Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Dark Flake Scented

(3.09)
This flake is a blend of dark fired Virginias, and Indian air cured tobaccos. This is the same strong, full-bodied tobacco leaf that comprises unflavored Dark Flake, but seasoned with the addition of traditional British flavorings, as well as tonquin, maple, and licorice. Designed for those experienced smokers who want the full strength of Dark Flake but enjoy a more traditionally flavored British Flake.

Details

Brand Gawith, Hoggarth & Co.
Blended By Gawith, Hoggarth & Co.
Manufactured By Gawith, Hoggarth & Co.
Blend Type Aromatic
Contents Burley, Virginia
Flavoring Licorice, Maple, Tonquin Bean
Cut Flake
Packaging Bulk
Country United Kingdom
Production Currently available

Profile

Strength
Strong
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant to Tolerable
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Full
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming

Average Rating

3.09 / 4
19

24

6

4

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 53 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Nov 28, 2012 Strong Medium to Strong Very Full Tolerable to Strong
You really have to like the Lakeland taste to enjoy this blend. The toppings are one of the main reasons why you smoke this, because they take an integral role in the proceedings. The licorice and maple have some depth, but the tonquin is one of main toppings, as well as a very evident floralness (Geranium, I suspect). They will certainly ghost a briar pipe quickly. The Virginias are a little grassy with a lot of earth, wood and tangy dark fruit, some floralness, and a touch of tart and tangy citrus, cigar and spice. The burleys offer toasted nuttiness, a little molasses, and wood, and are very earthy in an important support role. Has a strong nic-hit, and taste level. No harsh or dull spots to be found, and it won't bite. There are a few rough edges. Burns clean, cool, and slow with a very consistent, sweet, earthy, woody, floral, rugged flavor from start to finish. Requires some relights, and leaves very little moisture in the bowl, but I suggest packing it a little loose for easier burning. Has a pleasantly lingering after taste and potent room note. Slow puffing cadence, and a small to moderate size bowl is recommended.

-JimInks
17 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 23, 2011 Strong Mild Full Pleasant to Tolerable
It appears my 2 oz sample was absent the day they handed out the "traditional British flavorings". Ok, not absent but apparently not absorbing the lesson. Readers should take this review with a grain of salt, since my batch appears different than the norm, but I'm reporting on what I tasted/smelled.

This would be a great tobacco for someone that loves the robust feistyness of Dark Flake Unscented but wants something they can smoke around others. Ok, "some" others! I got varied comments, but smoking DFU garnered one comment echoed umpteen times - "YUCK"! This had a heavily scented tin aroma that did not correlate to the flavor very much. What flavoring my batch possessed burned off within the first 20 or so puffs. From that point forward, it tasted exactly like my memory of DFU but gave off a more tolerable room aroma. In that sense, this could be the perfect tobacco for someone. I found it deep, dark and luxurious tasting, just like its unscented brother. Very nicotine-laden, and smaller bowls are recommended. This one lulled me to over-relaxation, both through the flavor and through the nicotine buzz.

I could not smoke this one all day or even everyday. Perhaps once per week. But this is a tobacco that I intend to have around for those times where it just fits in when nothing else will satisfy. This is a 3.5 star blend, downgraded due to its occasional status and not its flavor!
16 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Aug 31, 2007 Very Strong Mild to Medium Very Full Very Pleasant
First, a word of thanks to fellow reviewer OSR for gifting me some of this unique tobacco to smoke and review. He said that at the midway point of the bowl he smoked, he got the "sweats."

Dark Flake Scented is loaded with true tobacco flavor, and not advised for the wimpy tongued crowd. Dark Flake Scented plasters the palate with unrelenting flavor and strength. Nicotine in high doses is a good thing as far as I am concerned, so I really enjoyed the fullness of the leaf. It burns a little hotter than some of the Lakeland style flakes that I have smoked, but cooler than most.

It was not terribly difficult to rub out and once I got it going, it stayed lit very well. The unrubbed flakes are long, black and leathery. It looks as powerful as it tastes.

If a heavy Virginia leaf with sweetness of the Lakeland style is what you are after, you'd be hard pressed to find something better than this. So, it gets four stars from this member of the full strength crowd.
14 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 29, 2010 Strong Medium to Strong Very Full Strong
Pipestud and others have contributed accurate assessment of DFS below. Should there remain any doubt in your mind, you may want to take the DFS compatibility test:

Which do you prefer? Select your choice of either (A) or (B).

