Review of - Samuel Gawith 2013 Ltd Edition.

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Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 30, 2011
737
1
United Kingdom
Here's some first thoughts on Samuel Gawiths 2013 Limited Edition.  The run is limited to 15,000 tins, so once it's gone it's gone for good.  It comes in 100g tins with a painting of the company founder commissioned whilst he was Mayor of Kendal, by the artist William Bowness, (thanks to mrlowercase for that info) on the front.  They have also avoided putting the huge UK health warnings on the front so the tin isn't spoilt for those who collect such things.
The tin comes in a clear plastic shrink wrap but, unlike most tins, it is not vacuumed sealed. I'm not sure how that will effect aging and long term storage.  According to an email conversation with the factory, the blend is currently 3 months old.  Inside, the tobacco, a mix of Virginia, Burley and Black Cavendish, is contained in a large plastic bag.  As soon as you lift the lid you are greeted with a gentle nutty aroma.  It immediately reminded me of Petersons Nutty Cut, but with a more natural and not quite as sweet scent.
The tobacco is made up of nicely moist strands of mainly mid brown tobacco with about 10% or so jet black Cavendish.  Some smokers who like their tobacco particularly dry may want to air dry this blend for a little while, but it was just as I like it.  I chose a bent Parker tomato shaped pipe as I hadn't smoked it since the last deep clean.
The charring light was a little surprising as there was not much flavour there at all.  Moving on to the full light it quickly became apparent that this blend needs gentle handling and benefits from a very slow smoke.  That brings out the almond and vanilla creme topping added to the Cavendish, with the almond very much at the forefront.   There's a subtle sweetness, like a rich gateau enjoyed with a cup of coffee, rather than the brashness of say, a Twinkie.
There seems to be a reasonable amount of nicotine as I quickly felt the relaxing waves spread over me.  The Virginia and Burley are the main flavours with a subtle nutty tang drifting through.  I was impressed with the flavour as it's not as artificial as many toppers blends.  This is was Nutty Cut should have been and it's certainly spoilt that blend for me!  There is a slight creaminess to the smoke, but nothing like as much as a Lakeland tobacco.
As you get towards the bottom of the bowl, the nutty flavours start to fade and allow the vanilla to come forward.  There's a pleasant room note which my wife said reminded her of chocolate.  All in all an enjoyable smoke and I'll be getting some more while it is still available.

 
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