Fribourg & Treyer Wingate Mixture

My definition of strong means NICOTINE CONTENT. This has a lot of it! A powerful smoke in that regard, yet surprisingly smooth and mellow in another. This is a very UNIQUE English mixture. If you are a fan of MIDNIGHT RIDE by CAO you will absolutely adore this. 3 of 4 stars!

I'm no Latakia expert, and not yet a big fan, either, but this one felt quite, quite, quite nice. It was the Perique that brought me to this mixture but it was the Latakia that kept me interested. To a novice, latakia tastes wonderfully cool, entirely different from others. There probably isn't that much of it, but plenty enough for me to get my attention.

Smokes coolly, taste varies interestingly (though I couldn't detect too much of Perique, probably because I kept an eye, err, a tongue on the new Lat taste). This has that desiccating feel on the throat / back of the back of the mouth, and that feels irritating by mid-bowl. A small detraction - and likely to pass when you've adjusted to the mixture.

Overall this is strong, and a "full" smoke, make no mistake about that. It is decidedly masculine. Not so big a smoke as to be bruising but a full-force one nonetheless. If it were stronger, it'd be overpowering. Now it is just a tad below that, and keeps you happily smoking the bowl, enjoying the "English mixture" nuances.

I was left mesmerized by it. Immediately I got an image of smoking this on an African ranch, watching the sun rise, a new day of hunting ahead of me. It could be the smoke, but then again, it could just be the English knit I wore that got my mind wandering. I could also well see this being smoked on a chilly, foggy september morning breeze in the woods, enjoying the camp life, or a break in military exercises. Hmmm, many, many, many images. This is an intriguing mixture, and if you're into Latakia, don't pass it by. That perique is there, too, though I didn't get to that part too much.

Wife rating: "Incense-like, orthodox church."

Overall, it's a good quality smoke. I would definitely need to smoke more before committing to a definite review. Alas, I only have a small sample.

At Fribourg & Treyer they have a saying, "It's not the size of the paper doily inside that matters, it's the size of your tin.", so note your other 50g tins will have size envy! Of course what is inside is what truly matters, and from what my nose told me, I was in for a a treat.

You are greeted with a beefy, juicy, tangy, Latakia-leather haze worth huffing on it's own merits, without too much English 'charcoal' to take your buds over the edge. The inadequately covered (due to the small doily) shreds are bouncy, have good feel to them, and are dry enough to fire without dry time and moist enough to keep some shape when balled up. The lit product is very smooth while holding the depth of the original bouquet.

I found it to be a great English, especially for those who want that juicy beefy smoke without being intimidated by the full frontal Latakia punch other similar blends may pack. A great starting point for those new to the genre.

All the reviews here say that no flavouring was detected and they are all wrong! There is a sugary and spicy flavour added to this mixture that I find very appealing. I bought my first Wingate about 28 years ago at the F&T shop in London, and my second one only a short while ago. At first I didn't remember the taste from then, it is now made by the ubiqitous K&K but after a few bowls that sweet and spicy taste brought back some of the memories. But it is not as good as the tin I had then I hasten to add. What it is now is a mixture of about 50% of black leaf, and another 50% bright. I don't think all the black leaf is Latakia (or that dash of Perique)so presumably it is black cavendish or some double fermented leaf. Whatever, it still is a lovely sweet and spicy blend that I plan on ordering more of.

Wingate Mixture is not in the Dunhill tradition. If the tin description leads anyone to expect something like Nightcap, a surprise is in store. The Latakia and Perique are expertly applied, not ladled in. I found it to be a complex and interesting mixture for the mornings and afternoons.

I don't remember I've ever smoked something like this one. I can't even identify it in a particular gender: what is it? An English mixture? No, it has no orientals. A VA-PER blend? No, it has a little latakia....I decided to pass this problem by and just smoke it, but I still couldn't understand this blend. The Virginias give it a certain sweetness but don't structure the mix in the body department, the Perique spices it up but doesn't add deepness...why add latakia? To round it up? It seems like an attempt to mix two genders...I don't feel the need for that. As far as smoking in itself, the packing and lighting are easy but the burning is uneven and it's difficult to keep lit. I didn't like it, but I may not be so clever (or too classic) to understand this type of blends.

Presentation: The simplest of tins. Solid green with small subtle grey/silver text on a round European style tin.

Cut: Perfectly acceptable ribbon cut. Perfect moisture level.

Tin note: Smells of sweet bread and slight slight smokiness.

Tasting notes: Main notes are smoky, tart, tangy, and spicy. The smokiness will dance between the foreground and background. The more subtle flavor notes are sweet bread, hay, and MAYBE some figs in there (I'm not certain about the figs).

Mechanics: N/A -- A well behaved blend.

Extra Remarks: A delicious english blend. This will keep you intrigued if you find more traditional english blends like Presbyterian or Early Morning Pipe somewhat boring. Very good, though I reach for other blends over this one most of the time. 3 stars.