G. L. Pease Westminster

Forget about EMP, Nightcap or its so called predesessor London mixture. In my oppinon, either way the old and new recipees of Dunhill have always been a deception in the English garden.

This is absoulately a different smoke, which I know since 2001 from a nice fellow, who worked in CH-Bern at www.tabakgourmet.ch, and now rests in peace - It reminded me all of Balcany, they are both in appearance, taste and smoking qualities, absolutely at the same level. The only difference: Balcany is 20 percent cheaper than Westminster and doesn't come in a nice tin.

Wesminster contains like Balcany full of Oriental spice, a heavy quantity of Latakia and smokes perfectly well from the top to the end without relightning. Probaly the only smoke in the world which remains the same, untill the the last leaf of the bowl is smoked off.

The taste is just amazing, earthy and very smokey, a perfectly well harmonized tabacco, which makes you smoke it over and over again. Just your fellow non-smokers might think that the roof is on fire.

Matches perfectly well with a glass of water or a single malt.

Best aromas and smoking qualities in a very large bowl.

I'm just enjoying it in a xl mario grandi pipe and get a nice nicotine load and an incredible aromatic experience.

With this wonderful tabacco, Balcany is not only available in Switzerland - Be surprised you will never really get away from it.....

I'm an unabashed fan of GL Pease concoctions (I'm one of those guys who's actually willing to shell out the big bucks on E-bay for some his stuff), but this one has got some problems that didn't become apparent until I'd gone through a few tins.

Flavor-wise, this stuff is spectacular if you enjoy English mixtures. The taste of latakia is balanced perfectly by rich, deep VAs while the orientals add a nice complexity. The whole is even greater than the sum of its parts, and I can easily understand why so many smokers consider this to be the best example of a medium English available today.

Now, for the negatives ....First off, Westminster seems terribly difficult to keep lit. This didn't seem to be a problem with the first batch I tried, but the second and third tins (both with different production dates) shared this characteristic. Second, this stuff ended up scorching my tongue in a scary way, as in "blood- welling-up-from-a-red-spot-on-my-tongue-before-I-realized-what-was-happening" scary. The only other blends to have done this to me were Cairo, MacBaren's Va. No.1, and Bed and Breakfast. I believe that tongue bite is to some degree a matter of personal chemistry as well as technique, and I imagine that I'm reacting poorly to some of the orientals or VAs used in this blend. Perhaps I just haven't figured out the right technique to use with this one, but I've tried everything I know (and many different pipes) with no success.

I'm giving this two stars because I simply can't smoke it (and others, albeit a minority, have echoed my experience). On the other hand, if you find no problems with combustion and your body chemistry allows you to to smoke this, I imagine it would be a three- or four-star blend. I've still got a few tins left, so I should be able to crack one open every year or two to see how it's coming along. If time smooths out the rough edges, Westminster's going to be one for the ages.

A trip to the past.

Haven't smoked anything this seemingly full yet refined for many a year. Not that heavy really but not a starter blend IMO. Classic English, balanced Latakia, Virginia, and Orientals. Latakia first up, then Virginias in layers, then spicy Orientals, then all together now. Wonderful aroma in the can.

Some aging and further marrying of leaf should enhance the refinement. A bit of drying right out of the tin is helpful.

I can say no more. Words fail me now. I am speechless.

Well.... If they gave an Oscar for blends, this would win for best direction and special effects.

This is a flavorful, all day medium english. The tin aroma is nice and mellow and not overpowered by the Latakia; everything seems well balanced. The tobaccos are mostly dark in a rough ribbon cut with some heavier flakes mixed in. Very fresh, as I note from the date on the tin, it's a little moist also but it lights well and didn't require too many relights along the way. The Latakia is Cyprian and smokey, the VAs are both bright and tasty with the Orientals adding just enough depth and spice. Just like the tin aroma the flavor is well balanced and could be an all day smoke. 8 out of 10 stars.

20230417 edit: coming across completely savory, dry as opposed to sweet. I think any sweetness i was tasting the first time around must have been a ghost. It's very good, and fills the non-sweet Latakia blend slot well. Don't think I've had anything else which does it substantially better.

As with about any Latakia blend, Latakia is just about all i taste. This one seems relatively mild. It seems very sweet, but i think that may be the ghost of my previous bowl. Kind of nice in any case. Doesn't seem like anything special, but it'll scratch the Latakia itch for sure.

Pretty good English blend. Latakia is in the lead with it's smokey & leathery flavor. Orientals add a touch of floral, and spice. Virginia, with a dark fruit, and just a hint of sweetness stay in the background. Needs some dry time, and a few extra lights. No bite. I did find this to be a somewhat finicky blend depending on the pipe I used, pack, or maybe the weather, but usually found it enjoyable.

Should be tried by any piper, especially those who enjoy a heavier latakia English.

A really nice English blend by J L Pease. It is well behaved, burns nicely and cool. It is not overly complex but has enough nuances to keep it interesting

Rummaging around my tobacco drawer I found a couple of forgotten tins of London Mixture at the bottom, probably there for years. I cracked one, filled a pipe and lit up. There was a time when I probably wouldn't have appreciated this blend but it was love at first sight. By the end of the second tin I'm getting ready to order more when I find: horrors! it's out of production. After researching I found a few people who thought Westminster might scratch the itch. So, as they say, I got me some.

I've actually smoked a number of latakia mixtures over the years so I was surprised to find the tin aroma wasn't the strong "old leather and wood" I'd come to expect. I get a whiff of VA and latakia is more in the backround. Fresh out of the tin it loads easily, moisture level seems perfect and takes a light with ease. As others have said, yes there's latakia in here but it's not a lat bomb. The orientals mix just about perfectly with the VA and latakia so as to make a full and spicy smoking experience. This is a nicely balanced blend and smokes down to nothing without drama or surprise.

Compared to London Mixture I find that LM had just a tish more orientals and Westmister has a tish more latakia.

One of my go-to English blends. Full flavored, full bodied, but not in the creamy, heavy, cavendish way 965. It’s got sharper flavors to me. Lots of stanky Latakia like an old sock in the best way. Virginia’s really pop out and play nicely. But I’m not even a Virginia tobacco fanatic. They’re just really tastefully blended here. For Latakia lovers and English smokers. One of the tops for me.