Samuel Gawith Perfection

If you smoke aromatic pipe tobacco blends to please the crowd, you'd better be socializing with some fairly stout friends. Otherwise, you might end up playing solitaire afterall. Perfection is not a teaser, but a substantial blend, manly dare I say.

This would have been better named "Pleasing" rather than "Perfection." I would want a bit more vanilla before I would proclaim it perfect.

This is nothing less than an English blend Americanized, making it less direct and a little more gentle than it would likely end up without the added flavoring.

Having smoked Squadron Leader for years and consider it my all-time favorite English blend, Perfection seems akin to SL, but a little softer, with a definite, though fairly mild, vanilla topping. Even the unburned tobacco is softer to the touch than SL. Perhaps the steaming and topping have conditioned the leaf to this effect.

This smokes nicely after a bit of drying out, smells good even with the substantial Turkish element in the mixture and has a mouthful of taste. The remnant ash is mostly grey with a bit of white. Pipe was left clean, as was my palate. Good for an occasional change for latakia and Turkish leaf lovers.

I opened up the tin and said to myself "oh no, not another Latakia blend." I was really hoping for a tasty vanilla taste sensation.

Well, once I lit the bowl, I was not at all disappointed. The initial burst of flavor was indeed a smooth Latakia. But, it was quickly followed up with just a hint of vanilla...a very tasty vanilla.

Easy to keep lit and very tasty, I will be adding this to my regular rotation.

This tobacco is exceptional and delivers IMO what it promises. A very lightly aromatic (read that - softened aromas with a mysterious creamy yet not easily identified as vanilla-ish tone) When I bought this I cleared out a small tobacconist's aged stock of a few tins.

This tobacco has English breeding and is what I call a very "public" tobacco. I found the flavors to be quite good. As I read some of the reviews, I notice that the lower ratings came from those that seemlingly expected something else.

Cheers, VC

*Update to 9/05 review above - I've downgraded this blend because I have found other blends that ring this bell with higher quality tobacco and better consistency.

I didn't know what to expect with the addition of vanilla to a Latakia blend but I was pleasantly surprised; this is a fine tobacco. The blend looks very similar to Squadron Leader (in the tin) but has a darker, more pungent flavor. The aroma of vanilla is only slightly sensed and it is hardly tasted but does seem to add some smoothness to the blend. This isn't an everyday smoke for me but when in the mood for it I find it delightful. 7 out of 10 stars

I agree with distinguished gentleman: this is the most interesting, yet decidedly bland tobacco you'll ever try. It's full of mono-dimensional complexity, if such a description exists. It's cool, wet, damp and musky like an English autumn. I almost believe that this tobacco is boiled, not steamed. Imagine bangers and mash or steak and kidney pie - comforting stuff but after 5 or 6 mouthfuls, you get the idea. A truly distinguished English, nonetheless. Kind of what I had hoped Dunhill 965 or the Standard Medium would be like prior to its outsourcing. Gawith is still a steadfastly English blending house, and compared to a lot of the crap now being made in Denmark or Germany, this is a cut above. A blend no fastidious Anglophile pipe smoker should miss.

Three of five stars

This truly is the most complex and interesting "Boring Tobacco" on the market. I say that with great respect to this mixture. Always cool, flavorful, and dry. It has a wonderfully deep flavor that pretty much remains the same from 1st light to dottle. It seems only to get more mellow and sweeter in a Latakia sort of way as you go down the bowl. Truly a British Tobacco. I love it and recommend it to anyone who simply appreciates a good English Mixture.

Deceptive, I was expecting a strong english with some vanilla on top. But this is about as easy to smoke as it could be. No aromatic burn or loss of flavor. This blend is smooth and tasty. This is my first S. Gawith blend and it will certainly not be my last. The flavor is not an obvious vanilla as you would expect but instead more thick and creamy, lucious like a chardonnay barrelled in oak.

Perfection seems to me to be on the border between an English blend and a Balkan. The orientals and latakia are much more forward than in a standard english tobacco. It resembles Nightcap in many ways apart from the extra smokiness of the latakia, which is much more easily noticed here, even though it may not be in the same percentage. It's a bit like I imagine mixing one third Balkan Sobranie with two thirds Nightcap. A balkanized Nightcap, or perhaps a Squadron Leader posted to duty in Serbia! A gentle introduction to the balkan style, it light easily, stays lit, and smokes to a powdery ash. Don't puff fast or it will nip your tongue, but this is easily managed. Plenty of nicotine in there too.

Perfection from Samuel Gawith is a pleasantly mild smoke. I fully expected to note a stronger vanilla casing in smoking this weed, but the casing is barely noticeable. The touch of Latakia, however, is welcome and helps to keep the Virginia base from becoming boring. I enjoy Perfection even though I will not rush to purchase more. Samuel Gawith blends much better tobacco. Nevertheless, Perfection is enjoyable and a respite from my catalogue of standards.