Samuel Gawith Best Brown Flake

BBF is a great yet difficult tobacco to appreciate. It requires your attention and the right pipe.Its charm is most of the time hidden under a decent and cool smoke. It provides though some sudden bursts of incredible taste unmatched by most other VAs. It is one of my top favorites and a must in my cellar.

A home run in every category and in its class I have yet to find its superior.

Update: All around in my top Virginia blend category. If this is topped with an aromatic additive, it is utterly unobstructing to real tobacco enjoyment.

I'm very convinced that this is the flake version of Kendal Plug. I'm not 100% positive, only because I'm not on Gawith's production floor cutting flake. Anyway, there are striking similarities between the two.

Kendal Plug's aroma and flavor are more concentrated, and I believe this is because its left in a pressed block, rather than further processed into flake. I found BBF to be a bit more reserved in many respects, though it can burn a little cooler than Kendal Plug from time to time.

The sweet, rustic notes are there. The great colors and aromas are there. It's very good tobacco. But given a choice between BBF and Kendal Plug, I'd stick with the plug. I don't really see the need to keep both around. However, I have had some magical bowls of BBF that make me want to store some away.

On the seventh day, after making coffee, God packed a bowl of BBF.

Like Inquisitor, I find this a difficult blend to smoke.

When it's in the zone it's incredible. Sweet, smooth, and complex. But I have a real problem finding the right humidity for this tobacco. Too wet and it bites fiercely and makes for a very unpleasant smoke. Too dry and it's nearly flavorless.

I've only hit "the zone" a few times and that's what keeps me trying. After this tin is done I'm going to hold off for a while and let another tin I bought age for a few years to see if that helps.

For those that can figure out how to make this flake burn well, this may be your ultimate VA flake. For me it's a real challenge.

I am normally not of the opinion that wine needs time to breathe, nor that most tobacco- particularly Virginia flakes- needs to be dried out. Some of our brethren here recommend almost ritualistic preparations for flakes that I, for one, deem perfectly suitable straight out of the tin. Marlin Flake, Astleys No. 109, and Hamborger Veermaster are perfect as is, Dunhill Light Flake tends toward the dry side, and some of the Cornell & Diehl blends are already positively ashen. Still, I hear the endless litany- leave it on the dashboard at the beach, dry for a minimum of three days, stick it to the wall of a tandoori oven, and-get this- run it through a coffee mill. I can't for a moment imagine what they would do to prepare a bowl of Best Brown Flake. It is downright gooey.

Still, it's not that much of a bitch to light, and it encourages a slow, steady pace that is rewarded by a mystifying smoke that may run from intruiging to bland, depending on one's mood. A much better all day recomendation than its fuller sibling, Full Virginia Flake, to be sure, but still a flake I reserve for occassional use. Used in this manner, it finds a place in my rotation, where it provides a nice change of pace.

oooheeeee!!! I am presently on my 1st tin of this magical weed. I am taken to another place far away where the experience of smoking this transcends. This is one remarkable tobacco. It comes is post it note style slices and falls apart easily enough to rub out without any difficulty. Relatively easy to pack once rubbed out. Flame hits weed and you are off. The flavours are delicious and the spicy side is up front. It is hard for me to believe there is no perique in this blend. I am sold. This stuff along with Paul Olsens MOB 111 have been my big finds the past few weeks. Pipe smoking has reached a new level for me. 5 out of 5.

This is my first review of a tobacco. After trying 3/4 bowls of BBF I realise I find it a little bland but this maybe due to smoking Marlin Flake regularly. The flakes were moist from the bag so I set to dry a little but probably not quite long enough as I had quite a few relights. First impressions were not too bad but I found the flavour didn't improve much throughout the bowl it just seemed to remain constant. On the upside I didn't suffer any tongue bite with this and I found it a mild smoke, probably good for an introduction to Va's. I'll perservere with the baccy I have left but will probably not invest in more.

I just recently discovered this wonderful flake. It isn't terribly complex, but it is steady and flavorable. It has a sweet, almost chocolate-like favor. (Chocolate is a strange word to use for tobacco, but that's as close as I can get.) It's a lot like Full Virginia Flake, but it's not as strong, which is a big plus for me. Relax, smoke it slowly, and it will grow on you. I'm already adding this to my cellar.