Samuel Gawith Balkan Flake

Beautiful, very dark flakes. Intoxicating combined taste of spicy Latakia and cool, sweet dark VAs.

Simply delicious.

We have a winner here. I was most eager to try Gawith's version of a Balkan and am glad to report that it merits a look. And so, on to the finer points. Tin aroma is wettish, not reeking of Latakia(as in say Germain's Special Latakia Flake), but deep and somewhat dark. I wonder if there isn't some humectant involved here as my tin has stayed wet in the summer heat, lid off or on. Rubs out easily, stains your fingers with nico goodness. Initial draw through an unlit pipe is pleasant, a la any Dunhill english, hints at sublimnity to follow. Lightup is a chore unless the leaf is left to dry for an hour or better. Initial flavor is meaty but not too smokey. I must admit i was hoping for more sharpness at the match, a sure sign of oriental leaf lurking....Flavor through the first third of the bowl is straightforward, "woodsy" and showing a serious lack of any oriental play. Perhaps this one is misnamed. Rather routine English thus far. Past the half way mark , we are seeing improvement, but Aperitif is more Balkan in nature than this. Bowls ends easily, no surprises. Hmmm, I decide to switch pipes. Oh, there we go, a lovely oriental blast 3 minutes in, much better. After having consumed the tin through 3 different pipes, I am sold. This is a true Balkan, but quiet in nature. Those seeking an agressive experience needn't stop here. I would recommend smoking at leat 10 bowls before passing judgement, as it seems to show a bias for certain pipes. Subtle and refreshing, but as expected, the room note is not popular with 90 percent of those exposed to it.

My Balkan Sobranie just ran out, so I tried John Aylesbury Latkia Blend (which is great) and this lovely Balkan Flake which was recommended by Shervingtons (337 High Holborn, WC1. Tel: 020 7405 2929)

Opening the 50g tin, the smell is everything tobacco should be, it is lovely.

The taste is quite flat,not spicy, but very pleasant and very relaxing. Easy to smoke 2 pipes in a row.

This Balkan Flake is beautiful, there is no bite and is a smooth,cool smoke. It is best rubbed and stays alight easily. There is quite a lot of smoke, but very plesant to inhale and doesn't cling to the room the next day.

The tin says 'Deliciously Cool' - It IS

This will be one of my regulars.

17.5.2004, I have now decided that the balkan flake in jar Shervingtons (337 High Holborn, WC1. Tel: 020 7405 2929) supply their Balkan Flake and this is the best I have tried. It is truly great. Better than all the other tinned or prepacked. at c.£17 75g it is quite expensive, but worthit.. It is a cool, lovely tasting smoke- highly recommended. If you want to give up cigarettes, this is the best way. Smoking a pipe is a million times more enjoyable, but not as convinient. Don't inhale and you will feel the benefits.

I have smoked cigars when going out, usually R&J 3 or 2 or cohiba siglo IV, but at home to save money , think that the Shervingtons balkan flake is wonderful. I normally get my cigars from spain , 3 box of 25 per yr., but at home, the pipe is best and more relaxing. I am 37 and dont feel comfortable with pipe in public.

My favourite pipe is the Savinelli 603 with balsa Shervingtons have the best selection in london of such pipes. They also have the best selection i have seen of tobaccos. Smith & son at charring cross road are also good. Leister sq tube

