Just my first bowl, so I'm no authority, but I thought I would report. This is not to be confused with the Sutliff Westminster which is also an English blend, which I like pretty well. But back to GLP Westminster. For no particular reason, my tin sat on the shelf for at least a year, and I finally popped the top in the holiday spirit. The tin note was really subdued, and having just received a sample of London Mixture that has a dazzling tin note, it was a letdown. I chose a Jerry Perry hand-carved Mountain Laurel poker from 2002, bought at the State Fair, one of his few sales venues. It has a good big bowl and I thought it would give Westminster its legs, and I'm glad I did. Also, it is a well broken-in pipe, so I felt it would be a good stage for this well-regarded blend. First puffs, I was underwhelmed. I could definitely tell there was something there, but I wasn't sure I could get to it. After a distraction or two, when the pipe went out, and with some tamping, I became quite intrigued. This blend is like a very intelligent but extremely shy person. He isn't going to show his personality much and you just have to wait him out. But the flavors and interest is there. My closest comparison is to Nat Sherman 536 which I consider the most intricate and refined English blend I've smoked. It's not forthcoming, but if you stick with it, it is a complete English blend experience, and I feel the same can be said of Westminster. So far, you might say (continuing my shy person analogy) that the Nat Sherman 536 has a little more glimmer and humor, a prankish undertone that assures you that the goods are on the way. But in its own quiet way, GLP gets to the same place. I really like it, and the even burning quality, despite different size leaf pieces. I can see why it is well-regarded, and it bodes well to be one of my best holiday smokes.
