Tobaccos Samuel Gawith - B.S. Flake (Brown Sugar Flake)

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3048)	2015-04-23		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Original review, 4-23-2015: This flake has a pinch of earthy, woody, nutty sweet burley, and woody, earthy, slightly spicy, dry, floral Oriental. I don’t know how much a “pinch” is, but I get minor amounts of both in most every puff, which is likely caused by how the flakes are processed. The cavendish offers a honey note. The Virginia reminds me of a sweeter Medium Virginia Flake: a little grassy, fairly woody, fermented dark fruity and earthy, with mild tart and tangy citrus and minor spice notes. The hot pressing of the tobacco, and a little brown sugar topping adds to the sweetness. The nic-hit is just short of the center of mild to medium. Medium in strength and taste, this is a tad richer than Best Brown Flake, and is sort of like a sweeter, smoother, creamier, slightly less earthier Full Virginia Flake with the same level of nicotine and tanginess and more nuanced variety of flavors. Needs some dry time, but will burn slow with a very consistent taste and a very pleasing, lightly lingering after taste. Requires a few relights, and leaves just a little dampness in the bowl. Can be an all day smoke. Four stars.

Update 4-20-2023: The new production is fairly similar to the first production, which I reviewed in 2015. The differences are that the Virginia is about a notch and a half less deep, which allows the Oriental to be almost a step more prominent. The dark fruit is a tad less obvious, and the burley is a touch more so than before. It isn’t richer than Best Brown anymore, but it’s not far behind it. This is an observation, and not a complaint. The Virginia still reminds me a bit of Golden Glow (formerly Medium Virginia Flake). Some people have complained about the very slow burn rate and constant relights. For this update, I did not dry it as per my custom though your mileage may very on this point. I cube cut the flakes with my fingers, packed very loosely, and puffed at a moderate rate. That cut down the relights a bit. It does burn a notch or two slower than the original version. All other aspects of my original review remain the same. Even with the differences, this is still a four star blend.

-JimInks

58 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2081)	2015-06-03		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Sam Gawith/Danish Pipe Shop - Brown Sugar Flake.

I can't put into words my excitement when I found out my favourite tobacco brand and this awesome store had united to create a blend together! When I opened the tin I was greeted by some rather dark flakes that were about half an inch shorter than the tin stacked in two rows. I also note that The Danish Pipe Shop haven't eradicated the usual Sam G' issue, it's far too moist! In fact, if you try to prepare it prior to letting the water abate it actually feels a bit sticky! The aroma from the tin is rich indeed. I find it slightly sweet, a little grassy with a woodsy note being the most prominent smell. The extra drying is a slight pain however once lit it becomes MORE than worth it.

The flavour? Mmmmmmm! Again, like the aroma, it's quite complex. The Cavendish gives its sweetness in a very delicate fashion, so gentle I wouldn't describe the taste as candied in any way. I find the Burley easy to pick out, giving a good nutty quality to the smoke. The Orientals/Turkish give a noticeable spiciness to the mix and really liven it up with some character almost like there is a pinch of Perique in there. The Virginia appears to be the basis of the smoke, giving it substance and a hay like dominance. I have smoked this both ways, rubbed out or folded/stuffed and the difference I notice is either way there is a lemon type of freshness however if I use the latter this becomes stronger. The burn is steady and even, giving a mid temperature smoke. I get no bite from this, not even if I really suck hard. Nicotine is very much in the middle, the sort of strength to suit most kinds of pipers. At the end of a pipe there is hardly any dottle in the bowl, all that remains is mainly light grey ash.

I said at the start how excited I was to smoke this and it's properly lived up to my expectations. Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Peder Jeppesen

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: The Danish Pipe Shop

31 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2016-02-24		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

Okay, we're still unanimous on this one - a 4-star rating; but only because there isn't a No. 10 button on this site. Holy smokes! This might just be the best combination of full strength with richness in a Virginia based blend that my tongue has ever been blessed to bathe in. I loved the strength (probably helped along by the Burley), and even some sweetly spicy Orientals played peek-a-boo with my palate.

To the individual who gifted me this tin; may God bless you, pardner!

Pipestud

29 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Uruss (10)	2015-03-26		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Very Pleasant

What an amazing VA flake! the first thing I noticed, apart from the great tin note, was that for a SG blend, this is only half as moist as all the other Gawith Flakes out there. it still required a little bit of drying time but it sure beats having to plan your smoke around how long a flake will dry - looking at you, FvF :(

The cavendish (in the English sense, not the American goopy aro cavendish we're used to) really cools the VA down and adds a really nice smooth character. There was no bite at all.

Flavor-wise: I thought it was somewhat similar to Germain's Brown Flake, at least similar enough that I could reach for either or if I'm craving a great VA flake and be perfectly happy.

Rubbing the flake out is similar to how Stonehaven rubs out; it's not as easy as some but it's not a hassle either and it burned all the way down to a powdery ash.

my initial knee-jerk reaction is: this is the best VA flake that Gawith has put out so far and I absolutely can't wait to see what SG and the Danish Pipe shop comes up with next!

Pipe Used: Eltang Cutty

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: The Danish Pipe Shop

Similar Blends: Germain's Brown Flake. supposedly made to recreate the old Orlik Brown Sliced., J. F. Germain & Son - Germain's Brown Flake, Orlik Tobacco Company A/S - Brown Sliced.

