Tobaccos Samuel Gawith - Celtic Talisman

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dr. Scott (82)	2014-01-09		Medium to Strong	Strong	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

First of all, let me remind my fellow Americans that it is "Seltick" Talisman like the basketball team in Boston or Glasgow's second-best soccer club, not "Keltick" like we were uneducated young hipsters in a Portlandia sketch.

Secondly, I must qualify my remarks by saying that I detest aromatic blends. But I generally enjoy most of the Samuel Gawith blends I have smoked, and I enjoy trying new things, and so here I am with a very fresh new tin of CT delivered last night.

After two bowls, I must admit CT is a very pleasant surprise. Upon opening, the aroma is sweet, unidentifiable, and overpowering. I was almost afraid to smoke it. I expected it to be a goopy mess, but it was in fact a little on the dry side. It lights easily and requires little effort to keep going. I am normally sensitive to tongue bite, but no tongue bite here. It left only a dry powdery ash in the bottom of my cob.

The smoke tastes exactly like the aroma. If you don't care for the flavoring, too bad. The underlying burley is bland and may not satisfy fans of Virginias or English blends.

The nicotine dose is a typically healthy Sam Gawith buzz. Plenty of Vitamin N to satisfy you.

The biggest selling point may be that it has the most pleasant room note I've ever encountered. This is a great smoke to enjoy in public or around nonsmokers.

I've never bought a second tin of an aromatic, but I will be going back for more Celtic Talisman.

Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum

Age When Smoked: Probably just a month or two...

Purchased From: That online store...

22 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2012-08-31		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I'm not a huge aromatic person, but this is awesome. A cherryish taste, maybe a bit liquer, on very fine quality tobacco. Nice cut, burns well, satisfies my nic craving in the morning with coffee. The tin smell is fantastic, similar in intesity to some of petersons products, but the flavour is not overdone.

If I can ever find this in stock, I'll buy more.

18 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Chimney1966 (5)	2009-03-06		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Since a long time, my first re-encounter with Samuel Gawith products. During early 1990s I found three of Samuel Gawith products in their line excellent value for money (one which was Commonwealth Mixture although too strong for beginner, another was more suitable, the Squadron Leader, and third was a fairly flavoured one). Then I thought, Samuel Gawith tobacco is always worth of the money and never let you down... (If they had done the same way last 200 years, they certainly can not be wrong)

Some time ago I heard that they had new tobacco, and finally local importer got some of it, the new Celtic Talisman... Old memories about excellent quality tobacco, kept expectations high as I opened the tin...

Indeed.., high quality tobacco and high quality cut, British certainly know how to cut the tobacco (instead of Scandinavian's too thin "shag"), and that contributes a lot to excellent burning characteristics, as will not burn too hot.

I found the tobacco in fresh tin too moist (as had also been the case with other SG products nearly 20 years ago), and had to let small amount of tobacco to dry for sometime. About 10 minutes after handling the tobacco, the cherry casing reminded about its existence, and although mild, fairly persistent...

I used my Peterson 303 system pipe (one without filter) to assess this tobaco, and first notice was that pleasant tobacco to handle, and easy to pack into the bowl. First layer loose, second more dense and third layer firmly pressed.

Lighted with first match (but needed after a while another flame to relight), although tobacco was still bit moist, did not have any attempt to bite, and not temperamential at all. Really well behaving tobacco, and remainded truly pleasant smoking experience... Afterwards.., I noticed that from first impression of relatively mild taste and feel, turned out later with fairly good nicotine kick, and that occured about 15 minutes after had finished the bowl...

Later experiences... Noticed that Celtic Talisman did not leave any sticky substance in the bowl of my 303, but fairly persistent "cherry perfume" appeared to 303 while finished the whole tin, and needed several bowls of another tobacco to be used before faded away from the pipe.

The Celtic Talisman tobacco should be allowed to dry slightly, as it improves while keeping it in tobaccopouch for while, moist tobacco fresh from tin will not burn well, and might even pack too tight into the bowl, if not careful.

Ladies liked the room note, although I mainly prefered to smoke outside. Apparently this is the type of tobacco with satisfies both the smoker as well as the others. Nowdays a certain way to get a favourable attention...

But one thing to remeber..., dedicate some aromatic pipe for this tobacco, as it really remains in the pipe some time afterwards...

Excellent high quality tobacco, neat tin and good value for money. This is the pipe tobacco which can be recommenned to those who like to impress ladies with "good taste" in selecting pipe tobacco. It is tobacco which never let you down... One additional masterpiece from Samuel Gawith...

Full four stars **

13 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipe4ever (204)	2008-08-26		Mild	Very Strong	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Certainly, the tobacco quality is good, but the casing is not, this blend tastes like strawberry chewing gum, I regularly smoke and love heavy aromatic blends, there is some balance to be respected when adding fruit syrup to tobacco, this blend is, IMO, completely imbalanced and was a waste of money.

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2017-04-28		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

Bright Virginias, Burley and Black Cavendish with a dash of Cherry and Vanilla flavoring. The Virginia is typical Gawith deep Lakeland style and the Burley was somewhat toasty in presentation. The light Cherry/Vanilla infused Black Cavendish made the overall presentation fun and not at all aromatic in the "American" style. I really like this blend.

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	thesmoggypipester (75)	2014-04-06		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

This is the first sam gawith tobacco i have tried and i have to say im impressed very much. First of all i have a soft spot for aromatics, always have always will. Im glad sam gawith have gone the european aro route were delightful flavourings are added to great tobacco and both work together in harmony. Anywho opening the tin its a tart cherry and i swear i can smell rhubarb. The tobacco is very thick ribbons which pack and light easily. The cherry and vanilla flavours although they are there they arent in your face. And they work extremely well with the flavours of the virginia and burley. But this is an aro with balls. I wouldnt recommend this too total novices as the nic can creep up on you. All in all a great tobacco especially if you like a good aromatic baccy.

Update 8th may 2014. I would like to add some side notes to this review. I still class this as a four star tobacco but during my time smoking i have learned a few things. Packing must be just right not to compact as due to the tobaccos moistness will not smoke at all and not too loose as it will smoke rather too well and become hot and bitter fairly quick.

But once you have the packing right, the extra work care and attention this tobacco needs makes it all the more worth it. It is a truely delightful smoke.

People looking for a heavily cased american candy store aromatic wont find it here, it is in the same tradition of european aromatics very virginia and burley foreward with a dose of black cav to carry the flavours. The said virginia and burley taste wonderful as there flavours come and go during the smoke, the cherry is there to complement the flavoura not override them. I say cherry as i dont really get the vanilla but its no bad thing as the flavours i detect are more than satisfying.

The style of the aromatic as ive said is a european aromatic, think along the same lines as borkum riff, your looking at roughly 60%virginia/burley with the rest being cavendish.

To sum up my review and side notes, i think sam gawith have took the aromatic and reinvented it. There is enough tobacco flavour to keep the purist happy but also just enough added flavour to compliment the tobacco and keep the aromatic fan happy. The best thing about the tobacco is even though it takes the extra work care and attention is it pays dividends in the bucket load when you have it right. Yes it can be a pain but the fact that the extra work needed pays off so fabulously is the reason i havent downgraded the score. When it goes right it is an absolutely stunning smoke and has earned its four stars from me solidly.

Update 27th of may 2014.

I know this review may seem long winded and for that i appologise but i do like to share my discoveries which i feel makes an excellent tobacco better. Yesterday i went to the seaside ajd given it was a nice day i thought id take my pipe and the last of my celtic talisman. I carried it in my dual pipe and tobacco pouch. Anywho i had the bowl and the remnants that were left were about half a bowls worth. I planned when i got home to transfer the half bowls worth back to its little airtight tub. Well i forgot and tidying up this morning seeing my pipe pouch i took a look at the tobacco it had dried considerably. It was almost crunchy and was about to throw it away but something told me to pack and light and im glad i did. It was delicious the cherry was a touch subdued and the tobaccos fkavours were star attraction, zesty sweetness from the virginias and a touch of burley nuttyness meld that together with the tartness of the added cherry and you are onto an utterly exceptional smoke. That drying out although not intentional did it wonders. So i you find celtic talisman try it as is and then dried and im sure you will agree the resultsare exceptional as the drying time in my oppinion will make it a tobacco that will please the aro fan and pure tobacco flavour fans alike.

Pipe Used: falcon bent with alco algiers bowl

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: specialist whisky and cigar merchant pitlochrie scotland

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pinko (52)	2016-07-12		Mild	Medium to Strong	Medium	Very Pleasant

In one of his radio interviews, Bob Gregory mentioned that Celtic Talisman was a mistake - someone mixed a batch of something wrong, and then they sold it.

I guess it's popular, since they still make it, but it tastes like a food chemistry experiment gone wrong. The flavors come off as lab-grown to an extreme, the worst of the cherry cough drop taste that I hate from childhood. Any tobacco flavor is buried under sweet aromatics.

Somebody out there loves this, more power to 'em. Hobbit's Weed makes for a far better cherry aromatic if you're looking for one.

