Dunhill Aperitif

This Dunhill blend is not available in Italy, and it's a shame. It's a lighter cousin to My Mixture 965 and London Mixture, but sufficiently different to justify its existance. It also bears some similarities to Durbar (the oriental tones are rather pronounced), but I find it much more pleasant, as Durbar can be exceedingly spicy and with a cigar-like tone that I don't like very much. Aperitif has a delicious bitterness/spicyness/sweetness that is a bit dominant over the Latakia, but not too much: it is a very dry (and with dry I mean like in wine) tasting smoke, rather tickling to the tongue, with an almost metallic note. The Virginias sweetness is more subdued than in other Dunhill english mixtures, and the result is a smoke that is perfect before dinner (as the name suggests), but also after. I still prefer London Mixture, which is fuller, rounder and more complex, but I love this one too enormously, particularly when smoked in the right pipe (in my case, a large bent group 6 shell Dunhill). I'd almost say that this mixture has some Balkan overtones, which is great. A different english mixture than, let's say, GLPease offerings: less subdued, thicker, more in-your-face (not overwhelming, mind) and very satisfying. Packing and burning qualities are similar to Dunhill's other EMs: great. Only shame of this tobacco is that I finished my first tin in a matter of days! It is also one of the Dunhill blends that has suffered very little from their recent decline!

2014 Update: Alas, in the most recent incarnation, it HAS suffered. The new version is boring. Smokable, yes, but with the same undistinguished cardboardiness and dirty taste of all the other "2014 version" Dunhill latakia blends. Nothing of the pronounced Latakia and chewy but not heavy mouthfeel of the original, nothing of the same crisp taste. This new version could almost be completely interchangeable with London Mixture or Standard Mixture.

The rating is 3 stars because the original version was 4 stars and the new one 2 stars...

After about 5 years of cellaring, I thought it was time to give this one a run. My first impression was wow. My second impression was, I wish I would have grabbed a half dozen more tins of this 5 years ago! If you read my reviews, you know that I am a die hard Nightcap fan (like many others lol) so that is the standard that I bounce most non-aromatic blends against. I do have a wide variety in my stash and am certainly not locked into strong English blends. While this lacks the punch, astringency and complexity of Nightcap, its a nice mellow compliment to it when you aren't looking for that really strong hit. Apertif checks my Latakia box, but no Perique, of which I am also a huge fan. But it can stand alone without it. It packs and lights perfectly in just about any pipe I try with it. My wife finds the room pleasant, and I love the taste. Its strong, but not overwhelming, I could go back to back bowls no problem with it. You usually can't go wrong with Dunhill products (pipes or tobacco) so if you haven't given this one a chance, I would recommend it. I can't compare this to older Dunhill products, as I started smoking in the late 90s and then I just bought the cheapest crap I could get my hands on usually. This is not my favorite tobacco, nor my favorite Dunhill, but I do like it. Not a 4 star tobacco, but a very solid one for me. Its not super complex, but it will go in any pipe, any time of day (not just before supper) and it certainly satisfies. I will definitely be ordering more soon.

Tin: Dull brown to black, 50:50, slight mold, no bright blonde at all, though still a familiar Dunhill complexion and aroma. This is a Murray tin, pre-2004, based on the shape of the bottom of the tin, being almost flat. Orlik uses a bubbled edge around the bottom perimeter, allowing the tins to be stacked more readily. Orlik took over production in 2004. Dunhill migrated completed out of tobacco merchanting a few years ago. The Dunhill exit started in 1995 when Murray became the licensed blender for the Dunhill name brand.

Lighting: Burns all the way to the bottom with one match.

Taste & Aroma: Smooth, cool, dry, biteless, not as flavorful as some corresponding GL Pease blends. Supposedly the purpose of the Cavendish is to buffer and smooth out any harshness or rough edges of the other components. It must, because the Latakia is the main, smoky element, though moderate in effect, or is it the Turkish; it's too bland to discern. Apertif is not sweet. I just finished a tin of McClelland's Christmas Cheer 2001. Now that's a sweet tobacco.

Nicotine: medium to moderately strong, and definite.

Room Note: moderate English, not long-lasting.

Overall: A standard moderate English, with Latakia, or is it Turkish, the feature? 3.5 stars for this Murray vintage.

