Samuel Gawith Limited Edition Brown Sugar Flake Pipe Tobacco

Opening the tin you get a good smell of citrus and herbal floral but not the Lakeland Essence floral, it’s more subtle. The tobacco is somewhat moist , so I took a few of the flakes , instead folding and stuffing the flakes , I cubed it and after drying for a few , I loaded and lit up The air cured Virginia is definitely dominating this blend , with the Cavendish complimenting with a really nice easy floral and cream tasting smoke , the Cavendish in this blend it top notch , the touch of burley and Turkish really does round the blend out to make it a 5 Star tobacco , I would say that it is a medium strength with a tad above medium on nicotine , I am really enjoying this Samuel Gawith blend in a Peterson Kinsale XL15

Well this particular Virginia based Flake has a few odd twists to its history and it’s smoking properties for me but the end result is a delicious variation on a typical Virginia Flake! The first twist is it was known as Brown Sugar Flake when introduced years ago as a collaboration between Samuel Gawith and the Danish Pipe Shop. Then due to changes in the E.U. Laws it had to be renamed in 2017 to B. S. Flake, but there is no bs here as it’s a delicious blend indeed. Its current limited release carries its proper name of Brown Sugar Flake as it has been imported by Sutliff for US sales only. Now onto what we have here and it is a mixture of Virginia leaf that I believe may of African origins as it does seem to pack a bit more nicotine punch than leaf from elsewhere. It’s a sweet variety with some hay, woodsy, dark fruit, some citrus and makes for a solid base with a touch of spice. There is some well processed, in the English style, cavendish that seems very lightly sweetened and adds a smooth somewhat creamy nature to the smoke and helps make for a cool bite free smoke. It also has some nice nutty burley that has a touch of a brown sugar note as well as adding to the mouth feel and volume of smoke. The Orientals add a noticeable spiciness as well as a touch of herbal and floral notes. Upon opening the tin you will notice a wonderful tin note and some very dark brown flakes, very moist but not as damp as often is the case from SG. Now the other odd twist I mentioned, I usually find I get the best results and flavor from cube cutting my flakes but cutting cross grain with scissors, not this time. This time rubbing it out seems to result in a more complex and enjoyable smoke. Either way it will need some drying to bring out the flavor and to help facilitate lighting and minimize relights. The end result is a delightful smoke with medium strength and medium nicotine. Complex and slightly sweet with a mild natural brown sugar note. As far as added flavoring it’s either non existent or very mild and of more a faint honey or brown sugar, but this is no aromatic but a solid full Virginia Flake with added variety and complexity that smokes cool and smooth. Five out of five stars for me and I am sure enjoyable for anyone who appreciates such a blend. Dave da Dragon