Samuel Gawith Celtic Talisman

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.

When the Samuel Gawith shipment comes in, you better scramble to the store before all the hungry shoppers gobble those tins up. I decided to try one I never had before, so if I like it, I could wait a year to reorder it (having sold out by the end of the day)!

First off, let me just say these rectangle tins suck at staying fresh. This was not the first time I've opened one without the seal holding... so cellar these things at your own risk. Secondly, this product contains nicotine, which is an addictive chemical! OK, I was just reading the label to be humorous. Onto the review...

The tin opened to a uniquely seasoned, sweet mix of flavorings, that hovered over the vanilla. I suppose it might of had some cherry/Kirsch thing going on, but way in the background, and thankfully nowhere near a syrupy ghost-laden cherry blend from the dime store. The spice was the really unique showcase, no longer the soapy/lavender Lakeland essence I was accustomed to, but more of the Oregano from the kitchen spice rack I found in their Hansom Flake. Really odd, yet enticing stuff.

The cut is finely shredded ribbon (dare I say shag), not terribly damp, and packs tightly, so be careful not to cut your air flow when packing. Once lit, the smoke glides through an array of tastes akin to the open tin vapors. The strength lies not with heavy nicotine, but from its flavor, which can be a bit much to be an all day smoker.

An interesting entry into the Aromatic category fans should attempt. It is certainly filled with toppings that deliver to your senses, yet is never a gag-worthy-strong sweet dessert.

First bowl: It had nice, earthy taste with nice room note. Lid easily, kept lid through the smoke. Nice after taste.

Midway through the can: Started to dry out. Became sourer and bitter. More tongue burns.

Last bowl: Was very dry, didn't taste well and burnt hot.

This is a light aromatic tobacco that supposedly contains burley and virginia leaf, the latter being the main player. It is more complex than most of the aromatic tobaccos I have tried before, but not so much as to keep me amused. I only like English/Lakeland type aromatics, so I really don't know what to make of this tobacco. The room note is quite nice, actually, and it isn't bad as a summer blend, but I know this is not a tobacco I can be bother to buy. Also, don't ask me why, I was expecting some latakia leaf, but like I am saying this is mostly a virginia blend. The leaf seems to be really good quality, but I'd add a little bit more of burley, got rid of the topping, and probably the cavendish tobacco it contains. I can see why this tobacco is so popular with all of you aromatic lovers, but it is not my cup of tea.

Got the a tin as a gift.I don't smoke much aromatics but it's Gawith's blend and usually I like SG blends so when I got home I took my bent Falcon and filled a rustic Bulldog bowl with Celtic Talisman.After few puffs I got the cherry vanilla toping and it was just too sweet.Finished the bowl and next day filled a Savi's Hercules Bulldog and it was same result.Absolutely too aromatic to my taste. Gave the tin to a mate of mine who's in aro's and he loved it. The tin note-ok.The moist level okay as most of the times when we're talking about SG blends. To a person who'll love aromatics this might the choice..I don't know but as I said before mate of mine who's been smoking mostly aromatics had another thoughts about it.

Opening the tin, smelled similar to Grousemoor, but not the same. Somewhat confusing smell. Lighting it up, great smell and just the perfect amount of aroma. One of the best aromatic tobaccos I have smoked. Much better, much tolerable than Grousemoor

Edit: I could not finish the tin. Far from perfect. Still too strongly aromatic for me. But still better than Grousemoor

Not sure what to write about this one. The tobaccos are classy, but the flavouring somehow doesn't fit my taste. From the first sniff on I compared this to fabric cleaner or washing powder, t does smell absolutely okay - but not for something you want to puff. Bronze-brown ribbon cut tobacco, very moist in the tin, packs a bit too compact, so it needs some drying. Not really "cherry" - it has a tin aroma that reminds me of fruit gums, or like Wrigley's Juicy Fruit. The smoke leaves a dry feel on the tongue - it actually dries out the complete mouth. The room aroma is okay. Taste and smell are quite far away from each other: it tastes bitter, and a bit like cheap booze. The smell is acceptable, though artificial. It provides enough Nic that you don't want to smoke another bowl for a while. It's not a full-flavoured mixture, but brings natural sweetness. I'm happy to finish the tin soon. Will not revisit this again. 2 of 5 stars. Not your typical aromatic.

Ever wonder what would happen if you blended a Gawith tobacco with some cherry and black cavendish? Well, you'd get this.

The tin note is chemical and awful, and might bring to mind children's cough syrup. This will cause you to lower your expectations, and if you lower them enough you might enjoy this.

It's a blend predominantly of Burley, I think, and cavendish. The taste of cherry is far more muted in the bowl and actually agreeable, taken for what it is. It tops a rather dry, nutty Burley taste unlikely to impress or offend. I wouldn't know there was any Vanilla in this if the tin description didn't say so, but I thought I tasted a whiff of vanilla halfway down the bowl.

Someone somewhere wrote that this tobacco reinvents the aromatic. I don't know quite what that means. I'll say this: I did actually taste a bit of cherry in it, and the tobacco had a touch of vitamin N as well. And it didn't bite. In those three ways, the tobacco pleasantly surprised me.

I didn't hate it. But it didn't convert me to aromatics.

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.