Pipe Used: various

Age When Smoked: fresh

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-12-15		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Not the worst tobacco I've smoked, but definately Not Recommended.

There is nothing in there that compells me to try another bowl of this, the burley is totally dominant and takes over the few lingering strands of a good aromatic.

I can see what they were aiming for, but they missed the target by miles and miles.

Samuel Gawith's other products all outshine this. Not worth your while! -Sorry!

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2008-05-04		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Through my tobacco journey I have enjoyed a lot of blends and more importantly learned what I like and what I don?t like. I have learned my tastes gravitate towards more Va ? VaPer ? Va/Burley ?Va Blends and flakes. Although I prefer a more natural tobacco taste with minimal flavoring added if none at all, I have always been on the lookout for an aromatic that still had good, quality tobacco, good taste and frankly some nicotine. I sort of gave up on finding such a blend.

Until now.

Folks, this is as close to the perfect Aromatic/Va-burley I have smoked. It has a fantastic Va taste first and foremost, while the burley and Cav are supporting actors, all on the stage of a cherry flavoring that is not assertive, masking or overbearing. Then the cherry on top (sorry for the pun) it has a good nicotine balance, siding on the lighter side of Medium.

My first advice, please treat this as if it is from Mac Baren. By saying that I mean, let it dry out for 24-48 hours first before smoking it. Straight out of the tin, it can nip the tongue. (I tried it, and I advise not to) This is the only downfall I have found through the half of tin I have smoked.

In the Tin ? The appearance is black, brown, and bright ribbon strands; some chopped, some longer than others. The aroma is fantastically cherry liqueur.

1st light ? Immediately you are aware of the Virginias and it is top notch flavor of Va that dominates this blend. The Cherry/Vanilla are there but not as storng as the natural Va taste. No problem lighting it the first time, once tamped you are your way.

Mid bowl ? You realize the dual play between the Va and the Burley and the taste is a tangy cherry with crème. The Virginias are tangy, and tend to ?sting? the back of the nose but not in a bad way. Something like horseradish. The Nicotine is rising but never goes to far. The unbiased remarks on the room note is, very good but cherry is not mentioned, more of pastry or baked goods. If you made cranberry nut bread and added cherries to it, that is what this is like to smell and to smoke. The Va, Burley and Cav create this ?malted? bread affect and it is all I can do not to chew the stem. (I promise I am not over exaggerating)

Bottom Bowl ? The cherry flavor has backed down, but not dissapeared and you left with a great natural taste where they all have blended together to create a creaminess in the mouth. The tanginess is still present. The nicotine has sat right a level where this could be enjoyed all day, but you know you always know you are smoking something with depth.

I can see this being a great all season, all day smoke for me for a very long time. 3 stars, could have been 4 but the there is a very small tendency of tongue bite if not prepared and dried.

6 people found this review helpful.

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

This aromatic blend differs a lot from the other S. Gawith's blends.when you open it you instantly get cherry and the base of burley and virginia is not detected to me.a bit moist but no drying is required.needs a few lights burns medium.the flavours are balanced between the topping(vanilla is really on the backround) and virginias.also a nuttyness comes out if you go hard on it.the nicotine level is low so you can start your day with it.leaves the proper moist.for me it's recommended not highly though.i have also to add that the flavour is natural though the room note is very tense.

Age When Smoked: When opened!

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Knightsmoker (216)	2014-07-16		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

This is a great aromatic blend. The first one that I have found that I have really enjoyed. Opening the tin, I could smell the cherry as I opened the paper. It was a little moist so I let it sit out and decided to load another pipe with Black House. The casing at this point must have gotten on my fingers and it bleed over into a topping on Black House. Those of you who like Lat. and a good aro just think about Black House with cherry flavor over the profile but not overpowering it! What a treat and it was there for about the first 1/3 of the bowl. Anyway, back to CT. Loading was simple lighting was surprisingly simple too. Cherry at the match and cherry was about all I could taste. Oddly, while I normally like to taste the tobacco this was rather enjoyable. To get to the vanilla flavor I had to back way off and sip lightly and slowly. Then there was a faint cherry-vanilla flavor much like a cherry-vanilla coke. It smokes dry too! So well I did something with CT that I have never tried with any other aro. When the bowl was gone I just loosened the fine grey-white ash and dumped it and while the pipe was still warm loaded a second bowl. No need to run a cleaner down it just load and go. This bowl too smoked completely dry! Oh and I should also say that it tastes just exactly like how I remember my great-grandfather's pipe smelled. It took my back to my earliest childhood memory and kept me there for the whole bowl. Thanks SG for the great trip down memory lane!

Now for the lack of the 4th star. I smoked this for three days at night as my primary blend and had went through a little more then 1/2 of the tin but had to leave town and so I came back to it a week later. I am not sure if the tin lid does not fit well or what but that fabulous flavor of deep cherry was gone. Could this be why they never have released it as a bulk buy? I am going to buy another tin and jar what I will not smoke in a week as soon as the tin is opened to see if that will hold the casing better. If it will this blend is worth the extra effort and I will increase the rating to 4 stars. If not I would still recommend it to other cherry lovers.

Update 8/6/17 . . . The jar idea works very well. It will keep that fabulous deep flavor. No need to look further for a cherry blend (although I know I will). This is well worth the extra effort. Upgrading to 4 stars as stated above.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Geronimo Von Klaus (76)	2014-09-02		Medium	Very Strong	Medium	Strong

Whoa. Not what I was expecting, don't really know what to think about this odd duck.

High quality, well presented, clearly the tobacco is refined and what not. I just could not get over the flavoring on this. Its, well, its so so strange. I imagine this is an old recipe, and remains unchanged for a long time, so why does the aroma remind me of Jolly Rancher Watermellon mixed with some sort of women's lipstick, mixed with strawberry jam. Its hilariously sweet, I couldn't taste the tobacco in the background, all I got were plumes and plumes of perfume coming from it.

To be fair, again, I'm not an expert by any stretch of the imagination, and just a guy who smokes a lot of different types. Maybe this is a type of tobacco that just doesn't do it for me, I just cannot see how this could be considered a good smoke.

Pass.

Pipe Used: Custom Poker

Age When Smoked: Unknown

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	babysinister (55)	2010-07-24		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Only an inveterate and longtime hater of cherry aros can truly appreciate this cherry-flavored blend from SG. Because there is no tonguebite, the cherry flavor is not chemo-toxic or overwhelming, and allows you to appreciate the fine baseline tobacco, (i.e., not strongly or grossly cased to conceal the taste of cheap tobacco). The room note and aroma are the best in aroland, imo. The strength is accordingly mild to medium, and does not "turn" on you as the bowl progresses. Smokes very smooth and down to a fine clean ash, which in itself is notable for an aro. I normally smoke aros once a month or so, but am developing a hankering for getting deeper and deeper in this new (to me) blend. There are a relatively few aromatics that I consider quality aros: Sillems Black, Dan's Blue Note, and W.O. Larsen's Old Fashioned, 1864 and Signature. Now CT goes to the top of that list.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-04-16		Medium	Strong	Medium to Full	Pleasant

While it smells quite nice, I can't help but to categorize the taste of this blend in the same vein as I would perfume. It's quite soapy and I don't taste what I smell at all. It's got a chemical taste to it. Perhaps I got a bad batch?

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Flyingdutchman (20)	2019-08-22		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

I remember when I was a kid, my uncle ran one of most famous pastry labs in Milan, and I everytime I called in, I was welcomed by delighting flavours of vanilla, cream, sugar, fruit candies etc hanging in the lab. Opening a tin of Celtic Talisman, stir these memories in me. It is really like stepping into a pastry lab. It's a ribbon cut tobacco, ranging from the yellow of Vas to the black of dark cavendish. It is flavoured with vanilla, cherry, etc as stated and Burley adds nuts, thought the preminent flavour is cherry. It is rather moisted but not so much to cause troubles. The smoke is wonderful. All the aromas you taste in the tin are there, not so strong in N so that we can enjoy it all day round, actually it is my favourite as "early moring pipe". Going throught the pipe, let's say after the first half of the bowl, is like someone has added very little caramel to a vanilla cherry cake. Last, but not least, your women will love the room note.

Pipe Used: Brebbia Curved

Age When Smoked: Fresh from the tin

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2019-04-20		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Another catch-up review from my notes in 2009 when I first tried this. Back then, SG & GH blends were readily available most all the time. I've since rejoined TRs under a different handle but here's my take on Celtic Talisman: This is about as fine a cherry blend tobacco as any on the market with a better price tag than most. Tin aroma is very prevalent & appealing.

The tin is packed full of loose tobacco and mine arrived fairly moist. I dried a bowlful out for about 25 minutes and stuffed it in me wee Peterson #317. It smoked cool with no tongue/palate discomfort. The marriage of sweet Virginia with the tasty cherry casing complimented each other.