20 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipeologist (27)	2015-08-16		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is yummy! Bought 5 tins from the Danish pipe shop in Copenhagen.A little pricey,but,to me ,worth every Kroner.Very easy to break and crumble.Packs beautifully. A lovely tobacco that gives great pleasure from start to finish.Absolutely no bite whatsoever. Creamy,rich and yes,sugary.Have my mind set on another 5 tins.

Pipe Used: Savinelli

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Danish pipe shop

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SteelCowboy (685)	2016-06-09		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

I waited for Brown Sugar Flake with great anticipation! I like the taste of this blend and it does offer a nice brown sugar flavor. I won’t get into the already well covered nuances of this blend, but will say that the reason it loses a star for me is that it can very easily burn hot. I have a pipe in my mouth most of the day and seldom get bit. While this didn’t bite me, the heat level made it less interesting over time. I have smoked it in different bowl sizes with different cadences, and at different moisture levels and yet the heat remained. As I said, the flavor of BSF is tasty, more tasty and complex than Best Brown (which I love), but I found myself less interested in this as a regular smoke while into my second tin after the constant battling the heat offered up by this blend.

UPDATE: I do want to mention that now after multiple tins, that the flakes are quite different from tin to tin. My first tin had just 5 or 6 very thick long flakes, much too thick to fold and stuff, while others had flakes similar to St James or Best Brown.

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr Brown (4)	2015-03-16		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Hi there , this is a fresh new blend from Samuel Gawith and in coperation with the little great world wide known tobacco store in Copenhagen The Danish Pipe Shop. It´s an beautiful tin to look at and inside it smells wonderful of dark brown perfectly cut flakes. Before smoking you need to air dry the tobacco because like every lake district tobacco it´s fresh and a little bit wet. When that´s done you will meet a deep little earhty taste of high quality hot pressed blended virginia and quite a bit of burley spice with little sweet cavedish and oriental turkish. It smoke cool and slow and it´s a very well balance blend with excellent body and taste. Not as strong as Orlik brown sliced but just as tasteful. I have to say that this blend certainly will stay in my every day sortiment.A high quality new blend at the market just as good indoors as outdoors , in the forest on the moutain you name it even on the sea if you manage to fire it up. This tobacco is an must try for every Samuel Gawith fan and every others who love slow burning cool smoking a´la Lake district of Cumbria.

Pipe Used: Savinelli , Brebbia

Age When Smoked: 2015

Purchased From: The Danish Pipe Shop,Copenhagen

Similar Blends: The late Orlik Brown Sliced , St Bruno , Peterson Irish Flake , My Own Blend D2771 and Samuel Gawith Best Brown..

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2016-06-14		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

StevieB sent me a tin of this in a trade before it was being sold in the US and I'm just getting around to it. Thanks for going to the trouble, Steve.

I first smoked this in a briar and found that it was just a little too grassy in the first half for my taste. In the second half I got more of the Burley and Oriental and it was more to my liking. In fact, I liked it a lot. The sweetness was perfect right from the start. Just the right amount and it leaves a very nice sweet aftertaste in your mouth.

The cob came next and it knocked my socks off. Near perfect balance from the first puff on, Every component readily identifiable and in sync. I find the Burley and Virginias up front giving nuts, grass/hay, and citrus with the Orientals, a minor but important player, providing a little sour spice. The Cavendish adds it's wonderful sweetness. A lovely smoke. If you haven't tried this in a cob, I highly recommend it.

Medium in body and taste. I believe there is a little added sweetness which is very mild. Burns very well dried and rubbed. A great tasting flake.

Pipe Used: Chacom cutty, MM Little Devil Acorn

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: acquired in trade (Thanks Steve)

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Briar Baron (12)	2015-04-23		Medium	Extremely Mild	Full	Pleasant

Some of my favourite tobaccos are from Samuel Gawith, Full Virginia Flake and Best Brown Flake especially, so when this new offering became available, I had to try it. Wow, this is truly a wonderful creation from the collaboration between SG and the Danish Pipe Shop!

Full, delicious and sweet taste, yes brown sugar nuances for sure. Only requires about 30 minutes drying and then burns nice and slow with minimal relights. This looks like being promoted straight to the top of my favourites! Highly recommend to new and more experienced smokers.

Pipe Used: Ardor, Ferndown, Dunhill

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: The Danish Pipe Shop

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Big Train (118)	2016-06-03		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

I waited for this one to be delivered with avid anticipation. Upon opening I found very little tin note but was happy that it was not as moist as most Gawith offerings . My first bowl was straight . I believe that this blend begins with Full Virginia Flake and adds orientals , Cavendish and some brown sugar . It is very common for the large producers to make only a few stock blends and then offer variations on the theme . I believe this is the case here . If so , they need to realize that you cannot improve of FVF. What happens in this blend is that the excellent Virginia taste gets lost in the orientals and the Cavendish doesn't do much to help . I must say that it was a decent smoke . The second smoke I cut the SG with some Sutlif Va. slice which made it easier to lite and burn. This provided a complex smoke that improved as it progressed down the bowl . This is not a sweet tobacco nor does it hit the fine notes of the excellent Virginia it starts with . It is , however , worth smoking as a variation on a theme . Samuel gawith is always a really high grade well presented tobacco and this is no different . It is worth having in the cellar as a change of pace smoke . REVISED 6/18/16 Well guys , I reviewed too soon and was wrong. This is a tobacco that needs to be dried much more . The sweetness of the tobacco comes with patience . It becomes more complex later in the bowl . I could really taste the brown sugar , or so I thought . I was wrong about the base too , it is not FVF . This seems to be a totally new and unique tobacco , albeit one that takes a little getting used to . Why was I foolish enough to expect less than a great job from Sammy G ?

