Kapnismologist
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Just posted the following review on TR. Reproduced here for your edification:
Dunhill Standard Mixture Mild
If Dunhill Standard Mixture Mild were a wine it would be a something along the lines of a Pinot Grigio or Orvieto. Light, dry and exceedingly subtle, in the bowl it offers a mix of mild, semi-sweet Virginias and snappy Orientals with just the faintest hint of smokiness. Light in body, the short finish is dry and vapid.
Drawn from a tin produced by Murray’s shortly prior to their closing in 2004, the sample on which this review is based is composed of tobaccos of obvious quality which have been carefully prepared. At the same time, however, within the continuum of the original ‘Standard Mixture’ line (i.e., mild – medium – full) it should come as no surprise that Standard Mixture Mild is what it is: mild. One imagines, perhaps nostalgically, that in the context of Dunhill’s long since defunct marketing scheme this would be a mixture delivered to the new, occasional, or trend conscious customer who laid out a substantial sum for a pipe not for the purposes of smoking tobacco but rather for the purposes of being seen smoking Dunhill pipe which, of course, must be duly filled with Dunhill tobacco, ignited with a Dunhill lighter, tamped with a Dunhill tamper, kept clean with a Dunhill pipe care kit, and placed in a fine Dunhill leather pouch. Style, flair, elegance – the actual smoke is immaterial, being rather a potential source of irritation. There is, of course, nothing wrong with such and it was equally the case the Dunhill also marketed smoking mixtures of rare and stunning quality to an informed and demanding clientele who cared differently about the marque as such. Here one imagines gentlemen whose intentions were focused more on the mixture itself rather than the marque. While adding to the experience, in contradistinction to the former for such connoisseurs it was accoutrement which was immaterial. Rather, it was the actual smoke which was of importance. And thus Durbar, My Mixture 965, Nightcap, London Mixture, Baby’s Bottom, Ye Olde Signe, and the other fine smoking mixtures which made it into regular production quite early on. While everyone is a gentlemen some are more gentile than others, yet all are welcome to contribute to the bottom line. Alfred and company well knew what they were doing.
Flash forward to the early 21st-century, where the pleasures of the pipe – perceived or otherwise – are defined by a rather different ethos. Here, Standard Mixture Mild seems to have little place, with its persistence (currently as ‘Standard Mixture Mellow’ in select European markets) being more of a testament to what the Dunhill marque (for Alfred Dunhill Ltd. died long, long ago) has been able to maintain on cultural inertia alone rather than the intrinsic characteristics of currently produced pipes, smoking mixtures, and accoutrements. While admittedly the continental scene is a bit different than that which has obtained in recent years in North America, in the absence of a ready ‘pipe-smoker’ lifestyle market it is actually quite amazing that a mixture such as Standard Mixture Mild lasted beyond the 1980s – on both sides of the pond. Whether or not it will return as part of the current Danish-produced Dunhill portfolio once a US distributor steps up to take responsibility for the line is ultimately unclear, but this reviewer cannot imagine that it would do well at all – in fact, does anyone recall it ever doing well amongst those who actually pay attention to what they are smoking (rather than those who pay attention to that in which it is being smoked)?
At the same time, however, an open tin is an open tin and for those interested, perhaps more as obsessive enthusiasts than anything else, it demands comment. While perhaps ultimately unfair to the mixture itself, while not an altogether unpleasant smoking mixture for this reviewer Standard Mixture Mild is a dud. As an open tin presents limited options, however, it must be dealt with. Barring dumping its contents into a flower bed, I would say that it is best smoked in larger pipes which have been heavily ghosted by Latakia. Alternatively, a judicious dash of blending Latakia (Cyprian) and a pinch of Perique added to what remains in said tin does the job even better, with whatever remains of unopened tins in the cellar being turned out to collectors. Given what is available nowadays by way of truly excellent smoking mixtures, beyond acquiring a tin or two for collectible value there seems to be little reason to seek it out, and even less of a reason to open one which might have made it into the cellar when it can easily be exchanged, many times over by weight, for something actually worth smoking.
