Tobaccos Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. - Brown Flake Aromatic

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2005-03-25		Mild	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

TIN AROMA: A beautiful rich aroma. But although it contains vanilla and fig topping, the smell actually is a perfect facsimile of Fry's Turkish Delight; basically rose flavoured Turkish delight and chocolate.

ROOM NOTE: The confectionary smell is less obvious here but still has a sweet, fruity, chocolate aroma; it's just mixed with a classic sweet virginia note. Perhaps a touch of English soapiness is there, too.

PACKING: Once rubbed out it's actually quite a fine cut and fairly leathery to the touch. In this respect it's similar to ST. Bruno. A joy to pack the bowl with.

LIGHTING: Again, a pure joy. Produces tons of delicious white smoke as soon as the flame hits the weed. A couple of matches and one tamper is all you need.

APPEARANCE: A mixture of dark and bright virginia that produces quite a dark brown but flecked appearance. If fully rubbed out it resembles cigarette tobacco as the strands are very fine. Moisture content is perfect and has a slightly leathery texture.

SMOKING: This is one of my favourites. It burns very evenly and not too quickly for a virginia; I believe this is down to a little added burley which is not listed above. However, as with all virginias, care has to be taken with the smoking if you don't want to end up with a mouth full of blisters. Having said that, it burns a lot cooler than your average virginia. The flavour is the perfect balance between quality virginias and a 'not-too-intrusive' delicious topping. The main flavour I detect is chocolate with an underlying fruitiness, topped off by the floral edge typical of North West England blends. In fact the taste is quite esoteric and singular; it remains constant to the bottom of the bowl and never becomes harsh. I believe this makes it a very different and interesting aromatic. The result is a very tasty, multi-dimensional, complex flavour that is never dull. It burns to a very fine grey ash that doesn't stick to the walls of the bowl. Although it sounds odd, if you mix this particular blend with latakia or latakia/Turkish with a 50/50 ratio the result is pure heaven; a sort of 'sweet and sour' that burns cool. The point is, it has a very versatile flavour that shines through without spoiling any natural tobacco flavour. Nicotine-wise, I find this blend mild, but the smoke is fairly full-bodied in the mouth with a good, rich flavour. I give this blend five out of five stars; I can thoroughly recommend it.

PROS: Wonderful, complex flavour, packs, lights and burns well and cleanly. Very versatile. An excellent quality virginia that is never boring.

CONS: None really, other than the usual biting problems if you forget it's a virginia. Also, you may not like it if you don't care for that calassic floral taste; personally, I love it!

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2011-03-11		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Ok, I bought this one based on my idea of it being a cross between Brown Flake unscented and Ennerdale, both of which I enjoy very much. It actually does fit that bill but the result was a bit less than I envisioned.

This is obviously Brown Flake with added flavoring/scent. The unscented Brown Flake has an earthy, robust quality that remains in this blend. The flavorings (fig? I guess I haven't tasted fig in awhile) offer a nice blanket over the tobacco and the result is a sweet and flowery tasting batch of masculine tobacco that is not overbearing. This stuff refused to bite no matter how much I provoked it, but it could turn bitter. Smoked in a normal relaxed manner, it was a naturally sweet smoke with burley richness and fullness of body. The rose/geranium flavoring seemed a bit more over the top than Kendal Flake but not quite as much so as Ennerdale. Somehow this combination worked but it worked less well than I had hoped. I can't put my finger on its shortcomings, and I think some further experimentation is in order.

G&H Flakes, with the exception of Rum Flake, have really been impressing me lately. This one not so much but I can still recommend it to folks who enjoy both the Brown Flake unscented and Ennerdale Flake. This should have been a 4 star blend for me and I'm not sure why it isn't. Give it a try and see for yourself.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2003-09-20		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I regretfully ordered a couple of ounces of this tobacco a few weeks ago. One bowl was all it took for me to determine I had made a mistake.

This rascal bit like a bulldog and adding insult to injury, left a floral taste in my mouth and pipe that is just now starting to subside.

Yuck!

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2081)	2014-11-16		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Gawith Hoggarth - Brown Flake Aromatic.

