Samuel Gawith Golden Glow (bulk)

One of the purest Virginias I have had the pleasure of smoking. Maybe the nicest looking tobacco ever. A wonderful, golden, chunky, chewy semi-flake. Very nice aroma and smooth, mild taste for frequent smoking. Doesn't have the depth of other Virginias, but its simplicity is its charm. I love ordering this at least once a year. After smoking this again through the 2005 holiday season, I am updating this to four stars. The slower and softer I puff on this wonderful tobacco, the more flavorful it becomes.

I only recently tried this, being a fan of FVF. Appearance is like a rubbed out FVF. This one packs & burns easily. In the pipe, the taste is like a milder version of FVF. It's honest, subtle and as another reviewer rightly states, charming. Another plus, it's not as tangy as FVF. This flake is really underrated and overlooked because it lives in the shadow of the more famous SG blends. More fool you if you fail to try it for that reason...I'm sorry it took me so long! I found the smoke very tasty, wanting to puff almost continously. It's quite kind to your tongue too. A delightful smoke.

One of the sweetest all-natural Virginia flakes produced. Made from the same leaf as Best Brown and Full Virginia Flake, it is dry-pressed for two hours, steam cured for only about one hour. MVF is often overlooked by fans of its high-quality cousins, which is a crime. This is a great all-day smoke, rich and sweet. While true Virginia fans will relish MVF's charms, it is also an excellent transition tobacco from aromatics to Virginias because of its sweet, cool-burning characteristics. You owe it to yourself to try this!

Addendum: MVF doesn't benefit from prolonged DGT, though it doesn't become unpleasant.

I only based this review on smoking two bowls from a sample. Although the presentation and technical smoking characteristics of this blend were fine, the taste, although sweet, was one-dimensional and weak. At ~ $40/# in bulk, I find much more enjoyment in other VA flakes or VA/Perique flakes that are also cheaper.

The following review was the result of a blind taste test.

I found this to be the blandest of the set of three, and never really was able to get into a grove with it. Initially, there was some crossover flavor from Sample B, and I had to give it a couple of weeks to recover.

Comfort for this blend was reasonable, and I would suspect that it is a VA/Burley blend. Cut was somewhat rough and irregular. Packing was reasonable and lighting qualities were good. The overwhelming characteristic that I experienced from this blend was a lower flavor level than I usually care for. Early metallic flavors reminded me somewhat of older Dobie?s Ready Rubbed, although the cut was not the same. This tobacco shined with sweetness in the late first half of the bowl, for perhaps a sixth of the entire bowl, before settling into a decent but unexceptional finish.

This is not a blend that I would expect to reach for or purchase on my own, due to the paucity of flavor.

Overall, give this an 80/100 for burning character and comfort, a 40/100 for flavor, and a 50/100 overall. This would do in a pinch, but not something I would tend to go back to.

February 2003

Another pipe club sample that I got to try. This one consists of wide ribbon with a medium blonde color. The tin note was very light with wisps of grass and hay. Smoked great in my Meerschaum with a pure Virginia taste. It also lasted longer in the pipe than what I thought it would due to the width/looseness of the ribbon and the dryness. A really great mild blend but would definitely smoke this with a lighter tasting drink as anything strong would drown out your smoke. Thanks to “M” at the unofficial Saturday pipe club.

