Tobaccos Samuel Gawith - Best Brown Flake

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-12-15		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Smoked from a tin dated 12/06, this blend is typical SG flake of uneven length that look a lot like beef jerky. The color is the only dark thing about this exceptional tobacco. I'm a big fan of FVF but where that one is dark and sort of "chewy" in its mouthfeel and has quite a punch to it flavor-wise, this one sort of sat back and forced me to come to it. The rewards were plentiful. The burn was slow and it didn't take too kindly to the first match but with ample drying time, it overcame its reticence. I dried it out for a couple of hours to great effect.

Over the years, I've found that virginia sweetness is somewhat overrated to my tastebuds. I prefer the tanginess of darker VA's. They are generally stronger but I find them more complex, with a depth of flavor that their lighter cousins can't match. This was no exception. The milder smoke made it more possible for me to discern the complex nature of virginia tobacco, and it's lack of citrus sweetness was gratifying. It was a lightly sweet tobacco, with plenty of tang and body, but mild to the tongue. This is without a doubt one of the 5 finest straight virginias I've ever smoked. Naturally there's a current shortage!

If FVF is too heavy for you, or Blackwoods Flake too earthy or Opening Night too sweet, try this if you can find it. This one is just right for me... not that I'm giving up the others I just mentioned! But this one seems to go with anything and in any situation. Very highly recommended!

87 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3022)	2014-08-08		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

A mildly creamy, mellow straight Virginia flake with a lot of tangy dark fruit, some tart and tangy citrus, mild hay and grass, plenty of wood, earth, a light floralness, some vegetation, hints of bread, spice, sugar, and dried figs. The strength is a couple of steps past the center of mild to medium, while the taste is a rung past that, just falling short of the medium mark. The nic-hit is as potent as the strength level. Has a few rough edges. Needs a little dry time, but it’s easy to break apart and burns slow, cool, clean, and dry with no bite or harshness. Has a very consistent flavor all the way through. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and requires a little more than the average number of relights. Has a lightly lingering, pleasant after taste and room note. Can be an all day smoke.

-JimInks

83 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-07-17		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

After 45 years of pipe smoking, I just might have settled on THE one. Yeah, I still love a big, bold English. And sometimes I am romanced by an aromatic until I get that yucky stuff in my bowl and my mouth. A simple, high quality burley flake (Wessex or Solani ABF) is always pleasant. But this Best Brown really is the best brown! Soft and simple, a blend of the very highest quality Virginias. Nothing else. Nothing. And it just purrs along for hours, leaving not a trace of gunk in the bottom of the bowl. Yes, it can get monotonous. What wouldn't after something like 10 bowls a day in all seasons? But its purity and simplicity is second to none. Of course, I've read the dozens of reviews praying at the alter of Full Virginia Flake. I respect them. That's why I tried it. Yet, for whatever reason,it seemed sour and the nicotine blast almost knocked me off my feet. Sorry. My wife likes the light "pipe" scent of BBF. Noone at work or elsewhere has complained. And my every day is blessed with this constant companion. You can't do better than that.

54 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Old Puffer (42)	2009-08-19		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Although this blend is reminiscent of Full Virginia Flake in taste, I think it has it beat, hands down. FVF is darn hard to rub out and requires additional grinding to get it to a manageable grain size for packing. Not so with this blend.

BBF is a finely shredded baccy that rubs out extremely easily and the thin string cut (with no sticks) makes it a snap for easy packing. The only drawback I found in it's delivered condition was too much moisture. Had to dry it out 2 full days on a cookie sheet to get it right. Packs extremely easily; lights easily with one false light; stays lit with no effort; smokes all the way down with no bad changes in flavor or smoking characteristics and leaves a nice, clean dark ash. Leaves the mouth and pipe with no bad after odors (the wife hasn't complained) or tastes.

The flavor is IMHO pure, high quality, unadorned Virginia, and lots of it. Does not smoke hot and never a trace of a bite. This has become one of my favorite baccys and I will certainly keep a good stock on hand. A good everyday smoke that I don't think I could ever get tired of.

Thank you, Sam!

39 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2005-05-23		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

I love strong Flue-cured Zimbabwe leaf that dominates several favorite blends of mine, but not is so deliciously deep, strong, dark and yet sweet as this beautiful tobacco. And best of all, this rich dark brown flake turns near black with aging, loads up on the sugar crystals and ages better than Raquel Welch (well, almost).

34 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-07-10		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild	Tolerable

Tin: A light colored blend, hues from blonde to light brown with some dark interspersed. A natural sweet hay and oats smell, not fragrant or floral. Comes folded in gold paper remniscent of Orlik GS , and in a form that reminds me of Wessex RVF and GVF. The pressed flake is a sheet 1x3x1/16". It is a little moist. The moisture level actually made it cool the touch in a warm room.

Packing & Burning: The flake feels rather moist. Just twist one strip into shreds for a medium size bowl, two strips for a large bowl. A medium size bowl is easy to keep lit; a large bowl is dfficult to keep lit and has moisture when the bowl is finished. Smokes moderately slowly.

Taste & Aroma: A very mild honeydew on oats taste; BBF is one of the most natural and easy on the palate blends. It is refreshing and vaguely sweet. Absolutely none of the signature Kendal floral scent.

About the last 1/3, after the tobacco has stoved a little, only then does it approximate the flavor of FVF.

The particular large bowl that I used produced a burnt taste throughout the bowl.

Nicotine: Mild to medium, closer to mild

Overall: Those square tins don't seal well. On par with the blends mentioned above and Wessex BCDF.

BBF seems different from other Gawith blends I have tried, in a category of its own.

This has very little similarity to FVF.

The only thing this could be is an all day indoor smoke, it is so refreshing and easy on the palate.

30 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2016-01-07		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

First up, a note on the moisture: Samuel Gawith's own Bob Gregory has said that the factory has no air conditioning, and that they do not use any humectants in their flakes, so the moisture you get this flake at varies based on the weather and seasons in Kendal. I have to jar it immediately, because it would dry way too quickly out here in the desert.

Soooooo, Best Brown Flake. It's a classic unflavored English flake, made by hand on some very old equipment. It's easy to pick out a couple different kinds of Virginia leaf from the flake, but it's all been steamed and hot pressed before aging, and this is where the magic happens. I am totally in love with the taste of steam pressed Virginia tobacco in the English style. After my first tin of Best Brown, I knew it was the one blend I didn't want to live without. The steam and heat softens the Virginias, takes away any bite they might have had, and makes them absolutely delicious.

I usually smoke this without rubbing it out, just screwing bits of flake into the pipe and lighting them as is. I like the flavor much better that way, it seems deeper somehow. It never smokes hot and never bites. The flavor intensifies nicely as the bowl burns down, but it never leaves that light/medium profile.

I do not recommend drying this flake too much, it loses flavor when it's crispy.

This is my desert island tobacco, my daily smoke, and a wonderful example of Samuel Gawith's 200 year old craftsmanship.

Pipe Used: basket pipe

Age When Smoked: anywhere from fresh to 4 years old

24 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SeoulSister (37)	2015-01-07		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Best Brown Flake is the first EU made straight Virginia I have smoked, as I usually smoke McClelland Virginias. At first light it was a bit hay like, but as I continued through the bowl it turned slightly sweeter and was smooth with no bite. This blend wasn't complex at all but to my surprise it turned out to be a very enjoyably pleasant straight forward smoke. I would definitely put this into my regular rotation and an overall great smoke.

24 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	KinnScience (30)	2014-02-23		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

A very good VA flake by one of the better houses in the UK. BBF starts off slightly stringent in comparison to FVF, but quickly mellows into a sweet grassy essence. The flake is not as strong as FVF, but it does have a bit more "sting" if puffed fervently. BBF is stronger than MVF/Golden Glow and also, again, can nip a bit more around the edges of the tongue, particularly if the sample is too dry, which was the case with one of my 16 oz orders which I had not jarred quickly enough. I prefer my tobacco slightly on the dry side, so did not attempt to re-humidify, though in this case, I should have done so.

BBF has some components similar to FVF, but carries a differnce in most aspects. Passing the first 1/4 of the bowl, the sweetness becomes more pronounced, but is slightly inconsistent. Though there are no orientals in this flake, it is pure VA, BBF conveys a touch of sandalwood which can be detected occasionally during the course of the smoke. This is likely due to the presence of African VA's which may occasionally lean toward the exotic more so than American VA's. Such differences in the notes are slight however, and if I were using "hay" as an analogy I might say that BBF carries an alfalfa note, in contrast to the "clover" element in an American VA. Whichever point the smoker may contend however, what can be said is that BBF is a very good VA though does not quite encompass the full melody of FFV; though clearly BBF does impart some unique qualities that would allow it to stand on its own merit.

I would give this 4 out of 5 stars if I could, but since we are constrained by a maximum of 4, I will need to give it 3 stars. I recommend the flake just as I would recommend most good VA flakes, and add that there are some special qualities that make the blend worth trying. Keeping in mind that, for the budget minded consumer, it may behoove them to try other "brown" VA flakes that are less costly per oz, while saving their premium dollars for FVF as there are fewer comparisons to the latter.

Pipe Used: Ferndown

Age When Smoked: 2 yrs

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

20 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2014-03-14		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I don't know that there's much point to me adding my $.02 about a tobacco that's already been reviewed 200+ times, but I want to go on record that BBF is one of my all-time favorites.

It took a while for me to come around to straight virginia tobacco, and BBF is the one that opened my eyes. Pure, unadulterated tobacco flavor with no gimmicks or games. That's what BBF is all about.

If your tastes have come to expect a strong jolt of distinctive flavor, the zing of perique, or the rich smokiness of latakia, then I can see where BBF might seem dull, boring, one-dimensional. I used to think that about all straight virginia in general. But give BBF a try as your first bowl of the day, or do what I do and smoke straight virginia exclusively for several days. Let your palate become attenuated to the subleties.

BBF can be a bit of a chameleon, though it's not nearly as finicky as some others. It tastes a little different depending on how you prepare it, which pipe it's smoked in, your puffing cadence, etc. I have a couple of briars that it smokes best in, and I like it partially rubbed out into smaller pieces and somewhat dried out. Smoked patiently BBF will get into the zone easily and stay there for the entire bowl, with a nutty sweetness.

People talk about a tobacco burning all the way down the bowl to a dry, clean ash. I rarely achieve this lofty goal except with BBF. And it doesn't bite me, even with aggressive lighting.

Guess you could say I like the stuff.

Pipe Used: various briars and the occasional cob

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: Samuel Gawith - Full Virginia Flake.

17 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	mo (81)	2013-07-08		Medium	None Detected	Very Full	Tolerable

I recently purchased one tin of BBF and 3 Golden Glow from Sturks Toabcconists in Cape Town. I took it on the recommendation of the owner of the store.

The tin aroma, although impressive, is not AS good as say GG. It is very subdued in comparison.

I did not expect much from this flake in all honestly.

It was when flame met tobacco in a Design Berlin Prelude 5 that really surprised me. I have NEVER smoked a flake that gave up so much taste. Creamy, musty, bitter, sweet all at once, puff after puff, clouds of thick, delicious smoke.

I have since smoked it in a variety of pipes and the results are all the same. This is an OUTSTANDING Flake and my favourite at the moment.

IMHO, this is the Best Brown Flake i know of ;), I gotta get more...lots more.

Mo, South Africa

13 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cigrmaster (4)	2012-06-13		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

This was my first foray into the world of Old Sam and boy did I fall in love. I am a big fan of Virginia Flakes and why I did not try this years ago, I know not why. The flake is a beautiful brown soft and pliable. The tin note smells like raisins and figs and is quite sweet. I broke out some flakes and rubbed them out, let them sit for about an hour and a half and then loaded my pipe. The tobacco flavor started out sweet and tasty and continued that way to the half way point. The flavor got richer and deeper the longer I smoked and I basically fell in love.

The tobacco burned to a fine white ash and left nothing in my bowl. There is absolutely no bite to this tobacco and it has now become one of my go to smokes. The fact that you can buy this stuff by the pound makes it an exceptional value in my book. I highly recommend this to any Virginia lover and anyone who happens to smoke a pipe.

13 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PeterD (91)	2009-09-02		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This flake is a mighty fine example of pure Virginia tobacco. No flavorings, toppings, and no casing. It is not as one-dimensional as some say, rather a straight forward Virginia flake tobacco that I smoke any time of day or night.

I do not dry this out too much as I prefer higher moisture content in flakes/plugs. This flake ages and maintains its character well.

I smoke this in a group 4/5 straight billiard.

I give this a 4 star recommendation as I find this a perfect example of top-notch manufacturing, flavor, consistency, and taste.

...a pipe is to be savored...

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Old Nate (17)	2014-08-29		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

This tobacco forces me to calm down, to sit back and focus on nothing but enjoying my time with the pipe. My first go with best brown was not very memorable. It came off a little bland. There was nothing off putting or harsh about it, just a regular smoke... Fast forward a year and though I still have a lot to learn about my pipe and tobacco, my acquired experience in that year has afforded me incredible smokes with SG Best Brown.

I prefer BB rubbed out and dried for at least several hours. The moisture level is usually quite high and I prefer my tobacco on the drier side and I've found BB performs wonderfully at these conditions. From the charring light it delivers a juicy sweetness! Not exactly an in your face sweetness but a lovely slight roasted malty sweetness. Reminds me of a bock beer that has nice caramel undertones. When smoked slow, this stuff really comes through clean and pungent in a good way. I can smoke a bowl in the house and the wife doesn't notice as long as I do so a few hours before she comes home and I find the room note quite nice, but I also love this tobacco.

One negative I have found is that I have a hard time smoking this down to the bottom. I almost always have a little dottle at the bottom of the bowl, and this tends to get a little acrid if I push it or try to salvage what tobacco remains in my pipe. I believe this is probably due to my inexperience rather than the tobacco devolving into a lack luster over stoved mess. But I still give this blend 4 stars, the first 2/3 of the bowl is lovely! Highly recommend this and if smoked slow it will reward you!

Pipe Used: many

Age When Smoked: New bulk and 1 year old bulk

Purchased From: B &M

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	O'Confrère (40)	2013-02-04		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I know... it just depends on what you are looking for and what you want out of it. BBF is an old staple of mine. It is not multi-dimensional nor complex, but it is a reliable smoke that always tastes good and sometimes delicious. It's one you can go to when you don't want to think about which tobacco you'd like to smoke next. It's a good companion. Like a faithful dog, it doesn't require much attention but will reward it. For that: four stars.

However, again like an old dog, if it is too wet you don't want to get too near it (although it does smell better). It often needs a considerable amount of drying. I remove it from the tin, rough it up and leave it open in a jar overnight, then cap it and put it away for awhile, checking it, and if necessary, opening the jar again for awhile. Once it dries it is an easy smoke anytime, and stays fresh in the jar for onks. It's also a good staple for the 'cellar' as it gains with age.

BBF is a classic. It is a no nonsense, easy-does-it flake, with which every smoker should be acquainted.

P.S. Sometimes I think this may contain a smidgeon of Turkish (Izmir) leaf... Don't pick it up on the tongue as much as I catch an occasional whiff in the air...

Pipe Used: Several. All reserved for Virginias w/out topping.

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SteelCowboy (685)	2011-11-28		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I love well aged blends but I always review “new” tobacco. Unfortunately, in this case, due to the extreme difficulty of obtaining SG blends here in the US, this review is based on a two four year old tins. That's the bad news; the good news is that age serves this flake really well. Sweet with soft edges, Best Brown is forgiving for a puffer like me. Now that the tin has aged, much of the tin scent of “hay” has been replaced with raisons and figs. I am one of the few that isn't a big fan of FVF, even when FVF is aged. I find BB to be a far more enjoyable smoke. It needs some dry time, but it's worth the wait as it burns cleanly with the flavors developing throughout the course of the bowl. I don't find it to gather a much more strength as the bowl progress's. I have smoked BB in various size bowls and folded as well as rubbed out and my choice is a smaller bowl, fully rubbed out. I guess I'm just going to have to “suffer” though a few more aged tins! Highly Recommended

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DenizBeck (323)	2017-10-19		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Where has this Virginia been all my life? Admittedly... I smoke straight Virginias not too often, but if I want something smoother, milder, I'll grab for some straight VA.

Inside the tin the typical moist Gawith Flake. Long, and not too densly pressed. Tin note reminding me of oat, bread and honey, with maybe some citrus. Drying it out for right amounts of time is key imho...find your personal sweet spot and maximize the joy.

Once smoldering Best Brown holds up to its name...it's one of the best Virginias I had so far! Oaty, bready, slightly honey sweet and spicy and definetly some earthiness to it. It only has a minor citrusness and fruit tone to it as I perceive it...very rich aroma. After a while I also get a hay-ish dimension out of it. Toast-y and creamy. Not the simple "grassy/hay-ish and citrusy" Virginia one might think of when thinking of some other straight Virginia...but that's what I love about BBF and straight Virginias...bready, oaty, earthy dimension, with a rather dark, rich and spicy character! BBF has it all..

It also reminds me a lot of St. James Flake minus the Perique. Similar tin aroma, similar Virginia taste. Bet they use the same leafs for the two.

I'm overwhelmed by its beauty and aroma...4/4 stars, instant favorite...one of the few Virginias I'll keep at hand any times.

Pipe Used: Clay Pipes / Various Briars

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	steppx (186)	2017-04-19		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The comparisons are Gawith's own Full Va Flake and probably Macbaren's HH Pure Virginia flake. Hot pressed and unadorned. Best Brown is lighter in color than FVF and a bit sweeter and brighter in taste. Its a very fine virginia flake, no question. It maybe hasnt the complexity of FVF but its got its own appeal...a subtle sweetness and its also an easier smoke to repeat during the day. Pure virginias on the market run from Buteras dark stoved and several of the heavily stoved McClelland flakes all the way to Pease's Union Square and then Wessex Brigade Dark Campaign flake. Or Astely's 44. The latter two have a bit more casing (that is, IF best brown has any...its hard to tell...but most tobacco made for pipe smoking have at least a tiny bit). I rate BB among the very best and honestly i smoke it more often than I do the FVF. Its a classic. Been around forever and is always popular.

Purchased From: 4noggins

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2005-01-09		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

When BBF hit ASP, the pipe newsgroup, it was the tobacco of the moment for a month or so. I recall it as being the beginning of the pipe world's Lake District invasion, and the Zimbabwean/Malawian/Brazilian Virginias, combined with the steam-pressing attributes, made this a very different animal than what most were used to smoking.

BBF's primary attribute, to me, is it's fickleness. When it smokes well, there is almost nothing better. It has a warm, "brown", sweet, hay-like characteristic that is nonetheless very natural tasting (although I believe some sweeteners are applied). It smokes quite cool, but is rich and self-assured. Each puff is a delight.

When it doesn't smoke well, though, which is about 65% of the time for me, it is just "ok". The sweetness doesn't show up, it smokes hotter, and it just doesn't flash its charm. I can't explain why it does this, but it keeps BBF from being a part of my regular rotation. I"ve had better luck with its plug version, Kendall Plug.

Additional comment: I don't find ANY soapiness in this blend, and I am very sensitive to that floral stuff. It smells like cut, partially-dried grass or hay in the tin, but it ain't stinky.

Update January 2005: If you love BBF, you MUST try SG's Medium Virginia Flake. If you don't like BBF, you MUST try SG's Medium Virginia Flake too.

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Steerpike (150)	2019-08-06		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A very pleasant all natural smoke, which goes to show what can be accomplished by the fine fellows of Kendal using nothing but Virginia leaf and a hundred or so year old steam press... I bought some of this to break in a new Northern Briars pipe, and it's doing the job admirably. I've also had a couple of bowls in a Virginia dedicated Canadian, and suspect this is a tobacco I'll be buying quite a bit more of.

