Samuel Gawith - Bracken Flake pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Showing reviews 1 through 20 of 59 reviews of this tobacco NEXT >
Azazelo	08/25/2010	Very Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Tolerable to Strong
I´ve tried it just once, but it was quite an intensive smoke. With experience of some other Samuel Gawith´s strong flakes, I´d expected something like that - full taste, slow burning and really satisfying amount of nicotin that would come through my palate and nostrils. I had to stop my smoking for a while in one point... I recommend it for some quiet and "introvert" moments to enjoy it. I´m looking forward to another smoke...
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incoinnu	07/26/2010	Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
I am enjoying this blend right now as I write my first review. As recommended I have allowed it to dry out a fair bit. It was flavorful from the first draw and has burnt evenly to the bottom of the bowl. It is full bodied with some underlying flavoring of chocolate. The only problem that I forsee is trying to find a reliable supply in the future.
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strongirish	07/16/2010	Medium to Strong	Medium	Full	Tolerable
This is a good blend for those that like 1792 as it is in this genre. I comes with broken loosw flakes of a rich walnut brown color, the flakes are loose but the tobacco is packed very tight making it a little harder to break up to pack in a pipe. The pouch aroma is very rich, peaty and much like 1792. But once loaded in the pipe and a few lights to get it going, it produces a rich smooth smoke that gives a burst of flavor on the pallette. I is very full bodied and strong, yet it does not give any tongue bite at all, and does not produce a lot of smoke. I have to relite several times in the course of a bowl, but that is no big deal, as the smoke is very pleasant and sweet. I could never smoke this as an all day blend, but it is great with a cold beer or cup of coffee. It burns rather fast and produces a darfk grey ash and just a touch of dottle at the bottom of the pipe. It will ghost your pipe a little so smoke it in one that you smoke this type of blend in. The room note is a little like shoe polish aroma so you won't win any fans when smoking it but it is a good smoke and can be smoked outdoors. All in all, between the two I would smoke 1792 flake but this would be a good replacement foor those times 1792 is scarce. I recommend a try, it is a very pleasant smoke.
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Puffingstuff	07/01/2010	Extremely Strong	Extra Strong	Very Full	Very Strong
Smells like a porta-potty caught fire and burned straight to the ground. I've never tasted a burned porta-potty, but it might just taste like Braken flake. You chaps who like this tobacco, my hat is off to you. You're a better man than me Gunga Din! No thank you. You gents must be true lumber jacks that love this flake.
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DK	06/14/2010	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable
The first thing I noticed upon cracking the tin is the beautiful dark brown flakes lined neatly in double-rowed stacks. Flakes of this color I find artistically beautiful (hey, art is whatever anyone says it is!). The second thing was a sweetish, artificial tin aroma that immediately transported me to my childhood, when my parents forced a cheap cough syrup on me. The image was not pleasant, but I perservered. The topping was offensive to my nose but I believe it smoothed out the taste of this flake. I got a tasty, easy to smoke, non-Lakeland flavored, fairly powerful weed that, while it didn't seem to develop much down the bowl, smoked "earthy-sweet" from rim to dottle. There was a mild fruitiness but I did not get the dark chocolate others have mentioned. I was just happy that the soapy taste was totally absent from this Lakeland. I was also happy that it didn't have the heavier flavor of 1792, and I prefer BF's comparative subtleness. Nice broken (bracken) flake, and one I'll repeat. It doesn't make my regular rotation due to its mono-dimensionality but it's a good smoke and one that should be tried by the smoker that is put off by 1792 but likes the richness.
