G. L. Pease Westminster

(3.34)
Westminster: The very essence of the traditional English mixture; rich, elegant, refined, and exquisitely balanced. New World red Virginias are enhanced with a gentle caress of bright leaf, then lavishly seasoned with rich oriental tobaccos and generous measures of noble Cyprus mountain latakia. Westminster is a satisfying blend, presenting layers of flavor to delight the senses and develop in the bowl. A perfect everyday English mixture. Full bodied.
Notes: Westminster was introduced in January, 2007.

Details

Brand G. L. Pease
Series Heirloom Collection
Blended By Gregory Pease
Manufactured By Cornell & Diehl
Blend Type English
Contents Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia
Flavoring
Cut Ribbon
Packaging 2 ounce tin, 8 ounce tin, 16 ounce tin
Country United States
Production Currently available

Profile

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

Average Rating

3.34 / 4
163

71

31

18

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 11 of 282 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
May 11, 2023 Medium None Detected Medium Tolerable
I don't understand why some categorize it as a Balkan. It's clearly a Latakia forward blend and as such rich, smokey, musky, dry in a delightful and never overpowering way.

The orientals are centainly there but subdued as a sweet sour and everpresent dark undertone. They lack the sour brightness often associated with orientals.

You get a rich smokeyness with a lower base of sour orientals. This combination makes this blend stand out as not just another English blend.

Smokability is the only downside I experienced. Burns to fine white ash but does not goop. But keeping it lit seems difficult.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Aug 30, 2008 Medium None Detected Medium Very Pleasant
I noticed that one of the reviewers here has (unbelievably), given this blend four stars without ever having popped the top of his tin and smoked it. Man, this stuff must be good. LOL!

Seriously, it is. I do not often heed the heavy handed call of Latakia, but from now on this one will answer the door when I knock. Most Latakia blends are long on flavor and low on strength. But, Westminister provides a very nice balance between the two.

If a scrumptious Latakia flavor in a moderate presentation mixed with a nicotine hit rings your bell, this Pease will please.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jun 03, 2007 Medium None Detected Medium to Full Pleasant
Greg Pease has established himself as a ?premier micro-blender? of many fine mixtures. His original series are often listed highly in many a smoker's favorite, with entries from the ?Classic Series? and notably the now legendary ?Bohemian Scandal? his talents in blending English/Balkan mixtures are well known.

Various blenders have attempted to re-produce classics such as Balkan Sobranie's 759 mixture with moderate success in my estimation. Greg has broken new ground in an attempt to re-create the long loved and often smoked London Mixture. To the best of my knowledge, he is singular in the attempt.

Dunhill is a much respected purveyor of Pipes and Tobacco products the world over. During the 28 years I have smoked pipes, many a bowl of Dunhill tobaccos have passed through my pipes. Several of Dunhill?s mixtures have been ?standards? of mine over the years; My Mixture 965, London Mixture, Nightcap, with several making the ?once in awhile? slot in my rotation; Dunbar, Standard Mixture.

Dunhill tobacco mixtures have suffered from what we might call ?outsourcing?. Other blenders have suffered similar fates, while others have ?been there, done that? and found satisfactory ?outsourcing blenders? to carry on a fine tradition. Murray's production has been the last of ?Dunhill mixtures? that I have smoked. I still maintain several tins of Nightcap for ?special occasion? pleasures and a couple of tins to open in my retirement years.

To my palate of the Dunhill mixtures that have suffered the greatest casualties; London Mixture and My Mixture 965 are the most gravely wounded.

With these things in mind, I will review GLP Westminster:

One should NOT approach this mixture expecting a ?typical GLP? mixture, it makes no such attempt. If you were looking for something similar to other GLP mixtures, please look elsewhere.

Appearance: A beautiful mixture of light and reddish./brownish Virginias, Latakia and Turkish leaf presented in ribbon cut form of nearly uniform cut. I can detect at least 6, and perhaps 8 different hues of leaf. Having read Greg's public notes about blending this mixture I know he spend hours pouring over various productions of Dunhill London Mixture learning what he could of the composition of this classic. This is very appealing to the eye of one looking for a ?typically English? tobacco mixture.

