Samuel Gawith St. James Flake

I purchased the 250 g box. St James Flake is an amazing Virginia and Périque flake. In no other tobacco in the genre have I encountered such a delicious taste. Being medium brown in colour, it displays aromas of earth and vinegar. Despite it being rather difficult to rub out the long flakes; and despite it being also a bit difficult when trying to keep it going once lit, St James Flake is worth the trouble. A. Strength: Strength refers to the intensity of the nicotine. It's closer to the medium level when smoked fresh and mild to medium; more medium than mild when it has had some time to dry, a few weeks after it has been opened. B. Flavoring: I have suspected, during the first few smokes that it contains some kind of a Plum topping. But I am not so sure anymore. C. Taste: Truly a very enjoyable experience, the earthiness of the well aged Virginias are a dream match with the plum qualities that the Périque releases at first. The taste is creamy and very satisfying. As the tobacco consumes itself the taste will be more earthy and less of plum; to become, towards the last third, on the peppery side. D. Room Note: It is pleasant, definitively noticeable at first, then it tones down. E. Rating: Despite the difficulties of preparation, St James Flake is probably the best Virginia and Périque tobacco I have had the pleasure to enjoy. 3.75 stars; if it wasn't for the preparation issues, I would have granted it 4 stars.

Being predominantly Latakia blends smoker, I wouldn't go in depth judging this tobacco. I've smoked it somewhat wet, since it comes extremely wet from the tin like all Sam Gawith tobaccos. One time I've put it on a hot plate to heat it and dry it quickly. It resulted in losing a fair amount of it's flavour. Anyway, rubbing it spreading it across the table and letting it dry for 20-30 minutes before smoking does the job. Has to be packed loosely however, and in a narrow bowl pipe. Virginias used are dark, and whoever mentioned that it's Full Virginia Flake with some Perique added, might be just right. Perique adds some sour spiciness, but also mellows the VA and the result is pretty balanced smoke. Maybe too balanced, but that's ok. I've smoked it on cold winter days, and somehow it didn't fit well. This blend would be excellent for the summer. It is fresh, despite the heavy dark virginias. A very good VA/Per, reminds a bit of Three Nuns, but has that recognizable specific Sam Gawith note. Highly Recommended from me.

Easily ranks among the best Va/Pers in the market at a very affordable price. You feel ancient England in the smoke, even though the Virginia and Perique are produced in America. The secret of this blend is the subtle balance between strength and taste, and the sort of natural sugar implied in the Virginias is really first class quality and is equally a good source for energy. Highly recommended in the early morning, after having eaten a healthy breakfast. For me, tobaccos that good serve as catalysts for ensuring both healthy longevity and matchless enjoyment in taste and habit. Again, very highly recommended.

This is my new bench mark for VA/Pers. It is simply marvelous. It is subtle and a little complex but not overly so. The VA's are sweet with grass/hay notes. There is a topping that must be basically sugar. I mean this is the sweetest VA at 18 months that I have ever smoked. This does not take away from the smoke at all. I like my VA's sweet and whatever this is does that very well without adding additional foreign elements to the smoke. The perique is lightly spicy and I assume that the deep dark fruit like sweetness comes from here (think plums and raisins). It does not bite and it can be smoked all day. The sweetness lingers on my palate for hours making me want to reach for it again and again. This will have to be bought in bulk from now on because I think I am going to be through pounds of this one.

Conclusion: Samuel Gawith is perhaps the best supplier of quality virginias out there, in my opinion. The addition of a rich dose of perique makes for a VaPer that is simply outstanding; I have yet to be disappointed by it. If you like VaPers you need to try this.

Taste: The perique is a player of great influence here, evident from the start. The mix of virginias and perique make for a sweet and spicy mix that brings forth a tingle in mouth and nose. There is also a bit of freshly baked bread to be noted, hints of grass and a profound sweetness. It's a rich bouquet of flavours, but the overall taste is that of sweet black pepper. It is delicious.

Mechanics: Flake cut, comes wet and needs some drying. Nicotine on the higher end of medium. No bite.

For years I have been trying different types of VA mixes, where the Burley always appears, which obviously I have detected that is not to my liking. So I started with the pure Virginia (Full Virgina Flake, and Germain's Medium Flake, although the latter is difficult to get in Argentina), finding my way as a smoker. Then I experimented successfully with some aromatic variant with Grousemoore and latakia at SG Navy Flake, and not so successfully with Squadron Leader. I also occasionally taste the flakes of Peterson, Irish Flake and University Flake, which are very intense for me. This time I decided to cheer for the famous Perique and it was a pleasant surprise. As soon as the can is opened, a leathery smell of prunes appears. The smoke is that of an "intense" tobacco as I describe them, but without that bitter Burley background, always making it clear that I am smoking a Virginia. And the spicy note without being excessive, allows you to smoke it until the pipe is extinguished maintaining the flavor. I am not a pipe smoker every day, so my choices go in search of those tobacco that do not hit the chest. And St. James Flake (Kendal Mayor's Collection) is a good choice when you want to go for a well-seasoned VA to interject from time to time.

