G. L. Pease Stonehenge Flake

The re-release of the venerable Stonehenge Flake was long overdue, yet it seemed to happen at the perfect moment. This beautiful blend offers an exquisite balance of sweet and savory Virginias, nutty and rich Burley, and tangy and spicy Perique. Stonehenge Flake offers the fortunate smoker a medium-bodied, full-flavored experience. Take your time, and enjoy each sip.

I am pleased to submit the first review of the re-release here.

NOTE: Review of Stonehenge Flake's 2017 re-release in the last paragraph.

I was fortunate enough to obtain one of these rare (1 of 1,500 two ounce tins, manufactured in 2001) from Pipestud's Consignment Shop. This tastes/smokes nothing like you'd expect from the tin aroma. Shades of Lakeland style flavoring that seems to compliment & enhance the sweetness of the mixture. This stuff really starts producing a good flavor after a fourth of it has burned off when the initial harshness begins to fade into a fairly strong savory blend that smokes mildly.

Easily rubbed out or folded, it smokes cool either way. Plenty of rich, creamy smoke with respectable strength. I loved the chocolate/cocoa flavor but it did not overtake the rich tobacco taste. I've never tasted anything like this before or since. I didn't notice the soapy flavor so much that some have mentioned but I surely noticed an alluring flavor from the smoke. This blend reminded me a little of vintage St. Bruno Flake, only not as strong. The combination of top shelf leaf is expertly blended, smells good, burns great, smokes mild & sweet, requires minor maintenance & produces minimal moisture.

The flavor remains throughout the bowl and doesn't get harsh or bitter toward the end. Drying it out pretty good will provide a better smoke and doing so won't diminish the flavor. One of the best of this genre that I've ever smoked. This blend kept me coming back for more. I suggest airing this out until the sharpness from the aroma subsides...as should be done with any tobacco that has been enclosed for a long period. Be careful because the thin flakes dry out quickly if the tin is left open too long.

This stuff commands a premium & has already become legendary. So, try to reward yourself with at least one tin. Truly remarkable. Therefore, IMHO, SF easily obtains a four star rating for an expertly crafted masterpiece. Sampled in a size two Dunny Shell Briar & a size 2 Stanwell... NOTE my comments on the newer SF below...

October, 2018 AD... Anno Domini, the year of our Lord. About the re-released Stonehenge Flake: First of all, there's nothing much to be noted from the tin aroma. This review is based on a second bowl I've sampled in a clean Meerschaum to be sure I was getting the truest, purest flavor from this blend. I lit up and took several good puffs & at that point, didn't really notice much other than a regular tobacco taste/flavor. Then, I let the pipe sit & cool for about twenty minutes, tamped & then relit. I always use this DGT method regardless of what tobacco I'm sampling. Upon relighting & after a few more tokes, I started noticing a little more sweetness & then the cocoa flavor came bursting through, although very slight, it complimented the smoking experience considerably & this mix started tasting so good, I just wanted to jet-stream this stuff but maintained my composure & continued sipping this wonderful concoction. The flavoring seemed to have more of a chocolate flavor that I didn't notice so much in the 2001 version but could be due to the age difference. However, I noticed the flavor becoming more pronounced after about one third of the way through & at the halfway point, tasted even better as the mixture melded into a delicious flavor & remained until the finish &... FWIW, more of the cocoa flavor & sweetness was obtained from my Meerschaum than my briar. It fired back up again with a few tokes after being left unattended for a while. I'm rating this newest edition with four stars & have acquired a few more tins for the cellar... It's amazing how a few years of age can react on this tasty treat. This is another one of those excellent blends that demonstrates the finer procurement & blending process of experienced professionals in their craft. Great job!

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Just about every time I try a GL Pease blend for the first time I go through a strange experience.. I think that there is no way in hell that it is as good as everyone says it is.. Usually it turns out to be even better.. Stonehenge is a fantastic virginia based blend.. One of the best I've tried.. At first it seemed very similar to bob's chocolate flake and gawith Louisiana flake.. it is better than both in my opinion.. the way the perique plays with the virgina.. and it isn't a lot of perique.. just the perfect accent.. I also love the way the burley develops down the bowl.. but the star is that virgina.. this is great leaf! The chocolate and lakeland essence is not a huge player but it is detectable and very tasty and creamy.. there is no question about the aging potential.. I had to pop one to try.. it already was unbelievable with just a year on it.. This is already a favorite.

