Tag: Samuel Gawith

Samuel Gawith Best Brown Flake

Summer of Sammy G Series – Tobacco #2

Established in 1792, Samuel Gawith tobacco company, an offshoot of Gawith Hoggarth and Company, is one of the oldest and most well-known producers of pipe tobacco and nasal snuffs in the world.  It comes as no surprise that their tobaccos have remained highly sought after by luxury tobacco enthusiast for 232 years.

Recap of how the Summer of Sammy G Series Started

As I came across a recent drop of their pipe tobacco blends on smokingpipes.com, I had a crazy idea to purchase one of each available tin and do a simultaneous review of the entire portfolio (or at least those I could access and purchase).  As of the writing of this review, the Samuel Gawith pipe tobacco portfolio, according to tobaccoreviews.com has included 117 blends since their inception.  For this Summer of Sammy G Series, I will be smoking through and reviewing 15 of these blends in search of the best of the best in their current production portfolio.    

The second tobacco we will examine in the Summer of Sammy G Series will be Samuel Gawith Best Brown Flake.  For reference, I plan on doing pop-the-top tin reviews on The Pipe Professor YouTube channel and following up those initial impressions with a full review here on The Pipe Professor website once I finish each tin.  If you would like to view my Samuel Gawith Best Brown Flake first impressions video prior to reading the following full review below, the video may be accessed here: https://youtu.be/kq-vqngeTZE

Continue to check back as I will be posting reviews of the Samuel Gawith pipe tobaccos on a regular basis throughout the summer and beginning of fall. 

Info & Overview

Brand: Samuel Gawith

Category: Straight Virginia

Blend Components: Virginia

Flavorings: None

Cut Type: Flake

Available Packaging: 50g tin

Price: $14.15 USD

On to the review…  

From the Tin: Once again we are presented with a beautiful stack of thinly cut dark brown flakes.  From the tin we are provided smells of Earth, barnyard, sweet and sour vinegar, leather, and roasted honeycomb.  A very pleasant and complex aroma package!  Furthermore, and similar to Full Virginia Flake, the tobacco is extremely moist and needs plenty of time to dry before smoking.  

Tasting Notes: Samuel Gawith Best Brown Flake will provide the pipe smoker with a light pepper spice (tingle on the palate), dried fig, and brown sugar, all wrapped around a tight nutty core.  On the retro-hale you will get an aged leather characteristic that is not present in the tastes while puffing.  Aromas are a rye bread and maple syrup mix.  An overarching chocolate scent will also be found by those with a keen sense of smell.  A wonderfully sweet and subtle smoke.  Regarding performance, the tobacco presents a warm smoke that is medium bodied and mild/medium in strength.  Best Brown Flake is a very slow burning tobacco.  Easily approachable and crafted for those who enjoy loading a bowl and sitting back to puff on a fine pipe tobacco for an extended period of time.  In fact, my palate just kept wanting me to puff on this one.  It is truly unique, delicious, and savory.  With that being said, I did have a hard time keeping it lit and figured out that a minimum of one hour drying time was needed prior to packing and lighting this beautiful creation.

Overall Impression: Samuel Gawith Best Brown Flake is a timeless tobacco that continues to perform at an ultra-superior level.  In fact, to provide a small confession to my readers, I went and purchased several more tins after smoking through my first, as this tobacco has not only found its way into my regular rotation, Best Brown Flake is now a desired taste for this old pipe smoking professor.  

Admittingly, I was worried when I first tried the tobacco as a cigarette like essence was present on my original pop-the-top experience, but it quickly dissipated, and I never had that same characteristic the remainder of the tin.  Not sure what prompted the sensory memory the first go around (see my pop-the-top tin review on The Pipe Professor YouTube channel for details) but it never occurred again.  Overall, I found Samuel Gawith Best Brown Flake to be just a smidge more enjoyable than the Samuel Gawith Full Virginia Flake.  Personally, this was due to Best Brown being a much more approachable, easier to smoke tobacco, and not as full force in body and strength as Full Virginia Flake.  Because it’s more of an all-day smoke, I’m going to give it a nudge higher rating than Samuel Gawith Full Virginia Flake.  We continue the excellence in our Summer of Sammy G Series with a potential top 5 pipe tobacco for 2024, Samuel Gawith Best Brown Flake.      

Tobacco Score: 4 ½ out of 5 pipes

Interested in seeing the video review for this blend? Visit The Pipe Professor YouTube channel at the following link for video review of this tobacco: https://youtu.be/kq-vqngeTZE

This review is a part of the Summer of Sammy G Pipe Tobacco Review Series.  More information on this project and other Samuel Gawith pipe tobacco reviews can be found here: https://youtu.be/bniYy0MJmwI?si=lBjqfkSe5iPcSnLB

Until next time, don’t forget to slow down, simplify, and smoke a pipe.  Cheers!

