Samuel Gawith Squadron Leader

I bought this tobacco on the basis of reviews on this website. I must start by saying I'm not a massive fan of latakia, however this is a well made tobacco that is quite tasty but mild enough for an all day smoke if you're into latakia (which is, I guess, why it gets such good reviews).

Dry in the tin, packs well, lights easily, burns coolly and doesn't bite.

Resolution on tin sticker could be better however IMO.

Glad I tried it.

This is a nice mild/medium English that I will sometimes mix with some perique. The tin contents come a little moist and needs some drying time. This is well balanced...the VAs don't dominate but let the latakia and turkish really shine. Excellent taste and nutty, smokey aroma. I find this works really well in one of my larger bowled pipes, one I have dedicated for English blends. Good volume of smoke and not too pricey...very nice.

I'm probably not the best judge of the medium English genre, preferring a lighter and slightly sweet English style blend for daytime cravings and heavier/Balkan blends for a late night smoke.

Maybe my tastebuds have been damaged by sampling one too many bowls of Dan aromatics and Mac Baren products but I don't taste anything extraordinary about the much ballyhooed, Squadron Leader.

It's a nicely balanced and nicely priced, solid smoke, but overall I'd view it as a horseplayer might view a 5-1 shot in a full field of contenders.

Looking at the ratings for all Sam Gawith tobaccos, it's interesting that this popular brand has but one **** blend (with a decent number of reviews), that being FVF.

This is pretty much how I see the Sam Gawith line. Good, but not great products, but I'll defer to you ME fans on this one.

***UPDATE I have to update my review and take off a star. The last tin I opened -- a more recent purchase -- showed a real decline in quality. The Latakia has lost its pop, the VAs have lightened -- the color of the blend had shifted from brown-black to yellow-brown. It's become a boring light English. Maybe just a bad tin -- but NapaWineLover reports a similar complaint. Either Squadron Leader has become inconsistent or a great blend is in decline. Too bad, either way. ***END UPDATE

I never thought anything could hold a candle to Margate ? until I tried Squadron Leader. There is enough Latakia to satisfy any reasonable demand, and it?s perfectly balanced with Orientals for complexity and with Virginias for a hint of sugar. Not all Latakia is created equal, and I think this stuff is superior to whatever goes into Dunhill or McClelland?s or CAO blends (and I like Old Ironsides!). Overall, Squadron Leader is lighter than Margate or Nightcap or Penzance, both in color and on the palate. Ordinarily that would be a criticism in my book, but in this case it?s a virtue. The lightness allows the Virginias and Orientals to stand out better against the Latakia, resulting in a strong, vibrant smoke for any time of day or night.

Squadron Leader burns well right of the tin to a fine pale ash, getting sweeter and more intense as you move down the bowl. It benefits from a large bowl: I smoke it in a Ser Jacopo Picta Picasso 24. In short, this is the perfect middleweight English, a desert island blend.

Did I mention that it?s cheap to boot? You can get it online for under $6 per 50g. Plus the picture on the tin is pretty irresistible.

A fairly complex smoke. I detected hints of leather, mint and spice. All this playing over a delicate sweetness.

Beautiful in the tin. Flecks of green, brown, tan, gold, black and yellow. Good stuff in all of my English blend pipes.