Samuel Gawith Golden Glow (bulk)

I was unimpressed until I loaded up a Peterson 302, a pipe i almost never use because i find it too massive.

In the 302 MVF shines! My verdict: better and cheaper than Old Gowrie. So while i'm smoking pouches of MVF i'll let my tins of OG in the cellar aging untill MVF is pulled of the market 🙂

Update: also great in my Barling bent 'system' meerschaum

Try it in different pipes before you give up on this one, a very underrated tobacco IMO.

Update may 2011 What's the matter with this stuff? I opened the pouch in january and now after having been open to oxygen for 4 months it really starts to shine, outclassing everything else i've got lying around...

When searching for a mild Virginia smoke that can be enjoyed any time of day, this is a sure winner. Medium Virginia Flake starts with a mild hay like taste, typical of many lighter Virginia's. It exhibits a mild temperment on the tongue and is never harsh or bitter.

What is unusual for such a light looking and tasting Virginia is the sweeetness of this tobacco. While not hosting the party in my mouth that Full Virginia Flake does, this tobacco exhibits a wonderful sweetness that I am hard pressed to recall seeing anywhere in this category.

Of course, your experience may vary. The size, shape, depth and length of a pipe are all important players in the delivery of taste. That being said, when compared to Old Gowrie, this is definitely my pick. At a significantly lower price-I can't think of a single reason not to stock up!

As a side note, Zimbabwe has experienced rapid declines of late in flue cured tobacco production. While I am confident that the blenders at Samuel Gawith will either secure enough of this for future use or will find acceptable substitutes, I encourage one and all to stock up on their blends.

The manufacturer describes MVF as "A bit lighter in strength and taste than Full Virginia Flake." True enough; but...notwithstanding its lightness, the tobacco, puff by puff, bursts with flavor. Easy to pack and easy to light with not a hint of bite.

Not a very complex blend, but certainly a fine smoke when I need to pay attention to other matters.

Update: Maybe it's because I'm finding lighter tobaccos more to my liking these days, that I'm upgrading my recommendation with this review.

What's interesting is that Golden Glow, the same tobacco in a tin gets more favorable reviews. Gp figure.

Of this one I have smoked well more than a kilo, during a couple of years.

Is it an artisanal product: YES, absolutely ! Enough to say that I’ve found packings containing true flakes, just loosened; others container ready rubbed tobacco in perfect form; one other containing something rubbed near to ribbon; colours varying from golden to lemon. All of them good ones (just a bit less when near to ribbon).

Golden Glow is a perfect companion to the Virginia lover. It has not the complexity of say FVF, or the smooth as silk body of Best Brown Flake, but a sturdy “citrus & hay thing” with a trace of sweetness. The strenght is half step below the medium mark, the body is mild-to-medium. No flavouring. Low propensity to biting and burning hot, but You know… pure Virginia is hardly an all day smoke. That’s why I usually add a small portion of Lakeland Dark, and get a perfect balance of strenght & flavour.

Absolutely recommended.

This is not a lighter version of Full Virginia Flake and this is not the bulk version of Golden Glow. This is another thing, completely and totally another thing. Very briefly: FULL VIRGINIA FLAKE is an almost pure straight Virginia; GOLDEN GLOW is a straight Virginia with a mild fruity flavoring, mild but intense; MEDIUM VIRGINIA FLAKE is a Lakeland straight Virginia. Without any doubt this Virginia is flavoured with the classic Lakeland ingredients and it has a classic Lakeland taste (Full Virginia Flake and Golden Glow don’t have this typical taste). In essence this tobacco is not a pure Virginia but a flavored Virginia (straight but flavored). I prefer a pure straight Virginia, such as Dunhill Flake for example, but for the Virginia’ lovers MEDIUM VIRGINIA FLAKE is ideal for a change of pace. To conclude in my personal system rating (from 1 to 10) my score is 7 and two stars.

Slow down , you move too fast ; try to make the morning last . This is good advise for this tobacco . Use as little fire as possible and puff slowly . You will be rewarded with a fine , subtle Virginia taste . This bulk sold tobacco is delivered in sort of a loose brick that can be taken off in strips that need a little rubbing out . The tin note is inviting and the cut and color are as well . Don't pack this too tightly and make a little air hole with a cleaner . Smoke it in a quiet place with no wind . Savor it , don't slurp it down . This is an SG mini masterpiece . I've read that it is the bulk form of Golden Glow but it seems much better , maybe because it's not rubbed out . In any event , this is a tobacco to smoke when you have time to sit back and enjoy a pipe . Relax , spend some time

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This is a nice choice for an all-day smoke. It is mellow and well-behaved, full of flavor, and can't be convinced to bite.

It is a utilitarian blend, because I can rub out a flake, load it in a bowl, and carry on with whatever task is at hand.

I had been put off of this blend for a long time simply because of the name. With SG offering so many great full flavored blends why would I want something described medium. Perhaps it's good that they label it as Golden Glow for the tins; it probably helps it to sell.

Anyway, I found this tobaccy to be quite a pleasant surprise. A very sweet aroma hits me when I take a whiff of the unlit tobacco; something like vanilla cake batter. It is a somewhat bright flake, rather like Orlik Slices or MacBaren Virginia Flake though a little looser resulting in fractured, not broken, flakes; I have a half pound bulk so this typical of the packaging.

I broke up a flake and rubbed it out very slightly; I typically fold and stuff but something about this flake told me to rub. Loaded lightly in Group 2-3 size bowl this took to flame quite readily without needing to dry.

This was my first pipe of the day and it fit the bill perfectly. Solid Virginia sweetness without any trace of the cake batter I smelled on the raw tobaccy. Burned cool and steady with rarely a relight necessary; I was working diligently restoring some pipes so the few relights were my fault anyway. The flavor developed slowly and steadily giving hints of tea, straw and a light nuttiness. Never overwhelming, consistently satisfying, it smoked all the way down to the finest of white ash.

Perfect for when you want something just slightly lighter than usual but don't want to sacrifice flavor or quality. This just might become my favorite before breakfast smoke.

More sweet flavor than McClelland 5100 Red Cake, but bites a lot more also. Why smoke it?

Updated 12/4/11- After about 9 months of cellaring, a lot of the heat and bite is out of this. I noticed how damp the tobacco still is and I dried this some before loading the pipe. This seems to have helped . The tobacco is more of a Danish style Virginia than an English, it is lighter, sweeter and grassy hay like in flavor.It does remind me more of McB's Virginia #1 than Dunhill flake and it does have a bitter aftertaste that I don't find in other Virginias. After drying it seems to burn very well at a slow sip, although it does have a rather damp dottle. This is a good Virginia but I won't keep it in my rotation.

PS. After reading reviewer, "Tobaccy", above ,and agreeing with his review, I noticed he said that this was a bulk for "Golden Glow" ( although the curing is diffrent,Flue Cured vs. air cured). Reading the Golden glow reviews, I noticed that some are recommending this as a blender. I can see where I might agree with that.

Updated 12/5/11 A great suprise, the wife actually said the aroma was not bad, WOW. I started to pay a lot closer attention to the scent and I detected a very slight "Lakeland Floral" scent and taste. When I say slight I mean a 1 out of 10, but it's there. I really don't normally care for LF but this is very well done, it does not overtake the natural Virginias.

updated 6/2/12- Nope !!! Don't really care for this,now that I can detect the Lakeland Floral. It also burns hot & bity.