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Roger Xavierq (34)	2015-07-28		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I love this stuff! My only regret is that I only bought one tin to try it out. The flakes are of a beautiful brown and they look yummy. You can smell the brown sugar scent coming from the tin. Ah, the good part. After considerable drying time, the charring light, and about an hour to mellow, the first flavor I get upon lighting is that hay-like flavor and the nutty from the Burley. The grassy, vegetal taste (green for lack of a better term) takes a back burner. There is a brown sugar sweetness in the background that harmonizes with the hay-like flavor and comes to dominate the smoke as the bowl progresses. The Cavendish gives you a little sweetness, but not too much. Everything here is very well balanced. My preferred method of packing is to wait until it gets fairly dry and break it up into little pieces akin to a cube cut. Load, pack lightly, and toss some of the 'dust' from the tin on top to light. This yield a slow-burning, exceptionally flavorful smoke. No matter how much I heat this up, I get no bite despite an increase in the spice flavors. This one also stays pretty flavorful when smoked quickly.

Room note: Girlfriend approval achieved!

Pipe Used: Dunhill Cumberland

Age When Smoked: 2015

Purchased From: Danish Pipe Shop

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Berzerker (28)	2015-07-16		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is probably the best pipe tobacco I have ever smoked (I've tried about 40-50 different blends I guess). There are certain prerequisite qualities that I find should be present in a blend in order for it to be considered worthy of continued interest. It should pack and light easily and stay lit without too many relights, it should handle being smoked at a reasonably fast pace without burning hot and wet; and of course it should taste good. Admittedly, Brown Sugar takes a bit to rub out but compared to FVF or St James Flake it's fairly easy. It packs well and although it takes a bit to get lit there is mostly no constant relighting required throughout the smoke (depending on how you pack and smoke it}. However, it is nowhere near as easy to keep lit compared to other blends like say Capstan or Fribourg & Treyer vintage. Brown Sugar will not bite your tongue or burn hot. If you smoke it too fast it will though become a bit moist halfway through the bowl, this doesn't really affect the quality taste but I would suggest is probably not good for the back of your throat. On that note, Brown Sugar is way too moist in the tin and it's best to let it dry overnight first by leaving the lid off the tin, it would seem all SG blends are packed to that same moisture level. Letting it dry completely will not affect the taste one bit. The taste is complex, extremely satisfying and with nuances which exceed SG Best Brown and FVF. Brown Sugar is the result of a collaboration between the Danish Pipe Shop and Sam Gawith, the aim of which was to recreate Orlik Brown yet with more body. They have most certainly achieved that aim. SG Brown Sugar tastes smoother than their own Best Brown, it's creamier, more rounded and with a spicy edge which sets it apart and elevates it to one of the best non aromatic pipe tobacco blends out there (well a least in my humble opinion). Despite the pain of having to dry it, the expensive price and extra effort keeping it lit, this tobacco is well worth it. There is no doubt in my mind other pipe smokers will discover this blend and that it'll become a sought after classic similar to other famous bench mark blends like Orlik Golden Slice, Rattray's Old Gowrie and Escudo Deluxe Rolls. I smoked six bowls of this today while reading a book, I never got tired of it, on the contrary. I give Brown Sugar four solid stars and highly recommend it. It is only available from the Danish Pipe Shop in Copenhagen.

Purchased From: Danish Pipe Shop

Similar Blends: Sam Gawith Best Brown is probably the closest match..

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mawnan Smiff (28)	2017-01-11		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Brown Sugar Flake is the first blend that is a result of a collaboration twixt famous Kendal tobacco manufacturer Samuel Gawith and the Danish Pipe Shop of Copenhagen. Their second blend, Beginner's Luck was released recently.

Opening the 50g tin one is presented with a single row of deep brown flakes with the occasional bright fleck here and there. The tin note is of musky fermented fruit with a hint or two of spiciness.

My preference for preparing flakes is to rub them out but not too much. I do this a whole tin at a time on a copper tray then pop the lot into a bail top jar from which I decant from, usually several bowls worth at a time, on to a dish to get some air to it and this blend most definitely needs some drying!

I have found this like many other flakes smokes best when pretty dry. Not biscuit dry but drier than you might initially think. I have just loaded up my new Blakemar bent bulldog with tobacco I let air overnight and it still took a couple of char lights to get going.

Immediately one gets the flavour of the Virginia tobacco which is the main constituent and slowly the other tobaccos become apparent, each with their own distinctive flavours. I find this quite a complex blend with rarely two smokes being the same. There is plenty of sweetness in here courtesy of the Cavendish component but also a fair bit of spiciness provided by the Orientals.

Just occasionally, and I do mean occasionally, I have tasted the merest whisper of Latakia in the mix! I actually don't like Latakia but whatever quantity there is in BSF it certainly is not off putting, indeed I doubt it would be the tobacco it is if it were to be omitted. This blend was put together by someone who certainly knows his onions regarding tobacco blending.

