Compton's of Galashiels York Full Mixture

(3.59)
A very full English blend. It took us three years to get this blend right. It is over 45% latakia with a heavy helping of Orientals with cavendish and brown Virginias. This blend is so smooth that we were surprised. A number of our customers tell us they find this very similar to Dunhill 965 (Murray's).

Details

Brand Compton's of Galashiels
Blended By Maxim Engel
Manufactured By  
Blend Type English
Contents Cavendish, Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia
Flavoring
Cut Ribbon
Packaging 100 grams bag
Country Canada
Production No longer in production

Profile

Strength
Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Full
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming

Average Rating

3.59 / 4
14

7

1

0

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 22 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 16, 2018 Medium None Detected Medium to Full Tolerable
The smoky, woody, lightly musty, fairly sweet Cyprian latakia is the lead component, comprising 45% of the blend. However, this is no lat-bomb as all the varietals combine to create a synergistic, mildly complex whole. The earthy, woody, buttery sweet, dry, spicy, lightly sour and floral Orientals are the main supporting players. The lightly tangy dark fruity, earthy brown Virginias, some of which are processed in the cavendish style, tend to be mostly a condiment. The strength level is medium, while the taste is a step or so past that. The nic-hit is closer to medium than it is to mild. Won’t bite and has no harsh notes. Burns cool and clean at a reasonable pace with a slightly inconsistent, but rich sweet and savory flavor from top to bottom. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Has a pleasantly lingering spicy campfire after taste. Not quite an all day smoke, but experienced smokers may find it repeatable. Three and a half stars.

-JimInks
5 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 20, 2008 Strong None Detected Full Pleasant
How does one describe York Mixture Full, its essence, its mass? I will, with pause and consideration, as well as, with delight. Call me old fashioned, but the fact it doesn?t arrive affixed with a barcode is reassuring. Run your hands through the blend and smile that aggregates are not uniformly manipulated. With cupped hands raised, slowly draw deep aromatic pleasure. All this, before a single match is lit.

Upon lighting you sense you?re in for a great smoke. Indeed this mixture is full, spicy and complex- yes, very English. This tobacco is very big. So you expect the Latakia and Orientals assertiveness and yet the brown Cavendish adds a sweet and sublime softness. I must mention separately the Virginian, which for me, chirps brightly with zest. And with that bright Virginia present my palate never dulls. York arrives a bit dryer (my preference) than Dunhill, but smokes exceedingly well. An off white ash is all that remains. Much like a small bakery or microbrewer, Max provides an artisan passion and skill to the Compton?s line!

Highly recommended.
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 05, 2015 Medium None Detected Medium to Full Pleasant
I guess there is a similarity between York Full and Dunhill's 965, but I find this one to be heavier and more naturally sweet. I thoroughly enjoyed the way the Latakia dominated, but also appreciated the subtle spicy sweetness of the Orientals. The Cavendish added a lot of belly to this one. Truly a fine smoke.

Pipestud
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 12, 2015 Medium Extremely Mild Medium Pleasant
Based on a 5-bowl sample, which is more than I ever thought I'd get! Thanks to the internet buddy that sent it. This is a "full English color scheme" of blonde to black with a rich and luxurious nose of latakia and supporting tobaccos. My sample came from a fresh pouch and was sufficiently dry but not too dry.

