Samuel Gawith Recommendations?

[unkleyoda]

Bothy Flake, Commonwealth and Skiff Mixture.
Squadron Leader with 10-25% added blending perique is good too.

 

[jasonmazzy]

I quite enjoy the navy flake. Comes in long ribbons.

 

[JimInks]

Todd: Lakeland blends have strong toppings that tend to remind some smokers of soap and floral perfume. They are an acquired taste.

 

[johnbarleycorn]

The only SG blend I recall not really enjoying is cabbies mixture. Maybe I should revisit it. Oh and per your original question definitely FVF (my all time favorite), best brown Flake, chocolate Flake, Bothy Flake, navy Flake, etc....

 

[toddryan84]

@JimInks
So kind of like rose water, and such? That's used heavily in Arabic and Indian cooking, it might taste really good! I'm not opposed to trying that I might like in fact.

 

[toddryan84]

So I went to TobaccoPipes and Smokingpipes and theybars sold out of most of those tins -_-
Are these sold out for good or just really popular?

 

[metalheadycigarguy]

My favorite SG blends are Skiff Mixture, Perfection and Golden Glow. All great blends.

 

[JimInks]

Todd: in the past few months, several SG blends have been out of stock. I'm afraid you'll have to be patient. If you live in the USA, try P&C, Iwan Reis, and Mars Cigars just in case. If you're overseas, all you can do is check the on-line retailers.
If you want to try a Lakeland or Lakeland-like blend, start with a mild one. I would suggest a few Gawith & Hoggarth blends for that rather than Sam Gawith as I am more familiar with these and have reviewed them at Tobacco Reviews: Bob's Chocolate Flake, Bob's Square Cut, Brown Flake Scented, and Louisiana Flake.

 

[toddryan84]

Jim,
I've noticed, I'll try those sites. I tried Cup o Joes, TobaccoPipes, and SmokingPipes and many of the blends recommended aren't there. I am stateside so I am going to take your advice, although the Gawitch and Haggarth blends sounded less appealing to me than the SG blends :?

 

[retrogrouch]

I believe both Gawith brands are now made in the same facility. I like the value of the Gawith and Hoggarth bulk blends. The mention was made earlier that SG tinned tobaccos comes quite wet. If you plan on smoking your tobacco when it arrives, you might want to reconsider the choice of the SG brand. Some of their tobaccos will take a while to dry out. I like both Squadron Leader and Skiff Mixture. They are mild English tobaccos, the difference being that I taste more Orientals in Skiff.

 

[dunstanhillwell62]

I can recommend Lakeland Dark, which to me tastes like a milder version of HH's Bold Kentucky and Brown Sugar Flake, oddly renamed BS Flake. The latter has to be wrung out and dried for some time though.

The next one I am going to try is Commonwealth. 50% Virginia and 50% Latakia appeals to me.
::

 

[bigpond]

Sam's flake. The combination of Orientals with a touch of tonquin makes for a very interesting, and surprisingly subtle smoke. Probably a top 3 from SG imo.

 

[mawnansmiff]

Regarding moisture content in Sam Gawith's blends, I have found that bulk (ie 250g) Full Virginia Flake and St. James Flake tend to be a lot wetter than the 50g tins. No huge issue really but it does mean more drying time is required.
Regards,
Jay.

 

[woodsroad]

Samuel Gawith has disappeared from the P&C site.They no longer appear to be selling any SG products.
I'll add one recommendation that I don't think has been proffered yet: SG Balkan Flake

and the fun I had the day the pigs ate my little sister

OK, I'll bite. Fill us in!

 

[glassjapan]

I can't speak on latakia blends but here's another vote for Full Virginia flake, Best Brown Flake and St. James Flake.

If you're wanting to dip your toe in the lakeland blends I'd suggest Gawith Hoggarth Bright CR flake. Just a little bit of lakeland to start out.

 

[lochinvar]

You can't go wrong with Gawith. They may not all be to your taste, but they are all high quality. Below are a few I like
Full Virginia -my favorite Virginia flake of all, it's a classic that other Virginias are judged against.

St. James Flake -a great VaPer, like plummy FVF

Cabbie's Mixture -A VaPer more on the peppery side, totally unlike St. James.

Navy Flake- The wettest flake they make, it's one of the most unique flakes out there. The only flake I can think of with latakia, where the latakia doesn't take over.

Grousemoor -The best or at least most classic example of a Lakeland mixture.

 

[robykeys82]

+1 for Squadron Leader!
Avoid the Black Cherry, I was really disappointed by it!
If you love Latakia, Commonwealth could be the perfect choice for you (50% Virginia, 50% Latakia).

 

[deathmetal]

I have found that bulk (ie 250g) Full Virginia Flake and St. James Flake tend to be a lot wetter than the 50g tins.

Makes sense because water loss is faster from the bags in those boxes, so if it's going to sit on the shelf for a year, it better be soggy so it's not bone-dry when someone takes it home.

 

[cortezattic]

Bringing very moist tobaccos to a smokeable condition is no problem with the Heat-It Craft Tool. It warms up quickly, and has a low velocity, so your tobacco ribbons don't go flying all over the place -- especially if you use a small, 1 lb. size aluminum baking tin as a container/tray to prep a bowlful.

 

[kimbiker]

Always think Black Forest is a tasty underrated bakky.