Robert Lewis Tree Mixture

No doubt this tobacco has caused many gallons of virtual ink to be spilled by self proclaimed experts on obscure blogs and forums, is it an English, is it a balkan, is it a Scottish mixture or something else entirely. No doubt the discussions have became heated, the sycophantic minions of the big boys club on both sides of the camp will have nodded sagely at the self proclaimed experts opinion whilst with fire and fury instantly jumping into action to quash any disent of their masters opinion. Is it an English? Is it a balkan or something else entirely? Ask 10 different pipe smokers and you will get 10 different answers. However ask an 11th pipe smoker like myself and my answer will be "it tastes good i don't particularly care.".

Rant over back to the tobacco. Opening the tin you are greeted with a mostly dark mixture, interspersed with some lighter flecks of yellow Virginia and the slightly green Orientals. Its aroma isn't as forthcoming or brutal as other latakia mixtures but the typical creosote, smokey campfire and dickensian squalor aromas are there typically. Packing is an easy affair, along with the lighting and once you are away, my goodness this wonderful. The addition of the black Cavendish, rounds off any rough harsh edges of the blends and keeps the latakia in check by not allowing it to totally dominate all the other flavours. The spice of the Orientals, the citrus and hay of the Virginia are all easily discernible. This is blending at its finest, no one tobacco dominates the rest and it maintains its flavour and aroma right to the bottom of the bowl. Strength wise it is a nice middle of the road affair never too potent never too weak, room note won't win over any non smoking companions however I find it delightful.

The word on this blend is that this blend was maintained as a private blend by one man, the mysterious colonel tree, for nearly 50 years and it wasn't until the end of the 20th century that it was finally released to the public. So in effect you can say this was one of the best kept secrets in pipe smoking, and I can see why. 4.stars.

From notes taken from my prior review in 2011 before rejoining Tobacco Reviews. This is a slow burning full flavor tobacco. Well balanced between the different types of leaf make this a very satisfying smoke. This is one, not the best but "one" of the best English mixtures I've smoked and to me, like Old Dublin, in my opinion, also seems much more like a Balkan Mixture although the terminology of either is relatively academic... why not just call them what they are... Latakia blends & stamp the tin percentage amount so the smoker can decide as to his/her own choice which Latakia variety that suits his/her smoking requirement, & how much he/she prefers in a blend & not have to suffer the trial & error method.

Well, anyway, the interplay among the varietals join together and provide a very satisfying and enjoyable smoke session with a unique taste and sort of an aromatic essence that I can't put a handle on. One reason I liked the blend is because it didn't seem to be overladen with Latakia... just the right balance. I'll be trying this again as soon as it becomes available somewhere. The good stuff is always "on backorder" & one must endure the waiting game to acquire the better blends. Tree Mixture like Old Dublin both had a unique flavor that I enjoyed.

This is a slow burning full flavor tobacco. Well balanced between the different types of leaf make this a very satisfying smoke. This is one, not the best but "one" of the best English mixtures I've smoked and to me, like Old Dublin, in my opinion, also seems much more like a Balkan Mixture although the terminology of either is relatively academic... why not just call them what they are... Latakia blends & stamp the tin with the type & percentage amount so the smoker can decide as to his/her own choice which strength to choose, or how much he/she prefers in a blend & not have to suffer the trial & error method.

Well, anyway, the interplay among the varietals join together and provide a very satisfying and enjoyable smoke session with a unique taste and sort of an aromatic essence that I can't put a handle on. One reason I liked the blend is because it didn't seem to be overladen with Latakia... just the right balance. I'll be trying this again as soon as it becomes available somewhere. The good stuff is always "on backorder" & one must endure the waiting game to acquire the better blends. Tree Mixture like Old Dublin both had a unique flavor that I enjoyed.

Great tobacco !!!! one of the best Balkan mixtures available today in the market. Nice, cool creamy smoke, no chance of bite, dry smoke till the end. Almost full in flavor. Highly recommended !!!

Light brown to black ribbons with a hazy hue. Tin nose was of latakia and Virginia. I detected no oriental or Cavendish in the nose. The cut was mostly narrow ribbons but with some chunkier ones in the mix.

I smoked this and eventually started taking notes because this one was an odd one. Supposedly it contains orientals and Cavendish and I tried in vain to find those flavors. There were none of the usual oriental descriptors - no middle eastern spice (beyond the latakia), no sweet and sour or incense, etc. The blend had a natural sweetness that didn't taste Cavendish-derived. The Virginias seemed to be a mix of lemon (light) and heavier dark leaf with a small amount of latakia. Even so, the latakia ran the show. It wasn't heavy but it supplied its usual smokiness with spice, while the Virginias formed a nice base and added body. Snorking brought the latakia to the fore, but still no orientals. Every once in awhile I thought I'd caught their scent but at no time did I taste anything resembling non-lat oriental tobacco. I did some research and found that this is also known in certain places as a Virginia/latakia only blend, and that's how it struck me. If there are orientals here, they are way, way, WAY to the rear. As an oriental blend, this failed but it was a very workmanlike VA/Lat blend with an excellent mouthfeel and some moderate complexity. Nothing for the rotation, but very good.

I've been smoking this a reasonable amount recently, and find myself reaching for it in preference to the current versions of Dunhill's 965 and London Mixture.

I'd agree with Il Commissario that this can be a little inconsistent, but it's a very enjoyable smoke, with a nice balance of spiciness, smokiness, and a slightly sweet, at times chocolately, base.

Not easy to find and not cheap but worth it.

I bought Tree Mixture and Wingfield Mixture in the London shop where they are house blends. Tins were opened and I had the opportunity to have a smell at the tin note. Just to mention that Tree seems stronger as Wingfield. Here is my review for Tree. Later will come the review for Wingfield.

First I must mention that the tin is more difficult to open as usual. Whatever the reason the reason, the moisture was perfect: not to wet and not to dry, allowing to light it easily and to have from the first minute a good idea of the blend.

Now, what a luxury! If the tin note let anticipate high quality tobacco, that is fully confirmed when smoking it. Long, cool smoke with the different aromas of the tobaccos mixing perfectly.

My benchmark regarding English blend is Royalty from Davidoff, easy to find and one of my favorites. This Tree extends its leaves and branches well over Royalty.

The tobacco seems to be roughly equal mixture of dark (mainly Latakia), brown (orientals) and golden (Virginia) ribbon. The tin note is tangy and earthy with a strong smoked-wood smell backed by a distinct dried apricot-like sweetness.

The tobacco smokes slowly and cool throughout the bowl, and often with very few relights. The Latakia is upfront but is mellowed by a fragrant, slightly floral sweetness. Not particularly peppery or smoky, it is sour to tangy in character. Mid-bowl the background sweetness becomes more rich and chocolate-like and makes a very pleasurable smoke at times. But it can be quite temperamental, alternating from sweet and fragrant to sour and tangy, and not particularly smooth. Compared to other Latakia-blends, I feel this is a little unbalanced and not quite 4 stars.

This is a slow burning full flavor tobacco. Well balanced between the different types of leaf make this a very satisfying smoke.