Samuel Gawith 1792 Flake

I find it hard to believe this is sammy best Selling!

This flake is a must have for all serious collectors of pipe tobacco. Among the hundreds of different types I own, this one stands out and demands to be noticed. The mere heritage behind it commands awe and respect. To think that this recipe and process remain unchanged for over 200 years is quite an amazing thing in itself. The Gawith history is what drew me to this brand in the first place. As a marvel of antiquity, its staying power is unquestionable. It stood the test of time. From a period in which a great many tobaccos were rumored to have modeled themselves after this legend, only it survives. 1792 was to be my first experience with a tonka bean flavored flake. Upon the tins first opening, I could only sum up the fragrance explosion with two words: Holy crap! It was unlike anything I had ever smelled before. I was intrigued. I had nothing to compare it to, and after the eventual trying of its relative blends(Cob Plug and Bracken Flake)I am still at a loss as to what other blenders might offer in the way of these unusual creations. I was intimidated at first. I cautiously rubbed a flake out, not knowing what to expect. After stuffing a Bjarne billiard with the age old oddity, I found it surprisingly easy to light and keep lit. I held back from drawing full puffs at the beginning, for fear that I might be sent reeling. Remembering my pipefulls of Gawith's Brown Rope, I waited in anticipation of a similar nicotine butt-kicking. It never came. The scent was mystical and the flavor, alluring. It was as though there were some manor of opiates involved in its concoction. I tried to set it down, but I was drawn back again and again like a mindless moth to a flame. Ever since then it has left me with an insatiable desire for more. I have cellared quite a bit, but I dare to think it will never be enough. It is all too clear to me now, how 1792 developed its inexhaustible popularity. 4 stars can't even begin to describe the quality. If you don't have some already, go grab a tin and get hooked. You'll be forever altered.

I bought a tin locally about 6 months ago... Had a bowl, noticed the "in your face" aroma when i opened the tin, didnt finish the bowl and was absolutely disgusted the next day when i tried to relight. In that 6 months the wide flakes are still somewhat moist and benefited greatly from additional drying time. The aroma while still noticable has dissapated greatly and the "floral" taste while still showing up occasionally mingles much better with the other flavors in the bowl without killing them. I liked it.. I will give it some more time and probally buy a few tins to shelf until i can commit to it fully and then celler some pounds if it all works out

A freshly opened tin of this blend brings a rather nasty aroma to the nose. But load a favorite pipe with a lightly rubbed charge of 1792 Dark Kendal Flake and you are in for a wonderful smoke. Your palate is treated to marvelously rich and complex flavors. The tobacco is easy to smoke right through, with a minimum or relighting. This is a tobacco that I want available for my use at any time of day. It is a great pick me up for morning and a grand goodnight caress at the end of the day.

Updated review 8/7/2007: I have been smoking this off and on for three and half years now. It has become a blend I do not wish ever to be without. It is a pinnacle of the tobacco blender?s art.

The only significant corrections to my original review is that I find this quite complex and varied, moving from smoky depths to bursts of sweetness throughout a bowl (and I like a straight-sided bore over conical- it keeps the spicy flavor less intense at bowl's end). The other change for me is that I smoke the flakes whole, while sprinkling the top with finer pieces. This has made lighting less a chore.

This is a bulk purchase for me now. I hope someday to try it after aging five, ten, twenty years and beyond. Something for me to pass down to my heirs.

Original review 2/15/2004: This is a nice change of pace if I am in the mood for a full-strength flake tobacco in an aromatic presentation.

Aromatic here does not entail sweetness. 1792 is aromatic as in scented. The overall tin aroma and smoke stream are earthy, truffle-like and, well, full of tonquin. The flakes look like sliced truffles, too.

Dedicate a pipe to this, because its presence lingers long after the fire is out.

Speaking of fire, this is no picnic to lite, or keep lit, but once lited, it will light you up with billows of dark smoke, pungent and as subtle as a mushroom farm.

This is very cool stuff because stoving and maturing have left little residual sugar. It is rich, but not varied or really complex.

It is best rubbed up and lightly packed into a small bowl. You will make no friends or influence people with 1792 Flake- but is that why you smoke a pipe?

