 10% and replaced the missing 20% with something else to add some complexity. I would recommend perique. But alas, they would need to change the name to something other than Commonwealth (Acadian English Alliance... no how cheesy). However, if you are just plain craving latakia and virginias, then this is the bomb.

It lights very easily and has the right amount of moisture out of the tin. This is contrary to one of SG's other fan favorite latakia blends, Squadron Leader - which I will review at a later date. Just suffice it to say that I like this blend more than Squadron Leader.

This blend will always have a place in my rotation so long as I am a pipe smoker. There are a few other English blends that I like more (Ashton Artisan's Blend which I will review at a later date will certainly be getting a full four stars), but this one will definitely remain a member of my crew of English friends.

Samuel Gawith - Commonwealth Mixture.

The mixture covers the whole spectrum of tobacco colours, right from bright yellow to jet black. The aroma of the mixture is delightful, a very rich and intoxicating blend of smoky Latakia, a touch of raisins and an almost peaty quality. Moisture level is superb with this one, requiring no extra time to dry.

Due to the moisture it lights with great ease, giving a brilliant/even burn leaving a grey ash. I can't find a negative point with the flavour of the smoke, the Virginia gives it a very solid base with the smoky eminence from the Latakia really shining brightly. I don't get any dried fruit as I did in the aroma at all, but what I do get is pure brilliance.

Room note: full, but I like. Nicotine: medium.

I feel that if you like Latakia smokiness then this one is a must for you to try!

Four stars.

Medium cut. Powerful smell. Taste - rich, sweetish, dark, smoky, plum-pudding. Marked liquorice note - not unlike some dark beers, such as Theakston's 'Old Peculier', in that respect, and the two go well together. Despite the high Latakia content, it is well balanced by the Virginia. Pure latakia is strongly-flavoured but curiously lacking in body, as I discovered when I smoked some experimentally. This mixture, therefore, could have been a bit thin - but it isn't. The Virginia has been well chosen to beef it up. This is one of my four S.G. regulars. So far, I have only ever tried it new, but I have five tins of it ageing - 9 months old at the moment - and will open one every Christmas for the next five years, to see what happens to it as it ages.

An unbelievably smooth and cool smoke that is entirely planar -- no depth, no subtlety, no nuance, no complexity -- but it's nonetheless a most rich, full and satisfying smoke.

Others here have commented on the single note of this blend, which is entirely accurate. But if you happen to like that note, which I do -- very much -- then this is a wonderful blend. Single notes can be very pleasant: the sound of wind in the trees, the sound of river water... In this blend it's the timbre of the note that delights, and this is a velvety bassoon.

It's an ambient, terrifically full smoke that may not tease you with its subtlety or depth, and sometimes that's just what you want when all you're looking for is an excellent, smooth, simple, solid, pleasant smoke you can sink your teeth into, a real latakia lover's dream. Not an everyday smoke for me, but definitely in my rotation.

A 50/50 mix of Latakia & Virginia hardly seems like a novel idea. I would assume that just about every person who has tried their hand at home-blending has attempted something similar to this with a varying degree of success. Commonwealth Mixture could easily be an average smoke, maybe even boring. However, the quality of the leaf, combined with the way Sam Gawith processes their Virginias for optimal sweetness, turns a seemingly simple blend into something that is way more compelling than I would have ever imagined.

The tin note is a full, smoky & just plain wonderful. Like Squadron Leader or Skiff Mixture, the tobacco is cut thin; it's easy to pack and requires very little dry time. When lit, the flavor is Latakia-forward with the Virginia adding a subtle influence of sweetness and there’s a touch of spice on the finish. As the bowl warms, the toasty flavors of the Virginias come forth and begin to harmonize with the Latakia, making for a moderately complex, perfectly balanced and incredibly tasty smoke. As expected, end bowl flavors are spicy, rich and focused.

In my humble opinion, this is a lovely English mixture. The tobacco flavor strength is a firm medium, nicotine strength is mild to medium. I prefer smoking this in a pipe with a wider & more shallow bowl, which helps to coax out some extra complexities. For me, a classic and an instant favorite.

I value my wife's opinion when it comes to Latakia blends, because I find that her nose is the best indicator of quality. She calls them my "leave him alone to smoke in peace and quiet" tobaccos because she hates the smell. However she is able to differentiate between them all with uncanny accuracy, for it seems that her reaction to the room aroma of a good stout English blend is inversely proportional to the actual quality of the smoke. She tells me English Luxury is "awful." "Erinmore Balkan is "shocking." Squadron leader "stinks." Frog Morton is "terrible." And she has always despised anything that came from the house of Dunhill. So, after loading my trusty Ashton XX Pebble Grain and setting it alight, I asked the good woman her opinion of Commonwealth Mixture. When she walked back inside the house, slamming the door behind her, I knew I was onto something extraordinary. If you like blends with a lot of Latakia, then Commonwealth is definitely worth trying. To my tastes it is cool, smooth and bite free. A one note song from start to finish, indeed it is, but what a note! Latakia all the way! Think coal tar, steam trains, leather, campfires, blacksmith shops of old, witch hazel, dust and old machinery. It won't save your marriage, but it might get you a bit of peace and quiet. In short, I think it is sublime.

The Lat is of good quality offering ample smoke and wood with a mild spice. The Virginias offer no flavor and only a hint of sweetness. It's almost like smoking straight Lat which doesn't do a thing for me. Pretty boring actually. Seems to be a "blend" for Lat junkies only. The quality of this Lat is the only thing that keeps me from giving this 1 star. It'll make a good blending component.

Medium in body and taste. No added flavoring. Burns well.

A dark, rich looking blend of great aroma (Latakia mostly): Very smoky, leathery, and earthy. No Oriental, no floral or fruity notes, no complexity or sophistication... Pure "Good Tobacco" and nothing more. A noble one: Serious and generous. It lights very easily and burns clean. One of my favorites