Squadron Leader may be the quintessential 'English' blend. This medium-bodied mixture of golden and stoved Virginias along with earthy Turkish and a fair dose of Latakia delivers a rich, cool and amazingly smooth smoke perfect for anytime. See for yourself why Squadron Leader is one the shelves of Latakia lovers everywhere.
Very tasty, deep and rich and lights and stay lit to a nice ash. Usually quite hard to find so I was happy to pick up two tins.
5 out of 5
Holy Grail its good stuff
Dec 15, 2021
This is great tobacco. You could say its legendary. Its mild enough to smoke all day. Has a classic Gawith fragrance. Sam Gawith shipments to the USA are getting rare, get it while you can its wonderful pipe smoking experience
5 out of 5
Great Smoke!
Aug 02, 2018
Very enjoyable. I'm not familiar with many English blends but I could smoke this stuff over and over again. Not too strong, quite smooth and to me, a little spicy. Not much of a "nic hit" at all and nice all the way down to the bottom of the bowl. Definitely a keeper. Will undoubtedly buy more and put some in a sealed jar to age awhile. Should be interesting.
4 out of 5
Quintessential English Blend
Oct 17, 2017
A quality English Blend. Nothing that knocks your socks off but I don’t think it was supposed to. And this blend you taste everything, Sweet Virginia’s, tangy Orientals and a little bit of Smoky leathery latakia...I’m more of a fan of Latakia bombs like pirate Kake,nightcap, da Vinci and Commonwealth Mixture also by Samuel Gawith. This was just middle of the road for me but the Quality of the tobacco it’s great. Worth a try if you are looking for a All Day English Blend. Also this tin came to me ready to smoke right out of the tin, moisture content was perfect which is pretty amazing for a Gawith Blend. Enjoy.
5 out of 5
truely enjoyable
Aug 14, 2017
If you enjoy light English blends you must try this. You may read the reviews but you should try it yourself to sense it's uniqueness. If any blend is classic English this must be it.
5 out of 5
great English blend
May 05, 2017
To me this is THE English everything else is compared to. A very balanced cool smoking blend. Some might say not as complex as others, I'd say they are puffing too fast. To me the near perfect tobacco.
5 out of 5
English Only
Jan 23, 2017
As was mentioned previously, this may ruin you for other English blends. It's not just the "flavors" here, I'm talking about the quality and cut of the tobacco. Many of the other English blends are not made in England and don't have that Lakeland/Cumbria flair.
5 out of 5
Ks piper
Oct 24, 2016
I had read many glowing reviews of Sqadron Leader, some good, some bad withe majority of them being good I decided to finally try this blend. Wow! I had figured it would be good but I wasn't prepared for just how good. If you haven't already tried this blend please do yourself a favor and buy a tin, I can almost guarantee that you will come back for more. This blend should have a place in the rotation of anyone who enjoys English blends.
5 out of 5
Better than expected. A new favorite.
Oct 17, 2016
More aromatic than I expected of an English blend. Medium body, easy to smoke, no overwhelming tones. Just a pleasant, good-smelling smoke with nice flavors and no bite. Cool tin, too, I must say.
4 out of 5
Tasty and Mild
Oct 09, 2016
This one came pretty wet in the tin so you might want to let it dry out awhile. I would put this one as a great english blend for those who want a milder standard english. It would also be a very good choice for those looking to sample a higher quality english for the first time. No complaints here.
5 out of 5
Awesome
Oct 07, 2016
Love this smoke, but puff slowly as it seams that smoking to fast can change the flavor. I consider this to be on the more mild side of things. My girlfriend also prefers the room note on this over many others in my rotation.
5 out of 5
Can't beat it.
Sep 08, 2016
Be warned...this may ruin all other English blends for you. There is a purity in this blend that, once accustomed to, will be hard to find in other blends. I won't mention other brands as P&C also carries their lines, but after smoking a tin of SL I cannot go back to the others. I just ordered 3 tins of SL out of the sheer fear after seeing the run on all the other items. This is my everyday, all day smoke and there is nothing like smoking this indoors. I prefer a bowl on my way to and from work in my car and the quality of this blend really shines.
5 out of 5
One of best
Aug 29, 2016
One of best . it is one of my everyday tobacco.
5 out of 5
LOVE IT!
