Samuel Gawith Sam's Flake

An interesting flake which I would say is SG take on Condor but more sophisticated. But that initial taste when lit reminds me of the early days when I smoked Condor but don't be put off by that. Sam's Flake has the good points of Condor without any of the bad ones, I really quite like it. I was attracted to trying this flake because it was supposed to be a Turkish blend but the Turkish note is minimal. I have just enjoyed 100 gram of SG Skiff Mixture which has a notable Turkish and Oriental taste with Latikia. This does not compare to Skiff and is a totally different experience. I would say, an old school English dark pressed Virginia with a slightly heady heather note mingled with a hint of St Bruno and Condor. A good mild mannered all day smoke which performs well in the great outdoors.

I am now into my third tin of this wonderfully even mannered tobacco and, do you know, I think this is going to be my favourite. I cannot fault it, it is also readily available at my local tobacconists in Leeds (Greens of Leeds). In fact the MD of SG was visiting Paul at Greens today.

One myth I should like to dispel and one which I think should be looked at by the forum and that is concerning room note designation. There is no such thing as a pleasant room note and the term is a misnomer. Most most pipe smokers are quite happy in the company of other pipe smokers and tolerate whatever each other is smoking. Non smokers, on the other hand find ALL tobacco distasteful and offensive which I can totally understand so to think that there are brands out there which non smokers will find pleasant is very misleading.

Update- Another reviewer commented on the variety in the thickness of the flakes which I something I have noticed and although I gather this tobacco is cut into flakes on a machine and I am mindful of the operators fingers I am not sure it rubs up very well. I am not sure what they can do but I will contact them to see if they can improve this. Sam's Flake, however has now become my main tobacco, I really find it very very good

Update 2- Regarding the unevenness of flake thickness I duly received a phone call from SG. They informed me that the machine they use is over a 100 years old and sometimes it misses a gear resulting in thick flates. OK this is the problem but it is not my problem and it is up to the manufacturer to address it's problems and come up with solutions for it's consumers. They did not offer to replace the faulty flakes which I thought was a poor show. Anyway, I will persevere and buy more of this flake but if the problem continues I shall move to a different manufacturer.

Update 3- just bought two more tins of Sam's Flake. Same thick flake problem experienced earlier which SG said they were aware of and had corrected so I am afraid it is goodbye Samuel Gawith. I just cannot imagine that tobacco companies can afford to loose customers this easy

Ok, this is my time to rant a little bit about the quality control at SG, for this experience happens alot with SG flakes. I got a flake in this tin that had to be 1/8 of an inch thick! Conversely, some were as thin as shaved ham. At first I didn't know what to do with the damn thing...should I get out my pocket knife and whittle some off of this loaf? Well I finally got it "rubbed" out and loaded up. You get what you pay for and It's not the most expensive tin, yet it costs enough to me. You guys at SG really need to work on this...its not frickin' rocket science..cut the flakes evenly dammit!

On to the review.

This flake was quite unremarkable. It didn't have a bothersome aroma or taste due to the casing, but it really just did nothing for me. The addition of Oriental leaf sounds good, but it didn't add much in the bowl. Too moist in the tin, but this is not a big deal. If you'd like something better from SG try Best Brown Flake, if you'd like something stronger try 1792 or Bracken Flake.

Tin: Vaguely mint floral, SF has predominantly an earthly, grassy, VA aroma, combined with something acrid, like tomato paste. It is quite similar in appearance to SG FVF, like very supple, soft and pliable beef jerky; dark brown, bird's-eyed, mottled and striated with light brown and blonde; only half as long as bulk FVF. SF comes folded in a nice gold paper. Chalky white striations give the appearance of mildew.

Dried out, it has a lighter hue, tan overall, and the blonde is much more evident; it is only partly dry after 4 hours, not bone dry.

Packing and Lighting: When rubbing the pressed/sheet-cut into smaller pieces, it has a stickiness and is a chore to rub out. It is easy to pack too tight. A two-match light, it does not produce excessive gurgle and pretty much stays lit.

Taste and Aroma: It has a grassy floral aspect; someone suggested catnip. It is difficult to distinguish between the subtle contribution of the oriental, versus topping. There is no tongue bite.

Nicotine: mild to medium

Room Note: pleasant, like the taste and aroma.

Overall: Not worth much special attention. 2.9 stars

Works best in its own pipe, or as an occasional change of pace in a straight VA pipe. I tried smoking it in my Early Morning Pipe and it doesnt work well that way. The tobacco taste itself is good and pleasent, but just cant compete with the virginia/oriental balance of EMP. However the tobaccos in this blend are excellent on their own. I merely wish the complexity of the tobacco did not depend so much upon the topping.

As others have noted, extremely moist straight out of the tin. I've found it takes exactly two lights to get it going -- the first, huff it just a bit to crisp it -- then tamp it down and then it'll light fine.

A very pleasant taste, not my favorite, but absolutely nothing wrong with this delightful blend. It has a "headier" flavor than my usual Va and VaPer flakes, but that doesn't mean "stronger".

Recommended for those who like Va's but could use some bass notes in the blend.

Sam's Flake is quickly becoming my favorite Virginia tobacco. It's got the depth of quality VA flavor of, say, Best Brown Flake or Old Gowrie, with a secondary citrus-y note from the Orientals. The topping is gentle, probably something along the lines of honeydew. I do not detect any flavor from the topping when smoking. I concur with the other reviewers who suggest making sure the flake is dry, and to use a large bowled pipe. I break up most of the flake directly into the bowl, and then rub out a little as "tinder" on the top of the bowl. My wife commented that she likes the room note of Sam's Flake, something she rarely does. Well recommended.

Sam's Flake looks like finely sliced strips of beef jerky with bright specks interplayed throughout. I suspect the the bright specks are the turkish leaf used int his flake. The tin aroma betrays some sort of topping, though it is not overwhelming by any means.

When lightly rubbed out, Sam's Flake takes easily to the match. The first impression I got at first light was of some acrid turkish leaf plus something sweet VA-like. The tobacco quickly settles down, though, and it becomes apparent that Sma's flake is an aromatic. The aroma was quite pleasajnt to those around me, but I experienced none of the drawbacks normally associated with aromatic type tobacco - namely tongue bite, nasty muddy taste from below averaqe tobaccos. Instead, Sam's Flake tastes like tobacco and good quality tobacco at that! The spicy/sweet flavor stayted consistent throughout the bowl and it burned down to a fluffy grey/white ash. Sam's flake is a middle weight when it comes to nicotine content though some I know have told me that it gave them a little nicotine "kick".

I will be buying more of this though it will not be my everyday smoke.