Robert Lewis 123 Mixture

Robert Lewis' 123 Mixture is one of my favorite cigar leaf blends. This blend has seems to have less of the cigar leaf than blends like Robusto, Stogie or Key Largo, but I find the flavor more rich, deeper and polished (if that can be said about tobacco) in flavor than those other blends. The cigar leaf IMHO is more of a supporting player in the 123 Mixture. The flavor bouquet is very rounded with the addition of cavendish adding a slight bit of underlying sweetness. In a tobacco world filled with lots of English choices, 123 Mixture's flavor profile is unique. Recommended.

In June 1983 I walked into the famous Dunhill store in Jermyn Street, London and bought my first pipe. A Dunhill Group 3 Billiard on the recommendation of the smart young man running the extensive and truly beautiful pipe and tobacco department. He had a pipe clenched between his teeth, a Dunhill off course, happily puffing away (those were the days). Back then the store used to make their own blends each month and the June 1983 blend was an English mixture with Havana cigar leaf added, and so I bought a 50 g tin. I also spotted the 965 mixture, which the smart young man explained was a complex and famous mixture loved by many experienced smokers. Having a fascination for numbers, I bought a tin of that too. Talk about going off the deep end! I struggled with that June 1983 mixture, being an inexperienced pipe smoker. I kept abandoning my pipe mainly because of tongue burn from the Virginias. But I kept going back to it because I loved the Latakia and it had a unique sweetness I've never found in any other tobacco since. Years later I kept thinking about that blend long after it was discontinued , but Dunhill made me up 5 tins as a special order, which have long since finished. So you can imagine my excitement when I discovered RL's 123 mixture. On first opening the tin I saw that the cigar leaf was rolled up like the other tobaccos in the blend making it a little hard to discern. That Dunhill mixture had flat flakes of Havana leaf peeking through the other tobaccos. Very neat although I doubt if that made any difference. On diving into the tin, nose first, I immediately detected that same unique sweetness to the aroma, amongst the Latakia and other tobaccos. Could this be it? Had I finally found my dream blend in RL's 123? Well....... I don't know! I've smoked half a tin now and my taste experience is nothing like during that Summer in 1983. But I was a brand new pipe smoker then and this is 40 years later. For sure, the Dunhill blend had much more of the acrid Virginia flavour, as most Dunhill blends do, and 123 is truly mild in comparison. The sweetness is there in smell but unlike the Dunhill in taste. So I'll just enjoy 123 for what it is, a subtle, mild, cleverly blended mixture, and just give up on my quest for that magic Dunhill June 1983 blend.

The man behind the counter in Kikusui, a tobacconist in Ginza, recommended this tin when I told him that I was a fan of English blends. When he told me that it had actual Cuban cigar leaf in it, my interest was piqued.

Smells like a stout latakia blend out of the tin. And there is a boldness about it and I think that the cigar leaf aids in this. Despite having it, it smells almost nothing like a cigar. Color is mostly dark with scattered shreds of light VA and orientals. The cut is very fine and almost shag like if not an extremely thin ribbon.

Truly a masterfully crafted blend. Smokey Latakia, sweet VAs and Cavendish with tangy Orientals and the cigar leaf underneath all of this lays the Cigar leaf. It adds a boldness to the smoke but in no way is it too aggressive. Something I've found is that blends that are made with cigar leaf tend to never actually taste like a cigar (that honor goes to the BurPers from C&D in my experience). To me, this is what My Mixture 965 should be. But with less Cavendish and the addition of the cigar leaf, you get a very well orchestrated cornucopia of flavors.

I would recommend opening the tin and leaving it in a mason jar if you are not a fan of spicy English blends. After a few months it gets so smooth it's almost like dark chocolate covered fruit. It reminded me very much of Skiff Mixture that was 10+ years old. This blends also needs a relatively large bowl to express itself. Too small and the interplay between all the components is lost. I don't find myself smoking too much English/Latakia/Balkans recently but I cannot deny my fondness of this blend.