Never once has BSF bitten me, it has always given me a smooth almost creamy smoke with what to me is a medium hit of nicotine. Tastewise I would say it is pretty strong, not in a negative way but due to the many flavours that can be discerned, and the flavours last the entire smoke without getting bitter towards the end.

Though my preference is to rub out flakes I have recently been experimenting with cube cutting. I cube cut some BSF a couple of days ago and smoked it in a Blakemar large calabash and got just over two hours smoking out of it. The flavours were slightly intensified as I expected they would be. I can only wonder what a plug version of BSF would be like!

All in all a good solid 9/10 for this gorgeous smoking mixture. Every time I buy a tin for topping up my jar I also buy another for 'saving' should internet tobacco selling become a thing of the past. For those who fear the infamous 'Lakeland Perfume' fear not, of the countless tins of BSF I have smoked, never once did I detect it. Highly recommend.

Pipe Used: Blakemar bent bulldog & large calabash.

Age When Smoked: Fresh.

Purchased From: Mysmokingshop.com

Similar Blends: FVF but with a more sophisticated depth of flavours..

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	gladi8tor96 (143)	2016-03-03		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

I was very excited to try this tobacco. I'd seen a lot of reviews of it via YouTube. I ordered a tin from the Danish Pipe Shop.

When I received the tin I quickly opened it. The smell was crazy, like no other tobacco I've smelled before. Strong hints of dark fermented sour fruit with hints of hay, earthy, and twinges of sweetness and cigar-like flavors.

The flakes were unbelievably wet. I left the tin completely open in a desk drawer for three days. Some of the flakes were still totally wet.

The flakes I had dried sufficiently I was able to easily fold into my pipe or rubout into a decent 'crumble-cake'-like mixture. Lighting this stuff does take a bit, unless you rub the flakes out completely before loading. That seems to work a bit better.

The smoke is very flavorful. It is rich and creamy and tastes like a mild cigar, at least during initial lighting, with some dark Va's mixed in. I say mild cigar, but that doesn't describe the depth of the flavor. This is very rich in tobacco flavor and reminds me of FVF, but less sweet and more robust and well rounded. A bit of spice comes to visit now and again along with some hay notes and sometimes incense, or floral, like tones. The room-note was a suprisingly light and sweet smelling. This tobacco has a definite kick and you will get a tickle in the back of your throat while smoking and in your nose when retrohaling. I really enjoyed it and the more I have smoked it, the more that seems to be the case. The complexity comes out with sipping. This is a fantastic tobacco that needs a chance for one to get to know. Well worth your time.

Pipe Used: El Dagner

Age When Smoked: New from store - 1-3 months

Purchased From: Danish Pipe Shop

Similar Blends: Samuel Gawith - Full Virginia Flake.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	AH (1)	2015-03-20		Medium	None Detected	Full	Very Pleasant

Presentation and tin aroma:

Fairly dark flakes of the typical, slightly uneven (charmingly old school) SG cut. Dominated by dark streaks of brown but has a few lighter and even reddish ones here and there. The flakes are a bit on the moist side, but 20-25 minutes of breathing (rubbed out) should do the trick. The tin aroma is wonderful and all natural; clear and slightly sour notes of dark Virginia, an obvious hint of sweet, unflavoured Cavendish, and then something else, something quite meaty, which could be the Burley playing tag with the Oriental in the background. The name, Brown Sugar Flake, is appropriate as the sum of the parts actually do remind me a bit of the smell of brown sugar.

Lighting and first half of the bowl:

Lighting the tobacco is surprisingly easy, just a couple of matches provides a nice and steady burn (if rubbed out and aired a bit). The first impression is of Virginia of high quality. There’s a distant sour note to it but the sweetness is definitely in the driver’s seat. And what a delicious sweetness it is. Deep, round, and sugary - again the blend’s name makes perfect sense. Of course, the Cavendish has something to do with the sweetness too, but the taste is all Virginia in this part of the bowl: stoved fruits and ripe red berries is what I pick up at this point.

Second part of the bowl:

Now the personality changes quite a bit. There’s still some fruity sweetness going on, but the scene is more or less taken over by a dry and nutty Burley. This is also where the Oriental element step forward with just a tiny bit of spiciness. It’s keeping a very nice balance here. This part of the bowl is overall much more robust than the first half, and the nicotine starts to demand attention too. It’s not at all overpowering, just full-bodied. And still you find the occasional red berry hiding in the big brown darkness of this smoke.

At the bottom:

It behaves very well, even way down at the bottom of the bowl. It never turns harsh or ashy. The Burley seems to expand a bit towards the end, but just as you think “well, that was that” you’re met by a sudden wave of deep and sugary sweetness. I can’t recall having experienced a finish quite like this before, but it’s truly elegant and absolutely mouthwatering. Like the blend uses its last breath to remind you of it’s perfect name: Brown Sugar Flake.

Conclusion:

This is an outstanding blend! Once again the wizards at Samuel Gawith has been working their old school magic and created a natural masterpiece of the highest quality. I’m deeply impressed. Congrats to both SG and The Danish Pipe Shop, this is one hell of a house blend. Strongly recommended!

Pipe Used: Stanwell Billard (shape 51)

Age When Smoked: A month or so (first batch).

