Dunhill London Mixture

I had just finished up a tin of Dunhill Early Morning Pipe, and wanted to explore more of the Dunhill catalog before they were unavailable (or before someone else decided to take on the name, and re-blend them) - so, I settled in on London Mixture. Let me preface this review with this: I love Balkans. In my opinion, any Balkan lover will love this blend.

First off, I will compare this blend to Early Morning Pipe, but keep in mind, London Mixture is not as mild and light, so when I mention each component tobacco, I mean from a taste perspective, not strength. You can taste much more of the component tobaccos in London Mixture than you can in EMP, even with London Mixture settling in somewhere between mild and medium in terms of strength. This blend, like a Balkan would suggest, stands Oriental forward and offers that woody, sour, savory element that is very reminiscent of the orientals that take front seat in Early Morning Pipe, but the Orientals in London Mixture also deliver a bit of spice that is absent in EMP. The Virginias are also present much in the same way as EMP - gives it a nice grassy, sweet(ish) base with perhaps some tanginess. The Latakia is what differentiates this blend from its lighter kin. There is much more Latakia in this blend, bringing the overall profile together in a way that offers much more depth - bringing out earthiness, fresh leather, and is something reminiscent of an old, used library.

This tobacco hits every category with a straight medium. The nicotine level is there, but not enough to take your feet out from underneath you - it is very pleasant. I particularly enjoy this tobacco on colder days with the threat of winter quickly approaching, forcing me to nestle deeper into my jacket and cherish the warmth of the pipe bowl in my hand a bit more than normal. Akin to a solid porter, this tobacco is perfect for the Autumn and Winter months. So, grab a jacket, light up a bowl, and watch as the leaves burn fiery orange, blowing scattered with the wind; or - as a fresh coat of snow silently falls in the early hours of winter, quieting everything down just enough for you to drift off for a bit, only to return an hour later and realize that all is well.

Current tin 2018. No doubt about the quality here; very high. But for me, one of the 'oriental' leaves is too much, and imparts a high dry tang which I don't care for. To compensate, this is one of the very few baccies in which I have any sense of that wonderful old 'Turkish' taste that no one seems to offer any longer - that distinctive taste of the hand-made Turkish cigarettes you used to be able to get in any good tobacconist in London. Funny, but in every smoke of this blend where I have made notes, I start fairly unimpressed and tell myself not to buy it again, but always seem to change my mind when I get to the last half of the bowl. That's when everything really starts to work, for me, and that hint of old Turkish comes through again. The very end of the bowl is heaven on a stick. A firmly 'medium' smoke all round, and of sufficient high quality to recommend giving it a try.

This is an uninspiring blend to steal from several other reviewers. The tin note is woody and sour Turkish/Oriental with smoky Latakia. The flavor is, well, boring. The Orientals are either not of the varieties I prefer or are of lower quality, I tend to think it is the former. The blend burns and packs easily and requires few relights. The taste is mainly Turkish/Oriental and Virginia with Latakia in a supporting role. The Orientals provide a woody, nutty character but lack any real strength or depth. The Virginia's are grassy and sweet but are dull. The Latakia is blended well as I think they were intended to harmonize and support the Turkish/Orientals and not drown them out. Smoke and sweetness are present and add to the melancholy flavor in this blend. I am 2/3 of the way through this tin perhaps I have not found the right pipe yet to make this blend sing. Not a bad smoke and nice when you are looking for a mindless bowl of tobacco. Not something that stands out to me in any way.

Another genuine classic English blend from Dunhill, which bringing you hundred years back to old London. In every puff is a feeling, that you just visited Alfred Dunhill tobacco store in Duke street. Smooth, full, flawless smoke. Grab a piece of history until is available.

Warning: my tin shows that Dunhill - London Mixture is produced in Denmark rather than the UK. For your guys know and I don't wanna edit the tobacco profiles anymore.

UPDATE 2017-4-11 After stored in Mason jar for 20 days, it tastes deeper and tastier, but still, lacks the complexity.

Tin notes: woody, earthy, smoky

Cut: the classic Dunhill ribbon cut; easy to pack.

Strength and Nicotine level: medium; medium.

Taste and balance: the Virginia and Turkish play an impressive symphony; a little bit sweet; the latakia is hidden in the background. Aftertaste has a pleasant bitterness. Second half bowl starts muddling like Early Morning Pipe.

It is less balanced than Standard Mixture.

Time: a good option for light Night tobacco and nearly an everyday smoke.

Stars: enjoy + never buy → two and a half stars

Other reviews: agree with SteelCowboy and Gentleman Zombie

SteelCowboy: The scent of the Murray's is sweet and smoky, while the new Orlik, without the aged Virginia's, is just plain smoky.

Gentleman Zombie: This one is all about the Turkish. You won't find balance here and, for a change

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original 2017-03-22

The tin note is smokey, woody sweet and lightly earthy. It is easily smokable but flat, dull, unexciting. It is a balanced "standard" English mixture and may not be a bad one, but pretty like an obsequious employee, boring and apathetic.

Two stars.

This is a review of the current, as of writing, Danish made iteration.

A Va-Oriental with just a hint of Latakia. On opening the tin there is a whiff of a top dressing, that might only be the result of warehouse absorption, but it is there nonetheless. Thankfully, this aroma does not intrude into the smoke itself.

This really is a superbly balanced tobacco. It is light, sweet and savoury with a beautiful herbal room note. Burns from the tin perfectly for an entirely trouble free smoke.

Edit. I have discovered this has a 'sneak up and hit you' strength to it. Have upped strength accordingly. I wonder if there is some white burley in this mix.

So after 32 years of smoking a pipe I finally purchased my first tin of Dunhill's famous "London Mixture".

Described as "Medium cut, matured Virginian and Oriental Tobaccos. Soft and mellow flavor". The blend smokes relatively cool and burns down to a fine ash with no dottle. The pipe is left clean with no sticky wet residue

So far I am ten bowls into the tin and I have been enjoying each one more and more. This is a blend that definitely requires a steeper learning curve than many other blends. The complexity of the orientals playing off the virginias against the background of latakia provides a smoking experience that takes many bowls to discover all of the various nuances of flavor it can provide. This is not a beginners blend by any means, but the seasoned pipe smoker will find many delightful adventures in this classic mixture.

Spicy, sweet, and mild. Easy to pack and rather carefree. A notch below G. L. Pease Westminster in terms of complexity, but overall one of the best English blends.

The current London Mixture is hard to describe for me a little.

Präsentation - fine tin Flavor: Forest, smoked ham, spices, a very little bit of sugar.

First of all, yes i like it. But not so much as the Dunhill Standard or 965. Why ? Sometimes its just a tiny bit to sweet for me. Thats divers a bit from older versions - Murray to.

I dont know exactly why - is it a bit to much sweet tasting cypryan latakia ? maybe

or is it simply the virginia ? i tend to the latter.

however - the recent is much better as all the dummie copies.

I give Dunhill Standard and MM965 4 Stars so here i had only 3,8 stars