CT seemed to have a bit more Vitamin N than most aromatics. This is a pretty darn good cherry blend and I thought the price was right... in 2009, $6.48 per 50 gram tin. If one likes a cherry blend, they might be well advised to give this a try. I was satisfied with CT and don't have anything negative to say about it.

Pipe Used: Wee Pete 317

Age When Smoked: Fresh Tin

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Brandr ODS (15)	2015-11-23		Mild to Medium	Very Strong	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

The first aromatic I’ve ever smoked from Samuel Gawith.

I have to admit it, I was more captivated from the name chosen for the blend than from the content of the tin itself… it happens, out of sheer curiosity I suppose : sometimes it pays off, others don’t.

This time didn’t.

Upon opening the tin, a heavyweight boxing champion hits your nose with a quick one-two, best known as Cherry-Vanilla. The golden bright colour of the leaves is very nice and both by looking and touching you can feel a high quality basic product.

The topping in this was so heavy I could’t detect anything else beside it, literally. Five months ago I came back to it (a 3yo tin) and had a final bowl : the cherry ghost was still there, as strong as the first day! I couldn’t believe my nose.

In the bowl it behaves a little better : cherry and vanilla flavours soften and leave space for a nice, tasty smoke, which you may really enjoy if you are looking for a juicy, fruity, zero attention demanding, mono-dimensional blend.

Uniform combustion. Lights with a couple of matches prior some drying. White fine ashes and enjoyable room note, ideal if you want impress the people around you, even in outdoor condition.

I prefer other offerings from Samuel Gawith.

Cheers Everyone, Brandr ODS

Age When Smoked: Fresh and 3yo

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2076)	2014-04-15		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

Samuel Gawith - Celtic Talisman.

The aroma of the unlit tobacco is brilliant as it's a good balance of the tobaccos and the aromatics. The ribbons are very enticing and they have a great moisture level. It takes to the flame with ease and the smoke is sublime. I get a really nice taste of sweet black Cavendish which is complemented by the cherry. The vanilla requires a little extra attention as it is much less pre eminent than the cherry but can be identified if tried for. Nicotine level is about that of their Black Cherry and the room-note is also very sweet with a good cherry touch. As usual Sam Gawith does not disappoint!

Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Britains Best Briar

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Smoke King

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2013-11-24		Medium	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

I have been on a mission to find a good quality aero. I enjoy many Samuel Gawith's offerings and figured I would give this one a try.

Initial tin inspection revealed a wet tobacco with a fragrance of raspberry chocolate. The fragrance is very pleasing and enticing. The first bowl straight out of the tin was pretty wet which was to be expected. The burn was slow and required few relights. I did not experience tongue bite although I imagine it is quite possible without restraint. The tin note fragrances did not transition directly to the flavors but I did notice a sugary sweetness that was very enjoyable. The sweetness only seems to come through when smoked or sipped slowly. In addition to the sweetness, good quality tobacco flavors were quite prominent. When smoked quickly the flavors and sweetness wash out and are less enjoyable.

Subsequent bowls mirrored the first impression with the exception of the wetness due to proper drying. This aero does not leave a goopy mess in the bowl but does leave a noticeable ghost. The room note is very nice and most will enjoy its fragrance. There is an acceptable amount of nicotine as well.

Maybe it's me but I've had hard time smoking anything else recently. I guess I'm still enamored at this point. Overall this is a very enjoyable aero which I plan to keep in the rotation.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Arkie (129)	2013-04-02		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This stuff smells great in the tin and the room note is pleasant. It doesn't bite and it smokes cool and dry. The cherry and vanilla taste is very subtle. There are better blends available so I'm undecided whether to get more tins and put it into my regular rotation.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2012-02-25		Mild to Medium	Medium	Overwhelming	Tolerable

This was so bad I thought I had received a bad batch. I later gave it to friend who thought it was the greatest smoke on the planet! To each his own I suppose.

In the Tin

This is the first and last time I buy a pipe tobacco based on how cool the tin looks. I like Celtic art and the knots really appealed to me so I bought it (stupid, I know). The smell out of the tin is not unpleasant but not what I expected either. A bit like Cherry liquor. The Ribbon cut was quite nice and the tobacco was the rather moist out of the tin

The pack and the toast

After a few hours of dry time the bowl packed nicely and evenly. Upon toasting I was immediately taken aback by a flavor I can describe no other way than the flavor you get whe you mistakenly shoot bug spray in your mouth. I know that seems harsh but this was a bad flavor.

The Rest

I have smoked a pipe long enough to know that it can take several bowls to get used to and enjoy some blends. I gave this blend 6 tries over about a one month period. My opinion never changed. A lot of reviewers speak highly of this blend and it tends to be sold out on the online retailers but it is not for me. If I had to give this blend some sort of compliment I would say that the burn characteristics of it are great. This blend did not require much relighting and seemed to burn evenly and into a fine white ash.

No good for me. Hope it treats you better.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Glorfindel (86)	2008-03-10		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild	Very Pleasant

ORIGINAL: 2-28-08: This is a light, tangy, cherry aromatic. Not the thick arificial cherry flavoring common in so many blends, but something more akin to a fresh-off-the-tree cherry tang. I've actually picked quite a few cherries off the tree over the years for fresh eating and for pies so I know of what I speak.

Not one hint of the Lakeland Floral Essence (thank goodness) that Sam Gawith feels that they must add to everything else they make.

The cherry essence is very light, but that is what helps make this blend a success and keeps it from being goopy or sickeningly artificial like cherry blends can be sometimes.

The nutty burley notes support and add more character to the smoke, along with a light to medium VA strength. There is mild tobacco taste and nicotine here, but those wanting a strong tobacco need not bother. This blend is not strong and doesn't claim to be, nor is there any Latakia or Perique.

It's a light, fruity, cherry-nut top noted tobacco that is very well done. Blond and brown VAs with a little black cavendish. Great tin note and the room note is a winner for everyone nearby. A very refreshing part of my current rotation.

No bite or gurggle and smokes like a dream. Love it!

Not your usual Cherry Aromatic,

4 Stars!

UPDATE: 3-10-08: After the tin has been opened for a few days the Cherry aroma, both from the tin and while smoking, has improved and developed nicely. Defintely top notch among the genre of Cherry blends.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Briar Piper (89)	2018-11-16		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

I have had a long "bout" with Samuel Gawith blends over the years, having smoked a large amount of their blends such as St. James flake, navy flake etc.

I must say, unreservedly, that celtic talisman is Samuel Gawith's very best blend. It is as close to smoking lakeland "perfume" as one will ever get, albeit the perfume note is very faint in the taste, while powerfully present in the room note! This will win over any bystander, while providing the piper with a nice virginia cavendish taste. Cherry brandy galore. This stuff never ceases to please. This is as enjoyable as my regular English blends, and I would not complain if this was the only pipe tobacco available. Nicotine is present but milder than in many blends. An important tobacco in every rotation, for anyone who enjoys virginias as well as aromatics.

Update: I forgot to mention that this has a hint of amaretto in it when first opened, which rapidly evaporates. This is from the cherry pits in kirshwasser, but this almond smell is very much more ephemeral and perfume like than almond amaretto. It is what angelica is to licorice, and what makes this blend stand heads and shoulders above most other blends in this genre.

Samuel Gawith uses a lot of alcohol and liquers in their blends, which not only makes me rate them higher, it causes their tobacco to age better than the competion, it being the "wetter the better" in that regard.

Pipe Used: Dedicated Dunhill group 5 straight billiard.

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: Sir walter raleigh aromatic, tinderbox cherry almond (both in scent only).

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	LannarkGent (145)	2016-12-17		Mild	Medium	Full	Tolerable to Strong

While, I found the room not and tin note pleasing , I was under whel ed by the flavor. I experienced some tongue bit, which is a rare occurrence for me from any type of tobacco. There are many fine aeros, and this is not one of them.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	puss n' pipes (27)	2015-11-16		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

I will not tell lies, i love aromatics as much as english blends. Everytime i read someone starts a review with the phrase "I must say im not an aromatic lover" it literally means that the person still lives closeted. A pipe smoker may like both english blends and aromatics the same, IF they are good. And lets be honest "Celtic Talisman" is an excellent aromatic. To like an aromatic doesnt make you less of a man. Just probably a bit of a dreamer.

Samuel Gawith doesnt play with over casing nor sickening sweet things, they create aromatics with the old tradition that brings the spirit of tobacco into play with the many variations and subtleties, not hiding excellence behind a mantle of artificial flavours, this product is no exception to this tradition. This is not a product from the candy store even though the smell from the tin is potent and may prevent you from been overly sweet, this is just apparent.

Scents of cherry and liquor along with honey and mint are present upon opening. This tobacco tends to get really dry so soon once left out of the tin, and this is crucial, since if it becomes too dry it looses a great proportion of its taste and delicacy, so i suggest to let it a little humid, ive tried both dry, semi dry and totally humid.

