A very mild casing was done her I am guessing... some faint hints of honey for sure, and maybe just maybe some fruity jams. An all day smoke, but I prefer FVF after it has been dried for a few hours.

As always with this manufacturer, the quality of the Virginias used is excellent, and I do tend to believe the description when it claims the blend is similar to Bright CR: it tastes like Bright CR with a very mild topping. This would be a good tobacco for lovers of Virginia Flake who would like to begin to explore those "Lakeland essences," which seem to be almost of a love-it-or-hate-it nature, without going straight to loading up one's pipe with the likes of Ennerdale Flake.

The flake is attractive and somewhat mottled, though with the lighter shades predominating, and breaks apart easily. Since I have been smoking this flake, it seems to be one of those tobaccos that require some relights, and I am not sure why, but it may be simply because with this blend, I like to sip very slowly and lightly, as this seems to give me the best results taste-wise.

No hint of bite, just a clean, gentle smoke with only that subtle touch of flavorings, and a very pleasant room note. I have no problems with it in any way, though there may be nothing overwhelmingly enthralling or knock-your-socks-off special about it. It is just the usual quality Virginia smoke one would expect from GH, on the low (but not no!) end of the flavorings spectrum. Recommended!

Edit: 5-19-13

Glengarry Flake is actually a good blend for any GH fan to keep around. When you get tired of the really flowery, Lakelandy blends like Ennerdale or Kendal for the moment, this one provides a much purer Virginia smoke, with just a light touch of sweetness, sort of that "honeydew" thing, but again, very mild topping. It's like Bright CR Flake, if anyone has tried that, but a little milder on the nicotine, and with only a touch of flavoring. Certainly no aromatic. I've got a few bowls left, and could see getting some quantity at some point.

A nice tobacco and a winner for those looking for a lighter tobacco without tons of weird topping or nicotine just a bit too light for my tastes.

Highly recommended to some, not recommended to others. So 3 stars, I guess.

My impressions, first time around, were a little disappointing, though my reasons for thinking so are shrouded in a haze of pipe smoke. This time round though, things are a little better. This one has grown on me slowly but surely.

Both the packet aroma and the room note, as with the flavour itself, are hard to pin down, maybe little hints of flowers sprinkled with early morning dew during a pleasant August break to the country, wiffs of oak and other such wonders of the English countryside. While not an easy pack or light, it is a lovely slow burner and a pipeful can last me over an hour on the one light. There is no tonguebite whatsoever, but I found it can be a little harsh on the throat. This so makes me want to camping in the wilds of Britain, just so I can sit round a log fire while my beans cook so I can smoke this and sing Jethro Tull songs. My only complaint is that I don't have enough.

My initial forays into GH pipe tobaccos has been a bit of a disappointment, especially after sampling their impeccable snuff. At last, I have found one that I can finally call home.

I find nothing to dislike here and indeed I give this a 3 star rating, which is "recommended". As mentioned, it is a good starter Lakeland, neither overly sweet nor complex. The taste is of the proverbial grassy, slightly sweet nature. Nothing too offputting. However, it simply doesn't distinguish itself the way other G&H flakes do. The flavor is a bit too subdued for my tastebuds. The aroma, however, is fantastic! If the smoker wanted a natural taste but a great room note, this is one place to go. Recommended as a good "all-dayer" but might leave you wanting when a more robust flavor is desired.

I find that Glengarry Flake lights well, burns slowly says consistent all the way down the bowl, doesn’t leave behind any unpleasant residues, and has a respectable room note. It's not murderously strong, either. A good, slow, cool all-day smoke for the flake lover. I would say that it’s on a par with G & H’s Brown Flake and Louisiana Flake, but subtly different.

'Breathsmoking' is the way to get the best out of this tobacco. The more gently and slowly you take it, the better it is. At its best, it's very, very good, IMO. I'm inclined to recommend Glengarry Flake highly. Some people clearly dislike it, but it's well worth a try, I think.