The principle aroma that leapt out of the new tin was ketchup! Sweet, malty aromas of horse food and hay accompanied this, and I was transported back to my childhood, helping in the stable.

The flakes in this tin (Sam Gawiths flakes can be very variable) are pretty thick brown belts of tobacco, somewhat ragged as usual, rather too long for the tin, so folded into it. For all their untidy presentation they look appetising!

I rubbed it well for the new pipe, and with some crumbs on top for kindling, lighting can be a one match affair. It has a moderate natural sweetness at the tip of the tongue, flavours of malt loaf, toasted wholemeal bread and butter to start with give way to a black tea astringency as the bowl progresses: Turkish Ceylon tea with sugar to be precise. The flavour is at the same time mild and satisfying, and reveals its subtleties when smoked slowly. The sidestream smoke smells like hay and toast.

It smokes very long and slow even when well rubbed, and a few relights are needed to burn the last of it, which retains its pleasant flavour. The marginally increased need for matches could well be down to the lack of cake in the new pipe, but this is developing nicely after most of a tin of Best Brown Flake. It burns cool and does not seem to be capable of bite. The dose of nicotine is satisfactory, but this isn't a powerful tobacco - ideal for long slow smokes.

Overall, a fine tobacco. It has subtleties but isn't overly complex, so to me it's ideal for studying, it can keep me happy for a couple of hours while I'm working without demanding too much attention or input. Highly recommended to students and Virginia lovers alike.

Pipe Used: Northern Briars Rox cut Liverpool

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Turmeus, Liverpool

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Reagold (29)	2016-06-21		Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

First I love Samuel Gawith for it's total lack of marketing. I mean, look at the name of this! Look at the "tin art". I can even imagine they creating the name:

- How we will be calling this new blend?

- Well, what is the cut?

- Flake.

- What is it color?

- Brown.

- Do we have a better brown flake than this in our production?

- No.

- So I think that "Best Brown Flake" suits good.

- Brilliant! How inventive!

Ok, on to the tobacco itself. If you're expecting good mannered, well-disposed squared flakes, sorry! You'll find dark, thick and uneven flakes thrown in the most messy, almost offensive way. But the smell will make you forgive all this. It's clearly well aged.

We'll, I'll love flakes and I love to fold'n'stuff them, so my first smoke was terrible, I just find impossible to fold'n'stuff this, it´s too thick at least for me. So next I tried to rub it (crucify me). And when I rubbed this I found out how pressed it was! You can rub this forever, there's always another piece of flake that turns in mountains of tobacco. I also tried to slice it in tiny cubes. These two ways it worked much better.

Is it delicious, intriguing, and every other fancy description already used on the others reviews? For sure. But for me is also very, very unpredictable, and that makes me smoke a little tense and spoils a part of the pleasure. Anyway, a classic that deserves to be smoked by everyone.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	GabrielCRT (115)	2016-02-05		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

For my palate this is the best straight Virginia available. Best Brown Flake is a rich, straightforward, mild-medium strength Virginia. It has a good amount of sweetness with honey and citrus flavors. Throughout the bowl it becomes grassy and earthy with some occasional spice mostly through the nose. I never noticed a topping as much as maybe a mild citrus or honey casing. Highly recommended.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Big Train (118)	2015-12-28		Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Strong

Best Brown is a very high quality Virginia that is beautifully presented . It is a full flavor tobacco reaching the high notes of the Virginia experience . I left a jar of this tobacco in a remote place for three years and when I discovered it again it was full of bloom . Well aged this takes on Olympian qualities . With the sugars forward this is sublime . The problem with all Samuel Gawith blends is the extreme moisture present upon opening . After trying various methods over the years , none of which worked well , I have settled on a better strategy . I select a very mild Virginia flake with almost no topping , maybe Newminster flake . I mix it itno the Gawith using about 25% of the Newminster . This provides enough kindling to properly light and enjoy the tobacco . Leaving the Gawith out over night on wax paper simply did not work It became too dry and lost it's flavor . Leaving it in the can for a month just didn't reduce the moisture that much . The mild flake mix seems like the best idea .

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pseudo Nim (128)	2008-09-12		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Update September 12th 2008 :- I have just changed the setting on flavouring to read "Non detected" as I have been very reliably informed that "THERE IS NO FLAVOURING IN BEST BROWN FLAKE" that little gem of information came from Samuel Gawith's themselves, I stand corrected.

Updated 14 July 2008:- I mentioned I didn't like the way this was packed in the tin, also, I noticed several others have complained of Sam Gawiths thickness of flakes, since my first review I have been reliably informed(by one who has seen all)that Sam Gawith flakes are actually hand cut, some lucky fellow gets to stand in front of a whizzing blade that will happily slice through just about anything presented to it, armed only with a stick, and nerves of steel, our intrepid hero pushes the cake through the blade, so if perchance we get varying thickness of flake, this is due to the fact that he is getting near to the end of the cake. If however, on the other hand, we get bits of stick, I am told he would like them back, as his fingers are getting that bit closer.

First Reviewed 15th May 2008:- Tried this and loved it straight away, a good all day smoke, not overpowering, flavour not as full as G&H best brown flake No2, but a nice easy going smoke, I keep several tins of Sam Gawith's flakes on hand, and this is one of them. On the down side, I'm not overly impressed by the cut, call me old fashioned, I like my flake cut into neat slices, so I can take a measured amount from the tin, this looks as though it's been thrown in from fifty yards, no points for presentation, but lets face it, I didn't buy the stuff to look at and admire. Burns well, good moisture content, smokes beautifully and tastes good, I would be happy to recommend this to novice and vetran alike.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Aurorasofautumn (38)	2020-04-20		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

With so many reviews published already, there is not much more to be said about this fantastic VA flake

The greatest virtue of BBF by Samuel Gawith in my opinion is that you do not tire of it over the years. What is also pretty cool about it, is that it's one of those tobaccos that come to you naturally - you don't have to spend hours on decoding its flavor profile before you start to enjoy it. So this makes BBF attractive to novice smokers as well.

The smoke is sweet, rich, earthy, full, floral (not as in Lakeland essence but as in white wine) and just downright pleasing. I really like FVF as well but to me there is no question that the throne of the best Samuel Gawith straight VA belongs to BBF. Why? Mostly because I think it is more complex and manages to strike more notes than FVF does.

4 out of 4 stars.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stefanos (222)	2017-09-13		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

There’s no other tobacco I’ve smoked that has taken me so long to review (except Full Virginia Flake) and still I do not feel confident about my assessment. With most tobaccos I smoke half of the tin or a third and even less and I feel confident at writing a review. On the other hand Best Brown Flake baffles me. I have tasted BBF tobacco from both tin and 250g box and while it was essentially the same tobacco there still were significant differences. First in color, box was much brighter (considerably lighter in color than FVF, almost as bright as Golden Glow), then the smell from bulk was pure grassy, green tea-like, while from tin it was obviously topped lightly, with tonquin I guess.

Otherwise tobaccos were similar, although I think the bulk version broken flakes were more pliable, easier to rub out and also smoked better, but this probably has to do with moisture.

My bafflement is not confined to batch variation – as I said the tobacco in different batches, despite the differences is essentially the same. The problem is that this tobacco, although at a lesser degree than FVF, is very susceptible to treatment variations: it will smoke considerably different depending on how much you dry it and how thinly you rub it out. As with FVF, I have smoked half a kilo while not feeling confident that I have got the handle of it. Still, were it not such a good tobacco, I would have given up, but then again, when BBF is good - which is not always - it’s very good!

It’s sweet like a bakery product, earthy, yeasty, surely darker flavours than Golden Glow but less yeasty than FVF, it has a nice medium strength and it gives me the feeling of smoking as natural a tobacco as any. BBF taste is unique among Virginias and it’s also very good to mix with some Orientals.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pylet2000 (33)	2017-02-13		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

An excellent example of a pure Virginia Flake. Samuel Gawith does this type of tobacco better than anybody else in my opinion, and these flakes are no exception.

Compared to Full Virginia Flake, Best Brown Flake is noticeably more subtle, a touch sweeter, and perhaps a bit less "chewy". I find it to be at least as enjoyable as Full Virginia Flake depending on my mood, and better than any other make's straight Va.

Like all Gawith flakes, these take a little experimentation to get right: They come overly damp (good for aging), hold moisture longer than most tobaccos, and won't burn right when freshly opened. Let it get too dry, and you lose some of the flavor and soft tones. The right moisture is different depending on whether you want to rub out or fold and stuff, and smokes a little different in large or small bowls. Thus the slightly higher level of "fuss" required to figure this flake out. You are rewarded with an excellent straight Va flavor for your troubles. When I feel I have the moisture right, relights are on par with any other flake.

In the 250g box, the value is rather decent as well for the quality of the tobacco.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrumsAndBeer (217)	2015-07-17		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

A superb Virginia flake. From the tin, the flakes are perfectly formed and firmly pressed and the tin note is sweet and bready. The initial flavor has a slight sugary quality to it, along with a delicate grassiness. The finish gives a faint hint of a topping that's quite nice and entirely reminiscent of the high note found in Full Virginia Flake. The smoke is smooth and flavorful with absolutely no harshness. Like all top notch Virginia's, Best Brown Flake saves the best for last. Down the bowl, the flavors deepen but they also liven up and hints of spice appear amongst a warm, rich woodsy flavor and creamy texture. No bones about it, Best Brown Flake is a perfectly executed blend and it presents all the hallmarks of a high quality straight darker Virginia. I still prefer the extra richness of Full Virginia Flake, but Best Brown Flake makes a very similar statement, albeit in a milder fashion.

Pipe Used: Briar

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Xeneize (275)	2009-07-08		Medium	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Top notch, as one would expect from any SG Virginias. Best Brown is milder and darker than FVF, providing more nuances and some extra depth, with no extra flavors. The purest Virginias you can find without running into blandness.

If you love sweet Virginias, this one is the perfect for a very contemplative smoke. I usually smoke FVF, IRC Flake or Old Gowrie, leaving Best Brown for completely serene occasions.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tomcat (212)	2020-04-08		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Unnoticeable

I really have come to love the mellowness of these African Virginias . Very easy on the throat but with a good nic-hit with the flue-curing . VERY lightly cased like Union Square . Malty with oats and almost caramel like sweetness. Bready and musty . Not much hay and grass or citrus . A little apricot . Very creamy and smooth . Tingles the tongue a little but no real bite . This is a fresh tin also . Can’t wait until my stash gets some age on it ! Top notch ! 4 stars for this biased Virginia lover .

Age When Smoked: 3 months

Similar Blends: Unique.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TheWoodwose (22)	2018-01-22		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is probably the best “sweet” tasting flake I’ve smoked.

I enjoy FVF but the room note is atrocious.

This one is much more mellow and has a more pleasant room note. My only criticism is that it lacks nicotine strength for my taste. That’s the only thing keeping it from a 4 star rating in my opinion.

The tin starts off “wet” as many SG blends. Really I would say it is more oily than wet. Dry it too much and it loses some of the flavor.

It’s good rubbed out but I prefer fold and stuffed.

You can get a good long smoke out of this even in a really small pipe with a out of third of a flake using the fold and stuff.

It’s super tasty and I’ve enjoyed it in every pipe I’ve smoked it in.

Pipe Used: Savinelli Dublin & Qandale, Stanwell Bent Apple

Age When Smoked: 1-2 years

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lingo (39)	2015-07-26		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

When I decide to test/taste something new to me, I go like this: load it in different pipes with different pressures at different moments of the day. At the end of Tin 1 I am very close to have a good grasp on the thing. So this is, say, my 15th puff with BB: take a flake, fold it once on the long side then once on the short side. screwed it in a Ser Jacopo group 2. needs drying, prepare a Lapsang Suchong..............tea's ready, back to the thing. light it, quite a remissive tone, three matches do... bitter chocolate , coffee, nuts and hay, then the road seems to go somewhere else but instead.... it doesn't go, kinda stays there, within a strict Virginia area.... it's true, the risk is monotony... you find yourself expecting an evolution that never comes... at any moment it gives you that FVF hint like a suggestion, but then... nothing more... me as a stjames lover, I feel it like it BUT... no perique, road closed again if you know what I mean... NOW here is why BB is splendid: if you focus on that single note, like single malts, THEN you'll find all the beauty of a natural, honest and excellent tobacco. It's a metaphor of pipe smoking, thus a metaphor of life: "less is better" (Miles Davis)-- Only drawback is about all the excellent natural, and CHEAPER, tobaccos on the market...

Pipe Used: different briars

Age When Smoked: new

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Antonius Blok (190)	2021-04-06		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

When the tin is opened, elongated flakes composed of bright and dark virginias appear. These flakes are irregular in shape and frayed, as is typical for this brand. They have a perfect degree of humidity to load directly from the tin to the pipe, although this does not mean anything because this aspect can be different in each occasion, depending on the tin that touches each one. The aroma is that of a mild virginia, mainly of hay and bread in the baking process.

Once the tobacco has been rubbed and the pipe loaded, the tobacco shows its high quality, burning well and without producing bites. The flavor is what one can expect after sniffing it in its tin and that for me is already a virtue. Over time I have learned that in the best tobaccos the aroma in the tin and its taste when smoked differ very little. Smooth, fine, silky, slightly sweet, but less than FVF (yes, the comparison had to come).

At this point I don't think it goes without saying, but highly recommended.

Age When Smoked: Unknown

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	roark (12)	2020-10-29		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

As a true Virginia lover, I tend to think of BBF like I would of a - very - nice guy. Not the most complex in the room, not the tastiest, not the deepest, but always - very - nice. It's my reset button between bowls of Blue Capstan and FvF, the Virginia I enjoy without thinking. Goes well with a nice walk, a book or a movie, and never fails you. I'd have given 3.5 Stars if I could. I won't mention the flake form and moisture level as I always crumble my flakes down to small strands and let dry a bit if needed.

Pipe Used: Stanwell Poker

Age When Smoked: 9 Years

Purchased From: Berlin

Similar Blends: Samuel Gawith - Golden Glow, Mac Baren - Capstan Gold Navy Cut .

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Davedmn (17)	2019-09-27		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

There's a tale to tell about this.

First tried it in an MM straight. I was unimpressed, found it rather dull and a bit bitey. However, a week or two later I thought "let's try it again". Loaded Stanwell briar. Char light and then SWOMBO called(for those who don't read John mortimer :- She Who Must Be Obeyed!) we were going shopping. And I was required to give opinion on colour - this even though she knows I'm partially colour blind! So pipe left!

Two hours later I relight it. WOW! it was an amazing smoke. Cool. Subtle sweet flavours. Burnt slowly. No relights. I almost cried when it was over. Dry bowl. No dottle either.

So I recommend you try this.

Others have gone into smell. Colour etc so I won't.

Happy puffing.

Pipe Used: Stanwell bent, MM straight

Age When Smoked: At purchase

Purchased From: Durham Market tobacconist

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	OkieSmokie (20)	2018-02-28		Very Mild	None Detected	Very Mild	Very Pleasant

I was gifted this in 2016 as part of "Smoking Santa" exchange with a fellow pipe smoker. The jar lid had a 9/23/10 date on it. The ribbon flake crumbles easily and packs well. I suggest letting it air for 15-20 minutes or it can be difficult to light. What a wonderful smoke, smooth and creamy from the start all the way through with a wonderful room note. There's a nutty sweetness that is cool and not harsh in anyway.

Pipe Used: Kaywoodie Billiard

Age When Smoked: 7.5 years

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Luckyluke (11)	2017-10-04		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Marvellous Tobacco! full bodied, flavorful virginia, that is as smooth as silk. The sweet beautiful flavor comes out the best for me when i rub out a bowl and let it sit out for around 30 40 minutes, Thats all it takes. I absolutley love this flake straight from the tin, you can age it of course, if you want it to shine even more.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2076)	2017-05-18		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Samuel Gawith - Best Brown Flake.

I wish every Samuel Gawith had the same amount of moisture when fresh as this! What's happened, I don't know, but the usual Sam G' soaking wet flakes have been replaced by some perfect ones; stone me! They aren't too thick either, and they're slightly broken, making loading a bowl as unproblematic as any decent flake.

Lighting B.B.F. is relatively simple, and then it gives a slow burn with a mid temperature smoke. To me, this would suit a beginner to our hobby instead of a sweet aromatic. The taste is a toned down, soft, and sweet Virginia one, without many of the cutting flavours sometimes found in Virginia blends; deep and sweet instead of sharp and zesty. Apart from the sweetness I get no extra flavouring. And nor do I get any tongue bite.

The room-note's pleasant and the nicotine's a little below medium.

I have no doubt in my mind that Best Brown Flake is high quality, but in all honesty it bores me after a short while.

Three stars based on quality.

Recommended.

Pipe Used: Peder Jeppesen

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: My Smoking Shop

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bluegrassbrian (9)	2017-03-24		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Scored an almost 14 year old tin of this from a silent auction at Strauss in Florence Kentucky. I had never tried fresh Best Brown, let alone any with significant aging. This tobacco has been a treat, and I'm hanging on to the last half of this tin with my life.

Popped the tin and the thin flakes had partially melded together with age. Residual moisture had escaped and left delicate, flimsy flakes for me to pick apart. Airing some out for 15 minutes made it bowl-ready. I wasn't prepared for the flavor journey I was about to take. Sweet, musty, funky, savory, delicious.

The best comparison I can make flavorwise is to my favorite kind of beer. Bottle fermented Belgian ales with significant age. Yeasty, murky, bready and sweet.

Recently I bought a 250g box of Best Brown to see what it's like fresh (and to start aging some in a jar). While decent, it's nothing like what it becomes after 10+ years. Ive actually tasted a similar note to the aged Best Brown in Wessex Brigade Campaign Dark Flake. Looking forward to aging some of that too.

Pipe Used: Various small pipes by Anastasopolous and Gamboni

Age When Smoked: ~14 years

Purchased From: Strauss Tobacconist

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Greekpipesmoker (201)	2017-01-23		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This flake is the second best blend after full virginia flake.when you open it you get a light sweet topping in combination with citrus dried fruits and a little grass.rub it and let it dry a little.the lighting needs a little effort though the result is great.a decent sweet flavour with citrus and a hint of grass.magnificent!burns medium never bites and leaves a bit more moist at the end of the bowl.the nic level is low to medium so it's an all day blend to me.you can smoke it every hour leaving you a great aftertaste.defenitelly should try it!!

Age When Smoked: Rubed and leave it to dry out a couple hours

Similar Blends: Sanuel Gawith Full virginia flake(but sweeter).

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2015-08-16		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

A basic, no frills Virginia flake. Has a nice sweetness that vaguely resembles brown sugar or molasses. Not very complex, but it is enjoyable to smoke. Has a satisfying strength to it. I get the best burn when it's very dry, but even then it takes a few matches to get going and requires a few relights. It's a good, solid smoke.

Mild to medium in body and taste. I think it does have a very mild sweet topping.

Pipe Used: MM Country Gentleman, Mark Twain, Diplomat Apple

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Demetri (113)	2015-02-24		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I was amazed when I cracked the tin open. I expected to find, well, a BROWN flake product. What I saw was well-cut flakes of such a light hue they reminded me of the Lakelands in Squadron Leader when that blend is first opened. By the next day, they had begun to turn brown and within a couple more days the tobacco had indeed turned brown. I remember Escudo doing the same.

I was not particularly (yes, I know this is heresy) impressed with FVF and was prepared to be underwhelmed by Best Brown Flake. I was wrong, I thoroughly enjoy this VA flake, less tangy that FVF, but still full enough flavored to my liking. Straight Virginias tend to leave me with an unpleasant aftertaste; BBF does not.

