Samuel Gawith Best Brown Flake
(3.40)
A firm favourite for the pipe smoker looking for a medium strength, gentle and slow burning tobacco. Manufactured using hand-stripped flue cured Virginias with no flavours added, Best Brown will reward with a cool, sweet smoke with a delectable aroma and good sidestream. Mild to medium.
Details
| Brand | Samuel Gawith |
| Blended By | Samuel Gawith |
| Manufactured By | Samuel Gawith |
| Blend Type | Straight Virginia |
| Contents | Virginia |
| Flavoring | |
| Cut | Flake |
| Packaging | 50 grams tin |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant to Tolerable
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
3.40 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 31 - 40 of 293 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 26, 2015 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Mild | Pleasant to Tolerable |
When I decide to test/taste something new to me, I go like this: load it in different pipes with different pressures at different moments of the day. At the end of Tin 1 I am very close to have a good grasp on the thing. So this is, say, my 15th puff with BB: take a flake, fold it once on the long side then once on the short side. screwed it in a Ser Jacopo group 2. needs drying, prepare a Lapsang Suchong
tea's ready, back to the thing. light it, quite a remissive tone, three matches do... bitter chocolate , coffee, nuts and hay, then the road seems to go somewhere else but instead.... it doesn't go, kinda stays there, within a strict Virginia area.... it's true, the risk is monotony... you find yourself expecting an evolution that never comes... at any moment it gives you that FVF hint like a suggestion, but then... nothing more... me as a stjames lover, I feel it like it BUT... no perique, road closed again if you know what I mean... NOW here is why BB is splendid: if you focus on that single note, like single malts, THEN you'll find all the beauty of a natural, honest and excellent tobacco. It's a metaphor of pipe smoking, thus a metaphor of life: "less is better" (Miles Davis)-- Only drawback is about all the excellent natural, and CHEAPER, tobaccos on the market...
tea's ready, back to the thing. light it, quite a remissive tone, three matches do... bitter chocolate , coffee, nuts and hay, then the road seems to go somewhere else but instead.... it doesn't go, kinda stays there, within a strict Virginia area.... it's true, the risk is monotony... you find yourself expecting an evolution that never comes... at any moment it gives you that FVF hint like a suggestion, but then... nothing more... me as a stjames lover, I feel it like it BUT... no perique, road closed again if you know what I mean... NOW here is why BB is splendid: if you focus on that single note, like single malts, THEN you'll find all the beauty of a natural, honest and excellent tobacco. It's a metaphor of pipe smoking, thus a metaphor of life: "less is better" (Miles Davis)-- Only drawback is about all the excellent natural, and CHEAPER, tobaccos on the market...
Pipe Used:
different briars
Age When Smoked:
new
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 06, 2021 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
When the tin is opened, elongated flakes composed of bright and dark virginias appear. These flakes are irregular in shape and frayed, as is typical for this brand. They have a perfect degree of humidity to load directly from the tin to the pipe, although this does not mean anything because this aspect can be different in each occasion, depending on the tin that touches each one. The aroma is that of a mild virginia, mainly of hay and bread in the baking process.
Once the tobacco has been rubbed and the pipe loaded, the tobacco shows its high quality, burning well and without producing bites. The flavor is what one can expect after sniffing it in its tin and that for me is already a virtue. Over time I have learned that in the best tobaccos the aroma in the tin and its taste when smoked differ very little. Smooth, fine, silky, slightly sweet, but less than FVF (yes, the comparison had to come).
At this point I don't think it goes without saying, but highly recommended.
Once the tobacco has been rubbed and the pipe loaded, the tobacco shows its high quality, burning well and without producing bites. The flavor is what one can expect after sniffing it in its tin and that for me is already a virtue. Over time I have learned that in the best tobaccos the aroma in the tin and its taste when smoked differ very little. Smooth, fine, silky, slightly sweet, but less than FVF (yes, the comparison had to come).
At this point I don't think it goes without saying, but highly recommended.
