Samuel Gawith - Kendal Cream Flake pipe tobacco reviews

Review

Please log in to add or edit a review. If you do not have an account yet, you can sign up for one here.

Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
< PREVIOUS Showing reviews 21 through 40 of 95 reviews of this tobacco NEXT >
Capt	07/16/2011	Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
Every few weeks I absolutely CRAVE this blend. The name is very suitable, but Cream should be bold type and underlined. This is the creamiest smoking flake I have ever packed in my pipe. For some reason, I have difficulties (at times) packing the rubbed out flakes. I never seem to be able to finish the whole bowl, it requires that much attention (It could just be operator error), then my attention floats elsewhere, and I am off to a different blend. Pairs well with a Rusty Nail.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Tee-dub	05/24/2011	Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium	Tolerable to Strong
Others have claimed to taste Lavender in this, but I don't. I taste something bitter, like unsweetened chocolate. My first impressions were tepid, but now that it's dried out a bit I kind of like it. This is a Virginia-Burley flake. I'm not a particular fan of burley, but didn't find it objectionable here. It's got a healthy dose of nicotine, a pleasant bitter flavor, and burns well. It is creamy in texture, and very dry in taste and mouthfeel. It is almost devoid of sweetness. It's clearly not for everyone.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
KahveDelisi	02/05/2011	Medium to Strong	Mild	Full	Pleasant
Thanks to Kendal Cream Flake, once again I'm convinced that; a) I'm not fond of blends containing burley. I don't get those praised nutty fatty tastes from burleys. For the sake of comparison, it's just like those earthy, big bodied indonesian coffees for me, both leaves me with a ruined palate, muddy aftertaste, way too overwhelming to enjoy. b) I should not take all reviews or reviewers into consideration but instead choose and follow a couple of reviewers whose taste buds I find similar to mine (ie. Claudius Stradivarius is one of them) Shorter; I and my pipes share his thoughts on KCF. Longer; Neither my small and big bowled meerschaums, nor briar ones worked well with KCF. The only exception being a left and forgotten problematic canadian shaped briar and that was "eh okay" only when 1/2 packed. and tin aroma definetely not cocoa or chocolate. it's masala chai (or commonly known as chai latte) which consists of cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, clove, black tea, milk. sometimes nutmeg, almond, fennel, pepper and liquorice added too. Anyway, kudos to SG they invented indian mixture.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Problematic	11/02/2010	Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant
Nice rustic looking flakes. Not very well sorted. Thickness and size varies. Great tin aroma. Almost like tangy fruit soaked leather I'd say. Must be well aged. Lots of sugar crystals on the flakes. Needs to be dried out of the tin quite a bit. It's pretty obvious by the texture and feel when they are ready to smoke. I like to pull the flakes apart into thin strips and either roll up a sort of pseudo flake or just pack the strips as I would ribbon. Either way it smokes hassle free in a few different pipes anyway. It's a pretty hardy smoke. Strong in the nicotine department. Smooth and tasty. Not difficult to get along with at all. It's hard to pinpoint anything particular to say about the smoke. For me anyway at this point. It's not like anything I've smoked up to this point but is. It's not bright and sweet nor deep and dark. Somewhere in between with a little musty sweetness I guess. I'm standing on the fence apparently. But there is nothing bad about it. It's all good. I have alot of tobacco on hand at this point and find myself reaching for it when I feel a bit like smoking a bright virginia but don't want to bother sitting concentrating on gentle sips for any flavour. These flakes bring it right out and say hello. 3 stars for being a pleasurable smoke. I'd buy it again.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Juan	08/25/2010	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable to Strong
In the container the smell is wonderful. The first problem is to keep this bacy going, it's relight after relight even after being pretty dry, the perfume flavoring doesn't taste that well in the smoke. It's one of does nah smokes for me, not worth the trouble.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
krg1000	08/11/2010	Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant
I find this blend has one real heavy kick of nicotine that really affected me this morning. Mental Note: EAT FIRST. Good thing I can do my job without thinking clearly. I am used to less Vitamin N than what this one loads up. But really, this does seem to be another hit for me from SG. The flakes do seem to be on the thick side, as others have noted previously. I have done the fold and stuff method and the slightly rubbed out method with about the same results for burning quality. This seems to be a real slow burner, which is fantastic. There does seem to be a nice amount of smoke. This burns down to a nice fine ash. The taste is great for me. I'll put this down as pleasant for room note, since I have only smoked this outside. I would definitely recommend this blend for those who are looking to see what an English blender can do with these fine leaves that we constantly burn up. As long as I eat before smoking this fine blend, it really is one of the best smokes I have had the pleasure to burn.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Xeneize	08/03/2010	Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Tolerable
This mixture is not my thing. Althout the tobaccos are high quality and enjoyable when you can focus on them, the casing is odd and kind of mismatching the base leaf. Towards the bottom half of the bowl, once you're past the yuck point, you can appreciate the great Virginias and the backing burley, but with so many great tobaccos on the market, what's the point?