I could probably keep typing, trying to come up with more hyperbole, but cutting to the quick - this is good product. I keep a couple of tins in back up and one opened at all times.

Pipe Used: Briars - prince, diplomat, GBD 9438

Age When Smoked: New production

Purchased From: Cigar Express, McKees Rocks, PA

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SmokeDawg (82)	2014-02-18		Mild	None Detected	Very Mild	Unnoticeable

I love Samuel Gawith tins with Squadren Leader and Skiff being personal favorites so I was excited about this one after reading the reviews. But after bowl after bowl, smoked just about every way possible I have come to the conclusion BBF is not for me. I rubbed it out, I dried it out. I smoked it from the tin. I've broke some up and stored it in a jar and gave it a few weeks. I rolled and stuffed it, with all these methods in different pipes. I found BBF VERY one diminsional and lacking in variation and taste. The sweetness is tasty when it hits you, but comes off too mild, and subtle for my taste. I found myself working to hard to get something out of this blend.

I will celler it and come back to it later to see if some time has helped it. I love Virginias, and though VA blends are traditionaly mild, this was not what I was expecting. This was more mild than medium though it is listed and promoted as a medium strength. After trying BBF I went back and re-read some of the reviews and noticed others have experienced It's more on the mild side as well.

Purchased From: JR Cigars

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	3000DK (7)	2011-12-22		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Having read the reviews on this site, I ordered a 50 gr tin, which I have almost emptied by now. Opening the tin was a disappointment - albeit expected as I had previously tried the FVF from the same producer. The slices seem to have been thrust into the tin with a coal shovel. Moisture way too high (a few hours drying time is highly recommended). Next disappointment is the stronly varying thickness of the slices and the fact that they are 'burned' together quite a lot. This means you have too much preparation before you can fill the bowl of your pipe to avoid cluttering and endless relights. When you finally get there, the taste/strenght/smell is after all quite pleasant - but not outstanding compared to many other flakes, I know of. My favourites will still be Dunhill Flake, Solani 633, Solani Silver and a few others - all of which presents you with quality leaf and packing to justify their relatively high prices. As for BBF: Now I've tried it, but I honestly do not concur with the general 'hype' - for me it is a no go.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Capt (339)	2011-07-27		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Probably one of my favorite VA flakes. Easy on the tongue compared to McClelland offerings.

I opened a tin of this back in 06/08, and the moisture content 3 years later is still perfect. Tin aroma reminds one of fresh cut hay. Easy to enjoy as long as it is dried out a bit.

You will enjoy a rich, leathery smoke out of this flake, straight forward tobacco flavor, with just a hint of Lake spice.

Paired well with a Johnny Walker Gold.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Steden (100)	2009-07-27		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Update 09-20-2009: More smoke this tobacco and more I appreciate its incredible purity and quality. Dante Alighieri said: "nulla è più buono dell'uovo col sale" (transl. nothing is better than an egg with salt)he meant that the simple things are things better.

Smoking BBF I can understand why.

Original review: This is a wonderful Virginia! I agree completely with both the caption on the tin and with the previous reviewers. What I was pleasantly impressed is the high quality of the leaf and its perfect maturity and seasoning. The smoke is smooth, cool, velvety, with deliciously sweet taste, aroma and flavour of grain and delicate herbs. Smoking it is very relaxing, highly recommended.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	quantumboy (130)	2009-01-04		Medium	None Detected	Mild	Tolerable

OCT. 2009 UPDATE: Upgrading to four stars. With more experience with this blend, and having smoked some well-aged BBF, this is now easily a four-star weed. I'm applying the same rule to this as I do to FVF: only smoke it aged, never green.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: Remember the job of the court jester? He tasted the King's wine to be sure it was good and that it wasn't poisoned. That's the kind of service I wish I had for BBF - a jester to smoke the first half-bowl for me so I can start half way through.

The flakes are just a bit too moist from the supplier. Took a while to get it to burn consistently because I didn't let it dry first like I should have. Finally it settled down, but unfortunately to a rather one-dimensional taste.

After my hypothetical jester has smoked the first half of the bowl for me I'll gladly take over. That's when the flavor begins. Typical sweet flavors and richness come in if you nurse it carefully.

Is it worth smoking a boring smoke for a half hour in order to get at the good part? I guess it depends on my mood. It gets three stars because patience really pays off with this one.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sasquatch (90)	2008-10-29		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Sweet, grassy, easy smoke. I piggyback Best Brown Flake onto most of my orders now.

What's it like? More virginia-y than Golden Sliced - akin to Mac Baren Virginia number 1 but no honey topping I guess.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tantric (321)	2002-08-08		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A favourite amongst smokers of the Gawith range, it is very similar to its more robust cousin Full Virginia Flake. Brown Flake is perhaps creamier and smoother, a natural Virginia no doubt, but with a very discreet chocolaty undertone when smoked (for many reviewers this undertone is referred to as a ?soapy? taste). Medium strength, the flakes are visually very attractive, a light brown hue with some darker strands, with a softer texture than FVF. On opening the tin you are greeted by the natural aroma of tobacco. There is no ketchup-like scents (e.g. McClelland?s Vas.) or dry raisins/molasses whiff (e.g. Dunhill?s Light Flake and some Rattrays Vas.). Brown Flake is very tightly pressed, making it a little bit difficult to rub it out, pack (it is easy to clog the bowl if not done carefully) and light. But once this is achieved the smoking experience, without being out of this world, is very nice, very sober and long lasting. For an experienced smoker this flake may be on the dull side, but if trying to break away from aromatics it is an excellent example of what smoking a natural pipe tobacco means. As with virtually all Virginias puffing slowly is advised, though I don?t find Brown Flake to have a tongue biting tendency on its own. Not my first choice for a straight Virginia smoke, but definitely a recommended natural and friendly tobacco.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2001-04-21		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Best Brown can best be described as a medium strength english style flake that comes off as something less than ho-hum at first glance. It has a very finicky personality and many have given up trying to figure this one out. Don't plan on making any final thoughts on this tobacco until you've smoked at least a dozen bowls - for it is difficult to know. If Best Brown was a person, he/she would be very shy and not likely to warm up to you until you earnd its trust.

I smoked quite a bit of this before stumbling onto the fact this tobacco smokes far better in broken flake form than rubbed up. Just as well because it doesn't rub out very well to begin with. It helps to take a bit of the tobacco and let it get dry as a bone, pulverize it and use on top as a fire starter. I keep some set aside just for this purpose.

What Best Brown looses in initial excitement, it more than makes up for in subtlety. It's somewhat one dimensional in taste, but is never boring. Similar tobaccos include Rattray's Brown Clunee and F&T's Special Brown Flake. This tobacco also doesn't change much with a DGT technique. In fact, it's better smoked beginning to end. It burns to a very fine soft white ash and makes only a gradual shift from beginning to end. DGT tends to muck up the flavors and once it starts getting good again, it's over.

This tobacco does have a very mild honeydew sweetening, but really doen't show itself until more than half way through. Tin aroma isn't real noticable until you've had it bulked up in a jar for awhile. Room note is pleasant and doesn't recieve any complaints. Since the tobaccos used are are african virginias, the taste is much more subtle and less earthy than their american counterparts. Stronger in nicotine, there is also little or no bite provided you don't over do it.

I wouldn't term this as an all day smoke, but one could smoke it almost exclusively if willing shell out the pesos to do so. I would say its more suited to veteran smokers, but those with lesser skills should also find it enjoyable as an occasional smoke. My number one caution with this flake is not to dismiss it right off and try it in many different pipes. There is no rhyme or reason, but Best Brown definitely has a preference for some pipes and not others. Again, she is a fickle beast. Take some time to get to know it and you may find this becomes one of your staples, as it has become one of mine. Highly recommended!

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	MM (12)	2022-07-01		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

This tobacco is almost nearly perfect. Tasty and sweet. High quality leaf that comes in a broken flake form. I find the slight problem with Best Brown is its inconsistent burn but taking away a star from the four would be an unfair penalty. A highly satisfying delicious treat that always delivers.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	gladi8tor96 (143)	2020-09-21		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

The flake look and smell almost identical to FVF, but a bit less fermented and slightly 'lighter'. Easy to load and pack, either with the fold and stuff method or fully rubbed out. I prefer the former. It stays lit better than FVF, but does require some relights. I find that, similar to FVF, the relights can be a bit harsh on both initial lighting flavor as well as the tongue. If you can keep this lit/rolling without relights, the experience is more enjoyable IMHO. Light but firm tamping, and a regular draw on the pipe will assist with this.

The smoke is creamy, flavorful, and light, but not too light. It reminds me very much of FVF, but less dense and slightly more subdued. More of the lighter VA flavors and tones are present and less of the deeper ones. I would say this is a perfect inbetween of FVF and Blackwoods flake. Excellent flake and can't wait to see what it does with more age. Plus I want to smoke it side by side both FVF and BWF so I can do a better job of describing the differences.

Pipe Used: Ent. Stovepipe

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Tobacco Pipes.com

Similar Blends: McClelland - Blackwoods Flake (Personal Reserve), Samuel Gawith - Full Virginia Flake.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrNapoleon (10)	2020-09-13		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Definitely the best tobacco I have tried so far. Virginia's wonderful sweet wooden taste is immediately associated with the green hills of Tolkien's Shire. Slightly moist if burn straight from the tin. It does not lit easily but then it burns calmly and coolly. There is no way of biting your tongue. Room Note is quite pleasant for smokers and quite bearable for the rest. I noticed that it is often compared to Full Virginia Flake although for me it is definitely less grassy and less tea like, which speaks in its favor. There is also less "sugar" than in other Virginia I've tried. I VERY recommend!!!

Pipe Used: Adventure

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Home Town shop

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BingCrosby (161)	2018-03-04		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

It's an SG flake... and it's a good one. My tin was aged but i would actually be interested to try a fresher tin... it was almost too rounded out for my taste buds. Usually I prefer that, but a little zest strangely might have been nice... I got smooth bready molasses like notes.. pleasant if somewhat straightforward... not as complex and delicious as full Virginia flake... but it hits right down the middle in a pleasant way. Love the rough cut gawith flakes... rustic at its best.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pryhosm (248)	2018-01-12		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Wonderful sweet Virginia, fresh hay and a brown sugar flavor. A Hint of soapiness, not always there and I sometimes wonder if I am imagining it. The mechanics on this are important (at least to me). This needs to dry for 10-20 minutes or it will bite. It is an odd tobacco to me as it seems relatively dry in flake form but when smoked without dry time it is steamy. Steamy equals a bad time with me. It also won't stay lit very well either without solid dry time. Rub it out and leave it alone for 20 minutes and you will be good to go. In my opinion best in a meer but very nice in any pipe. The smoke is sweet, not aro sweet but like a sweetened pastry, sticky buns come to mind. It is a sweet, bready flavor, very unique. Not like a typical VA. The flavor is not as "fresh" , not a bad thing. This is a darker flavor kind of like brown sugar vs table sugar. Molasses and a bit of subtle spice. This is a great smoke when done right, not careful with prep it will require many relights and a sore tongue.

Pipe Used: briar's, cob's and meerschaum

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: pipe's and Cigars

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Swiss-smoker (87)	2016-06-12		Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Tolerable

This will be the tobacco to smoke at the EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP in October 2016 in Slowakia (link: http://www.pipenitra2016.sk/?page_id=11&lang=en). A friend of a neighbouring pipe club gave me a sample. As always with Samuel Gawith, it’s not moist, it’s wet, and therefore needs considerable drying time. In large bowls I fold the flakes and cram it in my pipe. In smaller bowls I prefer to rub it a little. Both ways lead to a good, slow, steady and cool burnig. For those used to smoking flakes it’s (mechanically) a pleasure to smoke. For those not used to flakes, buy a few tins and get some training before the championship. It’s rewarding.

BEST BROWN FLAKE is a pure Virginia. Regarding the taste of this mixture, well, it’s not my pair of shoes. I was expecting a broad fan of all kinds of Virginia flavours. I thought I was smoking a soft, light Aromatic. I could not find all these pleasurable flavours, typically attributed to Virginias. It is smokable, sure, but I am disappointed.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DeathMetal.org (231)	2016-04-30		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Summary: a wonderful take on Virginias, but the lack of Nicotine makes it fall short of "recommended" status.

This is a really nice Virginia. At first, the acidic bloom of this type of leaf is discernible, but then it vanishes, leaving only a union of a honey-sweet hay flavor and the more harvest vegetable taste of a seasoned Virginia. As far as flavor goes, I could puff this forever, but one of the reasons we seek out Samuel Gawith blends is the intense Nicotine experience that makes them so relaxing, and that is missing here. Relax; be a heretic; mix it with some strong American Burley like "Dark Burley" or "Five Brothers" and you will be at home. Great leaf, needs more power.

Thanks to Pipes Magazine forum member "dadgy" for this sample.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrT999 (317)	2014-09-18		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Best Brown? Not really. Ok boring brown, maybe. Nowhere near as good as Stonehaven, GH Brown Flake Unscented, or Germain's Brown Flake. Mind you, there is nothing wrong with this, but I also don't find anything that gets my attention -- for my tastes, this is a smoke for those who want to smoke a pipe without having to pay much attention to the flavor, which kind of defeats the purpose of a pipe for me. So, for me, a very generic so-so smoke; if others really like the one note of flavor, they will obviously rate this higher -- I really like some one-note tobaccos, but this one does nothing for me. Really two and a half stars, but since it doesn't really have any flaws, I'll go with three rather than two.

Pipe Used: various briars and a cob

Age When Smoked: 14 months after purchase

Purchased From: pipes & cigars

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Elm0 (5)	2013-09-28		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

As said a very underrated, no nonsense, very pleasant tobacco

One of the better less moist SG varieties ,burns faultless all the way down to an ashy bottom ,very easy to keep lit & has an ever so slight sweet taste which is more apparent the slower you smoke it

I am torn between this and FVF to say which i prefer but to say they are both great smokes is enough

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	robsm2013 (9)	2013-07-02		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Disagree with Gus Tation here....this blend is one of my favorites; easy to rub out - not too moist, and can be smoked right after opening the tin; unlike FVF which needs dry time. This blend is extremely rich - notes of honey, nuts, salty and thick - highly recommended. If you like Solani Aged Burley Flake, you'll love this one too! very similar, but slightly sweeter -

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2012-10-09		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is the best straight VA that I have ever smoked. Even though FVF has a special place in my heart, BBF is virtually almost identical to FVF. The difference is that it is pressed under heat for a shorter period of time.

BBF is slow burning, very creamy, woodsy and earthy in taste, just like FVF. Its advantage, I find, is that it is easier to master in its smoking, which gives my preference over FVF.

If you are looking for a pure and delicious straight VA, try BBF. The only thing that prevents me from giving it 4 stars is that SG's flakes are hard to deal with, making them harder to smoke and keep lit.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Big (321)	2012-01-21		Mild	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Let me start with my typical "Samuel Gawith" rant about how much moisture you are paying for. The tin has ( and I counted them) 10 flakes of tobacco exactly equal to 5 full pieces of bacon in volume. The tobacco is of high quality but even after attempted drying and rubbing it is hard to light.Even after it is lit, you are fighting to keep it lit through the whole pipe, this detracts from the whole experience. The flavor has some sweetness, is smooth and has low "N". What it doesn't have is interest, I like my Virginia's with some "Zing", more sweetness, and any of the typical flavors of hay/citrus/honey/molasses that I seem to get from McClellands Virginias. I'm not saying this is bad, I'm just saying I find this boring and bland. I will finish the tin, someday ,but won't buy more.

Updated 6/10/12 - I've had this resting for almost 6 months, the moisture is down to a smokable level, the tobacco now performs much better. The tobacco is very smooth but low on "N". I find this tobacco to bite the least of all the brown flakes,including FVF. I have to raise this to 3 stars , oh, I'll probably buy again !_

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-08-15		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Well, I normally do not like flakes... but this one has some delicious Virginias on it!

Easier to fill the bowl than St.James or Balkan Flake. The colour is more brownie than colour in Golden Glow.

Burns well and evolves in a good virginia smoking experience... creamy, slightly sweet and not boring at all. The taste is more toasty than the taste in Golden Glow (which I do prefer) Nevertheless, a recommended one for Virgina fans.

Only problem is this can become a little bit boring if smoked bowl after bowl and tin after tin.

RdX score: 87.90 (I revisit now and then, but I only regularly repeat tobaccos over 90)

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-07-03		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

That it's packaged as unbroken flakes allows the smoker somewhat more control over the experience than with Medium Virginia Flake. As with all Samuel Gawith Flakes, I like the presentation in the tin. A little uneven, it seems more pure and less like the product of mechanized industry (i.e. Dunhill's Light Flake)

This seems a little milder to smoke than Medium Virginia Flake, but the difference is subtle. It is also a shade darker and perhaps sweeter, but again the difference is small. Both tobaccos reach their zone early for me and remain relatively consistent throughout the smoking experience. This is mild, sweet and pure Virginia goodness. Almost cleansing.

While not as deep a flavour experience as its cousin, FVF, this remains a tobacco that I will keep on hand for when I want a lighter Virginia experience.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2008-12-29		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

BBF has a neutral tobacco flavour that lasts from the first light to the end of the bowl. There are elements of sweetness to it, and slightly nutty undertones. When smoked slowly the tobacco has no bitter taste and smokes dry and cool in the right pipe.

About 3/4 of the way down the bowl there are hints of an almost herbal nature - something like lavender. These ease off near the end and the final 10-15 minutes return to a natural tobacco flavour, albeit with slightly more body than the beginning of the bowl. Smoking all the way down to the dottle is not a problem, as it remains cool and sweet. The nicotine is not overpowering, and no strong taste is left in the mouth. This is ideally suited to day-time smoking, and infact it would lose it's subtle notes if it was smoked after something stronger. The room note is of tobacco, nothing more.

I smoked through this tin quicker that I have smoked through any other tin. Although it is a mild smoke, and over the day I often move onto a heavier flake, this has a seductive, alluring call to it. Well represented in my cellar. Delicious.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2002-01-14		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This pressed flake cut in six inch shingles rubs out very nicely, and packs ok for it's cut. The charring was seductive enough, the smell of tobacco quite inviting to my senses. Once relit again, it stayed lit. It burned smoothly, drawing very effortlessly. I was surprised because I did not take the best of care when I packed my pipe. The flavor is Virginia tobacco, processed and cured with loving care. It begins, continues, and ends with a uniform taste, never a hint of bitternes to it. This is very fine tobacco for those who enjoy Virginia flake, and probably for those who think they don't like Virginias. It is squarely in the medium range for strength, but the flavor is a little lighter than the fullest of Virginias, but I find that this is more flavor than those stronger Virginias that can simply be too much for me. You don't get queezy from this smoke, but you know you are smoking real tobacco. My score card is 10. What more can you ask for? If this blend could pack it'self, light it'self, and maybe pay for it'self it would then be perfect.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	wizard_duty (6)	2022-06-06		Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Unnoticeable

Very grassy and hay aroma is the first thing I noticed from the tin. Relatively moist flakes in mine, so I let them dry for a bit. I have tried folding and stuffing, rubbing it out, and chopping the flake into bits with a knife. In my experience, the fold n stuff is the least operable method, compared to cube cutting which I find to work wonders. The flavor is consistent throughout the bowl, starting off very high and bright and fresh, and barely mellowing off to feature a bit more earth. I love this tobacco and find it stands strongly alongside FVF and the like. Very high quality tobacco here to no surprise.

Pipe Used: Clay, briar

Age When Smoked: New-8mo

Similar Blends: Newminster No.400, Samuel Gawith Full Virginia Flake, Orlik Golden Sliced (I know this is a VaPer but similar high notes).

