Charatan No. 10 Mixture

One of the better Charatan attempts to make a substitute for the missing Dunhill blends, this one isn't the same as London Mixture, but it does help scratch the same itch for a fairly strong, spicy oriental leading English mixture. In continuing my sampling of these blends, I've been smoking the two alongside, to compare properly.

Appearance: mix of amber, brown and a little black ribbon very similar to London Mixture, although the cut of these Charatan blends isn't as neat or even, with a few big leafy pieces. The moisture content is about average, not unduly wet or dry.

Tin aroma - oriental funk, yeast, spice, leaf mould. Hint of incense, and subtle smokiness from the latakia. There is an overlying iced bun sweetness similar to that I noticed in the the Charatan Royal Ensign /Standard Mixture substitute, although it isn't as prominent here. I'm thinking it's to do with the Virginias Charatan are using.

It lights easily, and the flavour is pleasant, with bready flavours intermingled with spice and an astringent nutty character. There is a sweetness here that London Mixture doesn't have, but it's not excessive. There is some flavour progression as you smoke it, with a gathering richness and spice. It gets stronger as you make your way through the bowl.

I think the nicotine content is at least the same as in the London Mixture. The room aroma seems to be what you'd expect from an English mixture, nothing excessive and it doesn't hang around. It doesn't need much attention or relights, and you can burn every last shred.

In summary, a nice smoke, playing a similar tune to its inspiration, although a little sweeter. I love my English mixtures to have plenty of orientals, so it suits me, and it's fairly economical. Just a shame about the name really. I think the chances of a pipe smoker entering No. 10 Downing Street these days are about the same as those of our ever having an honest Prime Minister...

It is said that “Charatan No. 10 Mixture” is inspired by the former “Dunhill London Mixture”, which had been my favourite smoke during many years. Therefore I have high expectations.

First draws, first impressions: Optimal moisture, good burn. A striking sweetness and flavour of Black Cavendish. Am I smoking an Aromatic? Trepidation. Quite weak. I am impatiently waiting for the development of an “English” taste.

In succinct, I am very disappointed. Even in my king size pipes I have to wait to the last third in order to identify this mixture as a somewhat English blend, rather than a light Aromatic. The Virginias are weak and not of first choice. Latakia is there, in the background, donating a smoky whiff. Oriental/Turkish is only noticeable in the second half of the bowl. The whole smoke is accompanied by an undesirable added artificial sweetness and casing or topping. Now and then I get some acrid side-notes from these additives. None of the tobaccos contained deploys a satisfying aroma of its type.

I really wanted to like this mixture, since I am looking for a successor of my beloved “Dunhill London Mixture”. This blend has nothing in common with “London Mixture”. In my opinion it does not even deserve its own merit, it’s a fail. The abundant casing or topping is out of place in a supposedly classical English mixture. I tried hard and eventually gave up after having smoked half of the tin.

This blend is made in an attempt to copy Dunhill London Mixture. Another similar blend released by Gregory Pease, Westminster, is among my favorites, so it's hard for me to write a review without comparison to it.

Appearance: a relatively evenly sliced ribbon of Virginias is mixed with a much less even cut of Orientals, while the Latakia cut is "as is". Despite the fact that the tin was released in early 2022, all parts of blend are easily distinguishable - I counted three varieties of Virginias, two varieties of Orientals (one of which has a slightly greenish tint, which confused me a bit) and Latakia. The overall shades of the blend are lighter in color than the G.L. Pease Westminster, reminding the same Dunhill London Mixture. The tobacco has a moisture content close to excellent, glycerin and propylene glycol are minor. As for the condition, small sticks are present.

Flavor: suede and a bit of tar, an earthy mossy flavor, a light hay note, a bit of sun-dried tomatoes, a sour milk note and some spice, with a faint wormwood note thrown in. Compared to Westminster, the flavor is significantly less bright and subdued. In addition, the spices of Orientals are rather quickly weathered out.

Taste: The overall bouquet is quite bright, initially a bit sharp. Light smokiness and some meat juice, rather bright woody note, sour-sweet spice gathering, mild creamy sourness is present in the taste, disappearing only by the middle of the pipe. On the retrohale you can feel the peppery spice (which, however, is quickly extinguished) and a barely noticeable pine note. The tobacco quickly comes to volume, the last remnants of sweetness disappear (in Westminster the Virginia notes are present till the end of smoking and even slightly intensify). Dry woody-spicy taste with a slight smokiness accompanies you during almost all smoking, without changing in intensity and flavor nuances. The strength of tobacco is medium, in very large pipes nicotine hit is possible. The tobacco smokes extremely cool, burns slowly, burns out into fine light gray ash without lumps, leaving a small amount of moisture in the pipe. The aftertaste is woody, slightly astringent.

Smoke of the tobacco has a woody-earthy odor with fragrance of fragrant pepper. It is quite persistent in the room.

What's the bottom line? A good English everyday tobacco that is somewhat reminiscent of Dunhill London Mixture from the Murray days, but seriously different from current examples. Unfortunately, it lacks the fullness of flavor of the old Dunhill. Nevertheless, if Westminster didn't exist, I would prefer the #10 Mixture to the current Peterson-branded London Mixture or Kopp's other attempt to recreate this blend in the Robert McConnell Heritage series.

Charatan No. 10 (clone del London Mixture). Cosa dire, in sintesi, un bel fumare, ricorda l'Originale, forse è più dolce, almeno negli inizi. E' il Virginia che prevale, e questa è una costante in tutte le cariche, un Virgina più fruttato che erbaceo.Poi finalmente escono gli Orientali misti col Latakia; un Latakia educato e non coatto, che dona aroma e amalgama alla miscela. Gli orientali sono ben generosi come deve essere questa miscela. La progressione di aromi esiste, non clamorosa, ma presente e questo non rende la fumata mai noiosa. Sicuramente le differenze con l'originale esistono, ma ormai scomparso a noi pipatori, con questo possiamo benissimo rivivere alcune emozioni e sapori. Il tabacco si presenta con un ribbon non troppo omogeneo, dai colori ambrati e variegati, ottimo il grado di umidità. L'accensione è rapida e la fumata va praticamente avanti da se. Ovvio non esiste in Italia.

Tin note of mild smokey, mild sour, and sweet spiced dark fruit. Tobacco is mostly an orangish tan and brown, with a little black and dark brown mixed in. The cut is a mix of ribbon and a small rough cut. Tobacco is on the dry side, no prep needed. Burns moderately with few relights. The strength is mild to medium and nic is mild. No flavoring detected. Taste is mild to medium and consistent, with notes of wood, very mild sweet dark fruit, herbal spices, very bready, moderately spicy, earth, leather, mildly smoky, a lemon grass background note, and a peppery retro. Oriental/Turkish is leading with Virginia trying support, Latakia got lost somewhere. Room note is tolerable, and aftertaste is good.