Samuel Gawith Bracken Flake
(2.93)
We have blended a carefully balanced selection of Kentucky & dark fired leaf to give this medium to strong flake. For the pipe smoker who seeks a satisfying smoke, then experience Bracken Flake, with its unique and alluring aroma, brought about by the application of a long-used essence.
Details
| Brand | Samuel Gawith |
| Blended By | Samuel Gawith |
| Manufactured By | Samuel Gawith |
| Blend Type | Virginia/Burley |
| Contents | Kentucky, Virginia |
| Flavoring | Other / Misc |
| Cut | Broken Flake |
| Packaging | 50 grams tin |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Production | No longer in production |
Profile
Strength
Strong
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Mild to Medium
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant to Tolerable
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Full
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
2.93 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 38 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 25, 2018 | Medium to Strong | None Detected | Full | Tolerable |
I had tried this flake around ten years ago, and browsing in my tobacco shop the other day I found a tin of this and decided to give it another spin. I know it's a discontinued blend so a part of me was thinking about putting it in the cellar, but you know, the first thing I ended up doing when I got home was opening it up and having a smoke with some strong, black tea.
There's just something about this flake though. Like most Gawith flakes, I love the presentation. This however, was different in the way that it was not moist out of the tin at all, but just absolutely perfect. Almost a crumbly like texture, which surprised me as these things are usually very moist and need to be dried out. Not with this particular tin. Was ready as soon as I opened her up. Which makes me wonder how long this tin has been sitting around for. I wish I knew. The flakes that I have are covered in white sugar crystals, so I'm guessing it has some pretty good age on it.
Smells of rich, deep earth, and just straight up tobacco. I don't understand some of the other reviewers saying that they get vanilla and menthol and stuff like that. I don't at all. I just get tobacco. Dark, stoved tobacco, in very handsome flakes.
Packing is easy as I tend to rub out most of my flakes these days anyway. But keeping it lit is another story. Even with the right moisture content I usually need to relight 2-3 times after the initial light. But once it's going you get a very rich, creamy, strong and honest smoke. One of the key words here is strong - this is not for the faint of heart, or for beginner pipe smokers. The nicotine is just too much. I mean you could easily kill someone who only smokes American aromatics if you give them a big bowl of this. Which is why I usually smoke this in my corn cob - it's the smallest pipe I own. While it's not as strong as Black XX Twist - which literally feels like you're having a bowl of cardiac arrest - it's still not advised for the newcomers.
But smoked slow and respectfully, it will give you a very unique and great experience. It has lots of depth, lots of flavor, and it is just all round pleasant. I know it's not produced anymore but if you can find a tin somewhere then pick it up.
There's just something about this flake though. Like most Gawith flakes, I love the presentation. This however, was different in the way that it was not moist out of the tin at all, but just absolutely perfect. Almost a crumbly like texture, which surprised me as these things are usually very moist and need to be dried out. Not with this particular tin. Was ready as soon as I opened her up. Which makes me wonder how long this tin has been sitting around for. I wish I knew. The flakes that I have are covered in white sugar crystals, so I'm guessing it has some pretty good age on it.
Smells of rich, deep earth, and just straight up tobacco. I don't understand some of the other reviewers saying that they get vanilla and menthol and stuff like that. I don't at all. I just get tobacco. Dark, stoved tobacco, in very handsome flakes.
Packing is easy as I tend to rub out most of my flakes these days anyway. But keeping it lit is another story. Even with the right moisture content I usually need to relight 2-3 times after the initial light. But once it's going you get a very rich, creamy, strong and honest smoke. One of the key words here is strong - this is not for the faint of heart, or for beginner pipe smokers. The nicotine is just too much. I mean you could easily kill someone who only smokes American aromatics if you give them a big bowl of this. Which is why I usually smoke this in my corn cob - it's the smallest pipe I own. While it's not as strong as Black XX Twist - which literally feels like you're having a bowl of cardiac arrest - it's still not advised for the newcomers.
But smoked slow and respectfully, it will give you a very unique and great experience. It has lots of depth, lots of flavor, and it is just all round pleasant. I know it's not produced anymore but if you can find a tin somewhere then pick it up.
Pipe Used:
Corncob
PurchasedFrom:
Local tobacconist
Age When Smoked:
No idea
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 08, 2019 | Medium | Mild to Medium | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
This was a gift from a friend. The flakes are a beautiful dark brown, and the pouch note is earthy and a heavy sweet with a hint of fruit. I rubbed out the flakes.
Smoked, this was very good. It is earthy, a little sweet and slightly spicy. Strength is medium, and some of the fruit pouch note comes through in the smoke. There is a hint of floral from time to time, but the defining taste is tobacco, and I found the topping to be fairly mild. This was a very satisfying smoke, and it seems to favor the tapered bowl in an African meer Dublin. It took a match and burned without drama. It was easy to smoke slowly and the flavor was consistent through the bowl.
This tobacco is NLA, and that is a pity. I enjoyed this, and find it easy to recommend. I suspect it was intended as premium smoke for the one-blend smoker. It would serve well in this way. There is enough to maintain interest and not so much going on that you are distracted by it.
