Peterson My Mixture 965

Not a patch on what it was years ago, but 965 is an outstanding English mixture nonetheless,full-bodied and flavoursome; perhaps the best current English mixture of all.The varietals are very well balanced, with the Latakia a definite but not overwhelming presence. To my mind, the sweetening presence of Cavendish is what gives this mixture the edge over many other English mixtures (the purist - or pedant- might like to call it a Scottish mixture). The ribbon cut is easy to handle and keep alight; it burns quite quickly, but it won't scorch your tongue if you don't rush it, and it leaves behind only a clean white ash and no sludge. It comes a little moist in the tin, and benefits from an airing - perhaps overnight - before firing it up. It's not as strong as Nightcap, and is more suited to all-day smoking. It's a bit like Peterson's Old Dublin, but sweeter.The room note won't commend itself to non-smokers or Latakia haters, but that's English mixtures for you. Highly recommended to lovers of English mixtures.

Summary: although a Scots-style blend that adds Cavendish, this English balances spice and sweet like a gingerbread cookie.

English blends come together like a sweet-and-sour dish: some spice, some herb, some sweet, and some sour. You taste a constantly-shifting melange that nonetheless provides a flavor of its own, constantly hovering between synthesis and separation. With "My Mixture 965," Dunhill goes Scots-style and throws in some Cavendish with blends with the Virginias to form a molasses-like flavor, and this is then given an exotic herbal flavor by the Orientals (like oregano, parsley, and thyme in a vinegar sauce) which then gets layered in thick, black sooty spice by the tangy Latakia. As with most Dunhill blends, their fine ribbon cut distinguishes this blend by allowing it to mix finely and burn together, producing a flavor like gingerbread, both spicy and sweet with a dark oven-roasted flavor. When drawing in smoke, one first tastes the sweetness, then the smoke seems to separate into its spicy, herb, sweet, and tangy flavors, then reintegrates into a sweet taste all of its own. I have smoked a lot of English blends, but come back to this one, especially in fall when the scent of leaves on cooling earth seems to complement and enhance its flavor.

Foreword: I’m really not a Latakia kind of guy, wasn’t impressed with the Frog Morton series and didn’t care for Early Morning Pipe, so I am not sure how I will like this. I honestly never cared for the Latakia taste or the smell in the past, but I am looking change that and give the alluring Ms. Latakia a second chance.

Presentation: Standard Dunhill presentation. Tobacco is neatly packaged in an attractive tin, wrapped in a decorative white tobacco paper. Upon opening, the Latakia smell was the first thing I noticed. Aside from the Latakia, it has a freshly-cut grass aroma with sweet citrus overtones. I also sensed a perfumery, woodish aroma as well.

Taste: First thing that hit me was a sour vinegar taste of the Latakia. Thankfully, it is not overwhelming and complements the Cavendish, Oriental, and Virginias. However, the Latakia is the most noticeable, but is rather mild and just right for someone that isn’t a Latakia smoker. The taste is not very sweet at all, but rather salty, like if some seawater splashed into the blend when the tobacconist wasn’t looking.

Secondly, I noticed the spiciness of the Orientals, followed by the grassy sweet Virginias. My palate isn’t refined enough yet to notice the mild Cavendish, but the tin says “A Balanced Pipe Tobacco Blend”, so I’m assuming the blend is so balanced that I can’t even notice it. Well done, Dunhill. Well done. I’m assuming the Cavendish contributes to the coolness of this smoke, since there was no tongue bite at all.

After-thoughts: It certainly isn’t a “Latakia Bomb”, which is great for an inexperienced Latakia smoker or someone that just prefers other tobaccos. I wouldn’t call it balanced, since the Latakia is by far the most noticeable for me, but the veteran latakia smokers would probably think differently and consider it a very balanced blend. It goes well with a dark craft beer, especially after work or on a lazy weekend afternoon. It goes even better on a Napoleonic-era wooden boat, barraged by enemy cannon fire, singing Sea Shanties and drinking rum all day and night. “Safe and sound at home again, let the waters roar, Jack.”

