Samuel Gawith Black Forest

I bought this on the hunt for something like Rich Dark Honeydew but with less of a honey upper cut and, after due diligence, I came across the reviews of Black Forest. From the reviews this seemed to be a marmite tobacco: you either love it for its subtlety or hate it because it offers no longevity in it’s flavour so I had to try some. I now know which side of the fence I’m going to be on.

First impressions: in the tin, the tobacco was stuck to the internal wrapping paper, which was much more glossy than the usual wrapping paper. I presume that this might be a result of Covid and SG not being able to get hold of the usual paper; at least that’s what I hope anyway because it has imparted a plastic/varnish type of smell to the tobacco. When trying to pry the tobacco from the paper, The paper began to rip as it was still stuck to the tobacco - bugger, thought I.

The paper had also gone brown where the tobacco had been touching it and this tobacco was dry - I mean abnormally dry for an SG blend.where the paper hadn’t touched the tobacco it was one step beyond “good to smoke” in my opinion. As I jarred it up, I knocked the tobacco about a bit in the hope that the dry tobacco could mingle with damper stuff and then would find a happy moisture marriage. I wish I hadn’t done that in hindsight.

The tobacco itself could be called “Tiger’s Tears” or something (tobacco manufacturers please not that I am available, at a reasonable rate, for tobacco blend naming purposes), the bright leaf is dotted with black cavendish in a ratio slightly less than a tiger’s stripes and it looked inviting.

As for the honey, I’m not getting any from the pouch note, the pouch note is being held hostage by the smell from that bloody paper! If it is there, I cannot smell it. By knocking the brick of baccy about and stirring it up, in the hope of spreading the moisture love, I have only succeeded in sharing the paper love - great.

The taste also reveals no honey at all. I am a fan of the Rich Dark Honeydew but that isn’t an all day for me, I was looking for it’s little brother, that could be enjoyed a couple of times a day and this is not it. If there is any honey then it is passing me by at this stage of our relationship.

The tobacco is...bland? That is to say that it tastes like tobacco (obviously), black cavendish and the golden virginias but it offers nothing; there is no change to the flavour profile from match to ash, it is what it is and some people will rightly applaud Black Forest for this. Other blends can start of tasting exactly like the tin note, only to reveal hidden depths (good or bad) three or four draws into the smoke; this one doesn’t really change.

The room note is cloying, hanging around the room like that uncle at Christmas who doesn’t take the hint that the party is over, it’s the 8th of January and he needs to go home. Not pleasant, more like cigarettes.

I’m going to leave this one, jarred up for a while, in the hope that the effects of the paper dissipates and some of the beauty of the tobacco comes through... hopefully.

If it doesn’t then this will become an experimentation tobacco, to be used when I get the Dr Frankenstein urge to mess about with things that I have absolutely no right to go messing with - “ah yes, I must try the rose water; why hadn’t I thought of that before!” Cue the flashes of lightning, rumble of thunder and the manic laughter.

I like most SG blends, even if I’m not mad keen on the blend itself there is usually something that interests me and makes me think “ooh, today is a Navy Flake like type of a day” but this one isn’t saying anything to me at the moment. All in all, not one that I recommend, mainly because of the paper issues to be honest.

Unfortunately a tasteless blend from Sam Gawith's.

The sweet aroma that comes from the opened tin is very pleasant indeed, full of promise of a sweet tobacco with grassy hay-like overtones mixed with a little honey. The tobacco is no quite as wet as some SG blends I've tried and can be loaded straight from the tin.

It looks rather dark for an aromatic with clearly a high cavendish content mixed with gold virginia strands. It certainly looks the part and feels like a SG blend of their best quality.

If you are expecting a superb flavour then you'll be disappointed. This has no taste at all. I've tried all pipes, briars and my best meerschaum, but I just can't get anything out of this one at all. There's no room note either.

A shame this as it will now just be a bind to get through a seemingly never ending tin. I just can't recommend this blend. the weakest of the SG blends I have tried over the years.

Not much to get excited about here for me. The black Cavendish tastes fine but is just dust in my sample. The overall tobacco is ok and the honey topping is pants and just wont stay or go. A very lack luster blend for me..