Samuel Gawith Perfection

My first impression on opening the tin was that it smelled like a cross between burnt rubber and burnt manure.

So it was a surprise that it turned out to be subtle and refined when I smoked it. The Virginia and Latakia are nicely balanced and give a slightly salty taste. What I really liked was that it was slow burning and kept getting better as I smoked it down to the bottom of the bowl.

Could I have found my default blend with this one?

I shared the opinion of others here -- a latakia blend topped with vanilla? But the vanilla is a mere whisper deftly applied that wonderfully suits the soft latakia. And the absence of oriental is noticeable, but not necessarily a bad thing since it's nicely balanced without it.

I'm reminded of other quality english crossovers like Frog Morton on the Town. Indeed if I were to characterize its flavor I would say... imagine if Samuel Gawith made Captain Black White -- top quality leaf, no hint of chemicals, greatly toning down the twinkie-marshmallow-vanilla topping with a deft hand until it's a mere suggestion -- then crossed it with a bit of Commonwealth, and you get Perfection.

So why not four stars? Because this is a fine table wine to be drunk with pleasurable ease, not some exceptional vintage to be savored. Perfection is not exceptional, nor necessarily a masterpiece. (Can a table wine be exceptional? No, but it can be terrific!) What Perfection is is an extremely enjoyable, simple, quality smoke that has enough going on to keep it interesting.

I enjoy Perfection very much. This might just become my go-to default blend when I want a wonderfully satisfying smoke that I don't need to savor as I would my other favorites.

Highly recommended for those wanting to move from aros to english, as well as to those who simply want an easy quality english smoke.

i have just smoked a few bowls of this wonderful blend,as has already been said by 'briarpatch' not as strong as 'squadron leader'but a very nice blend,this tobacco is quite course cut but packs well in the bowl,and im getting quite a liking to samuel gawith pipe tobaccos.if you want a nice easy going tobacco this is a very good one to try.upon opening the tin theres an aroma like 'SL'..but just a little less hitting,wonderful stuff...i like it a lot.

Being a fan of early English blends this brought back some old memories of the bulk blends that used to be sold at Humidore One Panasch in Southfield, Michigan. (just outside Detroit). It was a great shop filled with tins and bulk, pipes galore and the largest walk in humidore that I have ever seen. The English blend is very mild and not overpowering while the vanilla top just sweeten's a bit. There was a shop in Royal Oak called 3 Ravens that had a house blend called English Breakfast Tea. SG Perfection brings back memories of that blend. Stout, but sweet, like a good cup of black Tea with just the right amount of sugar to take the edge off. I am convinced that SG has a good thing going here. Wont smoke it everyday, but it will be in my rotation and I am sure that I will always have a tin hiding somewhere around the house. PEACE

This was a very flavorful and sweet blend. It got sweeter and richer midway in the bowl. If you like English blends this could be your morning tobacco. I'll put it in my rotation.

Broken flake. Really? I dug around in the tin a little, and I didn't find any broken flake. I was looking forward to a broken flake SG tobacco. I much prefer a flake (or plug) to ribbon. I may not know how to smoke ribbon tobacco. I almost always regret messing around with ribbon.

Anyway, I liked this even though I was convinced I would not like it, determined not to like it. Same with Grousemoor, I hated liking it, too. Two SG tobaccos I have not liked liking. I have tins of Squadron Leader I dread opening. And, I can name a few GL Pease tobaccos that are members of this set.

Not to be beating a deceased horse here, but I firmly believe that ribbon leads to hot spots in the pipe and tongue bite. Why mess with it when you can enjoy a cool, slow burning flake, plug or twist?

5/15/09 UPDATE: Anacol! In a larger bowl (24 mm) the burning characteristics are entirely different, very much improved. I am beginning to appreciate just how much the pipe can influence the tobacco. This stuff is divine in a big, old, heavy, bent billiard I picked up on eBay (a Ben Wade repaired and reconditioned by Tim West). This pipe combusts this ribbon better than any other pipe I own. Wow.

I was disappointed because the Latakia and Turkish are really mild. I mean this stuff might be good for beginners who would like to have a mild hint at what Latakia and Turkish are. There is also this little weird feeling on the tongue I have with the Squadron Leader as well. As the tobacco is mild, you might be tempted to smoke it too quickly, and then, instead of feeling a tongue bite you feel some kind of anaesthesia. UPDATE: One more tobacco that benefit from being smoked a few days after opening the tin. The tobacco is of course still mild but the weird anaesthesia feeling is over. It is very tasty and pleasant, I will grant 3 stars finally.

As somebody said Perfection is the gentle face of Latakia ! A very ?politically correct? medium English mixture, smooth and soft, w/ a very light vanilla topping which I can detect only in the tin aroma.

It smokes always cool, flavourful and dry, with just a hint of ?aromatic? which I just like very much.

Regarding the components, useless to say they are of the very first quality.

Would I be able to stick to a medium EM as an all-day smoke, Perfection has all the numbers to be that one.

Again, the high price still affects from receiving my four stars.

I really enjoy this blend. The vanilla is stronger in the beginning but not overwhelming, then moves to the background. The English components are always the primary flavor. A very mild flavored smoke with no bite. This isn?t an everyday smoke but if you?re in the mood for something sweet but don?t want to break out a full aromatic this is the perfect choice. Another advantage is that the anti smokers tend to leave you alone due to its pleasant room note.