Samuel Gawith Firedance Flake
(2.69)
Developed with one of the U.S.A.'s lady smokers, FireDance is Our Best Brown 6" Flake subtly flavoured with a combination of blackberry, brandy and vanilla. The smoke is a mild, cool experience with the blackberry the predominant flavour, the brandy in the background and rounded off with the vanilla. A mild and fruity smoke with the strength of Best Brown and a very pleasing room aroma.
Details
| Brand | Samuel Gawith |
| Blended By | Samuel Gawith |
| Manufactured By | Samuel Gawith |
| Blend Type | Aromatic |
| Contents | Virginia |
| Flavoring | Blackberry, Brandy, Vanilla |
| Cut | Flake |
| Packaging | 50 grams tin, bulk |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Mild to Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Medium
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
2.69 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 131 - 140 of 140 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 13, 2020 | Mild | Mild to Medium | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Contrary to what you might think being a Samuel Gawith mix, when I opened the tin the flakes were quite dry. It was summer and after a few days they all broke and I had a tin full of Firedance's broken flake with no need to rub or crumble. The pipe got overheated when i smoked it the first few times and I had to hydrate the tobacco to get it back. All this despite the fact that I bought it in my tobacconist and the tin came wrapped in a bag to pressurize it. I deduced that it was a precaution of the tobacconist due to the already known deficiencies of the cans of this brand at that time. With a tin of Chocolate Flake from the same brand that I bought at the same time, something similar happened to me.
Once hydrated, the tobacco is an aromatic with reminiscences of blackberry, quite soft, but it does not convince me. They say the base is Best Brown Virginias, which is one of my favorite SG tobaccos. I cannot affirm or deny it, since in most of the aromatic (and this is not an exception) I am not able to appreciate the tobacco under the topping, although in this topping is not too strong.
I will not repeat the purchase but I understand that there are people who might like it, so it is up to each one to try it and then judge for himself.
02/12/2023: Nearly three years later I find myself in the right spirit to give Firedance another try, optimistically hoping to include what's left of tin in my rotation. I load a low capacity Chacón (optimistic yes but also prudent) and with all my good will I turn it on. But reality is stubborn and the bad experience is repeated, in addition to beginning to notice that my tongue is beginning to suffer, with the consequent risk that it will prevent me from enjoying the rest of the day with other pipes. So I empty my pipe halfway and say goodbye to this tobacco, as I'm not willing to be a martyr for science. I think that maybe with a filter it would work better but why bother with a large number of tobaccos that I can easily enjoy?
Once hydrated, the tobacco is an aromatic with reminiscences of blackberry, quite soft, but it does not convince me. They say the base is Best Brown Virginias, which is one of my favorite SG tobaccos. I cannot affirm or deny it, since in most of the aromatic (and this is not an exception) I am not able to appreciate the tobacco under the topping, although in this topping is not too strong.
I will not repeat the purchase but I understand that there are people who might like it, so it is up to each one to try it and then judge for himself.
02/12/2023: Nearly three years later I find myself in the right spirit to give Firedance another try, optimistically hoping to include what's left of tin in my rotation. I load a low capacity Chacón (optimistic yes but also prudent) and with all my good will I turn it on. But reality is stubborn and the bad experience is repeated, in addition to beginning to notice that my tongue is beginning to suffer, with the consequent risk that it will prevent me from enjoying the rest of the day with other pipes. So I empty my pipe halfway and say goodbye to this tobacco, as I'm not willing to be a martyr for science. I think that maybe with a filter it would work better but why bother with a large number of tobaccos that I can easily enjoy?
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 01, 2020 | Mild | Mild | Mild | Pleasant |
I am not sure where to start with this one! I want to like it, I really want to like it but some how I can't quite get there. Just on looks and tin aroma alone it deserves to be loved but for me that might be the problem. The flakes are lovely in both colour and presentation. Neat but slightly rustic not too perfect. Tin note is sublime, soft, fruity and fresh, almost edible, the promise is so great that it is a little hard to live up to. I have made my way through a whole tin in 6 weeks before writing this review and smoked it in three different pipes in an attempt to give it a fair crack of the whip! To me this flake has a slightly sweet and sour edge to it that is not unpleasant but fails to deliver on what the tin nose promised, the underlying tobacco flavour is of good quality and is enjoyable to smoke but then so are many other flakes and in here lays my problem. It is not that this is a bad flake it just does not stand out enough, the addition of the flavouring has not lifted it enough for me I'm afraid.
To sum up not a bad flake at all but that said I have never had a bad flake from Sam yet! Some how though not the mind blowing experience I was hoping for.
To sum up not a bad flake at all but that said I have never had a bad flake from Sam yet! Some how though not the mind blowing experience I was hoping for.
Pipe Used:
small bowl briar, chacom calabash ,plumpton poker
PurchasedFrom:
My smoking shop
Age When Smoked:
New
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jun 28, 2013 | Mild to Medium | Mild to Medium | Mild to Medium | Very Pleasant |
I have just finished a 25g pouch of loose tobacco and I was pleasantly suprised as to how good it was. It arrived relatively moist but was easy to keep lit and was great for a long and relaxing smoke.
The flakes were very thin and rubbed out well. Overall an easy, if somewhat different smoke.
