Compton's of Galashiels

[scottbtdmb]

I noticed last week that all of the Compton's blends are once again available on pipes2smoke.com Having never tried any of their blends, I am curious as to what BoB'ers think of their stuff. I did a search and came up with one thread made on Compton's, but there really wasn't too much to go on from it. In particular, I am curious about Macedonian Mixture, York Full Mixture, and Balkan Mixture. My buddy (brentona) Brent ordered these mixtures the other day, but it may be a month or so because the orders get shipped according to the website. Of course I am going to sample some of these when he gets them, but in the meantime, if anyone wants to chime in with their two cents on the Compton's blends, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks,
Scott

 

[fumo bro]

In my opinion, Compton's of Galashiels blends are some of the best English and/or Blakan blends on today's market. If you enjoy a rich, full-bodied English experience, then Compton's blends are the way to go. I always keep the following blends in stock:

Macedonian Mixture

York Full Mixture

Balkan Mixture

Give them a try. You won't be disappointed!

-Fumo Bro

 

[Carlos]

They are very good. They do have a funkiness missing from many blends. Not sure how he is achieving that taste/smell. I had to wait about 6 or 7 weeks early this year I think.

 

[Anonymous]

You said the magic word, Carlos ! :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

Seed planted.

:face:

 

[Anonymous]

Interesting, thanks for sharing guys!

 

[scottbtdmb]

Well, my buddy Brent (brentona) came over last night with 3 Compton blends that he had just received in the mail. Hopefully, he will post his thoughts, but here are mine.

Macedonian Mixture - Extremely complex, rich, and strong. Reminded me a little of Balkan Sobranie, but
reminded me more of a revved up version of Pipeworks & Wilke #524 or Peretti's
Royal Mixture. The Yenidje comes through loud and clear and is the star of the mix for
sure.

York Full - Another very rich, dynamic blend. Definitely reminds me of Dunhill 965 on steroids. I have only
ever had the Orlik version, and since many claim that Murray's and pre-Murrays versions
had more strength, this may very well be along the lines of the older 965.

Balkan - By far, the most complex and original of the three. I could not quite put my finger on
any blend that it reminded me of, it was that unique! Going into this tasting, I was looking
forward to York and Macedonian the most due to the hype, but the Balkan is no slouch either!
Still has that full bodied, rich taste of the other two, but there is something different going
on with this one. There are definitely several Orientals used and I can pick out the use
of Yenidje, but there has to be something else in there that adds/compliments the Yenidje.

Overall, I am extremely impressed with Compton's mixtures. They have that old school English vibe with a
lot of flavor and a lot of strength in the smoke. In my mind, Max Engel is a master blender and despite
the high price, his stuff deserves some attention. Like Brent, I will probably wind up buying a 100 gram pouch
of each of these mixtures to enjoy during the Fall/Winter months. I cannot wait to take a walk sometime in October when the trees have changed colors and enjoy the crisp Autumn air while puffing on one of these fine English blends. Better yet, I can't wait until December to pack up a bowl of York Full, throw on some black & white style "Scrooge", pour a glass of a fine Xmas Ale, and imagine that I am back in 19th Century London!

-Scott

 

[Fireman]

Thanks Scott for the review, I have been looking at these for awhile and will order some next month.
Lance

 

[Anonymous]

Nice one Scott! thanks

 

[Tennessee Dave]

Thanks for the review.

 

[Carlos]

With a little age they improve more. I am still smoking on the bunch I bought and they seem to get better all the time. I swear I can smell Worchestershire sauce in there.

 

[daveinlax]

With a little age they improve more. I am still smoking on the bunch I bought and they seem to get better all the time. I swear I can smell Worchestershire sauce in there.

You might be on to something! I've always heard that the Sobranie House made Balkan Sobranie, the tobacco was steamed with water that had a secret herb bouquet in it and that's what gave it the taste that could never be reproduced. :shock:

 

[Anonymous]

With a little age they improve more. I am still smoking on the bunch I bought and they seem to get better all the time. I swear I can smell Worchestershire sauce in there.

You might be on to something! I've always heard that the Sobranie House made Balkan Sobranie, the tobacco was steamed with water that had a secret herb bouquet in it and that's what gave it the taste that could never be reproduced. :shock:

Interesting stuff there Dave!

 

[alfredo_buscatti]

I've been talking a bit with Maxim Engel about his blends and from what the original charter for these blends says, and from what he says (modest always) and from what those who've smoked them say, it would appear that his blending skill and the recipes that he bought?-that in all likelihood his blends are superior.

I have to prove that to myself, of course, and as his forte appears to be orientals, about which I know just about nothing, such a proof might be hard to obtain. I can of course say that I really like blend X, but I can do the same with other blends.

Still, I've got the bug.

 

[Jack Straw]

I had a sample of Macedonian Mixture once and I thought it was the best english I've ever had, not that I smoke a lot of them. Very costly stuff though, and apparently always a big waiting list.

 

[Winslow]

They are the best money can buy,nothing comes close.

Winslow

 

[jj1015]

They are the best money can buy,nothing comes close.

