Samuel Gawith English Summer Flake

I would describe this flake as nice.

This is an even-keeled flake. I've never had Dunhill Flake, but I've heard others describe this as similar, so I guess if you like Dunhill Flake, you'll probably like this too!

This is a very bright smelling flake, out of the tin. I agree with others saying it's sort of orange like, but I get some lemony notes too. It does have some Lakeland Essence of some kind on it, but it works really, really well with the brightness of these Virginias. This is also much dryer out of the tin than some of the other Samuel Gawith tobaccos and I didn't feel the need to let it dry out. This is a fairly delicate flake and I believe drying this out too much will make it taste cigarettish. The flakes are very long!, so I don't fold and stuff, rather I rub this out. This packs very well and lights easily for SG. This is very, very cool smoking and I was smoking it out of a Nosewarmer.

I don't get a bunch of petrol and auto shop notes that I tend to get with other brights, rather I get an even, nice, pleasant, faintly citrus profile from the get go. Mid bowl, it sugars up some, but not too much. I noticed that this stayed lit very well indeed for an SG flake! During mid bowl, I got some lovely garden shed notes, sort of wet and dusty, with some greenness and the faint, faint smell that you get from the lawnmower and various other garden implements being parked in it, sort of green and faintly oily. C'mon you know what I mean!

As with some other SG tobaccos, this left a great aftertaste in my mouth!

A bright Virginia flake flake with gold and light through to mid brown leaf. The cut is about the 1mm mark, fine and easy to rub up to a fluffy ball. The pouch smell is mainly topping and has a rosehip scent to my nose.

Lighting up is a quick process and the topping is instantly transferred to your tongue. Its sweet very sweet and light to smoke and has all the floral traits of a Lakeland style all be it a very mild one. Then at about mid pipe I get an orange flavour which is solid and quite strong and refreshing, a little soapy however it is very fruity. The taste of the tobacco ever present and pleasant but mild as you would expect for such a flake.

I like Lakeland leaf, not every day but like a lot get cravings for the floral. I find this tobacco to be super light in every aspect of the smoking bar the taste which is very tasty. The mouthfeel is light and I find I pull on the pipe a lot to get large clouds of smoke, it makes me greedy for more.

So a summer smoke it is for sure due to the light nature. A straight vg it is not as claimed at the top of the page. Nicotine is in very short supply and right now at half past midnight of a cold morning it fails to satisfy my cravings. I am sure some summer heat will have this about spot on for mid day smoking around company. So a light fresh smoke with welcome room smells for the crowd. Changing little throughout the smoke bar an orange flavour about mid way through.

Upon opening the tin you will be greeted by a very discreet hey aroma, typically for Virginias. There are *no* topings, additives or flavourings in this flake, what you smell is just how Virginia does smell incl. the citrus like aroma some make out in it.

The flakes came perfectly conditioned right out of the tin, even a bit on the dry side, which is a first for Samuel Gawith but is common for DTM who actually makes this fine and limited tobacco series. So, packing and especially lighting is a joy. Once lit it burns on its own and very, very hassle free.

The taste is that of hey-like Virginia with some slight sweetness to it, that also carries on in the aftertaste, so no surprises here. The aroma is delicate yet very faint. You need an already trained palette to get the most out of it and it that regard it is not for the beginner. Also if smoked too hot it quickly looses the already light aroma and only hot air remains. Which, in my mind, is an awful trade for a summer tobacco. When the temperature is above 30°C its rather hard to keep your smoke cool.

Towards the end it loses what little flavour was present and only very fine, white ashes do remain. Also this flake is not for the filter smoker, hardly anything gets through if you use them.

Strength is on the very weak side, but that's a good thing for a summer tobacco. Also, it reminds me too of the current incarnation of Dunhill Flake, both in taste as well in flatness and one-dimensionality.

Room note is that of pure Virginia but on the cigarette side.

Do i recommend this flake? I somewhat do. But only in the summer and only if you really are into very light (both strength and taste) tobaccos. For any other season this flake is just too weak and dull to satisfy. I did like it, and for its purpose i give it 3 stars. Else i only would give it two stars for the reasons above.

A side note: i got this tin without the Samuel Gawith logo on it and containing only 40g. I guess this is for tax and/or import reasons for the Austrian market.

This is the 3rd of the 4 seasons line that I have tried so far. As with the others, this one will need some drying time before some would even consider putting fire to it. YMMV on this point. Upon opening the tin you get a very nice tin note and the flakes are nice and thin for easy rubbing out. This lights and stays lit with little effort once properly dried. The weed used is the usual quality from SG. The nicotine level is on the lower end, so it should be no problem for those with a lower tolerance. Burns down to a nice ash at the end of the bowl. Definitely recommended whenever it is available.

ENGLISH SUMMER FLAKE This is the classic traditional English Straight Virginia. Bright Virginia (not matured Virginia), natural Virginia (no flavoring) in a flake cut. The taste of once. Completely different from straight Virginias composed by ripe Virginias, red Virginias, stoved or steamed or toasted Virginias. This is English taste. Not Scottish or American taste. Not too sweet, little aromatic, such as a pure young Virginia. It doesn’t bite. A slightly citrusy taste is perceived. Medium strength with the right nicotine content. Room note not so good, anyway tolerable. A straight Virginia without frills, as it once was. If you are looking for a straight Virginia, English school, absolutely natural, this is certainly a perfect one. Only one flaw: it lacks complexity. All in all, a good summer smoke, as the name suggests. In my personal rating system (from 1 to 10) my score is 8 and three stars.

One blend from very successful series. Four seasons. Not as full as Scottish Autumn flake but more fruity and fresh. After opening nice flavor of fruits. Burning is good without moisture. Flavor of fruits and citrus is present all the time during the smoking. Sometimes it overpowers the sweetness I would expected more. More-less duty for all pure VA pipers.

I'm growing rather fond of this series. I'm yet to try the Scottish Autumn, but the others have been very enjoyable.

Whilst this isn't particularly exciting, it is still a nice, very solid virginia. I don't enjoy it quit as much as the other two I've tried, but I'll probably still buy a few for the cellar if I see it again.

It has a definite citrus note and a little spice, and basically what you'd expect from a virginia. Overall well worth a try for the Virginia lover, but probably won't please others quite as much. 3 to 3.5 stars

Very nice "Gawith looking" flake. It screams "made on old equipment the old fashioned way". Tin note was interesting, pretty standard straight VA in the background, hay and grass with sweetness but a hard to place citrus smell. Orange/lemon like but not quite, kind of reminds me of Aperol. Taste is slightly sweet, crisp and refreshing. The predominant flavors that I get are lemon zest, slightly grassy with a mineral finish. I don't get the Dunhill Flake comparisons I have read. This to me is quite different. It is a bit sharp and has a tang on the retrohale. Nice aftertaste. I wish I had grabbed more than one tin.

I'd nearly have to call this a lighter flavoured version of Peterson's Uni Flake. To me it has a very similar taste profile Blueberries. Not as sharp as the UF, and in my opinion a better structured and burning tobacco.