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WillBrown (137)	2021-09-04		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

This tin smoked up quick; it was that good. The baccy was slightly on the sweet side. It had a marvelous side stream. A tinge of bitterness on the snork. The room note, something I don't often notice, was also good. The blend wasn't as strong as Full Virginia Flake (another blend I really like) which, for me is a good thing. I prefer the taste of FVF over this blend, but only marginally. Best Brown's a great blend, I'd purchase this again, if I could ever find it (why is it that Sam Gawith blends are rarely available?).

Keep on pipin'

Purchased From: Edward's Pipe Shop, Denver, CO

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tiffanzsolti (6)	2020-05-17		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

One of my favourite pipe tobacco. Partially cause I’m a straight VA smoker, but because it’s really good too!

Typical SG tin design, proper hay tin notes. Moisture is extreme high, almost like a wet towel. However, it dries quickly. Hard to light in wet state, but doesn’t tongue burn even when dried out fully. Stuff ‘n fold or rub out, works both ways.

Sweet, premium high quality VA notes with subtle fruits in the background. Isn’t overpowering, nor too light. It’s a medium bodied one, but for that case it’s perfect. An elegant, everyday smoke. Retains its aromatics all the way to white ash. No tongue bite, although has a decent “acidity”.

Pipe Used: Savinelli Xmas ‘16 poker

Age When Smoked: 6 months

Purchased From: Barcelona tobacco shop

Similar Blends: Cornell & Diehl - Opening Night (Simply Elegant Series).

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Flyingdutchman (20)	2019-09-16		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Smell of hay, figs, tomatoes (!?) and dried fruit. This is what we get after opening the (as usual) elegant SG tin. Flakes aren't so big and fat, but they look well moisted and have an attractive woodlike look. Leaving the flake in open air to dry up is a must, or you'll be swimming in a pool after a few puffs. Just a few minutes, then pack it up in your pipe, lit it up and go! This is in my opinion the best Virginia I ever tasted, even better than renowned FVF. Time flies when you smoke it. Do not underestimate it by comparing it to FVF, its smoke is creamy, fresh and full of the same aromas you smell from the tin, not so strong, but full of aroma, it can be smoked in the morning. A great everyday, everyseason tobacco, I seldom use a pinch of it to ease down the 1792 when I'm not in the mood for a strong smoke but love its tonquin/whisky aroma.

Pipe Used: Brebbia Billiard

Age When Smoked: Fresh from the tin

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Liverpool 47 (10)	2019-09-09		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

It’s early days but this could be my favourite SG Virginia yet. Being impatient I tried a bowl full straight from the tin and it was ready unlike some people’s experience. Boy this is a great Virginia. Not unlike SAF to me which I also love. I could smoke this for ever and a day. Smooth and mellow with a good medium taste. I didn’t realise that I would find that pure Virginias would be my favourite tobaccos until trying SAF thanks to this very wonderful site. Anyway if Virginia is your thing or even if like I was and you are not sure give this a go.

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: C Gars. Gt Yarmouth

Similar Blends: Scottish Autumn Flake..

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	John_B (33)	2019-01-16		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Very Pleasant

This is my second recent purchase of a Samuel Gawith Virginia blend, the first being Golden Glow broken flake, which I enjoyed, but wanted something more mid range and less citrus. FVF looks to be too heavy for my current flavor profile but Best Brown is seemingly my Goldilocks blend, being right in the middle of the other two. I took delivery of a 50g tin and eagerly opened it to reveal the mid brown flakes within, speckled with orange and gold and already showing sugar crystals, having been packed in april 2017. Tin note is of raisins and oats with a hint of baked goods and spices. The flakes are nowhere near as moist as I was expecting from other reviews, but the first bowl I tried was hard to get going, so I gave the flakes an hour of air time and rubbed some out to a fine ribbon, as I rarely use the fold and stuff method, and then allowed this to further dry for 45 minutes and judged it good to go for my review. The second bowl was a lot less hassle to ignite and a single char light and one true light had it going nicely. The flavour built steadily and was very much as expected from the tin note. Not over sweet but very tasty with dried fruit notes and a little cinnamon and clove present topped off with some brown sugar. For a straight Virginia it burned very cool and slow with no bite, all the way down to a very fine white ash. No bitter notes were encountered and I can honestly say that it is a great smoke from start to finish. The room note was noticeably good, which says a lot, as like many others, I find some blends hard to detect whilst smoking. This was a great change from that, being a classic sweet virginia aroma with elements of toasted cinnamon loaf and baked goodness. All in all a very rewarding smoke and one that I would welcome in my rotation and it has the added bonus of being easier to obtain than Capstan Navy Cut Flake, which it resembles in all aspects, except the moisture content when first opened. I like this blend a lot and will be happy to order more and it could well be an all day blend for me. 4 well deserved stars from me !

Update: On opening my second tin, which was much fresher from the factory, being packed 23/12/18, I was surprised to see mainly broken flake. It was still an outstanding smoke and was almost perfect moisture wise straight from the tin. The taste was a little more citrus than the slightly aged tin I had last time. Interesting to see how age mellows this blend first hand. I am tempted to get a bulk box of 250g next time and jar the long well cut flakes therein. I fully understand the artisanal nature of flakes that Samuel Gawith are famous for in tin form, but wasn't expecting the same rough cut as Golden Glow, which is another wonderful straight Virginia that I like to smoke now and then from the house of Gawith.

Pipe Used: Falcon

Age When Smoked: Tin dated April 2017

Purchased From: GQ Tobaccos

Similar Blends: Capstan Blue Flake.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Berzerker (28)	2018-12-10		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Very Pleasant

Hmmm. Is it better than FVF? It's easier to light and keep lit. Although doesnt quite have the same depth as FVF. Not nearly as strong either. It comes down to taste and your own preference I guess. There is no doubt best brown is of the highest quality too. A classic also. Not sure why I felt a need to compare it FVF either, maybe because it would be a hard choice between these two. So my choice would be this one though. Just easier to smoke and thats all it comes down to for me.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Briar Piper (89)	2018-11-18		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

One of the best virginias you can buy. A little bit earthy for a virginia, this seems like a virginia which was processed to make it more burley like. Very earthy, and a little bit monochromatic. I really enjoy it however, as the room note is not so cigarette-like as you usually get with this kind of smoke. I give it 4 stars but it is more of 3 and 1/2. I would definitely give firedance flake a full 4 stars, which is the same blend with a lot more ongoing in the smoke. But sometimes plain tobacco is called for, and this really shines in that regard.

Pipe Used: Several

Age When Smoked: 8 years

Purchased From: Tinderbox, smokingpipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Paul S. (10)	2018-08-20		Very Mild	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant to Tolerable

I love the Gawiths, but this blend just isn't good.

My tin arrived as a thinly sliced broken flake and had a very light, grassy, almost herbal smell. I found the flavours very subtle; it seemed fairly bland. On top of this, it burned hot and had a tendency to bite. In the right pipes, some deeper, leathery flavours came through, but only for a short time. I didn't note the age of the tin when I opened it, but I must have had it close to a year before finishing it.

It's not a revolting tobacco, but there's not much to it. I would recommend it if you're a fan of very light straight virginias which are more grassy than sweet.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Goose55 (33)	2018-06-06		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

Samuel Gawith Best Brown Flake is an awesome tobacco. I have very much enjoyed Gawith, Hoggarth Brown Flake (unscented). The GH has a bit of dark fired Burley and the BBF is straight Virginia. I'd say the edge goes to the BBF. It has an amazingly delicious room note.

Pipe Used: James Upshall Tilshead, Lindstrom Billiard

Age When Smoked: 2 years

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stegus (1)	2017-09-01		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Elegant. Medium bodied. Spicy. Slightly sweet. Creamy and slightly musky. Hint of raisins.

Nice clean smoke, mild to medium flavor and medium strength. Reminiscing to smoking a cigar. I'm not an experienced smoker and have only tried a few unflavored tobaccos before. This is the first one I really enjoyed. I will certainly buy this again.

Pipe Used: Bent Dublin

Age When Smoked: 2 years

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StogieBear (20)	2017-04-09		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Sweet, bright flavor with grass and a nice fruity tang. Needs a bit of drying but then it burns wonderfully with no bite and few relights. I bought the 250g pack and cut the long flakes with a scissors before folding and stuffing.

Pipe Used: Savinelli 122

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Giovanni Palomino (21)	2015-09-23		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Novelty to try your first flake experience learn to smoke was very motivated, in regards the smoke flavor and medium strength give you stimulating smoke Burns evenly which prevents the rekindled many pipe and it does not burn the tongue, so is a good tobacco but there is nothing that stands out and at this stage of the search for the ideal tobacco would consider that it recompraría not very soon.

Pipe Used: Mr Brog Bosman

Purchased From: 4noggings

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	point9 (114)	2015-07-14		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Given that there is full Virginia flake in Samuel Gawith's Va lines, I didn't hold much expectation of this one, and I was surprised. Best Brown flake isn't a light version of fvf, rather it's a brother who shares the dignified pedigree with a different character. Not like fvf, bbf is much thinner flake and fold and stuff method should be applied easier. One of the best Va on the market.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TallPuffO'Burley (632)	2014-01-07		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

EDITED 10/30/2016

I ordered a box of this based on my earlier experience with the sample sent to me. I must say I was less smitten with the blend than I was at first tasting. I can say that I had a lot of time to taste this back to back with FVF and my conclusion is that FVF is a superior Virginia to my tastes. This is a bit of splitting hairs, but I find that I like a few other SG vas better than BBF as well, including their Summer Flake. BBF is all sweetness to my tastes and it lacks in body what FVF seems to deliver with its sweetness.

I have decided to drop a star off this one more to differentiate it from FVF and some other SG blends that I feel to be superior. Don't get me wrong, this is still a great blend, but I find that I get a little bored of this one as I get near the end of a pipe. This is something that never happens with FVF.

I became so bored with it, in fact, that I added a heavy bit of Perique to the last 5 or so bowls I had left. These last bowls were my favorite of the box.

ORIGINAL REVIEW 1/7/2014

I was gifted some of this from a forum buddy. I found it to be a great rich tasting Virginia. I actually preferred it to FVF and found it to be fuller than that one. I think this is my favorite offering from Samuel Gawith to date. It should be noted that I am a big time Virginia smoker and I believe that this blend does favor the seasoned Virginia pallet.

The sample I received was at the perfect moisture content. I plan on ordering more and will see if it has the normal moisture issues common to the SG brand.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2013-06-11		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

I had found that the SG line of flakes were very inconsistently sized. The cut would be thin for one flake and then thick for the next flake. Also the flakes were a little difficult to rub out. Lastly, I had trouble keeping this stuff lit and producing an acceptable amount of smoke. These flakes had really nice flavor though. Eventually dropped the whole line of flakes due to these drawbacks.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Beer (345)	2011-12-06		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I expected this one to be a lighter version of Full Virginia Flake, but it seems that it is so only in color: the taste is possibly even richer to my tastebuds!

The long flakes are soft and moist, but require very little drying out. They pack fine, and when lit burn quite regularly.

What to say about this tobacco? Only that it's a very consistent, benchmark matured Virginia. Completely natural flavour, good balance of sweetness, spice, smokiness and a touch of sourness. Boring? Not very original or distinctive? Maybe. But GOOD.

A reliable smoking companion!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	dk-piper (25)	2009-11-30		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

delicious flake. tobacco smells like citrus, orange, sweet. Very intense smell. Once lit, the tobacco reveals nutty aromas. Sidestream is just wonderful...roasted almonds and caramel come into my mind. Similarities to FVF are there.

The best way to describe this baccy is..."the simple things/tobaccos in life are the most enjoyable."

BestBrownFlake is a down-to-earth-tobacco. Very honest, very pure in taste. Smoke is gentle and smooth as silk.

Mr. Gawith did it again! :)

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-05-09		Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I've just finished the last of 10 tins smoked periodically since December 2008. This is principally flue-cured Zimbabwe, which I have smoked in other blends and find apealing, but overall I found this SG offering somewhat mediocre: I generally prefer a bit more of a 'buzz' when I first light-up and this, it was not.

This would apeal to those who prefer a lighter virginia flake smoke and it will enthrall its devotees.

As is usuall with SG's - moisture is a little on the high side, it benefits from a little drying, but it rubs-out easily, burns well and holds the burn throughout the smoke.

Put simply, Samuel Gawith's don't make a bad tobacco - so definately recommended and one I might return to over time.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipe4ever (204)	2008-11-18		Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Full	Pleasant

Everything with BBF is the same as with FVF but with less aroma, less flavor, less taste, less strength and less nicotine.

BBF shows up its wonderful quality only at the second half bowl, In fact, the first half bowl seem to be a bit bland and tasteless if compared to FVF, but with some patience, the second half is very tasty, deep and delightful.

FVF and BBF are great Virginia and must have for any Virginia smoker. I find the bulk leaf is better quality than the tined one; the flakes are nicely done with wonderful aroma.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pounder 5000 (178)	2005-01-31		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A middle of the road Va flake that has zero offensive characteristics. Certainly passable, there are so many better variations on this theme that I have a hard time smoking anything less than outstanding when it comes to VA's. I could start listing the better ones here and also the worse, but to do so would take all night and the lists would be pretty close to even.

Absolutely average.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2002-07-05		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Seeing as I love SG's Full VA flake, I couldn't wait to try this one out. Oh dear...oh dear...oh deary me, such a disappointment. Why? The infamous soapy taste is overwhelming here, like smoking a bar of Camay soap. It nearly made me retch & I emptied out my pipe unfinished.

Seeing as the Full VA flake has none of this horrid character, what do they do to spoil this tobacco up in Cumbria?

Sorry people, I cannot recommend at all.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Novaki (41)	2023-01-03		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Somewhat similar in concept to to Full Virginia Flake but without the light floral note. I’d say Best Brown just a notch less “full” and a hair sweeter than FVF. This might be a bit grassier. It’s an apples to apples comparison so it really boils down to if you’re in the mood for a straight Virginia that’s a bit fuller and stronger or if you’re in the mood for something a touch lighter. Either way, I imagine that if you like one you’ll like the other. If you asked me which I preferred more my honest answer would be that it would depend on the day and maybe how much I’d eaten before hand.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	b7q (51)	2022-11-05		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

If Full Virginia Flake is a deep father, then this is a kind mother, Golden Glow is a sunny boy,

BB doesn't have a lot of nicotine, it's very sweet, I can smoke all day, cut it up with a Cigar Cutter and put it into a pipe, it burns very easily, it doesn't create a strange smell in the room.

Pipe Used: Briar

Age When Smoked: 10

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	awt (20)	2022-05-26		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

From all the positive reviews this seems to be the holy grail of virginias, or at least very close to it. And this infuses in me so much self pity for not appreciating it as it supposedly deserves. Its certainly a good virginia flake, medium strenght, dark/light tobaccos, hand made with old historical equipment and so on . But there is a but, how can I keep it alight? Out from the box is soaking, after hours of drying looks easier to start but it is not. Is all this worth full marks? I will insist for giving it 4 stars (as it apparently deserves) still for now 2 1/2 rounded down. Sorry but I cannot understand it.

Pipe Used: english group 3 and 4

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: switzerland

Similar Blends: any other unscented darker virginia flake.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Honest&Simple (25)	2021-10-25		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Very good, well presented tobacco.

Tin note is nice hay and dried fruit virginia.

This one has been temperamental for me, but that is most likely my fault. It is moist but smokable right out of the tin.

I like the fold and stuff method for flakes but I might rub this one out in the future.

For a full VA blend this is easy to smoke and light on the tongue, nice smoke, flavorful high quality virginia. Sweet, light and hayey.

Have 3 tins aging.

Pipe Used: Briars and cobs

Age When Smoked: 2 years

Purchased From: Twins

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CubishPatriot (14)	2021-08-02		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

I smoked this years ago. It was sold out often, and I was less experienced, so I got into other blends. I think 20 years is enough experience. I was gifted this tin in a huge Esoterica purchase and opened it to the delight of long, mature, beautiful flakes. I was greeted with a non overpowering sweet ripe tobacco smell. Quality of the leaf is exceptional. Slightly moist and damp enough not to fall apart. It rubbed out into fairly lengthy pieces and I used my knife to shorten those pieces. It took a couple light to get going. But once lit with proper tamping stayed lit and cool to the bottom of the bowl. Didn't get hot. But I sip it. Great subtly sweet and rich dark fruit notes. More like a raisin or fig. The flavor builds but seems consistently sweet and rich to the bottom of the bowl. The room note was of sweet dark tobacco. Only good dark Virginia smells this way. My wife is a pipe and cigar smoker also, and commented about its aroma and smoked some as well. Not a beginner smoke as it takes some finagling to get the flake prepped right. But such a pleasurable slow paced experience. Well deserving it's loyal following.

Pipe Used: Comoy Prince, Ascorti Business

Age When Smoked: 3 years

Purchased From: Gifted

Similar Blends: Germain RDF.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Duke Nukum (16)	2021-04-19		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

A rich brown-coloured flake with flecks of lighter and darker colours throughout. The bulk version is cut as flakes of about 4 to 5" length and width of 3/4" while the tinned is of more 'traditional' dimensions. Being pure Virginia leaf, some may prefer to dry it a little and of course take it slow. What is revealed is a natural, leafy, sweet aroma and hints of burning hay, some tanginess from the burned sugars and an overall 'natural' character reminiscent of Autumn leaf-fires. It burns slowly, but can require a lot of effort to light initially and some re-lights. Can leave moisture in the bowl, especially if smoked too quickly.

Similar Blends: Sam Gawith Full Virginia Flake.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	MangoLegs (72)	2021-03-11		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Preparation & Burn: 4/10 Too moist, but drying too much makes it crunchy and hard, harsh and flavorless. Burns fairly cool, not much bite. A few too many relights.

Taste: 16/20 It's a great, pure flavor. I prefer it to FVF. Can be a bit monotone but if you like that tone, great.

Mildness: 7/10 My idea of a good smoke is a relaxing, low nicotine session. Therefore, the milder the better. Not much nicotine.

Total: 28/40

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Megalo Al (38)	2020-12-12		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Divino. Un capolavoro di Virginia, ai livelli del FVF e del Capstan. Ottimo, sotto tutti i punti di vista. Consigliatissimo se amate i Virginia in purezza.

Similar Blends: Samuel Gawith - Full Virginia Flake, Samuel Gawith - Golden Glow, Mac Baren - Capstan Original Navy Cut.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Calamiti (84)	2018-09-24		Very Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

Best Brown Flake is most often compared here on TobaccoReviews with Full Virginia Flake, and rightly so, because both blends are quite similar in many regards. However, there is a clear difference between them, which I believe is easily explained by the origin of the source tobaccos.

There are plenty of Virginia varieties grown in each country, but Brazilian and American Virginias generally tend to be stronger, darker, grassier and drier (like in dry wine) than African Virginias, which in their turn are often lighter in Nicotine, brighter, sweeter and much more citrusy and fragrant (and also more prone to bite) than most varieties from the Americas. One may see how perfectly this describes the main difference between the stronger and darker FVF and this light and fruity Best Brown Flake.

It's well known that Best Brown Flake is made of Rhodesian leaves. And it's exactly Virginias from Rhodesia that have long been prized for their distinctive flowery fragrance. In contrast, I've never met any authoritative data regarding the origin of tobaccos sourced for FVF, so I may just speculate that FVF should be probably made primarily of tobaccos from the Americas rather than from Africa, or have at least a significant portion of them blended in.

Best Brown Flake is really fine and fragrant. But I find it also extremely weak (African bright Virginias are just meant to be like that, they're designed to be mild) and quite bity (which is a known feature of all flue-cured bright Virginias). That's why I definitely prefer Full Virginia Flake.

