Samuel Gawith Best Brown Flake

Samuel Gawith Best Brown Flake is an awesome tobacco. I have very much enjoyed Gawith, Hoggarth Brown Flake (unscented). The GH has a bit of dark fired Burley and the BBF is straight Virginia. I'd say the edge goes to the BBF. It has an amazingly delicious room note.

It's an SG flake... and it's a good one. My tin was aged but i would actually be interested to try a fresher tin... it was almost too rounded out for my taste buds. Usually I prefer that, but a little zest strangely might have been nice... I got smooth bready molasses like notes.. pleasant if somewhat straightforward... not as complex and delicious as full Virginia flake... but it hits right down the middle in a pleasant way. Love the rough cut gawith flakes... rustic at its best.

Wonderful sweet Virginia, fresh hay and a brown sugar flavor. A Hint of soapiness, not always there and I sometimes wonder if I am imagining it. The mechanics on this are important (at least to me). This needs to dry for 10-20 minutes or it will bite. It is an odd tobacco to me as it seems relatively dry in flake form but when smoked without dry time it is steamy. Steamy equals a bad time with me. It also won't stay lit very well either without solid dry time. Rub it out and leave it alone for 20 minutes and you will be good to go. In my opinion best in a meer but very nice in any pipe. The smoke is sweet, not aro sweet but like a sweetened pastry, sticky buns come to mind. It is a sweet, bready flavor, very unique. Not like a typical VA. The flavor is not as "fresh" , not a bad thing. This is a darker flavor kind of like brown sugar vs table sugar. Molasses and a bit of subtle spice. This is a great smoke when done right, not careful with prep it will require many relights and a sore tongue.

This will be the tobacco to smoke at the EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP in October 2016 in Slowakia (link: http://www.pipenitra2016.sk/?page_id=11&lang=en). A friend of a neighbouring pipe club gave me a sample. As always with Samuel Gawith, it’s not moist, it’s wet, and therefore needs considerable drying time. In large bowls I fold the flakes and cram it in my pipe. In smaller bowls I prefer to rub it a little. Both ways lead to a good, slow, steady and cool burnig. For those used to smoking flakes it’s (mechanically) a pleasure to smoke. For those not used to flakes, buy a few tins and get some training before the championship. It’s rewarding.

BEST BROWN FLAKE is a pure Virginia. Regarding the taste of this mixture, well, it’s not my pair of shoes. I was expecting a broad fan of all kinds of Virginia flavours. I thought I was smoking a soft, light Aromatic. I could not find all these pleasurable flavours, typically attributed to Virginias. It is smokable, sure, but I am disappointed.

Summary: a wonderful take on Virginias, but the lack of Nicotine makes it fall short of "recommended" status.

This is a really nice Virginia. At first, the acidic bloom of this type of leaf is discernible, but then it vanishes, leaving only a union of a honey-sweet hay flavor and the more harvest vegetable taste of a seasoned Virginia. As far as flavor goes, I could puff this forever, but one of the reasons we seek out Samuel Gawith blends is the intense Nicotine experience that makes them so relaxing, and that is missing here. Relax; be a heretic; mix it with some strong American Burley like "Dark Burley" or "Five Brothers" and you will be at home. Great leaf, needs more power.

Thanks to Pipes Magazine forum member "dadgy" for this sample.

Best Brown? Not really. Ok boring brown, maybe. Nowhere near as good as Stonehaven, GH Brown Flake Unscented, or Germain's Brown Flake. Mind you, there is nothing wrong with this, but I also don't find anything that gets my attention -- for my tastes, this is a smoke for those who want to smoke a pipe without having to pay much attention to the flavor, which kind of defeats the purpose of a pipe for me. So, for me, a very generic so-so smoke; if others really like the one note of flavor, they will obviously rate this higher -- I really like some one-note tobaccos, but this one does nothing for me. Really two and a half stars, but since it doesn't really have any flaws, I'll go with three rather than two.

As said a very underrated, no nonsense, very pleasant tobacco

One of the better less moist SG varieties ,burns faultless all the way down to an ashy bottom ,very easy to keep lit & has an ever so slight sweet taste which is more apparent the slower you smoke it

I am torn between this and FVF to say which i prefer but to say they are both great smokes is enough

Disagree with Gus Tation here....this blend is one of my favorites; easy to rub out - not too moist, and can be smoked right after opening the tin; unlike FVF which needs dry time. This blend is extremely rich - notes of honey, nuts, salty and thick - highly recommended. If you like Solani Aged Burley Flake, you'll love this one too! very similar, but slightly sweeter -

This is the best straight VA that I have ever smoked. Even though FVF has a special place in my heart, BBF is virtually almost identical to FVF. The difference is that it is pressed under heat for a shorter period of time.

BBF is slow burning, very creamy, woodsy and earthy in taste, just like FVF. Its advantage, I find, is that it is easier to master in its smoking, which gives my preference over FVF.

If you are looking for a pure and delicious straight VA, try BBF. The only thing that prevents me from giving it 4 stars is that SG's flakes are hard to deal with, making them harder to smoke and keep lit.