Samuel Gawith Celtic Talisman

I have had a long "bout" with Samuel Gawith blends over the years, having smoked a large amount of their blends such as St. James flake, navy flake etc.

I must say, unreservedly, that celtic talisman is Samuel Gawith's very best blend. It is as close to smoking lakeland "perfume" as one will ever get, albeit the perfume note is very faint in the taste, while powerfully present in the room note! This will win over any bystander, while providing the piper with a nice virginia cavendish taste. Cherry brandy galore. This stuff never ceases to please. This is as enjoyable as my regular English blends, and I would not complain if this was the only pipe tobacco available. Nicotine is present but milder than in many blends. An important tobacco in every rotation, for anyone who enjoys virginias as well as aromatics.

Update: I forgot to mention that this has a hint of amaretto in it when first opened, which rapidly evaporates. This is from the cherry pits in kirshwasser, but this almond smell is very much more ephemeral and perfume like than almond amaretto. It is what angelica is to licorice, and what makes this blend stand heads and shoulders above most other blends in this genre.

Samuel Gawith uses a lot of alcohol and liquers in their blends, which not only makes me rate them higher, it causes their tobacco to age better than the competion, it being the "wetter the better" in that regard.

I will not tell lies, i love aromatics as much as english blends. Everytime i read someone starts a review with the phrase "I must say im not an aromatic lover" it literally means that the person still lives closeted. A pipe smoker may like both english blends and aromatics the same, IF they are good. And lets be honest "Celtic Talisman" is an excellent aromatic. To like an aromatic doesnt make you less of a man. Just probably a bit of a dreamer.

Samuel Gawith doesnt play with over casing nor sickening sweet things, they create aromatics with the old tradition that brings the spirit of tobacco into play with the many variations and subtleties, not hiding excellence behind a mantle of artificial flavours, this product is no exception to this tradition. This is not a product from the candy store even though the smell from the tin is potent and may prevent you from been overly sweet, this is just apparent.

Scents of cherry and liquor along with honey and mint are present upon opening. This tobacco tends to get really dry so soon once left out of the tin, and this is crucial, since if it becomes too dry it looses a great proportion of its taste and delicacy, so i suggest to let it a little humid, ive tried both dry, semi dry and totally humid.

Upon lightning the tobacco comes with a medium range taste, the burley works its major play. In the mouth is sweet but in the nose is fruity, nutty and a bit tingy. Virginias never go wild, they are very well controlled by both the cavendish and the burley. This first stage progress into something with more character, a bit robust, is clear that the central role is played by the burley and both the virginias and the cavendish are there to play around as diverting notes perhaps as a resemblance of some Kirsch liquor and marraschino cherries all along. By the middle of the bowl, it becomes more and more "adult" less sugary and way more nutty with an amplification of the cavendish that now adds its more alcaline note with a faint taste of liquor while the burley and virginias becomes the pivot. By the end it is all creamy, very creamy like, as some kind of cherry cake taste but with all the nic kick from burleys and their appeased acidity controlled by cavendish.

It is a good smoke from start to finish with very good tonalities and variations. Not an aromatic for beginners and certainly not for the ones who love over casing and overhelming toppings a la Mclellands. This is the old school!

Top! meditative and mysterious blend for the contemplative soul. Always in my cellar.

Samuel Gawaith: Celtic Talisman

Another high quality tobacco from the crafters @ SG. I have been a pipe smoker 40+ yrs. & enjoy both the English blends & quality Aros. This presents as a rather mild English Aromatic that is subtle & not similar to the inexpensive US versions. It is a bright VA, Burley & Cavandisch w/vanilla & a cherry Kirschwasser topping that is very sublime. I experienced a cool smoke & no bite w/mild Nic. I do enjoy the Samuel Gawaith crafters & this is a vintage blend w/a minimum of the Lakeland essences...however with enough variety/complexity to keep ones interest up. It is a contemplative smoke that pares well with a pot of hot Earl Grey tea. I recommend it highly! 3+ Stars.

Tin: Very dessert smelling, with a tart cherry smell, very much like Gawith's Black Cherry aromatic. The vanilla compliments it perfectly. One of the best tin notes out there.

Packing/lighting: Does not come too moist like most SG blends, so no need to dry this one out. As a result, it packs and lights easily. This blend also did not bite, which for aromatics is a very good thing.

Strength: This was a very pleasant surprise. Most aromatics are designed to be very mild, which isn't very satisfying to smoke. Some people describe these mild blends of tasting like "hot air". However, this has some body to it and the strength of a Virginia/Burley, but it is still an aromatic. As you get towards the bottom of the bowl you sometimes forget that you're smoking an aromatic.

