Samuel Gawith Kendal Cream Deluxe Flake

The essence on Kendal Cream is most obvious during lights and relights, after which that nice floral note will sneak in and out briefly throughout the smoke. Most of the time it's totally dominated by a very good Virginia/Burley mix. Tobacco flavor is always right there.

The folks at Synjeco say Kendal Cream is based on Best Brown Flake, but it's a good deal darker ... maybe it was pressed a second time? It comes out of the tin pliable and ready to smoke, and never gives me trouble with moisture or gunk. Out here in the desert, 15 minutes on a table will make it start to feel just a bit crunchy, and I certainly wouldn't leave it out to breathe any longer than that.

This is one of those blends that reminds even a dedicated Virginia smoker like me why Burley exists - it rounds out the flavor of a good VA so well. It also has real nicotine in it, so Kendal Cream doesn't make my list of breakfast smokes even though it's got the flavor for that sort of thing ... far better for me to leave it 'til lunch.

Three stars, easy. Anyone who doesn't curl up into the fetal position and cry at the first whiff of Lakeland flavor should give this a shot.

A darker colored flake with a sweet and slightly smoky tin note. The burley adds good strength, a chocolate note and a nice amount of depth to the smoke. Mid bowl flavors are nutty, earthy, bittersweet and a bit cigar-like. There are no floral or herbal flavors, although I do get hints of tonquin, especially on the finish. Compared to other Sam Gawith aromatic flakes (1792, Mayor's Chocolate, Fire Dance Flake) the topping on Kendal Cream is quite mild.

Altogether, this is smooth, cool, bite-free smoke and it's definitely “creamy.” Kendal Cream Flake is well blended and strikes an excellent balance between sweet and bitter. Furthermore, don't be fooled by Sam Gawith's “aromatic” labeling of this flake. As others have mentioned, there’s some nice nicotine and flavor strength to be found here.

And while I enjoyed smoking this tobacco, my tin of Kendal Cream Flake seemed to have been passed-over by the Gawithian quality control department. Typically I would overlook such a thing and chalk it up to charm, but the flakes in my tin were so inconsistent in thickness, length and press that it made preparation difficult and as a result, some bowls smoked great, while others burned poorly. Some of the flakes were perfect for fold & stuff, (which I prefer), while others were so thick and dense that rubbing them out or cube cutting them were the only reliable options. Perhaps I was unlucky and my tin was filled with end of batch remnants... Needless to say, this was a bit disappointing.

KCDF is a dark, moist flake with an aroma suggesting a lengthy fermentation. I am not picking up the Lakeland essence in the tin. It is an attractive flake, but not with the precision of the F&T CVP. What does F&T do with their trimmings? It looks like SG adds some loose stuff in the tin, or maybe it gets jostled in transit and breaks up.

It rubs out, sort of. I don't dry it because it lights up and burns dry and cool. It clings to the bowl when burned, but that maybe related to the blend that preceded it. It is smooth, though I am not sure I would call it creamy. It is sturdy, and the nicotine rings in my ears a little. It starts with subtle sweetness and floral essence, and becomes earthy, leathery, and woody as it progresses. The Lakeland essence does not disappear, but persists mildly in its floral and tonquin qualities.

I think the Warrior Plug comparison made by hagen is on target. It is similar, too, to the Yachtsman Plug, though not as sweet. The Burley/VA ratio is weighted more to the Burley here, and then there is the Lakeland essence.

Folks who may be wary of the essence may find this one acceptable. This is foremost a great VA/Burley blend.

07/27/09 UPDATE: I am revising some of my reviews. I have given out more 4 star ratings than anything else. That practice is probably not helping. So, I am reducing KCF to 3 stars, not because I like it less than I did before, but because I am limiting 4 stars to fewer than 25% of all my reviews. One day I may use the 4 star rating to designate my top five.

Tim of paylesspipes introduced me (8/03) to this wonderful scented flake -- a true "lakeland" flake. Talk about ecstasy. I had tried, mostly successfully, SG blends before from the Tinder Box, but that SG line seemed to regress (in availability) in recent years. I'm glad they are back plentiful!

I have smoked SG full virginia flake (a little on the dark side but nowhere near 1792) and medium virginia flake (not cooked as long as the full and slightly sweeter) and Brown Flake before. I enjoyed the first two more, as Brown Flake, though liked by many, seemed to have a little edge for me at times.

Kendal Cream Flake is based on the Best Brown formula, they say, which in turn is based on medium virginia flake scented slightly. Kendal Cream Flake adds burley to the mix, for a slightly rounder taste, and a bit more scenting. It seems SG wants to compete more with G&H on the scented flake line (lakeland flakes). The competition is welcome. These English flakes do not use glycerins for preservation like some American aromatics do. They are high quality, if not on the strong or heavily scented side in some cases. Some of those lakelands go over the edge, but not here (but some all natural smokers will feel it's close).