(A)Guinness Stout vs.(B)Coors Light (A)Liver and onions vs.(B)Peanut butter sandwich (A)Cabernet Sauvignon vs.(B)Beaujolais Nouveau (A)Shad roe (fried) vs.(B)Tilapia fillet broiled) (A)Moth balls vs.(B)Lilac pomander

If you select at least four (A) items, you may be a candidate to try DFS.

As for me, this is as close to an 'aromatic' as I will allow, something other than tobacco burning in my pipe.
12 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 13, 2015 Strong Very Strong Very Full Pleasant
Gawith Hoggarth - Dark Flake Scented.

Mine is a fairly thick flake, it's not too damp out of the pack so it doesn't need time to dry. The smell that comes from the flake is a little hectic, it's tricky for me to identify a particular ingredient!

It lights with ease and once it's burning it gives a good/steady burn that delivers a cool smoke. I find the flavour really busy, there just seems to be a melange of added flavours! The taste I get the strongest is the liquorice, it gives the blend some spicy character. Other than that I find the rest of the flavour very crowded, Nick O' Teen said "caution, sensory overload" and I can't argue, this is VERY AROMATIC! For those who crave nicotine this will suit, it carries quite a nicotine hit! A point that sits well with me is tongue bite, it's very forgiving in that area. Another better point is the room note, it's fairly aromatic but not too heavy for me.

It didn't take me more than a few bowls of this to realise that it's not for me but I think if you are a fan of heavy aromatics then this will step up to the mark for you! Sadly one star from me .
Pipe Used: Savinelli
PurchasedFrom: G.Q Tobaccos
Age When Smoked: New
9 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Sep 19, 2014 Strong Medium Full Pleasant to Tolerable
This is a beautiful, well balanced & deeply flavorful smoke that tastes charred, rich and bittersweet. The scented topping creates a marvelous high note that balances perfectly with the fullness of its flavor. Truth be told, I have a pretty low tolerance for nicotine, and quite frankly I have no business smoking this blend. However, I really enjoy it, so I smoke it exclusively in a long stem clay tavern style pipe with a tiny bowl. This helps me to keep from overdoing it, and the flavor that I get from the clay is quite articulate.

There's a pleasing mellow spiciness that appears about midway through the smoke, and there are so many interesting complexities that it's really impossible to describe them. The strength and the flavor-balance of Dark Flake Scented are a perfect combination and there’s a significant amount of both. There's no harshness and no bitterness, only sublime dark tobacco flavor with a sophisticated flair.

I absolutely adore this flake and I think it’s a terrific option for pipers who appreciate scented Kendal style tobacco, but are seeking something more robust.
Pipe Used: Clay
8 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Oct 17, 2013 Medium to Strong Medium Full Tolerable to Strong
EDIT: 09/14/2016 It's now been almost 3 years since I first reviewed this wonderful flake. It's still a 4 star tobacco and is the ONLY tobacco that I can say has completely satisfied each and every time I've smoked it. I've smoked over 3lbs of the stuff with 100% satisfaction. It's that good. If the strength scares you from trying it, just try it in a smaller pipe cut with some Brown Flake or similar. Then proceed to work your way up to 100% Dark Flake and Bob's your uncle, you're smoking a mans tobacco.

Original Review 10/17/2013: This tobacco was an eye opener to me. For years I have been able to enjoy most "types" of tobacco, but for my daily smokes tended to stick with light Virginia's and the occasional aromatic. When I first tried Dark Flake Scented, I was a little bit leery, due to the warnings of the strength nicotine wise. My fears were mostly unfounded. This tobacco does indeed pack a nicotine punch, but behaves if puffed gently. The benefit of the full flavor far outweighs the con of the nicotine (if you consider that a bad thing) when smoked with reasonable sense.

The flavor, again, is full. It's a nice almost spicy taste, maybe that's a tonquin or licorice coming through. I know this will sound odd, but the back of the throat/nose taste reminds me of Chaps cologne.

I love the smell of this stuff in the jar and think it does come through a little bit in the smoke for the first dozen or so puffs, but gently fades away after that. It's not at all a turn off for me. I've smoked it in a few pipes and find that it does not ghost a pipe anywhere near as much as I thought it would. I actually like the smell it leaves behind in the pipe the following day.

