Samuel Gawith Cannon Plug
(2.73)
Part of our traditional English range of plugs, Cannon is derived from the Best Brown cake with a sweet Honey Dew flavour.
Details
| Brand | Samuel Gawith |
| Blended By | Samuel Gawith |
| Manufactured By | Samuel Gawith |
| Blend Type | Aromatic |
| Contents | Virginia |
| Flavoring | Floral Essences, Fruit / Citrus |
| Cut | Plug |
| Packaging | 50 grams pouch, bulk |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Very Strong
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Full
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
2.73 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 11 - 20 of 48 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 08, 2020 | Mild | Strong | Full | Pleasant |
I've been exclusively smoking SG's Cannon plug these last couple of days. It's one of the classic granny lakelands.
The plug is that usual dense English block. In colour is a beautiful brown with bright golden yellow strands ponctuating the cross cut surfaces. Tobaccoreview says this blend is based on Best Brown Flake. So be it. I love that blend and I can see how it could make for a nice base.
The smell from the block is quite strong. Very high notes, reminding of sweet lemonade. The lower, deeper range is quite subdued but reminds me of salted cream caramel. There is some sort of lemongrass maybe. SG says it has honey dew but honestly, I can't see it here.
My routine with these dense plugs is cut off thin flakes, slightly rub out, leave to dry in the evening for about 30 minutes, pack it in a small jar for the next day's ration. I then stuff it in a cob with neglect as I am usually smoking it while outdoors. A small cob has been working well for me but clays are good too although not so much if clenching in the street.
A good charring usually makes for an easy smoke. Now things get quite different. The aroma's intensity stays very constant throughout the bowl but is much less pungent than before the light. The high notes in the sauce move to the background while those sweet citrussy aromas are still quite noticeable. On the other hand, the deeper caramel notes come to the foreground. These complementing beautifully the bright Virginia's hay and freshly cut grass. This results in some kind pastry aroma. As a whole, I find that the lakeland aspect of it, while quite present, is not overwhelming and truly adds a new depth to the tobacco.
As with all virginias I've tried, DGT works wonders. The sauce doesn't disappear but melds more intimately with the tobacco. The fresh bakery aroma comes out much more easily then.
Mine is unfortunately only barely a year old but I imagine this to evolve with the brighter citrus notes going back a notch while the darker sweetness melding deeper with bright va.
I have yet to experience tongue bite with this one. The nicotine is rather light as I could smoke a couple of bowls back to back. Apart from the preparation, I consider this an easy smoke and have actually made it an all day one lately. For sure it doesn't satisfy a dark fired leaf craving or a spicy perique longing. It is what it is, and deserves some love for it. If aromatics make you sick, this'll be a pass. If, on the other hand, you find some to be to your liking (I personally smoke McB's Scottish Mixture and Amphora Full on occasion) this could well be for you too.
I've said this before but I will again as I feel the comparison to be appropriate. To me, this is like a tobacco version of Earl Grey tea. It is highly aromatic, but plays as a rich complement to the tea. It is extremely common on that island and few seam to complain aromatics aren't for the real men. There's something luxurious but basic and old but eternal about it.
The plug is that usual dense English block. In colour is a beautiful brown with bright golden yellow strands ponctuating the cross cut surfaces. Tobaccoreview says this blend is based on Best Brown Flake. So be it. I love that blend and I can see how it could make for a nice base.
The smell from the block is quite strong. Very high notes, reminding of sweet lemonade. The lower, deeper range is quite subdued but reminds me of salted cream caramel. There is some sort of lemongrass maybe. SG says it has honey dew but honestly, I can't see it here.
My routine with these dense plugs is cut off thin flakes, slightly rub out, leave to dry in the evening for about 30 minutes, pack it in a small jar for the next day's ration. I then stuff it in a cob with neglect as I am usually smoking it while outdoors. A small cob has been working well for me but clays are good too although not so much if clenching in the street.
A good charring usually makes for an easy smoke. Now things get quite different. The aroma's intensity stays very constant throughout the bowl but is much less pungent than before the light. The high notes in the sauce move to the background while those sweet citrussy aromas are still quite noticeable. On the other hand, the deeper caramel notes come to the foreground. These complementing beautifully the bright Virginia's hay and freshly cut grass. This results in some kind pastry aroma. As a whole, I find that the lakeland aspect of it, while quite present, is not overwhelming and truly adds a new depth to the tobacco.
As with all virginias I've tried, DGT works wonders. The sauce doesn't disappear but melds more intimately with the tobacco. The fresh bakery aroma comes out much more easily then.