Smoked, this was very good. It is earthy, a little sweet and slightly spicy. Strength is medium, and some of the fruit pouch note comes through in the smoke. There is a hint of floral from time to time, but the defining taste is tobacco, and I found the topping to be fairly mild. This was a very satisfying smoke, and it seems to favor the tapered bowl in an African meer Dublin. It took a match and burned without drama. It was easy to smoke slowly and the flavor was consistent through the bowl.
This tobacco is NLA, and that is a pity. I enjoyed this, and find it easy to recommend. I suspect it was intended as premium smoke for the one-blend smoker. It would serve well in this way. There is enough to maintain interest and not so much going on that you are distracted by it.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 22, 2016 | Very Strong | Extremely Mild | Medium to Full | Unnoticeable |
"They Don't Make 'Em Like That Anymore". It's a pity that SG don't produce this good, strong, old-fashioned mix anymore. The slight casing aroma is barely noticeable in the tin and almost totally fades away when smoking. The elusive aroma is quite unusual, I can't put my finger on it. It reminds me... well, of bracken! You know, that earthy pleasant smell of decaying leaves and bracken glades in the woods. I wonder, if they used some actual bracken essence... bracken is not a healthy plant to consume in any form, so perhaps that's why The Bracken Flake has been discontinued? I stocked some tins of this rare weed to smoke in the mornings, when I smoke my strongest tobaccos.
Recommended. If you find a tin around, buy it and try it. Cause They Don't Make 'Em Like That Anymore.
Recommended. If you find a tin around, buy it and try it. Cause They Don't Make 'Em Like That Anymore.
Pipe Used:
Parker
Age When Smoked:
5
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 20, 2014 | Medium to Strong | None Detected | Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
I fully understand the 1 star reviews for this. If you aren't ready for a strong full bodied smoke then this one will be hard to enjoy. Definitely not for the first timer. I bought my tin from a place that just couldn't sell it. It is a minimum of 5 years old (on the shelf 5 years. Unknown production) and looked every bit like something brought over on the Mayflower. Black, broken tarry flakes with minute crystals. Tin note was similar to Copenhagen snuff on steroids, smokey, fermented tar odor. Some have criticized the look of the flake, uneven, thick/thin torn. To me, this is proof of handmade artisanal products. Not perfectly cut and portioned flakes as with others. I tried "Z" stuffing and hand rubbing. Hand rubbing resulted in fine shreds and grains. Lighting, tamping then re-lighting gave a steady smoke that burned to the bitter end. The smoke is definitely strong and a strong tea or high quality highland single malt would go hand in hand with this. I found no tongue bite and enjoyed the smoke rather well. I rolled it around my tongue and exhaled through my nose. This is a bit heavy for an early in the day smoke but makes a great after dinner puff. I would recommend this to the learned smoker as this could prove to be harsh and off putting to the beginner.
Pipe Used:
Several Peterson's
Age When Smoked:
5 years sealed
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jun 14, 2010 | Medium to Strong | Mild to Medium | Medium to Full | Tolerable |
The first thing I noticed upon cracking the tin is the beautiful dark brown flakes lined neatly in double-rowed stacks. Flakes of this color I find artistically beautiful (hey, art is whatever anyone says it is!). The second thing was a sweetish, artificial tin aroma that immediately transported me to my childhood, when my parents forced a cheap cough syrup on me. The image was not pleasant, but I perservered.
The topping was offensive to my nose but I believe it smoothed out the taste of this flake. I got a tasty, easy to smoke, non-Lakeland flavored, fairly powerful weed that, while it didn't seem to develop much down the bowl, smoked "earthy-sweet" from rim to dottle. There was a mild fruitiness but I did not get the dark chocolate others have mentioned. I was just happy that the soapy taste was totally absent from this Lakeland. I was also happy that it didn't have the heavier flavor of 1792, and I prefer BF's comparative subtleness.
Nice broken (bracken) flake, and one I'll repeat. It doesn't make my regular rotation due to its mono-dimensionality but it's a good smoke and one that should be tried by the smoker that is put off by 1792 but likes the richness.
The topping was offensive to my nose but I believe it smoothed out the taste of this flake. I got a tasty, easy to smoke, non-Lakeland flavored, fairly powerful weed that, while it didn't seem to develop much down the bowl, smoked "earthy-sweet" from rim to dottle. There was a mild fruitiness but I did not get the dark chocolate others have mentioned. I was just happy that the soapy taste was totally absent from this Lakeland. I was also happy that it didn't have the heavier flavor of 1792, and I prefer BF's comparative subtleness.
Nice broken (bracken) flake, and one I'll repeat. It doesn't make my regular rotation due to its mono-dimensionality but it's a good smoke and one that should be tried by the smoker that is put off by 1792 but likes the richness.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 04, 2021 | Strong | None Detected | Very Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
I have come to love this tobacco. Too bad it’s no longer in production.