It's the lightest pure Virginia blend I've ever tried. I may honestly recommend this flake to those who have hypersensitivity to Nicotine and still want to smoke a quality tobacco. Other than that, Full Virginia Flake seems to me a better choice.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BryGuySC (26)	2017-05-02		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This batch came in a 250 gram box but the ziplock bag was not sealed all the way, and the outer box was mostly sealed, so it was a little bit dried out but actually had a perfect level for smoking. still pliable and a hint moist. It probably could have dried it a hair more before smoking, but I balled up a bit and stuffed it in a cob, musketball-style.

This sometimes starts off pretty bland and unimpressive. After about half of a bowl, the flavor notes picked up and there were some nice flavors of hay and cereal. More of the grain part of the hay than the fresh cut smell of hay or the barn smell of hay. Kind of like sweet Special K. I also get hints that reminds me of that sharp, coarse grass that grew around my grandfather's pond. Very mild creamy citrus notes on the tongue. I grew up next to a hay field. This brings up memories of walking across the field kicking the piles of drying, but still damp on the bottom, grassy hay. It also had moments that make me think of the buttered rolls we would eat at dinner.

Age When Smoked: Fresh

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Arkie (129)	2017-04-26		Very Mild	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable

I have never smoked a flake tobacco that I considered bad but I would rate this stuff as the least good of any flakes I've tried. The flavor was so mild that it bordered on being bland. It's ok but there are so many excellent flakes available that it's not worthwhile.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Rob73 (77)	2016-10-26		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

I'm not a big fan of straight Virginia tobaccos, 'cause I don't like too much the sweetness, although natural. I must say that BBF is really good. The quality of tobacco is very high, its strength is moderate - perfect for an all day smoke - and it produces a pleasant feeling. I found it also excellent using it as the base Virginia for some self made mixtures. Highly recommended for straight Virginia lovers, recommended to the others for a must try. 3,5/5 in my personal rating system.

Purchased From: Hobby Fumo, Milano (Italy)

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2016-05-09		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Natural straight Virginia. A little too wet (I usually let a stripe one hour out of his tin, before smoking). Sweet, nutty, with a delicious juniper note (and something like acid tomatos, very intriguing). In a medium bowl, you can find a discrete amount of nicotine (this reason and the fact that this isn't a well-burning tobacco, suggest that it isn't for novices). It gives its best also in briar wood and in cherry wood.

Pipe Used: Many briars, ceramic, olive wood

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: local tabacconist

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	KrzysD (24)	2016-04-03		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

This was my first experience with Virginia flake,so I think I dumped as many bowls as I smoked trying to figure out how to pack it . For what I did manage to smoke I enjoyed it. The tobacco was smooth with no bite ,a subtle natural sweetness that's part of the tobacco flavor,no lingering after taste. I will definitely get it again one day but for now there's a lot more to explore.

Age When Smoked: Fresh ?

Purchased From: J&R

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	gam86 (49)	2015-09-06		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

A friend of mine gifted me with a tin of these wonderful tobacco, I was very pleased or it round and rich taste. I think is a all day long tobacco and it matain its tastefulness for a long time.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	L'Italiano (231)	2015-04-26		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

I do not know if my tin was unlucky, but I disagree with most of the previous reviews. In my opinion this is an average straight Virginia, without virtues and vices. Pure Virginia, without any flavoring, no more and no less. In my personal system rating (from 1 to 10) my score is 7 and two stars.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jorge Soler (202)	2015-04-05		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

This is another Samuel & Gawith's all time favourite. The tin note is not quite noticeable, but I was pleased by the unevenness and appearance of the flakes as I opened it. They look like ragged leather or rotten wood strips, but not in a bad way. I've had no problems in rubbing and packing this tobacco into my pipe. The moist content is quite high, so these flakes will benefit from some drying time. The topping or casing is somewhat noticeable, but not soapy. There is something to this tobacco, as in every other S&G blend, that is unique to it. If I were to have a blind date with this tobacco, I am pretty sure I would be able to tell it was one of S&G's blends: they all share this undertone and characteristic. If properly dried, it does not seem to smoke hot in your bowl and it burns quite evenly leaving a fine white ash behind. It has a somewhat plummy or orangy taste to it, but my guess is this is due to the casing or topping and not because of the Virginia tobacco itself. I cannot detect any tongue bite at all, but if you smoke this tobacco straight out of the tin, you might do. As I progressed with my smoke, the taste went from medium to medium/full. It has some nice undertones and nuances, but this tobacco does not quite feel like a straight Virginia. I have thoroughly enjoyed my bowl, but if I don't give it four stars is due to the topping and because of the lack of noticeable Virginia properties. It is only in the last quarter of your bowl that these properties will start to show up, but the nuttiness dimension is still missing.

Pipe Used: Meerschaum

Age When Smoked: ?

Purchased From: tobacconist in Spain

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ATW (110)	2015-03-24		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Re-review 6/13/2019

My first tin of Best Brown Flake was in march of 2015 that I purchased at Uptowns in Nashville. I highly recommend to visit them if you're ever in Nashville. Opening the tin the fold up paper was stained with the moisture and oils from the flakes. The flakes were large uniform cut that were a dark brown with a good amount of sugar crystal deposits. The aroma was just a deep dark sweet Virginia almost akin to a straight red Virginia.

With the fold and stuff or rubbed out method, these flakes burn very cool clean and dry. The flavors were a deep red Virginia with a good amount of sweetness, slight creaminess and a nice dosage of nicotine. Very similar to McClellands Virginias but more matured and smooth.

Today I was able to obtain 2 tins of the latest production today. One of the tins had been damaged at one point so it is the one I chose to open. Luckily it still had a good vacuum. Looking at the tobacco, I'm dazed and confused. What in hell is with the broken Flake??? The aroma is a sweet, bright Virginia. I don't pick up on the red Virginia darkness like before. It's at a perfect moisture level and the broken flakes load up with no issue. From first light to all the way down the bowl, the flavors are the same as the tin aroma. I can tell it needs aging due to the young taste from time to time but it's burns well all the way down with no harshness. I don't get the nicotine as I have before. Burns cool and clean with no moisture and no tongue bite.

I understand things change from time to time. Crops change every year so it's no big deal. Age plays a big part in it too. My first tin could have been 2 years old or more before I purchased it, who knows. But I'm confused on why the broken flake cut now?

Both tins are great on their own merits. I find the lastest tin to be more in line with Sutliff Virginia Slices. I reviewed Virginia Slices months ago stated how it somewhat resembles BBF but it more resembles the latest production then my first tin.

This doesn't change my rating. I highly recommend this blend. But if the flavors are almost neck and neck to SVS then I would probably save my money on the BBF due to availability issues of Samuel Gawith.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Planet Scott (66)	2015-02-18		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild	Tolerable

I'm on a Virginia kick, so I was excited to try this one, based on the reviews. It is not a bad a, but it does lack a richness I've come to enjoy in some Va and Va blends.

I've also learned to not give up on a Va too soon as the cay grow on me after a tin or two.

Not my favorite Va to date, but a decent smoke I'm certain to enjoy more of.

Pipe Used: Parker Zulu

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: P & C

Similar Blends: Milder version of Pease Six Pence.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jevverrett (104)	2015-02-07		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

I bought this as a expansion of my exploration of straight VAs. I used my new savinelli I bought to be my VA pipe after I tried the dunhill flake.

It's pretty nice looking in the tin, darker brown than the dunhill. It has a slightly fuller flavor than I would have expected. It's taken some drying to get it to behave the way I wanted it to. It burns well dried out, almost no dottle. Unfortunately, I'm still getting a sour lemon flavor off the VA tobaccos. I get hints of something darker, fuller but I don't know what.

I have enjoyed this tobacco, and have smoked almost the whole tin at this point. I don't think I'll buy more, I'm probably going to try something different next tin I buy.

Pipe Used: Savinelli one straight billiard #106

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Smokingpipes

Similar Blends: Dunhill flake.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Guillaume (15)	2014-12-21		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Tolerable

Just a wonderful (but not aromatic) tobacco.

When I open a tin of it I put its contents into a jar, then I break the tobacco into pieces which can be put into my pipes without further thinking.

Then I put some of it in a dedicated pipe, when I take a little rest. A wonderful tobacco, indeed!

Pipe Used: Peterson "Mark Twain"

Age When Smoked: Fresh

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tragvraba (2)	2014-12-08		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Very nice tobacco. Definitely my favourite SG. The flakes rub out very easily, whereas I had some trouble with the Full Virginia Flake. Takes a long time to dry, but it's worth it.

Pipe Used: Peterson System 302

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bluesmoke (75)	2014-11-28		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

This is a nice flake which conveys dark flavors of caramel, roasted beef, charred nuts. The cut of the flake is inconsistent re: size/thickness, which has been a problem for SG for quite some time. For my tastes this needed some drying time yet I found it difficult to get going and had to relight several times. The amount of smoke produced was minimal and wispy, disappointing. For a straight VA this is a good tasting flake and the price not too bad. I don't smoke this flake regularly but I recommend any VA lover to give it a try. MGBWY

Pipe Used: Corn cob

Age When Smoked: Fresh Tin

Purchased From: BATB

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	incognitopoet (37)	2014-10-21		Very Mild	None Detected	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

To the many fine reviews already on file, I will just add a few notes.

This is a magnificent tobacco that is everything it should be and nothing it shouldn't be. I love every minute I spent smoking this wonderful creation. It is mild but satisfying, sweet but not cloying.

Age When Smoked: Fresh

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	krg1000 (183)	2014-07-12		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I finally got my hands on a tin of this from my local B&M. Upon first opening the tin you may very well need to dry this out for a spell. Right out of the tin it will need some coaxing in staying lit, but once it does it produces a fine smoking experience. This is a straight up VA and being such may prove a bit boring for some. But like all SG products, this is a high quality leaf being used. It is thinly cut, so should be no problem in stuffing and smoking straight away. The nicotine level is just right for me and it burns down to a nice ash at the bottom of the bowl. I would say this is one of the better VA blends out there, definitely recommended.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TattooGuy (9)	2014-06-14		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Best Brown Flake is simply delicious to me, maybe even more than FVF and more easy going. Aromas of great brown VA, almost as sweet as chocolate. Great tobacco taste. Great complexity. 3.5 stars.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	GenericusernameYOB (6)	2014-02-21		Medium	None Detected	Mild	Tolerable

Okay, so without getting too involved:

Moist in the tin, most flakes needed an overnight drying to be acceptable the next day, that being said, I find all SG tobacco too moist straight from the tin. Also lots of variation in the flake width, but that all adds to the charm of SG flakes. Slightly sour nose.

Easy to maintain when half rubbed out and broken up. Moments when it could attain the luxuriousness of FVF. Never quite though.

I can see why some would have this as an all day smoke. It's fairly monochromatic and neutral. I struggled to find the sweetness that others have, and think my definition must differ from others. For me it plays second fiddle to its bigger brother - FVF: far more depth of flavour, creamyness and infinitely sweeter.

Pipe Used: Parker rusticated billiard

Age When Smoked: 6 months

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Nicotiana_rustica (23)	2014-01-30		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

One of the best virginia flakes out there. Creamy, sweet, nutty...a big pleasure! If FVF is to harsh for you- just grab BBF, that is a pure pleasure and indeed a solid tobacco!

Similar Blends: Orlik golden sliced, Capstan original BLUE.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CriolloCorojo (18)	2014-01-23		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Wow! Great Virginia in a flake form. We see that a lot, but this one is something to remember. It doesn't dry out too easily, and it still smokes well when it does. I have had multiple tins of this great Virginia flake and have enjoyed every bit. The room note... who cares. The taste bud experience... well, I have to say that I will be buying more. Samuel Gawith is great at making exceptional blends, and this one is no exception.

Pipe Used: various dedicates to flake and/or Virgina

Age When Smoked: 8 months

Purchased From: various over time

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CTS (138)	2013-12-23		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Pure tobacco flavor that is consistent throughout the bowl. Has a taste that reminds me of B&M Brown Bread, with a pleasant molasses, nutty grain flavor. A reliable standby.

Pipe Used: Neerup, Armellini

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: Corona Smoke Shop, Jackson, MI

Similar Blends: FVF minus the harshness..

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Steve Lewis (5)	2013-11-30		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This Virginia is one my regular rotation. This blend is a pure Virginia without any topping and is a rather robust smoke, however, the nicotine is low to moderate and is easy to rub out. I have three Sam Gawith blends on regular rotation because I think that their Virginias are consistent, flavorful and of high quality. The only work around issue is the moisture content. However, if you are patient with your lighting and realize that it may take several relights at the beginning of your bowl then you will like this blend. Finally, I would submit that Gawith's Best Brown Flake is not quite as moist as other Gawith blends such as FVF or my favorite Sam's Flake.

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	corncobcolombiano (9)	2013-08-25		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

The sister to SG's FVF, it's second only to FVF when it comes to straight Virginia flakes for me right now. Sweet and flavorful, beautiful, subtle, raisin bread depth! A little initial drying does assist the experience. Just great, sweet, molasses, raisin, Virginia leaf. The pure tobacco taste, and perhaps "deeper", fuller, sweeter than most Virginia blends.... Can't put my finger exactly on it, but I prefer this blend to others most of the time, perhaps like the comparison of brown sugar to white-- there's more flavor there.

1 person found this review helpful.

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	joeljcj2 (13)	2013-08-10		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Full	Very Pleasant

rich full smoke with no bite. it is similar t0 sg st james which has a good bit of perique and some pepper. I tend toward this during the day and st james in a nice reading chair at night--perhaps with a wee drink.

not really a review--a querry? what are those others of you who rely on sg best brown flake --doing for tobacco duing these interminably long outage periods ?? i have enough f0r a few months--but this occurs with sg all the time. i try other unscented, uncased flakes....dunhill, gawith hogarth , iwan ries, and even some mildly casedflakes....but i am used to, and enjoy sg-bb. suggestions? ( this is similarly true for sg-st james...frequently unavailable)

1 person found this review helpful.

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	Knightsmoker (216)	2013-07-30		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Great straight VA flake. I think I like this better than FVF. No bite smokes very slowly.

1 person found this review helpful.

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	Peter Piper (41)	2013-07-27		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

I nearly overlooked this as I sought to review various SG samples which I have recently acquired. Which is a shame and maybe an unfortunate destiny for this fine Virginia, coming as it does from the same stable as the rightly lauded FVF and perhaps going under the radar as result.

But if you like a straight Virginia and perhaps have not got around to this one, then you will do yourself a serious favour by putting that right.

A very straightforward presentation of an almost uniformly brown flake (I guess that's how they came up with the name, der!) with a delicate natural sweetness on the nose. No fuss, no additives, just a quality leaf.

Packing and lighting is as easy as pie and the smoking experience is mellow and gentle, with a delightfully natural flavour that fills the mouth and leaves this smoker, at least, at peace with his pipe.

A much under-rated gem in my humble opinion.

Highly recommended.

1 person found this review helpful.

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	JustinCarcerated (99)	2013-07-17		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

First SG Toby, tin presentation nice-unsure if its Sam's m.o. to cut flakes at uneven width and thickness, but it does not deter from the fact the tobaccos are very high quality flake. I smoked this in several pipes, Meer, Sav, large Aldo, to get a feel for the flavor. Much work needed to get proper humidity-I aged my tin 18 months properly and it was still a challenge. Taste is Va, hints of sweetness but to my tastes too sour, poor aftertaste. I'm not a fan of pure Virginias nor pure Burleys, but I do enjoy both in appropriate proportions. Current rotation-for comparison purposes: Bob's Choc Flake, Erinmore Flake, FMOTT, University Flake. Will replace Froggy with Hyde Park.

1 person found this review helpful.

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	machinebcon (50)	2013-07-13		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Oh yes, wow. BBF. Best Bosom Friend, in this case! If this is not one of the best 5 VA flakes, then what? Perfectly clean, cool, slowly burning VA, in my tin slightly broken. Rubbed out, folded, cut in cubes, it all works with this one. Absolutely no shading, no casing, no hints of anything else than beuaitfully clean Virginias. Get it! 5/5

1 person found this review helpful.

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	jonoz (14)	2013-07-11		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Seems I've found my go-to tobacco after years of trial & error. Cannot stress enough the procedures others have recommended, 1. Open tin . 2. Fully rub out all flakes. 3. Let stand at least3 days lid off. 4. Enjoy ! Love nil bite, "clean"nutty taste and long, slow burn. Not a powerful flavour, quite subtle but discernible so I can smoke it all day every day 4 stars from me. Well worth the hassle involved

update 7 Oct 2013 A Bitch to prepare, an Angel to smoke ! I won't stray.

Purchased From: www.smoker.co.il/info@smoker.co.il

1 person found this review helpful.

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	Emeritus Account (30125)	2013-02-14		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

If you are looking for a Virginia that is perfecly straight, sweet natural and well rounded like a Burley this maybe can be your choice, but it's just tooo much straigh for me: no tones, no colours, no variety. I don't wanna say that is poor, but it's exepensive and for that money I can buy a almost one and a half tin of Capstan navy and this is way better! Anyway I found that the BBF it's a pretty good base for homemade Mix. In particular is amazing with a hint of added orientals and you can also create a very good and perfectly balanced EM by adding just a little syrian latakia, those ideas can be a good way to give it variation and deepness. It's up to you.

Type: Natural Virginia flake ; Contents: Brown virginia (I think) ; Cut: Flake (better rubbed) ; Humidity: Wet and tender with a very good smell of dried fig ; Lighting: Not so easy in the first place, but once lighted constant burning ; Pipe recommended: Rubbed in a bent pipe

1 person found this review helpful.

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	cakeanddottle (105)	2013-01-29		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

My favorite tobacco from April to November, when FVF takes over during the winter months. This beautiful Va flake is earthy in a brighter way, with bread-y notes, honey sweetness, and a sun filled hay loft body. Not as flavorful during the winter months when the palate is less sensitive.

The opposite side of the coin to FVF, and the most similar to it of any tobacco made. You can not beat a Samuel Gawith Va flake, period. FVF and BBF comprise a third of my cellar. This is just a brilliant, historical pipe tobacco.

1 person found this review helpful.

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	AlexL (26)	2012-08-26		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild	Tolerable

It's Full Virginia Flake with downgraded nicotine content. I've already revised FVF, have nothing to add. The relation pain/gain is too high for me.

1 person found this review helpful.

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	Quaffer (18)	2012-08-03		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

This stuff is great for everyday smokes. Like another review stated, it's one dimensional so you'll be getting pretty much the same experience every time you smoke it. But I don't mind.

1 person found this review helpful.

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	ap (57)	2012-07-13		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Excellent flake!! Cool burning with medium strenght this Va tastes very good and does not bite. A sweet and smooth classic !

1 person found this review helpful.

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	who broke my clay pipe? (70)	2012-06-18		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

50g rectangle tin.

Tin aroma:Sour citrus/sour plum,stewed fruits-very juicy, fruity, fruit salad-sour apples.

Contents:Golden brown tigers eye streaky gold,ginger & brown rough cut stringy uneven flakes.(i don't really care about presentation as long as its good baccy)looks like loose sold but in a tin.

Quite moist to touch,i have to admit i was expecting a darker or "un-chocolate" flake to be honest-like their chocolate flake offering.

This is quite wine-like,fruity wine,and reminds me at this point of a flake equivalent to Dunhill Royal Yacht's ready rubbed.

Considering its moisture it takes light ok(i rubbed it out into a semi stringy flakey ball and just loaded,feels like grass).

First off i get a bright citrusy virginia,followed by a darker burn't orange(alegorically speaking),more mature virginias, or darker maybe redder virginia.It has slight tang but definately no bite.

Winey and slightly sour (definately no bitterness)but not so multi fruity in the mouth at this point.In my mind this baccy has been re-christened "golden flake",it tastes more gold than brown in my mind.

