diff --git a/encode.go b/encode.go
index d80185d..d68d441 100644
--- a/encode.go
+++ b/encode.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 
 import (
 	"encoding/binary"
+	"errors"
 	"io"
 )
 
@@ -175,23 +176,61 @@
 	return 32 + srcLen + srcLen/6
 }
 
-// NewWriter returns a new Writer that compresses to w, using the framing
-// format described at
-// https://github.com/google/snappy/blob/master/framing_format.txt
+var errClosed = errors.New("snappy: Writer is closed")
+
+// NewWriter returns a new Writer that compresses to w.
+//
+// The Writer returned does not buffer writes. There is no need to Flush or
+// Close such a Writer.
+//
+// Deprecated: the Writer returned is not suitable for many small writes, only
+// for few large writes. Use NewBufferedWriter instead, which is efficient
+// regardless of the frequency and shape of the writes, and remember to Close
+// that Writer when done.
 func NewWriter(w io.Writer) *Writer {
 	return &Writer{
-		w:   w,
-		enc: make([]byte, MaxEncodedLen(maxUncompressedChunkLen)),
+		w:    w,
+		obuf: make([]byte, MaxEncodedLen(maxUncompressedChunkLen)),
+	}
+}
+
+// NewBufferedWriter returns a new Writer that compresses to w, using the
+// framing format described at
+// https://github.com/google/snappy/blob/master/framing_format.txt
+//
+// The Writer returned buffers writes. Users must call Close to guarantee all
+// data has been forwarded to the underlying io.Writer. They may also call
+// Flush zero or more times before calling Close.
+func NewBufferedWriter(w io.Writer) *Writer {
+	return &Writer{
+		w:    w,
+		ibuf: make([]byte, 0, maxUncompressedChunkLen),
+		obuf: make([]byte, MaxEncodedLen(maxUncompressedChunkLen)),
 	}
 }
 
 // Writer is an io.Writer than can write Snappy-compressed bytes.
 type Writer struct {
-	w           io.Writer
-	err         error
-	enc         []byte
-	buf         [checksumSize + chunkHeaderSize]byte
-	wroteHeader bool
+	w   io.Writer
+	err error
+
+	// ibuf is a buffer for the incoming (uncompressed) bytes.
+	//
+	// Its use is optional. For backwards compatibility, Writers created by the
+	// NewWriter function have ibuf == nil, do not buffer incoming bytes, and
+	// therefore do not need to be Flush'ed or Close'd.
+	ibuf []byte
+
+	// obuf is a buffer for the outgoing (compressed) bytes.
+	obuf []byte
+
+	// chunkHeaderBuf is a buffer for the per-chunk header (chunk type, length
+	// and checksum), not to be confused with the magic string that forms the
+	// stream header.
+	chunkHeaderBuf [checksumSize + chunkHeaderSize]byte
+
+	// wroteStreamHeader is whether we have written the stream header.
+	wroteStreamHeader bool
 }
 
 // Reset discards the writer's state and switches the Snappy writer to write to
@@ -199,21 +238,61 @@
 func (w *Writer) Reset(writer io.Writer) {
 	w.w = writer
 	w.err = nil
-	w.wroteHeader = false
+	if w.ibuf != nil {
+		w.ibuf = w.ibuf[:0]
+	}
+	w.wroteStreamHeader = false
 }
 
