Samuel Gawith Perfection

This is a difficoult to smoke blend. With charme and elegance, like every Gawiths products.

I really enjoy this blend. The vanilla is stronger in the beginning but not overwhelming, then moves to the background. The English components are always the primary flavor. A very mild flavored smoke with no bite. This isn?t an everyday smoke but if you?re in the mood for something sweet but don?t want to break out a full aromatic this is the perfect choice. Another advantage is that the anti smokers tend to leave you alone due to its pleasant room note.

It is no doubt where from this blend is coming, it is correct English mixture - somewhat in modern style because of vanilla. Since it is quite mild, it is good for beginners in pipe smoking, as well it is good for those occasions when one wants to smoke spicier tobacco and still other people are not complaining for strong room note.

I hadn?t reviewed this tobacco because, quite frankly, I don?t like it at all. I wouldn?t go as far as to say it is dreadful, but it definitely pales against other Gawith offerings. I hadn?t really found the time to put into words the reason I dislike artificially sweetened Latakia or Oriental mixtures (be it by the topping or the casing methods). But, well, I?ve just been on a holiday and after giving it some thought, I hope you don?t mind me sharing my perspective.

Personally I dislike artificially sweet Latakia mixtures. I get the impression the tobacco becomes bloated, heavier than it really is, and confusing. More or less the same thing happened when I smoked Bob?s Chocolate Flake, or MacBarns? Latakia. The thing is I don?t enjoy the STRUGGLE in my palate between the vanilla casing agent (or chocolate, or cherry or whatever) and the salty-mineral-earthly-humid leather-burnt wood nuances of Latakias (especially the Cyprus variety)

Mind you, I?m not referring to the savoury interplay between Latakia, and the NATURAL sweetness of Virginias, Orientals, or even Burleys. In fact McConell?s Scottish Mixture uses a fire-cured Kentucky that provides a naturally sweet and smoky enhanced contrast to the Latakia, not to mention Dunhill?s use of an UNSWEETENED variety of brown Cavendish leaf in My Mixture 965 (nowadays I have no idea what Orlik uses in that blend).

However, in Perfection, as in Chocolate Flake, or in MacBarens? Latakia mixture, there?s too much of a contradiction in flavour, and it poses, at least for my poor palate, something impossible to solve. I mean can one imagine the Pittsburgh Steelers? Iron Curtain playing a gentle and suave defence against the Dallas Cowboys? Not that Latakia should have the strength of Mean Joe Green or Jack Lambert, but it definitely is no Lynn Swann either (yes, yes, I?ve been watching the NFL channel).

My son, also a pipe smoker, gave me a tin of this without telling me what it was, as I'd heard of it but never tried it. I make my living with my palate and sense of smell and I did detect a very light natural vanilla aroma in the tin. Good guess.

After a bit of drying time it loads and lights nicely. The vanilla starts out a little assertively, but once things warm up, it moves to the background. At this point the Virginia and Latakia take turns on bass and tenor with the Turkish coming in with alto and even some soprano harmonies. Metaphoricaly speaking. It doesn't make any real sounds. Other than the ones in my head. If I keep my tinfoil hat on nice and snug.

Not one I smoke as a steady diet, but like to have it around.

Very interesting "hybrid" blend. Light on Orientals, this is mainly a Virginia/Latakia with some vanilla-like flavoring (I taste some rum sometimes). It reminds me of PS English Oriental Supreme, although I like Perfection better due to milder flavoring, which lets you enjoy the true tobacco flavor and also bites a lot less.

Another high quality SG mixture. Not an everyday smoke, but nice for a change of pace from your regular English/Balkans.

This is a mild or "morning" English blend. I wasn't aware of the Vanilla top dressing till I read it here, nor did I pick it out when I openned the tin. What I did notice was the nice presentation of Bright and Brown Virginia and Turkish leaf and light dose of Latakia. I was hoping that this would be a lighter Latakia blend and I wasn't disappointed.

On the charring light and first third of the smoke the Latakia dominated the taste. About mid-bowl the Latakia took a back seat and the Turkish/Virginia interplay took center stage. The smoke was mild, subtly sweet, with a nice Turkish twang with Latakia under tones from mid-bowl to finish. From mid-bowl to finish I enjoyed this tobacco best.

If you buy this blend as a Vanilla aromatic you will be disappointed. If, on the other hand, you are looking for a toned down English, you might enjoy it. I like blends that use Latakia sparingly, such as IRC's Dr. Bradly. I would characterize this as a step up in Latakia from that blend.

This one is similar to squadron leader but with a light - hard to detect note of vanilla! Not 'perfect' but nice English alternative to your rotation!

I like to characterize this blend as a milder version of Gawith's other fine blend, Commonwealth. The additon of Turkish/Orientals and a decrease in Latakia yield a pleasant, flavorful smoking experience. The "hint of Vanilla" is but dimly perceptible upon opening the tin, which I found gratifying, for I feared a heavy-handed aromatic couched as a Balkan blend.

The tobacco fires up nicely, and the balance of sweet Virginias, slightly fragrant and spicey Turkish, and smokey Latakia is...well, Perfection (almost). I find it a great all-day or every day smoke. Not only is this a nicely balanced tobacco blend, and a perfect introduction to Balkan blends; it is part of a great Gawith 'family' of Commonwealth, Squadron Leader, Balkan Flake and Navy Flake.