Commonwealth by Samuel Gawith

I received a gift of this blend from @AndyCAYP . Commonwealth Mixture has an appearance of leaf with a medium reddish brown color along with some tan and black pieces. Packing the pipe was not without some concentration; the ribbon cut is prone to loading unevenly and I had to load with little pinches, checking the pack after each one. The ribbon cut is not particularly easy to light and, for me, required some relights. The aroma of the bag is very smoky from the influence of the 50% Latakia in this blend. The initial flavor was the creamy, smooth Latakia. A short while later I detected the sweet Virginias. I tasted the very slightest hint of Lakeland floral character, but it could have been my pipe. This Virginia/Latakia blend reminds me of Pirate Kake; Commonwealth is not as rich in Latakia taste as Pirate Kake and adds the grounding of the Virginia taste. In mid-bowl the flavor balance starts to lean more toward the Virginias, their sweetness showing up from time to time. The finish is the same as the mid bowl smoke. The smoke body power of this blend is medium and primarily from the high concentration of Latakia. The nicotine strength of this blend is mild to medium. The complexity of this smoke is simple: Virginia and Latakia. Commonwealth burns cool and dry in the bowl and didn't bite my tongue. I smoked it in a Comoy's Guildhall billiard and an Orlik Captain Black billiard. Both have a good, conservatively thick cake. Commonwealth would be a good choice for lovers of Virginia and Latakia mixtures. I don't know if this would qualify as a Latakia bomb but it is getting close if it is not.

I bought 250g and tried this about ten years ago. I missed the orientals that are in most latakia blends, so I put it in a large jar and haven't opened it since. I should try it again and see what a decade has done to it.