Mine is unfortunately only barely a year old but I imagine this to evolve with the brighter citrus notes going back a notch while the darker sweetness melding deeper with bright va.
I have yet to experience tongue bite with this one. The nicotine is rather light as I could smoke a couple of bowls back to back. Apart from the preparation, I consider this an easy smoke and have actually made it an all day one lately. For sure it doesn't satisfy a dark fired leaf craving or a spicy perique longing. It is what it is, and deserves some love for it. If aromatics make you sick, this'll be a pass. If, on the other hand, you find some to be to your liking (I personally smoke McB's Scottish Mixture and Amphora Full on occasion) this could well be for you too.
I've said this before but I will again as I feel the comparison to be appropriate. To me, this is like a tobacco version of Earl Grey tea. It is highly aromatic, but plays as a rich complement to the tea. It is extremely common on that island and few seam to complain aromatics aren't for the real men. There's something luxurious but basic and old but eternal about it.
Pipe Used:
small cobs or clays
Age When Smoked:
1 year
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 22, 2012 | Medium to Strong | Very Strong | Very Full | Strong |
So...first off, let's get something straight. This is not actually tobacco per se. You know in 'Peter Pan' where the boys and girls are all supposed to clap their hands if they believe in fairies...and it would make Tinkerbell come back to life? This is something like that. Every time a pipe smoker lights up a bowl of Lakeland tobacco and thinks "OMG", or "Holy CRAP", or the like...it's like a little boy or girl clapping their hands...and in so doing, the Lakeland "Flower Flavor Fairy" puts another little hit of flavor into Cannon Plug. So you see, in a way, it's a kind of 'Magic Plug' - a compilation, if you will, of all the astonishment that nimrod smokers everywhere have felt at the flower power of the Lakeland blends. Oh, sure, well there's a little tobacco in there too I suppose. Likely pretty good stuff knowing it's from one of those nice Gawith boys.
PS: Whomever suggested this was a good DGT blend was right on. Plus...I don't think there's another blend in the whole wide world that give such impact per the cost. It's like getting the Acme Anvil of Lakeland flavors dropped on your little Wiley Coyote head...with each and every puff.
Where does this one fall in the overall scope of all things Gawith? Well, I characterized Coniston Cut Plug as the 'Goldilocks Blend' in that it fell into that perfect and ideal zone in which every aspect was, just right. Following on that kind of metaphore...this one is the 'Tinkerbell Blend'. It's a blend that'll bring a dead fairy back to life.
PS: Whomever suggested this was a good DGT blend was right on. Plus...I don't think there's another blend in the whole wide world that give such impact per the cost. It's like getting the Acme Anvil of Lakeland flavors dropped on your little Wiley Coyote head...with each and every puff.
Where does this one fall in the overall scope of all things Gawith? Well, I characterized Coniston Cut Plug as the 'Goldilocks Blend' in that it fell into that perfect and ideal zone in which every aspect was, just right. Following on that kind of metaphore...this one is the 'Tinkerbell Blend'. It's a blend that'll bring a dead fairy back to life.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Aug 10, 2010 | Medium | Medium | Full | Pleasant |
This is the aromatic of the English world and unlike it's American brethern, it is wonderful.
This tobacco starts out with the same base as Kendal Plug, of which Best Brown Flake is a sliced version. As such, many of you may have smoked this tobacco before and know the properties it brings (i.e. nicotine, strength). What you likely haven't sampled before is the unique topping.
I ordered a 2 oz plug of this from smokingpipes.com a while ago and was very impressed. It came in a ziploc bag and looked broken off a larger plug. I've since ordered two 1 lb plugs from tobacco supermarket for aging. As with other SG tobaccos, this has been hard to come by lately.
Honeydew best describes this, as it is sweet and slightly floral, without being overpowering. I usually don't go for aromatic type tobaccos, but this is making me rethink.
I usually find aromatics taste more of burnt sugar and/or chemicals than tobacco. This gives a fruit flavour on top of tobacco, but nothing offensive like you'd get from something labelled 'black cherry' or 'raspberry delight'. This tobacco suits me fine when I am in the mood for something sweet. With a cup of tea on a summer's day, it's a dream.
Like other plugs, I find that this does better in a medium-larger pipe.
Order 2 oz when you get a chance. The aroma of the plug is a little overwhelming, and so is the charring light. Take your time with it. Devote a clean pipe with a medium-large bowl and keep an open mind...it just may grow on you!
This tobacco starts out with the same base as Kendal Plug, of which Best Brown Flake is a sliced version. As such, many of you may have smoked this tobacco before and know the properties it brings (i.e. nicotine, strength). What you likely haven't sampled before is the unique topping.