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Claudius Stradivarius	07/25/2010	Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant
I didn't react well to this flake - nor my pipes. The tin aroma was wondeful, but smoking it proved disappointing. It was strong, bitey and the casing was badly reacting with the briar. And the nicotine content make my head spin. Only St -Bruno flake proved to be worse than this one...
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Ian	06/24/2010	Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
Like others on here, this was my first foray into the Lakeland style blends. Out of the tin, the brown flakes emit a rich earthy smell that I went absolutely nuts over. The flakes themselves came cut fairly thick and very moist. From what I've read, this fares better folded rather than rubbed, so that's been my only experience so far, having let the flake dry overnight. It takes a LOT of relights for me, and the strands tend to harden into charcoal as the bowl progresses. This is probably my own fault for not drying it out better. Aside from my own fiddling and relighting, it lasts quite a while; a single bowl takes me all day with on-and-off smoking. The first half of the bowl gives me wispy smoke and a taste that mirrors the tin smell, while the second half gives me a richer flavor and body. The cocoa certainly comes out here, but doesn't overpower the tobacco by any means. I see why others have labeled this creamy: it's gentle on the tongue and rich without being overly sweet or smoky in flavor. Someone in a past review mentioned the taste of milky tea and I'd say that's spot-on. As for the room note, I was less than pleased. I'm not big on burley, neither the flavor nor the smell. It plays into the taste well here, but leaves a cigar-like aroma afterwards. My pipe smells like coffee (though I can't detect much ghosting), but the room smells stale. This one stays outside. No complaints there, seeing as this is great for sitting and reading outside. Lastly, this gives me a good nicotine kick. Not one of my better ideas to combine this with a big cup of french-press coffee on an empty stomach. --- After revisiting this tobacco, I'm finding that my tastes are changing significantly. The above still holds true; it is an aromatic that is well-fragranced and based on great tobaccos, but the combination of Lakeland scent, nicotine, and (particularly) burley is not really agreeing with me.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
the old man	06/24/2010	Very Mild	Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant
sorry to say i did not care for this one. I like a tobacco I can eat with a knife and fork, and this ain't one of them. the tin aroma was very mild, and the taist was not there. a bit to mild for me, and my pipe went out three times before I gave up on it.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
mr.335	06/18/2010	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant
this is a good baccy with chocolate/cocoa flavor but the flavor is not overwhelming which is good.the only reason I give 3stars to this is because it doesn't have much body and its quite mild nevertheless its worth trying. cause you can't always smoke medium to strong tobaccos, and it compliments coffee(Drink) very well.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Lombard65	05/27/2010	Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
No doubt the description given by SG corresponds to 100%. It is a nice smoke, smooth, truly enjoy between nose and mouth. Some light reminiscent of a flake that no longer exists, Craven mild flake. Is a blend that can be safely smoked by those who start with a pipe, in fact I recommend it to beginners! Slow smoking, without broken the flake Better in a small pipe. Leave off the pipe if the smoke gets hot too, is not no problem! Indeed, it is better!
