Samuel Gawith Reviews

This is what happens when I’m bored- I review 5 tobaccos in 5 different cobs…in one thread These are the four new SG seasonal flakes, and an SG blend that is pretty new to me: Firedance.

Springtime Flake / Egg shaped Great Dane


There was a surprisingly small amount of flake in this tin compared to the other three, and while I don’t have a digital scale to prove it, I imagine it was simply denser coming out of the press because it rubbed out to expand quite a bit. The leaf smelled grassy with notes of honey and raisins. This was a lighter bodied offering that lit well and burned dry. I read an article a while back by GL Pease which spoke of the seasonality of certain blends. Thinking in terms of that discussion I would say they hit the nail on the head with this one. If you could call tobacco “refreshing”, this would fit the bill. I kept finding faint lemon notes and there was a consistent, mild sweetness all the way through. This is my favorite of the MM cobs in my collection. I like the amber stem (which I don’t believe is standard on these any longer), and I really enjoy the bowl shape. I’m not much of a clencher and this thing nestles in my palm like nothing else. It doesn’t hold enough for more than a 35 minute smoke of so, but it breathes well and never gets hot. If I invested in a Forever stem for one of my cobs, this would be the one.

English Summer Flake / Washington


The moisture level of this blend was somewhere in between the Springtime flake and the Scottish Autumn. I rubbed it out and let it dry for 30 minutes prior to lighting. If you were to place this and the Autumn Flake side by side, it would be a little challenging to tell them apart based on scent alone. The only difference would be that the Summer Flake has a secondary fig note in addition to the heavenly, grassy/hay odor. I had a little trouble getting it lit, but once we got going- man! This is good stuff. This is the mildest of the blends and also the most sweet. It was a pleasant smoke from start to finish with various points where I swore there was a bit of vanilla, or even hazelnut in the retrohale. The Virginias in this mix remind me of the base for my favorite aromatic- Dan SVHD. I’d say this was the best of the four. The Washington is what I consider to be the “entry-level” MM cob. It has the most simplistic finish and comes equipped with the least polished stem design. The bowl of mine had some pits and holes of sorts in the bowl, right around the rim. These are inconsequential to its performance, but are something I wouldn’t expect to find in a Great Dane or a Country Gentleman. Pluses to this one include it breathing well and, in turn, burning nice and cool. My biggest qualm is that the stem is virtually impossible to feed a cleaner through.

Scottish Autumn Flake / Spool shaped Great Dane

This selection rubbed out much more easily than the Springtime offering, and it appeared to be a little more on the dry side out of the tin. If I closed my eyes and sniffed the plate I would think I was magically transported back to my aunt’s horse stables. The scent was reminiscent of a Saturday morning when the door is slid open and the mist rolls onto the bales; sweet, damp hay. This is quite possibly the best smelling straight Virginia I’ve encountered. Once lit it was of medium profile/strength and offered a faint sweetness alongside a pleasant nuttiness. There was a little bit of tongue bite however, though I smoked fairly slow. The spool shape of the pipe is great in the hand (particularly because the wider diameter of the lip prevents it from slipping down in your palm), but I’m not the biggest fan of the bent stem. This is one of the least expensive styled stems from MM, and while it functions just fine, it is so small that the softy-bit my teeth require slides around just a tad. It does have a nice, deep bowl that allows for a 45 minute smoke. The stain is attractive, but the bowl only breathes so well and so it burns a little hot.

Wintertime Flake / Diplomat


Finally, the English blend among the seasonal offerings. This was the darkest of the flakes (thanks to the Latakia) and it was somewhere in between in regards to moisture level out of the tin. It smelled absolutely wonderful on the plate with pine and campfire notes that were not overly strong, but instead hinted at a very balanced mix of leaf. When I fired it up I discovered it to be very reminiscent of the Drew Estates Meatpie offering It was a pretty mild mixture that was more like catching wisps of the fire from the next campsite over, than standing in front of it with your marshmallow stick in hand. The most delightful part was when the wetness of the Virginias combined with the spice in the Latakia to create a licorice like experience in the retrohale. It burned well to the bottom of the bowl without any bite. The Diplomat is a fine looking pipe that smokes quite well. I like mine because it is a straight pipe, and the stem is of, what I consider to be, the fanciest variety straight from MM. It has the appearance of being turned on a lathe with a nice taper leading into the tenon. It holds ~35-45 minute smoke and burns nice and cool.

Firedance Flake / Zurg Glass Sipper


This has quickly become one of my favorite smelling blends in the tin, and I smoked it in my favorite cob. The flake gives off a delicious aroma that is something like hay that has been misted with sangria. There are notes of berries and stone fruit, but it doesn’t smell overly perfumed or artificial. Once lit this is really a class “A+” aromatic blend. The Virginias make for a nice baseline and the blackberry is never overwhelming. It has just enough fruity tang to make it interesting without becoming weird. While the vanilla is present in the retrohale, I was unable to find much of the brandy (beyond the pre-light smell). I’m a huge Sweet Vanilla Honeydew fan and this reminds me of it simply in the way it has such a nice balance between the topping and the actual tobacco flavors. I did find it to be pretty wet out of the tin, and it benefited from some drying time after being rubbed out. The Zurg Glass Sipper smoked beautifully (as always), with the glass bottom and inverted stem lining allowing every last bit of leaf to burn clean and dry. For those unfamiliar with this pipe I suggest this thread ; starting off with a MM Country Gentleman, Emperor Zurg made quite the interesting contraption which is virtually impossible to clog and impossible to gurgle. A great combination of pipe and tobacco