I ordered a 2 oz plug of this from smokingpipes.com a while ago and was very impressed. It came in a ziploc bag and looked broken off a larger plug. I've since ordered two 1 lb plugs from tobacco supermarket for aging. As with other SG tobaccos, this has been hard to come by lately.
Honeydew best describes this, as it is sweet and slightly floral, without being overpowering. I usually don't go for aromatic type tobaccos, but this is making me rethink.
I usually find aromatics taste more of burnt sugar and/or chemicals than tobacco. This gives a fruit flavour on top of tobacco, but nothing offensive like you'd get from something labelled 'black cherry' or 'raspberry delight'. This tobacco suits me fine when I am in the mood for something sweet. With a cup of tea on a summer's day, it's a dream.
Like other plugs, I find that this does better in a medium-larger pipe.
Order 2 oz when you get a chance. The aroma of the plug is a little overwhelming, and so is the charring light. Take your time with it. Devote a clean pipe with a medium-large bowl and keep an open mind...it just may grow on you!
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 08, 2005 | Medium | Very Strong | Full | Tolerable to Strong |
This thing smells everything but tobacco, the floreal scent is overwhelming. The plug format gives it a certain coolness, when smoked, but also a burning quality less than average. A fine blend for the aromatic-heads, but not my cup of tea.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Feb 02, 2005 | Medium to Strong | Extra Strong | Medium to Full | Tolerable |
To start, I'll add my two cents to the "honeydew vs. cheviot" debate. This is definitely not honeydew. And while it may contain cheviot, that is not the only or even the dominant casing. The biggest flavoring here can only be one thing - Patchouli. Yes, that shower-substitute scent for generations of Deadheads. I wouldn't be surprised if there was some rose essence here either. SG isn't known for its full disclosure (check out Tarek's site, where he was told that this was a natural Virginia plug!) Now, to my review.
I tried this early in my smoking career and couldn't take the intense incense flavor. Since then, however, I have grown to enjoy some of the scented Lakeland flakes, in particular GH Glengarry (which IS honeydew, and absolutely delicious), GH #7 Broken Flake (pretty good), and SG Special #7 Flake (which is Cheviot, and very good). So I decided to give this another try.
Many aromatics smell like vanilla or cherry or whatever, but don't taste like those things. Nor do they taste like tobacco, since the underlying leaf is weak and chosen only for its ability to soak up casings. Cannon Plug does not have either flaw. The patchouli-plus casing comes through at full force, and is supported by a full-strength tobacco.
I tried a bowl of this in a corn cob pipe (wise move), just slightly breaking up the cube. It was very difficult to keep lit, but it kept my interest. Next up, I loaded a smallish cube but filled and topped the bowl with some end-of-the-tin Reiner Golden Flake, hoping to use it as tinder. It worked, but the Reiner was undetectable. This tobac is a love-or-hate thing, because the casings are really distinctive. There is nothing else. Even the strong tobaccos are powerless to assert flavors, and add only an "oomph" and a slight edge. Unfortunately, I fall into the "hate" category. No amount of aging could change this one.
I tried this early in my smoking career and couldn't take the intense incense flavor. Since then, however, I have grown to enjoy some of the scented Lakeland flakes, in particular GH Glengarry (which IS honeydew, and absolutely delicious), GH #7 Broken Flake (pretty good), and SG Special #7 Flake (which is Cheviot, and very good). So I decided to give this another try.
Many aromatics smell like vanilla or cherry or whatever, but don't taste like those things. Nor do they taste like tobacco, since the underlying leaf is weak and chosen only for its ability to soak up casings. Cannon Plug does not have either flaw. The patchouli-plus casing comes through at full force, and is supported by a full-strength tobacco.
I tried a bowl of this in a corn cob pipe (wise move), just slightly breaking up the cube. It was very difficult to keep lit, but it kept my interest. Next up, I loaded a smallish cube but filled and topped the bowl with some end-of-the-tin Reiner Golden Flake, hoping to use it as tinder. It worked, but the Reiner was undetectable. This tobac is a love-or-hate thing, because the casings are really distinctive. There is nothing else. Even the strong tobaccos are powerless to assert flavors, and add only an "oomph" and a slight edge. Unfortunately, I fall into the "hate" category. No amount of aging could change this one.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 10, 2023 | Mild to Medium | Medium to Strong | Mild | Very Pleasant |
Summary: a mild brown Virginia plug with honeydew-like and incense-style flavorings.
