Tinned Tobacco / Samuel Gawith / Squadron Leader 50g

Squadron Leader 50g Pipe Tobacco

Product Number: 003-059-0001

Your Price
$16.79 MSRP: $19.75
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Details

Strength:
3/5
Room Note:
3/5
Taste:
3/5
  • Components: Virginia, Latakia, Orientals
  • Family: English
  • Cut: Ribbon

About This Pipe Tobacco

Samuel Gawith was the son-in-law of Thomas Harrison, a snuff manufacturer who moved his trade and equipment to Kendal, Cumbria, England from Scotland in 1792. Gawith inherited this equipment from Harrison, and the company has been crafting premium tobacco since, with one of Samuel's two sons continuing the brand while the other joined with Henry Hoggarth to establish Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Though offering separate blends, both brands remain forever linked and still share the same manufacturing facility in England's Lake District, utilizing processes and techniques that date to the brands' 1792 roots. In many of their mixtures, Samuel Gawith maintains the standards enforced by the United Kingdom's strict purity laws of the 19th and 20th centuries — such laws dictating how much and what type of flavorings could be added to pipe tobacco and ensuring that sub-quality leaf wasn't hidden under the veil of exorbitant toppings.

Squadron Leader from Samuel Gawith is a classic, quintessential English blend named in honor of the Royal Air Force pilots who flew Gloster Gladiator biplanes in the early days of WWII. As a pipe tobacco, Squadron Leader features Bright and Dark Virginias combined with Latakia and Turkish leaf for a cool, all-day English mixture.

Customer Reviews

Overall Rating:
3.4
101 reviews
Excellent Orientals
September 28, 2026
Product: Samuel Gawith Squadron Leader 50g
This is a very good English blend with a stand-out oriental component. You get by turns loamy, leathery and herbal flavors from the Oriental which are supported by decent Virginia that is almost but not quite shag cut. The latakia is present but stays in the background. I find the oriental component the most interesting part of this blend. I would really like to try this with Perique as I think that would get it to 5 stars. This came with a decent humidity but was perfectly smokable on opening a fresh tin....Read More
Maybe it’ll grow on me…
September 25, 2026
Product: Samuel Gawith Squadron Leader 50g
Been trying older, more classic blends and this one was definitely one of those. But it seems I’m in the minority with the struggle of keeping it lit, and experiencing tongue bite with it. On paper, everything seems like it would be quite enjoyable, flavors are there, albeit more subtlety than in normally like from an English… maybe it’s the varietals that are used. Might end up being cellared for something I like, or want to try more. UPDATE: There’s definitely something going on in this blend that irritates my mouth a bit. May be the type of Virginia or the Orientals or both. Flavor wise it’s fine but I’m not reaching for it because of those reasons....Read More
Solid, but not my favorite
July 02, 2026
Product: Samuel Gawith Squadron Leader 50g
This is a good blend, but I think maybe over hyped a bit. The tin note is a wonderful smoky scent, kind of like BBQ. Smoking it right out of the tin, it won't stay lit and it bites the hell out of my tongue. I definitely recommend letting this dry out a bit, as it is fairly moist.
Cedar, Spice, and Fresh Leather
July 02, 2026
Product: Samuel Gawith Squadron Leader 50g
Straight to the point English. It's like smoking a cedar cabinet that once held spices, but now you store your leather working in it. Latakia is present throughout. It doesn't change much as you smoke. You get some nice Spice from the oriental and the Virginia brings it all together. It's a little rough, but I like the bite. (And I don't mean tongue bite.) This is like the traditional doppio espresso of English blends. Established, but not overwhelming. Get one tin and see if you like it before buying another. I this is a once ever 3-4 weeks for me, but I like having it as an option. I love VaPers and this is a great one to smoke if you don't like flavored tobacco. When I was first getting into tobacco many years ago, I went to a spot that sold bulk pipe tobacco and remember grabbing a little bit of something they called leathery. My palate was not refined and I hated it. I imagine that's what most people will think when they smoke this especially if they're coming from aromatics. Steer clear if this is your first English. Grab some Nightcap instead....Read More
Maybe it's Just Me
August 01, 2026
Product: Samuel Gawith Squadron Leader 50g
While this blend is highly rated I have one gripe that I consider objective, and one that is purely subjective. First It's nearly impossible for me to light this tobacco without excessive heat and flame. I dry it out of the tin while making breakfast I try to be gentle with my false light, its very difficult to get lit. Second is while I may have made the mistake of packing too lightly this tobacco compressed VERY easily once lit, perhaps due do my over use of the flame because it wouldnt catch a light..... Second and more subjective I just don't like the varieties of Latakia VA and Orientals. Nothing bad about them it's just not for me. I MUCH prefer Samuel Gawaith's Skiff mixture. If you like barn musty Latakia this may be for you, I prefer fruity fragrant incense-like Orientals just not for me.....Read More

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