Samuel Gawith Sam's Flake

(2.94)
The 2nd in our Mayor's Collection. Sam's Flake is a combination of flue cured Virginias and Turkish leaf which after blending is pressed in the hot oven, cut and then treated to a light flavouring which adds another flavour dimension to the tobacco. Good smoke and room aroma with a medium strength.

Details

Brand Samuel Gawith
Series Kendal Mayor's Collection
Blended By Samuel Gawith
Manufactured By Samuel Gawith
Blend Type Oriental
Contents Oriental/Turkish, Virginia
Flavoring Tonquin Bean
Cut Flake
Packaging 50 grams tin, 40g, 100g, 250g pouches, bulk
Country United Kingdom
Production Currently available

Profile

Strength
Mild to Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Mild
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming

Average Rating

2.94 / 4
30

32

17

9

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 88 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jun 04, 2016 Mild to Medium Very Mild Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
The matured flue cured Virginias have a fair amount of earth, a smattering of grass/hay, along with a little citrus, wood and dried fruit sweetness. The Turkish is smokey, woody, lightly floral, sweet and sour with some earth and a minor spice note. It is nearly the equal of the Virginias in terms of taste, and also sports a light dry tone. The tonquin topping is very mildly applied, and has a synergistic interplay with the tobaccos instead of sublimating them as it often does in other tobacco products. The strength level is a step short of the medium mark. The taste is medium. The nic-hit is in the center of mild to medium. Won’t bite even if pushed, and has no harsh moments. Very moist out of the tin, it does need some dry time. Burns slow as flakes often do, with a cool, clean, creamy smooth, very consistent flavor from start to finish. Expect a fair number of relights. Leaves a little moisture in the bowl. The after taste is very pleasant and lingers just a little.

-JimInks
51 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Aug 16, 2012 Mild to Medium Very Mild Mild to Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
Sam Gawith produces wildly variant blends, and apparently something for everybody. For me, they hit home runs in BBF, FVF and Choc Flake, well struck doubles in Bracken Flake, Golden Glow and 1792, and embarrassing whiffs with Grousemoor, Perfection and the various ropes. Put this one in the former category... juuuuust beyond the outfielders glove rather than the 2nd deck blast of BBF and FVF.

Typical SG flake of various widths that comes overmoist in the tin. A good half hour of drying time made it smokable but it preferred about 2 hours. Easily loaded via fold-and-stuff, which is how I most enjoyed it. The tin nose was heavily of tonquin with a backdrop of fine orientals (and for my good friend Capt, blenders essentially mean the same thing when they say oriental vs turkish... emphasis on "essentially") and virginia well to the rear. The tonquin flavor was always there but switched places with its aroma, and moved to the back of the bus. This is an amazing virginia/turkish blend with a high concentration of middle-eastern leaf. There is an even mix of sweetness and earthiness which is hugely intoxicating. It reminded me of another blend, possibly something from C&D or GLP, but I never could put my finger on it (perhaps sort of a GLP Cairo with the perique substituted for tonquin). Here, the Turkish was much less a condiment and more a near-equal partner with the virginia. The taste was not of the incense of Drama or Smyrna but of the darker, toastier Samsun varietals. Excellent baked bread aroma but more of a wheat bread.

If you're looking for an excellent virginia with a good dose of orientals (and no latakia), here's a good stop for you. This one has made my rotation. Home Run for Sam Gawith!
38 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jun 16, 2014 Medium Mild Medium Pleasant
For me, Sam’s Flake is an example of one of a small group of tobaccos that I am not very fond of when new, but find myself really enjoying when it has been aged. Sam’s, like many of the Sam Gawith flakes, arrives far too wet to smoke out of the tin. Once properly dried, I prefer to fold and stuff Sam’s although I find it tasty with any preparation. I like Tonquin Bean in smaller amounts and Sam’s fits in perfectly for me. I don’t know what other flavoring is used but there is something there. The Virginias and Orientals are of high quality, and provide for a straightforward, creamy, cool smoke. When aged, it offers ample sweetness as well. After St. James Plug, and St. James Flake, I find this to be one of my favorite SG blends. Four stars when aged and about 2.5 when new.
Age When Smoked: New and 9 yrs
25 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
May 01, 2005 Mild to Medium Extremely Mild Mild to Medium Pleasant
I think Paddy and Stan both stole my palate! My impressions of Sam's Flake are very similar. The addition of Turkish leaf to the fine Virginia tobacco makes for a unique and satisfying presentation.

My sample arrived at the perfect humidity level and I had no trouble rubbing out the short strips. I was expecting more of a "sweet" taste, perhaps due to the smell of the unburned tobacco, but upon lighting I received nothing but a true tobacco flavor that was light and delicious.

This blend does not have a tendency to bite at all - perhaps due to the Turkish. All I know is that I'm going to cellar some of this stuff. It's good now and should be heavenly with 3-5 years of age to it.
22 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 24, 2014 Medium Extremely Mild Medium Pleasant
Sam Gawith - Sam's Flake.