Aug 19, 2016
There isn’t much more to say. Squadron Leader was the first tobacco out of the tin I just absolutely loved. There was something so old and familiar about it. I plan to stock up and let some age. I’ve heard they are even better with a few years under their belt. Great stuff!
5 out of 5
Awesome
Jun 17, 2016
Really good stuff with an interesting history too!
2 out of 5
Not unsmokable, but soapy
Apr 24, 2016
I bought this blend due to the high review ratings, but it is way to soapy from the Lakeland essence SG adds. I'll jar it for a year and try it again.
4 out of 5
Best tin note ever!
Apr 10, 2016
Good, solid blend. I can see why it is often called the standard.
4 out of 5
Very, very English!
Apr 04, 2016
I've tried English blends before and most of them just aren't my cup of tea. But Squadron Leader is probably the best I've tried thus far; nice Latakia & Turkish tobacco flavors with the an aroma I'd expect at 221B Baker Street. It does have some bite and aftertaste so I will be keeping a tin of this on hand for the times when I have a hankering for a good classic English smoke.
5 out of 5
Mild and pleasant smoke.
Mar 31, 2016
Mild with a nice flavor, my tin was quite moist and needed some drying before I smoked it. I opened the tin and left it to dry a bit over three weeks, that was pretty much perfect.
5 out of 5
Rich with Leather and Plum notes
Mar 26, 2016
Wonderful blend. Very satisfying with a cool tin to boot !
5 out of 5
Excellent
Mar 26, 2016
English blend is my favorite smoke. This is one of the best I have smoked.
5 out of 5
Delicious, Simple, Smooth
Mar 14, 2016
The reviews aren't lying about this delicious english blend. Burns to a fine ash, no tongue bite (even on pipes that seem to bite with everything).
5 out of 5
The Standard
Mar 07, 2016
Squadron Leader is a straight English blend made of excellent component tobaccos exquisitely balanced. With each puff, the Virginias, Orientals, and Latakia come through individually and yet in concert. Squadron Leader is a soft, round English blend that is easy to approach, and comforting to smoke. The orientals tease, but do not poke you in the face; and the latakia does its thing nicely, but doesn’t rake its fingernails over the blackboard of your soul! Only two negatives: first, it comes too moist to smoke and needs to be dried out for a while before smoking; and second, it is frequently out of stock, so you have to grab it when it’s available. So, if you see it, get it. It’s great.
5 out of 5
Pilots Ahoy
Nov 20, 2015
This has got to be a Navy Squadron because the top note makes me feel like an Admiral smoking it. Overall very good to superb.
5 out of 5
the best
Aug 06, 2015
this smoke is the far the best i ever tasted a real smoke clean burn a even light always with this tobacco
Customer Testimonials
This is a definite for the English lovers out there. Very relaxing
JL of Chicago, IL
Open the tin smell that good stank, like leather, spicy old pudding, and stuff men are made of.
Smokes great I only relight the bowl once from my first try, great smoky flavor although the wife made an ugly face when I smoked it.
Will break this out next time mother in law is over.
AV of Brea, CA
Nice mild,cool, smokey, English blend.. Nothing more, nothing less. I can see why this is why most people use this to compare to others. My only complaint is I just got one ounce.
LR of Warrenville, IL
A bit moist when you first open the tin. I let it sit open for an hour or two and then it was PERFECT. Definitely a sweet delight!
AN of Gainesville, FL
This one had a terrific smell and you could really taste the latakia. I had some problems with it drying too fast if I didn't pack the tin in my humidor but other than that it was a real spicy good smoke.
JB of Lubbock, TX
Great tobacco burns well and a experience that you need to try
DR of kirtland, OH
opening the tin reminds me of long days out on the farm with my grandfather and dad working cattle, with the smell of the fire keeping the irons hot. The smell of the cows ,the dust in the air, the ointments we put on the cows all of those smells that were out there. Please don't let my description throw you off it is a very good smoke and for me takes me back to a place that I can never go back to except in my dreams. So give it a try and maybe it will transport you to another time and place like it does for me
CP of Enid, OK
This was the first English blend I fell in love with after many years of hiding under piles of aromatics. The flavor is pretty much as the product describes. To me, on first lighting I get the feeling being outside in a ponderosa forest. I suppose that's the "nutty" aspect of the oriental components. A lot of flavor in this but still reasonably mild. I started with tin but now am buying it in bulk.
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