G. L. Pease Stonehenge Flake

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 finest procurement & blending process of experienced professionals in their craft. Great job!

NOTE: Be on the lookout for molded tobacco tins of Stonehenge Flake... the molded flakes tend to have a light grayish, green, grainy coating on the flakes which may seem normal but later, after receiving a credit on my account w/Smoking Pipes, I opened another tin with a "normal," non molded preparation & noted a significant difference in color & taste. Did I feel like a fool for smoking half of the molded preparation? Yep!

Direct from the tin, Stonehenge Flake has a light aroma of hard cider that I've noticed is a typical trait of Virginia based blends. The flakes hold together well and were a little too moist to be smoked with out a bit of drying time.

I get a slightly sweet aroma and the initial flavor is on the milder side. There are notes of earth, floral sweetness, a slight grassiness, and toast. There is also a pleasant hint of orange zest present on the retrohale.

Overall, Stonehenge Flake is a good, medium-bodied blend that could be smoked pretty much any time of day. It did require a fair number of relights, but not too many where it became a nuisance.

Just received some from Smoking Pipes. Love it! IMO this is even better than Escudo because the natural sweetness is throughout, whereas with Escudo (at least for me) it's in the 2nd half of the bowl. So now this and Peretti's London Flake are now my two favorite VaPers! BTW the Perique in this is more of a softer 'white pepper' tingle as opposed to a harsher 'black pepper' bite. I hope no one minds the analogy!

I'm a big fan of Pease tobaccos, but this one isn't among them.

The cocoa and Lakeland " flavorings" dominate and really detract from the actual tobaccos; Burley, Perique and Virginia. A very definite floral aroma is present, and when combined with the noticeable cocoa aroma, produces an odd and confusing smoking experience.

I agree with some of the review points below by Ehrling and drbarryk. I'll stick with Pease Union Square and Fillmore, and with Haddo's Delight if I want a VA with some sort of enhancement from its Cavendish component.

Update April 2019. Much more acceptable after letting an open tin rest for 8 weeks. It's grown on me, so I upped the star rating. The Lakeland impression has diminished and the cocoa too. I can now enjoy it, but it's certainly not in my top end rotation.

This first thing I noticed is how this flake is VERY reminiscent of Gawith flakes, and of course this has everything to do with the fact that it was a product of a collaboration with John Gawith and even pressed on Gawith machinery. The flakes are thick and moist like Gawith flakes, and the light Lakeland essence is there too. I've found that I enjoy this blend most in a cube cut (as is true for me with all Gawith Flakes), and I'd strongly recommend the same. Stonehenge Flake is rich, yet medium in body and flavor. There are subtle notes of bread/oats, nuts and earth, but I mostly get stewed fruits, raisin and plum. These flavors are masterfully supported and complimented by notes of cocoa/chocolate, and as I mentioned, a light Lakeland essence. It's a great smoke, with consistent flavor from start to finish. Personally, I don't find it to have the makings of a favorite, but based on the impeccable quality of this flake, it easily achieves 4 stars.

A quite flavourful, dark mixture, tangy at times. I generally dislike artificially flavoured pipe tobaccos. This one is supposed to contain cocoa and chocolate, but I cannot find it. There is definitely abundant artificial flavour around, but I cannot identify it. I find, it covers up a lot of the natural tobacco flavours. Not my cup of tea. If you like Aromatics it might me for you.

Original Release: 4 Stars Current Release: 3 Stars (for now...)

The tin note was perfect for my tastes. Essentially like a bag of Brown Flake Unscented (my personal favorite) but with a touch more cocoa. What's not to like about that? Natural tobacco + cocoa = something good. Like all GH&Co manufactured flakes, this rubs out, packs, and smokes great. A very traditional Gawith flake.

Lakeland: I'm not getting much of it, if any. About the same amount as the Unscented or Best Brown. The best way to describe it is the cliche "there's enough in the blend to know it's made in the Gawith factory". But I'm not picking up the soapy Kendal at all.

How does it compare to the original release? Its young. I'm fortunate to have a few tins of the early 2000's release on hand and could compare. The original has been aging for 15 years so it's not exactly a fair fight. It's kind of a different fight altogether if you ask me. The original run has more stewed dark fruits and is incredibly smooth. The new blend is cocoa forward and has the stewed fruit as a very minor note that has to be pulled out in the retrohale along with a bit of peppery spice.

Overall I'm very happy. Not going to be a regular or all day for me. That'll remain the Brown Flake Unscented for now or Kendal Plug. But I'm incredibly excited to see how this smokes in 5 years.

I will agree with most of the good reviews before me. This is a wonderful flake tobacco. I am not a big fan of straight Virginia flakes. This is nice in that it has a little burley in it. I cannot taste much of the topping, there should be more in my opinion. My only con is I think it burns a little hot.

This is an interesting blend. Stonehenge is my first experience with a Lakeland style tobacco, I pick up what I can only describe as a lite wild flower potpourri which traditional of a Lakeland but then you get the coca that I think is the spin he put on it. Over all I like it and think I might have to explore further into the genre