Slightly floral, perfume-like, sweet, with a vanilla undertone. it reminds me of old lady perfume counter smells. When I do taste the tobaccos they’re delicious, dark, earthy, spicy Kentucky with a slightly sweet cigar note coming from the air cured. I get hints of unsweetened cocoa and a pronounced woody character overall. It is definitely a “dark” taste, leather and oak. With some floral notes from the heavily stoved dark fired tobacco.
I’ve had this in my cellar for over a decade now. I bought a tin wanting to try a Lakeland style back in 2009. I tried it and shelved it then because the topping just didn’t meld with the tobacco taste for me. Seems that nothing much has changed in the cellaring. It’s still tastes the same but now I can appreciate the dark earthy air cured and dark fired tobaccos more. The Lakeland essence seems to play off the top notes of the dark fired tobacco.
It is a whopper of a strong tobacco too. I don’t think it’s any stronger than Irish flake in the nicotine department.
Having been cellared for so long it burns well, no tongue bite, took about two or three charring lights to get it going tho.
The only thing I have to compare this to is the Brown No. 4 rope. To me that tastes just as full flavored but with a more pure tobacco taste. It too is very dark on my palate, almost cigar like.
If you like Lakeland style blends with their toppings you’ll like this. I’ve heard it’s the less “aromatic” little brother of 1792 Flake.
Slightly floral, perfume-like, sweet, with a vanilla undertone. it reminds me of old lady perfume counter smells. When I do taste the tobaccos they’re delicious, dark, earthy, spicy Kentucky with a slightly sweet cigar note coming from the air cured. I get hints of unsweetened cocoa and a pronounced woody character overall. It is definitely a “dark” taste, leather and oak. With some floral notes from the heavily stoved dark fired tobacco.
I’ve had this in my cellar for over a decade now. I bought a tin wanting to try a Lakeland style back in 2009. I tried it and shelved it then because the topping just didn’t meld with the tobacco taste for me. Seems that nothing much has changed in the cellaring. It’s still tastes the same but now I can appreciate the dark earthy air cured and dark fired tobaccos more. The Lakeland essence seems to play off the top notes of the dark fired tobacco.
It is a whopper of a strong tobacco too. I don’t think it’s any stronger than Irish flake in the nicotine department.
Having been cellared for so long it burns well, no tongue bite, took about two or three charring lights to get it going tho.
The only thing I have to compare this to is the Brown No. 4 rope. To me that tastes just as full flavored but with a more pure tobacco taste. It too is very dark on my palate, almost cigar like.
If you like Lakeland style blends with their toppings you’ll like this. I’ve heard it’s the less “aromatic” little brother of 1792 Flake.
Pipe Used:
Bent billiard, straight apple, corncobs
PurchasedFrom:
Smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked:
22 years
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Oct 11, 2014 | Medium to Strong | Medium | Medium | Tolerable to Strong |
If you like French cigs Gitannes and Gauloises you will love this flake. Im not in love with the taste or room note but I do like the nic hit and the flash back of when I smoked a gitanne.
Pipe Used:
Altinok Meer
PurchasedFrom:
Ottawa Cigar Emporium
Age When Smoked:
few months
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| May 27, 2014 | Strong | Extremely Mild | Full | Unnoticeable |
Some tobaccos are not really for inhaling. Or blowing away from your nose for that matter. Bracken is one of them. But if you don't do those, you fill find a sweet taste on the tip of your tongue. This must be what Bracken is for.
Pipe Used:
Brebbia junior
Age When Smoked:
Middle of a tin opened a month ago
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jan 24, 2014 | Very Strong | None Detected | Very Full | Extra Strong |
When i smoke at the first time it looks like 1792. At the room they dont like it. It is good for starting to day.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Sep 21, 2013 | Strong | Medium | Full | Strong |
Samuel Gawith once again show how an ostensibly simple base blend can be made so much more than the sum of its parts. The ingredients declared are no more than Kentucky, dark-fired Virginias and a mystery "long-used" essence. Don't worry, it is not of the conspicuous "Lakeland" variety.
The transformation clearly comes in the magic SG undertake in preparation, which results in a dark brown flake of madly uneven chunks. As ever with SG, a little drying out aids the breaking up, packing and smoking.
And then we have a smoke which is dark, deep and rich. The "essence" is hard to detect, one is just aware of good quality tobacco which burns slow and smooth. Perhaps there is a suggestion of chocolate on the after-taste, with the slightest hint of spice? Difficult to define, but if taken slowly impossible not to enjoy. A full and thoughtful smoke, not an everyday pleasure perhaps, but well worth space in your selection.
Recommended.
The transformation clearly comes in the magic SG undertake in preparation, which results in a dark brown flake of madly uneven chunks. As ever with SG, a little drying out aids the breaking up, packing and smoking.
And then we have a smoke which is dark, deep and rich. The "essence" is hard to detect, one is just aware of good quality tobacco which burns slow and smooth. Perhaps there is a suggestion of chocolate on the after-taste, with the slightest hint of spice? Difficult to define, but if taken slowly impossible not to enjoy. A full and thoughtful smoke, not an everyday pleasure perhaps, but well worth space in your selection.
Recommended.
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