Samuel Gawith Kendal Cream Deluxe Flake

**revised 4.30.05**

This is an interesting flake.

To me, it's like Stonehaven in body with an added topping that doesn't taste like any other "Lakeland" style cased flake.

Creamy....... I don't know what the flavoring is but it's sure Creamy! It reminds me of those WERTHERS brand toffe discs.

The tobacco underneath this topping is pretty full and to me this blend has none of those "soapy" attributes that so many dislike.

I find that after my initial enthusiasm, I am still reaching for my G&H blends more often than this. Kendal Cream Flake is a bit more "two dimensional" than the G&H offerings that I enjoy. My suspicion is that the burley in this blend lends to the flatness. Still a very good offering for those who like Stonehaven with a creamy topping.

The best way for me to describe this vs. Stonehaven is to say that Stonehaven is like good Espresso. straight up.

Kendal Cream Flake is good Espresso with heavy whipping cream and lots of sugar added.

S. Gawith blends have their own way to surprise me.once the tin breaks a unique light Lakeland smell comes out.the brown/dark flakes provide a wonderfull sweet aroma consisted of floral essences toquin and honey.the flakes are very manageable with high moisture so some drying time is needed.packs and lights easilly after dried out with a few relights.while smoking i detected an overthrow.i expected the topping to subtlimate the tobacco flavours but that does not exist.the tobacco flavours combine very well with the topping offering a very pleasant experience.the virginias remind me a lot those of full virginia flake.citruses,grass,dark fruits and earthy notes are the main taste.burleys are supporting with some nuts,molasses and sharp notes.the topping adds some creamy notes,floral notes toquin and honey hints.generally the flavours combine very well offering a nice experience.burns slow and medium hot to total ash with some moisture being created at the end of the bowl.the nicotine level is medium with no tongue bite though some sharp notes may appear from the burleys.the room note is very pleasant.the aftertaste is ok.can be an all day smoke.in conclusion this is a decent blend,worthy trying but not something unique.

I should start out by saying that I have smoked at least 7 or 8 other Samuel Gawith blends, and so far, I haven't found any that I would not be happy to smoke at any time. I am particularly fond of Ennerdale, and Best Brown Flake. . If they make a bad blend, I have not found it, yet.

Also, I should say that I do not believe this is a good tobacco for a novice, because to get the most out of it, it takes some TLC and patience, but the reward is more than worth it. It also may be a little intense for new smokers.

The tin note was an incredible aroma of Red Virginia, with it's typical bready character, wonderful nuttiness from top-grade burly, and what I can only describe as a creamy chocolate-covered raisin scent, although very mild. I caught just the barest hint of the Lakeland scent...just enough to make the other scents blend well.

The flakes were very moist and thick. It's better to have the tobacco too moist than too dry. You can always dry it out, but it is more difficult to try to re-hydrate dry tobacco, and the taste is never the same. A little patience here will pay off handsomely. The flakes are too thick to rub out well by hand, so I recommend getting a pair of scissors, and chop away. Chopping it finer will make it dry faster, and you can always chop and dry a days worth to take with you when you leave the house. Again, the extra trouble is more than worth it.

After doing all the previously mentioned preparatory tasks, I filled my wonderful Mr. Brog Chocla pipe, and touched flame. After drying, it lit fairly easily and burned very well, nice and slow. The first few puffs were incredibly smooth and creamy. Initially, the burly took center stage with a satisfying nuttiness similar to toasted pecans. Then, the Virginia kicked in with a sweet, pleasant taste liked fresh-baked pan dolce. After about 10-15 puffs, there was a mild background taste of fresh Raisinettes (you know, those great chocolate-covered raisins that a lot of us used to chow-down on at the movie theater). The chocolaty taste is a bit more pronounced than Bobs Chococlate Flake. The Lakeland essence was barely noticeable, but it did contribute positively to the over-all taste The taste stayed the same all the way to the bottom of the bowl. It was good to the last puff. It burned to a fine ash, with little dottle, and never any bite or gurgle. This is a good medium-strength smoke, and very satisfying. It would make a fine all-day smoke, for a seasoned smoker. Novices may find the strength a bit intimidating at first, but you;ll quickly get used to it and wonder how you smoked all that super-mild stuff before.

My over-all impression was WOW! This is probably going to be my favorite blend unless I find something better in the future (unlikely). A wonderful, creamy, sweet, smooth smoke. The mouth-feel is like Irish Creme and Frangelico.

I really can't say enough about this blend. If you like sweet tobaccos, with minimal extra flavoring, this could be your blend.

This very dark Burley (Kentucky)/Virginia Flake came unsmokeably wet to me and had to be dried and completely rubbed out. The flakes where in my case cut too thick to fold. The floral-soapy flavor is pretty intense, somewhat creamy and not as annoying (to me) as in Grousemoor. I get pleasant notes of chocolate and roasted nuts in the second half of the bowl, after the casing has faded a little and the tobaccos step into the light.