 // Write satisfies the io.Writer interface.
-func (w *Writer) Write(p []byte) (n int, errRet error) {
+func (w *Writer) Write(p []byte) (nRet int, errRet error) {
+	if w.ibuf == nil {
+		// Do not buffer incoming bytes. This does not perform or compress well
+		// if the caller of Writer.Write writes many small slices. This
+		// behavior is therefore deprecated, but still supported for backwards
+		// compatibility with code that doesn't explicitly Flush or Close.
+		return w.write(p)
+	}
+
+	// The remainder of this method is based on bufio.Writer.Write from the
+	// standard library.
+
+	for len(p) > (cap(w.ibuf)-len(w.ibuf)) && w.err == nil {
+		var n int
+		if len(w.ibuf) == 0 {
+			// Large write, empty buffer.
+			// Write directly from p to avoid copy.
+			n, _ = w.write(p)
+		} else {
+			n = copy(w.ibuf[len(w.ibuf):cap(w.ibuf)], p)
+			w.ibuf = w.ibuf[:len(w.ibuf)+n]
+			w.Flush()
+		}
+		nRet += n
+		p = p[n:]
+	}
+	if w.err != nil {
+		return nRet, w.err
+	}
+	n := copy(w.ibuf[len(w.ibuf):cap(w.ibuf)], p)
+	w.ibuf = w.ibuf[:len(w.ibuf)+n]
+	nRet += n
+	return nRet, nil
+}
+
+func (w *Writer) write(p []byte) (nRet int, errRet error) {
 	if w.err != nil {
 		return 0, w.err
 	}
-	if !w.wroteHeader {
-		copy(w.enc, magicChunk)
-		if _, err := w.w.Write(w.enc[:len(magicChunk)]); err != nil {
-			w.err = err
-			return n, err
+	if !w.wroteStreamHeader {
+		if copy(w.obuf, magicChunk) != len(magicChunk) {
+			panic("unreachable")
 		}
-		w.wroteHeader = true
+		if _, err := w.w.Write(w.obuf[:len(magicChunk)]); err != nil {
+			w.err = err
+			return nRet, err
+		}
+		w.wroteStreamHeader = true
 	}
 	for len(p) > 0 {
 		var uncompressed []byte
@@ -227,29 +306,52 @@
 		// Compress the buffer, discarding the result if the improvement
 		// isn't at least 12.5%.
 		chunkType := uint8(chunkTypeCompressedData)
-		chunkBody := Encode(w.enc, uncompressed)
+		chunkBody := Encode(w.obuf, uncompressed)
 		if len(chunkBody) >= len(uncompressed)-len(uncompressed)/8 {
 			chunkType, chunkBody = chunkTypeUncompressedData, uncompressed
 		}
 
 		chunkLen := 4 + len(chunkBody)
-		w.buf[0] = chunkType
-		w.buf[1] = uint8(chunkLen >> 0)
-		w.buf[2] = uint8(chunkLen >> 8)
-		w.buf[3] = uint8(chunkLen >> 16)
-		w.buf[4] = uint8(checksum >> 0)
-		w.buf[5] = uint8(checksum >> 8)
-		w.buf[6] = uint8(checksum >> 16)
-		w.buf[7] = uint8(checksum >> 24)
-		if _, err := w.w.Write(w.buf[:]); err != nil {
+		w.chunkHeaderBuf[0] = chunkType
+		w.chunkHeaderBuf[1] = uint8(chunkLen >> 0)
+		w.chunkHeaderBuf[2] = uint8(chunkLen >> 8)
+		w.chunkHeaderBuf[3] = uint8(chunkLen >> 16)
+		w.chunkHeaderBuf[4] = uint8(checksum >> 0)
+		w.chunkHeaderBuf[5] = uint8(checksum >> 8)
+		w.chunkHeaderBuf[6] = uint8(checksum >> 16)
+		w.chunkHeaderBuf[7] = uint8(checksum >> 24)
+		if _, err := w.w.Write(w.chunkHeaderBuf[:]); err != nil {
 			w.err = err
-			return n, err
+			return nRet, err
 		}
 		if _, err := w.w.Write(chunkBody); err != nil {
 			w.err = err
-			return n, err
+			return nRet, err
 		}
-		n += len(uncompressed)
+		nRet += len(uncompressed)
 	}
-	return n, nil
+	return nRet, nil
+}
+
+// Flush flushes the Writer to its underlying io.Writer.
+func (w *Writer) Flush() error {
+	if w.err != nil {
+		return w.err
+	}
+	if len(w.ibuf) == 0 {
+		return nil
+	}
+	w.write(w.ibuf)
+	w.ibuf = w.ibuf[:0]
+	return w.err
+}
+
+// Close calls Flush and then closes the Writer.
+func (w *Writer) Close() error {
+	w.Flush()
+	ret := w.err
+	if w.err == nil {
+		w.err = errClosed
+	}
+	return ret
 }
diff --git a/snappy_test.go b/snappy_test.go
index 815fc0b..905dba0 100644
--- a/snappy_test.go
+++ b/snappy_test.go
@@ -141,6 +141,67 @@
 	}
 }
 
