Samuel Gawith St James Flake (Bulk)

When a fellow local pipe club member brought his St. James bulk to one of our meetings to share, I initially didn't want to smoke any as I had smoked the tinned version and was not a fan of the large amount of Perique included. But, after some of the VaPer lovers made positive comments about the blend as they smoked it, I figured I needed to smoke a bowl. I sure couldn't tell any difference in the flavor, but then, the last time I smoked St. James out of the tin was a couple of years ago. I compared notes afterwards and the opinion was pretty much the same. The only difference being that the bulk that I smoked seemed to smoke a little cleaner with less re-lights than the tinned version. I somewhat recommend this blend to Va/Per lovers among us. It is a cautious recommendation because the Perique in this blend is absolutely over the top for me and judging from the previous reviews, may be a bit much for the average Va/Per lovers among us. Still, for those who love a Perique kick in the teeth, this is going to be worshiped.

As is the case with most all SG Virginia blends, the leaf is top-shelf and the presentation (in this case, flakes) is quite nicely done. The pendulum leans to the right in both strength and taste.