Dunhill Standard Mixture Mild
If Dunhill Standard Mixture Mild were a wine it would be a something along the lines of a Pinot Grigio or Orvieto. Light, dry and exceedingly subtle, in the bowl it offers a mix of mild, semi-sweet Virginias and snappy Orientals with just the faintest hint of smokiness. Light in body, the short finish is dry and vapid.
Drawn from a tin produced by Murray’s shortly prior to their closing in 2004, the sample on which this review is based is composed of tobaccos of obvious quality which have been carefully prepared. At the same time, however, within the continuum of the original ‘Standard Mixture’ line (i.e., mild – medium – full) it should come as no surprise that Standard Mixture Mild is what it is: mild. One imagines, perhaps nostalgically, that in the context of Dunhill’s long since defunct marketing scheme this would be a mixture delivered to the new, occasional, or trend conscious customer who laid out a substantial sum for a pipe not for the purposes of smoking tobacco but rather for the purposes of being seen smoking Dunhill pipe which, of course, must be duly filled with Dunhill tobacco, ignited with a Dunhill lighter, tamped with a Dunhill tamper, kept clean with a Dunhill pipe care kit, and placed in a fine Dunhill leather pouch. Style, flair, elegance – the actual smoke is immaterial, being rather a potential source of irritation. There is, of course, nothing wrong with such and it was equally the case the Dunhill also marketed smoking mixtures of rare and stunning quality to an informed and demanding clientele who cared differently about the marque as such. Here one imagines gentlemen whose intentions were focused more on the mixture itself rather than the marque. While adding to the experience, in contradistinction to the former for such connoisseurs it was accoutrement which was immaterial. Rather, it was the actual smoke which was of importance. And thus Durbar, My Mixture 965, Nightcap, London Mixture, Baby’s Bottom, Ye Olde Signe, and the other fine smoking mixtures which made it into regular production quite early on. While everyone is a gentlemen some are more gentile than others, yet all are welcome to contribute to the bottom line. Alfred and company well knew what they were doing.
Flash forward to the early 21st-century, where the pleasures of the pipe – perceived or otherwise – are defined by a rather different ethos. Here, Standard Mixture Mild seems to have little place, with its persistence (currently as ‘Standard Mixture Mellow’ in select European markets) being more of a testament to what the Dunhill marque (for Alfred Dunhill Ltd. died long, long ago) has been able to maintain on cultural inertia alone rather than the intrinsic characteristics of currently produced pipes, smoking mixtures, and accoutrements. While admittedly the continental scene is a bit different than that which has obtained in recent years in North America, in the absence of a ready ‘pipe-smoker’ lifestyle market it is actually quite amazing that a mixture such as Standard Mixture Mild lasted beyond the 1980s – on both sides of the pond. Whether or not it will return as part of the current Danish-produced Dunhill portfolio once a US distributor steps up to take responsibility for the line is ultimately unclear, but this reviewer cannot imagine that it would do well at all – in fact, does anyone recall it ever doing well amongst those who actually pay attention to what they are smoking (rather than those who pay attention to that in which it is being smoked)?
At the same time, however, an open tin is an open tin and for those interested, perhaps more as obsessive enthusiasts than anything else, it demands comment. While perhaps ultimately unfair to the mixture itself, while not an altogether unpleasant smoking mixture for this reviewer Standard Mixture Mild is a dud. As an open tin presents limited options, however, it must be dealt with. Barring dumping its contents into a flower bed, I would say that it is best smoked in larger pipes which have been heavily ghosted by Latakia. Alternatively, a judicious dash of blending Latakia (Cyprian) and a pinch of Perique added to what remains in said tin does the job even better, with whatever remains of unopened tins in the cellar being turned out to collectors. Given what is available nowadays by way of truly excellent smoking mixtures, beyond acquiring a tin or two for collectible value there seems to be little reason to seek it out, and even less of a reason to open one which might have made it into the cellar when it can easily be exchanged, many times over by weight, for something actually worth smoking.
