Samuel Gawith Lakeland Light

As I have mentioned in a previous review, the Lakeland series (Light and Dark) is not one to be missed by those who love Gawith tobaccos. Having tried Lakeland Dark, I decided to give its lighter sibling a try. As before, this tobacco contains most of what people seem to like (and dislike) about S.G. in general. The blend has the familiar Soapy/floral scent in my sample bag, though like the Dark version, it isn?t nearly as overwhelming as with some S.G. offerings. Mixed in with this is a slightly sweet, grassy smell, touched with perhaps a very faint hint of spice. The tobacco?s appearance is a roughly equal mixture of medium and lighter browns, very thin cut into medium to longer strands. These form a loose mass that is very easy to separate. My sample had a low to medium moisture level, roughly similar to that of GLPease tobaccos. Packing was fairly easy, though somewhat difficult in a narrow bowl. The leaf lit very easily and burned well, needing roughly the average number of relights. In the 1st third of the bowl, the overall flavor may be best described as ?brown?, but not in an ?earthy? way. The smoke is fairly complex and neither sweet nor dry, with a slight bite when smoked somewhat quickly. The flavor is strong, but this is not a ?full? tobacco by any means. The usual harshness in the mouth and throat is present, too, though not quite as much so as with Lakeland Dark. The second third of the bowl is somewhat less harsh and sweeter, with a bit more body and flavor. The continued complexity makes things interesting; at times, I don?t even notice the harshness. There is no moisture to this point, and no further bite. The final 1/3 is similar to the second, though at the very bottom of the bowl, the flavor intensity increases. There is a bit less sweetness, and the harshness continues to diminish, though it never quite disappears. Though I hadn?t noticed at first, when I try to stand up I can tell that this is as strong, nicotine-wise, as Lakeland Dark; use caution and a smaller pipe! I was able to smoke straight to the bottom, leaving the briar clean and dry. Overall, this is basically a ?light? version of Lakeland Dark. Both have excellent flavor and are of high quality, aspects that for me are ruined by the harsh overtones. Again, if you can ignore these, you will most likely enjoy this very much, perhaps as an early day tobacco (If you can handle the kick). I will likely not purchase more of this when I run out, since I enjoy many blends that have similar flavor but manage to avoid the harshness. But, to each his own. 🙂