Thick flakes that need time to air! The aroma coming from the flakes doesn't really have that much of an aromatic side to it, I have heard it may resemble Turkish delight but the only smell I get is a very gentle floral one. Once it has had a few hours in the open it has an O.K moistness to break and rub. Despite the fact the water has diminished due to the thickness of these flake slices it still requires a firm rub, probably some more airing would decrease the 'stickiness' of the flakes.

Putting aside the slight dampness of my tobacco it still lights simply, in fact the burn scores more points as it's incredibly steady, a proper 'sit back, relax and don't worry about constantly re-lighting' tobacco. The smokes temperature is superbly cool with no tongue bite, so this will be good for the more enthusiastic puffers among us! Moving on to taste now, having read how this contains vanilla, citrus, tonquin and fruit I feel a little nonplussed as the only added taste I can pick out is a slight floral one. That said though, even though there isn't much added taste the flavour I get is a total joy! The tobacco flavour is prominently Virginia, there is a slight cool caramel taste from the Burley albeit it's not easily recognizable. As this one burns down I find the flavour really stable, it holds the same taste throughout without becoming acrid or fluctuating any. Due to the moistness of this one I find a fair amount of dottle in my bowl at the end, due to this I like to smoke just three quarters of a bowl to avoid any sourness that may incur from this.

Nicotine: medium. Room-note: pleasant.

For taste alone I would score this four stars but the few slight negatives abate this to three:

Recommended.

Pipe Used: Devorin Denovic Morta

Age When Smoked: New with a few hours to air

Purchased From: G.Q Tobaccos

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	renwardhoop (177)	2010-08-15		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

You know, I 'm not sure I am smoking the same blend as the others reviewers either. I have sampled a 25g loose pack.

I must confess at the outset, firstly I am an aromatics fan and secondly I bought this in an attempt to relieve my favourite Savinelli pipe of the Talisman ghost.

That said, this is supposed to be an aromatic. It isn't. Admittedly Mrs RH made no comment when I was puffing away in the lounge this afternoon but this has no smell little room note and doesn't taste of anything much.

Vanilla and fig ? Yer having a giraffe !

It's rubs out easily and actually burns quite well, with few relights. Boils up really hot and harsh after about 10 minutes of relatively mild puffing.

Seems this poor old tobacco hasn't got much going for it as far as I am concerned then but hey it smells nice in the tin.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	LiterarySmoker (143)	2021-10-28		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

I never had the intention of buying this blend. It was never on my radar, but it dropped into my lap. I was trying to order some Dark Flake Unscented which is one of my favorites, when I ended up with two pounds of this blend in the end. To say the least I've been able to give this a fair shake.

I can't say much for packaging, buying in bulk gets you a generic green box. When I opened the box I was met with a well pressed, beautiful block of tobacco. The flakes are quite long, but very easily rubbed out. The smell is heavenly. Rose, Vanilla, Fig, delicate sweetness, some breadiness; basically it smells like a sweet shop that sits right next door to a bakery. I rub my flakes out and stuff them and usually leave them out for an hour or so. It takes a little while to light, and requires more than your average relights throughout your bowl.

This blend is more subtle than you think it would be by smell alone. Firmly in the British tradition, you can actually taste the tobacco through the toppings. The Burley is chocolatey, nutty and smooth, and the Virginias are nice and bready similar to Capstan Blue. The toppings are floral, but also smooth and delicate. You don't lose any of your base tobacco taste. The slower you puff the more you will taste.

The taste is a medium with a very pleasant aftertaste. The strength is a medium. A very nice all day smoke. The room note is also very pleasant and I've gotten a lot of remarks about it. I'm glad I recieved this by mistake since I would have never ordered it before, but I shall prefer more in the future.

