The composition and texture of the blend is first-class, the note from the pack only the mildest of florals.

Pack your pipe gently, light it and sip, it will reward a little care. Smokey (if that's not an oxymoron) and rich, there is the subtlest hint of something like rose water and perhaps a touch of citrus. Just like seasoning on a fine food, if it is done delicately the flavours are enhanced. This is what has been achieved here. Tobacco flavours plus.

Recommended.

The mix of leaf gives a tasty, balanced, satisfying smoke. The very light, natural- feeling, nuance of clove and rose geranium just takes it that little bit further into a complex, rewarding, sometimes ecstatic level of smooth, velvety, smoky bliss. No bite, no 'soap', excellent leisurely burn. This is the vintage sports Jaguar of tobaccos, and I'll drive it forever.

I love the taste and floral aroma. I can't smell the cloves but it certainly has that clovy aftertaste in the mouth. Reminds me of Clove Chewing Gum from days long gone.

I agree with the previous reviewer that the N factor is more toberable than Corniston. (Dark Flake made me reel.)

If you're looking for something aromatic but want a full-bodied smoke, you can't do better.

Like most GH products, Bosun Cut Plug is quite easy to smoke and doesn't irritate my mouth (I'm very sensitive to tongue bite, so this is a key point for me). The tobaccos themselves don't seem to be very sweet and in fact can tend toward bitterness. What saves this blend is the flavoring, which adds a bit of sweetness to the mixture. It's a more "flowery" concoction than, say, Ennerdale Flake but less so than Kendal Flake. The description says there is clove here, and while that's not the dominant note I think I can detect some....Overall, I am most reminded of an Indian dessert while smoking this. It's got both spicy and floral notes, and goes best after a large meal.

The strength is a little higher than medium. It's not a nicotine bomb like Dark Flake or Coniston, but it definitely has enough of that drug to satisfy most of us.

Very good stuff. Highly, highly recommended for Lakeland fans and not recommended at all for those who hate the "soapy" British flakes.

Update: 14/02/2013

Not long finished a 25g packet of this which I purchased to to see if my tastes have changed any. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. The flavour does seemed to have dimmed a little but the tonguebite seems to have all but disappeared allowing me to enjoy all the way down to the bottom of the bowl. Also, strangely, I don't need to pack a lot into the pipe to get a good smoke out of it.

On the whole then, pleasant of slightly underwhelming floral flavour that provides a cracking smoke, especially early evening after tea. Not sure if it's worth a four stars yet but definitely worth three. Saying that, the 50 grams I've got on order might change that...

Update 13/03/2013

...And yes it has, it's taken a while but this has definitely won me over. I'm so glad I tried this one again, such a pleasure to rediscover a tobacco I had originally consigned to the "where are they now files".

Speaking of, I can't place the flavors I get from BCP, unless pillow sachet is a flavor. Regardless of this, the VA underpinning is top notch, making this a quality smoke. In about six months time I've all but finished a quarter pound plus sample baggie, making this a slow but steady rotation partner. I can definitely see me picking up more of this, or maybe one of the other scented flakes...ah hell, I don't know now. They're all good to go!

A solid three star blend for my tastes.

This is primarily a VA with added flavors and spices. It is an all brown ribbon cut after rubbing out and it has a pouch aroma that is sweet and spicy. I like it dry, as it then packs and lights easily and the added flavors have been toned down some. Upon lighting it one is rewarded with a sweet creamy smoke, full bodied but not cloying and has a room note that is pleasant but not overwhelming. It smokes sweet on my palate and I mostly taste the VA used in it with other flavors wafting in and out as I smoke it down. Though it is full bodied and somewhat strong in flavor, it is gentle to smoke with no tongue bite and it burns dry all the way down the pipe leaving just a little dottle at the bottom of the bowl. It produces a dark gray ash and stays lot well. I do not get a strong soapy flavor from this but I do taste the Lakeland flavoring in the background. It would be a good starter blend for someone wanting to try a Lakeland blend. While this is not my favorite blend of this type, it is a very pleasant smoke and one I recommend trying.

The overall comparison to St Bruno that some reviewers have made seems like a pretty good one to me. The obvious difference is that this one is flowery whereas St Bruno is fruity. Additionally, whilst I can understand the good saint being labelled as soapy, there is no soap here. Honestly, I think some people just automatically peg any strong, scented british flake as being soapy without giving it a fair trial.

