Samuel Gawith English Summer Flake

A perfectly simple Virginia flake. A little too damp, but hey-ho! Once dried and smoking it gives a steadfast Virginia flavour. The flavour's consistent throughout, and it doesn't bite at all. The nicotine's above medium, and the room-note's nice.

A must for Virginia folks!

Earthy with no real sweetness to the leaf (Bright and Dark Virginia). A little extra strength and Lemony tang such as you will find with the old Murray's version of Dunhill Light Flake. A nice smoke for the summer... or, anytime really.

Very SG-like long flakes that are not too hard to fold. Takes a little patience with the length if you're a folder and stuffer but very do-able. Mostly light in color, with a tin aroma of basic lemon Virginia. Makes sense for a blend named for the warmest season. I don't know who the Stanislaw tobacco folks are so I don't know where they fit into this tobacco... looks like it's their recipe and SG's tobaccos.

This gave me much more than I expected. I was thinking along the lines of Dunhill Flake and it wasn't that far off, but the citrus character wasn't as overt. I actually got more of an orange Virginia flavor, which when done well is probably my favorite. The sweetness is there but there is no sense of the leaf being marinated in orange peel. The tanginess is there but it's more mellow and less attention-grabbing. Orange is, of course, in the middle. I noticed a faint spice as well, perhaps a topping of some kind but it wasn't so blatant that I could name it. This was a well-made blend, nowhere near as tiresome over time to smoke as most straight lemon VA's. I'd classify this as a 3.5 star blend but I'm rounding it up due to its genial nature on top of a bit of sassiness. I probably won't buy it again but it's still an excellent flake and highly recommended to Virginia lovers.

This was my second blend out of the four limited blends and i can say i feel very lucky!once i cracked the tin a very familiar smell came out.it reminded me of Dunhill's virginia blends.the flakes have a citruscy/lemony topping accompanied with some dark fruits and bread notes.the brown and bright flakes have almost proper moisture,are manageable and have an aging procces appearance.lights almost easy and needs some relights.while smoking it's only pleasure without complexity.the main flavour is citrus/lemon till the end wich combines perfect with dark fruits,bread taste and grass notes.also in every puff you feel this blend is really aged and unprossesed.burns slow and cool without moisture and dumbness.no tongue bite detected.the room note is fruity and pleasant to my wife.the nicotine level is medium.in my opinion this blend is ideal to burn a new pipe.an all day blend for sure and trust me a must try one for every virginia lover!

English Summer - daft name, it's all wet and windy. Which this baccy is definitely not.

It's a top quality straight virginia. But not for me. Too sharp. I have to stop buying them, I haven't got the patience to draw out the subtleties. They are there, but I smoke too rough.

The flavour didn't suit me either. I am unable to identify it. For me it was a bum note yet for someone else it will be perfect pitch.

Someone elses review pointed out that the blurb claims it's made from "natural leaf"! What silly nonsense. They'll be claiming organical too soon!

This is a really light Virginia flake with sour lemon topping. It is amazing, because I didn't know you could make Virginia flake offer hints of sour lemon. I didn't notice a lot of sweetness, which in this case was fine.

Normally I despise any kind of a topping, but this is a wonderful tobacco. In the heat and humidity of the Gulf Coast the whispers of sour lemon, with nothing thick or cloying, is very refreshing indeed.

I love smoking this stuff while sipping hot tea with a squeeze of lemon. Earl Grey seems to have been made for this flake, and this flake for Earl Grey.

This flake has a very light flavor profile overall, so when you sample it just remember that it is supposed to be super light on the pallette. If I am looking for lots of flavor I smoke C&D Opening Night, or Samuel Gawith Full Virginia Flake. This is for hot afternoons.

This is IMHO the best of the special seasonal offerings from Gawith. Hard to find and in theory no longer in production -- BUT clearly a number of places still have an ample supply. This is a very tasty lightly stoved virginia flake. Those people who describe it as nice are missing the real quality of this smoke. You have to sip it..HAVE to. If you smoke too fast you lose the fragrance and under notes of this tobacco. There is a wine taste to it when you slow down. Its a cool smoke, and strength wise is closer to FVF than to, say, best brown. Like the Irish flake in this line English Summer Flake is full of interesting notes. Not just wine, but a kind of subtle orange flavor, but also that of nuts or bread at times. Its a wonderful flake. The nic hit is close to medium ...if not actually at medium. If you can get some, do so.