Taste/Room note: This is one of the more flavourful aros out there, just don't expect to only taste cherry and vanilla. I would describe it as a medium taste, as its a lot richer than your average aromatic but the taste fades quickly, and doesn't linger on the palate. The topping is detectable and it is mild. It gives the blend a pleasant sweetness and it is not too sickly. The room note of course, is fantastic.

Final thoughts:

I had been looking for "that" aromatic for a while, and I think I've finally found it. According to a radio interview with Bob Gregory of Samuel Gawith, this blend was made by mistake. Well, what a brilliant mistake it was...

Overall, what you're essentially getting is a sweet/dessert like Virginia/Burley. Perfect. I would recommend this to fans of aromatics who want to try something a bit different and a bit stronger. On the other hand, I will also recommend this to non-aromatic smokers who are looking for an aromatic to satisfy the smoker as well as the people around them.

Like: Everything. This is an extremely satisfying blend and can easily be an everyday smoke for a daily pipe smoker.

Dislike: Nothing thus far!

Blending artistry of the highest level. The blenders chose some top tobaccos to create this blend and then added some fantastically balanced cherry-vanilla flavors. All together I get a nice, smooth, smoke with the addition of a steady cream and cherry candy flavor which keeps me interested and never irritates my taste buds. This tobacco packs well, burns well and in my case needed no drying. It has a divine Room Note.

The first SG I plan to buy again. Done how an aro should be done. What I mean is, you can actually taste the topping without straining and the tobacco underneath is full and of good quality. Doesnt seem to have the excessive PG/Humectant of other SG blends - but it's there. Does not taste of cherry or vanilla to me. It is unmistakeably raspberry. Very similar to Mac Barens 7 Seas red, another cherry-come-raspberry which I prefer slightly, as the 7 seas topping is just that little bit stronger and lasts all the way to the end of the bowl. The SG has slightly better tobacco but the MB has the slightly stronger flavor, so for an aromatic 7 seas wins by a hair. Would have preferred a flake. If only Firedance topping was done like this...

It is interesting to try to consider this in relation to other popular aromatics, like those from Dan Tobacco or Boswell. My own experience is that this really strikes a balance between the two, and goes to the top of the list as a result. It does not bite like Dan aromatics, for example, and it is not as heavily cased. On the other hand, it is a much more robust smoke than Boswell blends, and packs more of a tobacco and nicotine wallop. This strikes just the right chord to me. I respect Boswell products, but they are too light for my tastes. Many other aromatics are simply too hot with poor burning characteristics and questionable tobacco flavor to be enjoyable. That is not the case here.

The tobacco, as noted above, is a tasty blend of virginias with burley and cavendish. I find the mixture to be very balanced. It is not goopy in the least, and does not befoul your pipe. Others have noted the dominance of the burley. I am not sure I would go that far, but the virginias are definitely subdued, which gives this its cool burning characteristics. It is a rubbed out shag type cut in the tin, but I still rub it out a little more. If you are getting bit by this blend, you are not letting it dry out enough, and smoking too fast. It is very cool with no bite if dried properly and not puffed like a maniac.

The flavor is rich tobacco with an overtone of cherry. I can taste the virginias and cavendish, and plumes of smoke are produced. This can be a strong smoke. It is nothing like Gawith's stronger flakes, but it is also nothing like a truly mild blend. If you put it in a large bowl and smoke the whole thing in one shot, you are going to feel the nicotine. I like that, and that is often what I find missing from milder aromatic blends.

Not to sound like a broken record, but the smoking experience here is really dictated by the level of moisture when you light up. If you smoke it right out of your tin or at "storage level" you are not going to get the full, subtle flavor of the tobacco, and it is going to burn hot, and probably bite your tongue. If you let it dry to the touch, it lights more readily, burns very evenly, and will provide you with a rich, cool, and lasting smoke.

I bought it after my friend?s Desperado suggestion, and I don?t regret it at all. I opened it and smoked it in Karpenisi . Whether it was the nice surroundings, the clean air, or smoking my pipe was the only entertainment up there, I was forced to adore this smoke. I think highly of Samuel Gawith. It is a ready-rubbed tobacco that requires a drying process for a day or two. The cherry liqueur that comes off after the first lighting (there is a slight difficulty in this stage) is particularly nice and it lasts for quite a while before it changes places with Vanilla and Black Cavendish. It is generally a good smoke for the aromatic lovers.

Thank you Desperado.

What a lovely tobacco! The tin note is dominated by sweet Virginia and nutty Burley. The cherry and vanilla aroma are in the background, but present. The smoke itself is similar. Very pleasant, sweet and not dominated by the aromas. The Burly is a great second player to the Virginias. The black Cavendish adds more sweetness to the mixture. The cherry is present all the way down and the vanilla flavor gives creamy sweetness to it. The wetness is manageable and the baccy packs easily. Burns to ash and leaves no goo in your pipe. Thank you SG for another light aromatic all day smoke! The Fox recommends