Age When Smoked:
Unknown
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 08, 2020 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Unnoticeable |
I really have come to love the mellowness of these African Virginias . Very easy on the throat but with a good nic-hit with the flue-curing . VERY lightly cased like Union Square . Malty with oats and almost caramel like sweetness. Bready and musty . Not much hay and grass or citrus . A little apricot . Very creamy and smooth . Tingles the tongue a little but no real bite . This is a fresh tin also . Can’t wait until my stash gets some age on it ! Top notch ! 4 stars for this biased Virginia lover .
Age When Smoked:
3 months
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 28, 2018 | Very Mild | None Detected | Very Mild | Very Pleasant |
I was gifted this in 2016 as part of "Smoking Santa" exchange with a fellow pipe smoker. The jar lid had a 9/23/10 date on it. The ribbon flake crumbles easily and packs well. I suggest letting it air for 15-20 minutes or it can be difficult to light. What a wonderful smoke, smooth and creamy from the start all the way through with a wonderful room note. There's a nutty sweetness that is cool and not harsh in anyway.
Pipe Used:
Kaywoodie Billiard
Age When Smoked:
7.5 years
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 04, 2017 | Medium | Mild to Medium | Medium to Full | Pleasant |
Marvellous Tobacco! full bodied, flavorful virginia, that is as smooth as silk. The sweet beautiful flavor comes out the best for me when i rub out a bowl and let it sit out for around 30 40 minutes, Thats all it takes. I absolutley love this flake straight from the tin, you can age it of course, if you want it to shine even more.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 18, 2017 | Mild to Medium | Very Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
Samuel Gawith - Best Brown Flake.
I wish every Samuel Gawith had the same amount of moisture when fresh as this! What's happened, I don't know, but the usual Sam G' soaking wet flakes have been replaced by some perfect ones; stone me! They aren't too thick either, and they're slightly broken, making loading a bowl as unproblematic as any decent flake.
Lighting B.B.F. is relatively simple, and then it gives a slow burn with a mid temperature smoke. To me, this would suit a beginner to our hobby instead of a sweet aromatic. The taste is a toned down, soft, and sweet Virginia one, without many of the cutting flavours sometimes found in Virginia blends; deep and sweet instead of sharp and zesty. Apart from the sweetness I get no extra flavouring. And nor do I get any tongue bite.
The room-note's pleasant and the nicotine's a little below medium.
I have no doubt in my mind that Best Brown Flake is high quality, but in all honesty it bores me after a short while.
Three stars based on quality.
Recommended.
I wish every Samuel Gawith had the same amount of moisture when fresh as this! What's happened, I don't know, but the usual Sam G' soaking wet flakes have been replaced by some perfect ones; stone me! They aren't too thick either, and they're slightly broken, making loading a bowl as unproblematic as any decent flake.
Lighting B.B.F. is relatively simple, and then it gives a slow burn with a mid temperature smoke. To me, this would suit a beginner to our hobby instead of a sweet aromatic. The taste is a toned down, soft, and sweet Virginia one, without many of the cutting flavours sometimes found in Virginia blends; deep and sweet instead of sharp and zesty. Apart from the sweetness I get no extra flavouring. And nor do I get any tongue bite.
The room-note's pleasant and the nicotine's a little below medium.
I have no doubt in my mind that Best Brown Flake is high quality, but in all honesty it bores me after a short while.
Three stars based on quality.
Recommended.
Pipe Used:
Peder Jeppesen
PurchasedFrom:
My Smoking Shop
Age When Smoked:
New
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 24, 2017 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Scored an almost 14 year old tin of this from a silent auction at Strauss in Florence Kentucky. I had never tried fresh Best Brown, let alone any with significant aging. This tobacco has been a treat, and I'm hanging on to the last half of this tin with my life.
Popped the tin and the thin flakes had partially melded together with age. Residual moisture had escaped and left delicate, flimsy flakes for me to pick apart. Airing some out for 15 minutes made it bowl-ready. I wasn't prepared for the flavor journey I was about to take. Sweet, musty, funky, savory, delicious.
