Rich, creamy and full flavoured. With a nice nicotine level, I was purely amazed.

I wonder if K&Kopp will respect the original recipe, or mess it up.

I will hang on the original tins from Samual Gawith as long as possible and monitor the new manufacture's reactions from my fellow reviewers...

Packing: Once broken up into a chunky rubbed-out state, it packed easily enough. I didn't want to overpack it either, and I feel that it tasted best when packed on the light side.

First Impression: The latakia hits you up front, but there is a sweet/tangy oriental flavor present from the initial light. The smoke has a rich, creamy texture.

Halfway Through Bowl: Oh man, this is good stuff. Big, strong, complex flavors are present - sweet, tangy, woody, and especially leathery. Flavor builds well.

End of Bowl: Wood and leather start to dominate. No big nic hit, despite the strength of flavor. Tangy starts to turn sour (in a good way). Teeters on too much tang/sour if you work it too hard at this point. Leaves more dottle than most.

Room Note: I would guess pretty awful, but smoked outdoors I didn't have anyone to notice.

Likes: Great, complex, big flavors. Really fantastic. Even though it was super hot out during most of my smokes, I was still excited to smoke this heavy English / Balkan style blend. A real winner.

Dislikes: Too moist out of the tin - but that's easily fixed with a little patience and planning. Sour if you work it too hard. Smokes a little hot. None of these will keep me from buying more of this.

Balkan Flake is not one that I crave often, but when I feel the need for a proper Latakia fix it really hits the spot.

I have tried smoking this flake pretty much every way I can think of and my conclusions are that it performs best when it is cut up into wee cubes and gravity filled, and that unlike a lot of flakes, it likes to be pretty moist - not as wet as when it comes out of the tin, but still sticky enough so that the cubes can be pressed together and won't immediately separate.

Inital light up yields a strong waft of Latakia but this is quickly joined by the Va content which, as is customary with SG is top notch. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the quality of the Virginia component is what makes the blend. When the pipe is loaded using the technique described above they really reveal their sweetness and as the bowl progresses they impart a nice toastiness to complement the smokey Latakia.

3 stars as it is a little monochromatic, but nevertheless a very solid smoke if you enjoy your Latakia.

Opening the tin, I was hit with a smell which I was not expecting at all. In fact, I didn't know what to expect, really. It smells extremely earthy, pungent, strong. At first I thought "no way", but I loaded up a bowl of the broken, dark flakes, and off we went.

The first bowl made my stomach turn. The second was better, the third was good, the fourth was awesome. And it just keeps getting better and better. Having spent some more time with this blend (a lot of time, actually) I can now safely say that this tobacco is nothing short of amazing.

The Virginia's are very high quality and sweet, and the dense smell of the Latakia has sweetened as well. What you're left with is a creamy, gorgeous smoke which does not bite in any way, shape or form. It's also possibly the most even burning tobacco I've ever smoked. The taste upon the first match is heavenly, and as the bowl progresses, it gets deeper, sweeter, and even more delicious.

I need to stock up on this. Extremely addicting, and quite simply, flawless.

Obviously top notch tobacco, carefully processed, but I didn't get a lot of nuances from it, just pure smoking latakia with enough other stuff in there that it burns well.

Highly recommended for those who are looking for a latakia bomb in flake form. Otherwise, probably not. I will smoke this occasionally as the mood dictates, but suspect that other blends with more complex notes will get more puffing in my pipes...

Update 27-07-10: Raised two whole stars. I've had a batch aging in a glass jar for well over a year and decided the other day to try some. Sugar crystals abound. Even though this isn't a traditional Balkan, the Va's are so good that anything under 4 stars wouldn't adequately describe the quality. And yes, I could still taste the fruitiness of the Va's even with the large portion of latakia. Some age and a proper rubbing out did wonders. I find this an interesting blend for those few times a year I stray from my daily diet of straight Virginias.

And now a word about a rumor somebody is spreading on this site about Kohlhase & Kopp taking over the manufacturing for Samuel Gawith. Although I had my doubts that the legendary two hundred plus year old company would relinquish the rights to manufacture its own tobacco, I contacted Samuel Gawith and was assured that this rumor is "ABSOLUTELY NOT TRUE." Thank heavens. In this unsure world where once great pipe tobaccos are being discontinued and pipe smokers as well as snuff users are being alienated and squeezed for every last tax nickel, it's good to know that staple companies such as Samuel Gawith are still around producing high quality tobaccos.

