Samuel Gawith Special Flake No.7

See the other 'special flakes' for reviews. Compared to special flakes 2-5, this has almost no 'lemon grass'/Grousemoor flavoring as such, the casing seems more like cedar with just a hint of the lemon here. This also had a creamy mouthfeel which i did not get from the other ones I've tried. I can almost see this as a bit of Grousemoor and a lesser touch of SG's Kendal Cream Flake pressed in with the basic flake. Although all have that I've tried to date (2-5 & 7) have all been quality blends, this is the first I might possibly reorder.

If Kendal Cream Flake strikes your fancy and you want to try something slightly similar but with some SG botanicals adds, this might be for you.

With these artisanal flake tobaccos a lot depends upon the batch you happen to chance upon and more importantly the moisture level in which you get them. If it's not right they can be fussy and one can waste a number of bowls trying to get it right. I was lucky to receive the flakes in perfect condition. I bought 50grams which came in a pouch containing six 6in. long and rather thick and very consistent flakes of perfect rectangular shape. Their colour was light and dark brown interspersed with some bright spots. The flakes are scented with a nice floral aroma but only mildly. Much less so than, say Kendal Cream and of all the Samuel Gawith Special Flakes (##1,2,3,4,5,7) no.7 is the least scented of the lot.

I rubbed and packed and in the condition I received the flakes they needs three or four matches to get going. First few whiffs had an incense-like/sandalwood aroma, then it became more floral. But this is not an aromatic tobacco, it is scented only mildly and the rich baked, bready Virginia tobacco taste is always present and towards the end it's only tobacco you taste. To me it's like a cross between Full Virginia Flake and Kendal Cream with the best imaginable burning qualities. It's velvety smooth, creamy with medium strength but full taste and enough nicotine to satisfy without ever becoming overwhelming.

It is very difficult for me to pin down the aromas used, I say floral as a generic term. I would not call it soapy, or would I? It reminds me a bit of Kendal Cream but the aromas here are not as complex nor as intense. In any case it is a cool aroma, cool like mint is cool.

This is super premium quality tobacco where you taste real top class sweet and mellow aged Virginia with a little something added to it. This tobacco should appeal to any flake lover except to those who are hostile to even the faintest Lakeland aroma. To me this seems to be a superior quality tobacco to even Full Virginia Flake.

Notes: I smoked about 100 g of this in several pipes, preferring it in my Lakelands-dedicated medium briar. It is strongly scented, so consider dedicating a pipe to it, or trying it out first in a corncob or Meerschaum.

Appearance: Dark reddish brown to black, densely pressed and stoved flake with obvious heavy topping coating it.

Aroma: Rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, sesame seed, pine needles. A modest amount of sandalwood-type perfume.

Taste: Surprisingly subdued, given the aroma. Mildly smoky, a pervasive sweet-sour character which gives the impression of a smoky flavor without a classic latakia smoke taste. Sweet, oily, sesame seeds, dried plums, faintly nutty.

Comparisons: Less heavy than Balkan Flake, less perfumed than Grousemoor and the like, heavier than the plain Virginia flakes.

Bottom Line: For Lakeland/scented flake lovers. If you seek a steamed virginia blend, with fullness, but without overpowering oriental leaf, and without overwhelming topping flavor, this may be a winner.

This is probably the most aromatic Lake District tobacco that I like. The flavoring is less flowery than GH Ennerdale Flake or Conniston Cut Plug, or SG's Special Flakes #1 through #6. I bought a pound of this stuff somewhat blindly for a great price, then set it aside for a few months when I smelled it. The surprising thing, though, is that the flavoring actually adds a nice, congruent flavor and sweetness to the high-quality underlying tobacco. I'm not saying that you will be able to pick up a lot of nuance in the steamed Virginias, but there is a great deal of true tobacco flavor under the topping. This blend smokes less aromatically than the tin aroma would have you believe.

I smoke outside, where this works beautifully. Can't say if it would become overpowering for the indoor smoker. Well worth a try.

I am writing one review to cover RB Plug, Cannon Plug, and Flake #7. I am guessing, and can be wrong, that Cannon Plug is a lighter version of RB Plug, and that Flake #7 is the Flake version of one or the other. This is more a description of a method to prepare them for smoking than a normal review. All are an acquired taste, and it took me many months to finally acquire that taste. Initially all three were impossible for me to smoke. All reeked from perfume that was so strong that the perfume transferred to my hands just from handling the tobaccos. I tried a few times to smoke them fresh from the bag, and had to dump them out. The perfume was overpowering the smoke. Since these blends have existed for over 200 years, I was determined to smoke them. I now cut off a chunk that would provide for about 6 small bowls. I leave the chunk in a plastic bag for a week or two. This allows some (but not all) of the perfume to evaporate. I find that I cannot rub out the drier chunks of plugs. So, I chop them into little square pieces, and then I put them into a very small jar. After about another week, they feel very dry, and I can't rub them any finer than they are at this stage. I then give each a twirl in a coffee blender. This transforms them into a decent size to smoke. And, to my surprise, after the coffee blender treatment, they are still very moist although they feel dry to the touch before the treatment. I then let them dry on a piece of paper until they reach my preferred level of moisture. I smoke them in a small meerschaum. Not only would they flavor a briar, but they actually flavor the meerschaum a bit for the next few smokes (not a bad experience). After all of this preparation, they turn into a very interesting and enjoyable smoke. The quality of the Virginias with just a lingering hint of the flavoring provide for a very decent, quality smoke. At the same time, the flavoring produces a very pleasurable and acceptable aroma that is very noticeable while smoking, and that adds to the total experience. Nicotine strength runs around 5-7 for me out of 10. With this preparation, they smoke dry and leave a very fine almost white-gray ash. The room aroma should be very pleasant to anyone in your presence. I really enjoy smoking a few bowls a week in a meer of any of the three blends. It took me decades to acquire a taste for Broccoli, but only a few months to adapt to these blends. The only negative for me is that the taste lingers in my mouth long after the smoke is finished. I will keep at least one of the three around for those special times when these unique blends appeal to me. For now, my choice of the three is the RB Plug.