Samuel Gawith Cabbie's Mixture

This is exactly what I've been looking for.. and after wrestling with bulk st James flake and it's virtual unsmokability (always trying to recreate that one experience where the moisture level was just right) this is a breath of fresh Virginia/perique.. sometimes I like pepper and sometimes I like stewed fruit.. this has both. Right down the middle.. both sides of louisiana.. and it's a little moist but not at all bad.. wonderful flavor.. my fresh tin tastes aged already.. is it worth the hype? Is it worth waiting to come back in stock for a year? Well.. maybe may Be not.. that's up to you.. but it's a fine blend that tastes oddly familiar right off the bat. I almost forgot to mention.. I love the cut.. curly.. roll.. whatever you wanna call it.. it's perfect for me.. not as fussy as a full flake.. yet doesn't burn as hot and fast as a ribbon.. just right.. everything about this tobacco is right down the middle.. my faith in gawith is restored.. Oh yeah.. also faint flavor in the background.. lakeland? Maybe.. but it's not in the least off putting.

Plummy, figgy, tastey as heck. I like the spice level from perique. The tin note is to die for. The smoke is of quality virginias. There may be a slight topping of something plum like but doesn't take away from the taste of the smoke. One for the cellar for sure. Just a lovely lovely tobac!

Tin note, appearance, cut, who cares. This stuff tastes great. The Virginia is soft and sweet. The spice of the perique is not pepper, but more like nutmeg. Tobacco is crazy wet when opened. Rub it out good, and dry it out well. It's a high maintenance tobacco, but worth it. UPDATE: I like this stuff but the maintenance is just too much. It just won't dry. There is some kind of casing that keeps it wet. Maybe too much PG. I can set it out for a hour or more and it's still moist, and it's not a new tin. I would like this a lot more if they used less additives.

I think Cabbie's Mixture to be a very enjoyable blend. It is more noble than rough, and quite a friendly smoke. These qualities seem appropriate for the working man's theme of the name and tin art.

The Virginias are primarily a mixture of citrus-y Golden Glow-style brights with lots of more muted and mature reds, and likewise to the first reviewer I also detect just a tiny bit of some deeply matured Virgina that reminds me maybe of a cousin of Brown No. 4. So it has a nice full range of Virgina notes which all come through and evolve to complement the tasty perique, the brights most of all.

It's not too heavy to be an all-day smoke, but I prefer to smoke it in the afternoon and evening.

Cabbie's Mixture is a good addition to the Gawith portfolio. It's unique Curly Cut is what initially attracted me to it. Not quite coins of tobacco but more like loose sliced Motzek Strang but smaller.

There is a similar taste profile to other Gawith blends here. It shares the same tangy, earthy, fruity Virginias as FVF and BBF and the rich spicy Perique as St. James Flake. The proportions are interesting here though. The Virginias and Perique wrestle for dominance.

My only complaint here is that it has a tendency to smoke a little hot. No bite but the smoke has some heat. I think age should remedy this.

This is a mixture that will stand the test of time, in my opinion. The Virginias are of the highest quality and the perique is there for support without taking over the show. My first bowl was not to my liking as I stuffed a few rolled up disks into the bowl, after a little drying time. It was hard to keep lit and the strength was a little too much for my taste. For my second bowl, I used my Cuisinart spice and nut grinder. Three or four one second bursts produced a ribbon cut, which burned beautifully and reduced the strength to medium from full. This is definitely a 3 star blend in my book and worthy of the accolades it has received.

The cut immediately reminds me of the famous Three Nuns, but the flavor is way more impressive, at least than the latest Mac Baren's version. Deep, rich virginia flavor with hay, dark dried fruits with enough perique to give some spiciness without rough edge. It is great from new opened, and I stash some to see how well it ages. Highly recommended!

Nice tin art, tobacco is sliced similar like escudo or deluxe navy rolls but smaller and not as surgical. A bit of organized chaos if you like, but attractive in its own way.

The tin note is not overwhelming and consists mainly of what I can best describe as the smell of: apple cider vinegar, dark rye bread and decomposing leaves. Not unpleasant at all!

The moisture level is just ridiculous! It’s so wet, I don’t deem it even smoke able before leaving it open to air for at least 3 full days. After that it still is moist and as a result difficult to rub out and pack. I had thought this was difficult to light but to my surprise after a false light and 2 more goes, she was on her way. Along the entire smoke I needed 2 more relights.

Initial taste: Mainly hay, oats and a very light natural sweetness in the background, rounded off by a raisiny taste (the perique no doubt). The VA’s are not your typical bright, grassy and lemony but not the full on earthy stuff either. It’s well balanced altogether. The one thing is does not deliver imho. is pepper, even on the retro hale there is no tingle.

Mid bowl: Finally there is a bit of pepper but at the expense of the sweetness which is now starting to disappear while the perique comes to the forefront. Towards the end of the bowl, the taste becomes darker and at times a bit astringent. The ash burns down to a light grey color with only a little dottle left behind.

Throughout the entire smoking experience I was waiting for something to happen. It was all nice, but no WOW factor. The perique is there to provide some body and round out the VA’s. No matter how hard I tried, this will not bite. The room note is all right but again nothing special. No yeastiness or smell of freshly baked bread. This one won’t offend anyone but won’t make you friends either.

All in all, not a bad smoke. It doesn’t deliver the peppery tones of St James or bright Escudo, not the earthy taste of DNR, not the sweetness of Marlin Flake but is positioned squarely in the middle. This is maybe a good starting point for an adventure in Vapers, to venture out from there to what one craves in a smoke (spice, sweetness,…).

This is a full bodied virginnia and perique mixture with the sweetness of the virginia being at the forefront. The taste is rustic and I'm sorry if that makes no sense but that's the way I would describe it -a clean taste of the great outdoors. Very creamy with a nice peppery tang in the background that delights the tongue. I think this is one of stronger blends Samuel Gawith have ever produced, and more power to them. This truly is a wonderful smoke with a good dose of Vitamin N.

update - Smoking this blend after the tin has been cellared for six months gives an even tastier smoke. The flavours really come out with a bit of age on the tobacco, and what started off quite excellent becomes an absolutely essential smoke for anyone who liked full flavoured, full bodied blends.