Samuel Gawith Westmorland Mixture

Lots of taste and lots of interplay, yet it's not a subtle blend. It's a refined blend. I'd compare it to 19th century French cuisine, Viennese pastry or Metaxa brandy. Metaxa is a brandy with added herbal aromas. Very difficult for a millenial like myself to grasp. If the brandy itself is good quality, then why add something else? See, I understand the concept of single origin, and I also understand the concept of a blend. But some things are neither. Westmorland, to me, seems to belong in a pre-WWI-context, along with the other examples I gave. It’s an attempt to have all the subtlety, but on the surface. Not: a surface layer you have to penetrate and then the layers beneath where you discover more tastes the deeper you go. But: a delicate mixture of tastes right in the front, that is however balanced to perfection.

I like it. The latakia adds some depth, and that’s mainly what it does. I can’t describe the taste, but I find it tastes warm and friendly. Don't expect the taste of an English blend with cavendish added. It's got the same parts, but a totally different result.

I rate it 3,5 out of 4, by which I mean: I could smoke this exclusively, but I like it slightly less then 4 star tobaccos.

Bright yellow Virginia ribbon cut with flecks of black Cavendish. The tin note is like sweet fresh hay with a faint hint of Latakia. Slightly moist in the tin. The taste is pleasant, mild Virginias and the Cavendish (Tonquin?) gives a nice smooth buttery sweetness, with a very subtle hint of Latakia barely peeking through, and the occasional barest hint of mild mint? This would be ideal for someone who is used to plain Va/Cavendish blends to get a hint of Latakia without it being overpowering, but I suspect a Latakia afficionado would find this rather bland. Personally, I like it and could smoke this on a semi-regular basis.

Westmoreland Mixture is both very pleasant and very strange. It is nice and moist in the tin and the tin aroma of the blonde weed is well, nice and unusual. Not really sweet nor perfume like, not herbal a unique scent of it's own, likely the dominance of the Tonquin bean. Upon lighting it sparks up easily, burns smoothly and really doesn't need a re-light. I've smoked it twice once in a nice smallish Danish Jarl and most recently in a compact vintage GBD Dublin. The first thing I tasted was an unusual slightly sour and musty flavor. The flavor then seemed to gently blossom into a mildly sweet flavor that matched the tin aroma with a light velvety texture. I experienced no tongue bite at all and in spite of the moisture level of the tobacco it smoked supremely dry. Whether it's a high nicotine level or the Tonquin, after a bit it I began to feel it in my head and so I rested my pipe. I picked it up a few moments later and puffed away and it had stayed lit. I found this to be a very enjoyable blend. I feel that a bit of a warning is however required here. Besides being an old fashioned flavoring agent, Tonquin bean is also the source of Coumadin a blood thinner. After smoking I flossed my teeth and experienced bleeding from my gums which was unusual. I am not on any any blood thinning medication but I believe that someone with a history of cardio-vascular problems or who is on Coumadin or Wafarin should take that into consideration before smoking this mixture. Otherwise I would rate in four stars as I greatly enjoyed the experience of smoking it.

I chose this one as another step on the pathway of trying to sample as many SG tobaccos as possible. I didn't have any real reason for picking it, just fancied the name as much as anything, it's worked for me before so worth trying again.

The tin aroma was very mild, not sure what to make it to be honest, possible hints of latakia but little else. After a relatively easy pack of the pipe, found lighting this unpleasantly, surprisingly and annoyingly difficult. I see other reviews mention that this is a slow smoke so hardly the most flammable leaf by the sounds of it, not sure it's excusable for a tobacco this finely cut though. Once lit though, this proves to be a decent enough tobacco, if a little too mellow. It dances nicely between Grousemoor virginia and Squadron Leader latakia, maybe giving odd little hints of cavendish on the way, perhaps giving a little toffee or golden syrup.

In summary, it's much like a Grousemour/Squadron Leader remix lite, perhaps a little too mild (and that's saying something from me who loves a mild leaf) but nonetheless blends two of SG's finest well. The major downside for this though, is that lighting problem. This is finely cut and should light pretty well even well damp. However, this demands almost constant attention, even more so than a particularly tricky flake. Ordinarily, I might be humming and harring a bit between giving it a three and a four, probably settling on latter due to my self confessed bias towards SG. Ultimately though, that lighting issue is enough to condemn it to a three star status.

Update Jnauary 2011: I find it now just a little bit too sweet for me, but still I recommend you try it for yourself, it is IMO a very underrated tobacco...

Initially a little disappointing, but after the tin had been opened for 2 weeks Westmorland surprised me by having become absolutely first class yummie!

Update: a woman friend entering my smoking shack was pleasantly surprised by the roomnote!!

Update: during finishing the tin it grew on me and became one of my faves

A very well achieved Scottish mix. I find it nicer than the Dunhill 965 (which I find too Black Cavendish). In any case, I think the mix of Rattrays "Black Mallory" is superior.

Smoking now:

Almost a 12 year old tin. This review reflects that. Tin note is a dark, fermented, vinegar, tangy fruit aroma. Reminds me of ketchup in a glass bottle. The moisture in this after 11 years and 10 months is still there although it is a SG blend. Usually they’re so wet right out of the tin. This one is sticky, and I still dried it out slightly.

The taste is mild. It’s a dark fermented tangy fruit, hay, and also a tad bit of earth, wood, smokey incense from the Latakia. I don’t detect much of a topping although it might have wore off after a decade. I would say there’s a little sweetness and flavor added to it. Maybe tonquin bean. The more I smoked this blend the more of the tonquin bean I detect and it’s nice. The retrohale is okay and there’s that familiar Latakia taste and smell. Not a L lat bomb it’s just there in second place. The topping and age I suspect retards the Latakia. The aftertaste is nice and short lived. Required a few more relights than average but SG blends are so wet. It could be repeated all day. If pushed it can get harsh. It’s a mild and easy going dark Virginia and cavendish with some flavoring, sweetness, and a pinch of Latakia. It’s quite alright.

The flavor goes from smoky earth and woodsy to dark fruit, slight grassy citrus sweetness and there's some floral and spice in there as well, and this is an old tin by the looks of it. I really don't pick up on the tonquin bean, like in the 1792 which is unbearable to me, no in Westmorland it's different, warmer maybe some kind of cordial or spirit. But yea definitely something going on in the topping department. Overall an enjoyable blend and repeatable during the day. I think it does have some type of Lakeland essence but not soapy like Cabbies Mixture was, and no there is none in squadron leader.. Suprisingly full taste and a good amount of nicotine had me putting my pipe down satisfied multiple times (Kentucky?!)... I'll give it a 3.5 and I'd put it outside my rotation, as a once a month kind of blend.

A nice blend from Samuel Gawith. Strong note in the tin. A nice smoke, quite fulfilling. I did not detect much aromatic tendency but the blend is worth a try.