Samuel Gawith Celtic Talisman

Whoa. Not what I was expecting, don't really know what to think about this odd duck.

High quality, well presented, clearly the tobacco is refined and what not. I just could not get over the flavoring on this. Its, well, its so so strange. I imagine this is an old recipe, and remains unchanged for a long time, so why does the aroma remind me of Jolly Rancher Watermellon mixed with some sort of women's lipstick, mixed with strawberry jam. Its hilariously sweet, I couldn't taste the tobacco in the background, all I got were plumes and plumes of perfume coming from it.

To be fair, again, I'm not an expert by any stretch of the imagination, and just a guy who smokes a lot of different types. Maybe this is a type of tobacco that just doesn't do it for me, I just cannot see how this could be considered a good smoke.

Pass.

Only an inveterate and longtime hater of cherry aros can truly appreciate this cherry-flavored blend from SG. Because there is no tonguebite, the cherry flavor is not chemo-toxic or overwhelming, and allows you to appreciate the fine baseline tobacco, (i.e., not strongly or grossly cased to conceal the taste of cheap tobacco). The room note and aroma are the best in aroland, imo. The strength is accordingly mild to medium, and does not "turn" on you as the bowl progresses. Smokes very smooth and down to a fine clean ash, which in itself is notable for an aro. I normally smoke aros once a month or so, but am developing a hankering for getting deeper and deeper in this new (to me) blend. There are a relatively few aromatics that I consider quality aros: Sillems Black, Dan's Blue Note, and W.O. Larsen's Old Fashioned, 1864 and Signature. Now CT goes to the top of that list.

While it smells quite nice, I can't help but to categorize the taste of this blend in the same vein as I would perfume. It's quite soapy and I don't taste what I smell at all. It's got a chemical taste to it. Perhaps I got a bad batch?

I remember when I was a kid, my uncle ran one of most famous pastry labs in Milan, and I everytime I called in, I was welcomed by delighting flavours of vanilla, cream, sugar, fruit candies etc hanging in the lab. Opening a tin of Celtic Talisman, stir these memories in me. It is really like stepping into a pastry lab. It's a ribbon cut tobacco, ranging from the yellow of Vas to the black of dark cavendish. It is flavoured with vanilla, cherry, etc as stated and Burley adds nuts, thought the preminent flavour is cherry. It is rather moisted but not so much to cause troubles. The smoke is wonderful. All the aromas you taste in the tin are there, not so strong in N so that we can enjoy it all day round, actually it is my favourite as "early moring pipe". Going throught the pipe, let's say after the first half of the bowl, is like someone has added very little caramel to a vanilla cherry cake. Last, but not least, your women will love the room note.

Another catch-up review from my notes in 2009 when I first tried this. Back then, SG & GH blends were readily available most all the time. I've since rejoined TRs under a different handle but here's my take on Celtic Talisman: This is about as fine a cherry blend tobacco as any on the market with a better price tag than most. Tin aroma is very prevalent & appealing.

The tin is packed full of loose tobacco and mine arrived fairly moist. I dried a bowlful out for about 25 minutes and stuffed it in me wee Peterson #317. It smoked cool with no tongue/palate discomfort. The marriage of sweet Virginia with the tasty cherry casing complimented each other.

CT seemed to have a bit more Vitamin N than most aromatics. This is a pretty darn good cherry blend and I thought the price was right... in 2009, $6.48 per 50 gram tin. If one likes a cherry blend, they might be well advised to give this a try. I was satisfied with CT and don't have anything negative to say about it.

The first aromatic I’ve ever smoked from Samuel Gawith.

I have to admit it, I was more captivated from the name chosen for the blend than from the content of the tin itself… it happens, out of sheer curiosity I suppose : sometimes it pays off, others don’t.

This time didn’t.

Upon opening the tin, a heavyweight boxing champion hits your nose with a quick one-two, best known as Cherry-Vanilla. The golden bright colour of the leaves is very nice and both by looking and touching you can feel a high quality basic product.

The topping in this was so heavy I could’t detect anything else beside it, literally. Five months ago I came back to it (a 3yo tin) and had a final bowl : the cherry ghost was still there, as strong as the first day! I couldn’t believe my nose.

In the bowl it behaves a little better : cherry and vanilla flavours soften and leave space for a nice, tasty smoke, which you may really enjoy if you are looking for a juicy, fruity, zero attention demanding, mono-dimensional blend.

Uniform combustion. Lights with a couple of matches prior some drying. White fine ashes and enjoyable room note, ideal if you want impress the people around you, even in outdoor condition.

I prefer other offerings from Samuel Gawith.

Cheers Everyone, Brandr ODS

Samuel Gawith - Celtic Talisman.

The aroma of the unlit tobacco is brilliant as it's a good balance of the tobaccos and the aromatics. The ribbons are very enticing and they have a great moisture level. It takes to the flame with ease and the smoke is sublime. I get a really nice taste of sweet black Cavendish which is complemented by the cherry. The vanilla requires a little extra attention as it is much less pre eminent than the cherry but can be identified if tried for. Nicotine level is about that of their Black Cherry and the room-note is also very sweet with a good cherry touch. As usual Sam Gawith does not disappoint!

Highly recommended.

I have been on a mission to find a good quality aero. I enjoy many Samuel Gawith's offerings and figured I would give this one a try.

Initial tin inspection revealed a wet tobacco with a fragrance of raspberry chocolate. The fragrance is very pleasing and enticing. The first bowl straight out of the tin was pretty wet which was to be expected. The burn was slow and required few relights. I did not experience tongue bite although I imagine it is quite possible without restraint. The tin note fragrances did not transition directly to the flavors but I did notice a sugary sweetness that was very enjoyable. The sweetness only seems to come through when smoked or sipped slowly. In addition to the sweetness, good quality tobacco flavors were quite prominent. When smoked quickly the flavors and sweetness wash out and are less enjoyable.

Subsequent bowls mirrored the first impression with the exception of the wetness due to proper drying. This aero does not leave a goopy mess in the bowl but does leave a noticeable ghost. The room note is very nice and most will enjoy its fragrance. There is an acceptable amount of nicotine as well.

Maybe it's me but I've had hard time smoking anything else recently. I guess I'm still enamored at this point. Overall this is a very enjoyable aero which I plan to keep in the rotation.

This stuff smells great in the tin and the room note is pleasant. It doesn't bite and it smokes cool and dry. The cherry and vanilla taste is very subtle. There are better blends available so I'm undecided whether to get more tins and put it into my regular rotation.