Tavern Tobacco Co. Laurel Flake

Laurel Flake has to be one of the best Virginia/Perique flakes I have ever smoked. It isn't overly sweet like some of the Virginia/Perique flakes I have smoked. That may be because the Virginias are said to be from other places other than America. There is certainly less sweetness in what the folks at Samuel Gawith used in this flake. Don't get me wrong. I adore the sweetness that I find in many other Virginia blends. Perhaps the addition of Perique in the right amount discourages this. Anyway, Laurel Flake burns wonderfully and flavorful from top to bottom. I can even puff hard and not get burned. This give the advantage of being able to smoke this fine flake at any time of day. It has such a great taste that I find myself turning to it even late at night. This is unusual for me because I like to end my days in Latakia bliss. Laurel Flake seems to be packaged a little damp, more in the tin than in bulk. Nothing unusual about that. However, I have found that I can smoke it with little or no time drying it out. In fact, it lights and burns well rubbed out, or not. When one is faced with our usual busy lives, it is nice to be able to have a Virginia/Perique flake that allows you to grab it and go. This is a truly wonderful flake in that respect. The smoker will always be rewarded with consistent flavor, no matter what his preferences are in smoking a flake tobacco. I do prefer to smoke all of my Virginia/Perique blends in smaller bowls, but this is one that I might even venture into a larger bowl with. Laurel Flake is certainly a tobacco that I will purchase more of. It should be come a regular part of my cellar, as I want to store away a good supply away for aging. If I could say just one word for Laurel Flake it would be "WONDERFUL"! My thanks go to Tavern Tobacco Company/Knox Cigar for bringing Laurel Flake to us all!

This is an excellent flake tobacco. I received my sample and as I was rubbing it out, thought that it would burn hot, only because the tobacco was so moist from the pouch. I was most pleasantly surprised. It was a cool, pleasant smoke, with the Perique slowly asserting itself without becoming harsh. This is a VA/Perique blend on par with Escudo, but milder in taste and body. I feel it also compares with the venerable McClelland bulk favorite, but it is different. The Virginias of African and Indian provenance taste different, and have less of the subtle sweetness found in American varietals. At the end I did get a mere hint of the "Lakeland" flavor, but oh so gently, and not soapy. Truly, this is a great tobacco. I'm glad the fellows at Knox commissioned it.

Not a better Vapor to be found friends! Gawith makes some fine tobacco, and this one places them in the hall of fame. I will never be without this perfectly tasting va/perique. Did I mention I like this one?

Laurel Flake (LF) is mellow and tasty, medium-bodied, with a subtle sweetness. A sumptuous blend of mature Virginias give it an austere monochromatic quality as compared to the wider array of tastes in Christmas Cheer ?03. Such austerity also connotes a flavor that is restrained, not aiming for several stellar flavors, content to state its case with simplicity. For me it is the top-drawer Virginias incorporated in this blend that make it excellent, which goes without saying for any Virginia/Perique, given that the Perique is at the right level. For those whose tolerance for Perique is low, this proportion will probably be too high. I would estimate that LF contains 5% Perique.

Again, LF?s Virginias lack complexity. Now there is some controversy about whether a Virginia can be considered complex, which term is usually reserved for a blend in which the constituent tobaccos come to the fore and then recede, another tobacco coming to the fore and then fading away as well, only to return to the first tobacco or yet to a third. My first experiences with complexity were with Pease?s Renaissance and Balkan Sasieni. Yet I feel the term can be applied to Virginias, albeit differently. Some Virginias, like Wessex Classic Virginia and LF have little complexity, sounding a single flavor note and remaining there throughout the course of the smoke. Others such as Christmas Cheer ?03 deliver various notes and thus possess a more complex flavor profile, and it is to this profile that I refer when I describe a Virginia as complex.

This is a blend that can be smoked everyday: it is that good, one of the best I?ve ever smoked. As it was released some 18 months ago, it took me a long time to order. All I can say is that I hadn?t read kudos sufficient to pique my interest; hopefully this review will persuade other such reluctant pipers to order. It comes in both bulk and tin; all I?ve smoked is the bulk as the pricing structure, when you order in quantity, is about 2:1, bulk and tin, respectively.

As this leaf is blended by Samuel Gawith, there's little wonder it is so outstanding. I would compare this to FVF, but Laurel Flake is slightly darker with a sweeter flavor in the tobacco. The flakes are perfectly cut, nice and thick and rub out for packing in a good sized bowl. I found no difference between the tinned version and the bulk shipment I received. The only drawbacks from making my top Five Virginia list are: 1) Moisture level is too high, and 2) The cost prohibits me from buying as much as I would like.

I purchased this blend via the internet in bulk from Knox Cigar in TN in 4/04. Many of the other blends in their Tavern Tobacco line were out of stock and if this one represents what Samuel Gawith, the blender, has created for Knox, I can see why. The tobaccos, that vary from golden to almost black, were pressed and cut into very moist and pliable flakes ~ 1"x6"x1/16" and almost all arrived unspoiled which is sometimes unusual for a bulk blend. I obtained improved lighting and packing with some drying of the tobacco but I generally don't rub out my flakes at all. This had no noticeable impact on the taste that I found very enjoyable and consistent within the bowl and from bowl to bowl. Overall, the smokes were effortless from start to finish and very cool. The Perique was just barely evident and none of the Lakeland soaplike flavor was sensed. Just quality tobacco was in the tin aroma and the room aroma was accepted much better by my family than some other VA/Perique blends. If you're looking for a rich, strong smoke, this blend may not fit the bill but I found it enjoyable and a great candidate for a milder, all day smoke. If you enjoy VA flakes, give it a try.

Delicious.

When you first get the tobacco, it is very wet in the tin...too damp to smoke in my opinion. After struggling through one bowl of the freshly opened Laurel Blend, I took some out to dry out and breathe. My patience was richly rewarded in my second and subsequent bowls. This is a very good VA/Perique blend and fans of Lake District tobaccos won't be disappointed either. I think this will age very nicely, but it's tough not to dig right in when the box arrives.