Purchased From: The Danish Pipe Shop

Similar Blends: Orlik Tobacco Company A/S - Brown Sliced, Ogden - St. Bruno Ready Rubbed.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DeathMetal.org (231)	2017-11-28		Mild	Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable

The interplay of Burley and Cavendish with the faint sweet-sourness of the Oriental leaf produces the "brown sugar" effect in this rich flake, flavoring the sweetness of Virginia leaf. A small amount of a Lakeland-style top note was detected, but was overwhelmed by a pouch note of the stewed fig scents of pressed Virginias. Much like other UK flakes, this one benefits from a small amount of drying time, but is best smoked in the flake form, from which it rapidly expands with the touch of a match. The initial top note burns off quickly, replaced by a wave of the familiar Virginia flavor, after which the Burley and Cavendish make themselves known as a warmer flavor like molasses, which when given the piquant flavor of the Orientals disappears into the warm bready sweetness of the Virginias and emerges with a flavor like a very cultured syrup. Toward the end of the bowl, the Burley takes a dominant role as this flavor expands and matures, leaving this tasting more like a pancake with syrup and a faint touch of perfume. This is a well-executed mixture which could easily be enjoyed all day, and deserves extra points for not being a breakfast cereal style sugar fest like most Virginia flakes.

Thanks to a generous Pipes Magazine Forum member for this sample.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Magnolia (1)	2017-02-04		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I was looking for a pipe tobacco to use exclusively in my new Dunhill pipe and I found this masterpiece. New pipe and a tobacco that I have never tasted - a winning combination or a big disappointment. The last winning combination was a Dunnhill with My Mixture 965 and my expectations were high. It turned out to be a mighty fine duo, this tobacco is what I was looking for. It comes in your regular 50g Gawith tin with a wonderful artwork. The tin aroma is unspectacular, just pure tobacco notes. The flakes needs to be dried a little, no big deal. I was overwhelmed from the first puff on: Brown Sugar Flake is one of the best tobaccos I have ever smoked, I am a pipe smoker for almost 30 years now. I have said goodbye to the aromatic blends with heavy top flavour and stick mostly with pure Virginias or English blends now, so Brown Sugar Flake is for my sweet tooth. The sweetness is there, all the time, but it´s not sticky and feels very natural - hard to describe. A bowl lasts up to 90 minutes. No filter needed, no tongue bite. I just got some more tins of this brown sugar dream. Highly recommended for every pipe smoker, especially for those who want to get rid of aromatics but still want to taste a sweet smoke. Perfect tobacco for those who want to switch to a non filter pipe.

Pipe Used: Duhill County 4103

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Danish Pipe Shop Copenhagen

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Hunor (8)	2016-12-13		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Read the reviews, this is truly a wonderful tobacco. Quite a trip, as it changes through the bowl. I'm here to warn you though. If you don't have meershaum pipes or cobs, better dedicate a briar pipe only for this, as it leaves a powerful ghost. I love the after-taste, but it doesn't go well with my everyday all-day tobacco. I used my working pipe once with Brown Sugar, and after several heavy cleanings, reaming, salt-alcohol treatment, I still feel remains of Brown Sugar's dark roasted haselnut, nutella (yes) flavours. So either use one of your pipes only with this tobacco, or buy a meer as I did. Nice excuse to buy a new pipe.

Pipe Used: meershaum!

Age When Smoked: fresh from the tin, aged 2-3 months...

Purchased From: tobacco shop in Copenhagen

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Big (321)	2016-06-15		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I noticed that many of the other reviewers didn't mentioned any flavoring, however , my tin had a fairly strong scent/taste of a Lakeland Floral topping. This was noticeable during the first 1/4 of the bowl but somewhat faded as you progressed down the bowl. I suspect this is a quality control issue where my tin was run after another blend containing LF "gooped" up the steam press, hopefully this is not the norm as I find it distracting and not to my liking .

My second issue, and it's always my issue with Samuel Gawith blends, is the extreme moisture. Again, it took 28 hours with an open tin to get the tobacco to a smoke-able condition. It's not only annoying but it has got to be costing 30% more in water weight.

Now , what did I think of the tobacco ( if I could get past the topping), pretty good. But,,,,,,,do I like this better than FVF or Best Brown ,,,,, no ! It burns hotter, Orientals ? Burley ? it just burns hotter with a kick of Cajun spice .

Conclusion: too much work drying and fighting the heat for something that is so similar to a better blend, FVF or BBF ( and the topping , Oh that Lakeland floral soap)

Pipe Used: cob/maple

Age When Smoked: 2 weeks open

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Liquid360 (10)	2016-06-01		Medium	Medium	Full	Pleasant

This is a stunningly beautiful tobacco. It's perfect in every way. When I first read about it, the name and contents created certain expectations. A Virginia based blend with black cavendish and a touch of burley called Brown Sugar Flake. It presents far too wet to smoke from the tin. A good 30min drying and then cube cutting a flake seems perfect. Zero problems lighting and it burns without trouble. You'll be able to pick out those three components with relative ease. The orientals are just background. This tobacco exceeded my high expectations. The taste? Pure Virginia based brown sugar. Never has a tobacco been more aptly named. BUY SOME! This tobacco is brilliant fresh and I can't fathom what a beautiful, complex smoke this will become with some age... although it'll be VERY hard to preserve any for aging. I'd rate this a solid 9/10

Pipe Used: Dunhill Squat Bulldog DR

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Smokingpipes

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	LightMyBriar (18)	2023-04-16		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I had been wanting to try this tobacco since its initial release, but it quickly became a Europe-only mixture before I was ever able to acquire any. The tobacco was released again to the USA just last week (April 2023), and so I am now finally able to try some!

