Samuel Gawith Perfection

Trying this blend for the first time today. I wish I had found it earlier; this is the way tobacco is supposed to be. I did expect this to be a fuller blend from the aroma coming from the bag, and I am slightly disappointed, which is why I give it three stars instead of four. Like one of the earlier reviews stated, I don't notice any vanilla at all, which is fine with me. Give it a try.

The cut of this tobacco is strange. While described as a broken flake, what you mostly have is ribbon with a few chunks of broken flake. I think this is due to the flake being nearly fully rubbed out. Just don't expect a broken flake a la McClelland. The mixture is a nice mottled variation of browns that packs well and is stored at a good humidity for aging and immediate smoking. An easy pack after the ribbons are fluffed a bit.

It lights well and burns evenly. The vanilla is far from cloying, just a quiet note behind a Turkish-VA melody. The latakia is negligible. Not complex, it is a pleasantly sour, medium-bodied, and consistent smoke from start to finish. The way the vanilla is used is different from anything else I've smoked--instead of a sweetness bringing the vanilla to the fore, it folds into a delicate sourness.

After bashing G&H's Rum Flake, this tobacco (from the "other half" of the Gawith family) is a real smasher. I love this stuff. It is the one English tobacco with a topping that is not only tasty, but takes the mixture to a higher level of complexity because of the dressing, not in spite of it.

Topping English is always a dicey endeavor. Most, IMO, tend to do so in an unrestrained manner. Adding syrupy casings to Latakia and Orientals is usually about as successful as pouring chocolate sauce on a porterhouse steak to improve the flavor. This is different, however. The honest vanilla/tonquin flavor is subdued and helps the Virginia sing despite the hard core peppery spice of the Turkish as the bowl burns down.

The entire package is, however, heavy. This is not an all day blend, or something to smoke with a can of 7-Up at the beach. This is after dinner; Glass of Scotch; Build a fire; Put the Wagner CD on the stereo stuff. From the company that brings you rope tobacco with deep, nicotine-heavy, head spinning power, would you expect anything less from their idea of "Perfection"?

If you want to try a topped English, and you are ready for a powerful blend this is worth exploring. To borrow the description of the renown Bordeaux, Chateau Petrus: This is a Velvet Hammer. It is absolutely at the top of my list.

This looks and smells just like "Squadron Leader" but has the slightest hint of vanilla added to it. It has the same short broad ribbons in the same brown to dark brown leaf color.It is a little moist upon opening the tin but that did not seem to affect the burn in the pipe. Packing is easy with a lighter touch seeming to work best. Initial flavor is like "Squadron Leader" but the vanilla casing comes in nicely after the second light. The balance between the leaf and the casing is perfect IMO, with nice interplay all the way to the bottom of the bowl which is suprisingly dry. From time to time I got a whiff of a floral note similar to "Bob's Chocolate Flake" which makes me wonder if this casing is also present in that blend. All in all I found this blend to be an excellent cross-over blend. I go through aromatic phases from time to time and when in that mood, this is one I will definitely smoke. Rating 4 out of 5 points. Amereaux probably would smoke this. Enjoy....

I've been a fan of SG for a bit now, though I hadn't tried this blend. So when I saw it at JR (we were driving through North Carolina, and I made the family stop) I couldn't help myself.

When I opened this tin, I didn't even realize the tobacco was cased. To my untrained nose, it smelled like a sweet English blend. The appearance has been sufficiently described above, so I won't belabor the point.

It packed easily in my GBD virgin. The first match brought out a sweet puff of smoke. Virginias and the mild casing here were very evident, with the latakia chiming in here near the end of the chorus.

The first third of the bowl was smooth and sweet. The Virgina sounded sweetly throughout with the hints of vanilla and latakia humming softly in the background.

As I reached the second third of the bowl, the smoke became a bit more complex. The latakia and perhaps some orientals chiming in. Not drowning out the sweetness, but certainly taking centerstage.

As the bowl gets near the its end, the blend really gets rolling. The english components really shining, leaving the vinalla completly by the wayside. Hints of nuttiness and leather coming through now. Its also gotten a bit stronger. Finishing with a nice powdery white ash.

The blend produced a good amout of thick smoke, and though my sniffer is blinded by alergies, my better half didn't seem to mind this.

All in all a good smoke. I'm going to have to get a few more tins to set back and age.

This is an interesting blend to be sure. It is one that you have to nurse by being very light on the draw mixing the smoke with a porton of room air to gain the subtle flavors that are there otherwise the VA overpower everything else that is going on here. I don't consider it a well-behaved tobacco. Smoking a 1/3 bowl while breaking in a Savinelli natural, 4 slow draws produced a flood of fluid in the stem. This will keep me from working at finding the complexities that I am sure are there.

So the heat index is > 105F again and my quest for a cooler, summer smoke continues. This one caught my interest due to the hint of vanilla claimed in the PR. I didn't really sense it much in the aroma or the taste, but no harm done. I'm not sure that this is 'perfection' but it's a good smoke. I would guess that a Company established in 1792 must be doing something right. An interesting mix of wide ribbons of VAs from yellow thru red to black with some Turkish for good measure. These are high quality tobaccos. The Latakia is also there but not overpowering in any respect. Overall, this English taste is enjoyable. After the initial light which is slightly difficult, this blend burns evenly and coolly without the need for multiple relights that I sometimes encounter with ribbon cuts. Even if mistreated, I experienced no bite. Although this one will not be an all day smoke, it is a nice change from my normal VA flakes in the hot weather.

Gawith Perfection is a decent, middle-of-the-road English blend. There's nothing offensive about it, but it's not remarkable in any serious way, either. There's Latakia, a bit of Oriental, and a touch of VA sweetness. The very light vanilla topping doesn't come through in the flavor or even in the room aroma. I guess one could say that it merely tempers the Latakia without ever coming to the fore.

The cut is a long ribbon, packed densely into the tin. The tin aroma is typically English. The tobacco, because of its long cut, can be fussy about being loaded into a narrow bowl. It packs slightly springy, but generally burns cool and dry to a fine ash.

As aromatically-enhanced English blends go, it's OK and I smoke it from time to time in my rotation. However, I find myself reaching for Frog Morton On the Town and GL Pease's Mephisto more often.

Update: Found a pipe that this smokes remarkably well in. It's a big-bowled Mastro de Paja and the large tobacco chamber really seems to let the flavors open up in this blend. If you've tried this in a smaller or narrower bowl and didn't care for it - try it again in a larger one.

I was hoping for another crossover English to add to my McClelland #5110/Frog Morton (and siblings) & Clan Shaw Mountain rotation. I don't smoke English blends too often, but the sweet & smokey combo just fits the mood sometimes. Perfection doesn't make the list, though. To be fair, it doesn't really try.

Perfection fails, to my taste, by trying to be two things at once - a straight English blend, and a mild, non-sweet aromatic. The vanilla flavoring is very sparingly applied, is not sweet, and seems to detract from the English characteristics. The vanilla adds some smoothness, but it doesn't integrate, seems like an afterthought. I would like this better if more casing was added. I find the English tobaccos to be only average, so eliminating the casing completely wouldn't help much either. Conclusion: Not bad, but nothing to draw me back.