Samuel Gawith Kendal Cream Deluxe Flake

Ah, the best of the Lakeland Flakes.

This is one superb flake and one that is very similar to GHC?s Kendal Flake. Frankly if your not smoking them side by side, then you will probably only be able to tell them apart from their tin aromas. Taste wise KCF clinches it with the addition of a milky tea middle that is lacking from KF.

The taste very distinctive, with mint, elderflower, milky tea, witch hazel and many other flavours all rolling around one another perfectly. I?m surprised that there isn?t a review whinging that KCF tastes like pine disinfectant, as this does creep in a little during charring. Apart from this element at the start KCF is a near perfect blend.

This review is based on KCF deluxe, which has a slightly more floral note than the KCF bulk.

Samuel Gawith Kendal Cream Deluxe Flake - The very nutty burley in this flake is outstanding. The Virginias are back up to make the Burley shine . It is very creamy indeed and smooth with absolutely no bite . A lot going on here with the tobaccos and flavorings. A little cocoa and molasses and tonquin.. a faint alcohol, maybe like an extract of something. A wee bit of Lakeland Essence. Just a wonderful smoke . Nicotine is almost to medium in a good sized bowl . Solid Vabur that smokes creamy with a touch of Lakeland essence . Count me in . I will buy more . 4

Oh, my dear! Such a nice Virginia/Burley blend and full of suprises! The tin note was suprising. Reminded me of a grape flavoured cigarillo. Sweet and very aromatic. I was a bit afraid, that how it would affect the smoke. The flakes are easy to handle and broke apart with little effort. The moisture was just right (suprisingly for a SG blend) The next suprise was the taste. No grape, no overwhelming aroma, just sweet, nutty tobacco flavor. The topping is mild and gives a creaminess and more sweetness to the smoke. Well made, quality tobbaco. Highly recomended by the Fox!

Amazing burley flake, from England no less. The flake that turned me on to burley. A hard to pin down, creamy-ish top note that seems odd at first but actually is perfect for the blend. The Virginia provides a nice solid toasty sweetness, very much a Sam Gawith type of Virginia. Typical irregular damp flakes that say "try to rub me out, I dare you". All the usual finicky SG burning characteristics. But I went through the tin in record time. This, as someone who was always skeptical of burley and firmly on the GH side of the SG vs GH rivalry. Won't hook you immediately, but by the time the tin is gone you will miss it dearly.

the most beautiful compressed flake I have seen since picking up the pipe again after a decade since putting it down. dark, nutty, decidedly moist consistency; what a pleasure handling this tobacco; many say it must be dried out for a long time but I was able to make it through a bowl with maybe one relight by packing a loose crumble incrementally tighter toward the top of the bowl and having a vigorous second light. the moisture is really what makes this blend so creamy. some same one dimensional however its such an exquisite dimension; I get very very light florals, maybe some tonquin that plays so well with the nutty burley; I agree with other reviewers that virginia becomes more prominent maybe at the bottom third of the bowl. at times it feels like this tobacco is mild because the flavor is so delicate, however, toward the bottom of the bowl the strength was really catching up to me -- perhaps I just stayed with it because this tobacco is so sublime. I really love it; has a creaminess similar to plum pudding without the orientals; more rich dare I say decadent; I think I like the room note too; a good heavy green vanilla cream with a large sweet spot on the draw; watch out for the nicotine though because I was enticed to draw heavily to keep this wonderful blend lit and because it is oh so good; a great 'dessert smoke', afternoon delight or even with a morning hazelnut latte - recommeneded!

So I get a call from the local cigar/pipe shop here in Philadelphia and the guy at the other end says, "hey Jay, we just received a shipment of a new S. Gawith and I think you should come over and check them out". So I went over and picked up a tin of Kendall Cream Flake. Before I go any further, let me say that this is another example of the high quality Lake District blend. The burlies used are excellent. The tin aroma is a little scary at first but this was attenuated with a little airing out. The flakes are a medium speckled brown and rub out easily.

I packed a small Charatan billiard (which was a gift from a friend) and took a walk around the block. I noticed a very nice side-stream aroma and a semi-sweet/nutty flavor that remained throughout the bowl. It burned a nice medium/slow and left virtually nothing at the bottom. There was a little, and I do mean LITTLE gathering of strenght as the bowl simmered down to the bottom third, but nothing at all unpleasant.

If I had to draw a comparison, I would have to compare it to Esoterica Stonehaven though Kendall Cream is a little more aromatic. That is not to say that this should be pigeon holed as an aromatic. What it is, is a great smoke. There is definitely more of this in my future. Will it be my everyday smoke? No, due to the "added essence". Will I smoke it regulary? Yes. But I will be sure to dedicate a pipe or two just to this blend as I think it will flavor my bowl.

On a scale of 1 to 5, I'll give it a healthy 4 or 4.5.

Oh, Samuel Gawith! What do you have that I love you so much? It may be a question that I always ask myself, every time I open one of your incredible, and not cheap, references.

The "KC flake" (previously "Kendal Cream Deluxe Flake") is a masterful work... do I redound by putting SW and masterful in the same text?

This blend combines those virginias with a straw, wheat flavor. An earthy, woody, nutty burley. Now, added to the incredible quality of the tobacco used, we add an aroma of: whipped cream, flowers, tonka bean that, for me, makes me crazy smoking a pipe of this.

We have heard, on numerous occasions, great pipe tobacco tasters refer to the term "Samuel Gawith signature" because, friends, this stamp is here and very present.

It doesn't weigh me down and it seems round to me. The Va-Bur is perfect: sweet, with slightly bitter notes, not at all acidic and, with those flavors, the aromatic aftertaste of flowers, cream and tonka bean (perhaps, too, it has some very very very hidden liquor) which in my opinion makes me classify it as a work worthy of saying: "Samuel Gawith, very good work"

E.S

This is a not complete box, forgotten in a bag, which has not completed Bracken flake, because move, they should be sleeping in my memory for 15 years or so, KC inside each piece of covered with a layer of light frost, at that time I was a young pipe smoker, perhaps it is not on the character of tobacco, stopped to continue.

I found it today, KC is currently in production, I lit up a bowl, guys, this thing has been stored for a long time, absolutely good stuff, no complex fragrance of all those comments on it, just a thick, deep smoke, great!

This is one of my top three tobaccos. It works great as a substitute for my favourite va/per and I find the taste slightly milder and creamier. This does not mean it is the same taste, but rather in a similar category if you like that kind of stuff. It is quite clear that the Virginias had to make room for some Burley, but not enough to actually disturb a Virginia lover. Sweet, and maybe with a touch of citrus. I think there is som nuttyness in the external smoke (the smoke that go from the bowl straight to my nose to then blend with the drawn smoke).

Quite moist when cracking the tin, but I have no problem what so ever to have a perfectly pleasant smoke after just 5-10 minutes of rest in open air. No relights necessary after a good startup procedure.

The tin note is a lot about chocolate and raisin.