Pipe Used: Kaywoodie Birkshire Large Billiard

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Pipesandcigars.com

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tomcat (224)	2021-04-16		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Unnoticeable

G&H Brown Flake Aromatic-The same Virginias and Malawi Burleys as the unscented . I like them both a lot . Tonquin seems obvious and the Fig extract adds a nice touch . The Vanilla is very subtle. The Toasty bread Virginias and the Hearty nutty tart Burleys and still coming through the light toppings . I get no stickiness on my fingers preparing the Tobacco. I stocked up on both and cellaring 24 oz total . Very Impressed with Gawith Hoggarth flakes so far . I think I avoided them for so long because I thought anything topped or untopped would be flowerey like roses . Not so . Looking forward to sampling a few more ! 4 stars

Pipe Used: Cobs

Age When Smoked: Fresh

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrT999 (318)	2011-04-03		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Strong note on the tobaccos in the bag, with hints of the flavorings (I didn't get any of the fig or vanilla in the bag or smoke, but that's likely just me). The flake wouldn't roll or fold, so I went with a very rough rub-out. It packed lightly but lit well on all tries on one match after a pre-light and light tamp.

Not a lot of smoke but a lot of flavor. The florals & other flavors were certainly present in the aftertaste of the smoke, but added to the experience. It burned without a hint of bite. Not a tobacco I would recommend for beginners.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2007-09-03		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Overall a good place to start for this type of floral flake. It appears to be in the middle in several ways to include: strength of tobacco, floral flavor, tobacco flavor, room note, and actual appearance (mottled brown or medium brown). Which is why I only give it two stars there are just other flakes I like quite abit better then this particular flake. I like these flakes less strong, and with more floral flavor. It did seem to have more of a tobacco flavor and was abit stronger but not over the top by far. All and all ok but prefer other offerings.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2006-05-30		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I received this from pipesandcigars.com, a very good store to deal with by the way. I've been working my way through some of the Gawith's blends. Basically I'm an aromatic smoker so I chose the scented version of Brown Flake to try. The flake is very nice with a pleasant aroma. Rubs out easily and lights quickly. At first it was a hot virginia with the traditional british burst of flower/incense aroma. There's an intense virginia flavor that can be quite spicy if puffed to hard. As a good smoke it begins to settle down and the flavors start to separate into a more manageable experience. It's sweet and complex and burns cooler than some other VA's I've tried.

As it got into the last third of the bowl magic happened. There's were flavors I had never experienced with pipe tobacco before. I knew then this is why we smoke a pipe. Indescribeable flavors and depth of sweetness. When the tobacco ran out I was mad! How could such a joyride come to such an abrupt end? I knew this was something I'm going to spend many hours exploring in the future. Highly Recommended!

5/30/06 Another blend that improves with aging. All the Gawaith blends really come into their own with a year of aging. Helps to bring the flavors together, sweetens the virgina's and cools the smoke.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	zulujerk (146)	2007-06-25		Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I've been looking forward to trying a Lakeland tobacco for a while now. I'm not entirely sure what sparked my interest. Maybe it was the peculiarity of reviewers discussing a "floral" note. Or perhaps my disdain for No. 79 set me in the direction of finding a more acceptable perfumed smoke.

At the smoke shop, I mentioned to the tobacconist that I'd like to try a strong aromatic. From under the counter came a giant, unopened box of Brown Flake Aromatic. I could smell the stuff a foot away, and a closer sniff made me even more curious.

If I could describe the smell, I'd compare it to Earl Grey Tea. Though I had doubts about the aroma, I knew very well that the tobacco would be top notch. G&H products have always excelled in quality, so I wasn't too afraid about experimenting. Pipe tobacco is a a great avenue for the adventurous person; there's so much endless variety.

The smoking experience of Brown Flake Aromatic is certainly interesting for someone that has never tried a Lakeland tobacco. It tasted exactly as I had imagined it would. So often one buys an aromatic for the smell, only to find it tastes nothing like that aroma you fell in love with. And here, that peculiar floral scent was always at the front in flavor, from the initial light to the ending draw.

I read a few complaints about the moisture level. My sample was fairly typical. I didn't have a problem keeping the tobacco lit, and I didn't feel the tobacco bite as some have remarked.

This won't be an every day smoke for me. The quality is definitely there but it's a matter of taste. I'm not turned off to Lakeland tobaccos as a consequence of this offering, it just wasn't the flavor I was searching for. I know it's out there.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2004-08-01		Medium	Strong	Overwhelming	Pleasant to Tolerable

This particular tobacco left me in a bit of a quandary. Two reviewers who?s opinions I value (Pipestud and Chaplikc) were diametrically opposed in their assessments of this flake. The solution to this quandary was simple enough ? I had to try it myself. Opportunity presented itself in the form of a very generous sample from a friend.

