Samuel Gawith St. James Plug

Upon first opening the pouch note is sharply vinegary, grassy with the fruit notes from the combination of the Virginia citrus and Perique spice combining. I first tried St James plug when first opening before storing. New to VaPers this I found it to be an acquired taste and quite overpowering. After three months in a large jar the pouch note profile had changed significantly as did the smoke. The fruit profile marries perfectly with the pepper with the grass and hay of the Virginias far more subdued yet retain their sweetness. The vinegar is still there but not as sharp and forward. While not a water to wine type dramatic change in flavour it would be more accurate to say that the rough edges are blunted with a small amount of time to infuse creating a far more nuanced smoke. The fruit, sweetness and pepper notes are far more identifiable as individual flavours complementing each other not competing. Both new and jarred this excellent blend, in the plug form should be in the cellar of any VaPer fan who appreciates both of these profiles described.

A lovely tobacco. Smells wonderful.burns forever and a day.not ultra smooth but it would be boring if it was. Can be smoked all day. Great morning smoke.it is great quality.smells figgy in the room.

Excellent Virginia Perique plug, heavy on the Perique and featuring the excellent quality Virginias that we've come to expect from Sam Gawith.

This plug is a brown rock of delight, fairly hard but not quite so hard as the Irish nuggets. It has a natural aroma of bready Virginias and plummy Perique. I prefer to shave my plugs with a sharp pocket knife, very thin, and barely rub the shavings. Don't pack too tight, and put some rubbed stuff on top as kindling, it will light with ease.

The Perique is very prominent in this blend, it hits you right from the start with a sour blast, a stewed plum flavour with generous peppery spice is present throughout. It is well supported by fruity, bready Virginias, which add a flavour like lightly toasted granary bread. As the bowl progresses, the sourness of the Perique does recede just a little, while it's pepperiness comes to the fore near the end of the bowl. The strength is moderate, and room note not too heavy.

It burns well needing a couple of relights, and if not packed too tight, there isn't much dottle. Owing to the generous dose of Perique, it's not a biter, although it has some pepperiness as you might expect.

I've not tried the flake version, that's next on the agenda. I can however compare it with Cabbies, another heavy Perique blend. Cabbies is more figgy, St James is more plummy and sour. Both have more perique than the more moderate Navy Rolls / Orlik Bullseye, which in turn have more than the "only a pinch" Va/Pers like Dark Flake and Orlik Golden Sliced.

All in all, cracking stuff. Nice as an after breakfast smoke, or as a thoughtful pipe in the evening. Nice at any time of the day in fact! Highly recommended.

This is a very good blend, but it takes a lot of work to prepare it, too much work! Id much rather have the flake version...