Upon lightning the tobacco comes with a medium range taste, the burley works its major play. In the mouth is sweet but in the nose is fruity, nutty and a bit tingy. Virginias never go wild, they are very well controlled by both the cavendish and the burley. This first stage progress into something with more character, a bit robust, is clear that the central role is played by the burley and both the virginias and the cavendish are there to play around as diverting notes perhaps as a resemblance of some Kirsch liquor and marraschino cherries all along. By the middle of the bowl, it becomes more and more "adult" less sugary and way more nutty with an amplification of the cavendish that now adds its more alcaline note with a faint taste of liquor while the burley and virginias becomes the pivot. By the end it is all creamy, very creamy like, as some kind of cherry cake taste but with all the nic kick from burleys and their appeased acidity controlled by cavendish.

It is a good smoke from start to finish with very good tonalities and variations. Not an aromatic for beginners and certainly not for the ones who love over casing and overhelming toppings a la Mclellands. This is the old school!

Top! meditative and mysterious blend for the contemplative soul. Always in my cellar.

Pipe Used: Savinelli 601

Age When Smoked: 3 years

Purchased From: Smoking pipes

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	MarkTheLad (46)	2015-01-17		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I'm fairly new at smoking a pipe, still learning the "do's" and dont's. I basically picked this blend purely out of a gamble to try a tinned tobacco (something new). I am still experimenting, so I haven't decided what type of tobacco I'm most partial to yet. Upon first opening the can, the tobacco smelled very sweet, a little bitter and very cherry, it was also very moist to touch, so I decided to put the lid back on it and let it dry for a bit. About a week later I went down to the man-cave (basement), where I usually smoke and decided to check the tin. The tobacco had dried considerably and the sweetness wasn't nearly as strong. The bitter cherry smell from before had subdued and now smelled a bit like baked cherry pie, very appetizing. I loaded up the Barontini Bulldog, using the 3 step method and lit up. 1st light was mostly all Va and I couldn't really detect the cherry or vanilla at all. 2nd light up and she was off and running. I detected more of the Va and maybe the burley, which faded quickly and as the smoke progressed, the cherry started coming through, but subtly and the pipe stayed lit with no problem. I never really got the vanilla I have read about on the other posts, but then again, my pallette is probably not as refined as other more experienced pipe smokers. It was a very good, mellow smoke. The cherry infusion was nice and subtle and the tobacco flavor was delicious. The nicotine hit was nice and the room note was quite pleasant. This blend didn't bite either, so I will be buying this tobacco again in the future.

Pipe Used: Cesare Barontini Bulldog

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Guillaume (15)	2014-12-21		Mild	Strong	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Although I am a big fan of BBF and Chocolate Flake, this one disappointed me a lot: the cherry flavour (even if non-smokers around me find it great) definitely tastes too chemical.

This is something I will not buy again.

Pipe Used: Butz-Choquin "Extra" and some clay pipes

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Aston's in Manchester

Similar Blends: Bubble-gum :-/.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	FlatCapMatt (59)	2013-02-05		Mild	Very Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable

I couldn't taste either vanilla or cherry. It was impossible to keep lit longer than a couple of minutes. This is the first tobacco that has ever irritated my nose and throat.

Room note is just smoke.

I only bought a 10g sample of this, for which I'm glad now. I'll retry it on another day, but I'm definitely not buying more of it.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	GrowingMyOwnFood (14)	2012-12-16		Mild	Medium to Strong	Medium	Pleasant

I got this tobacco as a recommendation from a tobacconist. I was extremely disappointed. Out of the tin, the tobacco is extremely wet, and the smell is strong and "synthetic" (artificial) in nature. It proved to be an impossible challenge to keep lit, so I stopped smoking it after a few attempts. I will try again in the future, just to give it another chance, but so far it's on the last place in my preference list.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-08-17		Mild	Strong	Very Mild	Very Strong

Upon opening the tin, the cherry scent is extremely strong. Besides being strong, the scent is also very chemical in my opinion.

This tobacco is somewhat wet when freshly opening the tin which makes it harder to pack. The amount of moist in it makes it hard to keep lit, requiring more relights than average.

The taste however is the opposite. Little to nothing of the overwhelming smell is left in the taste. Upon lighting this tobacco, without first smelling it, you wouldn't know it's a cherry aromatic.

Personally, this is the tobacco in my collection which I like the least. Due to my not liking it, I haven't smoked it very often, so my opinion might change later through the tin...

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pip'n'Piper (50)	2022-01-31		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Strong

I don't know if I got a bad tin of this stuff or what, I didn't get it from the store with the freshest stock, but I cannot recommend at this point. I may come back to edit this at some point if I try more, but until then this is the experience. It's a straight-forward blend of potpourri. I mean, when I first popped the tin, it smelled like the bowl of flakes in my grandmothers bathroom when I was a kid. It didn't seem dry or moist. It burned okay, but just had a musty dry bitter old quality and room-note. No berries or cherries and zero vanilla, just a taste of perfume. I threw it in a jar, left it for a year, came back to it, same thing. I gave it to my buddy who loves aromatics, particularly cherry and vanilla, to try with full disclosure. He smoked a bowl and just handed it back. It sat for another year and I opened it recently and it actually smelled a bit better, more plum and a very light vanilla wisp. I'll brave it for one more bowl at some point, maybe, and see. The room-note is particularly putrid and musty. Like I said not sure if it's just a bad tin, so take this review with a grain of salt, but if not then this is one of the worse tasting anything that I've smoked. I cannot recommend unless potpourri is your bag, in which case look no further.

Pipe Used: Cob

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Karam (59)	2021-09-24		Mild	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I love a load of Gawith house blends, i am a mostly non-aro smoker, but really consider some of the Kendall aromatics as a class of their own, sublime and unsurpassed.

Not this one.

The taste was chemical, acrid, cloying, and simultaneously bitter for me. Really did not like it at all, couldn’t finish a bowl.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Boatdock (36)	2021-01-08		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

A cherry tobacco blend of exceptionally high quality. That's what is is. Simple as that. There's really not anything more to say. That is all, folks.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	canvas (337)	2020-09-24		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

When the Samuel Gawith shipment comes in, you better scramble to the store before all the hungry shoppers gobble those tins up. I decided to try one I never had before, so if I like it, I could wait a year to reorder it (having sold out by the end of the day)!

First off, let me just say these rectangle tins suck at staying fresh. This was not the first time I've opened one without the seal holding... so cellar these things at your own risk. Secondly, this product contains nicotine, which is an addictive chemical! OK, I was just reading the label to be humorous. Onto the review...

The tin opened to a uniquely seasoned, sweet mix of flavorings, that hovered over the vanilla. I suppose it might of had some cherry/Kirsch thing going on, but way in the background, and thankfully nowhere near a syrupy ghost-laden cherry blend from the dime store. The spice was the really unique showcase, no longer the soapy/lavender Lakeland essence I was accustomed to, but more of the Oregano from the kitchen spice rack I found in their Hansom Flake. Really odd, yet enticing stuff.

The cut is finely shredded ribbon (dare I say shag), not terribly damp, and packs tightly, so be careful not to cut your air flow when packing. Once lit, the smoke glides through an array of tastes akin to the open tin vapors. The strength lies not with heavy nicotine, but from its flavor, which can be a bit much to be an all day smoker.

An interesting entry into the Aromatic category fans should attempt. It is certainly filled with toppings that deliver to your senses, yet is never a gag-worthy-strong sweet dessert.

Purchased From: tobaccopipes.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Old Shrink (21)	2019-01-21		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Samuel Gawaith: Celtic Talisman

Another high quality tobacco from the crafters @ SG. I have been a pipe smoker 40+ yrs. & enjoy both the English blends & quality Aros. This presents as a rather mild English Aromatic that is subtle & not similar to the inexpensive US versions. It is a bright VA, Burley & Cavandisch w/vanilla & a cherry Kirschwasser topping that is very sublime. I experienced a cool smoke & no bite w/mild Nic. I do enjoy the Samuel Gawaith crafters & this is a vintage blend w/a minimum of the Lakeland essences...however with enough variety/complexity to keep ones interest up. It is a contemplative smoke that pares well with a pot of hot Earl Grey tea. I recommend it highly! 3+ Stars.

Pipe Used: Briars: Dunhills, Ashton’s, Peterson

Age When Smoked: New to cellared

Purchased From: Edinburgh, Scotland; SmokingPipes.com

Similar Blends: Peterson’s: Connisseures Mix..

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Olgun Cengiz (4)	2018-09-10		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

First bowl: It had nice, earthy taste with nice room note. Lid easily, kept lid through the smoke. Nice after taste.

Midway through the can: Started to dry out. Became sourer and bitter. More tongue burns.

Last bowl: Was very dry, didn't taste well and burnt hot.

