Spilman Mixture

Spilman Mixture

The return of an old favorite, Spilman Mixture is a classically complex English blend of Virginia, Latakia, Turkish and cubed Burley that hasn't been available for 70 years!

The reinvention of this classic tobacco took years of research and development. Presented in a detailed recreation of the original can, right down to the replica tax stamp, Spilman Mixture features the coarse cut favored by pipe smokers in the last century, and an honest, straight forward tobacco flavor.

As the can says, "Discriminating Smokers smoke and recommend Spilman Mixture on account of its purity. Spilman Mixture is of incomparable Quality. The combination contains the choicest tobaccos. Its rich aroma is guaranteed to be Nature's own."

Spilman Mixture is irresistible for anyone interested in trying what their great-great grandfather smoked.

Granted, I bought the tin because it looked cool. Initially, reading the description online somewhere, I was a little worried that this could be a low quality baccie, given that it contains “burley” (Hi EvanS ). But then, the “your great great great grandfather smoked this stuff” sold me. After all, I like to think that our great grandfathers smoked man’s tobacco.

Removing the lid reveals a broad cut mixture. Iwan Ries or Altadis or whoever makes this stuff have obviously decided to make it as “old” looking as possible. The tin aroma is that of vanilla, a little cocoa or coffee. The tobacco is a little moist to the touch, so drying seems like a good idea if you want to smoke it today I pick up a shipping label receipt for a box of cigars I sent to a brother in the USA (very thin paper), spread a bowlful of this stuff onto it and lay it onto the keyboard of my laptop. That way, the heat from the hard drives will accelerate the drying process.
While the baccie sits drying, I grab a big old Chacom that I just got back from a pipe repair shop with a nice, open stem. It looks almost new, nice, clean and shiny.

The Spilman mixture is now at the moisture level I like: not moist, not crisp, but in between; I call it “springy”. Filling the pipe, I can press down the mixture quite a lot as it takes up a lot of volume per weight. I keep filling and filling baccie in there; thank God this is a 7 oz tin, or I would have used up a third already!
I light the tobacco by running the Old Boy around the top of the bowl and taking small puffs. It lights relatively evenly, doesn’t “stand up”. I tamp it flat and relight. Last time I’ll need the lighter for this bowl.

The first thing that strikes me is the absence of harshness. The GLP or other Balkan / latakia mixtures I usually smoke tend to be a little harsh initially, but this stuff is almost sweet. Not Cavendish or aro sweet, more Por Larranaga sweet. The smoke is rather thick for being pipe tobacco and has a rich aroma: spicy from the orientals, smoky from the latakia and a hint of vanilla that reminds me of Balkan Sasieni or Larry’s Blend. But there’s something else: leather! I’m really impressed by so much complexity in a pipe tobacco and smoke it faster as I cant get enough of the taste. It takes a while before it gets hot, but it doesn’t become harsh, just “warns” you to slow down. After I do, the taste is even richer, and a savory profile builds up, reminding me a little of rich, red meat: umami!
Believe it or not, I manage to smoke the whole bowl, leaving nothing but a dark grey ash.

Vintage Spilman Mixture ad

Spilman Mixture Advertisement from 1907