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commonsenseman	05/20/2010	Strong	Mild to Medium	Very Full	Strong
I've been smoking this blend fairly regularly for almost a year now & I figured that's long enough to give it a fair review. It is a blend that needs to be smoked for a while to be fully appreciated, especially since it's so full-flavored. When I first open a tin it has a quite pungent aroma (dark chocolate?), this dissipates after being open for a while, it also lessens with age. The flakes vary from very thick to fairly thin, which seems to be normal for SG flakes, especially in bulk. It comes quite moist & needs to be dried out for a while. It packs & lights very well whether folded & stuffed or rubbed out. The initial aroma is of Dark Chocolate just like the tin aroma, maybe just a hint of something fruity too, it slows down after the beginning of the bowl though & becomes just a delicious, very dark Virginia flavor. It's mellow & smooth all the way to the bottom of the bowl. Those who do not enjoy a very strong tobacco aroma will not appreciate this blends' room note. It works very well to scare off non-smokers if you so desire though. Many people compare this to 1792. If I had to guess I would say the base tobaccos are the same, but the topping is very different. They are both delicious in their own way. I HIGHLY recommend this blend if you don't shy away from full- bodied, full-flavored tobacco. I would also like to add that this is not an "English Blend", which implies it has Latakia, it does not. 4 out of 4.
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thedstnguishdgntlmn	04/17/2010	Very Strong	Mild	Very Full	Tolerable to Strong
This was an unexpected and pleasant surprise. A few Reviewers have compared this to 1792 flake or Dark Flake. I see the similarities in strength (Dark Flake) and flavor (1792) but neither is really accurate. I feel a better description would be STONEHAVEN on CRACK!! It is very deep and smooth but powerful. It also has a trange flaovring. It is rather 1 dimensional but very enjoyable. Hic cups may follow if smoked in a large bowl. A must try for all pipe smokers. 3.5 of 4 stars.
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rramstad	04/13/2010	Medium to Strong	Medium	Full	Tolerable to Strong
I'm not sure if my opinion here is accurate, but I had trouble keeping this lit. It doesn't have as much topping as 1792 or Cob Plug, but has a similar flavor profile, just toned down. I did get a bit of tongue bite from it. It does have some similarities to GH Dark Flake as well. Given that I'd rather smoke 1792 or Dark Flake, I can't see reaching for this much. I'd give it three stars except for the burn and slight bite.
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Pipe Boiler	03/13/2010	Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
As usual my yardstick for tobacco comparison is Petersons Old Dublin. Still my number one by some distance now. This my first SG tobacco but not my first flake. What hit me was not the spicyness of the flavour but how sigularly peppery it is which appealed to me. This puts it just ahead of the Peterson University flake. I dont get the soapy, chocolate and fruity flavours at all. All round a good enjoyable relaxing smoke but if you smoke it too quickly you will lose the pepper and get burned instead. Slow and easy is the trick for sure.
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stephenspring	02/24/2010	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
Was very surprised how much I liked this. I love rich taste with equal mildness and this hit the spot. Although my fav is Balkan Supreme, this really surprised me. I bought it in bulk from smokingpipes.com who do a great job with their products and service. Not sure how to describe the taste because it is different but for me I give it top rating. Cool smoke, rich flavor, lovely mildness. Super stuff
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LSU Tiger	10/28/2009	Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Tolerable
I love a good traditional English flake. However, I do not like Bracken Flake. Frankly, the "soapy" taste leaves me cold. Sam Gawith's tobaccos are among my favorites, but I can't get past the unusual flavoring. Too bad, I've liked everything else I've tried.
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Kilmarnock Piper	10/04/2009	Strong	Extremely Mild	Very Full	Tolerable
To me it does taste a bit like 1792, just slightly less strong and without the tonquin flavoring. I just got out of church, where I sing in the choir. We did an arrangement (bad) of Beethoven's hallelujah chorus from Mount of Olives which is a truncated version coupled with a snippet of the Ode to Joy from the Ninth Symphony, with the wrong words; and the rather difficult 16th century anthem Rejoice in the Lord Alway (composer unknown). Tobaccos like this remind me of Beethoven's choral writing-he leaves the tenors and sopranos up in the stratosphere, pounding out Gs and As with scarcely a chance to breathe. It is powerful, and not unpleasant; but too much of it leaves me with a pain in my throat. I should have smoked it in a smaller bowled pipe. After leaving this tobacco out all night, it was still not completely dry, so I may try leaving it under a lamp for a while next time. The harshness did fade a bit halfway through the bowl, and I was getting some nice flavors from small sips-the tobacco does burn well.