Pipe Used: Meerschaum, Briar, Corncob

Age When Smoked: 0 - 3 months

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jorge Soler (202)	2018-08-18		Medium	Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

This is a light aromatic tobacco that supposedly contains burley and virginia leaf, the latter being the main player. It is more complex than most of the aromatic tobaccos I have tried before, but not so much as to keep me amused. I only like English/Lakeland type aromatics, so I really don't know what to make of this tobacco. The room note is quite nice, actually, and it isn't bad as a summer blend, but I know this is not a tobacco I can be bother to buy. Also, don't ask me why, I was expecting some latakia leaf, but like I am saying this is mostly a virginia blend. The leaf seems to be really good quality, but I'd add a little bit more of burley, got rid of the topping, and probably the cavendish tobacco it contains. I can see why this tobacco is so popular with all of you aromatic lovers, but it is not my cup of tea.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stefanos (222)	2018-06-06		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Celtic Talisman is an agreeable Danish style aromatic (sweet pastry, vanilla, Christmas pudding etc.) with the addition of light cherry touch.

It is mild in strength and burns nicely with a few minutes of drying time. In the mouth it has some acridness in addition to the sweetness as most Danish style aromatics do and room note is quite nice for people who tolerate tobacco.

It is a nice aromatic, but nothing exceptional like say, Firedance which I find exquisite and would recommend even to people who do not smoke aromatics. Quite similar to 2013 Samuel Gawith special edition which does not have the cherry however but overall not quite as good. Recommended for smokers who enjoy Danish blends. 2.5 stars.

Similar Blends: 2013 Samuel Gawith Special Edition, Danish blends.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cynicomen (5)	2016-10-02		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Tin: Very dessert smelling, with a tart cherry smell, very much like Gawith's Black Cherry aromatic. The vanilla compliments it perfectly. One of the best tin notes out there.

Packing/lighting: Does not come too moist like most SG blends, so no need to dry this one out. As a result, it packs and lights easily. This blend also did not bite, which for aromatics is a very good thing.

Strength: This was a very pleasant surprise. Most aromatics are designed to be very mild, which isn't very satisfying to smoke. Some people describe these mild blends of tasting like "hot air". However, this has some body to it and the strength of a Virginia/Burley, but it is still an aromatic. As you get towards the bottom of the bowl you sometimes forget that you're smoking an aromatic.

Taste/Room note: This is one of the more flavourful aros out there, just don't expect to only taste cherry and vanilla. I would describe it as a medium taste, as its a lot richer than your average aromatic but the taste fades quickly, and doesn't linger on the palate. The topping is detectable and it is mild. It gives the blend a pleasant sweetness and it is not too sickly. The room note of course, is fantastic.

Final thoughts:

I had been looking for "that" aromatic for a while, and I think I've finally found it. According to a radio interview with Bob Gregory of Samuel Gawith, this blend was made by mistake. Well, what a brilliant mistake it was...

Overall, what you're essentially getting is a sweet/dessert like Virginia/Burley. Perfect. I would recommend this to fans of aromatics who want to try something a bit different and a bit stronger. On the other hand, I will also recommend this to non-aromatic smokers who are looking for an aromatic to satisfy the smoker as well as the people around them.

Like: Everything. This is an extremely satisfying blend and can easily be an everyday smoke for a daily pipe smoker.

Dislike: Nothing thus far!

Pipe Used: Erik Nording Freehand

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: mysmokingshop.co.uk

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	aksamolsa (20)	2016-01-26		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Another fine aromatic by Samuel Gawith. I am currently into Latakia but I almost felt sorry when the tin is empty. It is a good blend with nothing extreme or intense. Just rounded up for a general -in a good way- smoking experience.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Phils Galore (12)	2015-12-31		Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium	Pleasant

I purchased a tin of this four years ago and tried it in several briars. In every case I found the cherry flavour overpowering and artificial with no tobacco flavour; so I put the remaining tobacco into an Atlas pressure top jar and forgot about it. A couple of weeks ago I decided to give it one more chance. It has benefitted from the three years rest in what I now suspect was not a totally air tight container. The cherry flavouring has diminished and I can now taste the vanilla as well as the virginia and burley. Glad I didn't toss it out! It has a pleasant enough room note. Others have commented that this blend needs to dry out a bit. My experience seems to confirm this. If you like virginia/burley based aromatics , this may light your fire.

Pipe Used: various briars

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: Victory Cigars, Oshawa

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipesmoking101 (63)	2015-09-21		Mild to Medium	Strong	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

I received a generous sample of this as part of a swap with a friend. I cannot comment on the version straight from the tin, but the tobacco seemed to have been kept very well, so I cant imagine too many differences being present. I requested this sample in order to broaden my aromatic tastes.

The note of this tobacco from the pouch I received it in is absolutely heavenly. Sweet, rich, summery bright Cherry & Vanilla in perfect harmony. It smells just wonderful.

The cut is a ribbon-cut with the standard gamut of colours present in an aromatic, bits of Cavendish, Burley & Bright Virginias vying for attention in a pleasant-looking blend.

The moisture content of my sample was perfect. The tobacco packed easily & took the light like a dream. The burn was steady & only a couple of relights were required.

The taste is very, very nice. The Cherry is the dominant flavour at the beginning of the bowl, but the Vanilla builds as the bowl progresses, dominating in the last third of the bowl. The tobacco is definitely present, but an times is completely dominated by the toppings. This can burn hot if pushed, and if this happens, it can snap at the tongue, so caution should be exercised.

The room note is extremely pleasant, and the tobacco is mild/medium in nicotine (possibly more medium than mild - a plus for an aromatic to me).

I'm going to give it 3 stars, it's nice, and I've enjoyed it. I may obtain some for future consumption, but I'm not really a confirmed aro-man yet, so wish to broaden my tastes before I commit any cash (I have several other generous samples yet to comment on). The detrimental points were that the tobacco was occasionally smothered by the flavouring (as opposed to working with it) & it can bite. I may simply request it in future trades. An added bonus is that it didn't gloop up my pipe.

Pipe Used: Dr. Plum small billiard

Age When Smoked: New (I guess)

Purchased From: Friend

Similar Blends: Nothing else I have smoked.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gig (15)	2015-08-05		Mild	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I was looking for a cherry aromatic and I was fortunate enough to be able to acquire a sample and try this blend. The smell on opening the sample pack was a beautiful and rich strawberry/cherry and vanilla scent which I found very nice. At first I didn't know whether to smoke this blend or chew it, its smelled so inviting. I packed this blend into a medium bowl 314 Peterson System Standard pipe using the Frank method. Made the initiating light and was greeted with a very strong strawberry/cherry taste. Not unpleasant but very sweet. Tampered and lit again and it continued with the strong sweet taste till about a third of the bowl then it quieted down and the vanilla tones came out. Yes this blend definitely has a rich casing but the quality tobacco still came through. The sample tobacco in my opinion had the correct moisture level, just right and it smoked to a nice grey ash to the bottom without any goopiness. At no time did this blend smoke hot or in my opinion overpowering or boring but if you don't like heavier aromatics or cherry blends I wouldn't recommend it but if you do enjoy :)

Pipe Used: 314 Peterson System Standard

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipenick (28)	2015-05-15		Mild	Medium to Strong	Mild	Pleasant

Got the a tin as a gift.I don't smoke much aromatics but it's Gawith's blend and usually I like SG blends so when I got home I took my bent Falcon and filled a rustic Bulldog bowl with Celtic Talisman.After few puffs I got the cherry vanilla toping and it was just too sweet.Finished the bowl and next day filled a Savi's Hercules Bulldog and it was same result.Absolutely too aromatic to my taste. Gave the tin to a mate of mine who's in aro's and he loved it. The tin note-ok.The moist level okay as most of the times when we're talking about SG blends. To a person who'll love aromatics this might the choice..I don't know but as I said before mate of mine who's been smoking mostly aromatics had another thoughts about it.

Pipe Used: Falcon and Savinelli

Age When Smoked: Straight from the tin

Purchased From: from a fried

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	nekeke (19)	2014-04-19		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Opening the tin, smelled similar to Grousemoor, but not the same. Somewhat confusing smell. Lighting it up, great smell and just the perfect amount of aroma. One of the best aromatic tobaccos I have smoked. Much better, much tolerable than Grousemoor

Edit: I could not finish the tin. Far from perfect. Still too strongly aromatic for me. But still better than Grousemoor

Pipe Used: Vauen Ascot

Age When Smoked: new

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	meerschaum (8)	2014-01-29		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Very Pleasant

Blending artistry of the highest level. The blenders chose some top tobaccos to create this blend and then added some fantastically balanced cherry-vanilla flavors. All together I get a nice, smooth, smoke with the addition of a steady cream and cherry candy flavor which keeps me interested and never irritates my taste buds. This tobacco packs well, burns well and in my case needed no drying. It has a divine Room Note.

Pipe Used: Meerschaum and Rattrays

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	22yrsonthepipe (22)	2013-06-08		Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

The first SG I plan to buy again. Done how an aro should be done. What I mean is, you can actually taste the topping without straining and the tobacco underneath is full and of good quality. Doesnt seem to have the excessive PG/Humectant of other SG blends - but it's there. Does not taste of cherry or vanilla to me. It is unmistakeably raspberry. Very similar to Mac Barens 7 Seas red, another cherry-come-raspberry which I prefer slightly, as the 7 seas topping is just that little bit stronger and lasts all the way to the end of the bowl. The SG has slightly better tobacco but the MB has the slightly stronger flavor, so for an aromatic 7 seas wins by a hair. Would have preferred a flake. If only Firedance topping was done like this...