I was prepared to endure the overpowering floral taste to get to the good stuff. What I was not prepared for was the tongue abuse that started with the charring light. I thought it was my imagination. I smoked on. The floral taste seemed to be diminishing, but by the time I had smoked 1/3 of the bowl, I had consumed so much water that I am sure I sloshed when I walked. By the halfway point I was done. I traded the rest of the bowl for a bottle of Biotene.

Since we all smoked this pretty dry, moisture wasn?t a factor in the tongue bite. In fact, Chaplikc and I smoked it from the same sample. He wasn?t bitten. I was mauled. The proprietor of the shop said he was bitten badly too. I smoked this at a ridiculously slow rate, and since the bite started at the charring light, I have concluded that it was not my puffing technique that was at fault. The conclusion I have come to is that there is something in this blend that is simply incompatible with some people?s body chemistry.

I was among the unfortunate who cannot smoke this. I will be sure to give the rest of what I have to Chaplikc the next time I see him.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2004-07-25		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I do not normally gravitate towards aromatics but I do have an open mind towards them and am willing to try them. I am glad I did in this instance! ( I have sorely regreted some that I've tried - mixture 79 yuck!!!!) I was very apprehensive and quite put off by the smell of this in the bag. In fact I pulled out an old savinelli that I rarely smoke for the first bowl of this. The aromatic agent is overwhelming to me in the pouch. The flavor of this is very good. The virginia is of high quality and the aromatic agent plays well with it. The flavors reminded me of honey, fig, and the way orange blossoms taste when you smell them. The floral note is definately present throughout the bowl but is not as predominant as the smell of it in the bag may lead you to believe. Underneath the other flavors is a nice quality tasting virginia. The virginia in this is of the sweeter variety which may be why it can smoke hotter for others. While this blend does not give me tongue bite it does not smoke cool, it is a cased virginia flake. By the way I've been smoking this outside in Florida summer heat and humidity. If this smokes a little warm for me at times it is probably my own fault for smoking it in 96 degree weather when the humidity is at 95%. I give this the highest rating not because I smoke this all of the time but because IMO this is one of the finest aromatic blends I've ever smoked.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2004-05-11		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

On a recent visit to my local B & M (LJ Peretti), one of the knowledgeable members of the staff suggested that I try Scented Brown Flake. Having never enjoyed the floral taste (aka soapiness) of some of the Lake District offerings and I was a little apprehensive about trying this one. After reading reviews (even the ones that claim to be able to evaluate a tobacco after one bowl or less)of the broken flake I was even more nervous. The description supplied by the manufacturer states that this is scented with Tonquin, Licorice and Maple. I almost decided to toss out the sample without trying it.

Let me say that I am glad I smoked the sample. I am also looking forward to smoking the several ounces I have purchased since finishing the sample. The tonquin is lightly applied as is the licorice and maple - so light that I could not get it on my radar screen. My wife, however, said that she thought this did not smell as bad everything else I smoke.

The burn is even and complete. The flavor is rich and full. The blend is of Virginia and Burley and both are exceptional in quality. I suffered no (that is, zero, none, not any)tongue bite whatsoever. The aftertaste is even pleasant. I may say that this might be one of the finest flakes of its kind, IMO. Little to no soap, no bite, great smoke.

Gretchen gives this a full five barks.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Briar Piper (89)	2018-11-15		Medium	Strong	Full	Very Pleasant

To my knowledge there is only one online retailer who sells brown flake aromatic, the rest being brown flake scented. I have been told by my local tobacconist that in prior years one could receive either product on a given order for one or the other, thus the confusion, as well as G&H, he said, has on multiple occasions, confused the two blends themselves!

Not a lot of people will be familar with fig extract, which is easily the most powerfully floral pipe tobacco topping short of ylang ylang oil. It makes this the most floral smelling, but not tasting of Gawith and Hoggarth's flakes. Elwood flake No. 2 from Dan Tobacco, is the only other flake that uses this particular type that I know of. Dried figs have little if any resemblence to the extract, which is very very sweetly floral.

