Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Brown Flake Vanilla
(3.25)
Notes: From GQ Tobaccos' web site: After a number of conversations at the Nottingham pipe club, we have decided to have Gawith Hoggarth make us some interesting new flakes. While there are a few vanilla flakes out there at the moment, most tend to be fairly golden Virginia & burley blends, and we wanted something a little richer. With Gawith & Hoggarth's Brown Flake being a staple for thousands of smokers around the world, it seemed the obvious choice to go for. So what began life as this classic blend of the high quality Virginias with a little burley. The selection of Virginias makes for a cool and smooth smoke, while the burley adds a little more body.
The use of natural vanilla extracts and simple sugars makes for a tobacco which smells good enough to eat. As soon as you open the bag, you are greeted with what reminds us all of vanilla fudge, but of course its how it smokes that matters. As with all of Gawith & Hoggarth's flavourings, the flavour comes through well, and last throughout the bowl. The sweet and highly aromatic vanilla taste combines stunningly with the nutty and tasty flake.
Details
| Brand | Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. |
| Blended By | Gawith & Hoggarth |
| Manufactured By | Gawith & Hoggarth |
| Blend Type | Aromatic |
| Contents | Burley, Virginia |
| Flavoring | Sweet / Sugar, Vanilla |
| Cut | Flake |
| Packaging | Bulk |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Production | No longer in production |
Profile
Strength
Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Very Mild
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Reviews
Please login to post a review.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 24, 2016 | Medium | Medium | Medium | Pleasant |
Brown Flake Vanilla is new to America. Unlike StevieB’s experience, (one of my favorite reviewers BTW), the scent in the bag wasn’t very promising. It smelled of frosting, rather than vanilla. But, I love GH blends so I knew better than to quit there. Too moist to smoke right away I needed to let it dry for some time. I find that the drier the better with this blend. Those that enjoy only American style vanilla aromatics should be forewarned, BFV is not a similar blend! The brown Virginias are of the typical African GH variety and they smoke cool without a lot of sweetness. There is quite a bit of added flavoring, and it isn’t a natural vanilla taste although my limited understanding of the UK tobacco laws lead me to believe otherwise as I think it is natural. I really enjoyed this flake. It was cool burning, and offered more nicotine strength than would be typically found in a vanilla aromatic. The vanilla, while heavily added doesn’t completely crowd out the Virginia and it is pretty straightforward without much, if any complexity. Slightly earthy and sweet, I expect this to cellar very well. It’s not quite a four star blend for me now, but I really think that it will be an amazing aromatic after some time in the cellar.
Age When Smoked:
new
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Dec 13, 2016 | Medium | Mild | Medium | Pleasant |
Last of the 1 oz samples given to me by a friend. Thanks, friend! This one looked like regular G&H Brown Flake but had the Lakeland scenting in the bag. I barely smelled any vanilla. It was very faint. The Lakeland scent was more noticeable.
More Lakeland than vanilla in the taste as well, although the room note gave off a bit more vanilla. I would hesitate to call this a vanilla flake but it certainly had more of a sweet flavor than regular Brown Flake. It was easier to smoke as well. Still slightly over-anxious in its presentation, but the flavoring helped to balance the Virginia and burley more. I didn't find much in the way of complexity but like most of the G&H aros, it shows what can be accomplished when the flavoring doesn't strangle the tobacco. This is a tobacco blend with flavoring rather than a flavored blend with a little tobacco. In fact, a little extra vanilla would do this no harm. Pretty good nic hit from this one as well, if that's important to you. I don't think I'll buy any but I enjoyed smoking it. Recommended for the smokers that find Brown Flake tasty but pushy and want it toned down a bit (and that don't mind the Lakeland essence). Good stuff!