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Buggs	10/01/2009	Medium to Strong	None detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable
Opening the tin revealed very dark flakes of varying thickness.The aroma is musty,not very plesant to my senses.the flakes required some drying for optimal burn.Slightly rubbed out and with a loose pack the tobacco took to the match quite well.On first light there was a faint flavor of dried apricots and a very lite lakeland scent.The tobacco crowned up quite high and required a lite tamp for the second light.With the second light there were no flavors or aroma noticed. The bowl settled down to an easy,strong and unflavorfull smoke.The tobacco burned dry to the bottom leaving a grey ash. Overall impression.Premium leaf,burns well when dryed out a bit. No bite with a noticable nicotine content.not much if any flavor.
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Helmsman	09/22/2009	Strong	Medium to Strong	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
This is a very full flavor english blend. Enjoyed the bold taste. Rubs very easy, lites up easy and produces lots of smoke.
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Jocose	08/08/2009	Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable
A tremendous value in bulk and a great smoke! Even after smoking several pounds of the bulk version I still find it hard to describe other than Bracken flake to me is like a scented "light" version of Irish Flake. It must be a Virginia/Burley mix. Taste is on the mild/medium side and the nicotine is medium. This tastes nothing like 1792 whatsoever, I dont know why thats part of their description??
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newmission	08/08/2009	Strong	Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
I just keep on trying the SG flakes and each one keeps coming up a winner. Bracken Flake is dark brown with hints of gold in it. The tin scent did not reflect the taste at all. I am pleasantly surprised at its consistant fullness and love the 'plain jane' feel of the smoke. No real flavors that jump out at you just a simple medium to strong smoke that really satisfies all my smoking desire. I will say that mid bowl when the flavor really starts to culminate it tastes a bit like a good cigar. Love this blend and will keep it in my rotation. Nice on a rainy Saturday morning when there is nothing much to do. Cant wait to smoke it in the Winter while drinking a cup of Turkish Coffee. May be a good mix. Happy smoking. EDIT: Since falling head over heels in love with Kendal Cream in the tin I purchased a pound in bulk and what a difference the bulk was compared to the tin. Hoping to purchase BF in bulk. Will re-review if I can find it.
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murfman	07/29/2009	Strong	Mild to Medium	Full	Tolerable to Strong
This is a very nice and strong tobacco that is best smoked slowly. If you rush it, as I did the first time I tried it, The strength gets to you and the flavors combine into a slurry of sour. Smoked slow, as it is intended I believe, this tobacco shows more hints of its complex nature. This is a sipping tobacco, and as a true Gawith flake it smokes long. It does need a little drying after being rubbed out, but all in all a real pleasant smoke for the experienced smoker.
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AnalogMoz	05/01/2009	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
A strong and scented brown-black uneven flake tobacco. The tin I had contained tobacco needing time to dry before smoking. I find it very, very tasty. I cannot tell much about this that would be constructive, but if, like me, you tried 1792 and found it over-flavored but liked where it was going, then Bracken Flake is quite possibly a fit for you. Being available in affordable bulk increases my excitement over my discovery of this product. Fragrant, delicious, different. If you're getting into stronger flake tobaccos like Peterson Irish Flake, I would seriously suggest you purchase a quantity of this.
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AcworthAl	05/01/2009	Very Strong	None detected	Very Full	Overwhelming
The operative word is strong. I liked it; my wife did not like the way it smelled. It makes for a rich and enjoyable smoke. It might smoke better if dried a bit; it took several re-lights to get it going. It seems to have a good deal of nicotine, which is not all bad. This is a very good smoke.
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colt25314	04/08/2009	Strong	Very Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
Another great blend from SG&C. Bracken Flake is a great example of the best tobaccos to be had coupled with expert processing in that good old English tradition of elevating taste without purging the flake of good old vitamin "N". Set back, load a bowl full and watch your troubles float away with the smoke.
Showing reviews 1 through 20 of 59 reviews of this tobacco NEXT >