Virginia/Perique blends are my favorite and this is one of the best VaPers I smoked. As so common with Samuel Gawith, these flakes come very moist and you need to deal with them properly if you want good experience. Once you do, it is rich in taste, it burns cool, it is smooth, it doesn't bite, there is no harshness. All in all it is a very satysfying smoke. If you like VaPers and you have not tried this one yet, you need to go to priest and confess.

A true gem. It is exceedingly subtle, and i lose the best parts of this blend when i do anything but pack it with care, after drying sufficiently, into an appropriate pipe and smoke consciously slowly and unhurriedly. I generally shy away from blends that require such thought, but the mellow flavor i get from this one makes it worth the effort when i have the requisite time and patience. Flake is standard for the house: thick, and damp. I give SG flakes about an hour or 2 out of the tin spread flat on a paper plate to breathe, then jar. I rub one prior to loading and leave it sit for some moments before loading loosely. With this relatively short dry time i still usually require a cleaner midsmoke, but that doesn't bother me much. I agree with some who identify the va content here as the constituents of fvf and best brown. The perique is mild, sweet, with pepper present. The entire experience can be characterized as an earthy, thin bodied, ferment-sweet with carmelized mushroom. Hard to describe. The virginia is absolutely exquisite. The perique is, too. But it is so ineffable, so tantalizingly there but not there, that it takes a good deal of effort for me to not puff to catch the flavor i glimpse, thereby losing it for good. Fans of Gawith aged virginias will appreciate this greatly. I don't know that favoring vapers would necessarily qualify one to enjoy this, but i think it is certainly worth trying it to see if you find the magic here. A four star offering, without question. Magic is real.

As I always visit this website before choosing a new tobacco to try and find the reviews very helpful, I thought, I might as well contribute to this page. So this is my first review and here it goes. The candidate is Samuel Gawith's St. James Flake and I strongly recommend this blend to anyone looking for a Va/Per with a considirable but not at all too high amount of perique in it.

Tin Note: Dark, yeasty, dark fruit, slightly sour note, perhabs a little hay

Preparation / Handling: No surprises here, meaning the tobacco arrives in a rather moist and leathery condition. I am aware that the condition of SG flakes is an issue to some pipe smokers because it always requires a little time to prepare and can often not be simply smoked right of the tin. I myself like to smoke SG flakes mainly on the weekends or after work in the late evening. It sort of forces you to calm down, take your time and really focus on and appreciate the tobacco... At least I tell myself that and it really helps me to enjoy the preparation part also! I usually rub the flakes out into a sort of thicker ribbons and let them dry on a small plate for about 30 mins. It's still quite moist then still, but I find that the tobacco tastes a bit more flavourful on the wet side. As other blends made by SG it needs attention while smoking to keep the tobacco lit but it's not bad at all. When I first started smoking SG flakes (may first was Navy Flake, also recommended!) I got a bit frustrated because I was quite new to pipe smoking and just managed to smoke some ribbon cuts right down to the bowl. So this was a setback, but I learned that with some tobaccos it is no shame at all to have to relight it a couple of times. With St James Flake, I find that it's rather easy to handle and doesn't require more than 2 relights, if any. Once lit and smoked slowly, it burns down really cool and doesn't seem to even have the ability to burn hot or cause tongue bite.

Taste: With Dunhill Deluxe Navy Rolls as one of my very favourite tobaccos, I was quite biased when trying this. Exceeded all expectations! The darker and yeasty virgnias offer a strong yet balanced natural sweetness. I've heard a comment saying it feels like a "sugar coating" in one's mouth but I do not agree. To me it is at no time too sweet and I almost exclusively enjoy natural English blends. The perique adds perfectly to this with a taste of plums and dried figs that (to my taste) is even more present than in the DNR. Though, the overall taste might be a little "lighter" and not quite as dark and intense as DNR and certainly a little lower in nicotine.

Room Note: I myself find the room note very pleasent and reminiscent of freshly baked bread and again dark fruit. Eventhough, I don't dare to rate this "Pleasant" as - while I was typing this - my girlfriend just got up from the table to fully open the balcony door...