I’ve thought off and on over the last few weeks what the inaugural post for my redone home on the web should be but nothing has seemed fitting.  The typical post would be one that gives some sort of history of the site along with a vision of what I might hope it becomes, but I don’t know why anyone would care enough to read that – the history is uneventful and dry and as far as my ideas of where to take this site, I’m just not sure they’re well developed enough to warrant a discussion. It hit me this evening, however, as I was finishing up my first tin of G.L. Pease Westminster: Westminster is the inaugural post.

Smoking the last bowl of this tin was somewhat bittersweet.  I was enjoying it outside in the chilly winter air with a little bit of daylight left, grey skies and the streets had just a touch of fog.  Westminster has a warming character about it that’s hard to describe.  I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the last ounce or so as it’s cooled off this season more and more.  The flavors, aroma and the body of the smoke is comforting this time of year.  I’ve enjoyed this blend in four pipes: my Ben Wade freehand, an old Meerschaum, a black-walnut nosewarmer made by a friend of mine (Jonathan Sullivan) and most recently my Neerup Classic.  My favorites for Westminster are the nosewarmer and Neerup.  The Neerup was partially broken in with 4 half-bowls from this tin and as it’s been dedicated to English blends it really seems to allow Westminster to shine.

Westminster was my first tin of pipe tobacco.  Prior to the purchase I had really only smoked a few McClelland bulk blends and a few house blends carried by The Humidor.  As a novice pipe-smoker I really had no idea what I was getting myself into.  I knew I liked the English blends most thus far and after reading the post by Greg (linked above) it only seemed fitting to give it a try.

This blend has never left me disappointed.  It’s delicious from appearance to finish.  The tin aroma is smoky and woodsy, best described as a campfire and the charlight really brings that out even more, particularly since the flavor is much like you’d expect from the aroma.  Once the bowl is lit the flavors continue to keep your interest all the way through to the end.

I’ve enjoyed Westminster from the moment I first opened the tin but it wasn’t until I was about half-way through it that I realized more of the distinct flavors I was tasting and that was due to receiving a gift of Dunhill Elizabethan Mixture.  Since that was really my introduction to Virginia blends it refined my palate a bit to identify more of what I was experiencing in the smoke.  I remember the first time I had a bowl of Westminster after I had a few bowls of Elizabethan Mixture and being immediately taken by surprise by the similarities that were coming in and out of the bowl.  After that, Westminster has seemed even more complex, more interesting and more enjoyable.

Westminster has earned a place in my regular rotation.  I really can’t say enough to do it justice.  While it may be somewhat sentimental due to the fact that it played such an introduction to this hobby for me, I’ve had numerous blends since and all in all, Westminster is still at the top of my list – in fact, it’s only grown on me.  So it’s perfectly fitting that this inaugural post be about my inaugural tin – the first tin of what I hope to be many.  And while I’ll likely never be able to try that infamous Dunhill London Mixture of yesteryear, I have a feeling Westminster may end up being for me what that blend was for Greg and obviously many, many others.