Peterson Standard Mixture

Cracked this tin last month and jarred it. This tobacco is anything but standard.

Latakia is well balanced with very tasty Virginia’s. Tasty and warm as the smoke fills your mouth. Hold it and savor the light smoky flavor. Exhale for a sweet aftertaste. I am getting a little more kick/rush than other reviewers, but I’m smoking on a bit of an empty stomach. Put this one in your rotation folks!

A staple in many a cellar, Dunhill Standard Mixture is a classic blend of grassy citrus Virginias, sweetly smokey Cyprian Latikia, and woodsy resinous earthy Orientals. Each tobacco sings through at various times but are present throughout. I taste a touch of sugar that lends to a harmonious palate filling blend. Burns clean to a gray ash needing few relights. Leaves a pleasant sweet and spicy aftertaste. Stock up while you can

The name already tells it all. Standard, not ment in a disrespectful but positive way. This one sets kind of a pace for the english type of blends. It's a tobacco which impressively shows how a good traditional Latakia blend is done. Medium in every measure, in tin note, taste and nicotine as well. Standard Mixture isn't boring or bland, though. The blend offers the typical english spiciness right from the tin. You can smell a nice sweetness from the Virginias, blended well with the spicy, slightly sour Orientals and a dash of smokey Latakia. Pleasant and not overbording. I would recommend this one, in line with Early Morning Pipe, to people interested in experiencing the english blends. The packing of the pipe is a laugh with its traditional ribbon cut. And after two lights, it's there and burns all by itself. The taste, as expected, is mouth- filling and satisfying, though not too strong or cloying. A nice, subtly sweet Virginia base is shown here on which the Orientals and the Latakia play their game. All in all, the taste is well- rounded but nouanced enough to provide interest . The taste gets fuller to the end of the smoke without challenging the smoker with heavy nicotine like f.ex. Nightcap. You get the typical Latakia-like feel on your tongue due to the natural oils this sort of tobacco contains. Smokey and creamy, a great tobacco. If you don't know which one will be the best to pick up out of all these blends, this one is a great decision.

Evidently, like most Dunhill blends, the tobaccos used in this blend are top notch. IMO however, the Latakia is overpowering for me and is in the forefront from the get-go. I'm unable to taste the other flavours in the blend and in all honesty cannot see the balance which some reviewers have spoken to.

The only balance is the dominance of the Latakia. For those who want a strong dose of Latakia, it can be found here and makes me wonder how Dunhill's Standard Mixture Full will taste if it has a higher dose of Latakia than this 'bakky'. Or does it? At the same level and in place of this, I will vote for Balkan Sasieni because of its more balanced smoke and less overpowering Latakia; for a milder smoke, I prefer Dunhill's EMP and its Standard Mixture Mellow. To rate it according to the balance I require in an 'English' (Oriental/Turkish/Latakia/Virginia) blend, this is a two star.

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December 21st 2015

When I first reviewed this 'guy', I might have been a little unfair. I gave it a two star. I have smoked it a few more times and seem to appreciate it better. I now find it more balanced than I originally thought and have begun to enjoy it. It deserves an upgrade to a three star.

Really like this tobacco, it has aa very good taste and the latakia play a good background role supported by the virginias and orientals leafs. Still I would like a bit mor oriental, but tastes are tastes. I found it good all day tobacco.

Dunhill Standard Mixture is a typical English blend. Virginia, Latakia and Oriental well-distributed and a full pleasant taste. Nothing extraordinary, but a good latakia mixture. Better than 965 (in this moment). If you are a fan of Mr. Alfred and if you are a real latakia lover, you can try to smoke Early Mornin Pipe in the morning, Standard Mixture in the afternoon and Nightcap in the evening. So you can enjoy an all day long latakia smoke and this is the only way to notice the differences among the three Dunhill mixtures. In my personal system rating (from 1 to 10) my score is 8 and three stars.

I find this blend to be a middle of the road English that is nicely blended to form a very good blend. It lights and stays lit well and burns down to a nice ash at the bottom of the bowl. The moisture level is just right even just after opening up the tin. Another quality blend from Dunhill that I recommend giving a try when you have the chance.

I have been hesitating for quite a while about trying the new Dunhill made by Orlik. I first tried the Navy Rolls - which I had never tried before - and ended up disappointed. So, for the sake of fairness, I decided to give one that I had already smoked a try. I ordered a tin of SM. Upon opening the tin, no surprise here: this tobacco looks and smells the same as the Murray production, with maybe a less spicy smell to it. Smoking it remains very similar to the Murray as well, with maybe less taste from the Turkish tobacco. It is still nice and flavorful, without any major changes trhoughout the bowl, except a bigger presence from the Turkish. SM smokes very well, barely bites - only when I push it - and left me overall pleased from the experience. The Vitamine N dose is not quite mild, but not quite medium either. I don't know about the other varieties, but this one comes to me as well done by Orlik. I think I will rebuy every once in a while. And maybe try Royal Yacht next time to see how they managed it.

This must be the tobacco with the best earned name: Standard Mixture. Should I need to describe an English mixture, I'd hand a tin over without saying a word. Well balanced, with a slight predominance of Orientals over Virginias, and the "right" amount of Latakia for a medium strength English mixture.

Note: this review is based on the current Orlik reincarnation. I never had the chance to try the original Dunhill nor the Murray versions.