Va-Bu-Per. Aromatizado con cacao y Lakeland.

Esta labor viene de una colaboración entre John Gawith y Gregory Pease en el 2001, y que GL Pease ha relanzado en el 2017.

Vamos a ver. En lo concreto el tabaco se presenta en flake. Largos y finos, de unos 3 gr cada uno. En frío tiene un aroma muy rico, acompañado de un toque floral, con un fondo herbal y a cacao. Da ganas de liarse a mordiscos con él. Dicen, y yo doy fe, que tiene Lakeland. No sería de extrañar, ya que los virginias de GH suelen estar bien provistos de este aromatizado floral. En todo caso, es un toque suave, nada para alarmar a quien no le acabe de gustar en demasía.

De entrada, en el encendido, se presenta sobretodo sabor a frutos secos, y a cacao... sobretodo el caco. A medida que avanza la fumada nos asalta ese sabor floral del Lakeland, poco a poco, pero llega un momento que acaba por dominar la fumada. No ahoga el resto de sabores, esa base más seca, terrosa del burley, y ese toque herbal del virginia, muy muy bien redondeados, pero los acaba por situar en segundo plano. Insisto, no es un lakeland poderoso, pero ese sabor por pequeño que sea coge protagonismo. Me ha sido imposible despegarme de él. Sobre el perique... bueno, yo solo se lo notaria en cierto sabor a pan fermentado que arroja en ocasiones, o en la exhalación retronasal, que uso lo justo (3 o 4 veces en toda la fumada), y que deja ese picor, ese toque de pimienta por decir así.

El flake ya venía casi en su punto de humedad (recordar que yo solo he recibido unos gramos para probar, en un zip, así que no se de su humedad si es directo de lata). Solo lo he dejado airearse unos pocos minutos. Su combustión es buena, y no genera humedades. He fumado un flake solo, sin desmenuzar, lo que hace que siempre sea más lenta la fumada. Lo he doblado por lo largo, luego de forma transversal y lo he enrollado como si de un cigarrillo se tratase... lo he "aireado" entre los dedos, y lo he cargado como si de un tornillo se tratase. Una vez arranca, por poco caso que le hagas no se apaga (yo lo he tenido que reencender varias veces, pero todas ellas por dejar la pipa de lado, no por dificultad en mantenerlo). Me lo he fumado enterito (y yo soy de dejar siempre una hebras de tabaco al final), dejando una ceniza fina y blanquecina. No es un tabaco mordedor, supongo que ayuda que su combustión sea buena, y que no requiere de grandes pitadas ni una cadencia de fumada elevada, que puedan provocarlo.

En definitiva, un muy buen tabaco, rico en sabores, para amantes de los bu-va-per (más bu que no va, a mi parecer)... y de los Lakeland. A quien no le guste este toque floral que ni lo intente (o si). Se le nota la calidad del tabaco, y una muy buena mano para combinar los componentes.

En cuanto la fortaleza (sabores), yo le daría una buena nota. Si algo tiene es que no es nada plana y sus sabores están ahí mostrándose, aunque sin empalagar. Sobretodo sus sabores terrosos y achocolatados y más tarde los florales. De potencia nicotínica, soy de notar poco la Vitamina N, pero lo dejaría en un grado medio, nada para asustarse.