Smoking this in an old vintage 'Park-Drive' aluminium stem system pipe with moisture trap ala Falcon style:This pipe has a very slim @ 2.0-2.5mm draught diameter smoke tube which concentrates the taste nicely for the virginias in this juicy sweet and lemony sour virginia flake.There maybe some small burly in here but i am mainly getting virginias.

Tasting a cross between a number of already familiar smokes in my current possetion;Dunhill light flake,Dunhill Royal Yacht,Gold Block(when smoked in the ronson 3 way),Capstan Ready Rubbed,Peterson 3ps.

I like it already;think of it as a Dunhill medium flake but ultimately Samuel Gawith - it has the SG meaty and full pastry butchers pie factor;think of earthy new potatoes;rich but medium,not a dark flake.

I get hints of cloudy bitter lemonade in here,naturally sweet and definately unsweetened - perhaps like a pancake with lemon and no sprinkled sugar.

Bitter lemonade seems to be my best alegorical description to describe the taste and aroma,perhaps sour apple,or lemon grass -lemony apple.

A darker golden brown and more forgiving equivalent to Capstan Ready Rubbed - this is lemon as opposed to lemon peel(but i do like Capstan a lot btw)aromatically closer to peterson 3ps overal;for all the lemon going on in here it doesn't have any soap factor and hasn't once implied lemon squeezy dish water detergent.

Burns cooler than all its competitors i recon - its unique factor is its slight playdoh earthy new potato hint which assures you of its SG identity next to its simular contemporaries.

Probably mid level nicotine which feels like more, probably due to the taste association with other Samuel Gawith heavy hitters,it seems a heavy virginia that punches more than its body weight.

Burns down to a totally burn't fluffy ash,i only have to wipe out the moisture trap about twice in a full medium bowl session.

Very mild lemony room note,leaves no strong amoniac linger.

Definately worth 3 stars at this point.Not as easily available to purchase in the highstreet,but is a lot more cooperative than other simulars. I will definately keep some on hand and buy again because i have a feeling i will get through this tin quicker than a lot of others.

Easily an all day smoke,very easy.Complimetary drink would be iced lemon tea.

UPDATE 04/07/12 I have finally realised what this baccy really tastes like because i just so happened to be drinking while smoking at the same time recently,i can best describe the taste of this as like an old english cider,think of "strongbow" cider. If you like apple cider the chances are that you might appeciate this because the taste is as near as dammit.

1 person found this review helpful.

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	KahveDelisi (73)	2012-04-23		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Nice! I've got best results fully rubbed and straight out of tin without extra drying time. Because it's too wet out of tin, it needs more relights at the begining but tastes much better than dried or folded versions (at least for me).

1 person found this review helpful.

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	Mesh (51)	2012-04-22		Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

After Full Virginia Flake, BBF is to my mind the best straight Virginia pipe tobacco available in Britain. More subdued overall than FVF, it is nonetheless rich, creamy and complex, and, being less tightly pressed, is considerably easier to deal with than its aforementioned 'older brother'. All in all, another masterpiece by Samuel Gawith, one which has few suitable rivals on the British market.

1 person found this review helpful.

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	John Frum (19)	2012-04-07		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Am now into my second tin, and it hits the spot. I tend to like 'em sweet - BBF is pleasantly so, and for me it's a good, satisfying smoke. I find it needs some drying, though - rub, dry, rub etc - before it'll smoke well, and when it does, it's great. Nothing fussy about it, but it delivers. Update, 14.11.22 - I had had a few problems with this tobacco so dropped it from my rotation. As I recall, it was hard to keep lit and had a bite to it. Ten years on, I decided to have another try, because in memory it was, sometimes, a very good smoke. I ordered a loose 10gm pouch from GQ. It seemed drier than the tinned I'd been used to, and slightly darker in colour. Instead of rubbing out, as in the past, I used the cube-cut method, after a half-hour airing. This time, no problems at all. Fabulous smoke! Good to be back! :) Delicious aroma, great taste, after-taste pleasant enough. Best sipped slowly, as with all straight Virginias. (By the way, I can't recommend cube-cutting flakes and plugs highly enough. I haven't tried any ropes or twists yet, but imagine they might also work well with this cut.)

Pipe Used: Falcon small Dublin

Age When Smoked: Not sure, seems quite fresh

Purchased From: GQ Tobaccos

Similar Blends: SG Full Virginia Plug (a lighter version of).

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SteveH (37)	2012-04-03		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I'm not generally a great fan of straight Virginias, preferring something else such as Cavendish, Latakia or whatever added to give it a bit more va-va-voom. This, however, has subtle charms which are winning me round. It is slightly sweet, and has an earthy quality I rather like. There's just a hint of dried fruit in there as well, I think. For relaxing with in the evening, I'd want something stronger, such as a Latakia, but this is a good morning or working smoke. It does not seem to me to be excessively moist, contrary to the views of some other reviewers.

1 person found this review helpful.

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	William H. Hardy (93)	2012-03-27		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I was pleasantly surprised by this Samuel Gawith product. I had tried 1792 Flake and Navy Flake From SG previously and was underwhelmed. Frankly, I had started to just write off SG and stick with the G&H tobaccos when I wanted something a little different. Best Brown Flake is the best SG that I have tried. I've had Grousemoor, Squadron Leader, and Westmorland Mixture along with the previously mentioned SG tobaccos and was not terribly impressed with them, but SG's Best Brown is actually quite good.

Best Brown Flake has wonderful undertones, is relatively meaty for a VA, and is wholly satisfying. I have had little trouble keeping it lit, but I usually rub my flakes out quite a bit before smoking and I also don't mind the seemingly extra moistness of the flake. I can leave it out a little while before I smoke it, so it doesn't bother me. The water weight of any tobacco is pretty negligible when you get down to it. (Besides, it's a whole lot better in that arena than, say, a flake of Ennerdale. Though, I do love Ennerdale every so often) Anyway, I prefer G & H's offerings to SG for the most part, but Best Brown is a rare exception.

1 person found this review helpful.

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	Bigdadz (39)	2011-12-03		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild	Tolerable

This stuff smells like sweet uncased natural virginia in the tin. I really wanted to like this one, but all I get is a undimensional hay like taste that really doesn't do much for me.

1 person found this review helpful.

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	MacNutz (12)	2011-11-17		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I am most interested in English/Balkan mixtures but Best Brown flake is my very favourite Virginia based flake. It surprised me somewhat, as I was expecting something a bit stronger. The tin smell, upon opening, strengthened that impression.

A strong smell of fermented fruit with a bit of earth and old leather smacked my nostrils at the beginning but the fruitiness of the tin aroma mellowed quickly after opening.

Now the smell of the flakes reminds me a little of the smell of my dad's Bull of the Woods chewing tobacco.

Smoking it slow and cool is essential to the enjoyment of this aged Virginia. With that in mind, I found the taste and side stream smell wonderful, featuring more nuances than some have experienced.

This one will be in my regular rotation for some time, I suspect.

1 person found this review helpful.

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	Kokinhenik (93)	2011-11-11		Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I've got to say that the aged Virginia's really hit the spot for me. I prefer this over the Samuel Gawith FVF and 1792. My tin was perfect. Didn't need to dry it out, smoked great, and no bite. This is one of my top five favorite Virginians.

1 person found this review helpful.

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	Darth Vader (110)	2011-10-27		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

When i smell this tobacco it reminds me of sweets shops as a child. A really nice Va that can bite if rushed. Mine was bulk and needed a little drying. Quality SG.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CoolPilot (69)	2011-10-18		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

My favourite VA , I love it. Sometimes I cannot wait to let it dry after opening. Nevertheless, it is always a top experience. I like it more than FVF which I found to be milder. The dark aged tobacco in the BBF is a well balanced experience in terms of strength and flavour.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	the_german (309)	2011-07-20		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Aged VA it says on the tin, and aged VA is what is inside. The full, fruity, sweet, hay-ish tin aroma upon breaking the seal already told me enough: I would like this blend.

As with all SG flakes, it needs to dry a good bit before it can be truly enjoyed. I prefer rubbing out SG's flakes; rubbing thoroughly and stuffing gently, this 'baccy starts out fully sweet and fruitily (well, aged VA...) and, with some maintenance, provides a sweet and full taste to the very end without even hinting at bitterness. Less of the hay note in there than with a "younger" VA, the room note is sweet and unobtrusive, though probably not good enough to elicit general acceptance.

Solid, satisfying medium-strength blend; I may return to it, but I do have other VA flakes available that are just as good at rather less expense.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	orka (66)	2011-07-13		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This review is based on a tin purchased in january 2011, smoked in a large (group 4'ish) billiard, which is dedicated to VA/flakes.

Presentation was what I've come to expect from S.G - varying degrees of thickness and length. Tin note is appetizingly sweet and raisiny with faint cocoa undertones. Rather wet when freshly opened, airing is preferable, but not absolutely necessary. Optimal a month or so after opening (I store all my opened tins in tupperware's, though).

As others have mentioned, this isn't a very 'in your face' tobacco, and it benefits greatly of a slow and steady smoking pace. I found the taste to be good, a little non-descript, but sweet along the lines of brown sugar. Consistent in taste from top to bottom, though sadly not much strength in the nicotine department. It does have a nice body however, and if I hadn't known better I would've said there's a burley component somewhere in the mix. The sidestream is, as advertised, absolutely wonderful. I usually never drink coffee while smoking, but BBF is one of the exceptions I make; it does complement a cup of coffee very well. Roomnote is rather discreet as well, though unmistakably that of tobacco and nothing else.

All in all BBF turned out to be a pleasant surprise and I will definately buy it again, despite the nuisance of the inconsistent cut.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Virginia lover (218)	2011-03-13		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

The smell off the tin is very inviting. Easy to light and keep lit. A slow burning, full bodied smoke. I get a toasty, sweet and slightly tangy smoke with malt accents.

Virginia lover

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	doc'spipe (241)	2010-11-26		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I managed to win a tin of Samuel Gawith's Best Brown Flake from ebay for the initial bid price of $14.95 . I was quite surprised mine was the sole bid throughout a 7 day auction.

My tin was dated 12/04 and I was delighted that my first foray with this tobacco was from a fairly well-aged tin. The clump of unevenly arranged flakes were quite moist considering the age of the tin and came apart quite readily for smoking. I like the uneven style of packing flakes that Sam Gawith employs over the more uniform presentation as found with other blenders. The flakes in my sample were VERY dark brown in appearance without any sugar crystals present. There was absolutely NO Lakeland floral or soapy aroma. It had no cased/top dressed aroma at all. It smelled very earthy - similar to damp soil - and a tad sweet. In spite of its seeming freshness (not what I expected in a 6 year old tin), it packed and lit quite readily, only requiring the initial 2 lights and one re-light by mid bowl (Group 3 bent billiard). It produced a small bit of moisture, but nothing to be off-putting. After many further tins, I find BBF a very different tasting VA and very delicious with one of the best, natural, "old-time pipey" roomnotes ever. Much better than their FVF in my opinion.

UPDATE 4-7-12: Due to availability issues with SG, I've been saving what I had left of BBF but now that it is available again, I delved into my stash from a tin nearly 2 years old and I promptly ordered 2 more tins. I had maybe 3 flakes or so left and they were dry to the bone. They also exhibited sugar bloom as well. I broke some slivers along the length of a flake and literally crunched them into my Peterson's 2012 St. Patrick's Day bent billiard and lit up. Dry to the bone, but what a smoke! I was thoroughly impressed just as I first was. It smoked like a charm and without heat or bite. Subtle in flavor and very tasty, it left a nice lingering tobacco presence in my beard and mustache.

UPDATE 4-12-12: My 2 tins arrived the other day. I cracked one open and was greeted with a nice, sweet smelling, honeydew like aroma. Even though it was very moist in the way SG is noted for, it smoked like a charm. My favorite Virginia hands down!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Philosopher (27)	2010-09-26		Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Very pleasant not-in-your-face tobacco: brown flake with a tart undertone not present in the FVF. 50g tin seemed to go on and on (but not complaining!)

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	strongirish (249)	2010-09-02		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I recieved an aged tin of this in a trade and had never really given this one much thought. Boy was that a mistake, I really like this one and reach for it often, in fact one more pipe full and I will have used it up in about four days. I will certainly buy more to cellar of this one.

It comes in a rather plain uninteresting rectangular tin, and upon opening it, I am greated with a sweet rather twangy haylike aroma. The flakes are pretty uniform but coming aprt a little and are mostly a medium brown color with flecks of a lighter brown. I dried it overnight and it crumbled into a nice bit of thin ribbon cut pieces and loaded easily into my pipe. My pipe I used first is a new Jan P and then I used several different VA dedicated pipes. It is very easy to light and it stays lit well. The first taste upon lighting is a semi sweet haylike flavor with a little tartness in it. The smoke is nice and creamy and very pleasant. As it burns down, it does pick up more strenth and really picks up on the sweetness factor. It smokes down all the way to a mottled grey ash with no moisture in the bottom of the pipe. Smoked nice and slow, it never bites and is very gentle on the pallet. If you really get her going though, it can bite a little but you have to try to do this as it smokes pretty slow and easy with regular smoking. The room note of the smoke is pleasant to me, not over powering, i had a non smoking neighbor tell me it was very good smelling and not overwhelming. This is one of the VA blends that really satisfies my taste buds, I always want to refill and lite another bowl of it. A really good VA flake that I will keep around. I highly suggest geiving this one a try if you are a straight VA lover. It is a top notch smoke.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	acyv (10)	2010-09-01		Medium to Strong	Medium	Full	Pleasant

Very nice "man tobacco", I liked it very much, the taste on my palate is very good...

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WillardFan (90)	2010-05-28		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable

After hearing so much about this blend, I decided to give it a try. This is one of the best tobaccos I've tried in a long time. Very smooth, no tongue bite, and in a Virginia blend, I found this to be an exception. I don't rub this out, I just pinch off little bits at a time till I have enough for a bowl. Takes two lights, a Char-light and a relight. Burns well, leaves very little dottle. In my opinion one of the best Gawith blends I've ever smoked.

Update: This stuff once opened, dries out really fast. This makes it a bit milder, and the flavors become more subdued. Recommend you use up the tin within a week or so...

R.W.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Prior Wrath (6)	2010-01-10		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is my everyday smoke. Exceptionally great virginia flake with myriad of nuances. No rubbing necessary, I just like to fold it so it just fits into the pipe. Keep it very slow.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrDyson (148)	2009-12-30		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is a nice, mild, gentle Virginia Flake: nothing fancy, with a sweet flavour and an unexceptionable room note. The tin note is ‘warm' and natural, with none of the ‘Lakeland' chemical properties that so many people dislike.

It gets off to a humdrum start (the first few puffs taste like a strong cigarette, I find), but the flavour builds to a pleasant fullness after a few minutes, and you get a slow, cool, civilized smoke: no bite and no bizarre flavours. Enough nicotine, but certainly not too much.

I don't, to be honest, notice all that much difference between BBF and SG's Medium Virginia Flake (aka Golden Glow), though BBF is possibly a bit milder: a tad too mild for some palates, perhaps. Like flakes in general (IMO), it's better folded than rubbed out. When you first open the tin (you can also buy it loose, I believe) it's a good deal too moist. This is a problem endemic to SG's tinned tobaccos, and BBF, like so many of its companions, is best dried a bit before you light it.

Apart from the minor drawback of excessive moisture, BBF is an excellent smoke for those who like VA flakes. A good all-day smoke, and a good tobacco to relax with; though I can imagine that some people will find it boring after a while, and want to turn aside to something a bit meatier.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-12-09		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Best Brown Flake is one of my favorite tobaccos. It's a medium brown Virginia that's naturally sweet, nutty, and smooth. BBF doesn't bite, requires few relights, and provides a nice volume of smoke. Highly recommended.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	kg0mz (54)	2009-12-08		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is docile for a VA flake, not at all harsh on me billy goat. I like to rub it into a ball, poke it in there, and top it off with the crumbs. Steamy and grassy at first, but sweet like toasted bread by mid-bowl. Smooth and creamy. No bite and never bitter. Burns like a champ. Adequate strength. Not as bold as FVF, but not as astringent. I like both, but this I can enjoy as often as I please.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	babysinister (55)	2009-12-05		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I like the sweetness level in this mature Virginia. The sugar doesn't screw up the Virginia; burns well, just a little on the hot side but no drawbacks there, as it has no bite, which is a good thing in a straight Virginia. Perfect flake cut that is easy to fill and loves you a looong time. I just fold and insert in the bowl using the air pocket method, which works really great in a Dublin. Don't evade the sidestream, for it delivers a tobaccoey aroma that is nutty and redolent of a field of sweet hay on fire. And to put this review in perspective, I primarily like English/Balkan blends. Or at least I did up to now. Yes, this could be a realigning experience. Time will tell.

Update: I aged several jars of this flake for four years and now it's streaked with 'sugar' rows of bloom/plume. Too bad I can't give it a higher rating than Highly Recommended, so I guess that will do.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipemanuk (76)	2009-08-22		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Well...this is the one Sam Gawith tobacco I have problems with. I don't doubt any of the positive comments made by others and my problems with this variety may be entirely due to the 500g box I have been struggling through, but every time I smoke this I get a sore roof of my mouth, EVERY time.

The quality of the flakes is very uneven and there's lots of light striations to them as if there's a lot of sliced stalks in it...that's why I queried whether is a QC issue. Apart from this blend and an absolutely disgusting tin of FVF I had to throw away, I totally admire all their other blends. Other tins of FVF have been fine so I surmise that their QC leaves something to be desired sometimes. On the other hand it may be that the chemistry in my mouth just reacts badly to this particular blend. I have got a feeling someone else reported the same reaction as me so that may be it.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-06-10		Medium	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is the most neutral tobacco I've tried so far, and I mean neutral in a very good way, as in pure tobacco taste. I don´t find it as sweet as other virginias, but yet fully pleasing. It´s not as strong as FVF, for example, but is also smoother on the throat. Easy all day smoke and now my favorite VA.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	eamonclever (48)	2009-06-10		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

when it comes to flakes, this is a must try! Especially if one enjoys the Rattray line, this is a perfect intruder in this well positioned top segment of good tobacco. Out of the tin or with some little airing in the pipethe flakes are perfectly done for loading the pipe. After some relights at the start - flake smokers don´t bother- the weed produces a good amount of smoke and taste, which is quite strong but very delightful. I love to smoke it in large but also a bit narrow upright bowls. An old one is now reserved for BBF. This means I will buy it more frequently. BBF might be a bit smoother than Rattray Marlin Flake which is my reference in this segment(non flavoured). Unless this mixture is quite pleasing and burns easy down the bowl without noticeable problems, I detect a bit more sweetness and overall satisfaction in MF, on the verge but in the end - only three points. For all who are cute - try Brown Flake#2- although a lakeland kind of tobacco imo it is the real carrier of the torch when it comes to brown flake tobaccos.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	chgo.piper (37)	2009-03-29		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

If FVF is to much for you then you might enjoy BBF. It's just a milder version. If I had to choose between the two, it would be FVF without question. That's not to take anything away from BBF, I just prefer a more robust virginia taste.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Skando (203)	2009-02-05		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I left something as 5/6 flakes in the tin, just to see how they improve over the months. First, I have noticed how much the tobacco colour has brightened ... and the tin aroma has developped a tone similar to green tea, which I seem not having noticed before. The smoke volume has also improved, and the body as well. Very much more pleasant a satisfactory, indeed. One more star.

ORIGINAL REVIEW FEB05/2009:

Trip to Kendal # 4.

A couple of months ago the list of the imported SG's tobaccos has been increased to the double. Just before X-mas, I have grabbed some of the new ones, namely: BBF, Sam's Flake, 1792 Flake and Chocolate Flake.

