Slightly damp in the tin, it dries out soon enough and then the ribbons are easy to pack, light and smoke to the bottom. It has a lovely, strong Oriental tin note that I come back to again and again. Many a time I have just opened the tin just for a sniff, and put it away again.

I find it very similar to Larry's Blend, perhaps a little less strong but similar in flavor. Highly recommended unless you do not like orientals with a pungent, sharp character and a delicious taste.

This too shall pass.

You can't ignore the two hundred years of history behind this legendary blender -- or BriarPatch's saga to replace his beloved SMM with this suitable alternative. I have found only one Gawith blend that I didn't like, and it was an impulse buy (Celtic Talisman). I highly recommend Skiff, and all the other Gawith mixtures, but also ardently hope that you don't read these reviews or buy any, so I can procure a sustainable supply for myself going forward.

If you prefer a bit more Latakia in your bowl, then look to its stablemate, Squadron Leader, which to me is the archetypal Balkan.

For me, the problem with Squadron Leader is its ordinariness (is that a word?). It's sometimes described as an Oriental mix, but that's being generous. In my opinion, it's always smoked as a pure English, with a slightly increased Oriental ratio...which is nothing unique. You can find hundreds of mixes falling somewhere between an English and a Balkan. Squadron Leader's real popularity feels a product of the Sam Gawith shortage persistence. In today's mindset, everything originating from the blending house must be a masterpiece. Can you argue with Perfection?

Skiff Mixture reminds me much of Margate and London Mixture, very Oriental heavy, more so than London Mixture, and a bit less than Margate. It sits in the middle, perfectly balanced and ever friendly, ready to smoke all day, any time you like. The Virginias bring a bit of sweetness that Margate lacks and it's tamer in strength than London Mixture. I find all three more interesting than your standard Virginia dominated Latakia mixes. They are spicy, and invite one to puff while thoughtfully picking through the components, whereas standard Latakia mixes are all about the smokiness of the Latakia, stronger and sweeter Virginias, and less pronounced Oriental leaf.

Now, I need to say this, because it's infuriating. After opening a Sam Gawith tin, it's absolutely worthless. You'd better smoke that tobacco in three days, or you'll be met with rock hard, crispy leaf that breaks apart into dust. I had to rehydrate my Skiff, and it's entirely unnecessary. Of every tobacco manufacturer, Sam Gawith puts out the worst tins, by far. Seriously, take all that huge money you've been raking in lately, invest in some better tins and maybe, just maybe, buy a few more machines to satisfy demand. I'll smoke to that!

It's one of the very few PERFECT English mixtures left today, a masterpiece of subtlety, richness and complexity. One of the few tobaccos that smell and taste "like they used to". While absolutely not in-your-face as some other excellent Latakia blends, while not as immediately stunning as some of GLPease's tobaccos, it has an indescribable charm of its own.

It's quintessential in its "medium" style, a style you can't grow tired of. The same style the Dunhill blends of old like Standard Mixture or London Mixture had. Balanced, not too heavy, perfect for all day smoking, tasty but with no excesses, complex, refined.

Its tin aroma betrays its complexity, with its leathery, slightly putrid, organic, darkly sweet character. Yes, very few blends (even excellent ones) still have this "old" smell when opening a tin.

Maybe slightly moist in a fresh tin, it nevertheless burns fine, cool and regularly, with a slow taste development that's one of its great assets. Never monochromatic, on the contrary subtle and always changing nuances. Not a Latakia monster, but a feast of Virginia, excellent Orientals and the right amount of Latakia.

Together with Squadron Leader, Pelican, Westminster, Caravan, Maltese Falcon, Charing Cross and few others, one of the rare blends which still evoke old fashioned pipe smoking and can rival with the lamented "missing" masterpieces of decades ago.

Give it a try, by all means!

I don't know why I took so long to try Skiff. Perhaps somewhere at the back of my mind there was an equation between a small ship and a small flavour. Well, I was happily wrong. Skiff is not heavy in Latakia but is rich, or full if you prefer, in the same way as Margate is rich, or Durbar is (was?) rich, or Royalty is rich.

With increasing age I find that my appetite for extreme sensations and tastes is diminishing. For a contemplative drink I turn to a delicate Highland single malt rather than to an Islay malt. Skiff satisfies in the same way. Highly recommended.

All I really need to say: I have never finished a tin so quickly. Except for a couple of bedtime bowls of Penzance, Skiff was truly an all-day smoke and constant companion.

From the first puff, it was a pipe smoker's nirvana, an epiphany of taste and aroma. Nothing mild about it.

Pipepundit expresses my views perfectly. I should perhaps have written simply: See Pipepundit's review.

Update, 24 October 2011: Now having moved on to the fresh 'green' stuff, I can report that Skiff is just as great in a shiny new tin. Yes, the aged stuff has a more mellow smoothness. I'll put away some tins to come back to in five or ten years. But it's just great now: a classic all-day English.

This is the kind of blend that makes me wonder why I keep smoking some of the other English blends out there. I started pipe smoking in 2008 and have been on a mission to sample blends from all over. Skiff is definitely on my list of "just have to smoke it again!"

I should also note that when I purchased Skiff in 2009 it was going for $6 a tin. This was obviously before word got out about the quality of SG blends.

The tobacco comes in long ribbons, stuffs easily and lights easily. The taste has little sweetness, some nuttiness and smokiness and spice; I happen to like it that way. The room note is quite good, a nice, spicy fragrance.

What more to say? Nothing really. This blend burns down to nothing but ashes, is easy enough to maintain, but it doesn't quite make me jump up and down with glee, so 3 1/4 stars.

I like chips. Certainly they're bland. We add salt, or vinegar, or tomato sauce/ketchup, giving the dish some flavour.

Skiff is trying to make the meal of the sauce. While it is made of decent, but not excellent, orientals, it's all condiment and little meal. Two stars as one may use it as a blending ingredient.

It’s the medium English made the old way, probably the closest to Standard Medium of old. The Orientals are way the best I remember in contemporary blends. The interplay between Virginias and Orientals is gorgeous, Latakia is added in perfect measure.

Stuffs and burns easy, leaving fluffy ashes and very small dottle or none. The coolest burning tobacco I’ve ever tasted.

More on the medium side of strength than mild. It offers a super balanced flavour, very much satisfying, and leaves the palate sweet and clean. Skiff is very soft and unbiting, a perfect all-day smoke for the smoker committed to the VOL blends.

Four full stars, I would rate it five if possible.