Samuel Gawith Squadron Leader

Every time I see people praise SL I can't help but laugh. This tobacco is exact replica of cheap communist-era Eastern European cigarettes. Very cheap Orientals and Lat, but only people who had the "opportunity" to smoke Eastern European cigarettes would know it.

Giving credit where credit is due - it's the only one of the SG tobaccos that is non-aro and therefore could be smoked right out of the tin.

Received this as gift and it is dated nearly 3 years of age. This is an entry level English that many seem to enjoy, not me. The tobaccos didn't seem to want to provide any type of showcase as they just had a muted taste and I could have napped if it had not been for the way it burned. That is the majority of my issue with it. It took way to many lights to get going then once it was up it fell off again and I thought I was going to need to run to the store for more fluid. I sip my pipes and prefer a slow low temperate burn rate. Can't do that with this batch of SL. The gentleman I got this from had issues with it himself so maybe there is more to it but I have no plans to purchase a tin to find out.

I like the tin label, since I am a pilot myself. Too moist out of tin, even for me. Had to let it dry considerably. Smoking conditions are unsatisfying. SQL is a light, faint English Mixture. Disagree with majority of reviewers.

The body of Virginias is obvious. A little scrumptious Latakia is there, but it is under-represented. The Turkish leaf adds some spiciness, which turns quite peppery, cigaretty and acrid in the second half of the bowl. Some guarded topping there, even if they claim there isn’t. This blend is really weak. No depth, no richness, no bouquet. At this point it is a big disappointment for me. I was expecting at least a little power and personality; I thought the name implies this. SQL might not even be an advisable entry to approach English blends. In my opinion this mixture is highly overrated and the occasional fuss about it is not justified. Credit, where credit is due. Not here, I’m afraid.

By the way: You may have heard that there also exists a green labelled Squadron Leader SPECIAL EDITION of 2000 tins only. According to the producer it is the same mixture like the regular SQL, with an addition of Perique. I have made the experiment myself, adding different amounts of pure Perique into the regular SQL. The best result is an upgraded SQL to 2 stars.

Another highly reviewed blend that I disagree with majority. Had to majorly let each fill dry out for awhile. Even then it was difficult to keep lit and caused alot of dawdle at the end becoming very slurpy. Being a fan of heavier blends, I found this one way to light for a latakia blend. Mild in nicotine and taste. What was the worst, and maybe I just got a bad lot, is I spent alot of time picking out stems before packing. I don't want to take the risk of buying another tin to see if better because I don't like it at all. If you are like me, and like strong latakia blends, save yourself some money and time and skip this one.

I don't get it. With so many great tobacco blends out there why would anybody spend money on such a bland smoke? this comes in a great looking square tin and is inexpensive. Perhaps that is the reason. I did find a use for this blend. The tobacco's are a nice cut, doesn't have any apparent PG added or toppings I can detect. In this blend I found a type that was olive green in color. Was this oriental tobacco? I decided to use this as a blending tobacco. Turned out decent when blended in this ratio and left in a jar to meld the flavors...65-70% SG, 25 % McClellands 5100 Red Cake Virgina, and 5-10% Perique from McClelland (they have great blending perique, far better than the fake periques out there). The last time I tried SL, I identified its lacked any depth and a bitterness that was not complimented by any other real flavor. I decided to add some good Virginia and Perique. I was able to salvage this tobacco by blending it. However, this was just an experiment as I really don't have the time to spend smoking salvaged tobacco. This blend was a loser. Bitterness. I expected so much more from this highly touted blend.

11/28/09 * I Let my blend from above sit for 6 months or so in a jar untouched until today. I REALLY liked this a lot. All the light greenish strands have turned into a nice tan. I think this blend shows I prefer Virginia forward blends while this one is strong on the Orientals. Won't buy this again.

I've seen this tobacco around for a while and alwyas wanted to give it a try. Great graphics on the tin! I enjoyed very much the tin aroma. Overall I think this is a nice english blend, but really nothing special. As some other reviews have said, I too find it a little too light on the latakia for my tastes. The quality of the tobacco is good, but the blend is not quite right for me. If it were a blend in progress I would give it another go but I think I will pass on this blend. I am glad I experienced it though, but one tin is enough.

Hmm...my first review and I reluctantly begin on something of a sour note, as indeed does this blend. My only other foray into the world of Sam Gawith was a disastrous encounter with "Grousemoor" - a foetid nightmare of a blend, akin to being savaged by an effeminate rottweiler.

One of the numerous reasons I have adored english blends for the last 20 years is that they have never, ever bitten my tongue - until this blighter, that is.

First impressions are favourable; the picture on the tin is a delight and the packaging as a whole conveys the image of a reputable, long-established, though vaguely amateurish, cottage industry. The lid doesn't fit too snugly after opening but, hey! thev've only had 2 centuries to get it right. Aroma in the tin is light but pleasant, with the Turkish taking centre stage. The length of the ribbon cut makes packing a little awkward but not too much of a problem. The colour of the blend is what one might expect of a mild Latakia/oriental mixture and here's the crux of the problem; for me (a previously inveterate cigarette smoker)the whole thing is just too light and ephemeral to keep my interest. Once in a while the orientals weave their magic and for a brief moment one is transported to an astral plane but then it's back to dull old earth with a rather tedious thud. If this tobacco were a piece of music, it might be a middle-period Mozart piano concerto - just too darned rococo for this baroque baby. Ah well, I'm off for a pipeful of my beloved Dunhill, of which, more later...

This is an odd tobacco. The flavour of an english blend is there and the packet has some wonderful bright and dark colours but I cannot get to grips with this blend. I am used to smoking a number of complex and difficult tobaccos (ropes etc) but every time I light this up the first few puffs are nice and delicate. I start to identify the individual flavours but this us unfortunately accompanied by a sharp burning pain at the roof of my mouth. I have tired everything to stop this problem and it is always there. I have a good technique so I can foresee it being that. I am thinking that I cannot get to grips with this tobacco.

I am aware that a lot of people rate this tobacco but I cannot. I would be worried about a new pipe smoker having the same problem and being completely put off.

My first "English" blend, which isnt really English at all. Since it contains Latakia, it would be more proper to call it a Balkan. When I think of "English" blends I think of strong tobacco with leathery liqorice notes like Craven or lakeland essence like Condor. I wont make that mistake again.

Tin note smells identical to Dunhill London Mixture. i.e. like taking a whiff of creosote from a lit chimney stack. Nothing resembling tobacco at all. Once cracked, the tin stinks out the whole room, like a smoky woodburner, even while closed. Thankfully the awful charred-wood smell of what I now know to be Latakia does not translate much into the smoke.

First light is like the taste one gets when vomiting a little into the mouth and swallowing it again, only stronger. Then a very slight honey like flavour before the taste of clove 'herbal' cigarettes and overwhelming perique pepper kicks in.

I was astonished to not be able to taste anything resembling tobacco at all, just cloves, pepper and hot air with no body or tobaccoeyness whatsoever. Totally not what I was expecting. Whoever it was that said it reminds him of cheap communist bloc cigarettes was right.

The first tobacco of the many tobaccos I have tried to ever ghost my briar, even the mighty Condor didn't. Borkum whiskey made it sour, but didnt really ghost it as such. Everything tastes like white pepper and cloves now. Will have to salt it.

If you want to try an "English" or Latakia blend I would recommend getting a small sample from a fellow piper before paying for a whole tin.

To each their own, but I think you all who like this type of thing are out of your minds lol 🙂 Its like taking a half pint of lager, diluting it in a gallon of water, then adding a pound each of charcoal, cloves and pepper, and calling it beer.