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	machinebcon (50)	2012-05-07		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Not sure what to write about this one. The tobaccos are classy, but the flavouring somehow doesn't fit my taste. From the first sniff on I compared this to fabric cleaner or washing powder, t does smell absolutely okay - but not for something you want to puff. Bronze-brown ribbon cut tobacco, very moist in the tin, packs a bit too compact, so it needs some drying. Not really "cherry" - it has a tin aroma that reminds me of fruit gums, or like Wrigley's Juicy Fruit. The smoke leaves a dry feel on the tongue - it actually dries out the complete mouth. The room aroma is okay. Taste and smell are quite far away from each other: it tastes bitter, and a bit like cheap booze. The smell is acceptable, though artificial. It provides enough Nic that you don't want to smoke another bowl for a while. It's not a full-flavoured mixture, but brings natural sweetness. I'm happy to finish the tin soon. Will not revisit this again. 2 of 5 stars. Not your typical aromatic.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Withnail (16)	2011-11-25		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I have been working my way through the SG range of blends and I have enjoyed most of those I have tried. This is no exception. There is a nice hint of cherry when you open the tin, but not enough to overpower the tobacco.

The hint of cherry carries over into the smoke when you light this tobacco. The taste of good quality tobacco, typical of all their blends, mixes very nicely with a gentle flavour of cherry and a hint of vanilla. The taste remains pretty much the same until you reach the end of the bowl, when it becomes slightly less aromatic and more tobacco flavours come through.

Not as strong as many aromatics, but I like that as it allows the tobacco to blend in with the flavour. I will certainly be keeping a tin on hand so I can enjoy this on a regular basis.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tee-dub (48)	2011-05-24		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Ever wonder what would happen if you blended a Gawith tobacco with some cherry and black cavendish? Well, you'd get this.

The tin note is chemical and awful, and might bring to mind children's cough syrup. This will cause you to lower your expectations, and if you lower them enough you might enjoy this.

It's a blend predominantly of Burley, I think, and cavendish. The taste of cherry is far more muted in the bowl and actually agreeable, taken for what it is. It tops a rather dry, nutty Burley taste unlikely to impress or offend. I wouldn't know there was any Vanilla in this if the tin description didn't say so, but I thought I tasted a whiff of vanilla halfway down the bowl.

Someone somewhere wrote that this tobacco reinvents the aromatic. I don't know quite what that means. I'll say this: I did actually taste a bit of cherry in it, and the tobacco had a touch of vitamin N as well. And it didn't bite. In those three ways, the tobacco pleasantly surprised me.

I didn't hate it. But it didn't convert me to aromatics.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	marosi (70)	2011-04-01		Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Medium	Pleasant

It is interesting to try to consider this in relation to other popular aromatics, like those from Dan Tobacco or Boswell. My own experience is that this really strikes a balance between the two, and goes to the top of the list as a result. It does not bite like Dan aromatics, for example, and it is not as heavily cased. On the other hand, it is a much more robust smoke than Boswell blends, and packs more of a tobacco and nicotine wallop. This strikes just the right chord to me. I respect Boswell products, but they are too light for my tastes. Many other aromatics are simply too hot with poor burning characteristics and questionable tobacco flavor to be enjoyable. That is not the case here.

The tobacco, as noted above, is a tasty blend of virginias with burley and cavendish. I find the mixture to be very balanced. It is not goopy in the least, and does not befoul your pipe. Others have noted the dominance of the burley. I am not sure I would go that far, but the virginias are definitely subdued, which gives this its cool burning characteristics. It is a rubbed out shag type cut in the tin, but I still rub it out a little more. If you are getting bit by this blend, you are not letting it dry out enough, and smoking too fast. It is very cool with no bite if dried properly and not puffed like a maniac.

The flavor is rich tobacco with an overtone of cherry. I can taste the virginias and cavendish, and plumes of smoke are produced. This can be a strong smoke. It is nothing like Gawith's stronger flakes, but it is also nothing like a truly mild blend. If you put it in a large bowl and smoke the whole thing in one shot, you are going to feel the nicotine. I like that, and that is often what I find missing from milder aromatic blends.

Not to sound like a broken record, but the smoking experience here is really dictated by the level of moisture when you light up. If you smoke it right out of your tin or at "storage level" you are not going to get the full, subtle flavor of the tobacco, and it is going to burn hot, and probably bite your tongue. If you let it dry to the touch, it lights more readily, burns very evenly, and will provide you with a rich, cool, and lasting smoke.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sinister Topiary (84)	2010-12-16		Mild	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I agree with fruktflugan's review below word-for-word. I'll only supplement it with three adjectives of my own: hot, harsh & chemical.

Maybe we got a bad batch, because it's difficult to believe SG would intentionally release a disaster like this.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sweetbriar (14)	2010-12-16		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

curiosity got me on this one. I dont do many aro's. fresh out of the tin, can bite a lil. taste of cherry and vanilla in harmony with the virginia. I will have to try some firedance now.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-10-19		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

The tin description above (as of 10/19/10) is of "Cherry", the Gawith web site mentions "a dash of sweet cherry and vanilla". I have submitted a correction. Anyway, summer here in Florida is thankfully over, the pollen and humidity are gone, the snow birds have arrived. And I can again appreciate a fine aromatic like Celtic Talisman.

Like all Gawith blends, the tobacco is top quality and the flavoring adds to the fine tobacco flavor. For me a once a month treat when I get a sweet tooth and am bored and tired of all the latika and perique.

The truly great quality of most Gawith blends is their ability to always have a fine tobacco flavor under a subtle added essence. Usually they only blend one or at most two flavors into their blends. While to some they may seem one dimensional, to those of use who enjoy the flavors they use, the taste is exactly what we wanted. In this case Cherry and light vanilla, but such a perfect cherry in a great tobacco tasting base.

The tin aroma is similar to Firedance with cherry instead of blackberry and brandy. Also, Firedance is a flake that smells much stronger and needs a few months to calm down, but is equally enjoyable when the need hits.

Uncle corncob will give you the details. I will only say again this is a blend for the discriminating palate, and not to be missed if cherry is what you want. To bad it bites if you are not careful.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	krg1000 (183)	2010-08-12		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I was a little leary about the cherry topping, since I had some previous bad experiences with such blends. I must say that this one smells of black cherry in the tin. This also translates to the aroma and taste as well. I must say that this blend has some great components along with just the right about of cherry topping to make this one of the best blends I have smoked thus far. This burns down to a nice ash at the bottom of the bowl. Upon opening the tin, it did seem rather moist, but didn't deter from this fine blend at all. It has virtually no gurgling associated with some of the more mudane OTC blends available here in America. It produces a nice amount of smoke. There is no tongue bite at all in this very fine blend. I would definitely recommend this to the new smoker as well as the long time piper looking for a change of pace from their normal rotation.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-05-17		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Bit hard on the tongue for an aromatic, this, but tastes lovely, and the cherry is nice and subtle. Quite moist in the tin, even after a few weeks, so needs leaving out for a while. Needed more relights than is usual for me, maybe because of the moisture.

1 person found this review helpful.

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	Loboatomy (41)	2009-11-30		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is quality tobacco. A wonderful experience to experience a cherry flavored tobacco done "right" by a master blender. A delightful amount of "blonde" virginia with some black cav interspersed in a form pillowlike tin pack of ready rubbed tobacco. Like another reviewer commented, the cut is perfect. It was a bit moist, but a few minutes of "on paper over the lightbulb" drying made its moisture level perfect.

Not strong at all, and with a bit of difficulty achieving a voluminous smoke, it did occasionally disappoint, but the flavor is there, and most importantly (and most often lacking in cherry blends), one could actually taste the cherry in the smoke, not just smell it.

No bite, even when puffing like a madman.

Quality leaf, and I'll be smoking more of this.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-10-29		Mild	Medium to Strong	Medium	Very Pleasant

This is in fact a very mild blend but it is still very tasty. Most impressively it tastes very similar to how it smells in the tin which is not very common among aromatics. Good work S.G. Definitely worth a try; go get some!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-03-22		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I bought it after my friend?s Desperado suggestion, and I don?t regret it at all. I opened it and smoked it in Karpenisi . Whether it was the nice surroundings, the clean air, or smoking my pipe was the only entertainment up there, I was forced to adore this smoke. I think highly of Samuel Gawith. It is a ready-rubbed tobacco that requires a drying process for a day or two. The cherry liqueur that comes off after the first lighting (there is a slight difficulty in this stage) is particularly nice and it lasts for quite a while before it changes places with Vanilla and Black Cavendish. It is generally a good smoke for the aromatic lovers.

Thank you Desperado.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ChevySpoons (7)	2009-01-18		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I was't sure what to expect from this tobacco. It was a bit of an impulse purchase--I was looking for something aromatic that I hadn't tried before, and the tobacconist suggested Celtic Talisman. So I tried it.