People speak about this plug as alien or absurd but despite my fear of the "Lakeland Essence," this one was easy to smoke. These brown and red Virginias have a mild, fruity flavor with an overtone of roasted barley. To this the masters have added a honeydew-like flavor which smells exotic like a lime kiwi, and some of their incense-style Lakeland type flavorings, but if you just ignore your fears and light the bowl, you will be rewarded with a super long-burning sweet Virginia whose flavorings give it enough of a "twist" to obscure the fruity excesses and roast grain spine of the Virginia flavor. Instead, you get the gentlest of flavor mixes with the characteristics of the leaf intact but guided with a firm hand toward a mellow and enduring taste. If this were made 50-50 with their dark fired Virginia blends it could be an all-day smoke for the ages.
People speak about this plug as alien or absurd but despite my fear of the "Lakeland Essence," this one was easy to smoke. These brown and red Virginias have a mild, fruity flavor with an overtone of roasted barley. To this the masters have added a honeydew-like flavor which smells exotic like a lime kiwi, and some of their incense-style Lakeland type flavorings, but if you just ignore your fears and light the bowl, you will be rewarded with a super long-burning sweet Virginia whose flavorings give it enough of a "twist" to obscure the fruity excesses and roast grain spine of the Virginia flavor. Instead, you get the gentlest of flavor mixes with the characteristics of the leaf intact but guided with a firm hand toward a mellow and enduring taste. If this were made 50-50 with their dark fired Virginia blends it could be an all-day smoke for the ages.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jan 16, 2022 | Medium to Strong | Medium to Strong | Medium | Pleasant |
I do like it very much indeed. Strong, tangy and sweet, evident floral perfume still not covering the classy light Virginias it is made of. Burns easily with a higher nic content. For me perfect for small pipes (size 1 or 2) whenever I fancy something stronger then BBF with a plus. Probably not my everyday smoke but always at hand. It may ghost a pipe but in my opinion nothing serious or wrong with it. Very satisfactory.
Pipe Used:
Dunhills 1 and 2
PurchasedFrom:
Gift
Age When Smoked:
Few months
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Sep 28, 2020 | Medium to Strong | Very Strong | Very Full | Strong |
First and probably last purchase , I have been searching for new tastes chanced upon this , I enjoy plugs for their full bodied and robust flavours , I was surprised by the scent from the first opening its unlike anything I have tried before , I avoid Latika etc I find them over smoked as for Canon its in the same box for me the overiding scent which permeates is what I would imagine smoking Earl Grey tea would taste like , an almost soapy floral smell and taste way to perfumed for mu taste , some might well enjoy its such a subjective thing as with all plugs their is preparation of the tobacco required , and the choice of pipe affected the smoke the good old corn cob with a filter coped as did the meers but the briar no and same for the falcon , I dont feel I would recommend but each to their own , as for me back to the search .
Pipe Used:
meers, cob, falcon
PurchasedFrom:
gq tobacco uk
Age When Smoked:
1 month
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 09, 2018 | Medium | Strong | Medium to Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Ah! A Cannon ball with the hit and blast of fruity honey dew cantelopish flavors... with little grassy hay like sweetish Virginia's through out the bowl with a cool consistent burn till the end... Hey where all the enjoyment gone... Ahh... it's the bottom of the bowl and I'm bit dizzy but don't want to loose this state but till next time me and another bowl of Cannon hit...
Pipe Used:
Various Briars
PurchasedFrom:
GQ Tobacco UK
Age When Smoked:
6 months
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| May 04, 2016 | Medium to Strong | Medium to Strong | Very Full | Tolerable |
As a new smoker of plug tobacco didn't know what to expect. Obviously I found a solid lump of tobacco! This smelled quite strongly of bergamot, with other floral notes I can't quite put my finger on. After cutting into 1/8th inch slices I rubbed one out to a similar cut as st Bruno and left for 20 minutes. First impressions are sweet unknown flavour with a soapy mouth feel, then an almost peachy aftertaste. Room note was quite heavy, but still pleasant to me. Definitely not one to smoke daily, I'd probably use as a Sunday roast dessert!
As an addendum- I left the tin open overnight , a totally different experience! Lights much easier (obviously), with a more rose petal flavour although still with the soapy feel. May elevate this to a nightcap smoke. The wife hasn't complained about the room note either which is a bonus!
As an addendum- I left the tin open overnight , a totally different experience! Lights much easier (obviously), with a more rose petal flavour although still with the soapy feel. May elevate this to a nightcap smoke. The wife hasn't complained about the room note either which is a bonus!
Pipe Used:
MM Bent cob
PurchasedFrom:
Smoke king
Age When Smoked:
New
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