Tin aroma: Exactly what one would expect upon cracking open a tin of English tobacco, a nice blast of smoky Latakia, followed by the raisin/fig sweetness of Virginias and a musty leathery Turkish undertone. There is a deeply peaty quality which seemed absent from later samples of ?London Mixture? and very welcome here. The mouth-watering scents of an adult pleasure with anticipation of roughly an hour?s escape from ?modern life?.

For purposes of review, I?ve loaded a bowl (using the ?once like a baby, once like a lady, finally like a man? method of packing) into a Armellini rusticated Lovat of roughly Dunhill group 3/4 capacity. This pipe has been exclusively an English/Balkan smoker for several years, and should introduce no prejudice to the smoke. I have pre-smoked 4 non-reviewed bowls of Westminster with this pipe to assure what I'm tasting is actually Westminster. This mixture seems a bit moist to me upon cracking a fresh tin, I generally let a ?smoking portion? air for about 15-30 minutes prior to packing and smoking.

Upon lighting, I greeted with a blast of Latakia/Turkish smokiness with leathery/musty undertones, with the mild sweetness of Virginias just under the surface. Good so far, there seem to be no faults in proportions of the individual components thus far, everything seems where it should be, with a complexity and ?competition? for attention by each tobacco.

Mid Bowl: Approaching mid-bowl, the complexity and intensity as building nicely, the Virginias are a little more pronounced and assertive, while the Latakia and Turkish have settled into a nice middle palate place. The peaty quality noted in the tin aroma is very much there, though a subtle statement. When exhaled nasally the Turkish has a familiar ?drying effect? on the throat and dominates the soft palate areas of the mouth. This mixture (thankfully) has seeming little/none of the Cavendish confusion of My Mixture 965 or other ?later production? Dunhill mixtures, just a very cool and dry smoking one associates with a truly great English mixture of rather full body. The fine balance of leather/smoke/must/nuttiness and raisins builds slowly with each puff. Each component flavor remain distinct, yet blend together into what eventually becomes a truly outstanding finish. London Mixture has always had a roundness and softness absent in many other mixtures of this fullness, and Westminster captures this quality very well indeed.

Home Stretch: As end of the bowl approaches, each component tries to re-assert dominance which seems destined to ultimately fail, not in a ?bad way? however. The flavors are at their peak and cooperating with each other, yet somehow like gelatin the seem to eventually give up their ?individuality? to become a very rewarding ?whole flavor? which I remember fondly about Dunhill London Mixture of ?old? 1970's - 1980's . The volume of smoke from each puff is phenomenal, and the palate is intense and broad indeed. The flavors are in perfect cooperation at this point, a superlative effect. The complexity has faded a bit, joined slowly into one. An absolutely amazing finish, cool and dry with a muted, and melded complexity! One has the impression that IF tobacco could taste as velvet feels this would be the velvet in a truly royal gown.

Supplemental Notes: Now sadly that Dunhill have moved on to ?bigger and better things? like menswear (insert maniacal laughter here) Greg has taken up where they left off (years ago) and re-produced as closely as humanly possible a true Classic mixture. Absolutely an astonishing effort Greg! ***** FIVE (count them) HUGE stars
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
May 20, 2014 Medium None Detected Very Full Tolerable
Brief introduction: I've been a pipe smoker since 1973.

I did not undertake this particular review until I had smoked an entire tin of Westminster, 17 bowls in 15 different pipes. Personally, I will never review any tobacco that I haven't smoked at least that much; I believe that this is the only way to learn enough about a tobacco to be able to form a relatively informed opinion. (In my opinion.) In general, it takes time to get to know a new tobacco. It takes time to find the right pipe in your collection to bring out the best in a tobacco, and it takes time to learn the optimal smoking cadence for a new tobacco. And to make things even more unpredictable, some pipes and tobaccos perform best under certain climactic conditions.

I bought several tins of Westminster when it was first released. I was anxious to try them. I put them away for "a while" to smooth out the blend, and then proceeded to be distracted. For several years.

First impressions:

Opening the can released a whoosh of air; the tin was over three years old with a slight bulge in the bottom, so that's no surprise. The tin aroma was excellent; clear Latakia notes, a bit of Oriental spice, and subdued Virginia sweetness. In direct sunlight, every bit of tobacco ribbon had a fine, nearly microscopic dusting of glittering sugar crystals; a good sign. The tin's moisture level was close to ideal for the relatively dry evening air. I packed my pipe immediately and prepared for a long walk.