While each individual component can be picked out during the smoke, this blend of tobaccos does truly meld together in a very enjoyable way, creating a sort of Sweet Tea flavor (which is usually a flavor I associate with Sutliff virginias).

As others have noted, there is a very slight but noticeable sweetness. The Virginias are clearly in the lead throughout the smoke, but the nutty and earthy (but never harsh) burleys provide enough support that they are a very close second. I do taste a very faint but enjoyable herbal note that I associate with Turkish leaf.

The aftertaste is something similar to the way your mouth tastes after chewing on cinnamon chewing gum.

I believe any Virginia lover will enjoy this tobacco. It is very pleasantly rich in flavor.

Pipe Used: Martelo Swan Neck

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Tobaccopipes.com

Similar Blends: Dunhill Flake (but much more body).

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dave da Dragon (24)	2023-04-11		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Well this particular Virginia based Flake has a few odd twists to its history and it’s smoking properties for me but the end result is a delicious variation on a typical Virginia Flake! The first twist is it was known as Brown Sugar Flake when introduced years ago as a collaboration between Samuel Gawith and the Danish Pipe Shop. Then due to changes in the E.U. Laws it had to be renamed in 2017 to B. S. Flake, but there is no bs here as it’s a delicious blend indeed. Its current limited release carries its proper name of Brown Sugar Flake as it has been imported by Sutliff for US sales only.

Now onto what we have here and it is a mixture of Virginia leaf that I believe may of African origins as it does seem to pack a bit more nicotine punch than leaf from elsewhere. It’s a sweet variety with some hay, woodsy, dark fruit, some citrus and makes for a solid base with a touch of spice. There is some well processed, in the English style, cavendish that seems very lightly sweetened and adds a smooth somewhat creamy nature to the smoke and helps make for a cool bite free smoke. It also has some nice nutty burley that has a touch of a brown sugar note as well as adding to the mouth feel and volume of smoke. The Orientals add a noticeable spiciness as well as a touch of herbal and floral notes. Upon opening the tin you will notice a wonderful tin note and some very dark brown flakes, very moist but not as damp as often is the case from SG. Now the other odd twist I mentioned, I usually find I get the best results and flavor from cube cutting my flakes but cutting cross grain with scissors, not this time. This time rubbing it out seems to result in a more complex and enjoyable smoke. Either way it will need some drying to bring out the flavor and to help facilitate lighting and minimize relights.

The end result is a delightful smoke with medium strength and medium nicotine. Complex and slightly sweet with a mild natural brown sugar note. As far as added flavoring it’s either non existent or very mild and of more a faint honey or brown sugar, but this is no aromatic but a solid full Virginia Flake with added variety and complexity that smokes cool and smooth.

Four out of four stars for me and I am sure enjoyable for anyone who appreciates such a blend.

Dave da Dragon

Pipe Used: Rossi Piccolo and handmade Eric Nording

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	AtlanticPiper (13)	2020-11-01		Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This tin was sent to me by famed pipe maker Jake Hackert. There is a lot of flavor complexity. The sweetness of the Cavendish and the nuttiness of the Burley really gave me a sence that I was smoking a very earthy bowl of Irish oatmeal with a pinch of raisins and a dash of brown sugar. The Orientals linger in the background but are present nonetheless. Obviously, the Virginias are center, adding delicious dirty hay and heather to that bowl of oatmeal I mentioned. I rubbed into a broken flake and then let it dry for a few days. It smoked exceptionally well with a nice even burn. After you finish smoking this, take a few draws through the now-empty bowl. There's a delightful bowl tatse that lasts about a day that really does remind me of "unsweet brown sugar," if that makes sense.

Pipe Used: Jake Hackert

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Rustedrailsmokes (293)	2018-08-21		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I bought a couple of tins in summer of 2017 when I was getting back into pipe smoking.

I remember at the time really fighting the moisture level and not enjoying it as much as I had hoped. I cellared the 2nd tin and put the rest of the 1st into a mason jar to some "later".

A year later, I've gained some experience with SG flakes and have really started to appreciate some of the tobaccos I gave up on back then.

Dried out, the flakes are easy to pack either rubbing out or using stuff and fold. The First half of the bowl gave me the sweetness and the taste of sugar/molasses/brown sugar I was missing before. The 2nd half let the orientals have some time in the sun and I really enjoyed their flavors.

I'll finish off the remainder of tin 1 and let tin 2 cellar a little longer knowing I have a great treat in store down the road.

Pipe Used: Morgan Bones Poker, Canadians, Cob

Age When Smoked: fresh to one year

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stan (179)	2016-08-04		Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

A typical SG flake that rubs out well. Not too wet.

Doesn't taste like a Danish surprise. Straight forward Virginia with an edge. Burley rounds it out some. Minimal sweetness. Not brown sugar taste to me (e.g. molasses). The black Cavendish sharply mutes the Virginia in my book. Whatever else is in it, creates a spiciness that gives the taste some extra strength or push.

Not bad; for those who like their flakes with some zip.

