Samuel Gawith Navy Flake

SG Navy Flake - The Virginias are very fruity and tangy . I get a little citrus at times and some very minor hay and grass . I get some smokey bbq from the Latakia . There is a little bit of spice in this blend . The Rum is perfectly applied and with the Virginias give it that fruity plum sweetness. Rum goes great with Virginia tobacco for me . I bought in bulk and aged only 6 mths . I only dried it maybe 20 minutes from the jar . Smokes great fairly moist . Lots of deep rich flavor . Most SG blends need a year or so of age for me but this one I think can be probably smoked fresh . Nicotine is mild-medium . Highly recommend

In Navy Flake, I recognize the same noble Virginia Leaf which makes the base of other Samuel Gawith's grand flakes like Best Brown, Full Virginia, Balkan and St. James. Each of those blends plays a variation of the same base leaf with a different seasoning. In this case the seasoning condiments are Rum & Latakia. Latakia is blended in so masterfully you barely notice its presence in the mixture. However it's definitely there adding a subtle and unique flavour note to the blend. Would you believe Latakia and Rum could be happily married together? Neither me. And still Samuel Gawith managed to arrange such an unlikely marriage with a great success.

As much of a dreamer I am, I fail to stretch my imagination far enough to associate this light, sweet and soothing blend with "howling winds and beating sails" pictured in the advertising. When the bloody winds do bloody howl and the bloody sails do bloody beat the last thing you fancy is a puff of a cute sweet light low-nicotine blend. (You'd rather need some bloody chewing rope like XX Black). Navy Flake is definitely an indoor smoke.

It's the lightest of all Sam Gawith's flakes. It's about as weak as Best Brown Flake. But it's way better than the BBF because its' much fuller flavour perfectly balances the low Nicotine level. Sometimes you just need a low-octane tobacco for a change of pace. It's not so easy to find a light tobacco which is good enough. And Navy Flake is the best of the lightest and the lightest of the best.

If you like other blends made of the signature Sam Gawith's Virginia Leaf you will love this blend too. Bloody Recommended.

You do not have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that this is Samuel Gawith Balkan Supreme with a rum topping which makes this a perfect tobacco. This has all of the high-quality ingredients as the other SG blends with a little more flavor. Exactly what this guy was looking for. Fun to smoke and smell. I was lucky enough to get an older box from Iwan Ries and to my delight, upon opening there were long lines of plume following the layers of the flake. With age, it had developed a stronger flavor which makes me think that SG blends may be great candidates for aging based on the generally mild flavors of their fresh tins. Some list the Navy Flake as aromatic because of the rum topping but this tobacco will leave only mild ghosting and only when smoked over and over in the same pipe which will quickly go away like a non-aromatic with a strong casing thanks to the balance created with the Latakia. This is one of my first favorite flakes and I have only recently moved on to more fuller flavored spicier blends. Every tobacco has its time and place and the time and place for this flake is on the water. Another appropriately named tobacco by SG.

Another cracking flake from the Gawith collection and for me anyway comes out on top of their 1792 flake and just below their Virginia flake. The Latakia content must be very small and thank God for that I say as it allows the Virginia to take centre stage with the hint of rum unobtrusively following on in the wings. Yes it is a bit moist so rub some out and leave aside for a wee while before filling your pipe and lighting. A good smoke for any time of the day......not strong not weak.

OK, OK, OK...now I get what all the fuss is about.

I bought a 50g tin of this at the local Edward's franchise (yes, there still is one in Denver) from all of the favorable reviews I've read on it. I like Latakia, so this seemed a no-brainer to try. Brought it home and rubbed out a couple of flakes right out of the tin. I will admit that I was annoyed, borderline shocked, at how wet it was right out of the tin...it left a gloppy mess in the bottom of the bowl of the pipe I was smoking it in. My initial thought was that I had wasted $14 on a tin of tobacco, but I decided to let it dry out for awhile to see if it might change. After all, I have a ton of tobaccos in my cellar, so what could it hurt to let this one sit for a bit to see what happens??

After reading the advice of another poster in this forum, I let it dry out for three weeks with the top off the tin in my cellar. I then took a couple of flakes and cut them crossways against the grain (per the other poster's advice) so it came out as a cube-cut tobacco, and gravity-loaded it into one of my pipes.

Man-Oh-Man what a difference that made! The sweetness of the Virginias comes shining through with the Latakia keeping everything ultra-cool all the way down the bowl. Highly-recommended, but with a month or so of cellaring before it's really enjoyable. Outstanding quality, but definitely needs some drying/cellaring time before it's at its optimum smoking height.

Although I don't like 'Navy Flakes' as a style, I was curious as to what S.G. would do. If you're looking for a full on, gale force Navy such as C&D Black Frigate, this will be too timid for you. It is sweet and gentle, although the Navy taste is all there. I just don't like that taste, no reflection on the tobacco, which is why I have given it 4 stars.Whatever floats your boat (sorry!)

Fold flakes in half and pack them right out of the tin. Burns cool and smooth. Voluminous plumes of smoke. Flavor is buttery/creamy straight Virginia with enough Latakia to lend a complementary smokiness, without overpowering. Very little flavor or aroma of rum noted. 4*.

Lovely Latakia and rum combo. With the exception of one flake, this tin had the thinnist flakes I've yet to come across, which made for pretty easy lighting despite my using the fold and stuff method. A medium-medium light Latakia blend, balanced nicely with the light rum flavoring. I really enjoyed this.

I rate this flake 4 stars, initially after a few bowls. Latakia is weak, I would say 15%, dark virginia like in brown flake, some rum made in the islands, for what is worth, but not disappointing. Tastes full, not so strong, and I can describe it as a delicious smoke. It is not even a mid-english blend, for me it is just a standalone blend. The Balkan flake is another matter. This is a brown flake with some latakia and rum flavour, maybe. Good, very good. Same problems of lightning and the tobacco need some drying, as in all SG tins, but that's part of the deal with SG.

Update after the first tin: the problem with this good flake is that it does not burn. We all know too well the SG attitude to deliver hard to smoke flakes, but this one beats all of the others. I mean I cannot bear with lighting 20 times the flake to keep it burning, and nothing changed no matter I tried all tricks. It is too pressed, I believe.

Update: by rolling a lot the flake, reducing it to broken flake, the smoke is ok. Lots of moisture nevertheless. But very good all the way.