Samuel Gawith Bracken Flake

Update: If you want to know what SG brown rope tastes like without having to fuss preparing the rope for pipe smoking, try Bracken Flake. I have also concluded that honey is part of the topping. This smokes to a dark, dry, powdery ash. I wish the flakes came unbroken, because the larger pieces, folded like whole flake, smoke better than the smaller pieces. BF is extraordinarily cool and has wonderful side-stream aroma.

1/25/07: I read somewhere that Ed Kolpin, the founder of the original Tinder Box in Santa Monica, California, was/is a pharmacist. Perhaps he knows what makes Bracken Flake taste the way it does, because the tin aroma is medicinal.

I will venture a guess that the name, Bracken Flake, comes from Bracken Co., Kentucky, USA, the birthplace of White Burley and still the home of all things Burley tobacco.

Bracken Flake has more than a shake of a variety of Burley tobaccos variously cured. There is a bit of Virginia involved here, not providing much in the way of sweetness to this cigar-like, shreds-of-tar spice factory. It really does not taste as it smells in the tin- a good situation.

As for the tonquin present in and strength of this blend, Bracken Flake is more companionable than 1792 Flake, but BF is still quite full and best on a full stomach.

A heavyweight with a lot of body. The tin aroma is muddy and unpleasant but the smoke is rich, full and satisfying. The kinship with 1792 is undeniable, but thankfully, without the large dose of Tonquin.

Braken Flake is an old fashioned fire cured tobacco, best as an evening blend for a small pipe.

Come on in and meet 1792's little brother!!! As usual Pipestud hits the nail on the head, and thus I have little to add. I will say however that this weed is not quite as unforgiving as 1792, nor as rich. It is a Va flake and if you don't smoke it as such it will nip. This could be an all dayer as opposed to the heaviness of 1792.

I was first given a tin of this from a friend who thought I might like Bracken Flake. Since then I have purchased several more tins. I would consider this a lighter weight cousin of 1792 as it lacks the tonquin that 1792 posesses. But still there is a flavoring of some sort that I find difficult to describe.

Bracken smokes best in a medium to large bowl and not finely rubbed out. The tins I have smoked needed to dry out. I have the best results when I smoke this outdoors. When smoked gently this stuff blossoms for me and developes gently as the tobacco is consumed. I almost get the same sensation on the back of my throat with BF as I get when enjoying pure maple syrup though I would not suggest that this tastes like nor smells like maple.

BF burns down to a fuffy white ash and leaves no dottle to speak of. While this will never be an everyday/all-day smoke for me (not due to any short-comings but just because my tastes are changing), it will have a place reserved for it in my stock.

Gretchen doesn't run away when I smoke it. She sets at my feet and chews her bone. I would give this a 4 out of a possible 5.

A down right good dark lakeland flake. Not as strong (in the nicotine or woozy dept.) as the famous or infamous SG "1792", but still a full tobacco treat in terms of body and taste. If 1792 is too much but you still kinda like dark flakes, try this one.

I rub it out some before smoking, although I prefer flakes you can just roll into your pipe (which breaks them up some) and smoke. This one smokes quite cool and slow enough even when rubbed out some.

It is fairly dry for a scented flake, but the scenting is just a touch or so. I still use a pipe cleaner during the middle and end of a bowl to keep it safely dry. The sweet scent (be it dark cherry or whatever; certainly no strong "bean" flavors here) is just slight to make the dark toasted leaf smoke sweet. You still get some of that spiciness underneath that 1792 offers, particularly near the bottom of the bowl.

I found it rich, full, and thick in flavor -- certainly having dark tones but also a sweetness to round it out some more. The burley helps round it out too (but not as round as SG Kendal Cream Flake). A lucious flavor.

SG's darker flakes in terms of strength are 1. full virginia flake (more of a toasted flavor than real dark), 2. Bracken ( a slight step up but real dark in tone), and 3. 1792 - real dark and spicy all the way (but it kinda surprizes you, too much for me). G&H's are as strong. McClelland's Dark Star (tinned) and dark navy flake (bulk) are milder in comparison. Esoterica's Stonehaven may be a winner here, slipping in between Bracken and 1792, with burley and virginia and a very slight scent. But certainly SG's dark entries are winners too, in the # 1 and 2 categories IMO.

Braken Flake is supposedly "of a lesser density than 1792", whatever that means. Though not bitey, it is harsher on the throat than 1792 IMO, and less flavorful.

I do not detect the "intimidating" aroma in the pouch (a curious word, that, to use in promoting a tobacco!) but it sure has a strong room note. A strong tobacco all around.

I find this reminds me more of the various black rope tobaccos than of 1792. I do not find it as enjoyable, either. It came a bit more moist than 1792 and I had to let it dry a few hours before sealing up in a Ball jar. I would hesitate to give up on a S. Gawith tobacco, 'cause the others have been so pleasurable. I will let this sit a while and see if it mellows with time.

While the aroma of this flake may be intimidating, the flavor, smoked slowly, is amazing. I may not be able to describe it without making reference to other Samuel Gawith tobaccos, as way of reference.

I found this flake to be dark and moist, and quite pungent in the tin, much like 1792 and Full Virginia Flake. It rubbed out easily, and packed nicely.

As far as strength goes, I would place it somewhere in between FVF and 1792, but leaning a bit more towards the 1792 end of that scale.

The biggest difference is the lack of Tonquin Bean essence in Bracken Flake. Whereas 1792 is loaded with this essence, Bracken has a dark sweetness to it, much like burnt caramel or molasses.

All in all, I found it to be an excellent flake for those who enjoy BIG flavor from their tobaccos. I would perhaps recommend this to pipe smokers who also enjoy dark, robust cigars.