Tavern Tobacco Co. Laurel Flake

I'm certain this is SG Saint James Flake. The Virginias are dark fruit sweet, slightly grassy, a bit earthy with a little wood. The perique has some mild raisin, date, fig and plum notes with some pepper in a support role. There’s a hint of chocolate if you are looking for it, though I don’t know what causes that. And there is a very mild sweet topping, though I'm not certain what it is. It does need some drying time, but if you dry it completely, you lose a little of the flavor. Has a mild nic-hit, and won't bite or get harsh. Require some relights, burns cool, clean, slow, and depending on how you dry it, it may leave some or little moisture in your bowl. Needs some relights. Has a very pleasant after taste. Can be an all day smoke for many smokers.

-JimInks

I recently had my one and only tin of Laurel Flake, made for the Tavern Tobacco Company by Sam Gawith. My tin was from 2005 and I don't believe it is available anymore under that name, however, it still is available under the name St. James Flake by Sam Gawith! Yup, it is the same tobacco! Tavern had a tad bit more moisture added during process, but otherwise it is the exact same blend as St. James. This is not my opinion, but comes directly from the fine folks at SG. Now aged, is a sweet VaPer, LF's “leathery” appearing flakes have more of an “earthy” sweetness and it is enjoyably smooooth! If you don't mind paying the eBay price to get a unique tin, it is definitely worth the added cost.

miss Tavern Tobacco (by Knox Cigar). Every once in awhile they would come up with a blend or some blends that I found to be really good. Laurel Flake was one of their tinned blends from Gawith and was a Virginia/Perique that was middle of the road in both strength and flavor. Presented with the Gawith special processing that allowed the Perique to come through but in a laid back way. I only managed to get a few tins and smoked my last one a couple of years ago. Sigh.

This review perhaps will seem "out of place" among the praises sung by others... but read more to understand. First of all let me say that I like the guys at Knoxcigar for their great service and for their excellent house tobaccos: definitely quality stuff! This Laurel Flake is, like the other offerings, a SUPERB product, made with quality and care. After only a year of aging, the flakes in the tin were luxuriously dark, leathery, moist, juicy and covered with crystals: with such dark flakes and knowing that this tobacco is made by Samuel Gawith, I expected a strong tobacco. Wrong! This is as delicate a Virginia flake as you can get! Extremely smooth, no bite and no nicotine buzz! The perique is very sparingly applied and perfectly tolerable, at times even not noticeable. After a difficult light (the flakes are dense and moist), it burns great: cool, even, and with no gurgle (which is incredible considering how moist the flakes seem). A small bowl of this can last you very long! The taste is, again, very delicate: smooth caramelized notes, a faint sweetness. Very stable throughout the bowl, too. Think of Dark Star but much more delicate and without any tonguebite. So, this is a great tobacco if you like this genre... My problem is not with the quality of the product (which is TOPS), but with my taste which is more oriented towards tastier stuff. So, this is a "Might try again" for ME, but I can say that you should try it at least once because it might just hit the spot for YOU.

I have about 5oz left from 8/02. Sweet and tangy, with a slight vegetal note in the jar. Almost has that McClelland "tang".

Packing can be a bit difficult, but maybe it's just me. It needs constant relights while smoking, but because it does, that means I am smoking this right. This is one of my favorite flakes, great VA flavor, and the Perique is done perfect. I don't have much else to add, but if you know anyone who has some of this cellared, steal it. lol.

Paired well with a Grand Marnier, 2 ice cubes.

I stopped into the Knoxville Cigar Company last week (in town on business) and the tobacconist gave me a sample of this flake. I smoked a bowl and am grateful for the gift. This is a wonderful tobacco. It is similar to Best Brown by SG, but more complex. There are deeper notes of plum from the Perique which help balance the higher notes of the Virginia. It is sweeter than Best Brown, but as mild and easy on tongue and palate. It never heated up and was quite tame. This flake is a great all day smoke. I will be ordering more.

This is apparently a very popular VA/PER, but after smoking two ounces of this in bulk I just can't find much to recommend it. It's a fairly straightforward, no-nonsense blend that reminds me of many other tobaccos in its genre. The leaf seems to be of a high quality and the presentation is nice, but with so many other blends like this on the market I just can't bring myself to buy anymore.

A Virginia Perique flake of the highest quality. The tin aroma is excellent, and the tobacco is not overly moist. It burns well and evenly, and is flavorful from the first puff. The Perique is certainly noticeable. Indeed, midway through the bowl it predominates. The taste is pleasant throughout, though, and my only criticism is that it tends to be hot as the bowl "closes." You might not want to smoke this one all the way down, as it were.

Finally, I have purchased this both in bulk and in the tin. My impression is that the tinned variety is superior. It tasted somehwat more aged to me, though this may be mere perception.

An excellent smoke!

I bought two tins of this from Knox Cigar a couple of months back because it was made by Samuel Gawith. Ater a few bowls, I immediately stocked up the cellar with it, and will continue to add more. This is made with the extraordinarly good Virginia of Medium Flake, Best Brown and Full Virginia Flake, but it is even darker than FVF. The tobacco is almost black and comes in narrow, moist strips. Before they dry, I roll them out to a broken ribbon and allow them to dry a bit. The Virginia flavor of this tobacco is one step deeper than FVF, and the smoke delivers this rich tanginess consistently. The perique is barely noticeable to me, adding just bit of spice but functioning more as a complement to the Virginia. I think the perique has been completely submerged into the Virginia through the process of pressing the tobaccos into flake form. This is a mild, mild smoke with pronounced Virginia flavor and no hint of bite. I look for the day when this can be bought in bulk. Most highly recommended for the Virginia lover. Paddy.

Like csimser, I've purchased LH in both tin and bulk. Unlike csimser, I could find no difference in the moisture content, quality, or flavor. There were differences of cut and color that did not seem to affect the tobacco in the least.

With an aversion to nearly anything that contains burley, I was somewhat reluctant to try LH. However, the many positive reviews herein persuaded me to give it a try.

LH is much sweeter than many of other vapers I smoke, especially those from Rattray, SG, and G&H. This is due, I suspect, from the addition of the Cavendish.

Like most others, I find the moisture content a but high but quite manageable. I've smoked this in large and small pipes with equal enjoyment. Buying LH in bulk not only saves one a good deal of cash, but allows the smoker to appreciate the differences of taste as the tobacco ages (even for six months or so) and to set aside some to breathe.

LH is easy to pack, lights easily, burns perfectly, does well with DGT and has none of the "soapy" taste one might expect.

In short, one of the nicest and most flavorful tobaccos I've had the pleasure of smoking.