Tobaccos Robert Lewis - Wingfield Mixture

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2005-09-03		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This one will fool you. I noted that one of our esteemed reviewers thought he tasted Latakia. Well, I did not and that's because there is not any in this blend. But, it does have the "Presbyterian Mixture" English taste. I suspicion some stoving and melding with some strong Virginia leaf creates the illusion of Latakia.

I loved the shag cut which made packing easy. This blend is at an almost perfect moisture content and smokes evenly all the way down the bowl. I was a little less than thrilled with the wallop - (kind of limp wristed) - but it otherwise provides a nice smoke. It reminds me of a low maintenance woman I once dated. She was not very demanding and didn't require much attention. And like this tobacco, our relationship didn't last last very long.

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3022)	2013-10-20		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

The Virginias offer a mild tart citrus, light tangy darker fruit, some grass/hay, a little wood, earth, toast and bread along with small floral and spice aspects. They are the lead components. The smoky, woody, earthy, leathery Cyprian Latakia is less than a condiment. There’s a smidgeon of unsweetened black cavendish that adds a very light sugar and toastiness. The strength and nic-hit are a couple of steps past the mild mark, while the taste is in the center of mild to medium. Won’t bite, but may likely tingle the tongue of a fast puffer as it burns a little warm. You also risk a possible cigarette note as well. This thin cut ribbon blend burns clean and a little fast with a very consistent flavor from top to bottom. Leaves almost no moisture in the bowl, and hardly requires a relight. The pleasant after taste and room notes are short lived. An all day smoke.

-JimInks

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	periqueguy (43)	2014-07-09		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This stuff is terrific. I enjoy it as much as any tobacco I've smoked in the last 50 years. Not for the novice but just great for the experienced smoker who likes a shag cut with full flavor.

Pipe Used: Billiard

Age When Smoked: unknown

Purchased From: n/a

Similar Blends: This is similiar to Capstan yellow only better as I love the shag cut of this blend..

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2076)	2014-12-20		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Robert Lewis - Wingfield Mixture.

I am surprised at how enjoyable I find this as normally my predilection lies with Latakia's and Perique's. The aroma from the mixture (which is as others state more rubbed than a ribbon) is reminiscent of the summer time for me. I get a great grass smell from the Virginia but also there resides a much fainter lemon type note in the background.

It's at a great amount of moisture so I can fill and light without it necessitating any airing time. The flavour from Wingfield is again, like the aroma summer like. I get a brilliant Virginia Hay/Grass tone but like I found in the aroma I also get a subtle lemon addition. The smoke only becomes warmer if I really pull hard on it, there is no bite it just becomes warmer. If inhaled then the smoke gives a decent kick of "N", it's not ridiculous in strength however it is definitely a blend for those who like their blends to contain a little bit of the good stuff! I find the room note to be a lighter one, it's not un-noticeable but it just lacks substance so on the plus side it won't offend many other people! When my pipe is finished the only remains are a small amount of dottle, and I mean small! In fact throughout the smoking the burn has been very tenacious and only required a minimum amount of re-lights.

As I expressed at the beginning of this I am surprised at how enjoyable I find this as I'm not really a Virginia man but I suppose that this is an exception! Four stars.

Pipe Used: Ramazan Baglan Lee Van Cleef 03

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: G.Q Tobaccos

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Prof. Lewis (7)	2018-01-02		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is probably my favourite matured Virginia blend because unlike Brown Clunee from Rattray's or Astley's 44 or Orlik's Racing Green I didn't get that fermented smell from the tin, just a vague but pleasant nuttiness. In the bowl this blend is very subtle and complex and ready to smoke out of the tin. A sipping tobacco, if you like Virginias I would give this a try.

Age When Smoked: New

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2017-08-23		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Mostly chestnut brown thin ribbons - almost a shag. Tightly focused tin aroma of Virginia tobacco and tea leaves. Loads easily and smokes to the bottom of the bowl without many relights.

Interesting one in that it combined a light citrus flavor with a deeper dark Virginia push and some spiciness as well. There's the usual grass and hay but with some backbone. Unfortunately not enough to relegate this one much beyond ordinary. It's an easy one to like, much tougher to love, at least for me. It does taste willfully unfritzed with, as in no added flavorings or chemicals, just a nice, even keeled, well behaved straight Virginia. And therein lies the problem for me. A little naughtiness would do this no harm. There just isn't enough darkness among the usual grass and hay, and this would make someone a nice summertime blend for outdoors. Nothing too engaging or compelling, but a nice easy smoke. For my last two bowls from the tin, I added some straight burley and it elevated this to at least puckish. :) It was an improvement. If you like something like Dunhill Flake and want to tone down the fruitiness and the overall flavor, this would be about 3 levels down. Good but nothing to leave home for.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Dottle (162)	2006-03-07		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

If I may ?borrow? Stuart Smalley (Al Franken?s character) for a moment and his thoughts about Wingfield: It?s good enough. It packs well enough. It burns well enough and, doggone it, I like it! Actually, the moisture content is ?just right? and the shag cut of this tobacco is ideal as it packs well and has superior burning qualities with few or no relights. The sweet, always mellow, mild and sometimes subtle fruity taste is very much to my liking. I cannot find any shortcomings with this blend although others may find it lacking in the strength department nor did I find that it ever burned hot as others have experienced. This is now among my personal favorites so let me be the first to give this fine VA blend 4 stars. My advice: Just ?Wing? it and give it a try!