When I sit outside on the porch smoking a particular blend, I always enjoy reading the reviews and how varied they can be. Some smoke up the whole tin before reviewing, some a few bowls, some try it in different types of pipes, etc. I am a mixed bag reviewer, I will smoke a blend for a little while, take notes and later write a review but in honesty I have tins I opened two years ago and if I waited to finish a tin, I would never be able to record what I have tried. By now I pretty much know what I like or rather pretty much know what I do not like. Some reviews I am only able to try a small sample such as from the pipe club but I like to put my two cents in and post a review to record that I at least got to try something new. Usually these are blends that are no longer in production. Probably should have put this tidbit of info on my profile page but I am here typing. So, this is a re-release of a blend that was collaborated with G.H. & Co., home of the Lakeland Essence. This tin was dated 100318, a little over a year after the reintroduction and has a mild sweet cocoa tin note. It contained flakes about 1 ¼ in width and as stated about 2 inches long. I know everyone is doing round tins but it is so much nicer to open a square tin of flake tobacco that is packaged flat rather than folded in a round tin. Progress marches forth I suppose. This smoked smooth, mild, really mild cocoa taste and no Lakeland Essence that I could detect which is good news for me as I am not a big fan. In my opinion this is some high-grade leaf and I enjoy the taste and profile I get from flakes and this being one of them. I do the fold and stuff method which seems to make it more flavorful but that is just my take on it. No bite, but did seem to smoke a little stronger about 2/3rds down. It possibly could be the corn cob I was using but I do not believe so as it was well broken in. I sometimes pair a cob with Vapers which I did smoking this in my MM General. If I thought I had the 15-20 years I would definitely cellar some of this. Tip to the youngsters out there. Really good stuff and glad the chocolate flavoring was in the background on this one.

From a freshly opened tin you are greeted with hay/bread/malty notes with a rich chocolate nose. Once you rub the flake and give it about 5-10 minutes of dry time it's ready to go. I fully rub the flake very well to aid in burning and dry time. Gawith Hoggarth made their Louisiana Perique Flake after this blend was originally made through collaboration with John Gawith and Gregory Pease in 2001, so it seems of little surprise that these are nearly identical. The Stonehenge Flake contains a little Malawi burley that helps give body and depth with a bit more strength to the smoke, and helps add more chocolate note. A very great tobacco, you'll get brown VA flavor, a bit of Perique, and a chocolate note to pull it together. Truly a Gawith Hoggarth English style VaPer that will age wonderfully. I did get the chance to smoke the original, and I had a very aged sample that tasted nothing like this re-release. The original used Percy Martin's Perique and added a different profile.

Note: This is virtually the same tobacco as GH & Co. Louisiana Perique Flake. It was first a G.L. Pease and Gawith Hoggarth collaboration as Stonehenge Flake, then GH based off this glowing release decided to make their own version called Louisiana Perique Flake and it's virtually identical but missing the smidge of Malawi burley that this re-release contains. These tins will age wonderfully.

It is hard to go wrong choosing a work by G.L. Pease. In this case, a very well combined mixture of ingredients, the result of the collaboration between John Gawith and Gregory Pease in 2001, relaunched by GL Pease in 2017. The result of this collaboration and the aesthetic and organoleptic qualities of tobacco give it a somewhat exotic.

When you open the tin, the dark flakes appear and a little twisted to fit in their container, with a somewhat frayed appearance that reminds of the typical Samuel Gawith. What is not reminiscent of Uncle Samuel's tobacco is the humidity they bring, very correct to load the pipe immediately (although I am one of those who only dry the tobacco when it is dripping). With a good range of flavors that go from sweet to earthy, fruity, bitter cocoa and very light floral notes, but always keeping a "dark" hue. The supposed coverage is hardly noticeable, given the all-natural appearance of the blend, looking more like the sporadic chocolate notes came from the burley. For example, I can't find a cocoa flavor as strong as Solani's Age Burley Flake.

A mixture to pay attention to it and smoke it relaxed because if not it can become somewhat irregular. Highly recommended.

This is for the current version of Stonehenge, not the one released in 2001.

This blend seems to be a "love it or hate it" type of blend. I have enjoyed most of Pease's blends (with the exception of Chelsea Morning of which I am in the minority), so when I was in Alexandria, VA I found a couple of tins of Stonehenge sitting on the shelf of a cool pipe/cigar shop down on King's Street called John Crouch Tobacconist (a very cool place with great people) and decided to give it a whirl.

Let me start out saying that I do not have that much experience with Lakeland-style blends. I do enjoy Samuel Gawith's St James Flake and Full Virginia Flake, but from what I can tell there is not much (if any) "Lakeland Essence" in those blends. So I did not know what to expect from Stonehenge, but I was willing to try it as I was looking for a different type of Va/Per blend to add in to my rotation.

