Samuel Gawith Perfection

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....

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.

Overall I found his blend to be a smooth, nice change of pace from my oriental and english blends. The flavoring was subtle, with what I experienced to be a slight creamy overture to it. As another reviewer has stated, it packed a little springy. However, after the false-light it settled right down with the re-light. It burned to a fine ash without a wet-heel at the end, unlike most of the "danish-flavored" blends that I have tried in the past. For the "Medussa" rating, my wife stated that this was more tolerable than my "usual" blends.