Before I get on with the MANY positives I might as well get the only negative out of the way, it's very moist out of the tin (as many Sam Gawiths are) so it will need some drying time albeit it is a wonderful smoke! The actual flakes are fairly thick and mainly a dark brown colour. The unlit aroma is not particularly anything special, actually fairly standard for the tobaccos included with a very slight vanilla/sweet touch.

Despite the fact mine was still a touch moist when I came to light it (too impatient to wait!) it took to the flame well and the burn is a very steady one. It leaves behind a light grey ash and maintains the burn without needing many re-lights, all along delivering a fairly cool smoke with no tongue bite. Like the unlit aroma the tobacco the flavour of the smoke has (from the tonquin bean) a very subtle vanilla note to it with a beautiful Virginia hay taste and slight Oriental sour hint. This is a wonderful flake tobacco that will be a regular in my selection!

Nicotine: medium. Room-note: pleasant.

Highly recommended.
Pipe Used: Mr Brog
PurchasedFrom: Almeria Spain
Age When Smoked: New
11 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Nov 26, 2013 Medium Mild to Medium Medium to Full Tolerable to Strong
I enjoy a rich Virginia and oriental preferably Turkish tobacco. Therefore, I very much have enjoyed smoking SF. This rich rather mild blend comes from the tin moist as most Gawith blends. Rather than fold or rub out these flakes I find that by tearing these flakes in your hand and then stuffing into your pipes works best for me.

This SF take a little patience to light, however, once lit stays lit for a long time. The rewards are a mild yet full delightful smoke which begins with the full Virginias shining through soon followed by a almost sour taste of the Turkish as it begins to make its presence. Finally, both the Virginia and Turkish tobaccos are working in tandem and the combination is sublime. The room note is nothing special yet not offensive. This tobaccos complexity is middle of the road meaning there are really only two tobaccos going here with a very slight presence of some topping to maintain the marriage of the very nice combinations of tobaccos in this blend.
PurchasedFrom: smokingpipes.com
10 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 21, 2017 Mild to Medium Mild Mild to Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
While I don't find anything objectionable here, I also don't find anything appealing. Mostly mildly sour Oriental woodiness with just a hint of tang from the Virginias. The tonquin topping burns off around the half-way mark. Bores me to tears. I'll give it 2 stars since it doesn't offend.

Mild to medium in body and taste. Flavoring, while it's there, is mild. Burns pretty well.
Pipe Used: MM Marcus, Country Gentleman, Mark Twain
PurchasedFrom: smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: fresh
9 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Nov 10, 2017 Medium Very Mild Medium Tolerable
I finished Sam’s Flake tin so fast without realizing it, that I cannot give a very satisfactory review. What I can say, however, is that although wet and in need of significant drying time it burns much better than the heavily pressed Full Virginia Flake. Tin note is exquisite. Does it smell of tonquin? I guess so. Wish it translated more to the smoke.

The Virginias are sweet, yeasty and quite mature in taste something in between FVF and BBF. Orientals are earthy and add a significant spicy element and a high note (not sharp) which balances nicely the Virginia sweetness and the added flavoring.

Strength is medium and room note tobaccoey… I’d surely buy again. The tobacco is so wet though, that you buy 50 grams but if you dry it sufficiently to get a decent smoke you get to smoke significantly less.
8 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Aug 03, 2009 Mild to Medium Extremely Mild Medium to Full Tolerable
Well, very similar to FVF but a pleasant spicy flavor added with Turkish tobaccos. A appetisant look of flakes, dark, silky, and firm.

I preferred to dry the flakes. The flavors are tastier in this way. I usually don't rub the flakes but this is a bit hard to light so I rubbed a little. Smokes well and cool. It is so cool that I can say I've tasted a bit menta like freshness. At the end of the bowl you can say that "aa that's the Turkish!" A delightful, elegant, true tobacco smoke indeed.

One of the most satisfying tobaccos I have ever smoked. Will be added in my stock regularly.
8 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 03, 2017 Mild to Medium None Detected Mild Pleasant
I much appreciate the concept on which many SG's flakes are built: take good and noble African Virginia Leaf (it's almost same in most SG's flakes) and add various condiments to it, thus creating different blends. In most cases this approach works wonders, like in St James, generously blessed with the finest Perique I know of, or in Balkan Flake, full of rich Latakia goodness.

Not all condiment tobaccos are created equal, however. Married with Orientals, the same Virginia behaves rather differently. The mixture gets that unwanted spirit of proverbial oriental treachery: it begins with nice, fragrant and enticing flavours and ends up with harsh, acrid and bity smoke. Past a certain turning point about the middle of the bowl it gets really hard to smoke.

I can't recommend this mixture when multiple far superior avatars of the same SG's Virginia exist, like St James Flake, Balkan Flake, Best Brown Flake, Full Virginia Flake and Navy Flake.
6 people found this review helpful.
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