More Lakeland than vanilla in the taste as well, although the room note gave off a bit more vanilla. I would hesitate to call this a vanilla flake but it certainly had more of a sweet flavor than regular Brown Flake. It was easier to smoke as well. Still slightly over-anxious in its presentation, but the flavoring helped to balance the Virginia and burley more. I didn't find much in the way of complexity but like most of the G&H aros, it shows what can be accomplished when the flavoring doesn't strangle the tobacco. This is a tobacco blend with flavoring rather than a flavored blend with a little tobacco. In fact, a little extra vanilla would do this no harm. Pretty good nic hit from this one as well, if that's important to you. I don't think I'll buy any but I enjoyed smoking it. Recommended for the smokers that find Brown Flake tasty but pushy and want it toned down a bit (and that don't mind the Lakeland essence). Good stuff!
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 18, 2016 | Medium | Medium | Medium | Very Pleasant |
New to the USA, this is plain Vanilla, not Vanilla Cavendish in the American aro style. My sample was not that strong in topping and the Vanilla flavor seemed to be at the right level to compliment the smoke and create a good room note at the same time.
I just found the combination unexciting. In pure aromatic terms, there are more interesting American style Cavendish blends out there, even if they use inferior base tobaccos. In the tobacco sense, this is typical high quality, smooth but monochromatic G&H.
But the result is kind of...vanilla...in the negative sense of the word. I think the complex, floral, soapy toppings G&H normally uses are more interesting and somehow enhance these types of monochromatic African grown tobaccos.
I'm sure some people will disagree with me and find this a perfect blend. However, I prefer the more standard G&H stuff, like Rum Flake etc.
I just found the combination unexciting. In pure aromatic terms, there are more interesting American style Cavendish blends out there, even if they use inferior base tobaccos. In the tobacco sense, this is typical high quality, smooth but monochromatic G&H.
But the result is kind of...vanilla...in the negative sense of the word. I think the complex, floral, soapy toppings G&H normally uses are more interesting and somehow enhance these types of monochromatic African grown tobaccos.
I'm sure some people will disagree with me and find this a perfect blend. However, I prefer the more standard G&H stuff, like Rum Flake etc.
PurchasedFrom:
usa
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 19, 2016 | Medium | Mild | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Not an exceptional smoke, but a very solid one. The usual flavors of a GH VaBur flake with a mild hit of vanilla. It has just a slight touch of Lakeland floral toward the end of each bowl. Has some strength to it and it's very satisfying. I've smoked it in briar, cob, and clay with some minor differences.
Briar (Ropp Dublin) - Compared to the clay and the cob the natural flavors and the strength of the vanilla are smack dab in the middle. I'd classify the vanilla as mild. A little bit creamy.
Cob (MM Mark Twain) - More natural flavor and less vanilla. Vanilla at very mild. Not as much creamy texture.
Clay (Dutch Gouda) - A little less natural flavor and a touch more vanilla. Vanilla at mild to medium. A smoother smoke here as well with the creamiest texture of the three. My preferred pipe for this flake.
Medium in body and taste. Strength of flavoring varies according to pipe. I'm gonna rate this as mild. It may have been milder due to the fact that I like this very dry. Does need drying time and burns very well.
Briar (Ropp Dublin) - Compared to the clay and the cob the natural flavors and the strength of the vanilla are smack dab in the middle. I'd classify the vanilla as mild. A little bit creamy.
Cob (MM Mark Twain) - More natural flavor and less vanilla. Vanilla at very mild. Not as much creamy texture.
Clay (Dutch Gouda) - A little less natural flavor and a touch more vanilla. Vanilla at mild to medium. A smoother smoke here as well with the creamiest texture of the three. My preferred pipe for this flake.
Medium in body and taste. Strength of flavoring varies according to pipe. I'm gonna rate this as mild. It may have been milder due to the fact that I like this very dry. Does need drying time and burns very well.
Pipe Used:
listed in review
PurchasedFrom:
pipesandcigars.com
Age When Smoked:
fresh bulk
target="_blank"