A cigarette is to be smoked. A cigar is to be enjoyed. A pipe is to be savored.

I rate this tobacco 9.95 out of 10.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Steerpike (149)	2023-03-12		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a nice mild mixture, predominantly Virginias with a little unflavoured brown Cavendish and just a tiny pinch of Latakia.

The tin aroma is of sweet fresh baked white rolls, dried fruit and some candied peel. The tobacco is a mixture of predominantly pale brown leaf in ribbon and rubbed flake, with a smattering of black ribbons which I take to be the Latakia.

On the light it tastes like a toasted teacake, buttered - it has a very bready character throughout. It's fairly mild, has a very light smokiness, with a slight creamy sweetness at times. It lights with ease and doesn't need many relights or indeed much attention at all, but I have to say it smokes surprisingly quickly given the flake content. It's at home in a large pipe for a long satisfying smoke - nicotine content seems low, and the mild flavour doesn't get dull but rather builds with prolonged smoking. I've been smoking it in the winter but I think this is a mixture better suited to the summer months.

Age When Smoked: New

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Big Train (118)	2018-02-23		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This is an amazing tobacco . We are greeted by a real tobacco man's experience , earthy tin note that makes your pallet keen for the smoke . While a little moist it is ready to smoke without a drying process . Mainly , it is very fresh .This is a complex tobacco that changes through out the smoke . it hits subtle Virginia notes with slow smoking and also delivers quite a punch . The nick note is on the high side . The cut allows one to smoke to the bottom of the bowl . Wingfield is an after dinner treat , a strong tobacco to be sipped in the evening . This is pure Virginia with no topping that I can notice , but very well matured tobacco . K & K surly makes the best reissues and their entire Lewis line is no exception . It is similar to their Ocalla but without the orientals You may also compare this to Mc Connel's Scotish flake in that all three of these are after dinner tobaccos , ideal for a summer evening on your deck or patio . Wingfield is not a Grand Marnier tobacco like K & K folded flakes but rather a double shot of Wild Turkey .

Similar Blends: Mc Connel Scotish Cake.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Wibblefishofdoom (139)	2014-01-23		Mild	Extremely Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant to Tolerable

Having had a tin of RL's excellent Tree Mixture, I thought I would give this one a go and had high hopes. Sadly, it didn't turn out quite as I had hoped.

The tin aroma is barely perceptible, possible hints of hay perhaps but nothing definite. Packing and lighting are very easy, Sadly, for the first four or five smokes, it was completely lacking in flavour, not impressed. A whiff of something cigarette like and a quick burn didn't help. I decided to transfer it to a jar and left it a day or two and, after coming back to it, it did start to develop some flavour, hints of latakia as some previous reviewers have mentioned and a little hay. As I have made my way down the jar, hints of hay and something creamy and slightly VaPish have popped up too. They're quite pleasant when they occur but all to often that blandness pops up. And no matter how carefully I smoke it seems to burn very fast, even when compared to other ribbons.

On the whole then, there is potentially good tobacco here, some of the flavours here are good when they appear but aren't consistent enough and the stuff is largely too bland to warrant much praise. Comparisons to Presbyterian Mixture aren't completely unwarranted but it's nowhere near identical. I have a feeling this stuff probably needs to be stuck in a jar and left for a couple of months and, when funds allow, maybe I will do that. Until then, two stars and an "ambitious but rubbish" stamp on the paperwork will have to do.

Pipe Used: Peterson Killarney 65

Age When Smoked: Fresh tin

Purchased From: mysmokingshop.co.uk

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Withnail (16)	2011-12-08		Mild	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

On first sight, this blend looks more like a hand rolling cigarette tobacco rather than a pipe tobacco. The cut is described as "Broken Flake" but could better be termed as a rubbed out flake. The individual ribbons of tobacco are much thinner than most blends. The tin note is rather mild, with just the gentle smell of tobacco and nothing that really stands out.

Being a fine cut, it fills the pipe very well, although I imagine it would be easy to over pack. It also lights easily and burns fairly quickly. The first time I smoked Wingfield, I didn't think it was anything special. Pleasant enough, but not outstanding, I have found that it has really grown on me with each bowl I smoke and makes a great all day smoke.

