Will always have a pound of this around.

Update:

So I've had time to really let this blend sink in. I've smoked well over 1/2 pound in the past month or so and given samples to a few of my close buddies.

This really is a sublime tobacco. From start to finish the experience is quite exquisite.

The pouch aroma is, well, chocolate. Deep rich and dark. It packs well and easily. It's a relatively cool burner, so you can really pack it in there and puff away for hours. I tend to do a combo of fold and stuff topped on the upper third with fully rubbed out. Lets it get really cooking without the risk of overpuffing a straight flake.

The flavor does transfer a huge amount from smell in bag to taste on tongue. Except the smoke itself is far far more complex. If you really sip it it turns almost into a chocolate liquor flavor. I can't really find the vanilla taste, but that may be because chocolate and vanilla are so integral to each other as far as taste components. The lakeland is there, but not in huge quantities. I love lakeland myself, but those who don't will probably not like Bob's.

As an aside, I played mad scientist one day and made up a small batch of 50/50 Bob's Chocolate and Ten Russians. It's actually amazingly good. The heavy latakia upping of Ten Russians turns this from a dessert smoke to a Holy Duo. Almost a coffee and chocolate sensation. Russian Chocolate, Tundra Mocha, whatever.

So, in closing, try this tobacco. You really need to.

In the packet, it smelled very strongly of latakia to me, but others have said they didn't notice it. Maybe my nose is sensitive to it.

Lighting up, it tasted like strong dark chocolate. By mid-bowl I could taste the latakia, which really helped add body to the sweetness of the Virginia and the topping. A complex smoke that gives you a lot to think about.

I was hoping it would be a stronger and richer version of Mac Baren's Navy Flake, and for once I pretty much got my wish. I'll be getting a pound of this in very soon, I suspect.

Let it dry a bit before folding and stuffing or rub out completely - the taste is different depending on the method.

Latakia? Well just a tade, noticable at first but dwendles as it burns. VA all the way and a smooth VA, not tangy.

A good all around smoke.

I don't mean to get all hyperbolic on ya'll but this is simply the best damned thing I ever smoked. I have just bought several lbs to sock away.

Tin: Or in my case baggie as I bought in bulk. Mmmmmmmm. Nuff said.

Loading: Excellent A tad wet. I rub it out and dry for a few minutes, or longer if it's humid. No issues. Typical flake. Then air pocket in a avg. 3/4 X 1.5"+ bowl.

Light and Burning: Top notch. Char it. Light tamp. Fire it up and off you go. A few relights but I always have a few.

Taste: Flavor: Omagod. Wow this is some good stuff. Just a hint of Lakeland on the char. Then it's really good tobacco flavor with a nice rounding of sweetness. This ain't Hershey's folks so don't be concerned about the chocolate. In no way "aromatic". But it's not some sort of stiff lipped "English Blend" either. There's some latakia there but it only sings back up. You gotta try it to understand.

Bite: Not one bit of bite for me and I'm a little bite prone. Zero and I do mean zero.

Room Note: Must be OK the wife doesn't flee.

General Comments: If you haven't tried this invest 5 bucks and get an ounce in bulk. I think nearly any pipe smoker will find something to like here whether you're one of those cherry jubilee, whip cream mocha surprise types, a latakia reeking English Blender, a Virginia sipping "sophisticate" or even a good old codger burley drugstore cowboy.

Which one I prefer? Depends on the moment. Bob's when I'm in the mood for Lakelands, SG's when I'd rather have an "American English". They're both great tobaccos.

Granted, BCF does have a strange flavor profile, which some have described as confused or muddled. I can see why, though I think that the layering of flavors works to produce a really unique smoke. If you have zero tolerance for the Lakeland floral elements, then avoid this flake because the Lakeland notes are certainly there, particularly at the bowl's beginning. Words like "perfumy" and "soapy" overstate the case in my opinion. Once the bowl gets burning, the florals sweeten the smoke, but I don't think they dominate the experience.

In fact, I've found that I can choose to ignore them, if I like; and really, that's true of the other constituent tobaccos/flavors in this blend. Sweet Virginia is always undeniably present, but I find that I can taste a really remarkable range of flavors if I am mindful of the smoke.

I think this a great tobacco for aromatic smokers who want to transition into better quality tobaccos that still retain a sense of aromatic sweetness. Virginia lovers will not be disappointed, given the forward presence of those flavors throughout the smoke. Even those preferential to the latakia English blends will find enough smokiness here to satisfy.

I'd recommend drying the tobacco thoroughly to balance the flavors. It seems to mute the floral notes and brings them into parity with the other flavors.

Smokes best in meerschaum.

I got the strong impression that without the florals and the latakia, this would be a very strong offering from G&H. But then it wouldn't be Bob's Chocolate Flake, would it?

All in all, I found this to be a blend of high quality tobaccos blended to a somewhat tragic end. It's something I think most people should try, however, as there seems to be differing opinions - and strong ones on both sides.