All in all Kendal Cream Deluxe Flake tastes like a flavored small cigar/cigarillo. It is full in taste and flavor, mild to your tongue, but definitely packs some nicotine punch sneaking up behind the initial mild feel. It’s good; it’s different, like so many SG offerings.

After a couple of bowls I had it dry out completely and than re-humidified. The tobaccos seem in tact, but the casing got less intense – I’m not so much into floral casings. Now it’s very much to my liking for a change of pace, especially in springtime.

A big fan of flakes, this is one I often buy between the usual Full Virginia (SG's) and my other favourite St Bruno. In my opinion it is to Full Virginia Flake what Skiff Mixture is to Squadron Leader. What I mean is that it is a slightly milder option with a strange but nice extra flavour to it. Definitely one to try, I go through occasional stages of not buying anything else.

Interesting blend. As is my usual custom, I smoked it fresh out of the tin (no drying) and with close to two hours drying time. It behaved rather differently in the two cases.

Fresh... very annoying tin aroma, kind of a soapy floral smell (Lakeland... duh!) but with a hint of something like licorice, like they put in the Pall Mall cigarettes. At the match, I got a pretty good snootful of this aroma, and the taste was a carbon copy of the aroma. Reminded me of Erinmore Flake, which I haven't smoked in decades, and that I don't miss. The flavor became bland as the top note burned off. Very one-dimensional, which was an improvement over that cloying original taste.

Dried out... the tin aroma was less pronounced and finally the actual burley taste won out over the flowers and soap. Much better! I didn't actually *taste* the virginia (I suspect it's of the stoved variety) but I think it toned down the burley... which I felt was a positive. Still a fairly one dimensional smoke and it is bettered IMHO by Stonehaven and a couple of Solani blends and I would have liked a little more virginia flavor to help the blend develop, but this is certainly a decent enough smoke if it's what you're wanting. No glaring faults but not much to recommend it, either.

I am not a big fan of Lakeland blends, but always find them to be of great quality and continue to venture into this genre. My persistence has paid off, Kendal Creme Flake has been a fantastic experience.

The flakes are dark and smell of liquorice. They are rather moist and need to be dried out considerably. If you don't dry it well, this tobacco will not burn. The flakes rub out with some difficulty due to their rubbery texture, but the course matter which this flake produces insures slow smoking.

I find this takes about 3 or 4 matches to really get going. It requires a fair amount of relights to me, but the flavor upon relight is pleasant and this blend doesn't nip the tongue, so it is a minor inconvenience.

This tobacco is meant to be enjoyed while sitting down and focusing on the smoke. It does not work well as a blend to putter around the shop or house with. The flavor is creamy, sweet, and spicy. It has wonderful Virginia flavor in the darker ranges, I taste brown sugar, tea, clove, liquorice, cinnamon, and anise. The aroma is pleasant and the aroma when blown through the nose is of liquorice.

This burns slow, a half bowl has lasted an hour in a half in a normal hour sized bowl. It is a great tobacco for enjoying a movie on the television. It goes particularly well with tea. The nicotine is noticeable, but not overpowering. Its strength is right where I like it. It produces voluminous amounts of smoke. A true pleasure.

This is truly superb stuff and I see myself purchasing some tins for the cellar. It is not an all day smoke, but serves best as a treat at the end of the day (I prefer it most in the late evening). The wife seems to like the smoke that this produces as well. I give this the highest recommendations. Just make sure you sit down and give yourself a chance to really enjoy it.

I would like to give this 4 stars but I can't due to being sucker punched by the nicotine. An EXCELLENT flake. It is probably the best of its genre. Again, the only drawback for me was the high nicotine level. It is also slightly astringent on the back of the throat. A better taste than Chocolate Flake but closer in "PUNCH" to 1792 flake. Worth a try. 3 stars.

I picked this up at my local tobacco shop after finding it in their bulk section. After smoking a few bowls I thought I'd add my comments. The very unusual jar aroma had piqued my interest. This was my second Gawith tobacco I've tried. The first being the Chocolate Flake which I wasn't too crazy about.

The flake rubbed out with little effort. It packed easily enough, you can pack it to tight if not careful, something you want to avoid with this blend as you'll end up with a hot, flavorless smoke if you do. It lit well. The room note was certainly different. My sister-in-law complimented the aroma so that's a good thing. There's a definate quality tobacco taste that's enhanced by the casing. I would have like just a tad more burley, but then again that's just my personal preference. One thing to note is there is an aftertaste that can linger on your tongue. A sip of a good spirit will cleanse the palet and make the smoke more enjoyable. I'll recommend this blend to aromatic smokers, like myself, that enjoy a good tobacco with a pleasant aroma and blend quality.