+func TestNewBufferedWriter(t *testing.T) {
+	// Test all 32 possible sub-sequences of these 5 input slices.
+	//
+	// Their lengths sum to 400,000, which is over 6 times the Writer ibuf
+	// capacity: 6 * maxUncompressedChunkLen is 393,216.
+	inputs := [][]byte{
+		bytes.Repeat([]byte{'a'}, 40000),
+		bytes.Repeat([]byte{'b'}, 150000),
+		bytes.Repeat([]byte{'c'}, 60000),
+		bytes.Repeat([]byte{'d'}, 120000),
+		bytes.Repeat([]byte{'e'}, 30000),
+	}
+loop:
+	for i := 0; i < 1<<uint(len(inputs)); i++ {
+		var want []byte
+		buf := new(bytes.Buffer)
+		w := NewBufferedWriter(buf)
+		for j, input := range inputs {
+			if i&(1<<uint(j)) == 0 {
+				continue
+			}
+			if _, err := w.Write(input); err != nil {
+				t.Errorf("i=%#02x: j=%d: Write: %v", i, j, err)
+				continue loop
+			}
+			want = append(want, input...)
+		}
+		if err := w.Close(); err != nil {
+			t.Errorf("i=%#02x: Close: %v", i, err)
+			continue
+		}
+		got, err := ioutil.ReadAll(NewReader(buf))
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Errorf("i=%#02x: ReadAll: %v", i, err)
+			continue
+		}
+		if err := cmp(got, want); err != nil {
+			t.Errorf("i=%#02x: %v", i, err)
+			continue
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestFlush(t *testing.T) {
+	buf := new(bytes.Buffer)
+	w := NewBufferedWriter(buf)
+	defer w.Close()
+	if _, err := w.Write(bytes.Repeat([]byte{'x'}, 20)); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Write: %v", err)
+	}
+	if n := buf.Len(); n != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("before Flush: %d bytes were written to the underlying io.Writer, want 0", n)
+	}
+	if err := w.Flush(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Flush: %v", err)
+	}
+	if n := buf.Len(); n == 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("after Flush: %d bytes were written to the underlying io.Writer, want non-0", n)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestReaderReset(t *testing.T) {
 	gold := bytes.Repeat([]byte("All that is gold does not glitter,\n"), 10000)
 	buf := new(bytes.Buffer)
@@ -181,34 +242,75 @@
 
 func TestWriterReset(t *testing.T) {
 	gold := bytes.Repeat([]byte("Not all those who wander are lost;\n"), 10000)
-	var gots, wants [][]byte
 	const n = 20
-	w, failed := NewWriter(nil), false
-	for i := 0; i <= n; i++ {
-		buf := new(bytes.Buffer)
-		w.Reset(buf)
-		want := gold[:len(gold)*i/n]
-		if _, err := w.Write(want); err != nil {
-			t.Errorf("#%d: Write: %v", i, err)
-			failed = true
+	for _, buffered := range []bool{false, true} {
+		var w *Writer
+		if buffered {
+			w = NewBufferedWriter(nil)
+			defer w.Close()
+		} else {
+			w = NewWriter(nil)
+		}
+
+		var gots, wants [][]byte
+		failed := false
+		for i := 0; i <= n; i++ {
+			buf := new(bytes.Buffer)
+			w.Reset(buf)
+			want := gold[:len(gold)*i/n]
+			if _, err := w.Write(want); err != nil {
+				t.Errorf("#%d: Write: %v", i, err)
+				failed = true
+				continue
+			}
+			if buffered {
+				if err := w.Flush(); err != nil {
+					t.Errorf("#%d: Flush: %v", i, err)
+					failed = true
+					continue
+				}
+			}
+			got, err := ioutil.ReadAll(NewReader(buf))
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Errorf("#%d: ReadAll: %v", i, err)
+				failed = true
+				continue
+			}
+			gots = append(gots, got)
+			wants = append(wants, want)
+		}
+		if failed {
 			continue
 		}
-		got, err := ioutil.ReadAll(NewReader(buf))
-		if err != nil {
-			t.Errorf("#%d: ReadAll: %v", i, err)
-			failed = true
-			continue
+		for i := range gots {
+			if err := cmp(gots[i], wants[i]); err != nil {
+				t.Errorf("#%d: %v", i, err)
+			}
 		}
-		gots = append(gots, got)
-		wants = append(wants, want)
 	}
-	if failed {
-		return
+}
+
+func TestWriterResetWithoutFlush(t *testing.T) {
+	buf0 := new(bytes.Buffer)
+	buf1 := new(bytes.Buffer)
+	w := NewBufferedWriter(buf0)
+	if _, err := w.Write([]byte("xxx")); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Write #0: %v", err)
 	}
-	for i := range gots {
-		if err := cmp(gots[i], wants[i]); err != nil {
-			t.Errorf("#%d: %v", i, err)
-		}
+	// Note that we don't Flush the Writer before calling Reset.
+	w.Reset(buf1)
+	if _, err := w.Write([]byte("yyy")); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Write #1: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := w.Flush(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Flush: %v", err)
+	}
+	got, err := ioutil.ReadAll(NewReader(buf1))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("ReadAll: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := cmp(got, []byte("yyy")); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
 }