Samuel Gawith 1792 Flake

Well... the Tonkin flavour attacks again. More than twenty years ago I was so disappointed with this horrendous -for me, of course- flavouring in offerings like Amsterdamer (Amsterdammed, more precisely) and Schippers.

Not a help knowing Samuel Gawith did it a lot of time before... I cannot stand this taste and smell present from the beginning in the tin.

Why on earth messing some good virginias and orientals with this thing?

I normally do not like flakes... but this one gives a punch in nauseating tones. The only one provoking me hiccups.

Rdx score: a very generous 77.70 (because of quality leafs)

Flavored tobaccos are not my thing, and sweetly flavored tobaccos are really, really not my thing.

1792 is full of candy-like flavoring. Opening a tin is like opening a pack of bubble gum.

Of interest though in this tobacco (to some users I presume) is the Ying and Yang principle of opposites attracting. This tobacco is very strong, yet it is contradicted by a children's candy flavoring. The contrasting flavors could not be starker.

Mayhap, of interest to some users.

I want to preface this review with a disclaimer: I don't like flavored tobaccos, but I've been trying. Can't handle the sweet fruity stuff at all, so I thought I'd try something more unique. I've tried, but I just can't enjoy this 1792. To me it's harsh. The flavor is distasteful to me and it ruins the tobacco flavor. The mouth feel is acrid and it just tastes bad. It packs and burns nicely, and for those who like flavored baccies it's probably a good choice (judging from the good ratings it gets here) because the flavor is definitely...how shall I say it...unique. Just not for me.

After half a bowl of this stuff, I had to set down my pipe, lie on the floor and pray that I wouldn't throw up on my Persian rug. I often smoke full English blends, so I don't think it was the strength of the tobacco that caused this. I wonder if the weird tonquin flavoring may cause some kind of allergic reaction in some people.

Clearly many smokers like this blend, so my advice is this: try it if you're adventurous, but keep a bucket handy the first time, just in case.

It is 1:30 AM and I am writing this review because I am wide awake after smoking this blend in a very small corn cob at a much earlier hour of the evening and since I can't fall asleep I figure I might as well write a review of this. I also got hiccups while smoking it. That should give you an idea of how insanely strong it is.

Taste is nice but nothing spectacular - reminds me of an unsweetened version of a American-style toasted Cavendish + a nondescript flowery scent. It leaves a coating in the mouth I could do without though.

As others have said - you have try this, if only once. Its weird stuff. I can see some nicotine fiends going ga-ga over it though.

I recommend buying this in a SMALL bulk sample to see if you really like it first. That is what I did and I think it may take me the next 10 years to finish the 1 oz. sample I do have.

UPDATE: The taste in my mouth the morning after such a small bowl is unacceptable - I have to give this only 1-star. No amount of toothpaste and Listerine seems to be able to make the awful taste and chalkiness in my mouth go away. Add to this the fact that tonquin is not a food-grade additive and I can't recommend this concoction unless you are:

1. The kind of person who needs lots and lots of nicotine (i.e., ex-cig smoker).

2. You smoke full English blends all day long, all the time and you don't mind what that does to your tastebuds/halitosis.

3. You like monotone tobaccos.

If you fit that description consider this a 2-star review for you.

Ok. I have heard many good thing and many bad this about this flake. I have tried this tobac once before and could not finish the tin. Now I went to the store last week and bought another tin. It's just too much. When the blend heats up it tastes ok even good but..... when this stuff is cold it is disgusting. I am finished with this stuff. I am going to jar the tin and come back to it every now and then. I really want to like this but at this point I just don't. I will update the review if anything changes but as of right now I have to say this stuff is just plain nasty. The topping is disgusting.

6/14/08

Sorry guys, but as a huge fan of Gawith blends, this one just didn't do it for me. After reading the reviews here, I have to agree with the negative stuff about this tobacco blend. The tin smell was questionable, and keeping it lit was a chore. I disliked the flavor from the initial light-up to the end of the bowl, and what I seemed to taste was something akin to a strong Cigar. It took me a while to figure out what the weird flavor was, but for me it was a cigarish taste. Maybe it's the Tonquin, I just don't know, but I know I won't be buying anymore of this stuff. I have a lot of pipes to choose from, so I'll try it in some other models. I have a Calabash pipe, that really lets you get the true taste of tobaccos, without the flavors of the ghost tobaccos smoked previously. I'll be back with a final update, but so far, I'm not a fan of this one!

6/16/08

OK, so I'm trying this again in a St. Claude, large bowled billiard, and my head is spinning like Linda Blair's. Of course I didn't take some of your warnings about smoking it on an empty stomach, so I deserve what's happening to me. The flavor is still not my cup of tea. Cigarish for sure. The room note is stenchy. I'd like to try this without the Tonquin additive. I think I'll stick with my favorite Sammy blend, Commonwealth Mixture. I need to go lay down now, before I puke...

Ugh! I like a good natural tobacco flavor, so I don't know what possessed me to try this. All I can say is "blah!". But tastes are subjective, and if you like flavored tobaccos, this may be the ticket for you. Unfortunately, I have a full tin (minus a 1/2 bowl) of this stuff that I have no idea what to do with. Maybe I'll try leaching the tonquin out with water as a previous reviewed did...lemonade out of lemons...

This is the most unusual tobacco I've ever smoked! Upon opening the tin, your greeted with an odd smell like nothing I've ever smelled before. I was hesitant to try the tobacco but I said, what the heck! I lit it and you could smell the tonquin flavoring. Tonquin is a vanilla substitute and a lousy one at that! The first third of the pipe wasn't all that pleasant. Other reviewers have said this flavoring reminded them of Gallahers Rich Dark Honeydew. Well I'll make it clear, it's nothing like that! Any blend that's labled Honeydew, tastes of well....Honeydew! I kept on puffin though and the second third of the bowl changed. I tasted vanilla going in, and chocolate going out. A hint of clove semmed to peek through here and there. An opium aroma and taste was also surfacing. I wanted to put the pipe down, but for some reason I kept on smoking. The only flavor I didn't taste was tobacco! I think I should have went with the Bracken Flake or the Full Virginia. I'd much rather smoke McClelland's Black Shag or Honeydwew. As far as stregnth is concerned, I don't think this is all that strong. In fact, St. Bruno Flake is stronger and much more pleasant and sweet like raisins and prunes. Petersons Irish Flake blows this away in stregnth, taste, and aroma. I have two tins of this 1792 stuff and Im looking to get rid of them. Give me a straight up VA anyday! This stuff is terrible.