A refined blend, one of the last remaining cigar leaf blends of European origin, and indeed a fine one - comparing this to the cheap-filler non-Cuban "cigar" blends from across the ocean, I do feel a pity for the fellow-smokers from the States - some of them have obviously forgotten how a true cigar leaf blend smells and tastes - discreet, medium-bodied and satisfactorily layered - not cheap, but worth it

This is a lovely blend, which ticks my boxes of Orientals and Latakia, with a difference thanks to the cigar leaf included. This addition seemed like a gimmick when I read about it, but I bought a tin anyway and glad I did. I can't bring to mind any other mixtures with cigar leaf I've tried, I do enjoy a cigar on occasion but never thought of it as a pipe tobacco ingredient. In this case, it's a subtle component, blended with art to play a role alongside the more usual suspects in such a blend - it sets it apart from other English mixtures, without seeming in any way incongruous.

It looks like the usual English mixture - a ribbon cut mix of mid tan to black leaf, no pressed material that I can find, with a fair bit of stem. Aroma in the tin is of spice, smoke, toast with a hint of muscovado sweetness and a suggestion of creosote. Any aroma of the cigar leaf is overwhelmed by the Orientals and Latakia, and the freshly opened tin has the hint of fresh yeast which so often marks a fine mixture in my experience.

It is easy to pack and light, one match does the trick towards the end of the tin when it's a little drier. The flavour leaps out at the touch of the flame, smokey and toasty and the cigar flavour is present as a subtle note alongside. A cedarwood incense like flavour appears as the smoke progresses, and the room aroma is splendid. The smoke is softened by the Cavendish but I think there's only a touch of it - it's a full flavour and not sweet. A dry spice and smoke flavour grows in the smoke, evoking leather, wood fires, and autumn leaves. The flavours do vary pleasantly as the bowl of tobacco is consumed, not always in a linear progression but stepping from spicy to dry and back again.

It's not the most potent in terms of nicotine, but it satisfies. The flavour is fairly full, complex and enjoyable. It rewards some peaceful time with the pipe and no distractions to get the most from it, but it's lovely to have on the go when out for a stroll or the like. I'll get it again.

If you're looking for "Cigar" flavor, this doesn't have it. If you're looking for a smooth , darker blend , then this is it. When it comes to the addition of cigar leaf, GLP's Key largo ( has too much for me), then McC's Dominican Glory Maduro ( nice, cigar noticeable ), then McC Black Sea Sokhoum ( nice ,only a touch of cigar) , then way down from those, 123 mixture ( hard to find the cigar leaf) .

Actually , if I wasn't looking for the cigar leaf , I'd just think of this blend as another "middle of the road" Balkan/English blend . It's smooth , dark, but lacks excitement and is fairly monochromatic.

By my rating system, this might get a 2 star, but I'll give it 3, as it is a perfectly acceptable smoke.

Robert Lewis 123 Mixture. The present offering is an outstanding change of pace among English/Balkan style Mixtures. A slight cigar note is present with first light. Subtle, pleasant and supportive, accomplished in a very harmonious way side by side with the other ingredients.

It is full of taste, handles well und is also smooth enough to be smoked right after breakfast. I found 123 to be a fine, elegant smoke, rather than the rustic, unsophisticated blend I expected. Very pleasant indeed, I will sure keep a tin within reach at all times.

I rather enjoy this tobacco...as other reviews have noted R. Lewis tobaccos are being manufactured by another company and what I smoked back in the 60'-80's is somewhat different than what it is today...

However, overall this is a fine tobacco...somewhat complex and all the tobacco's work well together. Cigar leaf is present but not overly so...There is a sweetness that "works" throughout the bowl and is one of this tobacco's distinguishing characteristics...

I like this in a group 4 or larger bowl and it goes well with tea/coffee or single malt...

...a pipe is to be savored...

123 Mixture is a nice, flavorful blend. The addition of the Havana leaf makes this one an interesting diversion from the ordinary Medium English.

If you're looking for something a little different from your usual smoke, give this a try. A bit on the pricey side but a solid 3 star blend.