Pipe tobacco: English Mixture
English Mixtures represent the most popular category of pipe tobacco, but before we delve into their characteristics and how they affect smoking, let's learn about their history.
English Mixtures were created in the late 1700s by Don José Carreras Ferrer, a blender in London who created different blends for his customers, mainly from the upper middle class and nobility.
These included Alfred Dunhill, who bought them for resale in his store before becoming a blender himself.
The first English Mixture in history had Virginia, Latakia and Oriental composition and was made for the English lord Craven: hence, it took the name "Craven Mixture."
The English Mixture is considered by many to be the quintessential blend, with its aficionados tending to vary among the different brands that offer it, so as to experiment with ever-changing compositions.
The characteristics of English Mixture
The main characteristic of English Mixture tobacco is the composition of Latakia, Virginia, and Orientals, with the most important determinant being the quality of Latakia.
Up until the 1980s, Syrian Latakia was always present in English Mixtures but, following the first Syrian revolutions, this slowly disappeared, eventually being replaced by Cypriot Latakia, which differs in lower aromatic intensity.
Recently, so-called "modern" English Mixtures have been introduced on the market, in which, in addition to the classic composition, Black Cavendish is added.
How English Mixtures affect smoking
English Mixtures are particularly strong blends, in fact it is recommended to smoke them in the afternoon or evening.
Be that as it may, there are a number of lighter English Mixtures available on the market, due to the reduced percentage of Latakia, making them more suitable for morning smoking.
The smell of English Mixtures is strongly affected by the presence of Latakia, which is a smoked tobacco.
This, combined with Virginia and Orientals, gives a structure with sweet and spicy undertones.
If the Latakia is well balanced, you will certainly get a unique and harmonious blend.
What are the best English Mixtures
Let's look together at some of the best English Mixtures.
Of the current Peterson (formerly Dunhill) tobaccos we point out Nightcap and Early Morning, while under Rattray's brand we recommend Red Rapparee (Virginia, Latakia, Dark Cavendish and Orientals) and Black Mallory (same composition).
By Robert McConnell and Samuel Gawith we suggest Sovereign and Squadron Leader, respectively.
One idea may be to use Robert McConnell's Pure Latakia to create a custom English Mixture, adding the Virginias and Orientals you prefer.
