Peterson Standard Mixture

I seem to be negative in my reviews of the current offerings under the Dunhill label. I do hate to admit that considering how much I enjoyed MM965 pre-Murrays for years and years. You see, folks, I allowed myself to fool myself when I found Standard Mixture Mild to be closer (but not by much) to my old favorite than today's 965. I incorrectly reasoned that if Mild was not bad, Medium would be better. Mistake. False premises. I had an instant dislike of the taste of Medium from first bowl and throughout my one (and to be only) tin. I had to force myself to finish the tin. It does have quality tobaccos I guess, but the particular recipe just did not taste good for me. Others may find this their cup of tea, so to speak, but not I. The mixture of Orientals assaulted my taste buds, pure and simple. They overwhelmed everything else and did not complement themselves. I will stick with London Mixture henceforth as the best this label has to offer at this time. And I do enjoy that one very much.

Bought Danish tin of this stuff. Too mild for my taste and pretty dull. It's not that bad, but why bother when I have so many other possibilities. It can suit those who like mild tobacco with "Camel" feeling.

Not very impressed by this one, but its alright. Not very stong, but had a bit much of a nic kick which i did not enjoy

My tin just says "Standard Mixture" and was not the 'Medium' mixture, which I could have purchased at my local shop. However, it appears the 'full' isn't made anymore and it doesn't say 'Mild' either, so I assume this is where this tin belongs (Orlik Made).

Anyway...I didn't detect, in the tin, the scent of Orientals or Latakia in this blend at all. I didn't notice them either when I smoked it. It was a decent smoke however and reminded me of a good VA blend, but lacking any and all sweetness. It smokes very well, was mild on the tongue, decent N-kick, but was a bit harsh on the mouth and throat and smelled over-all tasty. Was disappointed as I didn't detect Orientals and Latakia though.

Not thrilled with this blend.

This is a new tin that no longer says medium on the tin. I was very excited to try this tobacco but I must say that I am very disappointed.

The tin smells fantastic and has the aroma of pure tobacco. The tobacco itself is a little moist and does need some airing out.

Complaint: This tobacco smokes ROUGH. I rarely get tongue bite but this blend has done a number on my tongue, throat and nose. If I were to guess, I'd say the Virginia used in this blend is too young. This really is too bad since the flavor of this tobacco is great. I plan to empty the tin into a mason jar for a few months. I will update this review around Thanksgiving.

UPDATE 9/19/11:

I decided to smoke two more bowls of this in two different pipes. The tobacco doesn't bite as bad. However, the mouthfeel is similar to smoking Perique. At this point, this tobacco tastes like a red Virginia and Perique blend. The Virginia is so tart that I can't taste the Turkish or Latakia but I will continue aging this tin.

10-17-11

Vader, there is a difference between strong and harsh. This tobacco is and continues to be harsh. Doesn't hold a candle to London Mixture.

I smoked quite a lot of this when Murrays made it going back almost twenty years ago and still have many of the empty tins. This newer Orlik reformulation seems close but not quite the same. Nevertheless, it's overall is a fine blend and this brand is probably destined to regain pinnacle of quality english blends as it was in the past. It's a bit too moist out of the tin but dries out fairly well over a few hours. The cut is finer which I like; Makes for a more harmonious and unified character. But, there is a slight harshness that I think is coming from the red virginia. The older Dunhill SMM had a predominately golden virginia base with a far lessor element of some stoved hard pressed broken red virgina cake that had a slight tea and herbal sweetness. This red virginia in this newer blend seems to be more plentiful, not as well matured, pressed far less and more so spun out to ribbon. I can't quite tell if there is less latakia or the finer cut is attenuating it's character but, I found the level of the smokiness more subdued but very pleasing with a slight salty character which I really like. Age may take off the edge of the red virginia or perhaps Orlik could improve that component.

Addendum:

On further consideration I think this blend's deficiency due to harshness possibly due to the not so well matured red virgina as noted above is more of an issue. It irratates and tickles the back of my throat and nasal cavity less pleasant than perique with it's impact. I have lowerd my recommendation to two stars and hope for improvement in the future.

Revised: The Orlik Standard Mixture Dunhill is a pretty good blend. This one seems somewhat closer to the older renditions of this blend, though I always smoked more of London Mixture than this one in the past. Less sweet than London Mixture (past) but about the same strength, slightly more oriental forward and a bit more heavy than London Mixture, well rounded overall. I wasn't impressed at all with Orlik's Early Morning Pipe, My Mixture 965, or London Mixture (after a few bowls), but Standard Mixture is a tolerable, mild-medium flavored blend. Of all of the Orlik reissues of the Dunhill blends, Standard Mixture is only one I'd buy again, but it's not going to be a regular for me.

Not a wimpy mixture by any means, but in my opinion a bit of a lightweight. The individual ingredients seem to be off balance to my palate, but this may change with some age, especially the Latakia-Virginia interplay.

The tobacco quality is very high and it is blended with care. While it doesn't push my buttons, I can easily see why it has legions of fans. It is good tobacco and I would recommend to anyone looking for that easy smoking lighter English mixture

Standard Mixture Medium is yet another in a series of Dunhull English blends. There is no question that Dunhill makes some of the best English blends- something for every taste. This happens to not be one of my favorites.

The Virginias take the reins on this blend and yield grudgingly to the more exotic ingredients. I keep waiting for the more exotic elements to come to the front of the class as the bowl wears on, but this never happens. OK, it gets a bit more latakia-ish towards the end, but not enough to satisfy. It seems to smoke a little hot for a Dunhill English as well.

Good for those that do not want an in-your-face latakia experience, but not so great for this pipester.