Pipe Used: Wilke apple

Age When Smoked: new tin

Purchased From: SmokingPipes

Similar Blends: reminiscent of dark, sharp taste of old Smokers Haven Pedigree.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrT999 (318)	2016-08-03		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I'm down to about a third of a flake of this, so I can't delay much longer. This is . . . nice. It's a bit better than alright. Overall, it's a good middle-of-the-road brown flake. It smokes clean, with no bite and rarely a relight. I'd likely have a stronger opinion in some direction or other if the Orientals really occurred more than the occasional showing in passing. So, I would happily smoke this any time, but I won't go out of my way to buy more.

Pipe Used: briars, cobs, and meers

Age When Smoked: 1 month after release

Purchased From: pipes & cigars

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Phil Bennett (7)	2016-08-03		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

After hearing good reviews, and being in general, a Samuel Gawith fanboy, this didn't impress. Upon opening the tin you get the typical SG beef jerky slices of beautiful, albeit wet tobacco. After a couple of hours drying time all I get is a weak, slightly sweet smoke that doesn't really lead me anywhere. The cavendish tastes a tad bitter, and there's a slight buttery salty sweet at the finish. I hate to slander a fine blending house but this isn't for me.

Pipe Used: Danger poker, Blakmar Bulldog

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Mysmokingshop.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WorkingClassChap (197)	2023-04-16		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Tin note is a deep brown hay, sugar, yeast, fruit, earth,’wood. Smells nice. This tin is fresh. Took a pinch for my pipe as I was jarring it up for storage since these tins are not sealed anymore. A wet broken flake. Dried for hours. Still hard to light, par for SG products.

However this is worth the effort. A deep dark sweet Virginia with hay, fermented bread, sugar. There’s a nice woody molasses body and notes of floral sourness on the retrohale. It’s sweet but not aromatic sweet. Brown sugar flake is a fitting name. The burley gives this some nice body and contrast to the Virginias and the orientals add a floral and sour note. Extra sweetness from the cavendish is welcome by me. Worth the hype.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	doc'spipe (242)	2023-04-15		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

First I want to say that I hope this gets restocked as I am enjoying it. I managed to purchase 2 tins from Smokingpipes.com the night of its release; by morning, it was out of stock. Upon opening the tin I noticed very evenly cut flakes (not typical of SG or GH for that matter) that were not sopping wet. The tin note did remind me of brown sugar along with a bit of spice note I'm assuming from the oriental/burley addition. It loaded well and took to the match quite readily, requiring 2-3 relights while smoking. There was no bite to speak of even with fast puffing. The taste of brown sugar was evident throughout the smoke (smoked 3 bowls so far). I could taste the orientals and burley throughout the smoke as well. A very nice combination. There was no Lakeland presence to my palate, nor could I detect any other flavorings like honey, licorice, etc. I favor Irish Flake as my daily go-to, but I can see me reaching for Brown Sugar Flake as a regular as well. It is similar to SG's Brown Flake, but with more flavor and body. From what I've read, this was what was sought after in the manufacturing. My assessment is this was accomplished. Highly recommended and would give 5 stars if I could.

Pipe Used: Stanwell Poker Featherweight

Age When Smoked: Fresh from tin

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

Similar Blends: SG Brown Flake.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tomcat (226)	2023-04-10		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Samuel Gawith — Brown Sugar Flake - There is a lot going on here and it’s all good . The Virginias lead but I taste all the different tobacco’s throughout the smoke . It is grassy ,citrusy, floral, sweet , nutty , earthy and herbal spicy . Brown sugar notes for sure . It almost tastes like a little tonquin is present . It is creamy . Needed a little bit of drying . It has no tongue bite at all . This is the probably the best Sam Gawith blend I have smoked . It burns a little hot so I take my time with it . I will buy more if possible. 4 ………………………………………Edit 4/30/22 I dried the flakes out quite a bit . Not to crunchy but just to when the flakes were soft to touch . Loaded my bowl loosely and it burns better and doesn’t get hot . Better taste also but the brown sugar is less noticeable but the other tobaccos are more prominent.

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Similar Blends: Sam’s flake.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mijnnif (130)	2022-05-14		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Bag note sweet musky licorice. Flake cut I rubbed it out and let it sit for a bit. Course flake even after rubbing out. . First lighting sweet burley with some spice, absolutely wonderful smoke. Very light but with lots of flavor. A friend gave me a sample to try as this seems to be a white whale to find. It was well worth the wait. One of the best light smokes I have ever had. Nic hit was very light. Needed a few relights but I probably need to let it dry for 30 minutes or so. I was so excited to smoke it I only waited 5 minutes. As you progress in the bowl the Orientals and the Turkish become more evident but the sweetness remains constant throughout the entire smoke perfect balance not too sweet but just enough. No bite whatsoever. The topping on this is very light, not what I expected, much better. Has a slight licorice after taste very pleasant. Defiantly a smoke to be sipped. If you can find it buy it you wont be disappointed.

Pipe Used: SMS Meerschaum

Age When Smoked: gift not sure but aged a bit

Purchased From: friend gift

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pseudo Nim (129)	2018-08-18		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

This will be a short review as I'm doing this from memory, this tobacco is not available in England, sadly, I was a little unsure at first, surely a good quality Virginia doesn't need a demare sugar addition ? Well Sam Gawith is noted for the quality of the leaf they use so I was not too concerned and dissapointed I was not, this was a superb experience, and my attempts to find it online have all failed, apparently only available in Denmark. If you can get hold of a tin, buy several, even if you live in Denmark.