Having tasted all of them, I start reviewing BBF, even if a hundred an more reviews should be enough...

I'm frankly not able to add anything truly new, and just say mine.

Yes, BBF is the younger brother of FVF (the first SG I bought - along with BR#4 and BF at the time they started coming in Italy - which I will review soon or late) made in the ancient way of flakes having different thickness and uneven structure, some appearing like "bricks".

Mandatory instructions: needs very careful preparation, and NEEDS rubbing-out.

A natural, mono-dimensional but solid virginia; it does not deliver a great volume of sweet-grassy smoke, a bit on the mild side for me; good enough as the first bowl in the morning if You are willing to dedicate some attention.

And the main con... it's really too expensive for us Italians.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Latakia (70)	2009-02-04		Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

If one is into VAs, this is good but it really isn't for me on a regular basis. If smoking a VA, I prefer something Solani 633 pressed with Perique or something like McClelland Christmas. This is mono-dimensial....however, a no nonense smoke with no casing, bells or whistles...pure VA tobacco. I do like the press which was really firm and offered a nice cool smoke even when thoughly rubbed-out. As a result of the cool smoke, would be a good tobacco to break in a new pipe...sort of neutral taste and cool burning. I would smoke it again but wouldn't rush out to get a tin although it may change as I change and I smoke through this tin.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	p4p4 (59)	2009-02-01		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I think that Best Brown is a very pleasant flake, with natural smell. Good burn quality, cool, medium /medium-to-full strenght. The flavor is like brown-sugar, natural, delicious, semi-sweet. It explanes a sensation of agreeable purity

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Fly ticky (26)	2009-01-02		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

This is a very good smoke,to say the least.I can smoke this any time any time.I simply love the grass like flavor.It is better in the tin than in bulk,but both are very very good.If you like viginias you should love this.BB and 2035 are the only two smokes I can smoke anytime and enjoy.Thats all folks,well I might some red cake in once in a while.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bazsup (13)	2008-10-22		Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I purchased this as a bulk purchase. Don't know how different my experience would be from the tin buyer but I did ejoy my 8 ounces. This tobacco is an enjoyable mild addition to my repertoire. I am in "like" but not in "love". I have to admit though that even when I fall in love with a tobacco it never lasts.

The flake thickness is inconsistent which I know is normal for this brand. I don't mind variation but a few were thicker than I enjoy packing or puffing. When the thickness effects the smoke I am disappointed.

As far as flavor is concerned, it is very mild. Now I smoke them hot so the mild smokes are what I look for. I enjoyed the flavor but it is maybe too mild for me. I would enjoy a flavor commitment.

Unlike most oter reviewers, I didn't have a problem with the moisture content. Stayed lit and I didn't need too many cleaners.

All in all a pretty good experience.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	marosi (70)	2008-09-21		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

All Gawith blends are of the highest quality, and this is no exception. This is, without a doubt, one of the best VA flakes available, and the others that are in the "best of" category are also Gawith blends. Many, if not most, VA flakes smoke hot, but not Best Brown. If you smoke it with a little respect, it will reward you with one of the coolest VA flake experiences possible.

In the tin, this smells mildly sweet. Noticeably absent is that funky catsup smell one so often encounters with VA's. It is not overly moist in the tin, but still requires a little drying out for my taste before smoking.

This packs easily when rubbed out, and burns readily. This is frustration free smoke in that regard. Smoke it slowly, and few relights are needed.

Now for the taste. This tobacco offers a huge amount of sweet, smoky goodness. You will swear that it is cased, it is so sweet and tasty, but it is not. The flavor is rich and smooth, and not monotone at all. This is very unlike almost all other VA flakes out there. You owe it to yourself to try this blend. Beware though. Do not try this first, and then look for other flakes which offer a similar smoking experience. With few exceptions, they do not exist. This is a truly singular flake, and worthy of the "best" moniker.

Update: Others have noted a somewhat flat, monotone smoking experience. I would suggest that this blend really requires your finest smoking pipe to access all that it has to offer. It is very subtle with great depth, like a fine single malt, but you simply are not going to get there if you are not using a pipe with truly fine smoking characteristics. When I smoke this in one of my Ashtons, or a very high grade Il Ceppo that I have, it blows me away. I imagine a good meerschaum would offer the same experience. When I have used a pipe with lesser smoking characteristics, this is still tasty, but the depth of subtle undertones are not there.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Slow Triathlete (62)	2008-05-23		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I have been smoking this off and on now for a bit so I thought that I would have enough to go on to post a review. Here goes:

I bought a tin of this to try and smoked the whole thing and then bought 4 ounces of bulk from smokingpipes just to see if there is a difference between the tinned version and the bulk version. To my rookie tastes I didn't notice a difference.

This blend comes in a large flake form. Both the tinned and bulk version came pretty damp so I rubbed it out as much as I could, let it dry, and then rubbed it out some more and then let it dry some more. I followed this routine just about everytime that I smoked this and I didn't have any issue with tongue bite.

Right off the bat I can tell you that I love this blend. I have found that I like it more in a bent pipe than in a straight pipe. The flavors seem more pronounced to me in a bent. Not sure if there is any validity to this or just my preference. I got a lot of dark virginia tastes and even a hint of chocolate in this blend. Overall I would say that it's a medium strength blend and very, very enjoyable.

On a side note, I can't remember where I read it but I think that I saw that this is pretty much the same as FVF, just the preperation is different.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2008-04-19		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Appearance- thick cut brown flakes in narrow sheets ("beef jerky")

Tin Aroma- smells like dried apricots to me. I am tempted to take a bite

Moisture- rather wet. You may want to pop the tin and let it dry for day.

Smoking experience: I love this stuff. Delicious light Virginia flavors. A hint of black coffee (or chocolate). Mild to medium strength, never makes my head spin. Smokes generally cool to medium. I have never been tongue bitten, even when puffing hard. Mild enough for after breakfast, yet strong enough for after dinner and drinks.

Smoking method- as the flakes are usually rather moist when the tin is first opened, I prefer to rub it out well for the first week. By doing this, it lights easily and stays lit. As the flakes dry, I start to fold and crumble for a good flake experience. This tobacco may not be ideal for a novice flake smoker, as it takes a little experience to learn how to work with it (the flakes are rather thick and moist).

Summary- for me, this is it. My desert island tobacco. The more I smoke it the more I appreciate it (and want more).

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PipePaladin (78)	2008-01-26		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Nice! Nice! Nice! Not as great as FVF but also a bit stronger: This is good stuff!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stacey (40)	2007-12-21		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Very close to Full Virginia Flake but not quite as sweet. Still, this Virginia is well above the average.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WmZiggy (81)	2007-11-20		Very Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

I would concur with most of the comments in the three to four star range here. This is a nice flake, easy on the tongue and palate. It develops a subtle sweetness as it settles into the second third of the smoke. It has the typical "high notes" of Virginia, but is never harsh or hot. A great tobacco.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Fumatore (49)	2007-10-16		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I smoked a few tins of this before I moved to Full Virginia Flake, which I like much better. I just recently ordered another tin of BBF and still find it too mild or lacking in flavor. Then again perhaps I should not review pressed Virginias at all since there are so many other tobaccos that offer me more enjoyment. With that said, this is quality leaf from a respected company and enjoyed by thousands worldwide.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	bent-1 (39)	2007-08-30		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Only thing I can add to this fine blend, dry it. A friend passed this tip: Pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees F, spread out the flake on a cookie sheet. Gently separate the flake into strands (creating air space) but don't pull it completely apart. Cook it for 60 seconds (experiment to taste). Let cool. It's now ready to pack. The flakes are still leathery, dry, but not brittle.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Captain Pete (83)	2007-07-29		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

In the tin, it is typical Samuel Gawith; leathery and moist. The aroma is faintly oatey and haylike. The flake, again typical of Sam G., is hard to break up, and not extremely easy to light. But once lit, it stays lit very well.

I gotta say, I was disappointed at first, as the lakeland aroma and flavor I've become accustomed to with Gawith & Hogarth, and some of the Gawith blends, was absent. I have grown fond of this background note, and this flake tasted a little flat without it. But once I had become better acquainted with the tobacco after a few bowls, I was generally pleased with the overall taste and superb quality of the flake.

This is one of those tobaccos that seems better suited to smallish pipes, as of yet unpolluted with any other tobacco flavors. Its effect was mild on the tongue, and mild on the palate. The flavor was oatlike to me, not sharp like some virginias. Truthfully, as good as this tobacco is, I found it lacking in fullness. It is a lightweight, but still good. Just the same, it will doubtful see a regular spot in my rotation.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	butter_side_down (12)	2007-06-28		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Tolerable

Update 07/09 -- I'm appreciating this a lot more recently. I originally felt it was too light on flavor, but I've learned to slow down and I'm getting a good deal more flavor from it. I prefer it to FVF now. For what it's worth, I believe this may be the base tobacco for both St. James Flake and Kendall Cream Flake as they all share a similar base flavor but have different high notes.

Original review from 6/07 -- Nice light VA with a slightly sweet haylike flavor. My tin rubbed out well, packed well, and burned well. My main complaint is that it is just too light for my tastes. Although I do not think I will buy it again, I do give it three stars, as it is very enjoyable.

Bottom line: Very pleasant, but perhaps a little too well behaved. I would recommend it very highly to a VA smoker who found Full Virginia Flake too strong.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Moe (46)	2007-05-06		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Whats not to like? Its a nice, mild, well done Gawith virginia. I consider it the "little brother" to Gawith Full Virginia Flake, which I like a tad better. This is good though.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Backwoods Piper (70)	2006-12-10		Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Best Brown Flake is a definite pleasure to smoke in the early morning after a hearty breakfast along with a cup of tea or coffee.

I found this SG offering a pleasant morning warmer. The tobacco is certainly a beautiful flake to the discerning VA smoker. The aroma of this weed is nice sweet and nutty. Its a good honest tobacco. It rubs out very nicely into a fine pile of rich ribbons. You definitely need to let it rest for a couple of hours before smoking. It burns rich and flavorful if you take it as your first smoke of the day. Don't expect this one to have the same impact if you have smoked fuller blends before smoking BBF. BBF will have a even fuller flavor if you dry out a whole slice and pack it whole. It has a nice bountiful volume of smoke and a decent nicotine hit for an AM smoke.

Its a keeper and will be added to my list of buy again tobaccos. If you enjoy light to medium Virginia's all I can say is give this one the fair chance it deserves.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Philo Beddoe (221)	2006-12-07		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Very tasty! Best Brown smells wonderful in the pouch, I managed to get this in bulk, with a rich tobacco smell. I enjoyed packing in my pipe and prepared to relax. This tobacco does not disappoint, on any level, while it is not the best smoke I have ever had, it is still quite a step up from most.

There was a decent dose of nicotine, but this is no head swirler. You could smoke this anytime. Highly Recommended.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipepundit (168)	2006-10-19		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I am partial to Samuel Gawith products. BBF is a delicate flake which can be temperamental: in the right pipe, at the right burn rate, it is superb. But it is choosy, and if it does not agree with the pipe, the smoking experience can be non-descript.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Carlos (21)	2006-10-18		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Very tasty pure Virginia! It's a bit sweet, very delicate natural tobacco. It's very easy to smoke. Each second with this tobacco is something very pleasant. It's my favourite natural tobacco.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BigSwede (88)	2006-10-08		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Samuel Gawith is getting a lot more of my business, in no small part because of this excellent tobacco. This is a warm, reliable and steadfast tobacco that makes few demands on the smoker. I hadn't smoked a lot of virginias, so I've been on a learning curve with this one. Now I can see what the fuss is about! Wow!

After some considerable experimentation I've found that what works for me is to rub this out, let it dry just a tad and then smoke it in one of my no-name bent billiards that is now dedicated to virginia tobacco. If I take some time to gently light this and do some tamping then I am always rewarded with a wonderfully honest, low key but none-the-less velvetly/nutty smoke. It smokes all the way to the bottom without incident and, if anything, gets better at the end. Now a part of my regular rotation.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	kylepoet (18)	2006-07-07		Very Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I'll chime in here on a very fine SG tobacco. You get what it says when you buy it: a cool, sweet and mild smoke. I enjoy Virginias; they wend in and out of my English and Balkan rotation. A straight tobacco like this keeps me from becoming bored. I'm not sure what the difference is between Zimbabwean leaf and that grown in the Commonwealth, but what Samuel Gawith offers is as good, if not better, than some of the straight American Virginias I've experienced.

This is a journeyman's flake. There's nothing subtle about it, nothing complex, no tricks. It smokes the same, from top to bottom, bowl to bowl. Some might hesitate at an unvaried taste, but I find it comforting when I choose it. I don't have to pay attention to nuances, figs, prunes, or Macedonian humus when I load BBF. All I have to do is sit and smoke.

I prefer Best Brown a little moister than drier. It makes it easier on me to fold and load the flakes. I top off the bowl with some loose "kindling," light, tamp, then light once more. I've never had a problem with BBF burning hot, biting, or otherwise acting in an unruly fashion. It knows that it's there to be savored, in its simple and unassuming way.

I enjoy BBF most in somewhere around a Dunhill 3. Smaller, and it doesn't have a chance to do its job. Larger, it can't quite handle the center stage. Kept in its own pond, it performs.

This could be an all-day smoke if one's tastes run toward straight leaf. I'm trying to nail down a place where I can get a can of SG's Full Virgina Flake to make a comparison. Until then, I'm content with BBF as a solid "go-to" when I can't decide what I want, or when I know I want a no-frills tobacco.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2006-03-03		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

this is my first S.G. blend tested, and I am quite pleased! It is also the first blend I have tried that was all african blend. I like mild virginia blends,but don't like the pouch aroma of most of them,especially the McClelland ketchup drieing on a park table smell.this has none, or little of that. It smokes well even when very dry, not too sweet, not too tart when smoked correctly. If you like Virginias and want to try somthig a little different you may like this blend,I did.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2005-12-23		Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This all day smoke is pleasant and easily lit with very little trouble burning it to the bottom of the bowl. For me, the sweetness continues to build throughout the pipeful. The aroma from the tin or bag is warm and comforting. My only reservation is that often, too much trash must be seperated from the leaf prior to smoking. The quality of the smoke is in direct proportion to the amount of time devoted to it - slow indulgence is rewarded with tasty pleasures to be had. The tin posts notice of being cool, sweeet and mild. So it is. There are enduring qualities here, not extraordinary but worthwhile nonetheless. This blend is worth your time.

Meerschaum Man Smoking an Altinok Smooth Canadian

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ranger (78)	2005-11-01		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I like this flake, though not as much as FVF. Thin pliable strips of medium brown, nearly uniform color. Perfect lighting and burning characteristics. A pleasant taste of sweet and earthy without any bite. An all day smoke that was perfect throughout the entire tin. No complaints.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lancelot Gobbo (25)	2005-10-14		Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

A truly nutty smoke, with no bite, but a limited range of flavours. It certainly gets sweeter towards the end of the bowl, especially if you puff slowly. I really like it, but would find it boring to smoke all the time. If what you want is honest nutty taste this is an excellent choice. Well worth keeping around. Lovely flakes - easy to rub, or fold without breaking, and easy to light and keep alight.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Hemlock (65)	2005-10-10		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

Excellent cool burning tobacco, very satifsfying. I have been exploring non-aromatics with an apparent affinity for the natural types of leaf- this blend is another to add to my choice list. Lovely virginia flavour with a delicate sweetness (maybe added?), including a bit of tang from the chosen leaf. I don't know if this is a particular characeteristic of Zimbabwe leaf, but I like it. As I find with other virginias, I have to hit the zone to get the goodness. The start of a bowl is merely the primer to the real smoke a third of the way in. I don't rub these flakes out. Just fold and lightly pack stuff the bowl, with a top layer of a few crumbs for a good light.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jakob Kiilerich (120)	2005-09-14		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

I am a great fan of African VA's, especially in pure form and in flakes.

This one is a little less smooth than Full Virginia Flake, also from Gawith, but this is not necessarily a bad thing. BBF leans towards a more "tobaccoish" flavour, and is therefore a good autumn/winter smoke for me.

After Kohlhase & Kopps' more or less failed attempt to (re-)make the good old flakes from Rattray's, Astley's etc., These flake from Gawith stay true to traditional English flakes (because that is exactly what they are).

No humectants, deep and complex, as only clean and pure VA can be, plus careful stoving makes this the closest thing to Mana from Heaven.

HURRA for Gawith! My highest recommendations!

Jakob Kiilerich, Denmark

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RickPiatt (16)	2005-06-12		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

This is one of those select few tobaccos that when you first try it you find yourself saying "so what's so special?". Its days later when you've finished the tin while all your other open tins of tobacco were completely ignored that it dawns on you. This is just the go-to tobacco you've been looking for. At least for me it is. And, darned if I can explain it other than saying in every way the tobacco is mildly medium with an extremely normal flavor that just makes you so darn comfortable that you'll reach for it every time. Oh sure, there are nuances to the flavor that you'll notice after you've smoked it for a long while and I don't seek to diminish these flavors - they're all wonderful to be sure and just add one more dimension to this wonderful weed. Lakeland perfection in an extremely gentlemanly manner. Go get some, you won't regret it.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Spike (296)	2005-06-03		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

The first few bowls of this flake were straight from the tin just lightly rubbed out. Not a great experience. My next encounter involved an overnight drying of enough flake for a morning smoke. The flake was quite dry without getting brittle and was a very fine and tasty Virginia smoke. I wish there were more tobacco in the tin. Follow Paddys' advise and dry this out before lighting.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Dottle (162)	2005-06-02		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

5/23/2005

BBF sure looks nice in the tin but to concur with some others here I found it extremely bland and lacking in both body and fullness. I wasn?t sure I was smoking anything. In short, it just lacks OOOMPH. There are much better flakes out there to keep you interested.

A cigarette is to be smoked. A cigar is to be enjoyed. A pipe is to be savored.

I rate this tobacco 5.0 out of 10.

Update 6/2/2005

Perhaps the stars and planets and stars were not in perfect alignment and perhaps all was not right with the world when I had my first bowls of BBF. I had a change of heart on this blend. It is a good but not great smoke on the mild side. I think my early negative impressions of this tobacco were because I had smoked stronger blends earlier in the day. This made it difficult to find the flavor in this lighter blend later in the day. Let this be your first smoke in the AM for a fair appraisal and to appreciate it.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	UncleGar (110)	2005-05-22		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I've thoroughly enjoyed the other SGs I smoked (Chocolate Flake, Squadron Leader, FVF), but this one just doesn't come up to their level. I've tried it in a variety of pipes, but each time I wish I'd grabbed another of his blends.

Quality leaf from a quality blender, but give me FVF instead. This one is just too bland.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Warwick (37)	2005-05-14		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Mild	Tolerable

Like another reviewer of this blend, I don't think its generally worth smoking a VA unless it is outstanding in some way. For me, BBF does not meet that criteria.

As several have noted, it requires some work to get this tobacco packed right. I've tried it folded, rolled, partially and fully rubbed out. In all cases, the experience is of a decent blend. But while the flavor is pleasant, it is relatively weak, and never really develops a richness and fullness that are present in other VAs. I suppose this could make it an all-day smoke for some, but for me this blend never rises to the level of satisfying. Nicotine content is noticeable but not dizzying.

For me, this blend just doesn't provide the return on investment for the work required.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RCUSElder (244)	2005-03-16		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

03-16-2005 Another Fine VA blend

Appearance and Tin Aroma: This flake comes in the familiar rectangular tin from SG. The flakes are neatly folded in half in the tin and look just like the tin description: Brown. The aroma is reminiscent of hay, but not of the bright variety.

