Robert Lewis Wingfield Mixture

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.

Appearance: A 50-gram tin, released in early 2022. A mixture of at least three varieties of Virginia, yellow, orange, and walnut, sliced into ribbons, among which there was a cut of dark Virginia that look like broken flake. Apparently some of the Virginia was baked or stoved, then thinly sliced, broken up and added to the recipe. Some small amount of cavendish and literally a pinch of latakia are also present. There is one questionable point: despite the lack of oriental tobacco in the description, I swear, in my tin I noticed some yellowish small scraps with a slightly greenish hue. In other mixes, the somewhat unripe ismir had that color. So I'm willing to agree with those who claim that, at the very least, there are traces of orientals in this blend. The humidity and cut of the tobacco is almost perfect - the tobacco is puffed, lit and smoked very easily.

Flavor: Despite the small amount, both the latakia and cavendish in the blend are quite perceptible in flavor, giving together characteristic but very subdued notes of leather, barely smudged with tar, and wine flavoring from an old oak barrel. However, the dense backing for these notes is the aroma of a blend of very good Virginia with predominant notes of hay, baked fruit and fresh bread. The overall bouquet is a little subdued but pleasant.

Taste: quite smooth from the start, despite the freshness of the tobacco. But at the very beginning there are clearly spicy and pepper notes in the taste, which once again made me doubt the absence of Orientals in the blend. These notes smooth out quite quickly (although they last longer in bents), turning into a general bouquet consisting mostly of bread and fruit notes with the addition of soft, not stringy on the tongue, woody notes, a small amount of sugar coming from the dark Virginia and Cavendish, and a very slight salty lingering on the aftertaste. Almost imperceptible peaty notes of latakia, noticeable only on the exhale, add some density to the overall bouquet and give additional zest. As you smoke, the latakia adds a little to the taste, but still remains subtle. The tobacco is sensitive enough to overheating, burns medium-fast in a light gray dust, while overheating leaves small lumps. The amount of moisture in the tube is drop or two, but it is there. The strength is below average, the nicotine hit is not threatened even when smoking from very large pipes.

The smoke from the tobacco is not thick, but has a fairly persistent woody smell with a slight hint of burning peat.

What is the result? Very good. This blend may well be recommended to those who would like to try English blends, but are wary of the taste or smell of latakia. The amount of this tobacco in the blend is minimal, but it certainly contributes to the taste and smell. I have another tin and will let it sit out for a couple or three years. I suspect it will get even better. As for whether or not it has orientals in it... Try it and decide for yourself.

Tin note of tart dark fruit and smoky. Tobacco is a ribbon orange and yellow with a few black pieces. Moisture content is great. Burns slow with a few relights. The strength is medium and nic is mild. No flavoring detected. Taste is mild to medium and very consistent, with notes of tangy ripe fruit, sugar, floral, bread, spices, savory, wood, rich earth, sweet hay, tart lemon, herbal grassy, slightly acidic, mildly fermented, orange peel, a mildly sour zesty citrus background note, and a peppery retro. Virginia is leading with Cavendish and Latakia supporting in name only. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is great.

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.

I find i am in agreement with those who like it! New to me in 2022. 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. A few relights 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. 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. nic level is light. Good on you Misters Wingfield and Lewis!

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!!

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.

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

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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

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.