Samuel Gawith Cabbie's Mixture

I love the sour tin note of this blend. Reds and browns, curls and rough cut strands, easily lit and strong peppery flavour. This is extremely enjoyable in both small and large bowls. When dried properly, it is tasty and consistent quality that never fails to deliver the zing that a good VaPer promises. When damp, it tends to lose some of the taste and attraction that draws me to it - dry it out every time! It rarely bites, but it sometimes hovers between bitey and strong pepper, which is interesting.

For me, this is too tangy to be an all day blend, but forces its way into the reckoning to be enjoyed at least once each day. I love the mouth feel and the aftertaste, and would rate it extremely highly. In this case, sour is good!

Some coins but most of mine were pretty malformed, which was not a problem since I rub them out anyway. Tin aroma was of grass and dark fruit. Perique-y aroma but not overpowering.

Too wet to smoke fresh out of the tin but not as wet as a lot of SG blends. I did of course smoke it moist and it was typically bland and sour with a weird finish... weird is the best I can come up with. Properly dried (arid but not crunchy), the dark fruit was the star of the show. The Virginias were mostly of a red tang with a bit of citrus. The perique eschewed the pepper characteristics of some VaPers in favor of a sweet fruitiness and perhaps a bit of spice, although that may have come from the Virginias as well. Pretty fair nic hit but not a lot of complexity, although there was some depth. All in all, just not what I've come to expect from Sam Gawith, although it was a fine blend and is recommended. A bit more perique would have done this no harm but if you prefer a moderate amount and a lot of fig-type notes (more bass than high notes here), this one may be for you. And if you don't like your tobacco dry, finish the tin fast or get the tobacco into a ziplock, as it dries quickly if left in the tin.

I was very curius to try this blend due to the reviews.when you crack the tin you see roll cut from virginia and perique mixed with ribbon cut virginias.the smells come more from virginias combining dark fruits,grass and spices.some citruses are there too.the moisture level is higher than needed so some drying time is required for me.packs ok,needs a bit effort to light and some re lights are needed.while smoking the flavours are simple and clear between dark fruits ,grass spices and a hint of citrus.the perique is really on the background almost absent sometimes.the nicotine level is almost medium.burns medium to hot, clear to total ash with a little moisture at the end of the bowl.never bit me even if i went hard.it's an all day smoke though i would prefer a higher dose of perique!

I bought several tins of this, in anticipation of enjoying it from previous reviews here on Cabbie's Mixture. I smoked one tin, and did enjoy it very much. The tobacco was very nice, and there was a piquant taste to it, I guess from the Perique. Then, part way into the second tin, I got hit with the famous/infamous Lakeland floral/tonquin taste. To me, it was suddenly pure soap in my mouth, and I hate that taste. I have seen pictures of the Gawith factory online, and see the ancient two hundred year old plus machines caked in tobacco from years past. The place looks like a dump, and it could be that they have never cleaned their tobacco making equipment since they got it in 1792, They may sweep their floor, but otherwise the place is a mess. My guess is that when they apply the soap to the other tobaccos, it cannot help but spread the soap where it was not intended to go, because there is no cleaning up, and no where else for it to go, but onto other tobacco. Cabbie's Mixture is not supposed to have any flavoring added to it, but I got enough of their soap in my tobacco, to quit this blend. So sorry, cause I started to like it, and still have some left over.

I come to pen my review on this smoke as it was in my pipe at the time. What amazed me was finding it was a more simple mix than I had imagined. I was expecting some Kentucky or burley in the mix as the taste was quite a rich and interesting. So for that reason I have to give it four stars rather than the three I was thinking of.

The tobacco was light brown caramel in colour and packed with ease after some drying time. Lit and smoked with a standard three stage fill without much bother. The perique is obvious but not to dry to the mouth with its pepper taste. The virginias give a taste just as they looks a good sweet caramel which nears creamy at times but never so much as to become sickly. Overall a full but mellow smoke with vitamin N included. The tea like smell of the product unlit is nice but gives only a flicker of what is to come.

A great smoke that will only grow on me.

For me this is the epitome of the Samuel gawith range.

A fantastic straight up virginia and perique roll cut.

Opening the tin a lovely sweet and sour aroma from the Virginias emanates from the tin, then underneath that the spicy foggy tones from the perique greets us and marries together in a beautiful medley.

(For those worried about the "lakeland" essence, do not worry, none is to be found here.)

Easily rubbed out to the smokers preference, which is what I have done to my four tins for jarring purposes.

This does need drying time as trying to light up straight up straight out of the tin I would imagine it is easier trying to set asbestos aflame.