As companion a good single malt like a delicate, dry and fragrant 10 years old Laphoroaig.

It has depth, is not too complex and meets a latakia lover's craving.

Give it a shot!

Warning: Not for beginners!

I've smoked only one other bowl of this, and find it much too strong for my palate. It's got a very strong leathery overtone that doesn't improve with age. For some reason, it doesn't agree with me nearly as much as the first try.

I've dialed my recommendation back to 2 stars from 3.

******

Although I've been a pipe "collector" (with about 30 pipes in my collection) and a smoker for 27 years, I'd never been to a pipe show. Some chaps in the local pipe group let me tag along to the show in Columbus, OH this last weekend. Not broke but badly bent, I made sure to have enough money in my accounts to purchase a decent amount of tobaccos while I was there.

There were two Samuel Gawith tobaccos I purchased, this one and their "St. James Flake".

When I cracked open this tin I was really surprised by the overly musty, almost sour smell rendered by the VA in the blend, and was afraid of what I was getting myself into despite the "Deliciously Cool" description on the label.

I was advised by the person selling this that it was absolutely necessary to fully rub the flakes out, and I was a bit shocked at how moist, almost sticky and pasty the flakes were to rub out. I've put this in a full-bent style pipe, and am thrilled with the taste and burn. It's no fault of the tobacco that I'm getting a fairly gurgly, wet burn. (This particular pipe has a wet smoke problem that I'm trying to solve).

Do I care whether or not it's a "true" Balkan, or a VA/Lat blend or whether or not it's got any Orientals in it? Not one wit. This is an amazing tobacco with a consistent flavor and one I've no doubt I will continue to purchase and smoke as long as tobacco can be had and is legal to consume!

The smell and taste is exactly what is expected: viginia & latakia (more present the first one), with some smokey/sour aromas not completely appealing.

It burns well if you totally rub... not as well after just bending into narrower pieces.

The general feeling is not complex nor strong enough... can be a good change of pace after many virginias or some aromatics, but is a little bit monotonous. The leafs are very good, it is creamy, a little bit sour... and, yes, as some told before: finally boring.

In this league I do prefer Commonwealth Mixture (More cream, more taste... and not a flake)

RdX score: 87.35 (I only smoke regularly tobaccos over 90)

At first sight the flakes are very appetizing. Packs and burns very well. Tasty and very satisfying smoke. I will surely buy more.

Unfortunately, the smoke itself did not live up to the hype. It was a little dull for having such a wonderful aroma. It was smooth smoke, however, even if slightly bland.

I would allow someone to try some before I told them to go out and buy a tin.

Quality is typical SG, and the flakes where just what I expected, fairly chunky and well formed, no clumping. There was no flavoring that I could detect, just good clean tobacco. The tin aroma was almost straight VA, I could just pick out the Lat. I tried it both folded and rubbed out to various fineness, and preferred the fold method. Moisture levels were good, near perfect actually.

Smoking this was a bit of a disappointment, though, just a fairly bland flat taste. I'm not a VA buff, and VA was too dominant in this albeit without enough sweetness to help much. SG's Commonwealth may have been a better choice, but I doubt I'll try it. I think this genre of tobacco is just unsuited to me.

I am disappointed with Balkan Flake. I got really excited with Full Virginia Flake, and thought a touch of Latakia was all it needed to send me into nirvana. Sadly, no. The Virginia here is not the Virginia of Full Virginia Flake, but rather considerably milder. This, with a touch of Latakia makes for a very mild smoke. I keep puffing for more strength, but it never comes...

The tin states: Deliciously Cool. Which is a way of saying very mild and smooth, which it is. It is too mild for me and hence my rating. However, I think a lot of aromatic guys might love this stuff, but the term "Balkan" might chase them away. Don't let it. The flakes are gorgeous with little aged sugar crystals, and the tin aroma is divine.

We tend to think of any tobacco with Balkan in the name as being on the full side, but Blakan Flake is a contradiction to the rule.

BF would make a great way-station on ones journey to the truly great (and strong) Lakeland tobaccos. Even if you never get there, there's always the thing about the journey itself, and BF will (in this regard) not disappoint.