Samuel Gawith Kendal Cream Deluxe Flake

Presentation: Typical SG/GH flakes. Thick, grainy and moist. Mottled brown, dark streaks. Nice rows as always and I like that SG keeps to their tradition despite consumer complaints.People still are die-hard fans regardless.

Palette: To me, the tin aroma is very reminiscent of Ennderdale Flake and when giving it constant sniffs, I had to keep checking the tin just to make sure it wasn't. Black licorice, cardamon, anise, clove, cinnamon, lemon, nutmeg. I'm not too fond of the bouquet, but in no way does it translate to the smoke like Ennerdale does. A slight floral essence is there as well. Upon lighting, I can detect the Lakeland topping, but it is so light which was surprising considering the tin aroma. It comes up ever so often but in no way is this a Lakeland bomb. I'd put it on a scale of 3 out of 10. Nice creamy flavor. Hints of floral, heavy cream, baking spices and sweetness. A well rounded VA/Burley taste, and I detect more burley than VA. Mid ground strength and flavor. Not too heavy nor light. Not an all day blend for me but it certainly could be smoked everyday of the week without tiring your palette. Flavor doesn't linger too much in the mouth.

Performance: Dried out for about an hour and to be honest my tin came pretty moist, but this amount of time was perfect. Lit up well after a few charring lights. The last 1/3 was hard to keep lit but I dumped the ash and lit it again and away it went again. Mild nicotine. Can bite a little and it tended to burn hot when puffed more than an average pace, but that is my cadence.

Conclusion: An interesting blend. SG blends are not my favorite or blends that I gravitate towards, but it was nice to see this blend in the shop and just buy it on a whim. I'm a GLPease fan so this was a fun change of pace. Don't be intimidated by the smell of the tin. If you've never tried a Lakeland blend, this would be a good place to start as the topping is so lightly applied it's hard to detect consistently, but still noticeable if you focus. I think that this is a good blend for mid-day as it has just enough nicotine to make you feel a good fuzzy feeling. Nice relaxing flavor and easy to smoke. Probably won't buy again, but I can sure recommend it to others for something different.

I received this as a large sample from a friend. The sample was about an ounce in weight, and it consisted of fairly standard looking flakes. They were a mottled dark brown and came too damp. The first bowl was smoked as delivered and that was an exercise in frustration. I dried it to the point that the flakes would almost break when folded in half. I rubbed it out before smoking both damp and dried. The pouch note was slightly floral with a whiff of honey.

Smoked, this was very good when dried a little. There is a smooth creamy quality and taste along with a mild Lakeland. The tobacco foundation is not overwhelmed by the topping. It is a solid VaBur with some earth and hay and a certain mellow hint of a bitter edge when puffed. Every now and then there is an overripe citrus note. I found it an easy smoke to sip, and it was slow burning. Strength was close to medium in the mild->medium range.

I thought this was enjoyable and have no regrets. It did not astound me in any way or send me to buy it 500 g at a time. It is easy to recommend to anyone interested in this type of blend.

I really enjoyed my time with this one. I would say if I could not get Irish Flake that this would come closest to scratching that itch for me. I am not saying that they are very much alike. The toppings are very different, but it satisfies me in the same way as IF does. Perhaps it is in the body of the smoke, both offer a fulfilling burley backdrop with Irish Flake being smokier due to the dark fired burley leaf.

They are the typical flake presentation from SG. The flakes are very moist upon opening necessitating a good drying before it is smokable. Once dried, I had no problem smoking this at all. There is a topping, but it is not an over-the-top soapy taste. I found it rather enjoyable and tasty.

I will most likely buy this one again. It is not earth shattering enough to warrant four stars, but it easily gets three from me.

**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.

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.

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.

Like most Samuel Gawith blends, when I popped the tin, this was too wet to smoke, so I let it sit for a while in the tin. I live in Mississippi where the humidity high, so I have to smoke tobacco on the dryer side anyway. The smell in the tin is like a pleasant deep, rich, sweet, licorice-like aroma (kinda similar to Bengal Slices), but not off putting or unpleasant as some might find licorice to be. When smoked, this smell turns into more of a dark cream flavor and looses the licorice. It's a bit stronger on the nic than I expected from a Va/Bur but not even close to something like Old Joe Krantz or Haunted Bookshop. For reference, I can and have smoked this on an empty stomach with my coffee in the morning, and I can't say the same for HB or OJK. Does smoke better if sipped. I wouldn't recommend pushing this one too hard. I enjoy lakelands, so I liked this alright, but I did find myself missing the tonka bean in Hansom Flake and wishing it was there. Still, not a bad smoke, and very enjoyable.

Only a wizard could have created this stuff! Tobaccocino! This is bonkers stuff, extremely mellow, creamy but be warned it might taste creamy but has a decent amount of old Nic to keep you happy. Pouch note reminds me of faint hot cross buns. Slightly yeasty with hints of spice and dried fruit - in a sort of understated way. I bought a small sample as I'm working my way through the G&H and SG tobaccos. Moisture was perfect from the pouch which I didn't expect from Sam Gawith, rubbed out lightly and took the flame easily. False light, then tamp and a great, even light to get the pipe going. Only one relight required at the final third of the bowl. I took this out on my balcony in the morning sun with a black coffee so I can only guess at the room note which going by the retro hale should be pretty inoffensive. Considering the wacky world of Sam Gawith I was immediately taken aback by the sweet, creamy mildness. No Lakeland florals here, or crazy toppings, this reminds me of a cappuccino. Milky smooth with a very pleasant mouth feel and it stays that way until you reach the mid point of the bowl where the burleys start to come through giving the cream a beautiful nutty edge. From the mid point to the bottom of the bowl the burleys climb in statue to their full nutty richness. Bearing in mind that this tobacco is extremely mellow and milky smooth one is suddenly hit by its strength and I may switch to a medium bowl next time I go for it! Its a damned creeper so be warned! And neither is it an insipid smoke, the tobaccos used are top notch and probably mixed with unicorns milk because this is a very pleasant detour from its heavier stablemates. I wouldn't think of it as a winter flake, warm summer morning for me is simply sublime. I've heard some calling it one dimensional and boring but in my opinion it is a beautiful journey from delicate cream to nutty fullness. I couldn't smoke it all day, and probably not every day because then it would lose its charm. But I will buy more, and use it sparingly when I fancy a change of pace. Don't give up on this one before you reach the bottom of the bowl. Burned beautifully to a fine white ash with no gloopy crap at the end. I'm giving this one a 10/10 for its crazy genius. #2 note. I bought a tin of this and I can't believe that it's the same tobacco. QC at Gawiths has a lot to answer for because the tin I got is next to unsmokeable. I therefore recommend that you buy a sample and if it's good then buy a pound of it. If not then you won't have wasted your money buying a tin full of crap.