"Gateway" English Blends

[UB 40]

M

I’m wondering if there are blends you recommend that are good for introducing those who’ve never tried English/Latakia to this type of tobacco? Maybe something that gets you halfway there? And I seem to hear about people who’ve given up Latakia and switched to Virginias but I’m wondering if there are people who’ve gotten into English blends after smoking Virginias? Thanks!

Peterson Mixture 965, one of the Dunhill remakes did the job for me. I am smoking Virginias as well as Latakia

And no Bothy flake is just a whiskey aromatic, with a hint of Latakia. In my view it’s not a typical English blend.

 

[milk]

M

Peterson Mixture 965, one of the Dunhill remakes did the job for me. I am smoking Virginias as well as Latakia

And no Bothy flake is just a whiskey aromatic, with a hint of Latakia. In my view it’s not a typical English blend.

 

[TheWhale13]

965 is my vote too. And you can probably get it in Japan too.

 

[milk]

M

Peterson Mixture 965, one of the Dunhill remakes did the job for me. I am smoking Virginias as well as Latakia

And no Bothy flake is just a whiskey aromatic, with a hint of Latakia. In my view it’s not a typical English blend.

That’s available where I am in Japan. But Skiff mixture gets a higher rating on Tobacco Reviews. I’m a little fatigued by SM’s flakes to tell you the truth. Drying them to the perfect condition takes effort. 965 is ribbon which seems appealing.

 

[gubbyduffer]

That’s available where I am in Japan. But Skiff mixture gets a higher rating on Tobacco Reviews. I’m a little fatigued by SM’s flakes to tell you the truth. Drying them to the perfect condition takes effort. 965 is ribbon which seems appealing.

Skiff Mix is a ribbon cut. I love Sam Gawith blends but stay away from their flakes. As an introduction blend to English Skiff gets my vote. Havent had 965, buy have has Early Morning Pipe and Squadron Leader. I much prefer Skiff Mix to the others. It just seems smoother and creamier to me. I little more refined and mellow.

 

[milk]

Skiff Mix is a ribbon cut. I love Sam Gawith blends but stay away from their flakes. As an introduction blend to English Skiff gets my vote. Havent had 965, buy have has Early Morning Pipe and Squadron Leader. I much prefer Skiff Mix to the others. It just seems smoother and creamier to me. I little more refined and mellow.

Oh! Is it Ribbon? I shall try it then. Thanks. So, what am I in for as someone who has only ever smoked Virginias and some aromatics? How often do you smoke English?

 

[MCJ]

I'm not sure what brands you can get in Japan, but since you said Peterson is available there are 3 good "entry" options you might want to try: Early Morning Pipe (often recommended for newbies to English blends,it's the first English I tried but have to say I found it much too light and it didn't do much for me), Standard Mixture (good medium blend, and one I smoke a lot), and MyMixture 965 (most Latakia of the 3, and another blend I smoke a lot). All 3 of these Peterson blends are re-releases of original Dunhill blends, so true English classics...

 

[milk]

I'm not sure what brands you can get in Japan, but since you said Peterson is available there are 3 good "entry" options you might want to try: Early Morning Pipe (often recommended for newbies to English blends,it's the first English I tried but have to say I found it much too light and it didn't do much for me), Standard Mixture (good medium blend, and one I smoke a lot), and MyMixture 965 (most Latakia of the 3, and another blend I smoke a lot). All 3 of these Peterson blends are re-releases of original Dunhill blends, so true English classics...

Thanks. These are all available. I'll try at least one of them, maybe 965. I like Peterson's Virginia flake a lot (Dunhill).

 

[MCJ]

Thanks. These are all available. I'll try at least one of them, maybe 965. I like Peterson's Virginia flake a lot (Dunhill).

I'd definitely recommend giving 965 a try. I particularly like that one in the evenings after dinner. Aside from being a tasty blend in and of itself, two other good things about 965 are that 1) it is generally available most places and 2) it is a very common benchmark used for comparison with other English/Scottish blends.

 

[greysmoke]

Squadron Leader when you can find it. It’s what I call a mild, full English.

A different approach altogether is an English aromatic. I like Sillem’s Black. It’s a completely non goopy aromatic with Latakia. You can usually find it in stock.

 

[milk]

Squadron Leader when you can find it. It’s what I call a mild, full English.

A different approach altogether is an English aromatic. I like Sillem’s Black. It’s a completely non goopy aromatic with Latakia. You can usually find it in stock.

This and Skiff are available. They seem similar in profiles with Skiff getting just a slightly higher score on Tobacco Reviews.

 

[UB 40]

Squadron Leader when you can find it. It’s what I call a mild, full English.

A different approach altogether is an English aromatic. I like Sillem’s Black. It’s a completely non goopy aromatic with Latakia. You can usually find it in stock.

To my taste Squadron Leader was to mild, the Latakia amount to small, couldn’t understand the hype. Good tobacco no doubt, not to my liking.

 

[gubbyduffer]

Oh! Is it Ribbon? I shall try it then. Thanks. So, what am I in for as someone who has only ever smoked Virginias and some aromatics? How often do you smoke English?

I only smoke 2 bowls a week. One tends to be an aromatic and the other an English/Balkan. I try to vary what I try when I make an order, but I always make sure I have a mason jar with Skiff Mix in it. Its possible in the UK to purchase smaller loose quantities of Sam Gawith blends which is one reason I tend to buy them.

 

[felix Cappuccio]

I would give jm boswell a call he has two stores one in Chambersburg PA-the other in Alexandria PA he blends a lot of his own stuff and it is excellent he is a great guy as well as a great family

 

[AroEnglish]

Maybe an aro-English like Sillem's Black or Distinguished Gentleman. Also English Oriental Supreme.

 

[anotherbob]

probably been said. But I suggest a variety. Start with latakia levels. Honestly I hated the stuff until I tried a lat bomb. Weirdly opened the door for me, even though I prefer a light touch with the stuff. And I've found that letting a tin of English breath feels more important then any other blend type. Breath as in open the tin about a week before you really start smoking it. Also recommend smoking each blend at least once a day. The charms often don't show up without familiarity. But honestly there is also a good chance if you just grabbed any random English blend you will end up with a solid idea if it's for you or not.

 

[ADKPiper]

Stokkebee proper English and Captain Earls mystic blend.
That's my answer and I'm sticking with it.
Actually there are innumerable good English blends.

 

[AppalachianPipe92]

I rarely smoke Latakia anymore, but I love Orientals. So for me, I prefer a dose of oriental in my English blends.
PS English Oriental Supreme, H&H White Knight, Rattraye 7 Reserve, McConnell Oriental.

 

[farmer]

You might try Presbyterian. I've read that it's similar to Early Morning Pipe. Presbyterian is ribbon cut, on the mild side & has a good room note. It's become my favourite. I tend toward keeping my tobacco more moist than what others would probably like.

Also, Tinder Box has a house English called Philosopher blend. It burns hotter (in my opinion) & can generate a bit of tongue bite if you're inclined to smoke quickly. It has a stronger flavour & good room note. It's available online in bulk.

 

[mso489]

I'd second Peterson My Mixture 965 for a medium strong well-balanced blend that pleases a lot of people. If you find you want a stronger blend, you could graduate to Nightcap.

If you like burley a lot, you could try an ounce or two of C&D Tuggle Hall, a burley based English blend. If you want stronger, you could go to Stratfordshire and/or Bayou Night.

I'd keep other genres in your rotation. Some people overdo English, and the Latakia becomes repetitious. If you stay with variety, this may not happen and you can enjoy English blends right along.