Samuel Gawith Balkan Flake

I find that I am very pleased with this blend. I left it sealed in the tin for the first three months, and then opened it for inspection. Excellent dried fruit aroma (dates and/or plums), but too moist to smoke as it was. Sealed it up for another month in a mason jar, and finally opened it again and used cutting board and knife to cut the flakes into small 1/4 inch squares. Have smoked it twice now - both times - taking enough for a bowl or two out in the morning, rubbing it out and leaving it to dry in a safe place during the day. Evening finds it - just right - slightly moist and still fragrant, and easy to light when packed loosely. Chewy smoke, hints of cocoa and some spice (actually reminds me of G&H's Bob's Chocolate Flake but with the spice added for an extra bit of enjoyable flavor). No big vitamin N kick - and just a hint of latakia in the smoke - easy to taste the sugars in the virginias. Yes, I will buy and jar up some more of this! Recommended.

Very moist and really requires rubbing out the flakes for a reasonable lighting effort. Otherwise, forget it and make sure your lighter is re-fueled first.

There is less Latakia in BF than in Commonwealth Mixture, but they are about the same in effect. The difference is that BF is spicier, even darker and a little less complex than the slightly complex CM. BF reinforces my opinion about pressing tobaccos. Flavors meld and deepen by pressing and whether you want those effects are just a matter of taste.

BF is very cool and probably a reliable blend for those who like abundant condiment leaf. Not sure where I go with this, but I really did enjoy it. I think I'll stick with CM and Old Ironsides, though there's nothing wrong with Balkan Flake.

This is a fine blend! I don't go mental with English blends but this one is good! I have no idea why they call it Balkan? I thought they should call Balkan a blend with north Greek orientals (where I come from actually). Anyway, i have bought it twice and I will buy it again!

This is a nice change of pace tobacco. As others have noted it is a one note wonder. To me that can be very pleasant at times. Certainly not a Balkan, but it is very well made. I find I use this as more of a blending tobacco, to tone down the oriental influence that overloads so many English blends.

Is it a Balkan? Who cares. If you buy this you get a soft, well balanced blend of Virginias and Latakia, smoother and sweeter than even a mild English, with a nicotine wallop. Probably the most complex of all the Gawith blends I've tried -- the only one to which I'd apply the word "subtle." Plenty of flavor, but gentle. Like most Gawith blends, it doesn't evolve that much as you go down the bowl. Unlike most Gawith blends, it comes damp from the tin (PG?) and needs some drying to avoid the gurgles. That said, it rubs easily into thick ribbons and with right pack stays lit even fresh from the tin.

As for price (mentioned in some reviews), I'd say that Gawith is by far the best bargain out there for high-end (non-drugstore) tobacco; less than half of what a Pease or Butera charges, and it's good stuff.

10/14/2006 I received my tin of Samuel Gawith's Balkan Flake yesterday. Inside the tin, I found 2 stacks of flakes about 3 inches long and about an inch wide. The flakes were tightly packed but pliable. I folded a flake, loaded it in my pipe, and let it air for about an hour. Once I was satisfied with the moisture level, I put match to pipe. Balkan Flake lit easily, burned cool and clean with only the occasional tamp, and left a dry pipe. I experienced no tongue bite and no gurgle from excess moisture. No one tobacco dominated the blend, but everything melded together to produce a flavorful smoke and a happy pipester. Balkan Flake, IMHO, is a good blend for the LAtakia lover, as well as the Va or Va/Per smoker looking for an occasional change of pace. Balkan Flake would also be a good introductory blend for the new pipester or the aromatic smoker looking for real tobacco flavor without being overpowered.

02/12/2007 This is quickly becoming my "go to" blend. The more I smoke this, the more I want more. Just ordered a pound, my first bulk order of Balkan Flake. I'll do an update if the bulk version is different from the tinned version.

02/18/2007 Wow, I didn't think it was possible, but the bulk Balkan Flake is even more enjoyable than the tinned version. This is going to be my "go-to" blend for a long time to come. Cool smoking, easy to load and light (after very little drying time), no gurgle, no excess moisture, and a fine ash. The folks at Samuel Gawith have a great blend here, IMHO.

A lovely tobacco, this stuff will appeal to both smokers of Latakia, and fans of dark flake tobacco.

The cut is fairly thin sliced, which allows a lot of control over the consistency it is smoked at, but it doesnt really matter as it does with pure VA- you could smoke this dry as a bone and crumled to dust, it still wouldn't bite. It smells splendid in the tin.

The flavour is an interesting change of pace from the more traditional English Mixtures- instead of that musty, dry, spicey body from the orientals, the Latakia here is supported by the full, slightly sweet taste of stoved Virginias. It is like Best Brown, but with Latakia! The latakia taste is quite full, I was expecting it to be lighter, but this does not in anyway dissappoint me! I think the richness of the VA really brings out the depth in the latakia.

The aroma is very pleasant,although quite strong. This is a lovely smoke when out walking, or spending an autumn evening at the pub.

Not too many balkan flakes out there, are there? Is this a real balkan? I'm not sure. Lovely texture, sort of like humid slices of tender bbq'd pulled pork.... er... maybe better to think of it as a dark tobacco flake... Easy to rub out, fairly thin and easy to work with. I smoke it in a small Colm Magner rusticated squat tomato.

Comes a bit moist, so dry it for a few minutes near the fireplace in an open cigarello tin or something like that. It burns cooly, and has a richness that virginia flakes don't offer. Not overwhelmingly balkan, but more on the mild side. Doesn't have any oriental components to give extra depth, but good as it is. Not a bad room note, but it is a latakia blend in the end Try a tin, you may just enjoy it. Gawith is a good house...

You open the can and you smell smoky latakia. You massage the flake to a manageable configuration and gently push it into a small briar (billiard or dublin). Touch it off and you are delightfully surprised. It does not burn you. It is very subtle in flavor and it is so cool smoking it is almost cold. You would swear there is a touch of menthol. It does not have any deep stuff, it just burns and delivers. I still haven't put it in a big pipe, but I think it would do fine. I smoke it 1-2 times a week. If I could smoke at work it would be used more often. Nice change of pace from all the soapy stuff you can find in Northern England.