Upcoming VaPer Showdown

[Slow Triathlete]

Sorry I've kind of fallen off the wagon with this review. Been super busy at work lately and I've been traveling alot. I will get my reviews for SG St. James Flake and Hearth & Homes Louisiana Red up in the next few days.

[CigarGal]

FVF? This abbreviation appears all over this thread but I can't find anything that works out to be these letters. At least, not on your list. WHAT IS IT?

[smokinmojo]

Originally Posted by CigarGal

FVF? This abbreviation appears all over this thread but I can't find anything that works out to be these letters. At least, not on your list. WHAT IS IT?

Samuel Gawith Full Virginia Flake.

[CigarGal]

Originally Posted by smokinmojo

Samuel Gawith Full Virginia Flake.

Ahhhhhh...SGFVF!

[RJpuffs]

Originally Posted by CigarGal

Ahhhhhh...SGFVF!

A slice of heaven, or flake of heaven in this case.

[Slow Triathlete]

Good morning everyone. Well after a long hiatus from reviewing I am back and ready to update with another review. This time the lucky tobacco is Samuel Gawith’s St. James Flake. One thing that I must mention about Gawith’s flakes is that I love how they basically fall apart when you take them out of the tin. Now I’ve never mastered the art of folding and stuffing flakes so I always break them up to some degree. Gawith’s flakes seem to be thinner than a lot of flakes and broken flakes (McClelland) and are really, really easy to rub out and pull apart. Because they are thinner, they also seem to dry out a lot faster before smoking them whereas a lot of the other brands take forever!! Another great plus in my book.

As a lover of Gawith’s Full Virginia Flake (FVF), I knew that they had the Virginia blending down to a science but I was curious as to their knowledge of throwing Perique into the mix. Here is how this blend is described:

A sumptuous blend of Virginias and Perique, this big, bold British style flake incorporates a generous proportion of St. James Parish, LA perique.

The tin aroma was typical fruity and spicy, maybe more on the spicy side, which is what I would expect from the description of this VaPer. The Virginia aroma is very reminiscent of FVF and I suspect that they might use a Virginia blend very similar to it. I took out a tin of FVF and gave them both the “sniff” test and they the Virginias were almost identical.

As stated above, I took a couple of flakes out of the tin and gently rubbed them out and let them dry for about 30 minutes before I loaded up the bowl. It was very easy to light and had a white ash right off of the bat. This blend burns extremely clean, just like FVF. During the smoke, the Perique dances along with the Virginias almost as if to a beat. It comes to the front then goes to the back and so on and so on. It was a great experience!!

Now I am going to go against what most people on tobaccoreviews.com have stated about this blend. A lot of people on there have stated that the Perique quantity in this blend is way over the top and that there is a high level of nicotine in this blend. I did not find either of these statements true for any of the bowls that I smoked of this. And I have smoked two tins so far. While the Perique is noticeable in this blend it does not come to the front and punch you in the face with its strength like other blends (Kajun Kake, Night Train, etc). Also, there is nicotine in here but not anymore than I have experienced in other blends.

This blend is very tasty to me and the price when buying in bulk really can’t be beat. Taste-wise, I enjoyed this more than Escudo. The reason is that the two types of tobacco (Virginia and Perique) seemed to be blended together with more consistency than Escudo. I have smoked Escudo where I almost didn’t have any Perique until I hit the bottom and then it came on too strong. St. James Flake is not like this. The Perique chimes in as if on cue every time. It’s a wonderful blend and will be a staple in my rotation and cellar from now on. This one takes over 2nd place.

1) McConnell Scottish Cake
2) Samuel Gawith’s St. James Flake
3) Escudo
4) GL Pease Filmore
5) H & H AJ’s VaPer
6) Peretti’s Park Square
7) H & H Anniversary Kake
Reiner’s Long Golden Flake
9) Treasures of Ireland - Limerick
10) Dorchester
11) Luxury Bullseye Flake
12) McClelland Bulk 2015
13) GL Pease Telegraph Hill
14) Kajun Kake
15) Luxury Navy Flake

[RJpuffs]

Originally Posted by Slow Triathlete

Good morning everyone. Well after a long hiatus from reviewing I am back and ready to update with another review. This time the lucky tobacco is Samuel Gawith’s St. James Flake. ...

Good review! I agree, this is a real nice blend. The flavor of FVF with a pinch of Perique thrown in. I have noticed that the kick of the Perique varies from bowl to bowl, I've had some where its set my mouth afire (requiring a drink) - but most bowls are mildly melded. Smokes cool and consistent, and burns down to a fine white ash.

For all Sammy G's flakes, I am unable to stuff-n-fold them. For one thing the flakes are often cut into varying thicknesses, making it difficult to guess a fit for a smaller bowl pipe. They are also very springy (and moist), the flakes tend to want to unfold and leap out of my bowl. Ripping it apart and lightly rubbing is all that is needed, they do disintegrate easily.

[bigkev77]

WOW I didn't expect SJF to place so high. Better than Escudo, I will have to add this to my order as well. I LOVE FVF!!

Keep up the great work. Maybe start a thread where the rest of us list our top 5 VaPers.

[Slow Triathlete]

Originally Posted by bigkev77

Keep up the great work. Maybe start a thread where the rest of us list our top 5 VaPers.

That is an excellent idea!! I'm going to post the thread right now.

[Slow Triathlete]

I wanted to give an honorable mention to Hearth & Home's Virginia Spice. While listed as a VaPer with some cigar leaf in it I would switch that around and state that it is more a cigar blend with some Virginia and Perique thrown in. It kind of falls in the category of VaPer-like, similar to Haddo's, but there is other stuff thrown in to alter the tastes a bit.

Regardless, this was a great blend to smoke and I would highly recommend it to anyone who may be burnt out on VaPers or someone who just wants to try something a little different.

The taste and aroma for this blend takes you on a rollercoaster ride. One minute it smells and tastes like a VaPer, the next it smells and tastes like your smoking a Macanudo Maduro. All in all, it's a tasty blend, burns well, no bite, and the price is good.

[BigFrankMD]

St. JamesWoods from McClelland is another VaPer. Any thoughts on that, I'm thinking about getting a tin.

[Slow Triathlete]

Originally Posted by BigFrankMD

St. JamesWoods from McClelland is another VaPer. Any thoughts on that, I'm thinking about getting a tin.

I have some that is yet to be reviewed. I'll put that one up for one of the next ones. I know that a lot of people like that one.

[BigFrankMD]

Originally Posted by Slow Triathlete

I have some that is yet to be reviewed. I'll put that one up for one of the next ones. I know that a lot of people like that one.

Awesome bro.

[Alyks]

I am wondering if you plan to add H&H LJ Heart Virginia to your show down. The description says it has a 'whisper of perique'. I smoked this a couple of nights ago, and I loved it. Even the wife liked the way it smells, and she usually hates the smell of any baccy.

If anyone is interested in reading a review, I plan to smoke a few more bowls before writing one.

[Slow Triathlete]

Originally Posted by Alyks

I am wondering if you plan to add H&H LJ Heart Virginia to your show down. The description says it has a 'whisper of perique'. I smoked this a couple of nights ago, and I loved it. Even the wife liked the way it smells, and she usually hates the smell of any baccy.

If anyone is interested in reading a review, I plan to smoke a few more bowls before writing one.

I haven't ordered any of that one yet.