Samuel Gawith Kendal Cream Deluxe Flake

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.

My acquaintance with this tobacco started with a bit of trouble. A friend gave me a sachet saying, "Take it for free. There's a hole somewhere in the pouch, the tobacco has dried out...". And indeed, there was something crunching inside the forty-gram sachet with the excise stamp "Q1 2016". When I opened the bag and emptied its contents on the table, it became clear to me that the case is frankly difficult: tobacco is badly dried, becoming a monochromatic dark brown color. The strips of flake, already sliced as it was, had partially shattered into separate fibers. There was virtually no dust, however, and I decided to try to restore the mixture. I placed it in a tightly sealed jar with extra moisture, checking twice a day and maintaining the moisture level. It took me two weeks for the tobacco to become normal moisture throughout, at which point I could see that the burley in it was clearly darker than the Virginia, the bulk of which was closer to a shade of baked bread crust.

There was a striking change in the flavor of the tobacco over the time of the recovery. Initially, when dry, the tobacco only smelled strongly of camphor and anise. But, as I moistened, those two notes began to fade and smooth out, and other nuances emerged. After a few days, I smelled clove in the mixture, but not confectionary, but floral. Then the scent of buckwheat honey and a faint woody tone added to it. Finally, around the seventh day, I smelled a light aroma of cream and notes of Virginia - a faint malt note, and variegated herbs - and the honey and woody notes became somewhat brighter. Then there was a slight smell of baked apple. The overall tobacco aroma became smooth and stable by about the tenth day, reminiscent, in general, of the smell of Highland whiskey, but without the alcohol flavoring. The honey note was certainly dominant, woody and meadow notes were supporting it, baked apple, light hints of malt and cream were also present, but to a slight degree. As for camphor and anise, so bright at the beginning of acquaintance, only a slight hint of spice remained.

Of course, it was out of the question to smoke such flake plates whole - during the recovery I repeatedly stirred the tobacco, and therefore the flake almost completely crumbled. So I broke up the flakes definitively, filled the pipe with the mixture, and lit it. The most interesting thing is that in the five minutes of preparation the tobacco had time to dry out a bit. I was immediately struck back with quite a bright nutty-woody note of burley and a slight earthiness in the flavor, as if I had some dust on my tongue. There was also a light, slightly sweet, tonka bean note which I like a lot. Gradually, a slight honey note came into the taste. The essence affected the overall flavor, making it a little "chemical" if I forgetfully took too long to puff. As for the Virginia taste, until about halfway through the pipe it felt like I was smoking a blend consisting of pure English processed burley. I didn't feel the slightest trace of Virginia for a long time - no grassy flavor, no malt or bread, even though there was clearly more of it in the blend. Only by the middle of the pipe did I feel a slight herbaceous flavor. Then a faint note of cream and a faint hint of anise appeared in the bouquet. Overall, the taste remained mild and smooth. The tobacco burned very slowly into a light gray dust, leaving not a drop of moisture in the pipe. The blend gave a slight nicotine kick to the end of the pipe, from which I conclude that, given my sensitivity to burley, the strength of this tobacco is medium or a little higher. The aftertaste is sweet, not persistent.

The smoke from the tobacco has a woody, earthy smell without harsh notes, it is not persistent in the room, in a draft it is dispersed immediately.

What's the result? I don't know how successfully I recovered the mixture, but judging by the rich flavor I got, I mostly succeeded. The resulting tobacco, on the whole, I have not been very impressed. It is very interesting in flavor, but absolutely neutral in taste, being devoid of bright notes. Fans of the Lakeland with a good dose of burley will probably be happy with it. I, on the other hand, think that once I finish it, I won't regret its absence too much. It is a quality everyday tobacco, but no more than that. By the way, I found another tin of this tobacco on my shelves. Maybe in a couple of years I'll open it and compare the experience. But, most likely, I'll just trade it for something more worthy of my attention.

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!

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.

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.

As long as I love Samuel Gawith's pressed and spun tobaccos (I really believe that St. James Flake is the best mixture in this Galaxy) it's always a pain to be disappointed every time I try SG's aromatic blends. (Perhaps I must add, I don't belong to that flock of 'connoiseurs' who bash aromatics just for being aromatics; I like Gawith Hoggarth Lakelands).

Recently I have had a disappointment with the Black Forest: while smelling honey out of the tin better than certain brands of actual honey it gave me a totally mediocre smoking experience, being dull and totally unremarkable flavourwise. Same story is here, with the Kendal Cream: although it's fragrant like the unicorn's mane (delicate honey and rich lilac!), the wonderful tin aroma doesn't transfer to the flavour, which is actually quite bland. The smoke is low in Nicotine and gives an unpleasant sharp bite because of ample addition of Flue-Cured Virginias into the mixture, which I didn't like at all.

Well, this sampling of another little cute light aromatic mixture from SG was just another proof to a wise idea to stick to Gawith Hoggarth when craving a Lakeland Aromatic.

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!