I must say, I was pleasantly surprised. It is a little wet when the tin is opened, but left to dry out for a bit, it packs nicely and takes a light easily.

As for the smoking, the topping is there, but not overpowering. There is enough tobacco flavour to satisfy, and the room aroma is agreeable to friends and family. The description of this as a "dessert tobacco" is apt, though I could see this as a nice "morning tobacco" as well. Recommended.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	jankoez (69)	2008-08-05		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

It is good and pleasant tobacco for almost every occasion. When tin is opened, it has rich and tempting aroma, but when smoked, its aroma is not to strong. Maybe it is not my favorite style - I like more stronger, spicier tobaccos - however, from time to time this blend is excellent change.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pseudo Nim (128)	2008-08-03		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Tried this a little while ago and bought several tins, thouroughly loved it, then suddenly, as if a switch had been thrown, went off it, I now have four tins sitting on the shelf gathering dust. Most likely there is nothing wrong with the tobacco, I'm sure it's just me, I was probably craving something sweet, and this was it, now craving over, back to the usual, whatever that is. I still have an open tin which I take the odd bowl from occassionaly, but still, a little on the sweet side for my palate at the moment, maybe in a few months time ?

If your looking for a a sweetish tobacco, thats mild and easy to smoke without being a cavendish and not quite a pure Virginia, this could be a good choice.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sylvian (28)	2008-05-04		Mild	Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Pleasant

It was interesting to see how SG would do a cherry aromatic. I must confess the result is quite a successful mixture, provided you hold nothing against cherry-flavored blends. It will not astound VA purists or latakia devotees, but they would not bother to buy if they read the tin description anyway.

For an aromatic smoker, Celtic Talisman might be a step towards the English-tinged aromatics (you might be at risk of ending up with Grousemoor though, so be warned..). It gives no tongue bite and the cherry flavor is really of the 'natural' kind compared to many other cherry blends, although it is still an additive. I could still smell cherries in the room I had smoked this in two days after.

I was recommended to try the Talisman for breaking in new pipes, a job which it did good. I found myself enjoying it from time to time for less practical reasons as well, as it's simply a nice fragrant smoke, good for the change of pace. Nothing extremely special, but worth 3 stars for its quality among other mixtures of the kind.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Anakin1981 (11)	2022-12-24		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

An excellent aromatic mix of Black Cavendish, Burley & Virginia with noticable notes of Cherry and Vanilla and one that gives a nice aroma to the room. I found it to be a bit moist out of the tin, but after a couple of days was much better to smoke, requiring less relights.

Overall I would say it's a very nice aromatic blend, that burns well and leaves you with a nice taste and all that in a nice price tag. If you're a fan of aromatics you should give it a try.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: Fresh from the tin

Purchased From: Tobacco store

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	smokethefox (11)	2022-03-25		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

What a lovely tobacco! The tin note is dominated by sweet Virginia and nutty Burley. The cherry and vanilla aroma are in the background, but present. The smoke itself is similar. Very pleasant, sweet and not dominated by the aromas. The Burly is a great second player to the Virginias. The black Cavendish adds more sweetness to the mixture. The cherry is present all the way down and the vanilla flavor gives creamy sweetness to it. The wetness is manageable and the baccy packs easily. Burns to ash and leaves no goo in your pipe. Thank you SG for another light aromatic all day smoke! The Fox recommends

Pipe Used: Design Berlin

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: etrafika.cz

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	FilipPruncu (85)	2021-01-30		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Very interesting blend! I’m not a fan of burley, and black cavendish isn’t a favorite either, but this has been blended well, and the casing/topping is just enough to give it a spark.

It presents itself with a lot of long ribbons of bright virginia, and only few black ribbons. Very good moisture, very easy to pack.

I didn’t detect much burley in this (and I’m happy for that) but a lot of virginia and black cavendish. The casing/topping I detected was fruity, it somehow reminded me a bit of Erinmore Mixture, but without the pineapple flavor. It was more fruite, flowery and indeed a bit of cherry, but not that heavy cherry topping you find in various blends.

Smokes very cool and doesn’t require many relights, doesn’t get hot or give any tongue bite.

Delivers a thick smoke and leaves a very nice white ash.

Not a fan of aromatics, but this is good!

Recommended!

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Megalo Al (38)	2020-11-18		Mild	Strong	Full	Tolerable

Di buono ha solo il nome. Una vera fetecchia, un pasticcio di gusti nauseanti e stucchevoli. Mai più. Davvero pessimo...non saprei che altro aggiungere e mi stupisco che sia un SG.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2020-08-02		Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I personally did not like this tobacco. Wishy washy sweet Hodge podge mix of chemical flavours. Quite sour at the bottom. It put me off Samuel gawith for a long time but st James plug is a masterpiece. I am not experienced with aromatics. So it could well be a good one.i shall not be buying anymore however.the room note is like josticks I used to disguise my smoking as a boy.

Pipe Used: Country gentleman corncob

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Online

Similar Blends: Other cherry flavours and josticks.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sangagor (77)	2020-08-01		Mild	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Unnoticeable

Little bit overwhelmed aroma of fresh tobacco with some kind of fruits. For me similar with Water tobacco of Four Elements from Sam Gawith and Stanislaw. Fruity aroma was stable all time during smoke but not overpower VA taste. No moisture but few relights was needed. Overall not bad smoke but very flat. I expected more... well more.

Pipe Used: BPK, cob

Age When Smoked: 1year

Purchased From: etrafika.cz

Similar Blends: Mostex - Stanislaw Water Mixture (4Elements).

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	Trubokur (1)	2020-06-29		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Big disappointment for me. Was expecting anything but taste is almost same as Sir Henrys Duke but the price tag is more than double. I pay the hefty price for SG Balkan Flake but this is like any decent aromatic which is available in Germany from 5 to 10 euros.

Pipe Used: Briar

Age When Smoked: fresh from tin

Purchased From: Local tobacco shop Mainz

Similar Blends: Sir Henry Duke ( by Ermuri ).

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	Emeritus Account (30125)	2019-03-06		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Another catch-up review from my notes in 2009 when I first tried this. Back then, SG & GH blends were readily available most all the time. I've since rejoined TRs under a different handle but here's my take on Celtic Talisman: This is about as fine a cherry blend tobacco as any on the market with a better price tag than most. Tin aroma is very prevalent & appealing.

The tin is packed full of loose tobacco and mine arrived fairly moist. I dried a bowlful out for about 25 minutes and stuffed it in me wee Peterson #317. It smoked cool with no tongue/palate discomfort. The marriage of sweet Virginia with the tasty cherry casing compliment each other.

CT seemed to have a bit more Vitamin N than most aromatics. This is a pretty darn good cherry blend and I thought the price was right...$6.48 per 50 gram tin. If one likes a cherry blend, they might be well advised to give this a try. I was satisfied with CT and don't have anything negative to say about it.

Pipe Used: Wee Pete 317

Age When Smoked: Fresh Tin

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2018-12-28		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Another catch-up review from 2009 when I first tried this. Back then, GH blends were readily available most all the time. I've since rejoined TRs under a different handle but here's my take on Celtic Talisman: This is about as fine a cherry blend tobacco as any on the market with a better price tag than most. Tin aroma is very prevalent & appealing. The tin is packed full of loose tobacco and mine arrived fairly moist. I dried a bowlful out for about 25 minutes and stuffed it in me wee Peterson #317. It smoked cool with no tongue/palate discomfort. The marriage of sweet Virginia with the tasty cherry casing compliment each other.

CT seemed to have a bit more Vitamin N than most aromatics. This is a pretty darn good cherry blend and I thought the price was right...$6.48 per 50 gram tin. If one likes a cherry blend, they might be well advised to give this a try. I was satisfied with CT and don't have anything negative to say about it.

Pipe Used: Peterson System 317

Age When Smoked: Fresh Tin

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2016-01-15		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

I hate to contradict Dr. Scott, but Bob Gregory of Samuel Gawith pronounced it with a hard C like (K)eltic about 10 times in his radio interview, so I guess I'll take the Managing Director of the manufacturer over some Yank on the internet. Ep. 156 of the Pipes Magazine radio show if you want to hear it yourself (ﾉ＾◡＾)ﾉ︵ ┻━┻

As to the blend itself, it's a moderately sauced cherry cavendish flavored blend with good Virginia undertones and a smooth Burley backbone. The flavor is evident but not overwhelming, the aroma is excellent, and the strength is really good for an aromatic thanks to the Burley.

It comes fairly dry in the tin and burns down with no relights, so I never feel like I've got to mind it too closely.

This is one of those aromatics that stays in my rotation for when I want a little more strength without sacrificing the room note. Avoid this if you're expecting Boswell, it really doesn't fit in the same category.

Pipe Used: basket pipe

Age When Smoked: freshies!

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2013-05-27		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The tin smells like dried sunny fruits with sugar. The tobacco is cut thicker and somewhat longer than your usual ribbon (Peterson tobaccos for example).

The room note is certainly sweet and non smokers will like it.