Pipe Used: Various briars

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Gifted.

Similar Blends: I wish I could find something similar.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	1/2 (17)	2018-08-13		Mild	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

I am not very farmiliar with SG yet, this is my first SG. I found the scent as I first opened the tin to be very pleasant. Nice and mild scents. I let the Flake dry for 20 min as I enjoyed the aroma of the flake. The colors and the texture of rubbing it out. As I lit this up, it had a Nice flavour and texture. I really enjoyed the grassy tones of this virginia, and the cavendish and oriental really add to the whole experience of this tobacco.

Edit: After a busy time when I was not really able to enjoy my pipe from start to finish, I was forced to relight my pipe on several ocations. This blend Does not lose texture, or flavour from being relit. Still just as enjoyable through out.

Pipe Used: Talamona Reverse Calabash

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Danish Pipe Shop

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	The Sunday Evening Pipe Smoker (54)	2016-10-14		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Had high, high hopes for this one as I like brown-sugary, malty flavour, and while its not a bad one by any stretch and worth a go, it only ends up being a 2.5 out of 4 for me personally, but I can imagine some would absolutely love this tobacco.

I've heard various people say they can taste the brown sugar flavour in this, but I don't taste it (and I get it more in F&T CVP) -- and in fairness, the makers do not themselves make any such claim. I recall reading somewhere from them that the name was really just a variant on the usual "brown flake" and the brown sugar reference came for some other reason. The intent was -not- that it is brown sugar flavoured (and I knew that going into this one.)

At any rate, this review is based off only a couple of smokes of it, please note, so perhaps my sense will change with further use and after some time to age in a mason jar.

I think the main thing I found about this tobacco that prevents it from being a higher rating is that it has a slight harshness to it (to my palette anyway) that can be felt in the throat and nasal cavity that I didn't expect at all. Not sure where that is coming from, the burley perhaps? I know I've experienced this before with blends like Three Nuns. It is that quality which is making me not enjoy this tobacco quite as much as I think I otherwise might, much like tongue bite mars one's experience of an aromatic.

Flavour wise, there is a natural sweetness to this blend, no doubt from the Virginias. There is also a grassy-hay like quality, and the tin note carries that as well.

Room note smells like it would be reasonably nice. Not aromatic nice, but traditional pipe tobacco nice.

First bowl I dried for an hour, but it was still hard to light as is usual with those thick, moist Gawith flakes. I dried the second bowl for 2 hours and that seemed to work much better in terms of the tobacco staying lit.

I will say this though. I'm not sorry to have bought a few tins of this, even if I'm only giving it 2.5 out of 4 stars. All that means is that while it won't be a regualr part of the totation, it will be one that I'll toss into the mix now and again when I'm looking for a change from those.

There are definitely aspects of this blend that I enjoy and I'm looking forward to keep working through the tin to see how things evolve, and that right there says something.

Some aspects of this blend remind me of F&T CVP.

Age When Smoked: Fresh from new tin

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DandyMan (4)	2016-08-31		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Gorgeous stuff. Cracking a new tin permeates the air with a sweet, rich aroma not unlike that of dry figs. Taste is rich, sweet and complex. A better version of Full Virginia Flake for sure!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	steppx (186)	2016-07-10		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

Superb. I guess both Gawith houses are my desert island brands(well, along with McClelland virginias). I cant imagine my pipe life without them. And while I love many of their blends..FVF, Ennerdale, Louisiana Flake, Sam's Flake, Cut Boson plug, and Cabbie's Mixture...this might be the best. Its not an overpowering taste, but actually rather subtle. Smoke it slow. The virginia and cavendish are perfectly balanced to provide a sweet sugary and tantalizing taste. Nic hit is medium, and it burns slow and evenly. A little dry time will help but even right out of the tin its just fine. Just absolutely a treat.

Purchased From: 4noggins.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Boatdock (38)	2023-05-04		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Just a really nice Virginia Flake. There's not much more to say about it other than yes, it does have hints of brown sugar in its natural sweetness. It's also hard to find in the U.S. where it is still labeled "Brown Sugar Flake".

Pipe Used: Irrelevant

Age When Smoked: Unknown

Purchased From: Just For Him

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mike Cronis (37)	2023-04-29		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Aged, dark-fired Virginias with a very faint touch of Balkan plum-y sweetness WAY in the back pushed forward by the Orientals.

Brown Sugar is more of a suggestion, as I was hoping this was an aromatic, but in my opinion it is NOT. Pure tobacco, and aged, earthy, woody, and a hint of sweet reminds me of what was described as very old style, Civil War era tobacco when they added a pinch brown sugar to enhance pipe tobacco a little with fire-cured dark leaf. Some decent amount of fullness and body, the flakes stuffed offer good, fine ash and burns cool. Not unpleasant. Burley and Turkish round it out and offer a hint of plum/spice "Balkan" suggestion.

NOT an aromatic, but a decent, solid, fresh-cut hardwood tasting smoke.

Pipe Used: Dr. Jeckyl Peterson

Age When Smoked: 5 years aged

Purchased From: TinBids

Similar Blends: H&H Dark Fired.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tobaksrøg (54)	2022-09-03		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Discontinued but coming back very soon. Found it hard to keep lit and the flavour didn't blow my mind. Middle of the road blend for a premium price.

Nobody has rated this review yet.