The contents list above states that it contains Latakia but, if it does I could not detect its distinctive flavour. The taste is that of a real quality Virginia. Smooth and with a lovely sweetness. It is easy to keep the bowl cool even though it smokes fairly quickly. I would recommend trying several bowls of Wingfield as a nice, easy to smoke, all day or morning blend.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-12-01		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

My new discovery. Really interesting tobacco, something natural and tasty. Easy to pack and relatively fast burning because of almost shag cut and temperate moist. I consider it as a serious advantage - all these recently very common broad cut and glycol-wet mixtures are inconvenient and often of poor quality. Here quality is obvious. Taste is mature and earthy, slightly piquant, but with no bite and certainly no "choking". After 30 years of experience as pipe smoker, it is my number one, or one of number ones. Classic English tobacco for the people, who are not necessarily Latakia-lovers.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Brunello (125)	2023-01-24		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I’ve been able to compare two tins of different age and different producers. The first tin is from 1999, before the production switched to Germany. The newer tin is from 2016. So, first off, there is a strong family resemblance here, they are both recognizable as the same blend. I can only surmise which characteristics stem from differences in age, and which from change of producer. Both are really just above three stars, the newer one maybe 3.4, the older one 3.6.

The paper lining in the older one was almost completely brown, with a faint smell of molasses. Indeed, the first thing that came to mind when I tried a bowl was molasses-crusted pancakes. The tin note is deep and complex, but the actual smoke is more medium-weight. Still, the overall character seems more autumnal to me than references I read here which suggest this is a perfect summertime blend. At least with this amount of age I don’t get any tart or tangy flavors as some have mentioned. The basic flavor reminds me of the harvest pancakes I make every year around Thanksgiving: oat flour, pinch of sweet ginger, chopped pecans, and generous amount of molasses which forms a sort of crunchy crust on the outside.

The newer tin has the same autumnal quality to it but the flavors more assertive. The molasses note is more, and not especially sweet, with a slight fermented tang. I get more darkly toasted bread than pancakes, and some toasted almond, with occasional notes of coriander and white pepper. I wouldn’t compare this to Presbyterian, as the matured Virginias are really dominant here and heavier and more toasted on the palate than Presbyterian (new production, anyway). I also don’t get any fresh lemon as one reviewer noted. I do find some similarities to the matured Virginia taste of Astley’s 44 (same producer!). Latakia is almost not there, what I get is mostly slightly stoved or toasted tastes, not smoky notes. Perhaps more nicotine in the newer version (African Virginias?)

I’ve never regretted filling a bowl with Wingfield, but it just doesn’t take me to that special four-star place. Maybe it will for you, especially if you like Astley’s 44.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Scottmi (5)	2022-10-19		Mild	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I find i am in agreement with those who like it! New to me in 2022 and enjoying the second bowl from the tin within the week. Comparatively dry on opening the tin, 5 minutes drying which might not have been necessary. Packed a Savinelli Dublin King Size bowl full and as other have said, lights easily and burns well. Certainly a few delights as I set it aside toward the end here (been just over 45 minutes). Good natural tobaccos, not bitey at all. Has put me in a nice, mild, mood! I will order more tins. Update Dec 2022: I love this blend in this size bowl. A perfect match! Tin has been open a while and no 'dry time' needed. Loads easy, burns with no drama. Occasional light tamping keeps it going to the end. I love that the nic level is light. Good on you Misters Wingfield and Lewis!

Pipe Used: Savinelli 316 KS

Age When Smoked: One tin, over time

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	maigret fan (76)	2013-09-05		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Very Pleasant

I have already reviewed their Tree mixture. This one is almost the same without Latakia. A very good English blend, fully satisfactory. I got good remarks about the room note which is not common!!

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Captain Pete (83)	2007-02-21		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I think Mr. Dottle is correct in his summarizing this tobacco as "good enough". I would agree that it packs well enough, lights well enough, and tastes good enough; all that he said in that vein. However, I do not feel that "good enough" justifies the price that one can expect to pay for a tin of this.

Were this a two-three dollar an ounce bulk blend, I would be more apt to recommend it. I paid roughly $14 for a 50g. tin, and it isn't good enough to warrant such a price. It tastes alright, it smells okay, and it is sort of satisfying. You can smoke this stuff all day long, but you may not wish to for fear of suffering from tongue boredom. It's "good enough", but not really good enough for the price.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2005-12-07		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