But I really cannot detect any specific cherry or vanilla aroma. There is certainly some sweet flavours, but what I really enjoyed in this tobacco, is its Virginias and Burleys tastes. This is top notch good quality pipe tobacco. Just not what I had expected.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2013-04-11		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

This mixture delivers a satisfying smoke that tastes (also) like tobacco, has a good strength (the vitamin N level, of course), burns drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry all the way down and leaves me wanting more. The topping is well conceived and is most interesting when smoking the tobacco. I like Celtic Talisman and will be buying more.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2013-01-08		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Different tin aroma,Not very flavorful, I will finish the tin.Maybe purchase again in the future.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2012-11-30		Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium	Pleasant

The different tobaccos are easily distinguishable in the tin – very pale coloured Virginia and brown Burley in equal proportions, with about 10% Black Cavendish. The tobacco is moist from the tin with a very sweet cherry, tangy apricot and sugary nougat aroma. Aired out and the tobacco develops a whisky-like aroma.

The tobacco packs very well and tastes wonderful from the first light. The cherry is more noticeable at first but develops into a creamy more vanilla-flavoured smoke. It burns slowly and remains a pleasant cool sweet smoke right down to the end of the bowl. Sipping slowly will pick up more of the cherry tones but I like to occasionally take big mouthfuls to enjoy the vanilla flavour and nuttiness of the Burley. It is medium bodied and will satisfy those looking for a little strength and nicotine. The flavouring is well-balanced and does not overpower the natural tobacco taste. Overall, an excellent aromatic built from quality tobacco.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2011-11-10		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Not being a big aromatic fan to begin with, this blend was a little uneventful. The tin note was a little strong upon opening it but its strength dissipated within a few minutes. I dried the tobacco out a little as it was rather moist right out of the tin and loaded a mid sized bowl. It had a decent cherry and fruity note but nothing to over the top and it burned rather hot. The flavor was consistent throughout the bowl which was nice but it lacked an overall “WOW”. I can't say I would purchase this blend again!

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-05-17		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

While this was a very good tobacco, I've lost a taste for it. I might get made fun of, but I find the cherry flavoring to be too subtle for my tastes. The strength knocks me back a bit, but that's because I'm used to weak aromatics.

I will continue my search for a cherry aromatic that jumps out more. Nonetheless, this is a very good blend and I recommend getting a tin.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-03-14		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

This and Dan Tobacco's Blue Note are my favorite aros. I will probably be shunned for even suggesting such a thing (called a Philistine, lacking in taste and discernment, etc.), but I find the two to be extremely similar in tobacco flavor, body, and strength, the only major difference being the casing. Celtic Talisman has a delicious cherry flavor, which I took to immediately. My wife does not like the smell of anything I smoke, but responded somewhat favorably to this one. It does not taste medicinal or phenolic the way most cherry flavorings do, and in my opinion balances perfectly with the leaf, which, by the way, is of the highest quality, as one would expect from Samuel Gawith. This lights and burns beautifully. I don't have any issues with goop in the pipe, and this stuff does not bite. It is a gentle, and I daresay even sexy, smoke. Great for after dinner. I give it four stars. If this seems excessive, consider how hard it is to find aromatics with such nice, rich tobacco flavor. I think that's worth an extra star in itself.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-02-12		Very Mild	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

A nice mild tobacco with a subtle cherry flavour. This blend, thankfully, is lacking the overly artificial cherry topping that some other blends load on. Packs, lights and burns really well but may need a ten minute dry off before hand.

A tobacco that is great if you smoke it right and still good if you happen to puff too hard or fast. Plus it won't bite you like the shark hiding in other 'cheaper' aromatics will.

A nicely balanced smoke that is a great addition to any collection and I would recommend to the more experienced smoker and beginner alike.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-11-12		Mild	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Finally a cherry tobacco I like. I smoke Aro's about 70-75% of the time and have never found a cherry I could grant more than 2 stars to.

Very pleasant from the tin and the roomnote gets compliments. If anything this was a little dry from the tin. The cherry is not overdone and stays through 3/4's of the bowl. I don't taste a lot of chemical flavor that I find in most other cherries. Nice gray ash that comes out cleanly and no goop.

It's a happy aromatic that's mild and enjoyable enough to be a everyday light-up

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-10-03		Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

This is about as fine a cherry blend tobacco as any on the market with a better price tag than most. Tin aroma is very prevalent & appealing. The tin is packed full of loose tobacco and mine arrived fairly moist. I dried a bowlfull out for about 25 minutes and stuffed it in me wee Peterson #317. It smoked cool with no tongue/palate discomfort. The marriage of sweet Virginia with the tasty cherry casing compliment each other. CT seemed to have a bit more Vitamin N than most aromatics. This is a pretty darn good cherry blend and I thought the price was right...$6.48 per 50 gram tin. If one likes a cherry blend, they might be well advised to give this a try. I was satisfied with CT and don't have anything negative to say about it. Therefore, IMHO, Celtic Talisman merits four **s!

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-05-03		Mild to Medium	Strong	Medium	Very Pleasant

When you first open a tin of Celtic Talisman you are knocked over by the amazingly sweet, even sickly cherry and vanilla flavours. It's a little moist and sticky at first and I strongly recommend transferring it from the tin to another container before smoking. Once it's aired a little and the flavours mellow it becomes a joy every time to open it. Even the colours are attractive, with the bright Virginias jumping out alongside the darker Burley and Black Cavendish.

The tobacco packs well and is a dream to light. It burns slowly and can often be smoked right down to the bottom without relights. The first light reveals the cherry flavours, which develop into a creamy and more vanilla flavoured smoke. A third of the way down the bowl and you get a satisfying sweet smoke which makes me think of toasted marshmallows, but the cherry and vanilla is ever-present and the cherry is certainly noticeably in the room note which everybody seems to enjoy. The sweetness does not overpower the natural flavours of the tobacco, although I didn't really feel the presence of the Virginias. It burns cool, smooth and with some body so that it's a pleasure to just fill your mouth with a large volume of smoke and enjoy the flavours.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2008-10-14		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a very nice aromatic!One of the few imports I keep a healthy stock of.The taste seems full and slightly dark but in a nice way,not bitter at all.The tobaccos are nicely nut and this aromatic features a cherry liquer that's very unique from other cherry flavored aromatics-has a luxurious flavor to it.With a name like Celtic Talisman,it's tend to throw people off with the name don't be fooled though..goes nicely for a dessert tobacco.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2008-08-27		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Full	Strong

i am working through sam gawith's i have tried a few and i have just opened a tin of this and what a beutifull smell it was a bit damp so i said to my wife ill let it sit for 10 mins no could not wait i had to try it what a great smoke no tounge bite stayed cool to the end of the bowl thats it the cigs are out of the window not what i think is an all day smoke but a good start to the day

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2008-08-16		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is one of the best quality aromtic tobaccos I ever smoked. This is quality stuff. A mild blend, delicious taste!

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2008-08-05		Medium	Medium	Medium	Strong

This is the first Gawith tobacco that I tried and I like this one. As you open the can of this tobacco you can smell cherries and it is moist. It takes a few times to light it. The room then fills up with cherry smell. This tobacco can bite a little if you are not careful! Once lit you can taste sweetness and a slight cherry flavor. I like this blend! The next one I am going to try from Gawith is the full virgina flake so stay tuned for that review!

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2008-08-05		Medium	Strong	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

This review is of 50g. tin of Samuel Gawith's "Celtic Talisman". Years ago I did smoke aromatic tobaccos and thought I'd pick up another one to try when my girlfriend, family or friends are around. I initially thought it would be good for nights around the campfire or on the deck when others would be smelling the smoke, now I'm smoking it for me.

Description: "Aromatic Mixture"

Appearance: Tobacco in tin is very moist upon opening and needs to breathe 2-3 days to smoke well. Ribbon cut light brown, medium and deep brown.

Aroma: Pop the tin and you're nearly floored with the smell of a very nice sweet cherry liqueur. I don't believe this is a casing it smells like a generous amount of liqueur. When the tobacco airs out this smell fades and does not dominate the smoking experience. You can also smell the Cavendish and a nutty vanilla.

Packing: Packs well, burns best packed a little loose.

Lighting: Burn consistently, no or few relights when let to air out 2-3 days.

Taste: A potpourri of taste sensations, full aromatic flavor.

My Impressions: While I really enjoy this tobacco I found straight out of the tin it was too strong an aromatic taste to smoke a whole bowlful. I have since started cutting this with 2 parts Prince Albert and have found a smoke I can really enjoy. By blending Celtic Talisman with Prince Albert I still have a wonderful aromatic room note and toned down the blast of aromatic flavor to a very enjoyable smoking experience. The side benefit is that a 50 g. tin with last much longer this way. I really enjoy this tobacco and feel it deserves 4 stars but since I find it too strong a flavor right out of the tin I am knocking it down to 3 stars.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2008-08-03		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

My least favorite of SG aromatics. It has that lakeland smell like a candle and tastes as such. It was their for my craving and now it tastes like incense.

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