Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. - Bright CR Flake pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Showing reviews 1 through 20 of 37 reviews of this tobacco NEXT >
butman	03/23/2013	Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
I actually backed into this one. Started with the Glengarry and found that a bit much. Then I read the Pipestud's review and stabbed into a bit of this. I rubbed it out and let it set and fell in love. This stuff is just pure Virginia with a bit of a scent that you pick up as you go. Just love to smell it burning vs. the delight of puffing. It makes a bad pipe taste better and a great pipe taste terrific.
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Chris Patey	10/21/2012	Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant
There are almost two reviews warranted here. The tobacco itself and the topping. The topping is very interesting and makes a wonderful smoke wonderfully unique. 4 of 4 stars. The tobacco itself is about the best I've ever sampled. Mild yet, very very sweet Virginia without a trace of bite. I would love to be able to sample this without any Lakeland scent at all. For the tobacco 10/5 stars!
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pipelovingcalvinist	10/13/2012	Medium	None detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable
A nice medium Virginia, reminded me somewhat of Dunhill Flake. Nothing stood out to me in this tobacco, just a nice solid Virginia flake. Soli Deo gloria!
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TW	09/06/2012	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
A mild tasting, smooth pure Virginia flake. No trace of any toppings in my sample, no Lakeland florals either. I find it's smokeable without needing drying if rubbed out fully, but does need drying if smoked as broken flake or rolled and stuffed. It tastes pretty much as a mild Virginia should really - not very complex, but smooth and pleasant with very little bite. Nothing about it is particularly outstanding or attention grabbing, but there's nothing particularly against it either. Makes a good first smoke of the day. Well worth a try if Virginias are your thing. Update, 25th November 2012 I've really come to like this over the last few months. In particular that it has the virginia "high notes" that darker flakes like FVF generally lack, and is actually fuller and more complex than them as a result. A good all day tobacco.
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bence	04/23/2012	Mild	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant
One of my favorite VA. Amazing, pleasant baccy, with beautiful mild smoke. It leaves a nice fragrance around the pipesmoker, so it is absolutely 'passive friendly'. One of the finest natural taste va blend. 4 stars.
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itsKoit	03/22/2012	Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant
Lovely mottled brown flakes in perfect form, they breakdown easily but don't lend themselves to rolling or folding very well in my experience. A very light tobacco that tastes like sweet hay to me at least, with some age it deepens a bit, picking up a hint of black pepper to stand along the sweetness. No real casing or flavor that I can pick up, not even a lakeland aroma, but some say there's something extra there, but I've yet to see it. Might not be for everyone due to the almost extreme mildness, but for me I could smoke this all day. This tobacco comes highly recommended from me, try it in a conical bowl for best results!
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DK	11/02/2011	Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant
Nice presentation of light-colored virginia flake. This was a small bulk purchase. Very, very slight Lakeland aroma in the bag. I agree that this is a light-tasting flake, probably the lightest in the G&H stable that I've smoked. Not a ton of flavor, this is a mild version of the basic Lakeland flake, minus the florals. Certainly less flavorful than any of the G&H or SG flakes that I've smoked. No bite even when provoked, although it can get a trifle testy and bitter. The flavor is grassy and lacks the usual virginia character I'm familiar with from this blender. It's also lacking anything resembling complexity. Just a nice, steady smoke for those who want to sample a virginia flake from this region without getting the floral, flavored character famously associated with G&H. There is the faintest trickle of that character but it goes away quickly. There are many, many fine Virginia flakes on the market. This is far from the best but it's not the worst, either. Worth a sample for those that prefer a mild, grassy flavor that won't overwhelm. I'm giving this 3 stars for what it is but it's probably more of a 2 for my personal taste. Just not enough going on for me.
