Peterson Standard Mixture

I found a tin of Standard mixture from my local tobacco retailer--it's probably over 10 years old--what a treat. Opened the sealed tin , the aromas are incredibly varied , but it doesn't smell like fresh tobacco , since it's obviously more than 10 years old....

What a spectacular taste...of all the English I have tried certainly one of the best . Strong, but less banal than Nightcap, distinctive and not monotonous with a perfect blend of latakia and orientals...mmmm

excellent. 3.5 stars.

Revised 7/3/23: I have narrowed my favorites to two tobaccos: Nightcap and 965. Standard Mixture is excellent, and if you like English tobaccos, you should try it. My preference for 965 is only slightly greater than my preference for Standard Mixture. 965 and Standard Mixture are good smokes for any time of day. Nightcap has more nicotine and is a bit relaxing, so I agree that it is best in the evening.

Previous review:

Very well named. It is a good standard. Good savory flavor. This is a favorite that can enjoy almost every time I smoke. My favorite blends are Standard Mixture, Elizabethan, Presbyterian, and Nightcap. These mixtures have in common that I like them best when the tobacco is dried on a plate for one or two hours before packing the pipe.

First time smoking standard mix medium since I don’t know when. I remember preferring Dunhills London Mixture as I was hunting for more Latakia dominant blends back then. It seems that with the takeover of Peterson’s some Dunhill blends won’t be re-introduced to the market and London mix is one of them. So, when I was visiting my tobacconist recently I was willing to give the Standard Mixture (which is still on my mind as Standard Mix Medium) another try.

Look in the pouch is as nice as an English mix cut could be. Bright to darker brown Leaf, sprinkles of black ribbons and dark pressed, matured tobaccos. The cold smell reminds me a bit of spicy ketchup at first impression but then turns into a mild campfire fruit jam mix almost a bit like sour dough.

Left it open for an hour as it seemed a bit too moist for smoking it right away and packed it in a medium sized bowl for the first retrying. Packs wonderful and lights like you’d expect it from a thing called standard. I think it was not blended to set a new standard but to get a tobacco suiting for many situations and different kinds of smokers. Phrases could be ‘so back into the armchair, I’m packing my evening Standard.’

First lighting did not surprise me much I was awaiting a Va forward English (that’s what I remembered) and for the first toke there was only sweetness with a hint of hay. With the next few puffs the character of this blend completely changes. Spices take the lead. Roasting flavors as well as a bit of camp fire smokiness appears and both combine great with the mentioned sweet undertone. I’ve never tried a toasted tobacco that actually tasted like toast. This one does and it’s roasting is warm and deep. Sometimes almost a bit like cocoa almond and nuts. (but very different from burley f.e.) Sweet and spicy are switching dominance as the smoke continues but in whole the character stays the same until the end. There are some bitter compounds in the spicy area of the taste spectrum wich can surely be pushed by smoking hot but if carefully puffed they never get too strong. Leaving a pleasant aftertaste of smoky Virginia with a bit of sourness on the tongue this one is screaming for another bowl

Could have a bit more Latakia for my taste, nevertheless, this one is beautifully blended and pretty unique in roasting flavors. Guess I wasn’t ready for that one when first trying it. As a conclusion I’d say that some blends may deserve a second chance maybe.

You know it is a shame that tobacco companies such as Dunhill and Mc Clelland have gone out of business. I recently picked up a tin of the Standard Mixture and I was pleasantly surprised. This is a very well balanced English blend, that will not whack you over the head with the latakia. Some people like copious amounts of Latakia, I, however, do not. And, that is why this blend is very nicely balanced in my opinion. As mentioned Standard has the right amount of Latakia, adding to the smokiness of the blend in addition to the Turkish leaf that is also added in just the right amount. The Virginia in this blend adds a really nice sweetness overall to the blend which really balances it out. Right out of the tin it comes a little moist, more so than your typical English and will leave some moisture in the bowl if puffed to fast. I did not get any bite or harsh spots but will leave a little dottle in the bowl if you tend to puff too quickly. If you are looking for a true English (and if you could find it) this is an exceptional blend, one of many made by Dunhill.

