Samuel Gawith Perfection

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.

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.

"Perfection"... far from it!

It was obvious from first light that it came from the same blender as Squadron Leader... it started as a classic English much like S.L. But my first warning came when my wife said "that smells pretty nice". IMHO, room aroma is inversly proportional to flavor. This blend was no exception.

Shortly into the bowl, that distinct "English" flavor yielded to a mild... then not so mild... then overwhelming soap taste. Then, it went from bad to worse. The "soap" was overpowered by a strong vomit flavor.

After the bowl mercifully went out, I found that Perfection had burned cleanly to the bottom leaving only a light ash. [I mention this so there can be no doubt that I gave it a fair chance]. I was left with the ash... and a tongue bite not generally experienced with English blends.

For a truly classic English... I'll stick with my beloved Squadron Leader.

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.

Light english blend, getting smoky campfire notes, pepper from the orientals and sweet bread from virginias. Can't smell vanilla.

Smokes cool, needs a few relights. Pretty straightforward, not complex.

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.