Samuel Gawith Celtic Talisman
(2.76)
Bright Virginias, burley and black cavendish with a dash of kirsch and vanilla gives Celtic its light and aromatic personality.
Details
| Brand | Samuel Gawith |
| Blended By | Samuel Gawith |
| Manufactured By | Samuel Gawith |
| Blend Type | Aromatic |
| Contents | Black Cavendish, Burley, Virginia |
| Flavoring | Alcohol / Liquor, Cherry, Kirsch, Vanilla |
| Cut | Ribbon |
| Packaging | 50 grams tin |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Mild to Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Medium
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
2.76 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 51 - 60 of 90 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 01, 2011 | Medium to Strong | Medium to Strong | Medium | Pleasant |
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.
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.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 16, 2010 | Mild | Medium to Strong | Medium to Full | Pleasant |
I agree with fruktflugan's review below word-for-word. I'll only supplement it with three adjectives of my own: hot, harsh & chemical.
Maybe we got a bad batch, because it's difficult to believe SG would intentionally release a disaster like this.
Maybe we got a bad batch, because it's difficult to believe SG would intentionally release a disaster like this.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Dec 16, 2010 | Medium | Mild | Medium | Pleasant |
curiosity got me on this one. I dont do many aro's. fresh out of the tin, can bite a lil. taste of cherry and vanilla in harmony with the virginia. I will have to try some firedance now.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Oct 19, 2010 | Medium | Medium | Medium | Pleasant |
The tin description above (as of 10/19/10) is of "Cherry", the Gawith web site mentions "a dash of sweet cherry and vanilla". I have submitted a correction. Anyway, summer here in Florida is thankfully over, the pollen and humidity are gone, the snow birds have arrived. And I can again appreciate a fine aromatic like Celtic Talisman.
Like all Gawith blends, the tobacco is top quality and the flavoring adds to the fine tobacco flavor. For me a once a month treat when I get a sweet tooth and am bored and tired of all the latika and perique.
The truly great quality of most Gawith blends is their ability to always have a fine tobacco flavor under a subtle added essence. Usually they only blend one or at most two flavors into their blends. While to some they may seem one dimensional, to those of use who enjoy the flavors they use, the taste is exactly what we wanted. In this case Cherry and light vanilla, but such a perfect cherry in a great tobacco tasting base.
The tin aroma is similar to Firedance with cherry instead of blackberry and brandy. Also, Firedance is a flake that smells much stronger and needs a few months to calm down, but is equally enjoyable when the need hits.
Uncle corncob will give you the details. I will only say again this is a blend for the discriminating palate, and not to be missed if cherry is what you want. To bad it bites if you are not careful.
Like all Gawith blends, the tobacco is top quality and the flavoring adds to the fine tobacco flavor. For me a once a month treat when I get a sweet tooth and am bored and tired of all the latika and perique.
The truly great quality of most Gawith blends is their ability to always have a fine tobacco flavor under a subtle added essence. Usually they only blend one or at most two flavors into their blends. While to some they may seem one dimensional, to those of use who enjoy the flavors they use, the taste is exactly what we wanted. In this case Cherry and light vanilla, but such a perfect cherry in a great tobacco tasting base.
The tin aroma is similar to Firedance with cherry instead of blackberry and brandy. Also, Firedance is a flake that smells much stronger and needs a few months to calm down, but is equally enjoyable when the need hits.
Uncle corncob will give you the details. I will only say again this is a blend for the discriminating palate, and not to be missed if cherry is what you want. To bad it bites if you are not careful.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Aug 12, 2010 | Medium | Medium | Medium | Pleasant |
I was a little leary about the cherry topping, since I had some previous bad experiences with such blends. I must say that this one smells of black cherry in the tin. This also translates to the aroma and taste as well. I must say that this blend has some great components along with just the right about of cherry topping to make this one of the best blends I have smoked thus far. This burns down to a nice ash at the bottom of the bowl. Upon opening the tin, it did seem rather moist, but didn't deter from this fine blend at all. It has virtually no gurgling associated with some of the more mudane OTC blends available here in America. It produces a nice amount of smoke. There is no tongue bite at all in this very fine blend. I would definitely recommend this to the new smoker as well as the long time piper looking for a change of pace from their normal rotation.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| May 17, 2010 | Mild to Medium | Medium | Medium to Full | Pleasant |
Bit hard on the tongue for an aromatic, this, but tastes lovely, and the cherry is nice and subtle. Quite moist in the tin, even after a few weeks, so needs leaving out for a while. Needed more relights than is usual for me, maybe because of the moisture.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Nov 30, 2009 | Mild to Medium | Medium | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
This is quality tobacco. A wonderful experience to experience a cherry flavored tobacco done "right" by a master blender. A delightful amount of "blonde" virginia with some black cav interspersed in a form pillowlike tin pack of ready rubbed tobacco. Like another reviewer commented, the cut is perfect. It was a bit moist, but a few minutes of "on paper over the lightbulb" drying made its moisture level perfect.
Not strong at all, and with a bit of difficulty achieving a voluminous smoke, it did occasionally disappoint, but the flavor is there, and most importantly (and most often lacking in cherry blends), one could actually taste the cherry in the smoke, not just smell it.
No bite, even when puffing like a madman.
Quality leaf, and I'll be smoking more of this.
Not strong at all, and with a bit of difficulty achieving a voluminous smoke, it did occasionally disappoint, but the flavor is there, and most importantly (and most often lacking in cherry blends), one could actually taste the cherry in the smoke, not just smell it.
No bite, even when puffing like a madman.
Quality leaf, and I'll be smoking more of this.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Oct 29, 2009 | Mild | Medium to Strong | Medium | Very Pleasant |
This is in fact a very mild blend but it is still very tasty. Most impressively it tastes very similar to how it smells in the tin which is not very common among aromatics. Good work S.G. Definitely worth a try; go get some!
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Mar 22, 2009 | Medium | Medium | Medium | Pleasant |
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.
Thank you Desperado.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jan 18, 2009 | Medium | Medium | Medium | Pleasant |
I was't sure what to expect from this tobacco. It was a bit of an impulse purchase--I was looking for something aromatic that I hadn't tried before, and the tobacconist suggested Celtic Talisman. So I tried it.
I must say, I was pleasantly surprised. It is a little wet when the tin is opened, but left to dry out for a bit, it packs nicely and takes a light easily.
As for the smoking, the topping is there, but not overpowering. There is enough tobacco flavour to satisfy, and the room aroma is agreeable to friends and family. The description of this as a "dessert tobacco" is apt, though I could see this as a nice "morning tobacco" as well. Recommended.
I must say, I was pleasantly surprised. It is a little wet when the tin is opened, but left to dry out for a bit, it packs nicely and takes a light easily.
As for the smoking, the topping is there, but not overpowering. There is enough tobacco flavour to satisfy, and the room aroma is agreeable to friends and family. The description of this as a "dessert tobacco" is apt, though I could see this as a nice "morning tobacco" as well. Recommended.
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