So, no soap, but definitely lots of flowers! This really does have a flavour and room aroma that my dear old mum would describe as being like "a tart's boudoir". It works! The overall impression ends up being very sweet and almost dessert-like. Those 'sharper flavours' mentioned in the blend description do punch through, especially when the tobacco is fresh, and help to liven up the taste buds. I wouldn't be surprised if there was some vanilla in there too somewhere.

In the pipe this is a very well behaved tobacco. It burns slow and cool with few relights required and leaves naught but a fine, powdery grey ash. The balance of different tobacco types is spot on for me, and you can taste both the flue and fire cured leaf contributing to the overall experience.

Criticisms? Well, with such a distinctive flavour it probably isn't one you are going to want to smoke every day. The powerful top flavours do mean it can become a bit monotonous as there isn't that much evolution of taste down the bowl.

With all that said, this is a winner for me. Probably my favourite GH&Co scented flake so far, although I still have plenty left to try...now there's a nice thought!

Recommended to scented flake lovers. Others should avoid!

I have about a dozen G&H samples I'm working through. Bosun cut plug didn't really ring any bells when I dabbled with it earlier on. It was a decent smoke but nothing that made me get stuck on it.

But Ennerdale hooked me. I smoked a lot of it and ordered a Lb to rat hole.

But recently I was digging for something different and smelling some samples. This one smelled like it might scratch an itch and I gave it a shot.

My my. So much better this time around. I don't think it got better. I think I've just learned more and developed more appreciation for these types of tobaccos. Probably from really getting to know the Ennerdale.

Anyway...this is top notch stuff. In the same general ball park as Ennerdale. Not quite as sharp and sweet. More rounded and somehow fuller.

I intially got into G&H blends for the dark strong stuff like twists, Dark Birdseye, etc. But I've ended up really enjoying their "aromatics". Bob's Chocolate Flake, Ennerdale Flake, Rum Flake, and now this one. And I'[m not really an aromatic guy. I mostly smoke English Blends and VaPer flakes. But these G&H scented flakes (whether labeled so or not) broadened my world a bit.

Highly recommend giving these a fair shot and a little time. They really can fill a place in a somewhat regular rotation. Scratch that certain itch.

BCP isn’t a sophisticated or complex tobacco. The flavour is pleasant enough without being outstanding; the smoke is cool and fragrant, and the burn is very slow. This last property is very much a plus point for me. There’s a nice room note too; none of the domestic critics (Klio, SWMBO or Dr Dyson Jnr.) had anything adverse to say. I have to say that I didn’t notice the ‘cigar type notes.’

Putting it generally, Bosun Cut Plug reminds me to some extent of St Bruno Flake. One could say also that it’s a little bit like Ennerdale Flake but with the volume turned right down. I don’t find it at all soapy and cloying; 'fruity' and 'woody' are the (overworked) words that come most readily to mind. In terms of nicotine content, BCP is strong, but not uncomfortably so. I’ve been smoking it in a biggish bowl (Peterson 312), and haven’t suffered. Not for the beginner, though, and it mustn't be rushed.

This is a tobacco that is better stuffed straight into the bowl than rubbed out, I think; but it will rub out easily enough if that’s what you prefer. At first sight it seemed to me rather moist; I expected to have to relight quite a few times. Somewhat to my surprise it lit easily and burnt well all the way down, perhaps getting a tad hot and bitter towards the bottom of the bowl but otherwise behaving nicely throughout. It’s the sort of heavy, tasty, old-fashioned smoke that is pleasant to have on a cold morning, and it goes nicely with hot black coffee. At the end, you’re left with a fine, pale ash and no goo.

G & H's Bosun also comes in a flake version. I haven't tried it, but I'm told that it isn't significantly different from the cut plug. I wouldn’t smoke this tobacco all the year round, and I think one could get bored with it fairly quickly. It doesn't, to be frank, have enough character and complexity to retain interest over a long stretch, but it'll stay in my list of welcome changes. It’s a good choice when you’re in the right sort of mood. Definitely recommended.

Update, June 2011: I've smoked quite a lot more of BCP since I first reviewed, and I've come to like it more than I did at first. I'd give it another half star if that were possible. I would emphasise to people who might like to try it that letting it breathe and dry in a jar for a couple of days really does make a big difference.

Update: I'm knocking this down a notch. The more I smoke this, the more I get incredible tongue bite from it. I just can't say a blend with so much tongue bite four stars.

Unlike other Lakeland flakes I have tried, the floral aspect of the topping actually receeded a bit but the clove oil seems to hold its own well down the bowl.

The underlying VA asserts itself now and then, but not often enough to make this a regular smoke for me.