Samuel Gawith Special Flake No.2

I can only imagine that I might be met with some opposition on my high rating for this tobacco, but I honestly believe that it is a must for collectors of aromatics, flakes and all things Gawith, like myself. The quality of this dark brown flake is impeccable. Considerably moist, but in my opinion it is ready for smoking upon arrival. If it were to be dried, the strength of it might become overwhelming.I also suggest that it be fully rubbed out. Keep a pipe cleaner handy, because it does tend to get a little gurgly at first. Like some of the other Lakeland flakes, the unburnt aroma and the flavor go hand in hand. Nothing deceptive about it whatsoever. English tobaccos like this one are far superior to most others, but in the area of aromatics, I assure you, it is without equal. The same can be said for all of the Gawith Special Flakes. Judging by other reviews, it could be labeled as a member of the "soapy" family, but I have never smoked soap before, so I couldn't say for certain! It would be fair to say that it is akin to Cannon Plug, but milder. Perhaps it contains some of the mysterious flavoring agent known as "cheviot". I looked up cheviot with much difficulty, only to find a possibly related definition: a breed of sheep. Could this flavoring be derived from the natural oils of the sheeps wool? I can only wonder. Very curious- but delicious, nonetheless. A big, bold flavor with little aftertaste and no bite detected. A miracle for a flake of its like. Unfortunately, I cannot find any availability of this and its sister flakes here in the states. I ordered #2 through Synjeco of Switzerland, including many others that Gawith& Co. don't send here. If you are a fanatical collector of their products such as I, you will find this company a valuable resource, so long as price is of no concern to you. I actually took out a small loan, just so I wouldn't have to repeatedly pay the high cost of shipping. If you can get it, I believe its well worth it. 4 stars.

Sam Gawith - Special Flake No 2.

This utilizes the usual Sam G' quality: too damp! Not saturated, it just needs a few hours to rectify this slight issue. The un-lit aroma is a little perplexing, I can definitely get some alcohol in there but there is also a slightly incongruous musty addition, of which is hard to quantify. The flakes are quite thick, with that in mind even once they have aired to a decent moisture level they still require a little extra tenacity if you, like me, prefer a rubbed out flake instead of a folded one.

No 2 lights up great, quite a fast touch of the flame and then it gives a steady burn. The Virginia flavour's lovely and full and to be fair I don't get overly swamped by the aromatics. The added flavours are definitely apparent albeit they seem a little confused as to exactly what they are! I find it quite difficult to actually identify them, one minute it has an almost Lakeland taste but the next I can identify the alcohol; by no means is it a bad flavour, it's just a little intemperate. The duration of the smoke is fairly lengthy, it would make a great blend to fill your bowl with and then relax undisturbed for a while without necessitating that you have to refill every fifteen minutes!

Nicotine: strong. Room-note: not great.

Three stars.

Very intensely perfumed, one of the most intensely perfumed of the series. Special Flake #2 is indeed an aromatic flake as are Flakes #3 and #5. Special Flakes #1 and #4 are better described as merely scented and on flake #7 scenting is barely noticeable. Lemongrass, camphor, lavender, menthol, verbena, green pine or spruce cone, rosewater, quaint exotic and peppery spices, tonquin are only imaginative guesses, in reality I cannot pin down the aromas of the essential oils and essences used here. But just saying Special Flake #2 is “the popular Best Brown flake with a honeydew topping” fails to describe the magnificent complexity this tobacco.

The flakes are very fresh to the touch, very thin and pliable. Easier to shred than rub, but one can also fold and staff. They are also quite moist – not all Special Flakes are. But they do not need much drying, and indeed can be smoked without any drying at all. (None of the FVF fussiness here.) Once dried a little, they take to light with ease. Without any drying you just need an initial char and then they do not need much care.

The smoke is very smooth . This tobacco smokes cool and has an intense and cool flavor.

Tastes very similar to how it smells. The coniferous aroma is the most prominent, but present are other floral aromas like rose water and there is also something juicy-sweet akin to a light dose of licorice, I guess, and a white peppery spiciness. I can see similarities with Grousemoor, yet here the underlying tobacco is different and there is slightly less of the vanilla creaminess of Grousemoor and more spice here. Special Flake #2 is headily aromatized and still the tobacco underneath is top-class (BBF?). Here Virginias are stronger, yeasty, sweet and earthy. This is an incredibly complex tobacco and yet all the flavors are sublimely integrated and congruent. Special Flake #2 burns slow. Needs seeping to bring out the sweet earthy, oaty, biscuity tobacco taste on the one hand and to protect you from the nicotine hit on the other, as it does pack a lot! Smokes to the last shred without ever becoming harsh. And only at the very end does the casing dissipate a little leaving a pure tobacco taste as if to clean your palate.

Surely this is a love-or-hate tobacco, but if you like this kind of scenting, it’s intoxicating!If a tobacco, let alone an aromatic tobacco, deserves four stars, this is it! This is a monument of tobacco blending and scenting.

Special Flake No. 2 is one of Samuel Gawith’s “numbered flakes,” that are not found here in the US and the only one to date that I have tried. The appearance is of the usual SG high quality. The pouch scent is of the very floral Lakeland variety. But after some dry time, it isn’t “in your face” as floral as GH’s Dark Flake Scented as the other added flavorings play off it well. I would be very hard pressed to guess what the others are, although honeydew wouldn’t be on my guess list. It kind of offers up the mystery flavors in the way Grousemoor does and that blend is the closest point of reference that I can come up with. Sorry. What I can say, as a lover of Lakeland aromatics, this quickly has risen to one of my favorites, but I do think this is one of those love or hate blends. Like many of these blends, there is a decent amount of strength to this blend. The Virginia’s add some additional sweetness, but play a minor role here. There is no bite and it doesn’t burn hot, even when pushed, but it can run the nic meter up to strong when pushed. Overall, while a bit too aromatic for me as an everyday smoke, it is terrific just the same!

Same tobacco as Best Brown with a honeydew topping? Maybe, but this stuff is really mild. I haven't had any BB for donkey ears now, but I am under the impression now it was somewhat stronger. Having said that, this tobacco is definitely milder than Full Virginia Flake. I am not sure what honeydew was supposed to smell like, but the tin note is quite pleasant and evoking: this tobacco has the Kendal hallmark all over it. The Virginia leaf does not seem to be overtly sweet, but it seems to release plenty of flavour when smoked at a very low pace. I am not sure if there is any Burley lurking here in the background, but the smoking experience is that of an unadulterated Virginia blend. That is, it has all the Virginia properties, such as earthy or hay undertones, I usually look for in other tobaccos in this range. If you are looking for a Virginia flake that is not overtly sweet and mild with light aromatic characteristics, I think you should try this.

Like special flakes 3, 4, & 5 (so far) what I get is mostly lemon grass, but at or a tad below #4. The honey flavoring is mostly absent as well, so I could taste the VA from the start, but so far, all these are variations of the flavorings in Grousemoor.