谈谈MVF

有一日，正定叔喊我去他家吃茶抽斗，我应帮舍妹搬家，只能不去，只能约定好了暑假去他家坐坐 时光荏苒,白马过隙，到了暑假，便抽了一天时间去他家，一进门，只见一位赤条条的大汉大马金刀的坐在一把交椅上，开口便问，你可是那周家的大郎吗？我答是，后正定叔便拿出一茶，一凳，二盒丝一群斗给我观摩 我坐下来了后便向其请教斗的用法和烟丝的调配，了解到了很多我不为熟知的草。在我们聊天的过程中，正定便让我尝尝传说中99年的MVF，我想了想，便说了句好。这草那上来看了一下，观其色泽黑中现金，闻其香确带着一股豆瓣的味道，然后便开始跑湿柔草。 装好点上火以后便缓吸了一口，顿时有一种香甜的味道往我的舌根和鼻腔那里缓缓流去，这种味道与FVF大相径庭，如果说FVF第一层是甘甜的话那我觉得MVF第一层像是甘甜与密甜的集合体，他并没有像甘甜一样清新确只有一丝丝的甜度也不想蜜甜一样缠在舌尖确又因太浓厚而下不来。 等吸到了中段我觉得风格突然大变，好像一个人从中产阶级一下变成无产革命阶级一样，其味道突然由甜蜜修改成了如石楠狐狸一样迅猛的风格，攻城略地，直入鼻腔。在风格大变的过程中，其香甜度也变少了很多。 到了快尾段时我发现，MVF和FVF的尾段是一样的，同样的奶油味道，在我的口鼻之中迟迟不能散去，如同一位让人魂牵梦绕的大众情人一样，见过一面后她的身影在脑海中迟迟不能散去。可惜这样的大众情人的数量实在是太少了，以至于我很难在市面上发现这款草，也许是这款草的魅力太好了的原因吧 。 这草烟气比较浓厚，入口香甜，可惜我能品出来的层次太少了。 本人抽此草用的是6mm的密苏里小将 I enjoyed this blend very much. There was a vanilla, tobacco aroma that was pleasant to this tobacco upon opening the pouch. It packed well and it burns slow, with vary little if any tongue bite. That said if someone smoked this blend fast I could see them getting a nasty tongue bite. I found this tobacco the most complex I have tried to date The cigar leaf really adds to the finish. This is a full flavored cool smoke, with a hint of vanilla flavor. The vanilla casing was vary slite but tasteful. This blend burns down to a nice grayish white ash and a vary relaxing smoke. there are many flavors In this wonderfully blended tobacco. None over powering the other. The room not

Basing this review on a slight one ounce sample I pilfered from a recent forum box pass.

I enjoyed it. Stronger, fuller taste than I expected, but good nonetheless. Some reviewers equate it to hay, an observation I find hard to agree with. Orlik's Golden Sliced Red reminds me of hay. MVF? Well, I can't quite put my finger on it. But tasty doesn't require grandiose/verbiose descriptions, does it? My last bowl was in a Jake Hackert Freehand cob, and it was the smoothest smoke I've had with this tobacco. Funny, to me the taste and snork are fairly nondescript(or possibly, hidden from view thanks to the heavy mouth feel), yet the, uh, 'after snork" was excellent. A creamy sweet scent that lingered on the palette for some seconds. I don't think aftertaste is a traditional reason to smoke a pipe, but it works fine here. The room note is quite acceptable as well. I should also add I perceived a slight floral note, almost like the faint smell of carnations in the rain. I liked that.

I only give it three stars because of the persistant mouth strength/feel. It's just a bit more than I'm happy to deal with constantly. That said, I've no problem recommending, or even buying this weed. (Maybe I should, if only to see if I get a more complete picture.)

Shame on you, SG! Bring on the 'Baccy!

Medium Virginia Flake:

Well this one is just as advertised for me. A nice medium flake. Medium in strength and in room note. I don't notice much in the way of flavoring though now and then some does show up about mid-bowl. Therefore another "medium" I suppose.The taste however is not a medium but very nice and provides the next step up for me personaly, from my morning smokes which are Louisiana Perique Flake by Gawith and Hoggarth or Perique Flake by Sam Gawith( which incidentially is a bit stronger than the Louisiana Perique Flake). I haven't tried mixing it with any other tobacco and perfer it solo. As Virginia flakes go it is a nice step up toward the fuller flakes like Full Virginia Flake and others. The flavor is very satisfying and the packing is relatively easy. The burn is satisfactory as well after a little bit of drying out. I have not noticed any appreciable tongue bite if smoked like other Virginias - that is to say with a little respect and fairly slowly. The sweetness of the blend reminds me of MacBarens Virginia No. 1 though not as pronounced or nas heavy. All in all a very nice smoke steady and reliable as most of the Kendal-based tobaccos seem to have been for me so far. If as a smoker your choices tend toward Viurginia and other similar Virginia/Perique blends this would be one to try especially as a bridge to or from other blends.

-----The Piper at the Gates of Dawn