Samuel Gawith Firedance Flake

As I understand it, this blend is based on Best Brown Flake and then "subtly flavoured with a combination of Blackberry, Brandy and Vanilla."

If that means they have transformed a lovely tobacco into an unspeakable, sickly concoction then I agree.

The big question I would ask of the creators of this aberration is: "Why?"

Avoid.

One of the best tin notes ever, but unfortunately, like msot aromatics, it does not translate into the smoke. Like all SG blends, comes far too wet to smoke. Even after airing it out for a month it is still too wet. I am beginning to think the 'quality' perceived in SG tobaccos comes from the waxiness imparted by the propylene glycol/humectant it is slathered with - up to 20 percent of the tobacco weight in my estimate - which can't be good for you. Considering the price of tobacco in New Zealand ($50-60USD for 50g) this is a damn ripoff and the main reason I will not be going back to SG.

I eventually decided to wrap the tin in foil and bung it in the oven for a couple of hours at 90c. The flakes darkened considerably and turned from waxy to stiff. The tin note became even nicer. Although still very moist, it smoked beautifully without constant relighting and I could actually taste the topping to the bottom of the bowl. In this state, it was perhaps the best aromatic I have ever smoked. Toasty brown flake married perfectly with blackberry pie. Unfortunately this did not last long (one bowl) and it reverted back to its original self i.e. tasteless, once cooled.

Even when sipped, which can only be done after baking, after the true light, it tastes like a medium quality brown flake with plain white sugar casing.

If SG cased this tobacco with the blackberry instead of a light topping (why do blenders do that?) and removed the unnecessary humectant, it would be 4 stars material.

Please SG and other blenders, stop trying to please non-aromatic smokers who only smoke aromatics to draw attention to themselves or please non-smokers, and who dont actually like the taste of aromatics.

A true navy flake!

My 2 oz. sample, after opening the air tight wrapper looked, smelled, and even felt almost like candy. Fortunately it did not smoke that sweet. It did smoke a little wet, so a pipe cleaner is useful, as well as a system pipe or one that passes the pipe cleaner test. Now it's not that wet mind you.

After several days it became more managable. I found that folded strips of flake did not burn well; I had to fully rub out this blend for it to burn evenly in the pipe.

It is definitely an aromatic, but it is not that sweet. At times it tastes as much like sipping blackberry brandy as smoking pressed virginia. I didn't taste the vanilla or blackberry much, but there is some spirit essence blended in. Some natural virginia also breaks through to the taste buds.

This blend is based on SG's Best Brown (medium cooked virginia with some sweetener). However, the brandy essence distinguishes it from Best Brown -- FDF has more of a liquor smoothness to it, when smoked slowly. Best Brown is simplier than this one, but BB did start out a bit hot for me. This one is cooler. McClelland's Navy Flake, in comparison, has less liquor appeal to it.

It is more subdued in the latter part of the smoke. It is not a blend to rush (less it could bite), so you best smoke it slowly. It found it smoked smoother in a medium pipe than a small one.

Maybe too light for an aromatic die hard. (I found SG's Kendal Cream Flake sweeter and rounder.) A crossover blend of sorts (virginian flake to aromatic). I found blends like Peterson's Irish Whiskey easier to cope with. Still some like this new blend, and I applaud the effort to introduce a true navy flake to an American audience. If you crave a bit of liquor in your tabak, and have the patience to deal with the flakes, this may be it for you. Not bad; not bad at all.

The room aroma is wonderful!

Initial post-smoke review

An aromatic that has a great tobacco & aroma flavor is something I have never satisfactorily experienced, though I have tried. Firedance Flake isn't it, but it isn't bad.

The pouch aroma is off-putting, like a bottle of blackberry brandy. If it smoked like it smelled in the pouch, it would be disastrous. But it doesn't. When smoked, the top flavorings almost disappear, so fans of Blue Note and other heavily-cased aromatics may be disappointed.

