Samuel Gawith Perfection

Not as much as the name suggested but it is a good smoke, if you like English blends than probably you will like it. In order to appreciate this one you need to come back after a few different blends. Mellow, earthy and nutty with a good base, doesn't feel like overwhelmed but yet satisfying to the end. Reminds me of squadron but a lot more rounded. Can be smoked anytime, I always come back for it.

I just never thought about trying this blend due to the hugh variance in revieews. BIG MISTAKE. The gentleman that had SG create this blend has a very similar "palate" to mine I guess. I find the name of "perfection" PERFECT.

I cannot believe just how wonderful the taste and burning quality of this fine blend. My initial order was for one 50g tin. I'm going for more right away and I will be less likely to let others steer me away. One thing is clear the pallets of humans are as different as personality. You just got to try one when the inspiration hits.

*****

This is a very well-behaved tobacco and one I enjoy very much as a morning smoke. It packs well, lights well, and stays lit; while its flavor is non-exceptional it is still exceptionally satisfying. It is the tobacco that I take if I must travel for a few days because I know it will behave itself - it will satisfy my nicotine requirements without overdoing it and, while its flavor is not as emphatic as, say, GLP's Odyssey, or as monochromatic as Samuel Gawith's Best Brown Flake, it delivers just enough flavor and resonances to make it worth toting along. It is the sort of tobacco, which, if I did not enjoy some variety in my life, would probably become my staple all-day, every-day smoke. Highly recommended. Eventually I hope to buy it in bulk and put away about a pound or more to age.

Other than the bad joke square tins of all SG tobaccos, this one is a must. If you like -as I emphatically do- English or "Balkan" style blends, you will find this rather unique blend a tasteful variant. The advertised vanilla topping is virtually non-existant and it serves only to make its room note a pleasant one that wont make your non-smoker companions flee for the door.

The taste is full, although with an almost dessert-like quality. The VA's are sweet and round, the orientals deliciously mild and the latakia prominent but not overpowering. The latter provides also a cedar timberland aroma that tops the blend very well.

I cannot understand how some folks find this mixture boring. To me its certainly straightforward, lacking some of the complexity that many English style blends display, not always to their best advantage. Perfection on the other hand is like a fine steak grilled to perfection in comparison to a sauced tournedo that depends on the recipe to hide its shortcomings. It's a superbly simple apple pie vs. a complex chocolate and truffle cake... You know what I mean.

As of today, I've gone through some 600g (12 tins) of Perfection and it has all but replaced Squadron Leader as my morning smoke. Of course, I reach for heavier mixtures at special times but I might smoke this one exclusively and not miss the variety much.

BTW, it ages fast. Some tins, purchased six months ago are displaying a much nicer character than the new tins. I plan to get some twenty tins, wrap them in several layers of Saran Wrap to avoid vacuum leaks and set them aside to age a few years. If I live to smoke them I bet they will be a treat.

- - - - Added August 22, 2006 - - - - -

In addition, this must be one of the noblest blends around. It behaves extremely well in most types of bowls, tall and narrow or squat and wide. It packs easily, resisting overpacking. Keeps lit unless you purposefully let it go out, smokes cool even to the point when you cannot hold the bowl because of its temperature; even then, it fails to scorch your tongue no matter how fast you puff. The sweet dessert-like taste is there from the first puff down to the dottle, which, BTW, is almost nonexistant except in pipes with a deep heel below the airhole. A blend to enjoy wholly.

Purchased 11-2021 so the tin was never vacuum sealed.

On opening I was happy to find the tobacco has gone from Gawith wet to actually smokable right out of the tin. Waiting a few months longer and I suspect this would be brittle.

The smell is really soft and pleasant. Sour, sweet, citrus, hay, herbaceous. The Latakia is light and faint. There’s a sweet smell but I don’t smell vanilla, maybe a faint nutty smell? I get that sour smoky almost tangy bbq aroma I get from squadron leader. Long thin ribbons of brown and black tobacco pack and light fine still requiring a few relights.

The taste is mild smoky, sour, herbal, sweet, hay, lemon. I detect no vanilla but maybe a slightly sweet topping. It’s very mild almost
undetectable. Maybe sweet nuts I don’t know. If I didn’t know I would say this is just an Oriental forward English blend and not an aromatic or anything flavored. I this reminds me so much of squadron leader, but sweeter. The Latakia is light, smokey, herbal. Nicotine seems mild to medium. The taste gets less sweet as the bowl progresses. A nice soft oriental forward light Latakia English blend. In the vain of SL or EMP.

Torn between 3-4 stars. It’s very good.

I see why they call this Perfection. It comes pretty close. It's an excellent English style tobacco, Real English flavor, and a little less powerful than Dunhill 965, which is my go to English smoke. I give both Perfection and 965 4 stars.

One of my best blend. Like its name a kind of perfect one.

Perfected blended, perfectly balanced and has highest of quality of Turkish orientals and their gentle spice. More mild than Squadron Leader and probably best in the morning with coffee. I like everything about this tobacco.

This is appropriately named, I keep plenty held back at all times.. A great and pleasant smoke.