UPDATE 4-20-10: How time and aging change things! I let this one sit in its tin since my original review and 1 star rating, and decided to re-try it. Well, there was still the presence of soap in the tin, but much less than previous. Lighting produced a much fainter soap presence than previous which stayed very much in the background and fading nearly to nil by bowl's end. I was actually able to taste and enjoy the tobacco flavor - a mix of good tobacco and chocolate. I couldn't, however, taste the Latakia which was not off-putting in the least. I knew it was there by the way Latakia always nips at my tongue in a very unique way for me. A very nice background sweetness and flavor was the final reward (like chocolate milk). I now can appreciate all of the 3-4 star reviews of this blend. I will re-visit from time to time, but if I ever get through my tin and order more, I'll need to open it and let some of that Lakeland presence dissipate off long before smoking.

UPDATE 3-16-13: After smoking a good amount of GH Rum Flake, Brown Flake Scented and Unscented, I truly have come to love the Lakeland flavor. A recent revisit to Bob's Chocolate Flake was very pleasurable, but since I am not a big fan of Latakia, this will hold to 3 stars for me.

I've been smoking Bob's Chocolate Flake for about 12 years. In the past I mostly smoked heavy Latakia English blends. However, I tried BCF because I wanted a blend that smelled pleasing to the non-smokers around me and still had a substantial tobacco flavor. For the last 4 years BCF has been my mainstay blend and I smoke it almost exclusively. However, my initial experience was with BCF was pretty inconsistent. Sometimes it seemed to be a terrific smoke and at other times it was just harsh and horrible. I think that I've experienced just about every positive and negative characteristic mentioned in previous reviews. However, over the years I learned how to prepare and smoke BCF in a way that works for me. I think there are 3 critical factors that bring the most out of BCF: Packing, Puffing, and Patience.

I've experimented with lots of methods for packing BCF. These include rubbing out the flake to varying degrees, chopping the flake into small squares, as well as folding and stuffing the whole flake into the bowl. However, there is yet another quick and easy method that really makes BCF sing. I take a whole flake and fold it long-ways 3 or 4 times on itself so that the flake is folded into a skinner and thicker strip that is the same length that you started with. Then I put one end of the folded strip into my pipe bowl and use my thumb and forefinger to measure the length slightly shorter than the depth of the bowl. I tear off the end of the strip at this measurement and lay that piece onto the remaining strip and tear off another section to the same length and repeat until I get to the end of the strip. I usually get about 3 of these smaller lengths out of a single 6-inch flake. Then I place the smaller strips together as a bundle into the bowl so that the smaller lengths are standing straight up next to each other in the bowl. You want a loose fit, so just remove 1 or 2 of the strips of flake if the bundle is too tight in the bowl. This allows you to experience the benefits of the flake (dense, full flavor) while allowing sufficient air flow in the bowl. It takes a lot of words to explain this method, but once you try it I think you will find it straightforward, quick and easy.

As far as puffing goes, you just want to avoid smoking too fast and getting the bowl too hot. Some blends are pretty forgiving when smoked hot, but not BCF. When BFC gets too hot it can change from a wonderful smoke to nasty and bitter tasting.

I mention patience for a couple of reasons. First, I have found that BCF mellows and changes remarkably with at least 6-months of aging. Frankly, fresh BCF right out of the box can be quite harsh. Since BCF is comprised mostly of Virginia tobacco, it ages wonderfully. I usually try to smoke BCF that has aged for at least a year. I have smoked 4-year aged BCF that was just fantastic. I buy BCF in the 500 gm bulk packages (about half the price of the tinned packaging) and simply place it in a glass, clamp-top jar with a rubber seal. I like the tall 2-liter size jars since the long 6-inch flakes can simply be stood on end, intact, in the jar. You can also use tall ring-top Ball jars. This preserves the integrity of the flakes so that you can use the packing method described above.

A final note regarding patience is that you will find that there will be a slight variance from batch to batch in the flavor, thickness of the flakes, strength, etc. However, the differences are small and, for me at least, serve to keep BCF an interesting blend to smoke.

Bob's Chocolate Flake is a blend that you should try at least once. If you've tried it in the past and found it disappointing, then I would encourage you let some age for a few months and give it another go using the packing technique described above - you might be pleasantly surprised.

I've been wanting to try some Lakeland flakes for some time, but knew from past experience that the straight VA's leave me wanting more. And I rarely have liked anything without at least some latakia, but still with summer coming on I didn't want a full tilt English. I love chocolate, so--

Beautiful flake presentation, a little moist. I let the tin sit, loosely covered, overnight, and was ready to go. Loosely packed a GBD Prehistoric XL bent with the fold and stuff method. A charring light, then away we went. Was immediately impressed with the amount of smoke, and the velvety mouthfeel - an important feature to me. Taste was only a little sweet, and very rich.

If it was only the chocolate I wanted I'd be disappointed. There's very little in the smoke, maybe a little more vanilla evident. But underneath that and the distinctive (and entirely pleasant, in this blend) Lakeland note there is a wonderful, rich, dark, and cool smoke. I can pick out the burley if I try, and the latakia, but that would be like isolating the trumpets playing in a full orchestra - the whole is so much better. This is definitely a keeper, and I can't wait to see what it'll be like after aging. Four out of four stars, and worth every penny.

07/27/09 UPDATE: I am revising some of my reviews. I have given out more 4 star ratings than anything else. That practice is probably not helping. So, I am reducing BCF to 3 stars, not because I like it less than I did before, but because I am limiting 4 stars to fewer than 25% of all my reviews. One day I may use the 4 star rating to designate my top five.