Samuel Gawith Golden Glow

After having smoked this for over two years on a daily basis, I wanted to completely rewrite this review. I will keep it short and simple, it comes as a broken flake, dried for a little, I am guaranteed a bite free, smooth, sweet, creamy, rich almost salty at times smoke.

Not exactly compex, but by no means monochromatic, IMHO, far superior to FVF (FVF is for Gentlemen, something even my friends could never accuse me of), this simply put, is just far more tasty and a bench mark for virginia's of quality.

An excellent introduction to Virginia for the novice and a very pleasant companion for the more experienced Virginia lover.

This has been my "Mainstay" tobacco throughout the day for quite sometime now, only changing tobacco's in the evening, sometimes with great reluctance.

For viginia lovers and even new pipe smokers, this is one to try.

.It has been said that this smokes best in a tall thin pipe, IMHO, a medium sized billiard works just fine.

Addendum :- I've now been smoking this on a daily basis for over 12 years and it's still the first tobacco I reach for. This must be one of the most underrated Virginias out there.

I like this tobacco...In fact, I think it's underrated. I enjoy a top notch plain Virginia tobacco and this one "fits the bill".

The tins I have smoked have not been what I consider "broken flake" type tobacco, and as a Virginia Plug smoker for 45 years, its no where close to that...but, it is a tobacco that I can enjoy anywhere and anytime. This is an exceptional morning smoke as well.

It is not a "rich" Virginia tobacco yet it has an enduring quality that I have come to appreciate. It does remind me of some of the Virginia types that were available back in the late 50's and early 60's and perhaps that's why I am drawn to this. I like the fact that the tobacco is straight forward, easy to light and pack, and leaves a pleasant enough room note.

Sometimes its nice to enjoy a simple approach to pleasure. The quality is certainly there and consistency from tin-to-tin is well above average. I highly recommend Golden Glow to anyone.

Smoked in mostly group 5 straight billiards.

...a pipe is to be savored.

Golden Glow is one of those Virginia's that offers plenty of flavor, yet, is mild. Not even close to FVF in the strength department, but every bit as flavorful in a lighter sort of way. Gawith, I think, took the pedal off the metal and made a lighter version of an old classic.

A fresh, bright, friendly VA broken flake with a very light citrus zest unlike OGS or Dunhill Flake. It indeed needs drying. I use it as VA base (also to help slow down the burning process) when I blend my 'house mixture' because it doesn't affect the overall taste. On its own it might be too bland or boring for some smokers (especially those who like English mixtures or heavily cased ones), but let's not forget that this is a pure VA, so WYSIWYG. Still, a Top 30 tobacco which I will be happy to revisit. 4 of 5 stars.

Update February 2013: Finished several tins of this and found that it ages perfectly if you're lucky (depends on humidity and temperature). IMO the best pure VA I have ever smoked, even better (brighter) than FVF and completely pure. Will definitely stay in rotation. Golden Glow is the tinned version of MVF, though the curing method is different (at least the description here on TRs.com says so). So, congratulations Sam: 5 of 5!

This has now became my favorite bright Virginia.

Very suitable for an all day smoke for the VA lovers. A summer all day smoke.

Tin note: Fresh, and something between hey and honey. Very appealing.

The smoke: It's best if you smoke it a little bit on the wet side if you want fresh citrus-hey aroma, and dried if you want cool and sweet smoke. And it's good anywhere in the middle. Doesn't bite, which is a great plus for VA, has that familiar Lakeland taste we find in the FVF but no Lakeland floral nonsense. I think that is what makes it so appealing. It resembles a bit to the Dunhill Flake, but more "heyish" and without that Danish casing note that ruins the party.

Some people say that all SG tobaccos are alike, they all have some specific distinctive note that is present in every blend. That may be true, and the distinctive note of the SG Virginias, happen to be awesome. There aren't many bright VAs out there that are sweet and mellow enough without being ridiculously cased with some sort of "flavor enhancer". (here you get that too, but in the good "SG" way) I'm glad I discovered this one, it will be in my rotation a lot during the warmer part of the year.

As with other SG VAs, this too tastes different in different pipes and in different level of moisture. I found that for me it works best in pipes dedicated to VAs and in cobs.

Samuel Gawith knows how to do Virginia tobacco right. And this one is no exception. The tobacco is a medium golden brown color and the tin note has a nice hay-like sweetness and a completely natural bouquet of rich tobacco.

Age it at least 6 months. Then pull enough out for a bowl and let it sit for about a half hour. Rub it out and pack it in your pipe. You'll be in Virginia heaven for the next hour. Don't puff too fast, however, as this one is more prone to biting if you aren't careful.

Take your time with this and enjoy the rich and bright sweetness with a nice creamy texture and superb aroma. And for those who are put off by the typical Lakeland soapiness, never fear. None of that here. Very delicious. And for a special treat, blend this 50/50 with Full Virginia Flake. It's like they were meant to be together.

This is one for the Virginia lovers: beautiful golden color, perfect level of moisture, heavenly scent in the tin, no tongue bite, great Virginia flavor. Great when fresh from a four-months-old tin, I plan to put a half dozen tins in the cellar to age for a few years while I enjoy the fresh stuff.

Another Samuel Gawith blend to review, awesome!

To this day, I've only had good experiences with SG tobaccos, and this one is not any different. Extremely high quality tobacco as always, and yes, it's quite moist out of the tin. I found that like with most SG tobaccos, letting it air for a few hours does the job nicely.

This one packs easily, burns cool, and does in no way make a mess in your pipe. It's a very well behaved leaf which burns all the way to the end with no problems and no relights. Flavor wise it's fresh, tangy and simply delightful. For me the strength is ideal as an every day smoke, and it's perfect for the spring/summer. But I could seriously smoke this all day as the flavor is consistent throughout the bowl, and because it's so easy to manage and maintain. Absolutely no tongue bite or harshness, even when you puff hard.

Absolutely fantastic smoke.

A vey decent and simple blend.once you crack the tin a grassy smell comes out.bright virginias come out in broken and semi broken flakes.the moisture level is a bit high.my advise is to let them dry 30 minutes.packs ok as it is and also you can rub it if you want and easier lighting.lights with some effort and several relights are needed.while burning the flavours are simple and very natural.the grass flavour is the main one,combining with hay ,some sweet citruses and rarelly some pepper notes.burns slow and cool.the nicotine level is low to medium.burns to total ash leaving some moisture at the end of the bowl.the room note is pleasant.no tongue bite for me.i can say this blend is ideal to burn a new pipe.definitelly an all day blend.all virginia lovers should try this in my opinion.definitelly recommended!