***Update 10/16/17***

I'm giving this 4 stars, my favorite blend to date. And this is coming from someone that didn't like Latakia to begin with! This will be my go-to blend, unless I like Presbyterian, Gawith's Squadron Leader or Skiff Mixture better (will be reviewing and trying them shortly). Excellent stuff!

Being a huge fan of Nightcap and EMP, I really was looking forward to this and picked up a half pound of bulk to sample.

I haven't been able to put it down. It's exactly what I was looking for, a "middle ground" blend between Nightcap and EMP, something I could smoke throughout the day and enjoy.

On to the review...

Pouch Note: Smell is definitely not a "lat bomb" but you know it's there. Along with the so-called "brown cavendish" it imparts a very rich, almost molasses and smoke smell.

Light and initial draw: Familiarity, I can recognize this blend as a cousin to my other favorites from this particular house. It's rich and heady, slightly smoky, with a very, very subtle molasses sweetness. The cavendish is quite subtle, it simply rounds out the sometimes sharper flavors of oriental. If done poorly, I'm sure this could muddy the brightness but this definitely compliments the blend overall.

Down the bowl: Consistent with the rest of the bowl, but it still doesn't lose it's complexity. Everything is very subtle compared to say, Squadron Leader. Nothing is really standing out but playing very nice with all components.

Room note: I've received comments from folks at my local B&M who are avowed aromatic smokers that this smelled "much nicer" than my typical Englishes that I bring in to smoke. My wife doesn't complain when I smoke this one, either.

Final thoughts: This tobacco was an apparent favorite of Southern authors William C. Faulkner and Shelby Foote, as were Dunhill pipes. One of the lesser reasons I enjoy a pipe personally is due to the history of pipe making, tobacco blending, and my own love for a bygone era when rich and poor both had a pipe dangling from their mouth.

But to the aspects of this tobacco, it essentially has ended my search for a medium strength, room-agreeable, smooth, complex English (well, with Cavendish to be fair) tobacco that scratches every itch, and even goes beyond that.

This one is f'n brilliant. I wrote an earlier review when I first opened it, stating how strong it was. I'm totally backtracking now after about five months: It's brilliant. Letting it age mellowed it out and let its true colors shine. A sipper, sure...but boy, what a great, adult smoke!! I fell in love with it. Doesn't ghost a pipe, necessarily...but definitely gives them a yummy maturity. Great stuff, just let it rest a while for the true personality to show, and take your time enjoying it. Terrific, classy smoke.

I have smoked 3-50gr tins of this new release of an old standard and find it to be every bit as good as the old, and maybe a tad better. The tobaccos are identical to the old and give you the same effect.

A solid english that set the standard for what an english was defined by. The latakia is not 'overdone' as in many newer english blends that have trouble getting the proportions right. this usually ends with just adding more lat to compensate thinking this will coverup the fact that they couldn't figure out how to balance it.

The smoke is creamy and has a satisfying strength that Dunhill blends have always been known for. The cavendish is masterful as it has been in the past. That balance and perfect harmony is still there, fear not. The burn rate and quality is very good as well. The moisture out of the tin is about perfect as well. Dunhill seems to be one of the only names that can get this right. C&D is another. As usual, the tobacco benefits from some air (oxygen) to get the aerobic action working to bring out the flavors. The anaerobic state in the tin helps in the maturing and preserving process, but does nothing for the smoker. Therefore, a little air is needed to bring this or any tobacco that is tinned to full flavor potential. Just simple science.

As with my review of Standard Mixture (Standard Mixture Medium of old) I find no fault with this new version and am thrilled that they are available again. If you have reset your palate to other tobaccos since these blends have been off the market, you may need some time to reset to flavors that you only remember faintly. I'm just saying...

