Samuel Gawith Full Virginia Flake

I'm with Elmo somewhere below. I am the most generous giver/friend/parent that I know in my little slice of life. I've been blessed with an embarrassment of good fortune professionally and have no qualms about, for example, tipping for great service at twice or more the accepted rate. But I don't like pickpockets. Despite my having written many times that price is what it is and that a tobacco review should concern itself with just that -- the tobacco -- I can't help but to say that not only does one have to fuss to an incredible degree to get this stuff ready for use, but in doing so I hear laughter from abroad as the flakes dehydrate with a good third of the purchase price following into the netherlands. That said, once played with, set aside, allowed time to dry and having had the (imagined?) ridicule subside, you can light up and enjoy an extremely satisfying flake that embodies what at least I think to be "the true tobacco taste". I have 8 more tins in the den and I'll still smoke them, but I've got to get to an anger management course before popping the next soaking wet lid.

I bought a can of this because of the huge amount of positive reviews, and I think I've played for a fool. I do like straight tobaccos that taste nothing but a good, solid tobacco so I thought this was something for me, but it wasnt.

To make it short; FVF is a very mild virginia flake that doesnt really taste much of anything. I tried drying it, moisturizing it, smoking it out of every pipe that I've got but nothing could give any of taste that taste these reviews are talking about. Im disapointed.

It does smell like wet hay out of the can though, but I dont buy tobacco to smell it. I buy it to smoke it.

As much as I try, I cannot bring myself to like this tobacco. The flakes are thick and break into chunks. It is hard to light. Hard to keep lit. For the 1st 10 minutes, there is no taste at all, like smoking hot air. Then a faint sweetness and, if pushed a little, some spiciness do show up. There is an inherent paradox with FVF: it has to be sipped to be appreciated, but puffed quite vigorously to keep lit... It may be due to my inept handling of the flake, or my deficient technique, I do not care. My smoking moments should be moments of peace, quiet and enjoyment, not a constant struggle to keep baccy burning, nor a struggle to find any trace of taste whatsoever. On a side note: i only ever bought 1 tin of FVF, and when it arrived it was not properly sealed, so the tobacco was already a tad too dry for my taste, and maybe this has affected the taste. But even once re-hydrated, I have not yet found any redeeming quality for this blend. Meh. But, i must be wrong with all those 4 star reviews.

2020-05-20 update: well, I've had some wonderful smokes with FVF lately. Time spent in the jar ? I don't know... i tried cube cutting it since the flakes are so goddamn thick, and it worked wonders. On some cool spring evenings with a light breeze, the pipe keeps lit, it burns just right and now i can really appreciate this blend.

I want to love this, given how much I love Virginia flake tobacco in general, but I find the high moisture level makes it really hard for me to work with. Don't get me wrong, once you get it lit (if you can keep it lit) it tastes lovely, but I just don't have time to take out a long moist strip and leave it out to dry for 20 minutes or so before rubbing it out and smoking it. And half the time I either leave it out too long, in which case it doesn't rub out very well (you get thick chunky bits of tobacco rather than slender pieces), or I rub it out too early and while it smells awesome on my hands, it's just a big nuisance to smoke. I dunno, maybe it's me. I am fairly new to pipe smoking, after all. Or maybe it's that I bought the big box of this -- perhaps it's different in the tin? But I'm not going to hurry to buy more only because when I want to smoke, I want to smoke. I don't feel like fidgeting around with something as moist as this.

I'm in danger of being flogged out of here and shot at dawn for this one. Sorry chaps, just don't get the hero worship of this blend in here at all.

Oh, it's not bad. A classic such as this can't be bad. It's just, well so......ordinary.

Yes it is a quality flake. But is it the very best on the market ? I don't think so.

I think Capstan exceeds this by a mile. No, I'd say this is probably the best of the rest behind the aforesaid blend.

I mean, look at it.

It looks amd smells just like any other virginia flake. And let's face it there are a lot of them, including all the German ones. There's just nothing particularly distinctive about this flake. It has no real character, or exceptional taste, to distinguish it from say, Timms virginia flake. It doesn't dance across the taste buds. It doesn't bite. Or burn hot. It packs nicely. But...

Oh yes, it IS good no doubt of that, but in a blindfold taste test I wouldn't pick this one out in a hurry.

At UK prices you're better off buying something like Timms or Kirswell for half the price.

O.k I'm just a philistine and deserve shooting anyway. Send the tobacco police ot the boys round I don't care.

This blend confirms my opinion of straight Virginia tobacco. I'm not the biggest fan of them, I feel like something is missing in them. They are just plain high grade tobacco, which I think is the point of a blend like this so it is spot on as far as that goes. With that being said, if that is what you want this is definitely it. Not bad by any means just not for my taste.

My review of this dropped out of the site during some primal cybercataclysm, and it has been suggested that I re-enter it.

I will not search again my quote from Alfred Dunhill, to the effect that "Empire" [i.e., Zimbabwe] flakes are rather monotonous and one-dimensional: I get a generalised feeling of bloated smokiness from FVF that is not unpleasant, but not very stimulating, either, and, at flake-length, becomes boring.

I am sorry to be a party-pooper, but I don't really see what all the fruity-toned crowing about the "Lake District" marvels is all about?I am yet to try one truly memorable mix from S. Gawith & Co., or Gawith, Hoggarth, Ltd. Would so much clucking ensue if the 'baccies were blended in, say, the vicinity of Lake Winnipesaukee?? I think not.

Royal Vintage has put out flakes just as predictable, and as well processed, as this. Not to mention such legends as ST BRUNO, the stronger CAPSTAN, or the Sobranie Pure Virginia?R.I.P.

My own favourite Virginia flake, bar none, is the misnamed LIGHT FLAKE from Dunhill: it is a flavoursome beauty, much more entertaining than this monochromatic, stolid heavyweight, and made, not in some swampy backwater, but where NIGHTCAP and My MIXTURE 965 are made. It has a much nicer finish than this lake thing.

I know a lot of folks love this flake and I smoke a lot of flakes, but I can't help but think this is way overrated. It lacks the sweetness of other flakes and tastes too much like hay. I will admit that the oldest tin I have smoked is just over a year old so maybe it gets a lot better?? I have several tins cellared so time will tell. I have tried sipping it, smoking it in flake form and rubbing out in many pipes. It will steam your mouth if not dried properly. When its available (which is next to never) FVF at a low price point (at the time of this writing) and taking that into consideration I have given it two stars. I also wonder if FVF was priced at the level of most other flakes if as many people would feel as strongly about it as they currently do?

Tin note: raisins, black tea, molases

I really love this tobaccos flavor of spicy raisins and breads.

HOWEVER this tobacco is just ordeal to prepare - it comes in a form of wet chunky flakes, so you need to rub them out and dry them out multiple times (because they are so thick). Beware that if you dry them too much, you will lose some of the dark fruit flavor.

It is a pain to keep it lit and it is prone to tongue bite (even when dried).

I really like this flavor, but everything else is just a pain in the ass and not worth it in my opinion. I need to find some other virginia blend, that tastes like this, but smokes better. I could live with the drying and keeping lit ordeal, but tongue bite is a deal breaker for me.

Wife approves.