Samuel Gawith Squadron Leader

[DrStrangelove]

Samuel Gawith - Squadron Leader

Squadron leader comes in a gold rectangular tim with an attractive simple. I remember some story about it being originally blended for British pilots in WWI. The tobacco is cut into long ribbons which is about 75% Light and 25% Dark. The tin smells of an inviting, pleasant English, not an overpowering tin smell like you find in a lot of stronger English blends.

The tobacco was not to moist in the tin and packed well. It burned well to. It was nice and dry straight from the tin and although you couldn't get it too hot, it was not that tempermental. It is a med/full English with a nice tobacco flavor. I'd say it is a medium Latakia flavor. The Latakia has an oaky flavor.

At the beggining of the bowl I noticed a hint of sweetness left in my mouth. Towards the end of the bowl the tobacco got a little harsh but once I slowed down on it it let up a little bit. The room note is very pleasant. Nummy.

As for the nicoteine buzz? ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

A solid English blend. It can hang with the big boys and would make an excellent regular afternoon/evening smoke if you can take it slow on the second half of the bowl.

[IHT]

wow, only 1 review for this blend so far? all you ppl own tins of it, say you smoke it, what's the deal?

[carbonbased_al]

I've smoked more SL than anything else. I love it. I personally find the tins are always a bit wet when you first crack em, but they dry out soon enough.

Just a solid medium bodied English, one of my favorite blends. Just enough latakia to give it some ummph. It's a classic blend, anyone here who hasn't tried it should buy a tin right now! I should add, this is one tobac best bought in tin form. i've tried the bulk, it is far inferior.

Linky (cheapest I can find it)

http://www.smokingpipes.com/tobacco/...roduct_id=1212

[Mad Hatter]

I wasn't really too enthused with SL. I bought a tin of it a little over a year ago and at the rate I'm smoking it, it'll last another seven years. Its good as an ocassional bowl for a change of pace but I really didn't find anything outstanding or even notable about it.

[mike t]

the bulk is alot better and dont dry out so damn fast

[Bent Stem]

I'll add my review of SL soon both here and on TR. I have a 9 year old tin I might possibly crack (need to wait until I've removed a few other opened blends from my rotation) or a more recent made tin that I've been smoking that's been put into a mason jar. Maybe I'll do both. I can say at this point my review would likely be very positive based on the newer stuff!

[OldCode]

Squadron Leader is great stuff. They started carrying it in bulk at my local B&M. I've pretty much dedicated my meerschaum to just this blend.

I'd call it a med/full English. Same a noted above. Good hint of Lat. I always thought it tasted a bit spicy. One of my favorites to be sure.

[petewho]

I have finally cracked into my tin of SL. I found it to be very tasty, medium in strength and flavor, and well balanced. Something that struck me as odd with this tobacco is that it seems to either taste like VA or Lat - one or the other, with each puff, rather than a blend of the two flavors (could be pipe ghosts at work, not sure).

Out of the tin it's pretty moist and I accidentally packed it too tight at first. I dug into it with my pipe tool and fixed it before firing it up. The flavor and aroma were right up front - SL instantly became a favorite for me from the first draw. My fault for not drying it out a bit, so I won't comment on any of the problems I had relative to damp baccy.

Despite no drying it out, I found SL easy to keep lit and the flavors consistent the entire smoke. This blend is going to be in my rotation for a while now.

[Quick_nick]

I likw squadron leader in its own right but I would reach for Skiff mixture more. SL seems a bit harsh and tangy and not as well rounded. Skiff picks up what SL leaves out. IMO

[JAX]

Here's a review I posted on CR awhile back....

Blend: Squadron Leader
Manufacture: Samuel Gawith
Container: 50g Tin
Tobacco: Virginia blended with Latakia
Cut: Ribbon Cut

Smoking Notes: In my limited experience I'd call this a mild-medium bodied tobacco. Unfortunately I smoke outside so it's difficult to notice any sort of room note, but I would speculate to say it's probably pretty pleasant. The flavor is pretty straight forward and consistant throughout the bowl. This smoke just draws you in immediately, a great marriage of the sweetness from the Viriginias and the smokiness from the Latakia. Neither stands out over the other. I experienced no tongue bite what so ever.

Notes:This is/was the first pipe tobacco I feel in love with. Upon openning the tin I immediately was greated by the aroma of a campfire; which I'm learning is indicative of a Latakia blend. The tobacco packs easily into the pipe and despite being a little wet straight out of the tin, it lights easily and requires very little work to keep it going. I'd recommend drying it out though if you've got the time.

Overall Assessment: This is a must try if you are interested in experiencing latakia blends as the flavors are not overwhelming to the senses but they don't hide either. This remains my go-to smoke on an almost daily basis and I'll very soon need to pick up a couple more tins of these.

[dmkerr]

I just bought a pound of it in bulk. After buying my first tin, it has become my "mild standard" in English blends to go with my medium (Dunhill 965) and my more robust (Rattray's Red Rapparee). I'm going to store about 3/4 of it for aging and put the rest in a humidor for regular smoking. Great stuff!

[bigkev77]

This was my first non aero tabac and it was the begining of my long ride on the slope. I see it as a mild/medium english. Great smokey flavors from the latakia with a light sweetness from the Va finished with that little something extra of the turkish. I keep it in my stash at all times. I think it is much better from the tin than bulk. Just give it a little dry time and it is a great treat. 4/4 stars for my taste

Cut= ribbon
Pack= easy
Taste= see above
Combustion= ?? it burned
Bite= none for me thanks
Room note= not bad for a latakia blend

Are you happy now IHT??

[IHT]

Originally Posted by bigkev77

Are you happy now IHT??

just took you all nearly 2 yrs to review it.

[bigkev77]

Originally Posted by IHT

just took you all nearly 2 yrs to review it.

You have to get to know a tobacco before you can give an accurate review

[Bent Stem]

Originally Posted by bigkev77

You have to get to know a tobacco before you can give an accurate review

Kudos to you for that!