Winslow

Until this week, I would have agreed with you. I've tried several of Compton's blends, favoring York and the Macedonian, and was flat blown away by the quality. I had planned on buying a large stash come income tax refund time next year, shipping hassles be damned. But then, on Tuesday, I started smoking a tin of a new McClelland's release called "Wilderness" (blended by F. Hannah). This stuff is as good or better than any of the Compton's mixtures, I believe, and better than anything that Pease has released. BTW, that's no small compliment coming from me, as I never believed anything would unseat Odyssey and Abingdon as my go-to Balkans.

Wilderness is comprised of a generous amount of Syrian latakia, some Cyprian, plus yenidje and other orientals on a backbone of absolutely top-notch Vas. This stuff is amazing and remarkably complex, especially when one factors in its youth. Until now, I've turned my nose up at McC's latakia blends, having concluded they lacked that extra measure of fullness that such blends should have (not that, say, British Woods or FM are bad, it's just that they're not great). But this stuff is remarkable. And the price is right.

 

[scottbtdmb]

They are the best money can buy,nothing comes close.

Winslow

Until this week, I would have agreed with you. I've tried several of Compton's blends, favoring York and the Macedonian, and was flat blown away by the quality. I had planned on buying a large stash come income tax refund time next year, shipping hassles be damned. But then, on Tuesday, I started smoking a tin of a new McClelland's release called "Wilderness" (blended by F. Hannah). This stuff is as good or better than any of the Compton's mixtures, I believe, and better than anything that Pease has released. BTW, that's no small compliment coming from me, as I never believed anything would unseat Odyssey and Abingdon as my go-to Balkans.

Wilderness is comprised of a generous amount of Syrian latakia, some Cyprian, plus yenidje and other orientals on a backbone of absolutely top-notch Vas. This stuff is amazing and remarkably complex, especially when one factors in its youth. Until now, I've turned my nose up at McC's latakia blends, having concluded they lacked that extra measure of fullness that such blends should have (not that, say, British Woods or FM are bad, it's just that they're not great). But this stuff is remarkable. And the price is right.

Couldn't disagree more. I bought a tin of Wilderness awhile back, smoked a half dozen bowls, and gave up on it. I will agree that the stuff is tasty, but it is way too mild compared with the GLP and Compton's stuff. Blends like Macedonian, York Full, Abingdon, and Westminister hark back to the days when English/Balkan blends packed some "oomph", which I honestly did not find in Wilderness. Glad to hear you enjoy it though and this is merely the opinion of one person.

-Scott

 

[jj1015]

They are the best money can buy,nothing comes close.

Winslow

Until this week, I would have agreed with you. I've tried several of Compton's blends, favoring York and the Macedonian, and was flat blown away by the quality. I had planned on buying a large stash come income tax refund time next year, shipping hassles be damned. But then, on Tuesday, I started smoking a tin of a new McClelland's release called "Wilderness" (blended by F. Hannah). This stuff is as good or better than any of the Compton's mixtures, I believe, and better than anything that Pease has released. BTW, that's no small compliment coming from me, as I never believed anything would unseat Odyssey and Abingdon as my go-to Balkans.

Wilderness is comprised of a generous amount of Syrian latakia, some Cyprian, plus yenidje and other orientals on a backbone of absolutely top-notch Vas. This stuff is amazing and remarkably complex, especially when one factors in its youth. Until now, I've turned my nose up at McC's latakia blends, having concluded they lacked that extra measure of fullness that such blends should have (not that, say, British Woods or FM are bad, it's just that they're not great). But this stuff is remarkable. And the price is right.

Couldn't disagree more. I bought a tin of Wilderness awhile back, smoked a half dozen bowls, and gave up on it. I will agree that the stuff is tasty, but it is way too mild compared with the GLP and Compton's stuff. Blends like Macedonian, York Full, Abingdon, and Westminister hark back to the days when English/Balkan blends packed some "oomph", which I honestly did not find in Wilderness. Glad to hear you enjoy it though and this is merely the opinion of one person.

-Scott

Everyone's tastes are different! I've only smoked a single tin so far and I've certainly been known to revise my opinions, but I've never been this impressed by a Balkan after only two ounces. What I find most interesting is that we disagree on the fullness/mildness factors. Up to now, my faves in this genre were Odyssey, Abingdon, Larry's Blend, Cooper and York, specifically because I like full-flavored mixtures. In any case, smoke what you like and like what you smoke!

 

[BLM25Super]

Interesting i would do a search on comptons and find this thread. i have only been smoking a pipe now for a month or so. I enjoyed macbarens scottish blend and decided to do some research on other scottish mixes. Somehow i found comptons had one and it had 4 out of 4 star average out of only 6 reviews . However the compton blends were all highly rated on tobaccoreviews so i decided to order two 200 grams came to a whooping 69 dollars after shipping. This thread is well over a year old bet im pulling it out of the deep on this board.
Does anyone have anything more4 to say on compton's since this thread was made?

 

[jj1015]

I'd revise my opinion on Wilderness a bit. I still love the flavor -- even more than I like Compton's -- but it's not a strong enough smoke.

Compton's stuff is top-notch, and worth the money (if you have it to spare). If you're on a budget, I'd stick with Pease, Dunhill, C&D, etc.