Bowl #1: Stanwell silver-banded, Relief sandblast 3/4 bent billiard, shape #83. I was lucky on the first bowl; the little Stanwell adored this tobacco. The charring light had the typical expected edge, and the Latakia was forward. The smoke soon settled into a round, balanced, classic old-style "full English mixture." Initially, the flavor was dry and nutty, nice fullness, little sweetness but a fine, rounded "Balkan" with everything in good measure. After a few minutes, the sweetness of the Virginias began to build, and that intensifying trend continued unabated through the end of the bowl.

Greg Pease describes this as "full English" but "exquisitely balanced" -- and it is. The Cyprian Latakia is definitely there, but so well proportioned that it adds to the whole rather than overpowering any part. I can tell he uses an approach which activates taste buds all over the mouth. The flavor profile overall is huge, rich, almost liquid in mouth-filling character, with lots of natural Virginia sweetness, and the perfect amount of Orientals for a bit of spice, nuttiness and cool, even burning.

Burning characteristics were impeccably well-mannered; with nary a gurgle, the bowl proceeded without any fuss (or need for a re-light) for nearly an hour, steadily gaining in sweetness and flavor intensity right through to the last few grains of unburned tobacco and some silvery, dust-fine ash.

This was one of those "transcendental" bowls of tobacco that really sings, and I remarked at least a half-dozen times to my walking companion how wonderful this particular smoke was. (The environment counts; it was a perfect cool evening in the high 60s, relative humidity around 40%, walking near a creek with lots of poplars and aspen trees. This absolutely does affect the smoke.)

Westminster is not shy with the Latakia, but Greg balances it so well that it works perfectly. There's a "deep" sun-dried-fruit sweetness and intensity to Latakia that only emerges when it's blended exactly right -- too little and it doesn't quite bloom; too much and it's bitter and harsh. Pease finds this elusive balance, and nails it. In decades past, British pipe smokers would talk about the "Plumb Pudding" taste of a fine Latakia Mixture (much to the confusion of us Yanks who had never tasted such an odd Christmas critter) and Westminster exhibits that characteristic beautifully. Maestro Pease is known for taking his time before settling on the final recipe, and it shows. On a scale of 1 to 10, this is a solid 10.

Remarkable, and what a great start.

17 bowls later, I had experienced an incredibly wide variety of flavors, ranging from woody notes, to deep Latakia, to bright and sweet Virginia, to Oriental spiciness, classic English to dry nutty and toasted flavors.

The Latakia was always evident to at least some degree. But in some pipes, Westminster was very Virginia - forward, sweet and citrus. In other pipes, it was all about the Latakia, smooth, dark and smoky. In others it was very Balkan, lots of exotic spices and woody oak. In a few pipes, that elusive classic English Mixture "plumb pudding" flavor burst forward, with citrus, black tea, figs, raisins, brandy, rum, lots of Virginia sweetness and Oriental spice included, with the bass note of smoky depth holding underneath. In a few pipes, the bowl played a fascinating and elusive complexity which changed from puff to puff, impossible to pin down, and enjoyable with every draw. In one Dunhill, the overall flavor profile was a dry Virginia with pleasantly edgy walnut notes, reminiscent of Rattray's Brown Clunee or Gawith Best Brown Flake. Truly excellent.

Burning characteristics were excellent in almost every pipe. One Stanwell in particular, a big sandblast poker "Nordic" in the 207 shape, was as cool and unflappable as could be. I swear I could puff like I was smoking "1Q" and not overheat the pipe. The bowl lasted for over two hours during a wonderful, cool evening walk, and delivered a smooth, consistently rewarding smoke the entire time.

Even the few mismatched pipes performed well, with a bit of blandness and finicky burning being the only complaints.

Oddly, the worst mismatch was a Comoy's Blue Riband billiard, which should have been great. Some pipes just don't respond well to some tobaccos. The somewhat wide chamber may be the reason.

