Samuel Gawith Perfection

At the first puff of this blend, i felt the necessity to review it.

It's a blend for English Mixtures lovers and not only. What can I say? A perfect EM taste (with a lovely latakia) and a perfectly balanced touch of vanilla. PERFECTION, that's the right word to describe this blend....

This stuff is just awesome,I love the smell out of the tin. A bit moist, better when dried out a little. Not sure if I taste or smell vanilla, there is something sweet about it though. About half bowl it gets even better dont know how to explain this as I am new to the review club. I ordered a lb of this,I hope it is as good as the tin. This is my fav, I have smoked several english blends,965,Balken seiseni,squadren leader,Three oaks syrian,EMP, all great tobaccs. This one is the best to me so far, probably just personal preferance.

I have only been smoking a pipe now for about 4 months. I have tried several drug-store varieties, Captain Black, Half & Half, Borkum Riff, Iwan Ries 3 Star, etc. I finally decided that I am now a pipe smoker, and must delve a bit deeper into it. I ordered the Stand By Me sampler, which had as one of the five offerings, Perfection. I found it to be just as advertised.

It is, so far, my favorite smoke, followed by Optimum. Very pleasant room note, exceptionally smooth, and just sweet enough for a novice, like myself. It burns nicely, without any tongue bite. This is an area where I have been experienceing issues, as I have given up cigarettes completely, adn tend to smoke too greedily. I have just ordered a few tins, and will be buying more as the budget allows.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.