Samuel Gawith Squadron Leader

SL is my every day blend and IMO one of the best blends easily available today. When you smoke a pipe-full you feel satisfied. It makes the world seem a better place. I discovered English blend as a young man (back in the 60s) and many I have loved have come and gone, but SL is a true English blend in the old tradition. Think Dunhill London Blend. If you are a Latakia-Turkish smoker, this is for you. If you are an aromatic smoker, try it. It just might convert you.

This was my first foray into English blends, and I was immediately hooked. Opening the tin, I was greeted by a scent that brought me back to childhood for some reason. I finally figured out that it smelled exactly like an old box of antique polaroid and brownie cameras I once found at my grandmother's house. It was a musty smell that took over my bedroom back then, but I loved it because I loved those cameras. Anyways, the review: This is a nicely complex smoke. The latakia seems to be there all along, but definitely not overpowering. I get an occasional sweet reminder that the VA is there. To me though, the dominant taste is the Turkish. Every so often, I also get a slight tang of Vanilla. The flavor tends to sour a bit toward the end of the bowl, which is why I'm giving it 3 instead of 4 stars. My wife actually likes this one I think. She says it's "pipey" but a little smokey.

Oh yeah - almost forgot - as a pilot, I was pretty much obligated to try this one. Nice tin!

This is a tobacco i have smoked for a good while now so is only fair that i start my reviews here. Any review has to be generally considered subjective and mine shall be no different. This tobacco optimises 'english' as does the name and it's ingredient. I do enjoy this tobacco greatly. It is contemplative and interesting throughout. It has been criticised for its lack in strength or latakia but i shall stress the term subjective again and I am confident that regardless of your enjoyment level of this tobacco you shall indeed find yourself appreciating the blenders ability. Like a good scotch this is a blend where you can say 'o yes, someone's put some thought in to this one'. I shall not go into flavours as there are plenty of other reviews that summarise very well. however i shall state the few things i dislike about it. Although not strong there is a strangely undetectable strength in nicotine that will creep up on a smoker, slightly nauseating on an empty stomach. also on the odd occasion i've noticed a slightly tainting of flavour resulting in instant dog breath. this has been few & far between though. SG ribbon cuts are very well prepared, perfectly blended and just the right level of moisture straight out of the tin. much better than SG's flakes (can be damp and awkward lengths). This is a tobacco that should be at least tried by every pipe smoker.

As a relatively new pipe smoker, and a recent cigarette smoker (who doesn't want to go there again), I was looking for something a little different from my usual aromatic blends. I use these reviews for my purchase decisions-and when I went to my tobacco shop, I saw this one and bought it..and scratched it off my "tobacco I want to try" list. Short version-NO DISAPPOINTMENT HERE! I didn't really know what to expect...but when I popped that tin open, I realized I was onto something. The tobacco scent was absolutely fabulous. The smoking experience was just as good. I look forward to many quiet evenings in the boat, fishing, with this one. Try it...you will not be disappointed.

As someone who has only recently started smoking English blends, or any tobacco for that matter, and as someone who has only tried two different blends of English tobacco, I enjoy smoking this blend a lot. I finished my third bowl yesterday, and it was one of the better smokes I've had.

A very nice English style with a good blend of latakia, but not overpoweringly so. The other tobaccos in this keep the latakia "at bay" for want of a better term. Half way down, the church incense aroma kicked in and it REALLY reminded me of walking in the woods of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia on a warm autumn day. The pine/spruce smell of I assume the latakia and other orientals really tickles the nose. Though I like my latakias a bit brighter, you still can't go wrong with this one. If there was a 3 1/2 I would rank it as such, as I was torn between 3 and 4, so I gave it a 4. I also like the tin graphics.

Classic and very distinct english. SL has many nuances through the bowl, not boring at all. I usually smoke it in the afternoon/early night. The unburned leaf is the most beautifull I've seen.

Squadron Leader is one of my top favorite smokes! I just love this stuff. Its not the best but its definetly my all day and go to smoke. With a tin price of just over $5 you can't beat it. The various leafs in this blend all mary well and play their parts, not one gets too out of hand when I smoke it. Just a perfect symphony of flavor! Must have! Commonwealth Mix is also very delightful.

Update from the original 2006 review I did. (removed negative description)

Excellent tobacco here. All the components of what I want in an English blend and blended to a perfect homogeneous mixture. I would have liked a "darker?" richer smoke from this and believe that I've read that Skiff is the next step from Squadron Leader although can't confirm this first hand. In a less than objective manner I'm happy to report that while unwinding from another day working that I can't recall the last time I enjoyed a new tobacco so much on the first smoke. Squadron leader took me back into a flood of feelings and memory that I could not pin down. Mid December days in Prague, a sojourn in in the northern Mediterranean in the late fall. The stacks of the Olin library on a rainy nite.