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Kilmarnock Piper	06/27/2011	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant
I don't think this flake is exactly light. It is a fairly mild and simple Virginia flake though, and kind of reminds me of a milder version of FVF. I got the full 17.5 oz. box because it was on sale, and was greeted by nearly perfect 6'' flakes when I opened it. I promptly cut them in thirds and stuffed them into a couple mason jars to age, and have enjoyed a few bowls thus far. This is the essence of an unflavored Lakeland (there is a slight hint of a scent, probably from being in the same room as the likes of Ennerdale Flake!) and offers a pure (African and South American) Virginia experience. Don't look for complexity here, but lovers of Virginia flake with no added flavors will rejoice! I will add more if this shows me new facets after a couple years in the jar, but for now, just good, clean VA smoke, and I'm so glad GH is around to deliver (deliver being the operative word) a flake like this to the US when SG can't, or won't do so. Update 3-4-12: I love this stuff, but I hate myself for not buying more than one pound (well, 500g) last summer when it was $43 a pound and not over $60! It has even improved a bit since then in the jar. Opening the jar, it kind of smells to me like fine tea. The appearance of the flake is beautiful; fine sugar crystals when you move it around under the light, a "furry" look and feel around the edges, but not mold; some kind of breakdown of the tobacco in the aging process. Indeed, this flake has a nice, almost meaty texture when rubbing it out. It's one of the finest Virginia flakes I've smoked, and the slight hint of Lakeland scents one gets from time to time, as I said in my original review, is probably only due to merely being in the same room as such tobaccos as Ennerdale and Kendal Flake...
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Pipestud	06/10/2011	Mild to Medium	None detected	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant
Bright CR is one of (if not the) lightest G&H blends I have had the pleasure to smoke. It won't beat up the tongue and palate, but certainly has enough flavor to satisfy. I smoked it a variety of ways but fully rubbed out and dried for an hour or so before loading up seemed to work best. It's a little steamy if smoked moist, IMO. If you appreciate Lakeland style flavor in lighter doses, Bright CR would make a fine choice.
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SmokeQuest	05/16/2011	Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
This is a good all day tobacco, it’s mild, slightly sweet, burns relatively cool with no bite or nicotine kick. This tobacco is in the same genera as Samuel Gawith Medium Virginia Flake with a little more flavor.
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SmokeyD	11/23/2010	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant
Oh this is good stuff! The tobacco smells of sweet hay. Comes slightly moist but does not require drying to smoke. Breaking up the long 6 inch flakes and rubbing it out, it packs well into the pipe. Lighting is easily done and it stays lit with minimum relights. No bite. Lovely, clean tasting Virginia with no artificial taste of after- taste. I did not detect any floral scents. Just sweet and nutty quality Virginia smoke. The room note is intoxicating! I kept going back to the smoking room just to catch a whiff of the note. 5 stars!!!
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Unsal	10/22/2010	Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant
An excellent tobacco. Highly Recommended. ***** 5 star.
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Taste Buds	10/01/2010	Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
This is a difficult review for me to write. There's a lot to like here. The quality of the leaf is exceptional. It's cool and tasty. Needs drying to improve the burning qualities and reduce the anise flavoring. For those, like myself, who are unused to Lakeland tastes, this takes some getting used to. The anise dissipates as you progress down the bowl. DGT's very well. I won't buy this again, but I'll finish the 4oz I have, slowly. The 4star reviews below are well justified, but the taste reminds me of Mixture 79, but less floral, which I could never appreciate.
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dogwood	09/12/2010	Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
I got the unscented bulk... This one is for the virginia lover. Maybe a little to boring for the smoker who likes a more complex smoke. This is top quality carolina. It's sweet, lightly scented with something or other. I reach for this in the morning or as an all day smoke.
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Lombard65	06/18/2010	Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant
I smoked lots of tobacco flakes, one in particular that I bought in Edinburgh in 1992, it was a dream. As what I have not yet found, but this is really good, lets just like anise aftertaste. I bought 2 oz by 4Noggins to prove it, came entirely perfect, very humid as I like. For lovers of the VA, my advice is to at least try it. Smoked in a pipe straight and small, with very light load, appreciate its great taste. I would recommend it to anyone, but perhaps not very easy to smoke very humid. To me the VA, like so, as the time in Scotland! Pipe smoker, find this flake!
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Alguhan	04/19/2010	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
This is a first class Virginia flake for those who prefer a good sweet and true tobacco taste. It is a nice blend of dark and light Virginias and offers a very nice combination of flavors. It burns slow and cool giving a full satisfaction. However it may be light for nicotine kick lovers. For me it is an all day and any time smoke. If you look for some complexity this might not fit to your needings. But for sure it will satisfy you with nice and remarkable flavorful smoke. I highly recommend it for pure and sweet Virginia smokers.