Generally, my own experience seems to lean toward smoking Westminster in a relatively narrow bowl, and smaller pipes can really shine with this tobacco, even pipes with very thin walls. I must admit however that the large Stanwell 207 did extremely well, so it's just a "trend," not a hard and fast "rule." Westminster is a tobacco blended for experienced pipe smokers with a good deal of finesse to their technique, and it will reward the smoker who can "treat it like a lady." Flavors are complex, deep and dramatically different from pipe to pipe, but in any pipe you can expect to immediately recognize the Latakia in there. In a pipe indifferent to its charms, it's "merely" an excellent traditional Balkan blend in the tradition of the old-line houses. At its best, its genuinely amazing.

I have heard some tobaccos described as "needing" a very high-end pipe to bring out their best; while two Dunhills performed very well with Westminster, two other Dunhills were a bit shy -- not bad, just not as deeply flavorful. (Smoked on a different day, in different weather, they no doubt would have performed differently.) Some of the best performers were mid-line Stanwells. Westminster certainly does not require an expensive, high-end pipe to perform well. Four pipes delivered a stunningly great smoke.

Westminster ranks among the finest English Mixtures I have ever smoked, and that includes experience spanning the last four decades. This does not surprise me in the least: Greg Pease is famous for producing blends at this level across his entire range.

If you keep hearing about the "Good Old Days" of the long-lost house-blended Dunhill mixtures, of Rattray back when they were the "real thing," of Sullivan Powell and company, don't fret. The "Good Old Days" are now, and Gregory Pease is leading the parade. No, Westminster is not identical to the old Dunhill London Mixture, which was the inspiration for this excellent blend. It is different. But the quality, the attention to detail, the masterful touch of balance and sophistication equal anything ever produced. Smoked with some finesse in the right pipe, and on the right day, it is fully capable of producing a "Religious Experience" smoke.
Pipe Used: a plethora
PurchasedFrom: Smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: 3 years
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Sep 15, 2012 Medium to Strong None Detected Medium to Full Tolerable
The dry, smoky, woody, floral, earthy, herbal, lightly buttery, spicy and sour Orientals sing in a support role. The tangy dark fruit, earthy, woody, slightly bready red Virginia is not quite as sweet as some reds can be as it forms the base of the blend. They also sport a slight stewed fruitiness. The very lightly tart and tangy citrusy, grassy bright Virginia is far in the background. The smoky, woody, earthy, sweet Cyprian Latakia is very obvious without drowning out the components as a secondary player. The nic-hit is a step shy of being medium. The strength is a couple of steps past the medium mark, while the taste level is a rung beyond that. No chance of bite or harshness, and has few rough edges. The tobacco may need a light dry time, though I did not do that. Burns cool, clean and slightly slow, and the rich, very consistent flavor lasts to the finish with no dull spots. Leaves a little moisture in the bowl, but no dottle. Requires a few relights. The pleasant after taste and stronger room note lightly linger. Not an all day smoke. Three and a half stars.

-JimInks
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 08, 2007 Medium None Detected Medium to Full Pleasant
This blend on opening is 3 days old in the tin. On opening It was quite wet, So I let it air out for 1 hour, stirred up and let sit one more hour. Tha consistancy was Dry, yet pliable with out breaking. Let me briefly interject that this is a remake of London Mix. A London Mix Mr. Pease is familiar with. Unfortunately one that I, coming in the Orlick days of London Mix am not. therefore I don't think it fair to try and compare to my London Mix, and so will rate it on its own. Perhaps I'll add some observations later...

I picked a Pete system 303. Packed using the frank method.

On char light- LATAKIA...big and bold....Determined, once I got lit, I rinsed with warm to hot peppermint tea. Then trudged on.

From Start to cruising speed I am growing encouraged. I despise cyprian latakia dominated blends. I find them of a singular dimension- Mouth drying, and basically disgusting.

Here, there is a sweet, exotic spice that takes main stage. No mouth drying. The mouth does get that latakia coating- but its not unpleasant. I allowed it to go out while I chased my boxer from the trash can. After beating him with a shoe....I relight....

Sweet....a nice smoky sweet. The kind of smoke I fantasize wanting on cold foggy days. When Zen and Pipe smoker maintenance takes over and all there is for the day is the long dark tea time of the soul.....When Bills are left behind and its just you, a friend of Briar, and a sweet smoky libation that can carry you away from the hear and now, and into the halcyon dreams of spiritual peace.