I love Best Brown Flake, upon which Firedance is based. Occasionally, a flash of Best Brown occurs here, when puffing VERY slowly and carefully, with tiny sips; and on some of those occasional flashes, the blackberry and vanilla toppings compliment the tobacco. Most of the time, though, the toppings and the tobacco flavor diminish the other. (all of my personal attempts to mix great tobacco with nice aromatics have produced the same results). BBF's hay-like quality and brown sugar sweetness are muted here, and that is a loss. The promise of the toppings in the lovely room aroma are not met in the taste. The tobacco also causes some tongue-bite, but I can live with that. What remains is a decent tobacco with brief flashes of brilliance.

I will smoke my 4 oz of Firedance without regret, but I do not plan to re-stock.

(Please note: As with any tobacco, this is just my opinion; and is in no way reflective of the creators of this blend).

I just can't seem to smoke this stuff. Even when dried to a crisp my tongue is burned by the time I finish the charring light. Just doesn't agree with my mouth chemistry and it's as simple as that. I am sorely disappointed at Fire dance is one of my favorite Snuffs and I was hoping to recapture some of that joy in the pipe as well.

Beneath the overwhelming bite I taste what seems to be a well balanced sweet Virginia (nice hay, bread, & tangy citrus), the topping is very faint but leaves a nice bit of berry, but is nowhere near the level of complexity in the snuff (or it could just be my palate). Reminds me much of Peterson's university flake, but milder in body and much milder in nicotine.

Somehow Samual Gawith tobaccos and my pipes (ahum, me) don't get along very well (the only exception so far is Cabbies mixture wich is excellent!). Firedance flake is no exception. Difficult to light up, difficult to keep burning. I don't like the taste, not even sure what its supposed to taste like. Don't get me wrong i am not saying this is a bad tobacco, but i have tasted far better. And yes i have given the tobacco time to dry. Well maybe i am doing something wrong seeing all these very positive reviews on this tobacco.

This was the second time I got a S.G. tin with a paper finger puppet inside. All kidding aside, I assume they all have this now to help add pressure to the tobacco for storing - I dunno. The open tin wasn't what I would call Blackberry, Brandy, nor Vanilla , more so it was their Lakeland spice with some berry infused sweetness, riding atop some Virginia (sweet hay) vapors. It reminded me of their Hansom Flake with a squirt of juice.

The flake was very soft from light dampness, and coupled with it's density, you impatient smokers ought to give it moment to dry out first, or else you will be joining me on a long initial light (the Firedance). Some time later I caught my first full puff, it was less Aromatic than the unlit product and packed a solid medium nicotine blast. The Lakeland essence wasn't as "soapy" as their other brews, yet add a kind of spice that hid some of the Virginia flavor.

This flake was a strange beast. Certainly not a dessert Aromatic as the advertised flavors would suggest, nor were the so subdued enough to just be a slightly juiced Virginia, so I can't say who this would appeal to. I didn't hate it, but it wasn't worth the time to keep relighting it to really care.

This is my first venture with SG and with a Flake. The tin note was quite sweet and the flakes are moist. Not being familiar with the process of drying it out, I took a strip from the tin, folded it up and stuffed it in my pipe. After four matches I got a good char. I tamped, lit one more match and it’s still lit after about 20 min. This is a full flavored Virginia. The berry flavor comes out but not over powering. The flavoring compliments the tobacco so well. It’s a slow burn and a cool one. I have NOT experienced a bite at all. This will definitely be in my Aromatic rotation from now on.

Delightful tobacco! A bit of molasses/licorice together with a playful fruity aroma of blackberry on a background of real stoved tobacco taste.

Very enticing tin aroma. Rubs out easily and burns slow and evenly but needs some drying. Mild to medium strength, no chance of bite here.

A top quality aromatized tobacco which although more playfully scented than your typical Lakeland, does not lack anything in quality. If it were not for the blackberry aroma I’d compare Firedance with Germain’s Rich Dark Flake (some say similar to Stonehaven). This is how good I think it is… And apart from Lakelands this is surely the best aromatic I've ever smoked.

I do not find the tobacco similar to Best Brown Flake though, neither visually nor in taste. P.S. Just a small amount of Firedance to an English blend makes a very nice combination!! Something similar to Esoterica's And So To Bed.