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dk-piper	03/10/2010	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
A wonderful virginia-blend and a great introduction to the Floral-lakeland-tobacco-world. It has a very light floral taste/aroma...NOT soapy or perfumy. Once lit up you'll bring spring to life. Fantastic natural sweetness. Indeed a great allday smoke. It's really one of my favourites. Preferably smoked in a smaller to medium sized bowl.
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The Piper at the Gates of Dawn	08/04/2009	Very Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant
Very curious about the taste of this offering especially after reading the ingredients list and seeing the inset photo at Pipes and Cigars.com. I tried to order some but they were completely out which I considered a good omen(must be good if everyone is ordering it and causing a shortage like all wothwhile things) but a bit of a tease. Found some finally at 4 Noggins.com . Ordered a couple of ounces and was very pleased with the tobacco. An unparalled mild,friendly Virgina blend! As a tobacco it has everything I require in a lighter blend. Easy to prepare and to fill the pipe.Excellent mositure content and light-up-ability and a very remarkable first few tokes. An especially nice morning smoke in one of my "hobbit" (handmade by yours truly) churchwarden and a nice way to greet the very early dawn hours. Great taste with the bonus of a very pleasant aftertaste. A great launch off for the more "serious" fulsome smokes of the day by way of either of the Gawiths or anyone else. Easy steps from Bright CR to perhaps Medium Virginia (Sam Gawith) to Full Virginia Flake(Sam Gawith)to Curly Cut Deluxe and Broken Scotch Cake(Gawith and Hoggarth) and on and on up the more potent offerings from many different suppliers. All in all a very welcoming and friendly smoke. I am not all that sure about the others coment here about "soapy" tastes or "floral" this and that. I just know it smokes very very well and as a blend and it and I seem to have struck up a good friendship. I have noticed that it also smokes well in any size pipe of any bowl diameter or height. Another plus for me , personally. It is therefore a very highly reccomended blend by me and very versitile for early morning or indeed as an all day smoke. I'd say order a bunch of it if you can find a suppier with a large inventory since you will probably want more. -------------The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
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SirLoirn	07/01/2009	Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant
Bulk: Looks identical to SG's FVF, black-brown tobacco pressed then cut into 6x1x1/16" sheets, maybe with slightly more mottling of blonde. Bright CR Flake is lighter, compared to SG's FVF's much deeper and resinous smell. Bright CR does have a very vague Kendal floral fragrance. The supply I was sent is almost dry but the pressed cut sheet is pliable. Packing & Burning: It is folded in half and twisted into smaller flakes or splinters. The rubbed out flake is just dumped into the bowl and lightly tamped. Stays lit if the puffing rate is controlled. Takes one or two relights down the bowl. Being a hard, rubbed out flake, BCRF burns for a long time. Taste & Aroma: A light smoke, smooth, mild, slightly sweet lemon, a slight floral note, with a very light grassiness. A mild oily, nutty flavor develops around mid bowl. Nicotine: medium and lingering Room Note: Quite mild for a VA, a light VA fragrance Overall: SG's FVF has a competitor. BCRF is slightly more complex due to the vague citrus component and the slight transition down the bowl. Orlik's Golden Slice has a similar texture, a strip of VA, but is substantially milder. Another good comparison is McClelland's No. 27 Virginia.
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hagen	12/11/2007	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant
half a year has passed since my first review of bcrf, and it's time for some additional praise: this is quite simply one of the finest virginis available. very clean tasting, with discreet sweetness and citrusy-woodsy flavours, and a remarkable depth considering that it is mild-medium. it is now one of my absolute favourites. an exquisite, refined tobacco! with this one and the virginias from sam gawith available, one can hardly ask for more. but i still look forward to trying other probably splendid offerings from g&h :-) be aware, though, that the "nina ricci"-content - the etherical flavour barely noticable - that i mentioned in the first review, seems to vary. my first batch had enough in the room note for my wife to notice it, the second did not. update: last night, wife described room note as "nina ricci" :-/ 05.31.2007 what briarrabbit said, except that i find it to be of medium strength :-)
Showing reviews 1 through 20 of 37 reviews of this tobacco NEXT >