Oh, when I am writing this, I have no Standard Mixture on hand, so I have to base on my memory nearly half year ago.

This is super balanced and medium deepness mixture with dry, woody, smokey and a little bit sweet note.

Just as the User Wilhelm Joharsányi said:

"Standard Mixture is like your favorite rugged pair of boots: Sure you have better shoes to wear, from your fine leather Italian dress shoes to your French suedes, but nonetheless, your boots are what you turn to first and continually wear daily."

"When you get tired of wasting all your $$$ searching for the “ideal tobacco”; whether it is some hipster ‘artisanal blend’ made by the ancient monks of Bhutan or trying some ‘3 aged burleys from the sacred Malawi jungles picked by imported multicultural soccer ball kids of Brazil’: Standard Mixture will always be there, waiting for you inside your tobacco cabinet, waiting for you to open it with an “I told you so grin” on his face, as you go back to smoking this consistently good and reliable tobacco. "

So my conclusion: a solid perfect all day smoke even though current STG version is inferior to Dunhill Murray-era tins.

I don't smoke a lot of Latakia mixtures so the ones i do buy all have tons of reviews and high ratings. Most of the time i go Burley and Aromatic but as it is getting cooler out here in Las Vegas (still in the high 90's in October, geez you know you are a local when 97* feels like Autumn compared to 110*) and i got an itch for a smokey English blend. Standard Mixture's classic red sticker reached out to me by its plainness in a sea of lovely multi colored, graphic filled row of tins. SM is a really classic toasty blend of Virginia, Latakia and orientals. SImple and yet so complex. When i smoke this i picture sitting in my home in the 30's or 40's, listenng to the tube radio and sipping cognac before a fire. A time without the internet or cell phones, nothing to distract you from the fine bowl of SM and the crackle of the fire with some Bing Crosby crooning out his "Boo boo boo da da" (he used to frequent tobacco reviews a year ago or so and i enjoyed his singing in place of a review) SM is really nice in its simplicity and a nice addition to ones rotation because it is so simple in my mind compared to Ashton Artisans or Nightcap with their Perique. I can see why this is a classic and has stood the test of time...

As one of my favorite reviewers Pipeline said years ago "Take a break from your "review race" and enjoy."

Who am I to review this tobacco like some sort of tobacco professional? I am no connoisseur. I am also new to English tobacco. But I must say, it is the first time I am enjoying a smoke to this extent. The one word to describe this is 'stimulating'.

The tobacco out of the tin was quite moist, but unexpectedly it burns rather well. Rich flavor and Balanced, that is what it says and it is true! The smoke is rather exquisite, you get the creamy taste and it is easy on the tongue.

This will definitely become one of my favorites.

Recommended with a bottle of Jack. Sorry fellas, you gotta try this!

If you don't dry it, this tobacco is overwhelming to me. But if you dry it, the taste is really good. A little bit bitter, but if you like it like me, it's all good. You can easily taste the Latakia. So if you don't like it, pass your way ! It's not my favourite blend, but I could make it my all-day-tobacco (as every English Blends). To sum up, the taste is sweet even, like I said, if it's a little bitter.

I did not intend to purchase this blend because I didn't think it would have enough vitamin N for my taste but as luck would have it a coworker that was traveling with me had mentioned that he would like to try smoking a pipe as opposed to dip tobacco, With the imagery of him spitting in a cup as we travel for the next 8 hours I was more then happy to oblige so off to the local Tobacco shop to purchase a corn cob and some mild mannered tobacco I chose this blend never having smoked it, I loaded his & my pipe ,gave him the verbal quick start guide, I lit mine and settled in for a mediocre smoke I assumed but was pleasantly surprised at first it tasted like a high grade Prince Albert but developed in to a complex nutty balanced blend don't know how else to describe it as far as vitamin N goes it was very satisfying which was the biggest surprise, my normal blends are FVF,Solini aged burley ,Cumberland ,1792,Royal Yacht ECT.