But with some dry time ignition is not an issue.

In smoking all them beautiful aromas from the opening of the tin transfer beautifully to the smoking which makes for a truly mouth watering smoke.

The Virginias are always centre stage with support and slight muscle from the perique. Although strong it is never overwhelming, and the flavours just keep getting better and better, as you go down the bowl there is a more caramelised note and a creamy after taste and Burns down to a fine ash, with minimal fuss.

This is a VaPer to be reckoned with, using perique as spice tobacco, if over done can lead to disaster, and I find less is more, which is the gawith has gone with this. At only 6% perique, it doesn't seem a lot but it is just right. A beautiful smoke and as already has been said this is the epitome of the Sam gawith range, and I dare say an absolute bench mark for those who like this type of tobacco.

An interesting one this....being a bit of a Lat lover I recently discovered VaPers in the form of Orliks golden slices and decided to delve deeper in the form of Cabbies Mixture, each bowl I smoke delivers pretty much the same results as I work my way to the bottom starting off quite peppery and overly heavy on the Perique then mellowing to an interesting (there's that word again) and enjoyable smoke once my mouth becomes accustomed to the spiciness. The retro-hale gives a pleasant tingle to the nostrils with an almost latakian smokiness and hay-ess sweetness from the Virginia. Tin note and room note are both pleasant from the off and the medallions burnt well from start to finish. Would I buy another tin? Probably not right away but maybe one to come back to in my journey

This batch of Samuel Gawith Cabbie’s Mixture was tinned on Dec. 4th, 2015.

The attraktive oval slices are about 3/4 x 7/8 x 1/16 inches each, and the tobaccos appear darker in slices than when pulled apart into ribbons, at least to my eye. Looks to be golden and red virginias, maybe a bit of lemon. The perique is also apparent with some broader segments of the leaf showing.

The tin aroma is rich, fresh and fruity, perhaps a bit figgy with a faint perique stench somewhere behind. Detect no topping, but am wondering if an aspect of that fruitiness isn’t a slight peachiness from the casing which is often noticeable in Kohlhase & Kopp virginias. This must be a collaboration, but no problem there. It’s mouthwatering and makes one want to dive right in. You might want to wait, though. The slices are deceptively moist and smoke steamily if not allowed some drying time. I prefer to rub them out and let them dry for some time before loading up, which is then no problem and simplifies lighting up.

The flavor development seems to run along the following lines in most of the pipes I’ve smoked: At the first match CM seems lighter than I’d expected. The brighter virginias and the fruitiness promised in the tin aroma show themselves first, followed by perique spiciness. The fruitiness subsides as the flavor becomes peppery, but the first third of the bowl has me wishing for lower notes which darker virginias might have provided. No problem with the burn. The middle third reveals more depth as the virginias become toastier and earthiness emerges from the perique. The final third brings the elements together and offers more earthy darkness (reminiscent of dark chocolate and/or espresso) as the burley takes over. At the very end a surprising virginia sweetness returns. The aftertaste is almost creamy with lighter woody notes lingering. The mouth feeling is unexpectedly clean (and, perhaps, ready for the next pipe). It’s an interesting ride.

And, it’s an interesting addition to the Samuel Gawith offerings. If you’re a SG buff, or if you are interested in VaPers in general, definitely give this one a go! Am not sure how often I well return to CM, but I will be putting some tins back to see how it develops over time. A three star blend for me at the moment, but it may well be a four star blend for you and exactly what you’re looking for.

Samuel Gawith - Cabbie’s Mixture

Recently I’ve found myself highly engrossed in the VaPer blends and I’m glad I purchased this one. I originally opened this tin around July 2019, upon first opening this blend it was wet and needed plenty of drying time it’s presented in a curly cut, think much much smaller coins like LBF without the cavendish, it smoked nice but wasn’t quite their yet.

Fast forward 6 months and this blend has had time to dry and age inside a mason jar, and I feel like this blend is truly starting to shine, it’s figgy Perique with a slightly musty note, the Virginia’s have a buttery sort of smell to it.

The mix of Virginia’s and Perique mix well, peppery but also sweetness which blossoms at the right time. I will say, if you smoked this fast it will burn hot, and due to my own negligence I was rewarded with a slight case of tongue bite.

I’m enjoying this thoroughly, this won’t replace Elizabethan for me, as currently that sits on a pedestal, however if this was as readily available as this blend and Peterson stops making them Elizabethan I will replace it with this.

I would say that aging this for a period of time will help make this blend even more enjoyable.

3.6/4 stars