Samuel Gawith Navy Flake Pipe Tobacco

After receiving the two tins I ordered from Tobacco Pipes, I popped one of the lids and saw two evenly cut rows of a medium to dark flake. As an aside, since SG was taken over/merged with GH, you no longer get the rough looking, sopping wet, mess of flakes that I always experienced in the past from SG and much preferred! I was surprised with the fact that I detected no tin note at all from the contents. No Latakia, no rum, no Lakeland essence. Note...nce the tin was opened for a few days, the aroma and mild taste of Latakia came to the fore. My first bowl was in a trusty Peterson Belgique. After a moderate degree of rubbing out, I had a lot of difficulty lighting and keeping it lit. The smoking experience was definitely not good. Needless to say, I was disappointed, but took the blame due to my haste in wanting to smoke the stuff. I left the lid off for an hour or two, still no tin note even after deep inhalation, the flakes looking appreciably lighter than after first opening. For this trial, I took more care with the rubbing out of the flake and loaded it into my Weber Poker. This was a way more satisfactory smoking experience. Oddly, I couldn't taste any rum, Latakia , or Lakeland essence per se, but there was only what I would express as a "umami quality," a mouth feel that was very enjoyable and a smokiness (not Latakia campfire) unlike any other tobacco I can think of. Some would say perhaps, "I must have gotten a bad tin." I don't believe this to be the case. Now, I don't believe any Lakeland essence is part of the recipe, but rum and Latakia are listed as such. I'm sure the magic I experienced is in the expert blending and marrying of the ingredients. I liken this to cooking a nice meal with many ingredients slowly over time, resulting in one sum taste and not the taste of the individual ingredients. I smoked quite a bit of McClelland Navy Flake, Mac Baren Navy Flake, and other similar concoctions with rum, with/without Latakia (I'm thinking Mac's Plumcake and Solvent), and never had such a pleasant experience as with SG Navy Flake. In some ways, similar to SG Brown Flake. I read in another review that the finish is really nice. I agree with this wholeheartedly. This gets better as you approach the bowl's end, and slow smoking enhances this. I can\t say that about many baccy's I've smoked over the last 48 years. Highly recommended with 5 stars.

Chunky, does not break up or dry out well. Does not stay lit, very harsh

Pretty good tobacco once it dries enough to accept flame. Fruity and spicy on the palate. Floral on the retrohale. Worth a try.

I am tickled that many out there just don't get this flake. It's fantastic and that means more for me. Unlike their straight VAs etc this one stays on the shelf for a while before selling out. Give me time to buy it a bit at a time since it's not cheap and I can't just buy tons of it all at once.

The virginia tobacco is in front, the rum based topping is high sugar and makes that lovely candied flake we all enjoy. latakia? small smokey base for the virginia to start from. I like navy style with the rum and they are the few blends that allow a topping to help the blend. Thick, dry/moist flakes that you have to shake out quite a bit pack well with a light touch. With a good rest in the bowl the tobacco will light with relative ease. It does need relights but the slow burn is cool and flavorful, the relights simply add a burst of flavor. With a blend this sweet it does need a slower sip and can tingle if puffed too hard once fully lit. Take some time to allow the cool smudgy smoke to develop and One gets those delightful full flavors easily. As a traditional blend type this is an excellent choice that any Enthusiast should try. For the newcomer this blend will be a bit more work to prepare properly and will challenge those who seek milder blends. For those that desire more flavor this is worth a try and is on my reorder list.

An excellent Virginia & Latakia blend with a pleasant rum flavor. Highly recommended.

I mostly taste the rum. I was curious about the lakia, but I don't taste it at all Ho-hum. Even if it was always available I wouldn't order more.

Very good Virginia smokes smooth, rubs out into a nice fluffy pile, the smell from the jar is amazing. I don't pick up any rum flavoring but I'm fine with that. A good solid smoke.

This is a great Latakia, Virginia with a nice rum note. Really nice blend. Simple in design, and complex at the same time.