Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Louisiana Perique Flake

Here we have the VaPer for those who think they don't like VaPers. The perique was mildly tingly but not peppery or heavy. It added just a breath of additional flavor and it worked beautifully with the depth of the virginias. I didn't really taste the cocoa but it did add a mild sweetness to the mix that wasn't a sweet I associate with virginia tobacco. Whatever they did, it worked spectacularly!

Beautiful dark golden flake that came over-moist. I preferred this very, very dry - almost tinder. Doing so did add the faintest precept of a bite at first light but it backed off nicely after the first half-dozen puffs. The flavor was sweet but with a toasted bread essence. The perique was most noticeable when I exhaled through the nose and never tickled my throat. This blend was very gentlemanly but it had exceptional flavor. Typically I prefer my perique to be more present and have even commented on lighter fare with a certain touch of wistfulness. Not here. This blend simply works on all levels. My 2 oz sample was parlayed into a 500 gram purchase and this has made my regular rotation with a bullet!

The lightly floral Virginias offer a fair amount of tart and tangy citrus, grass, some tangy dark fruit, wood, bread, vegetation and earth as the lead components. The earthy, woody perique is always noticeable: very spicy with raisins, figs and dates. The chocolate is mild, and more obvious to me once I got through the first quarter of the bowl. The Lakeland topping is a shade floral with a soap note, and while it doesn’t upstage the tobacco flavor, it’s always present. The tonquin is mild and sweet. The whisky is a very minor addition, not always to be found, and I doubt I'd notice it if I didn't know it was there. The toppings moderately sublimate the tobaccos, but not enough to lose their intrinsic aspects. The strength and taste levels are medium. The nic-hit is a rung past the center of mild to medium. Won't bite or get harsh. Has a few rough edges. May need a slight dry time, depending on your preference. The flakes easily break apart. Burns clean, cool and a little slow with a mostly consistent, deeply rich flavor. Requires some relights, and leaves little moisture in the bowl. Has a lightly lingering, pleasant after taste, and room note. Not an all day smoke, but it is repeatable during your smoking day.

-JimInks

This is one of my favorite GH flakes! The pouch scent is mainly of chocolate mixed with the usual raisin/fig smell associated with VaPers. I prefer to let the tan/brown flake dry out some as it arrives moist. I have smoked it folded and rubbed out and I find rubbed out brings out the most in LPF. As others have mentioned, the perique is added with somewhat of a light hand, but really helps to balance out the sweetness of the blend. I am fairly certain that the sweetness is a result of manual manipulation and not simply the result of the Virginia's. I do taste a light chocolate flavor and that along with the well blended tobaccos make for a wonderfully balanced blend. I don't pick up the florals to the extent that others have mentioned, but it could be because I smoke a lot of GH blends with far more floral taste. For those that like to cellar their blends, Louisiana Perique Flake should be a great candidate for long term storage.

Lovers of GH flakes and those looking for a different take on the typical VaPer, LPF should be on your “must try” list. Highly Recommended.

I note that many of the reviewers of this blend compare Louisian Flake to Bob's Chocolate Flake. Admittedly, it has been a year or so since I smoked BCF, but I sure don't remember it tasting much like LF.

I found Louisiana Flake neatly tucked in a pouch as a sample with a recent tobacco order from one of my favorite etailers. The flake was much drier than most G&H tobaccos I have tried, and it rubbed out easily. It is not a very dark combination and the flavor was on the lighter side as well. A little of that "Lakeland perfume" was present, but not unpleasantly so.

Quite ordinary in comparison to many other G&H offerings I have tried. You will taste both the Virginia and the Perique, so if you gravitate toward that combination, you may appreciate this blend.

Update 4-09:

A friend recently gifted me some 10 year old Louisiana Flake. It was darker in color and richer in overall flavor (and, certainly more mellow), than the fresh batch I smoked. The Perique element was almost non-existant. The nicotine content seemed higher.

When I first smelled Louisiana Flake in the bag, I could smell the chocolate that others have noted. My first go with Louisiana Flake was that it burned a little hot, but it once got the right cadence, things settled down. I like to fully rub out LF rather than folding and stuffing it. LF starts out with a medium amount of flavor than moves to full. The flavor offered a floral taste and I was unable to detect any chocolate. As the smoke goes on, the floral disappears and I am left with a fruity and peppery spiciness from the Perique that isn’t overwhelming. LF builds in strength and by bowl’s end is a little stronger than I prefer. While not a top choice for me, I would recommend giving it a try.

Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. - Louisiana Flake.

Note: another of my early reviews I decided wasn't too useful so deleted to re-post.

The moisture of this pouch on arrival was good, it needed no time to air at all. In the pouch-note the chocolate is the only added flavour I recognize, I can't pick out any Lakeland/floral additions.

My first piece of advice with this is when ordering don't bother with a 25g pouch, get the biggest you can, it's bloomin' lovely! The chocolate's a notable addition, but never does it become too sweet, or sticky. There's just enough to add another dimension to the smoke, without it seeming 'aromatic'. Although some folks identify a Lakeland/floral appurtenance, this escapes me. The Perique's a lighter variety: enhancing the Virginia with mild spice, but it doesn't take over with vinegary causticity. The Virginia's the prominent tobacco, by a long score. I get no issues with the burn: cool, consistent, and of a medium speed. Nor do I have a complaint about bite: none.

Nicotine: medium. Room-note: pleasant.

Louisiana Flake? Highly recommended:

Four stars.

Not much of a VaPer here. More like a FloPer (Flowers and Perique) or maybe a PerPer (Perfume and Perique). The Lakeland scent just smothers the Virginias. It's enough to make you gag. Never again. Hey...the room note's great though.

I find myself reaching for this tobacco more than any other I smoke. The quality of the leaf is top notch, and the flavor is perfect. If you're a VaPer purist, you might be a little disappointed. Also, if you're not accustomed to Lakeland toppings, you might be put off when you first try it. They can be mildly "soapy" until you get used to them. Louisiana Flake is no exception. The Lake Sauce, like the Perique, is lightly applied but definitely noticeable. Taken as a whole and unique creation, this is a brilliantly crafted blend. Highly recommended.

Bought this at local B&M, who are growing pipe tobacco part of biz. First non- tinned baccy, 7ish per oz. Long caked flake, nice complex colors, good texture, unsure of what moisture content should be as this was nearly last oz in large jar, moist enough...

Smelled of good powder cocoa, and Virginias. I got no other smells, no whiskey or anything else. Nearing end of oz, as it has dried out its taken on a very peppery taste. I reside in SE Louisiana, love Perique (and all things spicy, fwiw) and this was very spicy.

Orlik Golden Sliced is a go to in my rotation, and as I understand it to be a Danish Vaper, more mild. This ounce -however - would be akin to comparing ketchup to Tabasco. Also, don't know how the tonquin fits in, maybe it adds to the pepper? It makes my mouth somewhat....numb after!? It is very tasty, will try to get several ozs when I catch a fresh batch at the store, see if there's a difference. Won't likely make permanent rotation- of which a Vaper is always present, but if your up for some zip in your pipe, give it a try.

Edit: Having smoked several VaPers since this review, decided this was tasty enough to purchase it by the pound! I missed it that much 🙂

I hate to go against all the positive reviews here but my experience has been quite different. The flavoring is way over the top. I have smoked Lakelands before and really enjoy them. This stuff however, does not taste of Perique or Tonquin to me. I can only describe it tasting like Johnson and Johnson Baby Power smells. Picture that in your pipe and you have it. This is one of the worst tasting blends I have came across.