The tin note is very nice. The Virginias give off a nice sweet aroma, and the figiness from the Perique is evident. But the main note coming off of the tin is the cocoa essence that has been added. It smells like a freshly opened box of Cocoa Puffs cereal. Very interesting and not off-putting, just different than what I'm used to because I don't really smoke blends that have a noticeable topping to them. The Lakeland essence that everyone talks about was there, but it was very subdued.

The flakes themselves are fairly uniform, but they can become broken flakes very easily if the tin is shaken up a lot. One flake is just about perfect to fill a medium-sized bowl and offers up about a 45-60 minute smoke depending on the pack and the cadence. I have used the fold-and-stuff method as well as rubbing the flakes out and lightly packing the bowl. I prefer the rubbing out method as I get a better pack and more flavor, but YMMV.

The moisture content is a little wet when the tin is first opened, so I open the tin and leave the flakes in the tin for a couple of weeks and then transfer to a jar when it has reached the moisture level that I like. Otherwise, you'll need to dry the flakes before packing as it can get a little steamy if smoked straight from the tin.

The mechanics of the tobacco are great once the moisture level is right. It takes the charring light very well and lights up very nicely. Only the occasional relight towards the bottom of the bowl is needed for me.

Now, for the important part. How does it taste? I personally love this blend. The tobacco itself is very high quality and is loaded with flavor. It is as balanced as just about any other Va/Per that I have tried and the little touch of Burley adds just the hint of nuttiness and body. The Virginias are nice and sweet and go back and forth between bright high notes and the more rich, stewed flavors. The Perique is there with some spice (pepper) and pruney flavors, but it doesn't hit you over the head. As far as the topping is conerned, the cocoa is extremely subtle and is sometimes nonexistent, and the Lakeland essence is very light for most of the bowl. I will occasionally get to a spot where the Lakeland flavor is much more pronounced and when I do, it is a light floral flavor that is not at all off-putting to me. In fact, I kind of look forward to those instances as it breaks up the flavor of the bowl and has a kind of palate-cleansing effect for me. I can see where some people who are either not used to that flavor, or just down right hate it would find it offensive, but that doesn't seem to be the case for me.

All in all, this has become my go-to Va/Per blend and I smoke it almost daily. I am now on my third tin and I have several more in the cellar. I cannot wait to see how this blend tastes when it has some age on it. If you are hesitant to try it because of the Lakeland flavoring, just know that it is very mild and not off-putting, but if you absolutely abhor that flavor then you might want to look elsewhere. I really enjoy this and see it as a major player in my rotation for years to come.

Happy Puffing!

I have been self conscious about posting reviews, so have not created any until now. Here it goes..... I have to post a review on the new release of Stonehenge Flake because I find this to be a lovely tobacco, certainly a new favorite. As an appreciator of VaPer, it meets the needs of that category. As someone who enjoys good aged burley, I get a nice bit of that. The tin note has a touch of dark cocoa powder, but not enough for me to say it will be a chocolatey smoke. I get a nice note of nut and stewed fruit. I do not smell any Lakeland upon opening. It breaks up and packs easily with only a few minutes of added dry time. Once lit, I understand where the Lakeland comments come from. However, it is very light and adds a certain "antique" quality to the smoke, and accentuates the quality Virginia and Burley. I do not think it is overwhelming, and it has not ghosted my pipes (though I have smoked other blends between each bowl). I am not a fan of aromatics, and I do not consider this to be one. I did find that in a wider bowl, the note of Lakeland was less perceptible (nearly nonexistent). The burn is nice when rubbed out completely (I will try some fold and stuff on my next tin). It leaves no moisture or residue in my pipes when smoked slowly, and grey ash is all that remains. The strength starts to pick up in the second half of the bowl, so don't take its light start for granted. I thoroughly enjoy this blend, and find myself smiling throughout the entire experience. I will be stocking up, and am ever more enthused to track down an original tin if I can afford to. I can't wait to taste it aged.