The tin pops open easily and closes tightly, unlike Dunhill?s tins that are fiendishly difficult to open and reseal. Initial tin aroma: moist fresh-cut hay ala Dunhill?s Elizabethan, though a more pronounced fruitiness dominates. Appearance: less speckled than Elizabethan, stringier and shaggier in cut, like cigarette tobacco. Tobacco pulls nicely from the tin, is pleasantly moist and packs very well into the bowl. One charring light is needed to get it going; then, tamp and relight and you?re in for about an hour of civilized pipe smoking. Burns slowly and evenly. Smokes dry and pure and leaves an immaculately fluffy white ash. Tamp down or lift off top ash, or it will start to fly around the room as you walk around or bend over. I give this blend five stars for good behavior. This is definitely an indoor smoke. Upon lighting, the resemblance to Elizabethan ends, as there is no Perique to make your head swim. This sort of reminds me of Dunhill 965 or London Mixture, though less nutty and much lower in tar and nicotine. Wingfield has similarities to Dunhill, but it?s of much finer quality and more surprising to the nose and palate. This is definitely an English style Virginia, blander and less sweet than a McClelland matured cake. As for the latakia that other reviewers talk about here, I can?t taste or smell it. I think there are some stoved red Virginias that give the blend that conspicuously close latakia quality, but from what I can tell, this is a straight Virginia all the way around. Unlike the much more piquant, brinier Presbyterian Mixture, there are no Orientals in this blend. The smoke is cool on the palate, but heats up the bowl to furnace level temperatures. I?ll probably need to smoke this in a thicker bowl and one that has not become seasoned with latakia or Oriental. I?m not madly in love with this blend, but I like and respect it very much. My first introduction to Robert Lewis was the full 123 Mixture, and in my opinion, the best cigar blend in existence. As I write this, I am about 2/3 of the way down, and it?s starting to take on a tangy, fruity taste. If you leave the room and come back a minute or two later, you will appreciate the light, buttery aroma. Wingfield is a true gift for the English Virginia lover disillusioned by Dunhill?s ongoing drop in quality. I get the feeling that I?m going to love this stuff after a few more bowls, but for now at least I give it?

Three and a half of five stars

----------- Dec 7, 05

Not bad, but I think I lost interest. It's a quality Virginia blend, but it really heats up the pipe fast no matter how slow you try to smoke it. Unless you're a hardcore Virginia smoker, pass on this one & opt for something cooler.

Two and a half of five stars

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2002-11-25		Mild	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This blend includes Virginia as well as some Latakia per Knoxville's description; I concur. Admittedly, based upon that description, I have smoked this in a pipe previously used for latakia blends, and it is possible that the cake provided a latakia sense that others may not notice.

This was a delightful smoke. While it started off a bit astringent, it settled down after the first third of the bowl into an enjoyable flavor that developed nicely through the bowl. The Latakia is sufficient to be noticed without being overwhelming.

Burning characteristics were good, although touching on being a bit hot. Admittedly, I have only smoked this in a canadian that has moderately thin walls. Little moisture developed in smoking this blend.

Overall, I found this to be enjoyable, and would have rated it four stars except for the early astringency. If this turns out to be due to limited pipe diversity, I will revise my opinion. For those who like light latakia blends, this is a good example of those without oriental components.

November 2002.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stan (178)	2002-10-11		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a straight, rich tasting virginia ribbon blend. Mostly red virginia leaf looking with some (say 10%) black strands (probably stoved virginia). String cut, easy to pack and steady burning. Dry and cool for a tangy virginia leaf. Good smoking.

I rate the strength of the blend at least a medium but the natural flavor itself is richer tasting than that. This is a classy red virginia tasting leaf. It has natural sweetness (almost fruit like) but is not at all aromatic as something like Esoterica's Dunbar or Dunhill's Three Year Matured or St. Bruno's (each of those are progressively more scented in my opinion, but they are also more complex blends than Wingfield). The darker leaf is only a background note here. This is a dry smoking leaf with a slight tang. I did not find it hot, but it is best to smoke it slowly to avoid an edge, as with all virginia blends.

Winglield is simple, aged, but not as dark tasting as Fox's Drisco (which has more dark leaf and little perique to boot) or as some of McClelland's red/stoved va. leaf blends. Actually, I think the rich virginia flavor is a small step up from Fox's here. Wingfield can be compared favorably to McCrannies' Red Ribbon (which is probably aged longer), Germain's Tilbury (which has a little burley too), and Connoisseur's Scottish Ribbon (which is slightly scented). If you like those varieties and prefer a natural blend with no detectable scent or spirits added, give Wingfield a try. The room aroma is slight.

I only had an ounce to sample so far from Joe of my local Tinder Box with Steve Monjure of Monjure Int'l, at our recent Pipe Night, and I have smoked it all in a small (#3) Dunhill Root bent that I have only smoked straight virginias in. That was enough for nearly 15 plus bowls, and I believe I was starting to get the true flavor after just a few bowlfuls of puffing. (Steve Monjure only supplies select stores with these somewhat limited (due to aging and shipping time) english editions (like Fox's), but Tim at paylesspipes has a good supply, until I get some more to try.) Recommended to straight virginia smokers.

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