I got a hint of the 965 reference but this doesn't taste like an attempt at a clone... more of an attempt to offer an alternative to a blend no longer made by Murrays. It is more medium tasting to me than full, with the latakia rulingd but not in despotic fashion. The supporting tobaccos have a clear role as well, although the latakia took over in the last quarter bowl. It's a rich tasting blend, full of flavor, but didn't wear me out even using the large bowls I prefer. There are a ton of English mixtures out there but, like those from GL Pease, this one doesn't seem like an also ran in a crowded field. It stands out like the old ones by John Cotton and Dunhill did back in the day. Excellent mixture. Loses a star because of availability and Maxim's idea of customer service. I've waited 15 months for my bag of this and have long since grown weary of the constant follow up that resolves nothing. If you have the patience of Job and are lucky enough to finally score this, you will be amply rewarded.
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 17, 2013 Medium None Detected Full Very Pleasant
I'm really, really bored with English mixtures. Or I thought I was. This stuff is a real head-turner. From the pouch it smells like Heaven. All the pictures, memories, fantasies flash past -- old libraries, old-fashioned tobacco stores (not in a mall, but in a been-there-forever hole in the wall crammed with more tobacco than you thought it could hold), leather chairs at the club. All the good pictures I associate with English mixes, like Downton Abbey with 90% less estrogen. Anyhow, I dried it for 15 minutes. It's fairly dry out of the pouch, but the moisture will stay for awhile. You can spend the time admiring the way the tobacco looks, its obvious quality and the pleasing mixture of black, chestnut, ochre and earth.

Lights easily and stays lit; thick blue-white smoke that hangs around until it disappears (no little clouds drifting in far corners of the room). The first thing that slams into the tongue is Latakia -- lots of it, followed by orientals which are more sweet than sour. I found if I puffed slowly, sippingly, the Virginias would burst into view. Then it was sublime, I mean really sublime. Pure, perfect Virginia flavor flanked by oriental and latakia, like supporters on a coat of arms. The strength is acceptable to me -- medium to strong, just the way I like ‘em (when I'm not in the mood for more, that is).

But then trouble came to Eden. The Virginia would not stay. Slowly, inexorably, it was covered over by the latakia and oriental; the Virginia would be gone for awhile, then re-emerge to sighs of joy, and then leave again, but each visit was shorter and shorter until the Virginia was gone for good and there was nothing but latakia and oriental banging back and forth like doors on an empty saloon in a deserted boom town. Maybe smokers with more experience, or a more refined palate, could enjoy more of these Virginia moments. I couldn't. But man, this is fantastic stuff and if you like full-bore flavor English mixes you owe it to yourself to buy some and see if you can entice Lady Virginia to stay.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Oct 24, 2013 Strong None Detected Very Full Pleasant to Tolerable
Of the tobaccos I've tried, I find no flaw in Compton tobacco blends. The York Full Mixture is my personal favorite. No other tobacco brand need be tried, as I'm completely satisfied with this one. To keep sampling new possibilities (which seem endless these days) suggests that too much attention is being paid to a pleasant, though relatively inconsequential, aspect of life. I say - pick one or a few blends or brands , stick with them, and move on. Comptons of Galashiels, specifically York Full Mixture, is my pick. Even with sipping, as I do, the smoke is thick and luscious. The flavors are richly complex and dense - evidencing high quality tobaccos. Even with top shelf tobacco though, the blend must be balanced. Therein lies the art. Mr. Engel seems to be gifted in this regard. No bite to the tongue or offense to the sinuses. The smoke rolls out softly, and can be savored through the nose as lightly smoked oak and fine leather, with subtle sweet maple and spiced nuts - but yet no suggestion of topping. Lighting a bowl while reading gives me pause to close my eyes and fold myself deeper into my easy chair - the aroma and flavor carry me into the pages. Luxurious and meditative. This is as good as I should expect any pipe tobacco to be.
Pipe Used: Davorin Morta Churchwarden
PurchasedFrom: Pipes2Smoke.com
Age When Smoked: A few months from freshly blended.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
May 01, 2012 Medium None Detected Full Pleasant to Tolerable
York Full lives up to its name as it is one full tasting English blend. Even the pouch scent lets you know that it is going to be a complex blend. It seems to burn a little slower for me than similar blends. It is hard to believe that there is 45% Latakia in York as it is balanced and the Orientals are top shelf. As the pouch scent indicated, it has a lot of complexity in the smoke. I still would have to give the edge to Macedonian Mixture from the same blender in terms of my favorite. I am lucky enough to still have a fair amount of Murray's 965 and I don't see the comparison. As others have noted, the COG blends do cost more, but IMHO the quality is worth the extra coin. I do drop a half star for availability. I don't mind waiting, but it's too long too often so York ends up being a treat for me rather than part of any rotation. Recommended!
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 09, 2012 Medium None Detected Full Pleasant to Tolerable
I don't normally gush. But I must. I really appreciate fine foods, wine, microbrewed beers, a great cigar and a great pipe. And if my pipe is loaded with York Full Mixture, then nothing in this world can harm me. Everything is right with the universe, my chi is lined up, and my dog loves me.

