G. L. Pease Westminster

UPDATE 11/8/10

This one has either improved or my tastes have changed. I still wouldn't recommend it as a reference English blend but a 3 year old tin does possess some refinement that was missing in the more youthful versions. But it still seems too "murky" for want of a better word. Having recently smoked a fair amount of Meridian, it just seems to me that Mr Pease's intent with this one went unrealized, just as he absolutely nailed it with Meridian. Of course, I have no idea what he was going for in either case, so those comments are meaningful to me alone. Let's just say that whatever dollars I may have earmarked for this one are going directly towards Meridian... along with dollars earmarked for other blends! Westminster is not bad; it's actually very good. It just doesn't distinguish itself the way Meridian does.

UPDATE 6/13/09

I got a sample of this as part of a large trade and I thought, what the hey, maybe it's not as bad as I remember it. The good news is, it's not. Whatever oddball flavor I got before was apparently in that tin, which must have been bad somehow. This one smoked cool and smooth... and unmemorable. The sender noted that it was two years old. I still can't recommend it but this time it didn't have that terrible funky taste from my previous tin. It just seems to have that annoying GLP virtue of the various tobaccos either doing too much or not enough. But that's a personal observation, not an absolute. It wasn't to my tastes but it might be to yours.

ORIGINAL REVIEW 12/25/08

I came into this blend with extremely high expectations - and that may be the problem. I smoked 4 bowls of this, both in briar and meerschaum pipes, and each time I noticed a very odd taste that I couldn't put my finger on. The recipe seems standard and I should have really liked the blend, but the taste was just too objectionable. It seemed like each of the ingredient tobaccos were fighting with each other for the forefront - it just didn't marry well. It's obviously a high quality tobacco and I've added a star based on that. I suppose I could have gotten a bad batch but I don't care to try again. 4 bowls and I threw the rest in the trash.

This blend shows the different chemical balances in people, as so many appear to really like this stuff. I wish I could have enjoyed it! I did enjoy the room note, however. When I left the room and re-entered, it smelled heavenly!

Update: April 29, 2019

To quote DK: "This one has either improved or my tastes have changed."

Just finished a fairly large bowl of this (after a dozen previous attempts) and I'm bumping this up a notch to 3-stars.

Westminster:

“The very essence of the traditional English mixture.”

“Exactly what one would expect upon cracking open a tin of English tobacco.”

"Whole day English mixture.”

“Great English blend.”

“Westminster ranks among the finest English Mixtures I have ever smoked”

“There IS NO English blend but this.”

Indeed, when I first set a bowl of Westminster alight, the first thought that careened through my skull was “ENGLISH!” Translation: this blend screamed loudly exactly what I believed / envisioned / imagined what-and-how an English tobacco is supposed to smell and taste. Problem is, Westminster is advertised as a Balkan.

Without getting too far off into the weeds regarding what constitutes a Balkan versus what constitutes an English (and vice versa). Penzance, Vintage Syrian, Plum Pudding (plus Plum Pudding Special Reserve) and John Cotton’s Smyrna are all Balkans, and spice is what I typically associate with Balkan blends, followed by more spice, and accentuated with slightly spicier spice, coupled with a generous helping of smoky spice, with the addition of another fat dollop of sweet spice to top it all off. (Greg Pease himself wrote an April 14, 2011 column in The Briar & Leaf Chronicles on this very difficulty, proclaiming: “The problem is that both of these terms [Balkan/English], despite broad usage, are somewhat ambiguous, at best, and, worse, the commonly held notions of what they mean is just plain backwards”).

Climbing back out of the weeds: I was expecting a spicy Balkan in Westminster, but was instead greeted by (in my humble opinion) what I believe to be a rather pedestrian English.

moisture: a little bit too wet. I have to tell you, you must decrease the moisture of the tin.

cut: beautiful ribbon cut with a healthy dose of broken flake and a little bit of unsmokable leaf stem.

tin note: woody, campfire; a little bit sweet and fruity.

strength: medium

when smoking: extremely smooth and balanced, medium deepness; Concerto between the deepness; Concerto between the smoky aroma from Latakia, the sweet and fruity from Virginia and the buttery creamy taste of the Oriental.

My rating: Oh man. This is my all-time favorite and my only five stars rating until now- if I have to keep only one mixture accompanying with the rest of my life, that will be Westminster. I highly recommend you cellar some, at least six months, to get the perfect smoke.

Enjoy + Require buying + An all-day smoke + My top three → Five Stars Rating

best smoke time: anytime after the noon.

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

What can be said after all the glowing reviews this blend has gotten over the years? I can only say I wholeheartedly agree with the positive reviews posted already. I must say this is as close to a perfect English blend with a medium strength of nicotine that can be had on today's market. I can really find no fault in this fine blend. Mr Pease has really hit the nail on the head with this one. Highly recommended.