You spin me right round baby right round like a record baby right round round round?..

I ordered a tin of 1792 simply to top off a SP.com* order to hit the free shipping minimum. I like to order my bulks and then at least one new thing to try each time. Selected simply by the ingredient listing on this site and the overall rating, without reading the reviews. It sat around for a couple of months waiting for me to crave something new and the craving hit me this morning? 11am, empty stomach? on a break from a task requiring multiple trips up and down a ladder?. Oh my !! Shoulda read the reviews first, Ed!

But I love this strange taste? this is my first non-latakia English-Oriental blend, and I?m slowly moving away from latakias. Initial tin scent hit me as licorice-like (I was hungry remember) and though it took many lights to get things rolling, roll they did.

Guess the rest of that job can wait until this afternoon? whooopeeee! I love this stuff!

Good pleasure/price ratio, smooth gentle draw, no bite whatsoever and it defers quite well if allowed to sit and go out for a few minutes. But do eat first!

From Utopia, TX? hava goodun!

*top kudos for smokingpipes.com for consistent quick shipping and precise orders, never once delayed or shipped short because of inventory problems.

SG 1792 Flake is full-bodied and POWERFUL! It actually tastes like "tobacco" instead of candy or potpourri. No detectable casing.The nicotine kick that others report is real.

You will want to dry this in the sun for about five (5) minutes or 30-40 minutes indoors before attempting to light. If left in flake form instead of rolling out, you will have no problem lighting and keeping it lit.

If you like this, but it is not quite right or perhaps smooth enough, try Peterson Irish Flake instead. Everything good about the SG 1792 flake is even better in the Peterson Irish Flake, which I think is the world's best pure tobacco-flavored flake.

Mmm bliss! This is one tobacco that you can easily get yourself lost in.

Sadly it does take some effort to get it into a fit state to smoke.

I've found that when it's fresh from the tin, 1792 requires a whole box of matches and a selection of pipe cleaners tackle its moistness. Being very moist and the thickest cut I've come across in a long time isn't the best combination for the impatient smoker. Although, once it's been left open overnight it becomes much easier to handle. Though it does loose a lot of the tonquin casing.

When first opened, it smells and tastes like a chocolate flavoured cereal. Luckily, when it has been thoroughly aired, this characteristic fades and its medicinal nature begins to shine.

If you enjoy strong flakes -like Peterson's Irish- and want a lighter break from the fruity and floral, then this is a tobacco for you.

Just a brief addition to the many interesting comments.....

Smells and tastes are notoriously difficult to classify, so I won't try too hard. Tonquin, doubtless like many other aromatics, strikes a positive note with some and not with other tasters; I'm one of those people who like the aroma. Likening it to the smell of rotting garbage may have been fun to write, but it really didn't help me (but I must say I did enjoy the anticipation of getting my hands on such a notorious tobak...)

I took the plunge and bought half a pound - anything that arouses such passions has to have something to commend it! My package arrived, but the flakes were surely too dry - almost crumbly. Certainly not the wet slices I'd read about. Nonetheless, I lost no time in rubbing out a hapless flake, filled pipe, applied light, and....was surprised to be somewhat underwhelmed. Strong enough to keep me interested, sure, but a little one-dimensional, and a wee bit hard to keep evenly burning (never a problem with Irish Flake, or SG's Brown or Black plugs). A few pipes later, I still was less than ecstatic.

I believe that I came up with a rather effective solution, although it might be specifically effective for me given that I tend to smoke slightly smaller pipes (Group 4's and 3's). I re-hydrated the tobacco the old fashioned way: with pieces of cut-up apple, and left the 1492 for about 3 days to see what happened. Well, as you might expect, the tobak took on a very faint apple hint, but now it felt right; pliable, and somehow more organic. This made the rubbing out much easier - I now believe this flake behaves best when very fully rubbed out. Result - Heaven! Delicious, slow burning, cool, satisfying, one pipeful leaving me wanting another.

A marvelous tobacco, not for the inexperienced no doubt, but full of rewards if treated properly. Highly recommended!