Dunhill London Mixture

Surprised I haven't reviewed this before. Known it for some years.

Now, the best pipe tobacco I have ever smoked is Harrods London Mixture. That's made by Fox of St James, but you can't get it direct from them, only from Harrods.

Dunhill's version is very good indeed, albeit slightly inferior to Harrods.

I'm not go into great detail. Am smoking the stuff at the moment. I will just say that this fixes the classic definition of what pipe tobacco is. A perfect, rich extremely pleasant, deep, somewhat oriental, wood-panelled gentleman's club of a smoke, which will make you understand and come to terms with the nature of existence, or at least make you feel better about it.

Never lets you down as regards its marvellous, slow burning, the complete lack of bite, the gentle but strong aroma which completely surrounds you.

This, for me, is without doubt the best Dunhill has to offer. It is, together with the Harrods version just a nose ahead, the best pipe tobacco anyone has to offer.

Just what the world needs - another review of an often reviewed now unavailable Dunhill blend! 🙂

I received this in a large trade some months ago and I was not all that excited to try it. My long-ago memory of it was that it was a decent, if uninspiring blend. This was the newer Orlik manufacture. Overcoming biases is not easy but I really enjoyed this tin. It has a nice, lightly smoky flavor, with the orientals taking center stage during the first 1/3 bowl. The lightly sweet virginias then add a different angle on sweet from the orientals... kind of a light fruit sweetness to the orientals nut sweetness. The latakia wisely stays to the rear until the final 1/3 bowl, where it takes on a more prominent role, although still decently muted and used as a spice. This blend was almost like three different ones throughout the smoke, and it was most enjoyable when I was in the right mood.

I rate this one just behind 965, and well ahead of Standard Medium, Nightcap and Early Morning. Skillful blending and a light but steady hand on the latakia make this a winner!

The following comments are based on a 20+-year-old tin, from Dunhill's "Murray's" years. I realize my assessment may not be all that helpful -- especially if you're comparing it to the current Orlik version. But, maybe, if you come across an aged tin (or are wondering how things are progressing in your own cellar). . .

At the first light, the Orientals make their presence known. I don't know if London Mixture, as a youngster, was so Oriental-forward or not. But it is now, with 20+ years on it. If it weren't for the background presence of latakia, those initial first puffs could make you think you're smoking Presbyterian.

After a quarter of a bowl, though, the sharpness of the Orientals -- and I love Orientals -- eases off, and then the smooth, rounded Virginias come in. For most of the bowl, it's a conversation between the Orientals and the Virginias, with the latakia only occasionally speaking up from the back row. The result is an ever-evolving smoke that is rich throughout, creamy in spots, and worthy of the smoker's attention.

I only wish I'd had the foresight to stockpile this back in the 1980s.

Bob

The quintessential English Blend, together with My Mixture 965. This is a tobacco that I would choose if I could smoke only one blend for the rest of my life.

The reasons? Well, it is a perfect mix. Very full, rather strong, but never aggressive: I like strong tastes, but while I love Nightcap, I think that the London Mixture is much more suited for all-day smoking. It never tickles the throat or bites the tongue, regardless of how you smoke it. Just a bit in the nose, maybe, but it's an otherwise well-rounded mixture.

What shocks me is that this doesn't come at the expense of taste: this is one of the tastiest tobaccos I have ever tried. Every mouthful of smoke gives you an almost culinary sense of fullness, as if you were eating some delightful "lasagne". It really makes you crave for more and more, never tiring: I find it perfect as appetizer, or after dinner, or in every other moment of the day. This is a tobacco that simply makes you love the taste of... tobacco! That burnt-wood, exotic taste that I have always been looking for in a tobacco...

I am a guy who loves to try different tobaccos to change tastes, but I feel that London Mixture is a blend that MUST always be present in my collection, because it never grows tiresome. And it should serve as a warning to all "aromatic fans": don't try and go looking for taste in those boring and syrupy cherry-vanilla-fruit tobaccos... There's twice the taste in London Mixture than in ANY aromatic, and it is a TRUE taste, the taste of real tobacco...

I also tend to recommend it to beginners: in my opinion, it is a much better choice than the usual drugstore tobaccos, or than the ultra-classic Early Morning Pipe. I began smoking a pipe with EMP, and I was a bit disappointed. And don't fear that it might me TOO tasty: it never goes over the top, and it is much more straightforward (which doesn't mean it lacks in subtlety) than my other beloved: Nightcap. Nightcap is even fuller and tastier, but it might be TOO spicy and "grand" for someone.

Packs easily, burns well (leaving a dry light grey ash), doesn't require a great smoking technique, tastes great. What else could you want?

A recommendation if you like this tobacco: it is very similar to Dunhill My Mixture 965, but in my opinion it is a bit sweeter and "licorice" tasting. You may want to try both.

Curious note: Many say that this kind of English blend (heavy on Latakia) can be unplesant to wives around you. To my surprise, this is a tobacco that my wife LOVES to smell when I smoke it! She hates aromatics, or "sweet" tobaccos: she prefers the room note of english blends, especially London Mixture! Her sister, too, once asked me if she could try to take a puff out of my pipe when I was smoking this tobacco! She, too, loved the smell of it (and she isn't even a cigarette smoker)! So it seems to be only a matter of taste... It has a strong room note, but someone may like it very much (and my cigarette smoking friends LOVE it).

UPDATES 2004-2007: Like the other Dunhills, also London Mixture has suffered from a noticeable decline in quality... Among all of their blends, it still has remained the only one which is barely smokeable (well, maybe also Standard Mixture Medium is tolerable), though. While recent tins are very disappointing, with some aging they can at least be smoked with some satisfaction. So, the old version deserves a "Highly recommended" rating, while the new one only a "Somewhat recommended". The rating I chose is an average of the two... which is already better than Nightcap, a blend which has fallen into real disgrace: it used to be great, now it definitely sucks.

