Samuel Gawith 1792 Flake

I must advise caution. this stuff will lay low the mighty if smoked from a large bowl.Mid-bowl there developes an exuisite, spicy flavor boquet, sip this smoke very gently,and from a smaller pipe. I smoked '92 in my largest Nording,oops, so i did expieraince pounding heart, weak knees and some cold sweats, the cure for this is to get up and sprint around the block a few times. Tin smell is much like roofing tar, and when first lit is a bit rough, ounce you get past that you are in for a unique smoking expieriance, a must try for the flake lover.

When I smoke this heanenly tobacco I recall how it was the saviour of my pipe smoking career. Having spent a long time smoking Camels before taking up the pipe, I spent years looking for a tobacco which I could smoke all day, with no tongue bite and which satisfied my craving for a top quality virginia tobacco.

Here is my saviour, just as delightfula tobacco as can be had anywhere.

This is my Desert Island tobacco. I would not care if every other pipe tobacco were to be discontinued as long as this 'Nectar of the Gods' is around.

One of the only tobaccos I buy in bulk for cellaring like the finest of wines.

Not for everyones taste especially for the candy store tobacco wimps.

God bless 1792 True Manna from Heaven. 5 Stars out of four!

I have never found 1792 to be as powerful (nicotine-wise) as some have found it. Nor do I find that the tonquin flavor puts me out, in fact, I very much enjoy it. I have tried this blend in a merschaum, in a corn cob and in a Peterson 314 System pipe. It behaves about the same in each, though the Pete apparently provides enough of a bowl for 1792 to fully develop, and this tobacco develops better in a larger bowl than that of a typical corn cob. It is a mellow tobacco, and in smoking it, apart from the tonquin I am also able to get occasional flavors which remind me of how clover smells - quite sweet and light. There are other flavors which vaguely remind me of prunes, dates, dried apricots and figs... it is not a boring smoke, though to enjoy it fully it should be smoked quite slowly. Smoking it slowly is easily done if the flakes are well rubbed and the tobacco is then lightly packed - much like you would pack some of the larger cut Balkan type blends. I don't find myself smoking 1792 on a real regular basis, but there are specific times when only 1792 will do... for instance, when I have a head cold and want something which will free up my sinuses. I always have a tin or two of this tucked away in the back of one of the four drawers I use as my baccy cellar. If this tobacco was a person, it would be Lucius Cornelius Sulla, Dictator of Republican Rome - "No worse enemy, no better friend." It is worth trying and, in my opinion, very much worth smoking... treat it as it should and it will be a treat.

My favorite tobacco for the past six years. However, like fine wines, it has its seasons and shifts in quality. A few years ago, a very large bad batch of it hit the US, and I had several tins that were markedly off in flavor from the older, sweeter tobacco. Fortunately, this appears to have been a temporary glitch and today it is as excellent as ever. It has a curious mating with my body chemistry in that this is one of the very, very few tobaccos that I can smoke for bowl after bowl with no bite. It is strong stuff, and can easily knock the uninitiated for a loop, especially if smoked on an empty stomach. The rich tonquin flavoring makes it one of a kind. Anyone who enjoys this blend is also encouraged to try Bracken Flake, a sweeter, more aromatic blend that shares some familial qualities with 1792.

I am guilty of coining the phrase "Stonehaven on Crack",but alas, it fits. Very potent and very delicious. A much grassier Stonehaven. Rest while smoking it. Tonquin is not like deer tongue or vanilla. Do not expect a sweet mixture. Very flavorful! 3 of 4 stars

Read the blending notes above for how this magnificent flake is processed. It sounds more as if a baking or kilning takes place than a stoved tobacco process. I never tried anything with tonquin, and in fact, never heard of it until now. A friend of mine who reviews here says this is Esoterica's 'Stonehaven' on crack. It's deep and dark with pronounced notes of black cherry and roasted ember. In the tin it's grassy with faint aromas of wet wool and manure. I don't only taste this in the mouth but in the pores. I can feel its ethereal vapors. Be careful how you smoke it; I don't recommend driving or walking. Also watch that it doesn't creep up and start choking you. Plugs tend to close my throat like that. Sit down or recline after a nice meal when you're feeling laid back. I wouldn't want to try this while agitated and full of caffeine and wandering thoughts. This tobacco requires ones complete devotion. It's truly a great, almost mystical smoke. Nothing quite like it in all the world and produced by probably the last great blending house in England. Not for the faint of heart by any means but well worth experiencing at least once by every serious devotee of tobacciana.

Four of five stars