The first thing that hits me while smoking this blend is absolute astonishment that it's actually 45% Latakia. No way! This stuff is so smooth, so rich, so tasty, but without even a hint of the sharpness often present in many Lat bombs.

The Virginias provide a stellar base when balanced with the smoothness of the cavendish, and the proportion of Latakia to Orientals is perfect. I don't find this all that similar to 965. 965 hits you with that Oriental sour out of the tin, and the cavendish is more noticeable than in York. I'm not sure what to compare this to because I don't know of any other blend with so much Lat that is so smooth. It burns beautifully, stays cool, allows you to really huff and puff if you want to, and the smoothness and richness just keep on giving and giving.

Still can't believe it's 45% Latakia, but the proportions are so well balanced that it almost behaves like a medium English. But it's not. This is a full, rich, beautiful piping experience that can rival any full English on the market today IMHO. Better than Pease's best? Nope, just different - another glorious English mixture to add to my personal hall of fame. And perhaps yours too should you try this excellent blend.

Five stars out of four.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
May 29, 2011 Medium None Detected Medium to Full Tolerable to Strong
GL Pease's Odyssey has long been my favorite Balkan/English/whatever, which is to say it's one of my favorite flavors in the whole universe. Excellent smoky latakia, exotic orientals and a wonderful sweetness exuding from the VAS .... the stuff is perfection, with only one significant caveat: the stuff has the burning qualities of granite. Ok, Ok, so it's not really THAT bad, but Odyssey doesn't burn well, even with prolonged drying. This greatly hinders my enjoyment of what would otherwise be my hands-down favorite blend, especially as the alarming number of relights has frequently generated so much heat that it singed my tongue.

So what does that have to do with Compton's York Full Mixture?

Because the flavor of this stuff is nearly identical to Odyssey, but it burns like a dream. Hence, this is close to being the perfect pipe tobacco (to my tastes only, of course).

The only reason I don't cellar this by the ton is because of the price, and even so I am seriously thinking of importing a ridiculous amount come tax return time.

Highly, highly recommend to Balkan lovers.

P.S. I can find no resemblance whatsoever between York Full and Dunhill's 965, except of course that they both contain latakia. YMMV, of course.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 12, 2013 Medium None Detected Full Tolerable to Strong
There is nothing fruity or exotic about this blend, just first quality tobaccos artfully blended and simply presented. YFM is, as one might well suspect, Lat-forward, but it is similar to GOG's Balkan blend in that the Lat never gets up on its hind legs to over saturate one's mouth and/or eclipse the other tobaccos in the blend. According to Max, this blend swaps his Balkan's Turkish for some Cavendish, and I think the Cavendish factors in taming the Latakia, like the Turkish do/es in the Balkan. Meanwhile, the Virginias act as expected, underpinning the blend and rising up to put some sugar and a little edge that I like on the aroma and taste, if I puff it hard enough to keep it lit. Despite this, it never burns my mouth, and I am left with a very nice, "smoky" aftertaste, mostly satisfied. Plenty of tobacco-lover smoke, too - if you keep it going.

The English League is tough to play in these days. While I enjoy this blend, and there is nothing about it I don't like, it is not distinguished enough for 4 stars.
Pipe Used: medium briars
PurchasedFrom: pipes2smoke.com
Age When Smoked: young to ~3 years
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