2011 UPDATE: Trying a recent production tin... the latest Orlik incarnation. Well, quite an ordinary modern medium EM. Smooth, easily smokable, pleasant, good tasting, but a little bit flat, monochromatic, unexciting and lacking the trademark Dunhill character and quirkiness of old, those funky complex leathery aromas.... Not offensive, though... and that's already an improvement compared to previous "modern" incarnations! There is better stuff around, but this isn't a bad blend. Rating for this version is "Recommended". Now I am curious to try the other new "Dunhill" blends to see if they too have improved compared to the awful stuff of the past 5-6 years.

I received the tin of Dunhill London Mixture last night from pipesandcigars.com and I opened it up this morning to put it in one of my cellaring jars. Upon opening I was greeted with the familiar smells of latakia smokiness (but not too much) and the tanginess of the Oriental tobacco. The tanginess can be described as a kind of olive aroma. It also has some sweetness in the aroma similar to dried figs. The Virginias lend a grassy/hay like smell as well.

This tobacco was perfect for a early morning smoke. I got my morning coffee, went out on the back patio and sat down with my rosary and liturgy of the hours to begin my morning prayer time. After settling myself in and blessing myself with the sign of the cross, I packed my pipe, lit it and savored the slightly sweet and spiciness of the first few puffs. I could also taste the slight sour/tanginess of the Orientals and the balanced smoky bitter flavor of the Latakia. There was also a slight nuttiness present. It produced a nice creamy smoke and only had to relight it toward the end of the bowl. I smoked it in my Stanwell Churchwarden with the short stem instead of the long stem. I found the bowl lasted for the entire time I prayed the rosary. What a great way to slow down my prayer, contemplate the presence of the blessing of God in my life and enjoy this product of His creation. It was very relaxing, yet helped me to focus on the mysteries of the rosary and really meditate on the Passion of Christ in the sorrowful mysteries. As I smoked I pondered the smoke as a symbol of my prayers rising up to God, similar to the picture of the prayers from the incense of the saints in Revelation rising to Heaven.

The room note of many English blends that are Oriental forward like this can have varying degrees of a floral, almost incense aroma that can remind one of incense during a Mass at Easter or Christmas or other special times.

I really enjoyed this tobacco and will include it in my regular rotation. I can see smoking this with a pint of porter or stout as well as with a fine dram of fine Scottish Whisky.

London Mixture is one of those blends where after years and 200+ reviews, yet another review is hardly necessary. So consider the more detailed notes below to be just for my own personal collection of reviews to refer back to as taste buds and memory fade. The short version is that this is similar to Standard Mixture but drier smoking, with more heft and depth, heavier on the Orientals and blended with more Latakia. My favorite among the Dunhill English blends. Delicious.

London Mixture presents as a ribbon of dark and light browns, visually indistinguishable from Standard Mixture, and with a similarly delicious tin note of herb, exotic spice and Oriental fragrance. Good moisture level, ready to smoke. Smokes richer and deeper than Standard, with a more robust flavor profile of less Virginia, more Oriental, and noticeably more Latakia. Flavors of wood and salted nut grounded in a deeper leather and earth, with fine Oriental spice always in the background and only a whisper of Virginia - just as I like it. London Mixture is a richly flavorful blend and about as perfect a blend of its constituent tobaccos as one is likely to find. My favorite English.

Smokes dry and cool, no bite. Even near the end of bowl as the (muted, here) Virginia tends to add some damp, and the Latakia some mustiness, the finish is Oriental crisp, and the bowl is left dry. While I much prefer Balkans and Orientals to traditional English blends, this is one I could smoke any time with great pleasure and anticipation.

Update 2020: Peterson didn’t pick up this blend? Tragedy. Thank God I bought a few tins to cellar when I first heard Dunhill was going to virtue signal itself into irrelevance. This is one I would pay top dollar for if anyone were liquidating his stash.

Dunhill's London Mixture is an outstanding Oriental forward English mixture, a classic, and a personal favorite. This tobacco is just delicious. Slightly sour, woody, buttery orientals; grassy, earthy sweet virginia; and a touch of cyprian latakia add smoky, creamy goodness to this rich, medium bodied blend. There's just the slightest hint of a topping that gives this blend a little extra, and it's so well done one could almost think that it's from the tobacco itself. Medium bodied yet full flavored, and medium nic. This is not an all day blend, but it's so good you might like to repeat it, and you'll definitely like to have more than one tin on hand at all times. Best smoked in a medium sized briar. 4 stars.

Dunhill London Mixture - for me , a 'benchmark blend' as far as English Mixtures go. Others have come close - but LM is a tough act to follow. A beautiful blend , moisture is perfect straight from the tin. LM packs & lights easily , and is always well behaved. Mild VA's , pulled along by spicy Orientals , dancing and weaving as the bowl progresses. Of course , Latakia is present , but in a shy , supporting role - masterful blending. LM is never tiring - always willing , reliable , and eager to please.

This is a very tasty medium Balkan blend with a narrow, medium length ribbon cut. There is enough latakia to make a subtle presence known, and it contributes to a soft "mouth feel." The orientals are sweet and slightly sour. The foundation is a solid smooth, sweet Virginia. It is all very nicely balanced and the latakia and orientals complement each other instead of competing or drowning out. I don't detect any topping at all.

For me this is a solid 3+. I have been smoking this off and on for a couple of weeks, and may come back to bump it up to a 4 when the 4 oz sample is gone.

If this type of blend is one you like, you will want to try this.