Samuel Gawith Perfection

Now hold on a sec...don't think that you are buying an aromatic if you purchase a tin of this mixture. The tin smell, as I could discern, was that of an english...there was no vanilla aroma present...but there was a faintly peculiar smell I could not perceive singularly. Upon lighting this there was no vanilla to be noticed as well...what the?? I think whatever was added is so slight or not typical vanilla topping that it goes without notice. That, or, I got a bad tin?

This smoked well after some drying time, produced a nice volume of smoke and had a little bite to it, the Va's were assertive but not in a sweet way...more like an atringent type effect. The latakia content is less than most english blends and the turkish seemed most prominent...this reminded me more of a balkan blend without the latakia showing itself prominently. It was a nice medium smoke, burned well, stayed lit well but just didn't impress me as much as the oft mentioned Squandron leader. I guess since this was made for one man's idea/perception of perfection it stands to reason that it may well not be perfection for many others....it wasn't mine...but its not a bad smoke...definitely not what I expected.

This blend was a huge deception, considering Samuel Gawith's reputation...

The tin aroma was Latakia Oriental, with a very distinctive vanilla aroma in the background, just nicely floating there. Nice long cut of gold, brown, medium brown and black. The moisture level was rather high, so I let it dry oput for 4-5 days, then I smoked.

To my most utterly surprise, the taste was flat, which didn't tie in with the tin aroma, which promised a rich, satisfying smoke.

I still suspect i got a bad tin, but I hesitate to order some more. i will eventually, though. Just to confirm/infirm my first impression.

A pity!

Ahh, Perfection! My first foray into the Samuel Gawith tobacco line and it certainly urges me to continue my explorations.

Tin aroma is standard English fare but the edges are softened just a bit by the vanilla topping. Speaking of which, the topping is so parsimoniously applied as to be a virtual no-show during the actual smoking of this fine blend (however, being a predominantly aromatic smoker, I may simply be a bit jaded).

The tobacco is moist but not to the point that it incurs any lighting or smoking penalty. In fact, the smoke is surprisingly dry and light. The flavor of the tobacco itself takes centerstage and is exceptionally enjoyable, indoors or out. The latakia component seems quite light for an English blend but I also consider that a plus in this instance. The second half of the bowl is, by far, the better with Perfection. It seems to stove itself a bit and release a number of complementary and complex flavors.

This is simply good stuff and I'll endeavor to keep a tin handy at all times.

4/05 Update

Ahh, what a fickle thing is a pipe smoker's fancy. Another trip around the sun and quite a few blends later, I find I simply don't return to this one very often. Picadilly and Pelican have knocked this one out of my rotation pretty completely. I'll try to smoke a bowl now and then to deplete my stock, but I shan't be purchasing more.

Perfection is, if not perfection, then, well, at least OK, the hyperbolic trade name nothwithstanding. I'd let my tin age for at least a year, so note that my comments may not be valid for newly ripe samples.

Perfection's cut is unusual these days, like that of many Gawith mixtures. My sample came in closely packed strands with the heft and texture of dreadlocks. Pulling these apart to pack pipes, I noticed a fetid smell and worried that my tin had gotten moldy, a problem one hears about with Gawith. I never uncovered any mold, or any Perique, so cannot account for the smell.

On lighting, I found this to be a mild and exceptionally smooth smoke. The smooth texture of the smoke was perhaps the best part of the Perfection experience. The taste tended toward neutral, with a slight sweet undertaste, and every bowl smoked cooly.

I smoked this tin in a variety of pipes--meerschaums, old Comoys, new Tatums--and Perfection's taste and burning characteristics stayed remarkably consistent.

Perfection is not a complex tobacco, but it is well-made and terrifically consistent. I have another tin in the cellar, and look forward to smoking it, although I doubt I'll buy another.

A tobacco subtly flavored with vanilla. It is a good tobacco to start with natural tobaccos and English blends, but for regular smokers of latakiados, it is not a very interesting tobacco. In particular when I smoke it I have the feeling of smoking an English mixture in one of my pipes designed for aromatic tobaccos

Well I wouldn't call it "Perfection" tobacco, but that's marketing for you... A very light vanilla taste is added that it doesn't hit me all the times and it's light on the latakia so I guess it's another blend that can be "introductory" to that particular tobacco taste.

I find that it wants some relights as it's a bit moist, but after some days it's better in that department. It doesn't get that hot and I believe it's a light aromatic that even those that don't prefer them might smoke a bowl of it. Not my cup of tea though and I would advise aromatic smokers to steer away from it.

라타키아 입문자에게 가장 무난한 선택이 될 수 있을 거 같다. 바닐라 향 잉글리쉬로 비교적 향긋하며 강도, 룸노트도 쌔지 않아 많은 사람들이 250g 박스 형태로 찾는 연초이기도 하다.

바닐라 향의 연초이며 바닐라가 강하기 보다는 버지니아와 함께 쌍둥이처럼 동행해 부드러운 단맛으로 나타난다. 높은 강도를 좋아하는 나로서는 그리 좋아하는 타입은 아닌 연초다. 독하다 평 받는 연초를 피워도 담배를 부담스럽다 느낀 적이 없던 나는 부담스럽지 않은 연초라는 게 그리 이점이 되는 지 잘 모르겠다. 그냥 편하게 태워 없앨 생각이다.

그래도 한국에서는 좋아하는 사람이 많은 담배고 지금 해외에서도 구하기 힘들다.

A sweet, light breakfast blend with a little more Latakia and a little less Turkish than my standby, Early Morning Pipe. Pancakes instead of bacon and eggs. The backbone is gently steamed Virginia tobacco that wouldn't bite if you tried. It's smooth VA tobacco, for sure.

The Turkish and Latakia are balanced well, a bit more smoky than tangy but well within expectations for a light blend. A sweet vanilla top note is barely there as compared to American aromatics or the Lakeland heavyweights. Just enough flavoring to compliment the blend, nothing in your face.

Perfection needs a little drying out of the tin, maybe 1/2 hour. By the end of the tin, it's dry and ready to go.

It's my second-favorite morning blend, but I have to be in the mood for the extra sweetness. Not an everyday smoke, but a cheery change of pace.

I Know lot of people like this tobacco but for me it's been a delusion. I don't like strenght tobaccos, but this is really very light with low taste.