THe mildest of the true English Dunhill tobaccos (EMP is in my mind not an English tobacco). This cool smoking tobacco has all the typical attributes of an Dunhill English with the added twist of Cavendish. This provides the unusually cool mild flavors that make this an alternative to most full bodied English tobaccos. The Cavendish does not water down the flavor but adds its own soft silky earthiness that balances an already well balanced tobacco. THe latakia is woody but not salty, and has the tin note of smoke. The orientals are very mild and slightly spicy but not as pronounced as I would like. Other mentionables are the exceptionally sweet VA's that could use a bit more aging to add consistently, and the room note which for the mildness of the tobacco seems to be a bit more forward than I expected. Very good tobacco I plan on buying more to add to my ever growing collection.

The common medium English mixture, well blended, of superior quality.

The addition of cavendish gives it a different, subtle touch, however.

Never as too strong as 965, but with more hair on its chest than Early Morning Pipe or London Mixture.

Yup, a fine balance.

This is a fine, dry and cool smoke. The tin aroma is pungent, it smells of fermented fruit. This is a visually attractive mix of mostly dark, short cut leaf. Packing and lighting is a simple, one match affair in my IMP Meer bent pickaxe; puffing gently allows all the components to be savored individually. This starts out mild in flavor but builds nicely towards the middle of the bowl, neither sweet nor bitter; smooth is a good description of what I taste. Latakia, VAs (conditioned) and Orientals; I am happy to have this in my cellar for an occasional change of pace. 7 out of 10 stars.

Aperitif is a nicely balanced blend, though is you are of a mind that Latakia and Cavendish should never meet, you won?t like it. In fact, I would say that if you don?t like 965, you aren?t going to like this one either.

As you would expect from Dunhill, the quality of the leaf is very good, and the cut and flavor is consistent throughout the tin. It can become harsh if you get a bit overanxious, especially at the ?tinned? moisture level. Some drying is a fine idea.

I could, and I have, smoked this throughout the day. I tend not to address nicotine content, as I rarely find anything that I actually consider strong in that way. It has a moderately full flavor, predominantly Turkish with Cavendish and Latakia undertones as a rule, though the Latakia does assert from time to time. It?s a dry smoke, in respect to both the pipe and the taste.

If you like your smoke a bit on the Oriental/Turkish side, this could be for you. If you?re looking for a Latakia powerhouse, such as GLP Raven?s Wing, you?ll find this one a bit too light.

This is a nice English mixture that sits squarely between Early Morning Pipe and Nightcap in strength and 'flavor density'. It's a great introduction to English blends for someone who wants to learn what a good subtle Latakia blend can be like. It's cut finely enough to pack well but still burn cooly and is very well-behaved, not being too much or too little of anything - a perfect middle-of-the-road English. The Orientals show their stuff well, giving a great nutty-sweet overtone to balance the smokiness and light sweetness of the Latakias and Virginia base.

I often smoke this on my back porch while barbecueing dinner when weather permits, and I also prefer it to EMP when I want a Latakia hit in the morning as it's a little more interesting without being overwhelming.

When I started smoking a pipe in 1979 the first tins I ever purchased were a gift set of four small 50g tins of Dunhill, suggested by the shop owner to give me an overview of different types of tobacco. I wish I had kept those tins as they’d probably be considered a collectible item now on eBay. Royal Yacht was my favorite of the four and I never bought anymore Aperitif until the re-introduction in 2015, so I only have the vaguest memory of the original. My tin had two years on it when opened, and now another five years in jar as I’ve sampled it now and then.

This is not a wow blend but it was worth getting a tin. Among the re-release offerings I prefer the more distinctive flavor profile of Durbar, but this has its own unique flavor nuance derived from a subtle top note which to me tastes like a thin cream sauce flavored with allspice. The tobaccos themselves are mild and harmonious with one another. The Latakia, while dominant, is of the muted variety, that impression more evident because of the unflavored palate-broadening unflavored Cavendish. The sum of the parts favors the middle range, without much of either top or bottom notes.

Overall, I find Aperitif to be a middle-of-the-road, muted, and mildly manipulated blend, close enough to round up to three stars. But now I see why it was dropped: not much to get excited about.