It burns cooly and is quite sweet. Not hot like some bright flakes (the flake here is darker than that). The burley keeps it tame and the sweetness to me is a little reminiscent of G&H broken flake no. 7. I do not know what flowerly-like scent SG uses here. They keep secrets. (It's like McClelland flake no. 27 to the max, but stays cool, and is reputedly sweeter than SG's Firedance flake.) You could also liken the sweetness to Best Brown enhanced, but the burley does add extra taste and mellowness to the blend too.

Like most flakes, it is best to take a slice -- which are easily removable from the tine -- and push or plug it into into the bowl gently while avoiding air pockets. It takes a few swirls with the lighter to get the burn going, but once it's going good, it pretty much stays lit. I usually had to relight it once or twice to the bottom, but not a problem.

I found the taste spicier when I broke up the flakes more. Some may like that sweet-spicy interplay, but I mostly preferred a rounder smoke. So I kept the flakes intact as best as I could during packing. The flakes are plyable.

It smokes dryly in the pipe and the walls stay clean. However, since there is some oil scenting and cooking involved in the flakes, some residue creeps into the shank, which requires use of a pipecleaner during the smoke (I recommend more than once) to avoid any buildup. With a pipecleaner, the taste remained sweet throughout. So use a system pipe or a pipe that passes the pipe cleaner test. You are rewarded with a sweet, flavorful and reasonably dry smoke then. (This pipecleaner use is a trait to some degree with all flakes.)

After finishing the tin, I bought a pound. I smoked the tin in Mastro which I had smoke some Grousemore in and in a Romford I had smoked Best Brown in. So it took a few bowls for the new flavor to settle in, but both pipes tasted similarly after about 10 bowls each. The room aroma was praised (by most). It smelled perfumy to me (nice). Solidly recommended for you lakeland types or new recruits.

I have been on mission trying different Kendal tobacco's experiencing the Lakeland essence which I do enjoy. What I have learned so far, is that these flakes give more flavor if folded and stuffed rather than rubbed out.

My tin read KC Flake as this is the newer name for this blend. The Burley and Virginias are balanced nicely with a slight push of Burley up front. The tin note does provide a mild Lakeland scent that's not present in the burn. What is present is a creamy and slightly sweet taste, but only after a few minutes after lighting.

For me, the trick with these blends is to smoke them slowly or they will bite and destroy the experience. This one is indeed creamy with subtle flavors that burns nicely. Don't over-tamp or you will smash ash into the subtle flavors and destroy the experience. Give it a try, its a nice smoking experience.

Tin note is stewed fruit (apricots?), vinegar and floral. Flakes are medium and light yellowish browns and fairly dense, need a little extra effort rubbing out. Flakes are sticky and could use a little drying time. Burns slow with some relights. The strength med. The nic is medium. Flavoring is mild-med with a persistent floral and a background creaminess. Taste is med, with notes of earth, lemon, bread, mild spice and floral. Virginias lead supported by flavoring and burley bringing up the rear. Has a pleasant room note and after taste.

I wanted to open a burley tin from the cellar and when it came time to choose which one, KC was a candidate, but I was concerned that the flavoring in the description was too strong. However, at the time of smoking it, I found a more natural tobacco than I expected, with a Lakeland touch similar to that of St. Bruno, to name a reference tobacco in this regard. After three years the flakes have remained moist, but not so damp that they cannot be smoked ten minutes after rubbing. Surprisingly, even under these conditions it does not leave moisture in the pipe or overheat it. In that sense, it works wonders. The name of tobacco does not lie, as the smoke it produces is creamy and a single flake provides a long smoke.

It is a tobacco that I smoke with pleasure and although I am not sure if I will go for another tin when I finish this one, I am glad I tried it nonetheless.

Three stars, although it has given me some four star smokes.

Prep: The flakes arrive on the wet side. I found leaving the tin open for a couple of hours sufficient. Rubbing out the flakes is my preferred method for this blend.

The Virginias offer a some mild fruity notes and sweetness yet more evident is a spiciness. I found the Burley more predominant, bringing the typical nutty and molasses notes it's known for.

The cream and lakeland essence additions are evident and push this blend into something unique. As with many SG blends, if you dont like lakeland essence, you'll probably not want to pick this blend up. I however do, and found this blend enjoyable. The nic content is about right for me and it burns fairly cool. No more than a 7/10.

https://youtu.be/Fskt96Tn3Ec

Nice and relaxing smoke. After a bit of drying, it was really easy to burn. No bite. Really quite lovely. I don't find this quite as strong as some of the previous commenters did. As another reviewer noted, this blend lit much easier after a little drying.