If I were to give a quick summary I'd say that G.L. Pease Westmisnter is like Dunhill Nightcap but without such a strong "nic-kick." That couild be good or bad depending on what you're after I suppose, but if you're seeking English flavour without a heavy nicotine hit, Westminster is a great option. If you are after the nic "buzz", you'll likely want to stick with Nightcap.

Flavour wise, this is a typical English. It has a very meat and potatoes quality to it, smokiness imparted by the latakia, but also something of a church incense quality to it that comes through in the flavour. (I specify church incense so as not to confuse what I mean with that cheap, sickeningly and fake sort of sweet stick "incense" that appears in dollar stores and other such places). It's a hard thing to describe but it is pleasant. It is the sort of sweetness that isn't sugary, but sweet in a woodsy sort of way.

All said, an enjoyable blend. It's not overly harsh, but neither is it too light. Clearly a classic.

Tin note is what you'd expect of an English: smokey.

Moisture levels are perfect. You can smoke it right out of the tin without any drying and no trouble keeping it lit.

Update 05-30-23: I’m downgrading this one star. I just don’t enjoy the chunky cut, all the tobacco dust in the tin or burning properties of this as much anymore. I think it smokes on the hot side no matter how I pack and sometimes comes off bitter. I’m gravitating towards lighter blends these days. Maybe the new tins are different, all my stock is from 2008.

(Original review) The bees knee. The creamiest of creamy orientals and latakia. Like smoking a cup of dark coffee and cream; it gets no better. If I have a tin of this open everything else gets ignored. This is my #1.

Update 2017-05-31: Just opened an 8oz, 9 year old tin from May, 2008. I will admit I haven't smoked this in quite some time because I've had a lot of other open tins of other blends that needed to be finished. My previous review was based on tins I had smoked that were new to a few years old. I have a tin of Ashbury that I transferred from a tin to a ball jar 9yrs ago and it's a shadow of itself; smells awesome but it smokes bland and flavorless.. As I have a few tins of Westminster cellared I was both nervous and excited to see how this held up after 9yrs in the tin

Upon opening the tin it smelled fermented, like raisins and figs, maybe a little bit like silage from my farming days. The Latakia is much further in the background than I recall. There are sugar crystals covering quite a few pieces on the top layer. I transferred the contents to a few small ball jars and the cut was kind of the mess that some people (understandably) complain about; really big pieces, almost a whole leaf here and there, a few stems and a lot of fine granules and some powder.

I had packed a couple bigger chunks covered with the sugar crystals on the top of the bowl and took a bit to get the initial light going. Off the bat I thought "oh no, where is it?" and it took a few good puffs but then less than a minute into it came the wonderful flavor that I remember...Heaven. Once things got going it smoked cool although in my excitement I pushed it a little hard at times. It was maybe a touch sweeter than I remember and there was a definite spiciness that I don't recall. It was still creamy but less so with the more perceived spice and it actually reminded me a little more of the Murry's made London Mixture that it had in the past. Smoked great down the bowl and didn't get the least bit harsh towards the finish. Not sure it had just been too long after breakfast or that I was exhaling it thru my nose more than normal to take in the amazing flavor but this gave me a bit of a wallop from the nicotine and I don't recall this blend ever doing that before.

All in all, it's a little different from fresh but not tremendously so. Not going to lie, I wish the cut was better, I wish it was as easy to pack as Squadron Leader. Despite the cut being a mess the flavor is still amazing and worth the added work of packing (big chunks on the bottom, granules and powder on the top). This is by far the best English blend I've ever smoked and it's still my #!.

This is the third time I'm trying to review this blend, but it seems hard for me to add anything interesting about it when other reviewers have already described it so well! One thing I would like to say however, is that this is a truly amazing blend! Complex, refined and well balanced. The latakia and orientals are in perfect harmony, and even though it's a mild smoke (IMO), it has some depth and body to it! It burns cool and clean, and with consistency of taste down to the last puff. You'll be sucking ash before you know it!

I'm not always in the mood for this tobacco, but i always keep a jar at home. This is the first true "English" I've tried, and it makes me curious to try other blends like this one, however, I don't think it will be easy to find a better one or one as good as this amazing mixture.

Westminster really deserves a four star-rating! I originally considered it a three star blend, but as I got to know it better I just had to add the fourth star!

I've been unkind to Pease products on forums and maybe here. This one I can't fault. It's spectacular. A perfect blend of ingredients yields up a full flavor, no bite, and really a pleasant taste throughout. Superb medium english, or whatever it's supposed to be.

I like.

You like?

High five!

Westminster is a reliable Balkan blend with a balance and exquisite flavor profile that make it a staple. It's the understated elegance of it that makes it special. The fragrant, slightly buttery, woody Orientals take center stage. The Latakia adds a smoky, musty character, while the Virginias lend a bit sweetness and balance. Yes, it's reminiscent of Dunhill London Mixture, but it is its own blend. Reliable, understated elegance. 4 stars.