The best comparison I can make flavorwise is to my favorite kind of beer. Bottle fermented Belgian ales with significant age. Yeasty, murky, bready and sweet.
Recently I bought a 250g box of Best Brown to see what it's like fresh (and to start aging some in a jar). While decent, it's nothing like what it becomes after 10+ years. Ive actually tasted a similar note to the aged Best Brown in Wessex Brigade Campaign Dark Flake. Looking forward to aging some of that too.
Popped the tin and the thin flakes had partially melded together with age. Residual moisture had escaped and left delicate, flimsy flakes for me to pick apart. Airing some out for 15 minutes made it bowl-ready. I wasn't prepared for the flavor journey I was about to take. Sweet, musty, funky, savory, delicious.
The best comparison I can make flavorwise is to my favorite kind of beer. Bottle fermented Belgian ales with significant age. Yeasty, murky, bready and sweet.
Recently I bought a 250g box of Best Brown to see what it's like fresh (and to start aging some in a jar). While decent, it's nothing like what it becomes after 10+ years. Ive actually tasted a similar note to the aged Best Brown in Wessex Brigade Campaign Dark Flake. Looking forward to aging some of that too.
Pipe Used:
Various small pipes by Anastasopolous and Gamboni
PurchasedFrom:
Strauss Tobacconist
Age When Smoked:
~14 years
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jan 23, 2017 | Mild to Medium | Mild | Medium to Full | Pleasant |
This flake is the second best blend after full virginia flake.when you open it you get a light sweet topping in combination with citrus dried fruits and a little grass.rub it and let it dry a little.the lighting needs a little effort though the result is great.a decent sweet flavour with citrus and a hint of grass.magnificent!burns medium never bites and leaves a bit more moist at the end of the bowl.the nic level is low to medium so it's an all day blend to me.you can smoke it every hour leaving you a great aftertaste.defenitelly should try it!!
Age When Smoked:
Rubed and leave it to dry out a couple hours
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 16, 2015 | Mild to Medium | Very Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
A basic, no frills Virginia flake. Has a nice sweetness that vaguely resembles brown sugar or molasses. Not very complex, but it is enjoyable to smoke. Has a satisfying strength to it. I get the best burn when it's very dry, but even then it takes a few matches to get going and requires a few relights. It's a good, solid smoke.
Mild to medium in body and taste. I think it does have a very mild sweet topping.
Mild to medium in body and taste. I think it does have a very mild sweet topping.
Pipe Used:
MM Country Gentleman, Mark Twain, Diplomat Apple
PurchasedFrom:
smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked:
fresh
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Feb 24, 2015 | Mild | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
I was amazed when I cracked the tin open. I expected to find, well, a BROWN flake product. What I saw was well-cut flakes of such a light hue they reminded me of the Lakelands in Squadron Leader when that blend is first opened. By the next day, they had begun to turn brown and within a couple more days the tobacco had indeed turned brown. I remember Escudo doing the same.
I was not particularly (yes, I know this is heresy) impressed with FVF and was prepared to be underwhelmed by Best Brown Flake. I was wrong, I thoroughly enjoy this VA flake, less tangy that FVF, but still full enough flavored to my liking. Straight Virginias tend to leave me with an unpleasant aftertaste; BBF does not.
I could probably keep typing, trying to come up with more hyperbole, but cutting to the quick - this is good product. I keep a couple of tins in back up and one opened at all times.
I was not particularly (yes, I know this is heresy) impressed with FVF and was prepared to be underwhelmed by Best Brown Flake. I was wrong, I thoroughly enjoy this VA flake, less tangy that FVF, but still full enough flavored to my liking. Straight Virginias tend to leave me with an unpleasant aftertaste; BBF does not.
I could probably keep typing, trying to come up with more hyperbole, but cutting to the quick - this is good product. I keep a couple of tins in back up and one opened at all times.
Pipe Used:
Briars - prince, diplomat, GBD 9438
PurchasedFrom:
Cigar Express, McKees Rocks, PA
Age When Smoked:
New production
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