Samuel Gawith Full Virginia Flake

Summer of Sammy G Series – Tobacco #1

Established in 1792, Samuel Gawith tobacco company, an offshoot of Gawith Hoggarth and Company, is one of the oldest and most well-known producers of pipe tobacco and nasal snuffs in the world.  It comes as no surprise that their tobaccos have remained highly sought after by luxury tobacco enthusiast for 232 years.

As I came across a recent drop of their pipe tobacco blends on smokingpipes.com, I had a crazy idea to purchase one of each available tin and do a simultaneous review of the entire portfolio (or at least those I could access and purchase).  As of the writing of this review, the Samuel Gawith pipe tobacco portfolio, according to tobaccoreviews.com has included 117 blends since their inception.  For this Summer of Sammy G Series, I will be smoking through and reviewing 15 of these blends in search of the best of the best in their current production portfolio.    

The first tobacco we will examine in the Summer of Sammy G Series will be Samuel Gawith Full Virginia Flake.  For reference, I plan on doing pop-the-top tin reviews on The Pipe Professor YouTube channel and following up those initial impressions with a full review here on The Pipe Professor website once I finish each tin.  If you would like to view my Samuel Gawith Full Virginia Flake first impressions video prior to reading the following full review below, the video may be accessed here: https://youtu.be/Wfm-8KQZgFM?si=usBOVO2ZqfMwYdxN

Continue to check back as I will be posting reviews of the Samuel Gawith pipe tobaccos on a regular basis throughout the summer and beginning of fall. 

Info & Overview

Brand: Samuel Gawith

Category: Virginia

Blend Components: Virginia

Flavorings: None

Cut Type: Flake

Available Packaging: 50g tin or 250g bag

Price: $14.15 USD

On to the review…  

From the Tin: Beautiful presentation of thinly stacked dark brown flakes.  The colors of the tobacco remind me of a mosaic with hints of light and medium browns sprinkled throughout a canvas of rich, dark Virginia tobaccos.  The smell from the tin is a dry grassy straw barn with mild earth and dried prunes.  The flakes are extremely moist and need plenty of time to be prepared and dried out. 

Tasting Notes: The tobacco is very deep, dark, and rich for a Virginia flake.  When the name says full, they mean it.  The body and strength of the smoke were both in the full range with a noticeable nicotine punch being present.  Note, if you are a veteran tobacco user, and have established a nicotine tolerance, you will be fine, however, newbie pipe smokers be warned.  This one can, and does, pack a punch in the nicotine department.  

Flavors of the tobacco were very enjoyable with tastes of ripe dark fruits, earth, tangy citrus, and new oak barrel to match an aroma of baked brown sugar, biscuit/bread, and molasses. The tobacco burns down to a nice white, gray ash mix and due to the high moisture content level, this tobacco must be smoked with a slower cadence to avoid tongue bite.  There were several instances, when smoking, where my tongue reminded me that he is no superhero, and that I needed to slow down or pay the price.      

Overall Impression: Samuel Gawith Full Virginia Flake is a classic tobacco that continues to perform at a superior level.  With a market that is constantly being assaulted with new blends that are “the best ever” or “super rare and small batch” any sensible pipe smoker would be silly to not gravitate toward Full Virginia Flake.  I guarantee you won’t be dealing with mold issues due to poor manufacturing practices and will enjoy the savory smoke that this tobacco offers in every time.  I recommend that all pipe smokers try Samuel Gawith Full Virginia Flake at least once and am confident that more will be purchase once its classic characteristics are experienced.  I will certainly continue to have a few tins in my cellar for rotation and enjoyment for many years to come.  If you come across this tobacco, pick a tin or two up.  I believe you will be pleasantly surprised at the distinctions this tobacco has to offer.  Excellent start to the Summer of Sammy G Series!          

Tobacco Score: 4 out of 5 pipes

Interested in seeing the video review for this blend? Visit The Pipe Professor YouTube channel at the following link for a first impressions video review of this tobacco: https://youtu.be/Wfm-8KQZgFM?si=usBOVO2ZqfMwYdxN

This review is a part of the Summer of Sammy G Pipe Tobacco Review Series.  More information on this project and other Samuel Gawith pipe tobacco reviews can be found here: https://youtu.be/bniYy0MJmwI?si=lBjqfkSe5iPcSnLB

Until next time, don’t forget to slow down, simplify, and smoke a pipe.  Cheers!