So let me start by stating that I am not sufficiently versed in Balkans and English-style mixtures. I am familiar enough, and at this point, after 13 or so years, would consider myself a somewhat seasoned pipe smoker. This is unlike anything I've encountered, and I'm here for it. This might be a new favorite. The flake is dark amd shaggy. As with all Gawith flakes I've encountered, it's a tad moist, so some drying out a bit before smoking wouldn't hurt. However, this one doesn't seem to have had any moisture or flavor added (if there is, I can't tell) so it smokes fine right from the tin but may require more relights throughout your session...and it will be a full session. This is not a smoke for a quick puff, or for that matter, while occupying yourself with tasks. It's not because it's too strong or heady, but because you'd be doing yourself a disservice and robbing yourself of the enjoyment SG Balkan Flake brings. This is that high-grade goodgood tobacco. Full, complex but balanced, cool, and uniform. Its flavor is already full and rich from first light, and only intensifies and opens as it burns. Balkan Flake is intensely smoky and woodsy, with tons of Latakia flavor, almost like cedar or mesquite. The hefty Lat-quotient balances and soothes the full, mahogany Virginias that would otherwise prove aggressive and spicy. Lastly, the oriental selections lend this a peaty, grassy quality, that rounds it all out into a perfect triangle-each leg bracing the others to comprise a strong, cohesive, and balanced structure. This symphonic melange makes for a silky, supple smoke full of character. It's a sweet, dark, sumptuous smoke that fully coats the pallate to whisks you off your feet. Imagine sitting in your favorite leather wingback lounger with a glass of 25 year single-malt scotch with a good book-on a chilly, drizzly night, with nothing but a crackling fireplace and your slippers to warm your bones. And silk pajamas. And your faithful hunting hound curled at your feet, undoubtedly dreaming of chasing rabbits while embracing the bone you gave him from the crown roast you had for dinner earlier served to you by your steadfast butler... Now remember that it's not 1890, you're not Lord Grantham, and you're not in a beautiful manor in the English countryside. Sounds like a bummer, right? Light a bowl of this in your favorite pipe, and you'll come close. Sit back and watch the day's troubles whisp away in a thick cloud of bliss like the Lords and Earls and Dukes of old. Treat 'yoself.

Everything that could be wrong with pipe tobacco was put in that blend: extremely moist (need to change 3 charcoal filters while smoking or 1 ml of liquid in the humidome of my falcon after smoking!), vapid taste, extremely hard to light (constantly need relighting), tongue biting. The smell is ok. I wanted to try something balcan and this was the only one a tabacconist had. Very disappointing, however, accordingly to other reviewers, this blend is too far from what is called the balcan mix.

As the description says, it's a medium strength smoke that is smokey and delicious. The Virginia and Latakia used are top shelf. I highly recommend it.

I’ve had this blend fresh, and have some that’s been aging since 2013. Both taste about the same to me. The flakes are small, sopping wet, and sliced thick. For me at least, it’s a huge struggle to keep any of Samuel Gawith’s flakes going for more than a few minutes. I’ve dried them till they crumble to dust, and they still won’t keep lit. It tastes good, but It’s not worth the effort.

If you like Samuel and Gawith Full Virginia flake and enjoy latakia you will really enjoy this tobacco, especially once it has some age on it to sweeten the virginia up.

I have no recollection of ever smoking this blend. At our recent NASPC show I bought some various tins from a gentleman and he gave me this five ounce bulk amount of preserved(?) Samuel Gawith Balkan Flake in a quart Mason jar. The question mark relates to it's relatively dry state of preservation; not bone dry, but pretty well dried into an immediate smoking condition. Fortunately, the batch seemed to still have a sufficient quantity of essential oils and flavorings to render it smokable. There aren't that many known Balkan flakes, as some reviewers have noted, but I have smoked some over the years and this one seems a little light. Not very complex by it's formula, I knew it reminded me of something. When I read reviewer comments comparing it to SG's Commonwealth, I knew that that was it. Like most blends with this Latakia and Virginia formula, it smokes in a narrow range of tastes and aromas. I found the top third to be a little soft on taste and aroma with a heftier middle third that had some backbone to it. This middle third smoked at a three star level that, with a little nudge from somewhere, could have approached four stars. The bottom third, though stronger, was a little less tasty. Of the many reviews of this blend, I feel most in common with reviewer Stinkypipe 2017-01-14 and share his sentiments exactly; it was ok but left me wanting more - three stars.