Peterson My Mixture 965

While I am no longer that much into English blends as I was when I first discovered them, I still enjoy smoking them every once in a while. This blend caught my attention. I was pretty curious to see what the hype was about and also to try out my first former Dunhill blend.

Opening the tin and taking a whiff, it's obvious that the first odor sensed is that typical Latakia smell, with a hint of sweetness and tanginess in the background. But the Latakia is definitely noticeable.

Comes somewhat moist in the tin, but about 15 minutes of drying time should be enough. Mechanically, it's a walk in the park. Packs easily, lights easily, only requires a handful of relights, doesn't bite, doesn't get harsh, doesn't get hot and burns down to a fine, grey ash. The only downside is that it leaves a bit of moisture at the bottom of the bowl.

After lighting it up, the Latakia takes center stage until roughly one quarter of the bowl. It's not a Latakia bomb by any means, but it's still enough to dominate the other components. After that it mellows a bit and enters into a nice interplay with the Orientals, going back and forth between smoky/leathery and tangy/slightly sour. The Cavendish works in the background to offer sweetness and some fruity notes every now and then, especially grapes (for me, at least). This seems kinda a weird but, while smoking this, there were a few instances where I could detect something that, to me, tasted like smoked cheese, though not with every bowl. Interesting, but pleasant nonetheless.

At the end of the day, MM 965 is a typical, medium-bodied English blend with a bit more sweetness. It's a nice, smooth and enjoyable blend, but not enough to become my go-to English, mainly because it's a little too Latakia forward for my taste. I respect its status as a classic and, overall, I'm satisfied with the result.

One cannot say bad things about this one. Nice, Very bitter and leathery. I'm just not the greatest Cavendish fan around, it's heavy dose combined with a generous latakia amount do have a special almost metallic taste, but will never rank among my favourites.

The Orientals are the main player here, nutty and woody and leathery and perhaps a bit salty, aided by the subtle smokiness of the Latakia, which though distinct enough, never overpowers. If you're after a Latakia-bomb, look elsewhere. The Virginias adds depth and sweetness, along with a little hay and fermented fruit. The Cavendish is thankfully not very noticeable, but may contribute some mellowness. There is also a somewhat musty, vaguely mushroomy taste hidden somewhere in here, which is hard to decode.

Easy to light, but don't smoke it too fast. Leaves some moisture in the pipe.

I find this better as an occasional treat than an all-day smoke, there is almost too much going on for that. I suspect that this blend will become more harmonius with some ageing.

I received about an ounce of Dunhill My Mixture 965 from a friend. He told me it was eight years old. It was quite dry. Despite this, it had a lovely leathery fragrance.

Upon firing up, the rich and mildly smoky Latakia immediately made their presence known. The fragrant and slightly sour orientals kicked in about a quarter way through the smoke and, for the next quarter of the smoke perfectly balanced the Latakia. The orientals gradually out competed the Latakia for my attention until, toward the end, they faded out and the sweet cavendish and earthy Virginias came to the fore.

My Mixture 965 provides lots of flavor with no bite. The nicotine hit is somewhere between mild and medium. The only negative to 965 that I detected was a degree of bitterness in the aftertaste. I don't know if this was the result of the age and dryness of the tobacco, but it did detract somewhat from my enjoyment. I plan to hydrate the tobacco slightly to see if this cures the defect.

I think that any pipe smoker who prizes an oriental forward English blend would enjoy 965.

I totally agree with Beer's review: "Flat, carboardy, cigarettish. Not exactly offensive".

And I totally agree with Jack The Bear's review.

And I give four stars to Standard Mixture, three and a half stars to Early Morning Mixture, three stars to London Mixture, two stars to Elizabeth Mixture.

But why do I still recommend this mixture? Because if you never taste it, I think you should give a try. Actually in modern days some others classic mixtures learn the blending philosophy from it. When smoking 965, I feel pretty comfortable and relaxed like talking with an old friend,

Not bad at all.

To me, Dunhill english blends all share the same DNA. They all have a very leathery taste. Out of those ive tried (EMP, Apéritif, NightCap, London), MM965 is not my favorite. Visually, in the tin, it is mostly dark brown, and the aroma is typical Dunhill. On first light, the Latakia is at the fore. Gradually, the Cavendish begins to emerge, with its creamy/milky, sweet cardboard-ish taste. Around the 1/3 mark, there is some sharp notes, which evoke sawdust, with sour hints (the orientals?) against the smooth cav background. The Latakia settles down. At around the 2/3rds mark, the sharper notes disappear and more sweetness emerges. The leather/sweet milk/creosote accord lasts until the end. The room note is quite pleasant for an english blend, but rather strong. The burn qualities are very, VERY good, leaving the oft promised fine white ash, and delivering voluminous plumes of grey-bluish smoke. Call it english, call it scottish, to me it feels very akin to all other Dunhill english offerings; reliable, but not very exciting. Another 3 stars blend for me !

This is a celebrated blend in a crowded category and 965 still holds its own. Like all Dunhills, it's high quality, perfect out of the tin, beautifully cut, satisfying and easy to smoke.

It's more creamy than sweet, with nice cacao and coffee notes. Reminds me a bit of H&H Black House.

A lovely robust, full flavored Scottish Style English blend. Yes, Scottish as it does contain an unflavored Cavendish(straight English does not). Once this blend has been put in its proper genre, it is easier to compare it to others of its elk. Since I prefer Peterson Old Dublin for my go to Scottish, let us compare from there shall we. MM has a fuller flavor than POD with less of the sweet and spicy characteristics that POP is known for. In many respects, MM closely resembles some of Rattray's Scottish mixtures in taste. However, MM comes in an excellent ribbon cut and the Rattray's mixtures tend to be rougher cut. There are also less stems and junk tobacco in MM than the usual Rattray's Scottish Mixtures. Overall, MM is an excellent representative of its genre. As such, it is a must try for those wanting to try the full spectrum of the Scottish Style English Genre available on the market today. Cheers

A legendary tobacco with a unique taste. But I refer to the tins I smoked from 5 to 15 years ago. I recentely finished it so I bought two more tins; well, that was another story: a "cardboard-cavendished" flavour and taste that really disappointed me. I'll try it again, sometimes. 5,0/5 in my personal rating system some years ago, 2,0/5 now for an average 3,5/5.