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Samuel Gawith Virginia Flakes

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Tobaccos here: Best Brown Flake Medium Virginia Special Flake No. 3 Special Flake No. 7
  Cob Flake (1792) Special Flake No. 1 Special Flake No. 4  
  Full Virginia Flake Special Flake No. 2 Special Flake No. 5  

 
Numerical Strength Guide
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Ex. Mild V. Mild Mild Mild-Med Medium Med-Strong Strong V.Strong Ex.Strong Overwhelming


 
Name/No.: Best Brown 6" Flake
Type: Natural Virginia
Strength: 5-6
Photo: Available
My Comment: This is Samuel Gawith's most popular tobacco in the UK, and it's highly appreciated by those who love 6" flakes in general. It's in a class of its own. The cut of the tobacco before pressing is fine, and the flakes are cut thin; so, it's very easy to rub out, pack and burn. It smokes very cool with no harshness whatsoever. The taste has some inexplicable sweetness and sourness to it. Most highly recommended.

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Name/No.: Cob Flake (1792)
Type: Flavored Virginia
Strength: 8-9
Photo: Available
My Comment: The pouch aroma could definitely be obnoxious to some, if not the majority. Luckily this smell disappears gradually and to some extent becomes even pleasant and interesting. The surprising aspect is that I didn't find it at all that strong, at least at first. Gradually the strength becomes more evident, particularly on the stomach. It's well known that "tonka bean" is an essential part of the flavoring of this tobacco. I highly recommend the following: rubbing it out, drying it, packing it lightly in a small to medium size bowl, and smoking it slowly, on a full stomach, at least when you're getting to know it. By the way, this flake is being marketed in the USA under the name "1792 Flake".

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Name/No.: Full Virginia Flake
Type: Natural Virginia
Strength: 7-8
Photo: Available
My Comment: First, by no means I can use the word "Full" to describe this tobacco. It's so smooth on palate, tongue, throat and stomach. The taste is simply fabulous. It's a tobacco I could smoke all the time for the rest of my life (and I'm a dedicated pressed Virginia guy!). I most highly recommend it to those of you who appreciate the wonders of natural pressed Virginias.

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Name/No.: Medium Virginia
Type: Natural Virginia
Strength: 5
Photo: Available
My Comment: This is a gorgeous-looking tobacco! The wide and long flakes are broken only slightly. The taste and aroma are so natural and yet sweet. I believe it's a true example of how sweet natural Virginias can be. I find it to be extremely pleasant any time of the day. It also has a very pleasant room aroma.

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Name/No.: Special Flake No. 1
Type: Flavored Virginia
Strength: 5
Photo: Available
My Comment: To me, this is the most exotic SG tobacco! If you like "soapy" tobaccos, here is the one for you. The smell was a bit shocking to me; it smelled like the "Camay" soap, very perfumed. The color range from light to dark, with light brown dominant. The cut is rather medium, and I find the flakes to be easy to rub out. The taste is almost identical to the pouch aroma, esp. at first. The "perfumy" smell gradually dissipates, without disappearing. This is definitely a tobacco that require exclusive pipes for its use.

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Name/No.: Special Flake No. 2
Type: Flavored Virginia
Strength: 5
Photo: Available
My Comment: This is one of the most perfumed (scented) tobaccos I have ever seen come out of the UK. I'm both surprised and disappointed that SG does not offer information on this one (like the great majority of their tobaccos), as to what it is scented with. When I first smelled it, I got a confirmed smell of strong perfumed soap. The aroma is mainly that of a combination of spices and other essences. It has a very pleasant room aroma; however, I personally do not like it and I doubt that people who like only natural tobaccos could appreciate it. If you're not one of such people, then you could actually end up liking it.

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Name/No.: Special Flake No. 3
Type: Flavored Virginia
Strength: 5
Photo: Available
My Comment: Again, this is a most definitely flavored (scented) tobacco. It's less perfumy than Flake # 2, though the smell of soap is evident. When I first lit it, it reminded me of Grousemoor Plug, but a lot more flavored. The taste is a combination of salty, sweet and spicy. While it's not my kind of tobacco (who cares!), I expect some people to enjoy it.

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Name/No.: Special Flake No. 4
Type: Flavored Virginia
Strength: 6-7
Photo: Available
My Comment: Like most SG flakes, this has a very particular pouch aroma; I could compare it to Flake. 7 (as far as the presence of this aroma is concerned), though the aroma is different. I could say that the smell is "perfumy" and spicy, without being overwhelming so. It's relatively easy to rub out and pack. The colors range from bright to dark. I find that the sweetness and the spiciness go their separate ways: The former is mainly felt on the palate and tongue, while the latter more in the nose and nasal cavity. I recommend packing it lightly to obtain a more trouble-free combustion. What I don't appreciate it about it is the fact that it leaves the pipe quite dirty, esp. the shank.

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Name/No.: Special Flake No. 5
Type: Flavored Virginia
Strength: 6
Photo: Available
My Comment: While this is a natural Virginia, I find the smell of the unburned tobacco to be almost too sweet! The taste is occasionally bitter, and sometimes sweet and sour, very intriguing taste overtones. I advise you to rub out well and smoke it slowly. For some reason, it reminds me of the OLD Edgeworth Slices! Very nice smell to others.

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Name/No.: Special Flake No. 7
Type: Flavored Virginia
Strength: 7-8
Photo: Available
My Comment: This is a flake of the highest quality. The taste and aroma are both sweet and spicy. While not the easiest burner, with a bit of attention, you can have it burn so evenly and so slowly. The Virginias used are evidently so mature and of very high quality.

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Numerical Strength Guide
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Ex. Mild V. Mild Mild Mild-Med Medium Med-Strong Strong V.Strong Ex.Strong Overwhelming



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