Packing and Lighting: This blend was not fussy so I usually grab a slice of flake, fold and stuff into my pipe. No need to crumble any at the top of the bowl, lights easily, 2-3 relights max.

Initial Flavor: Smoooooth, riiiiich, yuummmm.

Mid-Bowl: Deliciously round and full. Not as spicy as Marlin Flake or Cut Virgina Plug, but rich in th mid-range flavor spectrum. This is a awesome DGT candidate.

Bottom of Bowl: Nice natural caramel notes, buttery, a good increase of strength. Leaves a fine dusting of light grey ash when it is all over.

Overall: This blend is in my top 5 of all-time favorite VA blends. When I want a full VA, but do not want spiciness, this is the one I grab. It burns cooly, just as the tin describes and is not sensitive to bowl size. There is a good nicotine punch in this, so eat well before enjoying. Not much more to say other than I have layed some tins down for aging to see if that makes a great blend even better.

Rating: 4.75 out of 5 Points

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2004-10-25		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Much has already been said, so I'll just focus on one aspect of the reviews brought up by Inquisitor and others - that Best Brown Flake is a "finicky" tobacco.

The difficulty is that BBF, compared to most other straight VA's I've smoked, is a fairly light-bodied smoke - you need a goodly quantity of smoke to really appreciate its flavor. In smaller, narrower pipes that generally smoke VA's well for me, I just don't get enough flavor out of this tobacco, so I end up puffing harder, faster, and hotter. Similarly, my meerschaum (in which I usually like VA's) just leaves the smoke feeling too flavorless and quickly leads back to fast puffing and unpleasant tasteless heat.

But carefully smoked in my well-seasoned, Group 5 sized billiards, it's a whole different story. Now BBF shows itself clearly as a sibling of SG's Full Virginia Flake, but lighter, a bit sweeter, and much less monotonous to my taste (though calling BBF "complex" would still be an overstatement, I think). I agree with other reviewers that the taste is primarily grassy or haylike, though in a more pleasant way than those descriptors sound at first. I finish the bowl with a very light, very neutral aftertaste (unlike many stronger VA's) and very little mouth fatigue. Taste-wise this could easily be an all-day smoke, though I think I'd want something less fussy in the heat and burning department.

Overall, I'd definitely recommend this to veteran Virginia smokers that have enough patience to get the hang of it. If you haven't smoked a Lakelands flake before, this is a perfectly good place to start and is a very different experience than the typical McC or Rattray-styled VA's. For new smokers I'd be reluctant to recommend this, especially if you don't have a decent selection of pipes to experiment with. Better to try something a bit more traditional and come back to this later. Personally, I'll buy up some more BBF in bulk and come back to it occassionally to see how it ages. While I wouldn't smoke this regularly, I look forward to it in the summer months when I want a bit more subdued tobacco to fill my bowl.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Miguelaventura (3)	2004-10-14		Medium	None Detected	Full	Very Pleasant

In my modest opinion Best Brown Flake is the quintessence of Virginia Flakes. It?s tasty and cool like no other, wonderful! Really the best VA available in the market. If Latakia did not exist, I could smoke only this thing forever and ever, and ever?

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jaybee (77)	2004-10-01		Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A very nice middle-of-the-road virginia flake. Typical semi- sweet grassy taste that is satisfying if sipped but pyrotechnic if pushed. Needs some drying, but economical and reliable.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Danno (106)	2004-09-25		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Another home run from across the pond. Not alot to add over and above what was already written. I do find that this blend does bite hard if not completely dry, leading me to open-air it prior to smoking. Flavor is straight forward chunky va. I find very little sweetness present, just rich, smooth leaf. I also do not detect the "lakeland floral" additives mentioned in other reviews. Buy it in bulk, jar it and enjoy. I find it best in a taller pipe, so break out the freehands for this gem.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2003-12-31		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This is my first try with Samuel Gawith Virginia flakes,although I have tried the 1792, but that is a D8 bulldozer compared to this flake. This is a brown (of course) soft Virginia variety grown in Africa, and treated like a king at the S.G.House. The tobacco tastes full,naturaly sweet,spicey,and is just darn good high quality beautiful pipe tobacco.A+ Update: The only thing I might add is this is the first time I have noticed a tobacco having that "Earl Grey" tea scent in the tin. Put your nose down close to the tobacco and you'll smell it. I really don't mind the tea smell as it has no effect I can sense in the taste of the good leaf.Still an A+.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2003-11-10		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

After hearing some great things about this tobacco I decided to take the plunge and get myself a tin of the stuff. The smell right out of the tin was wonderful high grade Virginia. The flakes rub out easily and the tobacco takes no effort to keep lit. The first few puffs are indicative of the flavour of the tobacco for the entire bowl sweet, but with a wonderful nutty depth that not many tobaccos can duplicate. It doesn't hit you right away, but half way through the bowl of Best Brown Flake you realize that you're smoking some extremely good tobacco. The tobacco behaves very well and smokes quite cooly for a Virginia down to the bottom of the bowl. The nicotine content is there, but never overwhealms. I will be keeping a couple tins of BBF around the house and would recommend it to all.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Blackhorse (96)	2003-10-07		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

After reading a good deal about this tobacco I ordered some amid a package from Synjeco (how do they get their orders out so fast - wow!).

Hmmm-m-m-m, how to attack my first bowl...in a pretty deep Mauro Armellini...rolled and inserted, not broken...with a finely rolled out topping to light (I'm always looking for tobaccos I can smoke this way - due to outdoor tendancies with my Retriever). Three lights get it going to my satisfaction - a little VA heat at the light, but then I'm pulling firmly to fire it up. Gents, this is everything you say it is...medium, medium, medium...but really, really, really excellent medium! It seems the 1st third is the mechanics of getting it setup and going...the 2nd third and the sweetness and flavor of the VA's really comes on...the final third being the settling and gradual diminishment of that VA sweetness into a slightly richer and deeper tone...until gone.

Quality? Just look at who made it - of course! Worthy? Absolutely! Medium, but rich in natural tobacco flavor. Fickle? Golly, if my first bowl just rolled and stuffed into a somewhat random pipe selection is THIS good - I can hardly wait for a perfect pairing.

If you haven't yet tried it - turn off your computer, get the car keys, drive to the nearest shop that stocks it - and light it up! No, I mean right now! Go on - get up! That's it! Good boy!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Paddy (127)	2003-07-25		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Full	Very Pleasant

In my opinion this is the finest tobacco sold today. But then I am a Virginia Flake lover. I buy it in 1 lb. blocks and tear off about 1/8 to 1/4 of the block and separate the individual flakes. I then rub it out until it resembles a fine ribbon cut. From that I will put a fistful in a pouch which I intend to smoke over he coming week, because I want it to dry out. It arrives a little too moist and does not smoke as well if not dried a bit. I find this tobacco should be smoked on the dry side. On first lighting, the smoke is a little sharp, but quickly subsides into the constant, delicious flavor of a pure Virginia flake, smooth and without a bite. There are no additives or sweetners that I can detect. I suspect that those who found the tobacco soapy in the English flake sense, were actually smoking the scented version of this flake which I have never tried. This unscented Best Brown is a tobacco purists delight. The Full Virginia Flake comes a close second, but I think the additional pressing and cooking removes some of the rich flavor. For me, this is the Holy Grail. _______________________________________________ 7/25-03 Buy it in bulk. Rub it out to a ribbon. Let it dry. It is the best smoke in the world.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2003-06-05		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

I'm smoking Best Brown Flake in a Cavicchi freehand. These beautifully prepared flakes are mostly light in color with some dark streaks and bird's eyes. Mine is a little on the dry side; just the way I prefer a VA flake. My sample was purchased in the bulk form. It rubbed out easy and lit with two matches. I filled the large pipe about 3/4 full.

Initially, the flavor is earthy and slightly sweet. I'm tasting most of the sweetness on the tip and middle of my tongue. I'm not tasting any of the floral/soapy taste I get from some other Lake District blends, possibly due to the dry nature of my sample. It's not as sweet as a McClelland mature VA, but it doesn't bite like a McClelland blend either. Don't get me wrong, I love McClelland Virginias, but you have to be careful. The flavor is all Virginia; I'm not tasting any burley or perique.

After a tamp or two, I'm about half-way through the bowl. The flavor has settled into a delicious, mild to medium smoke. There is a pretty good nicotine content too; it's very satisfying. Clearly, this is a high quality flake tobacco. I would not describe Best Brown Flake as complex, but it's still delicious and satisfying.

Towards the end of the bowl, I'm getting a nice nicotine kick and the wonderful flavor remains.

I would rate Best Brown Flake as my favorite Samual Gawith blend that I've tried; I like it better than Full Virginia Flake. This is a great tobacco and I plan to buy more and smoke it often. I strongly recommend Best Brown Flake to Virginia flake smokers; it has a great flavor, it doesn't bite, and it has a great nicotine punch.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NEWMAN (305)	2003-02-04		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

I had varied results with this blend and perhaps just don't have the patience and temperment to get everything perfect in order to obtain an enjoyable smoke. My purchase was a tin that contained a tightly pressed, rectangular block of nicely prepared brownish flake with some golden intermixed. However, when separated, they formed some narrow ribbons that made uniform packing difficult or clogged the air hole. Pipe bowl size also seemed to influence the smoke more than other VA flakes with larger bowls bringing a better overall result. Even @ best, the taste lacked the sweetness and intensity that I prefer and tasted rather dull and uninteresting. Although the aftertaste was not objectionable, the blend left my mouth noticeably dry after each smoke. This is a cool smoke without a hint of bite but it's not the 'best' VA flake of any color by far.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Grundie (26)	2002-09-14		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

An odd one is this. The tobacco comes in 6" flake strips which I found easy to rub out, but I couldn't help but notice how quickly it dried out when in the open as compared to other flakes.

Once the bowl is packed it took a few charring lights to get it going, once lit it burns quite cool if puffed carefully. The flavouring is odd, I can only describe it as natural. The predominant flavours are earthy, perhaps with some nuttyness. There was a a distinct lack of sweetness for most of the bowl, only some slight sweetness was detected near the end.

Strength wise it is quite mild. There was no tongue bite and the nicotine content appeared to be quite low too.

So to sum up I can only describe this tobacco as neutral in flavour and strength. Pleasant but gets a bit dull after a while.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2002-04-12		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

This tobacco comes in 1x6 inch strip form. I ordered a quantity from Synjeco (very nice people), and it came in a rectangular block, and I broke off a 1x1x6 inch piece to keep in a plastic bag for easier access. Medium brown in color, and not too much scent - maybe a whiff of the lakeland "soap", but by no means overwhelming. The pieces break off in long stringy sections, and I usually use scissors to cut those to fit the bowl I'm using. This tobacco does not dry out quickly, and does not require much care to keep fresh. Once lit (I generally use a billiard shape) it stays lit well. The flavor is hard to describe because it is not unusual or at the odd edges of the taste spectrum. It tastes like tobacco without flavoring. Definitely quality tobacco used to make this stuff. I've not tried 1792, so can't comment on comparison, but this is a medium to strong tobac. Does not DGT well. I'll sometimes mix it with some of the sweeter/sharper McClelland's virginia flakes (blackwoods, St. James' Woods) for an interesting blend. Alone it seems almost nondescript except for a very nice tobacco flavor. I had to smoke a few ounces before I realized that this, for me, is just a simple, well made and nicely flavored tobacco that I will smoke regularly. Not all day, but at least once a day. Decent nicotine hit, but nothing like brown bogie. I'd recommend you smoke at least 8-10 bowls of this before passing judgment. By then you, too, may be calling Synjeco. Highly recommended. 9 of 10. - Kelly

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2001-03-26		Extremely Strong	Extremely Mild	Very Full	Strong

Best Brown Flake is almost exactly like Full Virginia Flake. Best Brown has a couple different components that add an almost chocolate flavour to the tobacco. This tobacco rubs out very easily from the thin flakes they are cut into. IMO, Best Brown has a bigger nicotine kick than the Full Virginia Flake. This is a great natural English style flake tobacco that will burn down to a nice grey ash. Don't miss out on trying this one.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Maxmoke (1)	2022-05-29		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Just a really nice VA tobacco. It took me a couple of bowls to master smoking this for (imo) optimal taste and burn rate. But the patience pays off in a generous manner. I rub it out, let dry for 15 mins, pack loosely. Then I light once, tamp it and then light once more (thoroughly). After that I can smoke for 45 mins without relighting.

I have now smoked 6 or 7 tins of BB and I think the fact that this is the tobacco that I keep running out of says it all.

SIDENOTE: Every now and then I mix this 50/50 with some SG Brown #4 (Dark fired KY) if I feel that I need a little more kick. The blend makes for a really pleasant smoke. Sweetness with some girth to it!

Pipe Used: Parker Super Russet

Age When Smoked: Fresh to 6 months

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2019-04-27		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

My initial impression in aroma was similar to SG Full Virginia Flake... a slight essence of nothing more than that of VA tobacco. A little bite at first along with a little harshness was noted and I used the DGT method on this one which tamed it down considerably but never seemed to totally resolve that issue. It is a long burning smoke & I didn't notice the Lakeland taste in this one. It can be an all day smoke if that is one's preference. Personally, I prefer something a little stronger but that's just me. As most are aware Virginias are always best served up in a deeper bowl as the taste improves & becomes sweeter & smoother after the lower portion becomes treated by the continued smoke flow.

It provides a little flavor if the puffing cadence is controlled with patience. This review is based on a single bowlful in a Vintage Peterson System pipe with enough depth for a good trial run for a VA tobacco. Whether this is one single type of VA or that of a blended VA, I couldn't say but from the looks of it, there are minimal lighter strands mixed in with mostly a dark brown VA. I'm at the halfway point now & noticing more strength & with minimal harshness or bite & becoming a little more to my strength preference.

I don't notice any flavoring of any type... only that of a pure Virginia tobacco. My sample required picking, tamping & relighting throughout the smoke session & my pipe had to be left unsmoked during several cool-down intervals which served two purposes... less bite & a cooler smoke. Now I have time to prepare a strong cup of Irish Breakfast Tea before resuming. As stated earlier, this is a slow burning tobacco and one deeper bowlful lasts for at least forty-five minutes to an hour & strangely enough, doesn't leave a very strong tobacco odor in the room. That tells me there's very little Vitamin N in the mix.

Unfortunately, I like so many other types/blends of tobaccos & will be setting this one aside and doubtful I'll ever revisit it. It was a gift from a friend & thought I'd give it a go. However, I love Samuel Gawith's FVF, especially after a few years of age... one of my all time favorites but there's nothing better on the planet than C & D's Small Batch, Carolina Red Flake which is the best tasting & strongest VA I've ever smoked. I found BBF to be lacking in strength with little flavor. However, we're all of differing DNA with varying taste receptors & I just couldn't get past the harsh, biting nature of this Best Brown Flake. I'm glad many find this exceptional but it will not remain in my rotation.

Pipe Used: Vintage, Sterling Peterson System #312

Age When Smoked: New Bonus Pouch From Another Purchase

Purchased From: A "gift" from a friend.

Similar Blends: Brown Virginias with a mild, straight VA flavor..

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2014-09-18		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

221 reviews and counting, what more can be said? If someone offers me a bowl of Best Brown Flake, I will gladly accept. If I offer someone a bowl, they gladly accept. An open tin makes smokers smile. That's all I can ask for.

Age When Smoked: less than 1 year

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2013-10-16		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Almost as good as FVF easyer to keep lit great flake

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2013-10-07		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

BBF is an amazing medium body VA flake. Yes, it does need drying like most SG flakes. Yes, the tin presentation often looks "as if it was packed with their feet," as a fellow reviewer of SG blends once quipped. But man, it is amazing stuff: one of the sweetest, most savory, smooth, and cool burning sipping tobaccos I have ever had. It also forms plume rather quickly in my experience.

I've bought it in tins and 250g boxes. They are essentially the same, except the flakes in the boxes are longer and come in a bag inside the box.

Because its so straightforward and medium bodied, it is also an excellent base if you want to try blending yourself. I blend it with MacB's ODF (3:1 ODF to BBF) with great results. I have also been told its a great base to make a VAPer but I have yet to try it.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2013-07-26		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Third place behind FVF and St. James will stock up on this one.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2013-05-13		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Strong

The virginia flake second only to FVF. BBF is sweeter, less fig and raisiny and sometimes a bit grasslike. This does need dry time and I prefer to rub it out or cube cut it.

If you like your virginia blends on the sweeter side, this is the one to try.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2013-05-12		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

A quite satisfactory flake from Samuel Gawith. Easy to light and smoke. I prefer to smoke it without drying so this way you can smoke it for quite a long time. I will definitely buy it again. It is mostly tolerable for bystanders but there were some people who changed tables to put some distance to the smoke.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2012-10-16		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I'm heavily biased towards liking anything and everything from S Gawith (not so much Hogarth) so take that into account.

The Lakeland tour. This might be my Coniston Old Man.

Very straightforward flakes of Virginia. In my 50g tin the flakes are thick cut and chunky, slightly sticky and moist. I always make the mistake of trying to smoke straightaway upon opening the tin and then upon realising my mistake get to giving the flakes plenty of time to sit in the air before smoking. Like FVF it can be tricky to get right but I've hit the spot a couple of times with this so far and it can be seriously sublime. One night I managed to get that almost-going-out tempo with it and it smouldered for a full hour delivering the tastiest trickle of smoke. Utterly becalming and joyous. Other times it's just alright and requiring plenty of relighting.

Basically though the tobacco is top notch; it's my pipe smoking and my pipes that are wanting.

At the moment I'm smoking this back to back with St Bruno Flake and the difference is marked.

At some point I'm going to get something from S Gawith in bulk and this could be it.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2012-10-06		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I just reviewed Full Virginia Flake and my remarks about Best Brown Flake are virtually identical. Best Brown Flake is one of the most enjoyable blends that I have smoked. The tin note is that of pure, natural tobacco. It smokes slow and smooth. I like it best after letting it dry for a few hours and then fully rub it out. Comparing it to Full Virginia Flake is difficult for me because they're different, but both have that something in common that keeps me from deciding which blend I like the best. Samuel Gawith blends have a dryness to the smoke that I like very much. Best Brown Flake might be just a little milder than FVF.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2012-08-15		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Having just finished an ounce of bulk, I really like this tobacco. It's grassy and sweet with a hint of dried fruit perhaps. Fold and stuff a slightly dry flake in a medium sized bowl for the best results. This is when I grasped the true flavor. These flakes are very thinly sliced and rubbing them out seems to dull the flavor. It's not too complex, but in a good way - a perfect candidate for a mindless comfort smoke.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2012-07-10		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a one-dimensional smoke that is very cool with a small amount of bite and burns well once you air it out a while (very moist). I enjoyed smoking it, but I will not buy it again. I gave it three stars due to the high quality of the tobacco, I just wish it tasted better and had more depth in flavor; the hay like taste just does not work for me.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2012-07-04		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

What can I add to that last review. Nice one. What clay pipe said.

A should try. Nice mild flake. Not really my thing, I want a stronger flake. I'd give it 4 stars for quality aged strips but I took two off because you're really only getting a little over 1/2 a tins worth once it dries to an acceptable level to smoke. Way way too wet for my money.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2012-04-15		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A little less sweet and dried fruit-y than most va flakes, but a unique experience.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2011-11-17		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

My second email order after finding this website - what can I say? It's a homerun with bases loaded, a double century at the Lord' Test! Cool, rich, creamy, mildly sweet with an incredible brown sugar aftertaste that is unbelievably good with a cup of coffee or a medium dry cocktail. Nice moustashe residue for the better half to enjoy, too. Try it. OK, maybe it is monochromatic, but the best things in life are the simple things, like this grand tobacco, and a cup of coffee.

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