The flakes were very thin and rubbed out well. Overall an easy, if somewhat different smoke.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Dec 26, 2012 | Medium to Strong | Mild to Medium | Mild to Medium | Very Pleasant |
A very nice smoke very slow burning with no bite great in a large pipe it has a very pleasant room note the blackberry comes through very well
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Apr 23, 2012 | Mild to Medium | Medium | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Initial tasting reminded me of Lakeland florals, but it dissipated quickly into a fairly pleasant berry-ish flavor. All in all, a pleasant enough smoke.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Mar 15, 2011 | Mild to Medium | Mild to Medium | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
Cotton....brandy???
Yup, reminds me of cotton candy. I like cotton candy, so no problems there.
A quality VA, mildly topped. Can be nippy, but not if you take your time. I enjoyed every last flake.
I would love to find a way to rate this, and other Lakeland scented flakes critically in relation to each other, but I seem to like them all! They all fit my original notion of what I thought an aromatic would taste like. Tobacco, mainly. While I prefer all day weed to be untopped, any of the scented versions make great changes of pace for me...Firedance included. Maybe one day I'll have an epiphany, or grow a discerning palate one. Until that time, I rate Firedance Flake the same as its brethren...
Three tasty stars.
Yup, reminds me of cotton candy. I like cotton candy, so no problems there.
A quality VA, mildly topped. Can be nippy, but not if you take your time. I enjoyed every last flake.
I would love to find a way to rate this, and other Lakeland scented flakes critically in relation to each other, but I seem to like them all! They all fit my original notion of what I thought an aromatic would taste like. Tobacco, mainly. While I prefer all day weed to be untopped, any of the scented versions make great changes of pace for me...Firedance included. Maybe one day I'll have an epiphany, or grow a discerning palate one. Until that time, I rate Firedance Flake the same as its brethren...
Three tasty stars.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jun 03, 2010 | Medium | Medium to Strong | Medium | Very Pleasant |
Gee, this lady (from the USA no less) must spend her time at the local dump plinking rats with a 22, when she is not in the trailer. Subtle this is not, it is heavily cased and needs a metal tin or glass jar to contain the blackberry smell. Six plies of plastic will not do it. Overpowering, and like number 44 (43 was a Bush), an embarrassment.
The flakes in my bulk sample look like the contents of the bags the dog owners in our gated community carry. Wet, sticky and not visually appealing. If you are used to the perfect flakes in a tin of Orlik Golden Slices, these are going to be a real let down.
Perhaps if I were "Two Years Before the Mast" (by RH Dana), and had the smoking lamp lit once each month, this blend might be enjoyable. To those of us with the finest tobacco in the world available, this is a curiosity only.
I might enjoy the underlying best brown flake, but this topping is terrible. It starts out very sweet and becomes cloying quickly. The blackberry smell is like a cooked Pop Tart. Try it outdoors first, in a cob, then if you don't like it you can trash the pipe and the memories. If you exhale through your nose it will stay with you for at least a day. It does not leave the pipe.
Worst of all, the flakes need drying out. However the smell is so strong it stinks up the whole area. I tried putting some flakes out in the garage but they attracted cock roaches. I am going to send my 4 ounces to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for Christmas, that place is full of cock roaches and thieves, so they should enjoy it.
The flakes in my bulk sample look like the contents of the bags the dog owners in our gated community carry. Wet, sticky and not visually appealing. If you are used to the perfect flakes in a tin of Orlik Golden Slices, these are going to be a real let down.
Perhaps if I were "Two Years Before the Mast" (by RH Dana), and had the smoking lamp lit once each month, this blend might be enjoyable. To those of us with the finest tobacco in the world available, this is a curiosity only.
I might enjoy the underlying best brown flake, but this topping is terrible. It starts out very sweet and becomes cloying quickly. The blackberry smell is like a cooked Pop Tart. Try it outdoors first, in a cob, then if you don't like it you can trash the pipe and the memories. If you exhale through your nose it will stay with you for at least a day. It does not leave the pipe.
Worst of all, the flakes need drying out. However the smell is so strong it stinks up the whole area. I tried putting some flakes out in the garage but they attracted cock roaches. I am going to send my 4 ounces to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for Christmas, that place is full of cock roaches and thieves, so they should enjoy it.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jun 18, 2009 | Mild to Medium | Medium | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
I purchased a sample of this a few years ago. When I first took it for a spin, I found it to be wet, bitey and over cased. My wife loved the room note. Not all bad. Enter today.... This sample has about 3 years of age on it. It grew those nice "crystals" that sweeter tobaccos can develope. I dried some for a couple of hours and all I have to say is WOW! Age is good for some blends, GREAT for this one. Age it, dry it, smoke it, love it. This blend rewrites the book on what an aromatic can and should be. The VA's shine through, the casing is subdued and married well with the Best Brown. If you like Best Brown, and are in the mood for an aromatic, give this one a try. I plan on adding a half dozen tins to my cellar.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Feb 10, 2009 | Mild to Medium | Medium | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Best Brown by itself does not agree with my tongue, but this blackberry brandy and vanilla topping sure takes the sting out of it while adding a unique flavor when combined with the unique taste of the flake. Perhaps not something that I would smoke daily simply because of other preferences, but a good tobacco as evidenced by the many positive reviews of real pipe smokers.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Oct 24, 2008 | Mild to Medium | Medium | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
Smoked a tin of this a while back and must say There wasn't any problems with it.PACK IT AND LET SIT FOR 15 MINUTES(TO AIR OUT?DRY) AND puff away.NO OVERPOWERING aroma, taste,or moisture.Tobacco packed fine, lit well and smoked fine.ALL TOGETHER MY TIN WAS PERFECT,plus the people around me enjoyed the aroma.IF you want a change of pace try this aromatic,you might like it as much I did.
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