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
ynrozturk	04/25/2010	Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
I love this tobacco. Just thought I'd get that off my chest from the get go! Opening the tin, you are greeted with a nice, earthy smell, and medium dark brown colored flakes. I just love the way Gawith's flakes look - they look practically appetizing. The moisture content out of the tin was good for me. It could help with a bit of drying out but I felt no need, I just took a flake, folded, packed, and lit. Holds to a flame well requiring few relights. If you rub it down it won't go out at all, but just burn smoothly and evenly. The taste is outstanding. I love how the Virginia's and Burley's play off of each other. The sweetness of the Virginia's and the boldness of the Burley's is excellent. Nice and creamy, it's easy to smoke, and doesn't wear your tongue down. It's not coated with a whole bunch of stuff so the base flavors you get are just really high quality tobaccos - the way it should be. Four stars.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Big Nick	04/13/2010	Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
I love this stuff! It's sweet, creamy and flavorful. Mild mannered yet robust, smooth and refreshing. This is a big time smoke! Buy it in bulk, it's very affordable. Definitely in my top five.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Slow Draw	03/26/2010	Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium	Tolerable
As with all Sam Gawith flakes, Kendal Cream also benefits greatly from at least an hour of breathing time before lit. To be honest, when I first opened the tin, the aroma was so strong and so weird, I thought "no way". But I'm glad I didn't place false judgment based on the tin aroma. The smoke is thick, creamy, and tasty right from the start. The added flavor is pretty light and pleasant. You mostly taste high quality tobacco. I did find this tobacco to become a bit harsh at times, and it can bite if provoked. The flavor is earthy and somewhat sweet, with a hint of fresh grass. I'd smoke it again for sure.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Kilmarnock Piper	03/07/2010	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant
Among the Kendal offerings by SG that I've tried, this is the one in which the "lakeland" elements are the most mild, or toned-down. I can see what people mean by lavender, but it is unobtrusive enough to allow the Virginia to shine through. The burley is evident as well, but not overpowering. Based on the first few bowls, this seems to have little bite potential for me, which probably means that it is about the right strength for me, and flavor can be found without overpuffing. The bowl starts out as a thin yet pleasant smoke, but develops in complexity, as a good smoke should. It never becomes strong or harsh to my tastes, but in the "homestretch" I am reminded that this is a Kendal-style flake. All in all, I recommend this blend heartily, but leave the rating at three stars because there are a couple of other SGs, Navy Flake and FVF, which I would buy before buying this one again, and in larger amounts. But I will buy it again eventually; the taste at the end of the bowl is quite nice!
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
onehitter	01/07/2010	Mild to Medium	Strong	Full	Pleasant
It has a lavender smell and beginning taste that quickly turn to...Idont know what but it was gross. Thats it.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Russell	01/04/2010	Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
I popped the tin and got a potent waft of brandy, almond, honey, and nutmeg in the nose. But it doesn't come through in the taste as strongly as it smells. It does burn really smoothly with no bite, and I found this milder on the nicotine than firedance flake, which I bought with it. If you like a good pipe tobacco with not too much flavor covering up the leaf, that you can smoke a lot of through the day this is a real winner, and it's complex enough to keep you interested. There is no soap taste to be found in this, and it's a good one right out of the tin. Very British and has a good aroma. But I can think of a few other tobaccos I prefer the flavor of, like best brown flake or it's flavored clone firedance flake. If you like the sound of these flavors though, put this one in a 2" deep bowl and it will smoke very nicely down to a white ash. I will keep a few tins around, this will make a good summer smoke. Update There is definitely a hint of cinnamon in this, I don't think it is nutmeg, although it may also contain that. Perhaps a little vanilla also.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
agentlemanfromindiana	10/29/2009	Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant
A great Lakeland tobacco! Very rich and lavender like. Some reviews on here claim that it has a 'soapy' taste to it, yet I assure you my palate did not detect soapyness but a rich creamy lavender taste. Very full bodied and smooth. Great Choice! Get a tin and try it!
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Sailorjack	09/12/2009	Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I don't know what all the negativity is all about. This is my first try at a Lakeland type blend and I rather like it. I don't know what the flavoring is but it is not overly applied.It's not floral as is reportedly the case with a lot of the Lakelands. It's smooth,creamy with a good bit of strength and over all I find it to be very satisfying.It's not one of my favorites but I enjoy it and will be keeping some on hand.
< PREVIOUS Showing reviews 21 through 40 of 95 reviews of this tobacco NEXT >