Samuel Gawith Sam's Flake

Not any blender can combine Oriental and Virginia leaves and come out with such an excellent tobacco. This flake deserves bearing the founder's first name. The merger between peppery Turkish/Oriental and sweet Virginia works and tastes pretty good in this flake. Highly recommended, if you really wish to experience a distinguished flake that resembles nothing and no one but its own unique beauty.

Another very nice tobacco from the Kendal Mayor's collection. The flakes, as it is customary with S&G, do come in different lengths and thickness+ they need some drying time (the moist content is absolutely ridiculous), but they pack quite nicely in your bowl and are easy to crumble. You will find very nice orientals in this blend with spicy/piquant qualities. The flavour is quite rounded with sort of a creamy/buttery flavour to it. As I am smoking it, I get the impression of a well aged tobacco, and seeing those sugar crystals forming will give you the same idea too. The alleged tonquin beans flavouring seems to give this blend sort of a sweetness to it which is quite different from the Virginias but not in a bad way. I am not usually for cased tobaccos, but I guess I will make an exception with this particular one. The smoking experience is quite mellow and I cannot detect any tongue bite at all. Even though this is not a proper VaPer, or a straight Virginia for all that it matters, it is pretty much in line with many Virginia based tobaccos that will fall into those categories. This tobacco will develop different undertones and nuances as you progress in your smoke, but I advise to smoke it slowly so as to not break it. Don't worry if you find yourself relighting it. Just let your tobacco rest for sometime in your bowl and come back to it when your pipe cools down. I don't mean to imply this tobacco will smoke hot, which it doesn't, but I can see how it will benefit from it if you give it a rest every now and then. I don't see any flaws or loose end in this tobacco, so I will give it a 4 star.

Sam's Flake is to me the younger and the weaker brother of the Kendal Cream Deluxe Flake. They are both generously flavored, having that controversial but to me not at all unpleasant floral note so often referred to as the 'Lakeland scent'.

Sam's Flake started as quite an interesting smoke fresh out of the tin, which was aged for 2 years. It does not have that nicotine kick of Kendal Cream, but is strong enough for me to serve as a satisfying evening smoke. Quality virginia which SG is known for, Orientals are barely noticeable, and a casing which clearly stands out.

Gradually though, as it aired out in the open tin, the flake lost practically all of its nice taste that was so pleasant in the beginning, which goes to show that its charm is mostly in its flavoring. Without it, it somehow became almost boring, as opposed to Kendal Cream which seemed only to improve towards the end of the tin.

Somewhat recommended, provided you move it to a jar after opening or smoke it very quickly, as within two weeks it's faded.

I think this is my first blend with the tonquin bean . I really don’t get any vanilla on my palate but a honey casing I would have guessed. Anyways to the tobacco . The Virginias are mellow with a little sweetness and some hay and toasty bread . The orientals are to the lead and I think Smyrna is present as I have been blending with that some lately .The Orientals add some sour and fizz and a little spice and buttery smooth . It has more nic hit than i would have expected , around medium for me . It burns great and slow after drying . I like it a lot . Gawith makes great blends , i hope some will come back around soon . I have a couple different ones in my cellar i am hoping to save a while until I can get some more . They make you want to hoard the hell out of it but I never get the chance to do so . 😆

Once thoroughly dried out this is a really nice smoke.. also, like many gawith blends, completely unique.. not dominated by Virginia, Turkish, or tonquin but a nearly seamless combination of the components.. not a very full virginia.. definitely more light and upper register.. but soft.. the Turkish really comes through if dried out.. and mostly on the back end or through the retrohale. The tonquin is noticeable but never overtakes things as it does in 1792.. fruity, floral, soft.. very pleasant.. curious to try it aged.. this would be a 'mood smoke' for me.. in the same league as regents flake.. but the tonquin definitely sets it apart..

So far, nothing Gawith makes puts chills up & down my spine. Sam's flake is no exception. It's a lovely flake with occasional spots of birdseye & a soft bamboo-like texture. It rubs out into large, spiky strands, though I don't recommend merely folding & packing. It has occasional moments of woodsy taste & nutty aroma, but by the time you recognize it, the pleasure has fleetingly passed, like a hazy dream during a catnap. If you're into flake, don't bother with this. Instead, enjoy the softer, pleasingly aromatic Dunhill Light Flake, the rich, though hot Stokkebye Luxury Twist Flake or the profound & complex McClelland Dark Star. And, if you can find a tin of the no longer imported Troost Slices, indulge in its decadent lusciousness. Gawith is simply too hot & monochromatic to merit time & attention.

One and a half of five stars

When the tin is opened, elongated and irregular flakes appear, as is typical in other blends of this brand, composed of bright and dark virginias, in addition to the oriental ones based on Izmir leaf. The aroma is remarkably fruity and spicy and corresponds to the flavor that we will find during the smoke. It comes very wet and requires a long drying time, in my personal case this time cannot be less than two hours.

The first charge by folding the flake required several re-ignitions despite having allowed it to dry for just over two hours. The experience was better by letting it dry for about four hours and shredding it later, since it is tasty enough so that this operation does not make it lose flavor. Maybe it just softens it a bit.

Of the tobaccos that compose it, the Orientals have the leading role over Virginia, but I very much agree with the user DrumsAndBeer when he says: “However, the primary top-note tastes fruity to me, and somewhat in the realm of Firedance Flake”. Indeed, both in the cold aroma and during the smoke it reminded me a lot of Firedance, but personally I like this tobacco more. In my opinion, the experience when smoking Sam's Flake is that of a slightly aromatic tobacco, although unlike those, here the fruity flavor not only does not disappear but also increases as the smoke progresses, ranging from sweet to salty and often both at the same time.

Although it is a mixture that is smoked smooth and without cloying, it has not seemed to me to smoke it every day because although it is a rich tobacco, its flavor can be somewhat repetitive. In addition, it is convenient to smoke it slowly so that the flavor does not diminish and because this tobacco heats the pipe and can sting the tongue if it is smoked carelessly, regardless of the drying time. These two reasons make me leave my score at three stars, but I think it is a recommended tobacco to intersperse with those of the usual rotation, for from time to time ...

Bloody outstanding stuff, does have a topping that is intoxicating to smell and taste. I adore what SG does with flakes and this is no different. No bite, rich flavor and aroma, smokes incredibly smooth. Very recommended

A very good blend of Virginias and Oriental. You get a rich taste of Virginia, while the Orientals add kick to the experience, just like Perique does in Vapers. The tonquin plays in the background giving the blend an agreeable and subtle flavour. No, it does not have any of the dreaded "soapiness" of Lakelands.

No tongue bite, the tobacco burns evenly (rubbed out), requiring just a few relights. The nic-hit is medium, the taste stays more or less uniform throughout the bowl, with a little bit more spiciness in the last quarter. Virginia fans might miss the grassiness, "citrusiness" and sweetness usually predominant in Virginias.

The blend has performed extremely well in a brand new Ser Jacopo Dublin. However, this might be due to the fortunate choice of pipe (beginner's luck, I guess).

This is a blend that I would rather reserve for the evening (best after dinner), mainly because of the spiciness. But I guess it would be OK as an all day smoke for the experienced smoker.

A very pleasant experience that deserves a four star rating.

Addendum: I packed a Falcon (tall chimney bowl) without rubbing the flake (fold and stuff) and it smoked like a champ without relights. The flakes were stored in a Mason jar and the tobacco was rather dry than moist, and that might have been the reason, though. No difference in taste when compared to rubbing out.