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 1 - 10 of 29 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 12, 2018 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
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.
Pipe Used:
briar's, cob's and meerschaum
PurchasedFrom:
pipe's and Cigars
Age When Smoked:
1 year
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 12, 2016 | Very Mild | Mild to Medium | Mild | Tolerable |
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.
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.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 23, 2015 | Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Novelty to try your first flake experience learn to smoke was very motivated, in regards the smoke flavor and medium strength give you stimulating smoke Burns evenly which prevents the rekindled many pipe and it does not burn the tongue, so is a good tobacco but there is nothing that stands out and at this stage of the search for the ideal tobacco would consider that it recomprarÃa not very soon.
Pipe Used:
Mr Brog Bosman
PurchasedFrom:
4noggings
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| May 26, 2022 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant |
From all the positive reviews this seems to be the holy grail of virginias, or at least very close to it. And this infuses in me so much self pity for not appreciating it as it supposedly deserves. Its certainly a good virginia flake, medium strenght, dark/light tobaccos, hand made with old historical equipment and so on . But there is a but, how can I keep it alight? Out from the box is soaking, after hours of drying looks easier to start but it is not. Is all this worth full marks? I will insist for giving it 4 stars (as it apparently deserves) still for now 2 1/2 rounded down. Sorry but I cannot understand it.
Pipe Used:
english group 3 and 4
PurchasedFrom:
switzerland
Age When Smoked:
fresh
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Apr 26, 2017 | Very Mild | None Detected | Extremely Mild (Flat) | Tolerable |
I have never smoked a flake tobacco that I considered bad but I would rate this stuff as the least good of any flakes I've tried. The flavor was so mild that it bordered on being bland. It's ok but there are so many excellent flakes available that it's not worthwhile.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Apr 26, 2015 | Medium | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Tolerable |
I do not know if my tin was unlucky, but I disagree with most of the previous reviews. In my opinion this is an average straight Virginia, without virtues and vices. Pure Virginia, without any flavoring, no more and no less. In my personal system rating (from 1 to 10) my score is 7 and two stars.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Feb 07, 2015 | Medium | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Tolerable |
I bought this as a expansion of my exploration of straight VAs. I used my new savinelli I bought to be my VA pipe after I tried the dunhill flake.
It's pretty nice looking in the tin, darker brown than the dunhill. It has a slightly fuller flavor than I would have expected. It's taken some drying to get it to behave the way I wanted it to. It burns well dried out, almost no dottle. Unfortunately, I'm still getting a sour lemon flavor off the VA tobaccos. I get hints of something darker, fuller but I don't know what.
I have enjoyed this tobacco, and have smoked almost the whole tin at this point. I don't think I'll buy more, I'm probably going to try something different next tin I buy.
It's pretty nice looking in the tin, darker brown than the dunhill. It has a slightly fuller flavor than I would have expected. It's taken some drying to get it to behave the way I wanted it to. It burns well dried out, almost no dottle. Unfortunately, I'm still getting a sour lemon flavor off the VA tobaccos. I get hints of something darker, fuller but I don't know what.
I have enjoyed this tobacco, and have smoked almost the whole tin at this point. I don't think I'll buy more, I'm probably going to try something different next tin I buy.
Pipe Used:
Savinelli one straight billiard #106
PurchasedFrom:
Smokingpipes
Age When Smoked:
Fresh
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Nov 28, 2014 | Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant |
This is a nice flake which conveys dark flavors of caramel, roasted beef, charred nuts. The cut of the flake is inconsistent re: size/thickness, which has been a problem for SG for quite some time. For my tastes this needed some drying time yet I found it difficult to get going and had to relight several times. The amount of smoke produced was minimal and wispy, disappointing. For a straight VA this is a good tasting flake and the price not too bad. I don't smoke this flake regularly but I recommend any VA lover to give it a try. MGBWY
Pipe Used:
Corn cob
PurchasedFrom:
BATB
Age When Smoked:
Fresh Tin
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Feb 21, 2014 | Medium | None Detected | Mild | Tolerable |
Okay, so without getting too involved:
Moist in the tin, most flakes needed an overnight drying to be acceptable the next day, that being said, I find all SG tobacco too moist straight from the tin. Also lots of variation in the flake width, but that all adds to the charm of SG flakes. Slightly sour nose.
Easy to maintain when half rubbed out and broken up. Moments when it could attain the luxuriousness of FVF. Never quite though.
I can see why some would have this as an all day smoke. It's fairly monochromatic and neutral. I struggled to find the sweetness that others have, and think my definition must differ from others. For me it plays second fiddle to its bigger brother - FVF: far more depth of flavour, creamyness and infinitely sweeter.
Moist in the tin, most flakes needed an overnight drying to be acceptable the next day, that being said, I find all SG tobacco too moist straight from the tin. Also lots of variation in the flake width, but that all adds to the charm of SG flakes. Slightly sour nose.
Easy to maintain when half rubbed out and broken up. Moments when it could attain the luxuriousness of FVF. Never quite though.
I can see why some would have this as an all day smoke. It's fairly monochromatic and neutral. I struggled to find the sweetness that others have, and think my definition must differ from others. For me it plays second fiddle to its bigger brother - FVF: far more depth of flavour, creamyness and infinitely sweeter.
Pipe Used:
Parker rusticated billiard
Age When Smoked:
6 months
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jul 17, 2013 | Medium | None Detected | Medium | Tolerable |
First SG Toby, tin presentation nice-unsure if its Sam's m.o. to cut flakes at uneven width and thickness, but it does not deter from the fact the tobaccos are very high quality flake. I smoked this in several pipes, Meer, Sav, large Aldo, to get a feel for the flavor. Much work needed to get proper humidity-I aged my tin 18 months properly and it was still a challenge. Taste is Va, hints of sweetness but to my tastes too sour, poor aftertaste. I'm not a fan of pure Virginias nor pure Burleys, but I do enjoy both in appropriate proportions. Current rotation-for comparison purposes: Bob's Choc Flake, Erinmore Flake, FMOTT, University Flake. Will replace Froggy with Hyde Park.
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