As others have stated, this isn't like smoking a chocolate bar, in other words those flavors don't come through the smoke but do add a deeper semisweet character more so to the burning aroma. I seemed to notice the vanilla component a little more than the cocoa. Flavor is rather mild, almost bland and undistingwished much of the time with occasions of more natural virginia character assserting itself momentarily. It is a cool smoke; Some small amount of burely being blended in along with as stated Latakia which I could not detect.

As I mentioned before with my own experimenting, anyone could make a facsimile by soaking a virginia flake like SG's Best Brown Flake with a chocolate liqueur and dry it out and that's about what you get wtih SG's Chocolate Flake; A total failure and waste of good leaf.

This seems to be very similar to Best Brown Flake, with the addition of latakia and the aforementioned chocolate. This blend is extraordinary, and has quickly become one of my very favorites. I dry it a little from the tin after rubbing out, and pack it loosely. It lights easily and burns very coolly. With the most vigorous hard puffing it is only mildly hot, and when smoked patiently it never bites. If you are getting a hot smoke from this you really need to look at your packing and smoking techniques, because I assure you it is not the blend.

The flavor is singularly rich and enjoyable. The VA's provide the base, but in a very "Gawith" way. It is not tangy, bright, sweet, as is typical of VA blends. Rather, it is cool with a broad, deeply rich and slightly sweet. That, however, is only the beginning, as the subtle addition of latakia gives this blend a whole new level of flavor. The latakia blends perfectly with the chocolate. I would say the chocolate enhances the latakia flavor, so that you get an impossibly rich and sweet (but not in an aromatic, cased way) smoke with a subtle latakia flavor. The chocolate itself is only apparent by itself in the tin aroma, and is subtle there as well.

This is an extraordinary blend, and I would especially urge non-aromatic smokers to give this one a try.

After many, many years of pipe smoking, I finally broke into the flake world. I have had my eye of SG Chocolate Flake for some time so it seemed like a very good place to start. Some may complain about the light, almost occassional background chocolate taste. To me this is what makes this blend unique. It is a very full, very satisfying tobacco which at any minute can adopt the more positive characteristics of an aromatic. No small accomplishment when you think about it. Not so aromatic or chocolatey that you'll get a Baby Ruth bar in every pull but still there's that something sweet that varies from invisible to right out front seemingly at will. It's really quite unlike anything I've ever smoked before. At a low smolder it's quite a good breakfast smoke and will last for even a very long drive to work. This one's a keeper

The latakia this blend claims is almost invisible but, knowing it's there, I imagine it adds body and depth. Like other aspects of the blend, the latakia effect is key but suble.

The Virginia is rich and flavorful but shows itself with gently rounded edges and a just-muted brightness; no doubt this is a taming effect of the latakia.

Chocolate? I may not have ever guessed that's what's in it but not for the clever clue written on the top of the tin. Having mastered the obvious (in this case) I detect there is something else going on besides muted brightness and a touch of smokey depth - there is that hint of sweet and tar that completely absorbs my interest thru the second have of a bowl. Chocolate, if they say so.

I've never seen a flake that smokes this rich and feels so leathery but burns so easily. (If there is a touch of burley in this perhaps it rounds off the Virgina a bit more and makes this flake burn so nicely.) The first light is the hardest, and it isn't that hard. I've shredded it, crumbled it, mooshed it, folded and corkscrewed it into the bowl and it burns fine every time. I can't make it burn my tongue and it must take a pretty bad pack and some serious uber-puffen to overheat a bowl.

The tobacco has my idea of perfectly balanced elements, none of which control the flavor, but rather, all of which contribute to a new and unexpected conclusion. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

Complexity: One of the few aromatics out there that offer some degree of complexity. The tobaccos are properly married. The Virginia isn't all that obvious (due to the casing) but it's present though you need to concentrate to detect it. The Burley is pretty easy to pick up and is superbly complimented by the chocolate casing.

Aroma: The predominant aromas are of milk chocolate, Burley and a hint of Latakia.

Tin aroma: Smells of chocolate with something else. Somewhat sour.

Room note: a wife pleaser. The Latakia is only a condiment here so it doesn't leave its signature stink. The note also does not linger too long after smoking.

Burning characteristics: This tobacco comes on the moist side, some drying is necessary (but not required) to facilitate lighting. Once I got it going I had to relight once or twice but, to me, this isn't a big issue.

Cut/Moisture content: The flakes are hard to fully rub due to the high moisture content. What I did was rub, dry for an hour, rub again. This might be inconvenient to some looking for a "quick fix." It might be specially inconvenient for those who are not inclined to spend much time with an aromatic.

Overall: Very good blend. A welcome change of pace from my steady Balkan diet. Although the Latakia is noticeable it's used in small ammounts as a spice. I wouldn't consider this a "Crossover" blend. Recommended.

First of all, although it has nice smells, I couldn?t discover neither the chocolate or Latakia. I would say that it is a wonderful tobacco with creamy and ?semi-sweet? flavor. Very good burning, that leaves a very clean white ash in the end, together with some bitter.

But I cannot compare it with the clear flavors that, BOB?s Chocolate of GAWITH HOGGARTH, gives me. I guess that in this point, Samuel didn?t manage to make the combination that he had in his mind, but this doesn?t mean that the specific mix is not a good tobacco. In the end of the box, Latakia appeared. Chocolate never.

Three stars for the very good quality of tobacco.

As for the latakia, it's not really enough to taste. Like the burley in some of the Gawith Hoggarth blends, there's just enough to change the body of the smoke, and add a subtle dimension to the flavor.

I buy this in bulk, and it's always been extra dry. Too dry, in fact, to smoke without disaster. (read-thin and very bitey smoke) So I rehydrate it a little, let it sit in a jar (under the bed) a few weeks and it's fine. No different from the tin. Like a lot of Sam Gawith flakes, this can take some abuse and still give a good smoke. Something to be said for that, I think. (Try doing it with Penzance!) Still, I recommend a little caution; a slow approach demands this flake.

A solid, lightly flavored VA flake.

I take one flake out of the tin and let it dry out for an hour or so. Then, I rub it out a little and pack the chunky pieces into a pipe that I have reserved solely for this blend - a Radice clear dublin. I sprinkle a little powder on top to get things going.

As I mentioned, once it gets going, it burns great. I can't really taste the Latakia, but the Virginia component is quite nice and the added essence is simply "icing on the cake" for me, without turning the whole affair into an aromatic. Quite the contrary, instead of sweet, CF is at best "semi-sweet" and is great anytime I need a break from my usual Balkan blends.

So...CF is a semi-sweet, well-mannered VA flake that always burns cool (like all of Gawith's flakes) and never fails to please.

What a great effort from Samuel Gawith and a real validation of their extensive knowledge of tobacco and blending skills.

If this has anything to do with chocolate, I can't taste or smell it and envy those of you who can.

What I do taste is a medium bodied, pleasant blend with a hint of sweetness.

This is a good but not great one-of-a-kinder.