Again, this tobacco was an eye opener to me. It's really the first full strength blend I've thoroughly enjoyed. I highly recommend it if you're looking for something with a full flavor and with a bit of strength to it.
7 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 07, 2013 Medium to Strong Medium to Strong Full Pleasant
A medium, possibly for some, strongish strength, mainly dark fired Malawi Virginia tobacco from the established and renowned Lakeland blenders Gawith and Hoggarth. DFS is essentially Dark Flake but with the addition of flavorings which in my opinion do not transfer to the taste of the tobacco as one would expect from the bag aroma. The cut and press of the flake will be familiar to smokers of British flakes. Dark, heavily pressed and cut to six inch by a little over one inch flakes. The usual high quality leaf from established growers and suppliers have ensured that G&H have been able to maintain a consistent high standard of their products with in this case the addition of time honoured secret ingredients, some of which named may be less present than some would have you believe.

The producers Gawith and Hoggarth mention the presence of Tonquin and liquorice as well as other flavourings as being present but some reviewers have compared this blend to Sam Gawith's 1792 which I feel is a little misleading. Tonquin and liquorice play a minor part in this blends flavourings and aroma, but in 1792 these ingredients have a more forward, dominant role and transfer to the smoke of that blend much more than they do in DFS. The main or dominant ingredient/aroma of DFS is a very different and lighter middle note of either (I think at least) Geranium or Rose Geranium which may well remind smokers of the Lychee fruit. Being a middle note and not as heavy as Tonquin which is regarded as a base note, the sweeter, lighter flavourings remain primarily in the back ground to the smoker who is rewarded with the quality taste and strength of the pressed Virginia leaf rather than that of any over powering additives. I may well be wrong of course and setting myself up for criticism but these are my humble observations regarding the matter of the otherwise only mentioned as 'other/miscellaneous' flavourings.

DFS stands alongside Dark Flake and others from the G&H house as a very good dark fired Virginia and deserves in my eyes at least, simply on the strength of the tobacco's quality to come recommended. Although a favourite of mine there are others such as Coniston Cut Plug which I slightly prefer. If you find Coniston a little too strong for your tastes and / or prefer a lighter aroma to your smoke, then DFS will no doubt fit your needs.
7 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Aug 28, 2008 Extremely Strong Medium Very Full Strong
Smoke it in an armchair, otherwise next time smoke it in a wheelchair.

Stronger that 1792 and much stronger than Peterson's Irish Flake, the scented version of GH Dark Flake is a dangerous and/but extreme pleasure. Arrived rather dry, so there was no need to further prepare it except for rubbing out, loading and lighting up.

I'll second loosewatches' opinion - although the DFS is scented, the taste and aroma when smoking is almost exclusively of the dark fired leaf. It's only when you smell it in the bag or wherever you prefer to keep it that you know it's scented. I would say I love the tin aroma, except that it's a bulk version in my case. And once lit up, the smoke reveals a hint of tonquin and a floral note characteristic of many GH flakes, but no other added flavors.

As with all weed of this kind, good drying and a small pipe is advisable.

The Dark Flake Scented is not as cloyed with tonquin as the acclaimed 1792 Flake by Samuel Gawith and more authentic and powerful than Peterson's Irish Flake, which makes DFS the right choice for me when I crave for a stronger tobacco.
6 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Apr 15, 2016 Strong Medium Full Tolerable
I got a sample from a friend, and I have been smoking it in various cobs (fearing the ghosting). My sample came in long strips of flake, and it may have been slightly on the dry side. Rubbed out, the pieces are very hard and stick together with some determination. I smoked this rubbed out because I suspected that it would not stay lit otherwise. I am pretty sure the only other tobacco I have smoked that was this dense was McClelland 2025.

Smoked this is a Lakeland experience. There is floral and the first few puffs are a little soapy. Once you get into the bowl, the essence smooths out and I liked this more than I expected I would. It is a strong Lakeland flavor, and it has some of the spice of the right Honduran cigar. I get the same nutty, smoky and slightly sweet combination of tastes I found in the unscented Dark Flake. There is a creamy, thick quality to the smoke, and there is a pleasant slightly acrid quality to it at times. The slight herbal flavor in the unscented is there too but harder to find.

Be warned that this smoke packs a nicotine punch. I am fairly immune to nicotine, and I knew I was smoking something strong by half bowl. By this point, the flavors really sing, and I don't just think it has been the nicotine talking.

Smoking qualities were good, and it was no challenge to smoke slowly, smoke to the bottom, etc. It burned cool for me.

This is a solid 3 on the scale. I am glad I tried it. I think I might slightly prefer this to the unscented, and that was a surprise.
5 people found this review helpful.
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