Oh I like this.....For those that care, this is my 91st review. As far as I'm concerned there will never be a latakia or English blend to match this.

I am at mid bowl now, and the taste and flavor has remained solid. no change. a wonderful mixture of latakia, Orientals, and a balanced sweetness of red virginias. It is a magnificent blend- and I do mean blend. There is no transition of flavors, but one continuous flavor which is extraordinary.

Had to tamp and relight. Here's a note. too much heat and a bitterness does come in for a second- not unexpected, I got it too hot. Once it got back to regular puffing...Flavor went right back to the above mentioned.

Past midbowl now. Still no detrimental effects from latakia. ***Ok, My Wife just came in and said WHOA!!!! Stinky one!!!! Not normal Friendly".....I guess nicotine has kicked in cause I am laughing hysterically......***

Last 1/3rd of the bowl. Flavor is stil the same. Nothing is fighting for center stage.

Mouth is still fine. no dryness. Cat has decided something I'm smoking is fascinating.....So has wifes dog......Both are practically in my lap.

Burn is perfect. Stays lit. no fuss. Ash is a lovely white.

If I had to draw some comparison to my London Mix? I would say the Orlick London Mix is like watching Casablanca on an old TV, on AMC.

This is like seeing the same Movie on HDTV on DVD. Its fresher (literally), more intense, There's more clarity in taste- Like taking a picture of a sunflower with an old brownie camera, then another of the same flower with a digital. The quality of leaf is lightyears ahead of the Orlick blend.

All in all- I give this my highest recommendation. There IS NO English blend but this in my opinion. Try it. You won't regret it.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Oct 30, 2007 Medium None Detected Medium to Full Strong
As a huge fan of the old London Mixture by Dunhill (one of the first tobaccos I have ever smoked, and one of my favorites before it became significantly worse around 2002 and then plain awful), I was intrigued to hear that Westminster was meant to be a replica of that great blend.

Does it succeed in the task? Well, probably not. I don't think it is as nutty, thick or "chewy" like the Dunhill blend when it was good. Its flavour is IMHO quite different. But the good news is that Westminster, while different, is probably just as good, and most importantly just as ideal as a "whole day" English mixture, quite full of flavour but not heavy or cloying (which, if I remember correctly from the Dunhill brochure, was the description of London Mixture).

The tobacco in the tin is a bit moister than I'd expect from Pease, and more irregularly cut than the fine ribbons of the Dunhill. The color is also darker, with less bright specks. Another difference from London Mixture is that in the Dunhill blend the smell was more leathery, sweeter and more "putrid" (that almost rotten note that was always a sign of a great English blend in times past!). The higher than usual moisture level also shows in a slightly more difficult than usual lighting, especially if you have overpacked your bowl. I recommend a lighter hand especially when the tin has been opened for only a few days.

The flavour buildup of Westminster is very interesting: it starts slow and quiet, and then grows into a crescendo of fragrance and aromas. By the end of the bowl it has grown very rich and flavorful, and it ends simply delightful, without bad aftertastes and leaving you wanting for more (exactly like London Mixture did).

The Virginia base is rich but not overwhelming (a little bitey, maybe), neither it is particularly sweet like in the Classic Collection blends: as a whole, Westminster stays quite on a "dry" palette. The real showstealers are the Orientals and the Latakia: fragrant, spicy, perfmuy, incense-like. While the Latakia is from Cyprus, it truly is rich, winey, fragrant, woody, leathery: somehow this tobacco is reminiscent (though lighter and more delicate) of Bohemian Scandal. Yes, while Scandal was based on Syrian leaf, Westminster actually manages to evoke some of its aromas in spite of being entirely Cyprus Latakia based!

Do I like it better than the incredibly flavorful, chewy and thick Caravan, Odyssey, Blackpoint, Abingdon? Probably not... but of course the comparison is silly as these are more on the Balkan side and not a medium English like Westminster is meant to be.

What I can say for certain, is that I like it better than the departed Renaissance: yes, I think that Westminster suits much better my idea of a medium strength classic English mixture, it is much more satisfying and rewarding.

I am almost tempted to give a "Highly recommended" rating, and maybe I will revise my score in the future...

