Sam Gawith Squadron Leader

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Pseudo Nim

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I had a quick look through the review section, it seems that most of the reviews are written on US blends and few on Sam Gawith. I shall start by stating I am an ardent Sam Gawith fan of most of their blends flakes and mixtures but not all.

First off, contrary to popular beleif, the aeroplane on the tin is not a Sopwith Camel, it bears more of a resembelance to the Hawker Hart or Fury of the 1930's having said that, being a fine English blend of Virginia, Latakia and Turkish of a medium body, it is not difficult to see how this blend would have been appreciated by aircrews flying in open cockpits in 1914 - 1918, for myself, I love this in the cold winter weather. Sweet, without being cloying. With no one tobacco trying to grab attention, I was supprised as to how the taste of this changed with different pipes.

I finally settled on a Hardcastle (large bowl), this for me, brings out the various tobacco's flavours in very fine harmony but with enough interest to make me want to smoke the tobacco and think about what I am smoking and enjoy.

Burns down to a nice white ash with very little maintenance. Sadly, I have almost no sense of smell, so tin aroma is of little consequence to me and room note, well, I smoke alone in my cave.

For those who have tried English / Latakia blends and found them to their liking, Squadron Leader is one that will not dissapoint.
 
Your review is just in time. I've been enjoying a tin of Sam Gawith Full Va Flake that I won in a wager with a brother here, I searched their web site and settled on Squadron Leader as my next tobacco aquisition. Just made a trade with another brother for a tin of it, should be here soon. I can't wait to try it.
 
EJinVA":elmxctsi said:
Your review is just in time. I've been enjoying a tin of Sam Gawith Full Va Flake that I won in a wager with a brother here, I searched their web site and settled on Squadron Leader as my next tobacco aquisition. Just made a trade with another brother for a tin of it, should be here soon. I can't wait to try it.
Strangely, when I first tried SL, albeit in the summer, I did'nt like it that much, but once the weather here turned cold, I tried it again and loved it.

I hope that when yours comes, you sit back, relax, light up and thoroughly enjoy
 
Funny, I'm smoking it right now. Once in a while I'll buy it.

I'm not very good at deconstruction so forgive me, but the Virginias don't seem to have enough body to balance the rest of the excellent tobacco. They kind of get lost to the Turkish and Latakia.

But that's not altogether bad. Sometimes that's just what I want.
 
Thanks for the review!! I haven't tried SL in quite a while; but enjoyed it immensely when I did!! Have, I believe, two tins aging on the shelf :cheers: FTRPLT
 
Smoked a bit of the Squadron Leader this weekend. A nuttyness seemed to prevail, but not too much. I'll need a few more bowls to make a good determination. So far I like it. :pipe:
 
EJinVA":2t9d4z36 said:
Smoked a bit of the Squadron Leader this weekend. A nuttyness seemed to prevail, but not too much. I'll need a few more bowls to make a good determination. So far I like it. :pipe:
Yes, strangely it got me like that at first, I was given a free sample, at my request, (in England, you can go into a tobacconist, have a TAD attack that leaves you with a bill the size of the national debt of a small African Nation, but if the shopkeeper offers you a free sample, then the law states he is trying to encourage you to smoke, what the hell your supposed to do with your TAD is beyond me, but if you ask for a free sample, that's fine) as I smoked my sample, I wasn't all that impressed, it was only after the cold weather made it's presence felt that I realised I needed something with a little more taste and flavour that SL came into it's own.

Keep puffing, it'll get you yet. :lol:
 
I really like the tin, and the smoke's pretty good, too :face:
 
Just bought a tin of it today. Had my local B & M order it for me after reading a review. Haven't cracked it yet. Probably will tomorrow.
 
Last May at the Chicago Pipe Show the reps from Samuel Gawith sold 500 tins
of a limited edition Squadron Leader that was blended with perique.This limited edition will never be produced again.I bought a few tins,it has the original artwork and colors.People that have smoked it have rated it highly and commented that the blender did a fine job.

SquadronLeaderPerique-4.jpg


Winslow :sunny:
 
I'm planning on purchasing a new cob at my local tobacconist today so I can try out this SL fresh & without contaminants from other baccys in my briars. :pipe:
 
I have a number of meerschaum pipes which I use to get a first impression
of a blend.I never realized how a pipe that has been only used for heavy English
blends can ruin the taste of any other tobacco until I bought one off e-bay and tried to smoke Va.'s in it. :x

Winslow :sunny:
 
Just finished a bowl of SL in a cob. It was a very satisfying smoke. I had a little trouble keeping it lit at first but I think that was a clumsy job of packing it. The last half of the bowl left me wanting more.
 
Winslow":ouasiaag said:
I have a number of meerschaum pipes which I use to get a first impression
of a blend.I never realized how a pipe that has been only used for heavy English
blends can ruin the taste of any other tobacco until I bought one off e-bay and tried to smoke Va.'s in it. :x

Winslow :sunny:
Latakia can leave a bit of a Ghost, but Condor :affraid: you may as well burn the pipe, nothing and I mean nothing gets Condor out. I'm Jealous of that "Special" SL you managed to get. I'll have to call Bob at SG and see if he brought any back, though I doubt it.
 
Centurian 803":f8vi2y71 said:
Just finished a bowl of SL in a cob. It was a very satisfying smoke. I had a little trouble keeping it lit at first but I think that was a clumsy job of packing it. The last half of the bowl left me wanting more.
Same issue with me about getting it lit, I've found that to be true with most freshly opened tins, seems the high moisture content causes that, seems that with a little drying time it is easier to light.
 
Pseudo Nim":2n742ih8 said:
EJinVA":2n742ih8 said:
Centurian 803":2n742ih8 said:
Just finished a bowl of SL in a cob.
This will be my ride home smoke today, looking forward to it. :pipe:
May it be a grand one for you EJinVA :cheers:
It was grand, I smoked the bowl all the way home, breaking to eat dinner, then I had to go outside to fill water troughs for the horses and finished my bowl then. Sitting on an oak splitting log on a brisk, clear night puffing SL in a new cob looking up at the stars filling the sky, listening to the horses eating their hay while the trough filled, ahhh heaven on earth.
:pipe:
 
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