I, for one, am happy to recommend the new MM965 to anyone that is a fan of med-full english blends. You really can't do much better than this. It's not a lat bomb, but that isn't the true measure of an english anyway.

The move to the new blender has in no way diminished these tobaccos and I think may have saved them. The old blender was starting to lose interest anyway and it was starting to show. May the Dunhill blends lead a new and happily long life. Cheers!

I love this site! lets not loose sight of the forrest for the trees: this tobacco is one of only six listed in the 'Hall of Fame' on this review site.

No doubt its selection owes much to the blending when in the steady hands of Murray & Sons, Whitehall Works, Sandy Row, Belfast (demised and sadly missed since 2005), but in reality Dunhill Tobacco Ltd only moved its blending there from London in 1981. Now having tried all of the Dunhill offerings from Orlik in Assens, including Nitecap - just recently released in the UK, it is clear to me that MM965 still has a home in the Hall of Fame - it's as good as the Murray's blend except in one respect -it has lost an element of strength, but I find this an advantage - the 'N' is more a slap in the face, rather than a punch in the mouth.

It is precisely what it says on the tin - "Balanced smoking tobacco cool with a rich flavour". Emphasis on the 'balanced' as no one component leaf take precedance over another - it's Hall of Fame stuff and a must try for anyone who enjoys that special moment - when pipe, tobacco and smoker are in perfect harmony.

Good for Orlik!

This is a “quintessential English Blend” — it is creamy, mildly sweet, but not overpowering. Some see this as a full-bodied English; my sense is that it is a medium English.

Pipestud’s review included this phrase: “although it is an English, the latakia does not overwhelm the palate. There is enough latakia to certainly satisfy latakia lovers, but it is subdued enough to be enjoyed by those of us who don't want our palates overwhelmed by the stuff.”

This is almost exactly my impression! This is definitely a 4 star out of 4 stars blend, but then I am tasting it and not comparing it to the past.

[English version below]

La lata recién abierta tiene un fuerte aroma a latakia, donde casi no aprecio el resto de tabacos, una vez en bote, pasados unos días, soy capaz de apreciar un aroma más dulce, notas especiadas y notas a té negro, como leí en una revisión aquí.

Al comienzo de la fumada puedes sentir la latakia con esas notas ahumadas, pero no es abrumadora, es suave, dulce y con tonos especiados de los orientales, que están presentes, especialmente para mi en el retrogusto, la sensación en boca es más dulzona.

De mitad para abajo de la cazoleta, se acentúan los sabores, los tostados como en todo tabaco, el sabor a cuero, ahumado, el dulce no se pierde en toda la fumada, es un tabaco que hace salivar. Sí lo fumas a baja temperatura, puedes incluso percibir el sabor a nuez, floral y especiado, es como estar comiendo frutos secos alrededor de uns hoguera en mitad de un bosque!. simplemente delicioso.

En resumen, muy rico tabaco, mucho cuerpo, fuerza media, que te deja saciado. Ideal para personas que se inician en mixturas inglesas. De mis favoritos.

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The recently opened can has a strong aroma of latakia, where I hardly appreciate the rest of the tobaccos, once in the jar, after a few days, I am able to appreciate a sweeter aroma, spicy notes and notes of black tea, as I read in a review here.

At the beginning of the smoke you can feel the latakia with those smoky notes, but it is not overwhelming, it is soft, sweet and with spicy tones from the orientals, which are present, especially for me in the aftertaste, the sensation in the mouth is pleasently sweet.

From the middle of the bowl to the bottom, the flavors are accentuated, the toasted ones as in all tobacco, the leathery, smoky flavor, the sweetness is not lost throughout the smoke, it is a tobacco that makes you salivate.

If you smoke it at a low temperature, you can even perceive the nutty, floral and spicy flavor, it's like eating nuts around a campfire in the middle of a forest! just delicious.

In summary, very rich tobacco, full-bodied, medium strength, which leaves you satisfied. Ideal for people who are new to English mixtures. One of my favorites.