UPDATE: I have been smoking Westminster as my one and only English Mixture for the past two months. While in a couple of my pipes it tastes slightly flatter, it is a wonderfully reliable, consistent tobacco. I really find it excellent for continued smoking, I never grow tired of it. The fact that it burns slower than usual is excellent for those long evening smoking sessions. Rating upgraded to "Highly recommended".
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Sep 07, 2010 Medium None Detected Medium Very Pleasant
I was gifted Westminster along with several other blends that are well received over the pond. This one has an almost cigarette tobacco shag cut and all of the components combine to make for a dandy and inexpensive smoke. The tobacco is somewhat dry and burns quickly, but the Latakia and Oriental components do have time to sparkle.

A fun smoke well worth one's time (and certainly worth the value it presents to the pocket book).
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jun 28, 2014 Medium Extremely Mild Medium to Full Tolerable
G.L. Pease Westminster, from the Heirloom Collection, is often compared to Dunhill London Mixture. It was introduced during that period when Dunhill was not being exported to the United States. Like London Mixture, Westminster is a medium strength Latakia along with Virginia and oriental. The flavor is similar to London Mixture, but not an exact clone.

Where Westminster resembles London Mixture most is the complex way in which the constituent tobaccos fade in and out of dominance. Upon the initial light the latakia predominates. As the smoke progresses the slightly sweet red and bright Virginias take the forefront. Then the herbal oriental seems to predominate. The in and out flavor dominance of the three tobacco types makes for a mixture best suited for smoking when your full attention is upon the pipe.

The cut is a fairly even ribbon. There is no trouble in getting an even light nor in keeping the pipe lit. Westminster does not threaten with tongue bite. The room note is tolerable, not excessively strong, but non smokers will likely label it stinky.

Aside from those pipe smokers who eschew latakia, I give Westminster an unrestrained recommendation.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 31, 2007 Medium to Strong None Detected Medium to Full Pleasant to Tolerable
Since each of the first reviewers has awarded this with 4 stars, and added many of their individual comments, I'll just say that I agree with everything written so far. Greg Pease has hit another major home run with this blend...no surprise, as IMHO, he has few peers - if any - out there today. This is definitely an all-day blend. It might be Pease's most balanced blend to date. The latakia (which I like, as long as it's proportioned and not utterly dominant) is of obvious quality, and the VA sweetness is there, but again, in great balance. Like so many of the GLP blends, this is complex; there are multiple layers of rich flavor that come and go as a bowl progresses. None dominate. This is pure elegance. It's Dunhill Standard Mixture Medium to the third exponent. This is simply an observation, not a complaint - it's like many GLP blends, in that it's pretty moist when first opened. It required a couple of relights in my custom-made Rad Davis bent apple. I'm putting the desired quantity onto a piece of waxed paper for an hour or so now, and that gives it enough time to dry out a bit. All I can say is, that when this gets about two years of age on it, when the flavors marry and the VA sugars mature, watch out! This one is destined for greatness. A full 4-stars, eight out of ten for now, and I have no doubts but that in a couple of years, it'll be at least a 9.

UPDATE: When I first reviewed this, I did something I've never done, evaluating a tobacco after a few bowls. Now a few weeks have passed. I've smoked Westminster in 5-6 different pipes - a few older estate pipes, and a few newer ones; in mornings, in the afternoon, early evenings, and late at night. I've smoked it in Rhodesians, billiards, a large apple, bowls large and smaller. And after this variety, and after the first tin, everything that I loved about it at first stands. Westminster will undoubtedly be spoken of one day as the very best medium English blend there is. To think of what this will mature to causes me to lay in a really ridiculous amount of it.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 29, 2013 Medium None Detected Medium to Full Pleasant to Tolerable
I can easily divide this smoke into two halves. The first half of the bowl reminded me of a lighter bodied version of Pease's Caravan. Orientals ahead of the Latakia by a nose. Virginias quietly providing a balancing sweetness, but not intrusively. In the second half the Orientals and Latakia melded together and mellowed just enough for the Virginias to finally break through. Not in a big way, but just enough to change a good finish into a great finish. An easy four star blend.
Pipe Used: MM General
PurchasedFrom: smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: 2 months
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