Big, rough flakes. Pale browns throughout and a grassy, sweet pouch note with the promise of some good Virginia ahead. (I am a bit of a Virginia fan.). I can't detect a casing in the unlit state, but it is a different story once it is going.

This one was another just about perfect tobacco in terms of livability. Just the right moisture level, easy to light, easy to keep going, burns to a nice clean ash and didn't get too hot. I find it a bit too mild for my taste, which probably explains why I got some tongue bite from going at it a bit too hard. The smoke is there in volume and I enjoyed the brightness of the sweet Virginia. What I didn't like though was the way the casing comes through so strongly in the smoke. I absolutely hate aromatic tobaccos for the same reason. I wouldn't call this an aromatic - it is more subtle than that - but I was just overwhelmed with the chemicals (whatever they are) used to case it. It ruined the smoke for me. Others may not mind the sweet casing, of course, but for me it spoiled an otherwise good smoke.

Just two stars from me.

After many years I just retried GF last week. Yummy! The first bowl immediately rekindled memories. At first I thought I don't know, maybe not. But then it kicked in and I've smoked several bowls. Perfume, oils, special essence of the Valkyries, whatever it is it's good! However I can definitely understand how some could hate it. You definitely want dedicated bowls for this kind of tobacco. It is a rough cut cake but not unmanageable. Give it a try, there is amazingly no bite and loads of flavor!

UPDATE 10/22/07: This stuff just keeps getting better. IT should have five stars!

Don't get me wrong, I love lakelands, but this stuff is undoubtedly the worst of its kind.

The flavouring is rather flat and does not manage to introduce any real depth to the experience. Instead it offers a range of unusual headaches (nothing to do with the nicotine content) and a struggle, as you try and avoid getting bitten. All this didn't manage to relax me and if a tobacco cannot do that well, it's a complete failure.

For the life of me I cannot understand why Glengarry is so popular.

My only criticism, is that that by the last third of my pouch, it had collapsed into rather horrid little crumbs, which smoked like musty hay. That does not happen with Ennerdale. Please note that when I sample a tobacco, that is all I smoke, until it has been consumed completely. I believe this is the only way to make a proper assessment, although if you get a bad one, it is a daunting task!

Let me start off by stating that this is really better than two stars, but I would only "somewhat recommend" it due to its floral overtones. In other words, there's not a doubt in my mind that more than a few people would hate it.

I wanted to try the lakeland style, and since it's available in bulk, I was able to buy just a few flakes rather than a whole tin. I find Erinmore to be delectable, so I thought I would probably enjoy this stuff.

This tobacco lights fairly easily, and stays lit really well (at least in a large Peterson Irish Army straight shank). The floral taste only lasted about thirty seconds or so, then settled into a tobacco flavor with slightly sweet, slightly flowery overtones throughout the rest of the smoke. It is definitely very high quality.

Smoking it was a little strange. Not bad, not unpleasant, just strange. It seemed 'snooty'; almost like it was saying that I wasn't good enough to be smoking it. Whereas a full English blend makes me think of mustachioed gentlemen in a walnut panelled billiards room, Glengarry brought to mind English noblemen in powdered wigs and shoes with big gold buckles on them.

Then it hit me. One of my favorite television shows is the BBC comedy 'Keeping up Appearances'. This tobacco is what she would want her husband to smoke. I can see Hyacinth marching into the den to tell Richard that he really must start smoking Glengarry Flake, as "all the men of Windsor smoke the Lakeland variety of tobaccos". And Richard would whine, "..but why can't I smoke my Rattray's Accountant Mixture?" Tsking, Hyacinth would simply reply, "An accountant, Richard? You're too good for that."

I found Glengarry to be good, but it was very reserved and understated in overall character. If ever there was a tobacco with a stiff upper lip, this is it. That's not to say it isn't good; it is. I just had the distinct feeling that it was meant for someone of a more reserved, genteel, disposition than I.