Has tonquin, and some other unidentified flavors also, and the vanilla is noticeable also. Really a marvelous smoke and one to always have in stock. The room note is a real crowd pleaser also. No chance of bite. Needs a good airtight jar as this one can dry out easily. This tobacco doesn't change much with age if the mason jar has the lid on tight, but if it did, it would only ruin this blend's perfection.

Pipe Used: cob

Age When Smoked: 6 months.

Purchased From: Until my stash is filled, it is a secret!

Similar Blends: Elwood flake No.2.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BostonPipe (84)	2004-07-02		Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Hmmm, I also was suggested this blend to try by one of the staff at LJ Peretti's, lol.

As with all the reviews that I have made so far regarding Gawith blends, their flavorings are used to accentuate the high quality tobaccos that they use- not overpower them.

This blend packs and lights easily. One false light, a quick tamp and re-light, and off to some quality downtime. The taste is consistent down the run of the bowl. The flavorings are subtle, weaving in and out of the experience. The taste and flavorings go from mild to medium with a slight increase in puffing tempo, (and it still does not bite!).

It burns to a dark grey and white ash, without moisture build-up in the heel.

Very Nice Indeed!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JaWiBr (562)	2023-03-19		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable

Package note of lakeland, sugary fruit, and spices. Tobacco is a Flake of Yellowish brown, light brown and dark brown. Moisture content is great. Flakes rub out with a little effort. Burns slow with a few relights. The strength is medium and nic is mild to medium. Flavoring is mild, with notes of Tonquin Bean, Vanilla and Fig. the tonquin/lakeland and vanilla move and remain in the background after initial light. The fig is sporadic. Taste is medium and very consistent, with notes of tonquin/lakeland, vanilla, tangy dark sugary fruit, savory, spices, floral, wood, peaty dry vegetation, molasses, nutty, bread, earth, sweet hay, citrus peel/zest, acidic, a lemon grass background note, and a peppery retro. Virginia is leading with Dark Fired, Burley and Flavoring supporting. Room note is tolerable, and aftertaste is great.

Pipe Used: Castello Old Antiquari G84

Age When Smoked: 5 months

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pikey Mick (49)	2022-02-25		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I must be losing my marbles, I'm sure I'd reviewed this blend before. This to me is the King of all the Lakelands, and my all time favourite tobacco. Everything is good and as I like it : the Virginias and Burleys marry so well that you don't get any sharp tang, or claggy earth. The Lakeland essence wraps the star - crossed lovers in a warm summer breeze with a soft floral scent. I have never had a bad bowl of this and I enjoy it from start to finish. The charring and first light offer a bit of a Burley wood smoke but that soon calms down as soon as the Virginias join the party. If you have rubbed it out into a mixture of loose flake and ribbons and you take it slowly you will be rewarded with a pretty consistent smoke throughout the bowl. The florals are delightful. If you don't like Lakelands then you may still want to give this one a chance. The tobacco notes are more prominent in my Peterson 303, whereas I find the florals are stronger in my larger bowled Molina Straight Billiard. A great fishing tobacco too as it will smoulder away nicely providing you sip and savour. I cannot praise G&H enough for their effort in producing this thing of beauty.

Pipe Used: Many

Purchased From: GQ

Similar Blends: Brown flake, Dark flake scented.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Esactun (11)	2021-08-20		Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium	Tolerable

Simply excellent. The unscented is fantastic, but this is even better. The GH sauce is strong and amplified by the intensely floral fig extract. The vanilla stays in the background, helping create a sidestream that has a whiff of baby powder to it (and of course tobacco). Still plenty of tobacco taste, typical GH VAs but with some burley for body and mouth feel and a touch of dark fired to provide a subtle bass note. It doesn't want to bite, but it can. Moderate in flavor and strength; if say Bosun Cut Plug was a bit too heavy and had too much nicotine for you, try this instead.

Pipe Used: Cobs, pre republic Peterson's, Grabows

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Boswell

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Little Steven (76)	2016-03-06		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Unnoticeable

Update 23 March 2018. I now find that this gives me chemical burn.

There's something about them Lakelands. The flavours are at times over the top and at others downright eccentric.

This one is nigh on just right for a middle of the day puff, indoors or out. Just spend half an hour teasing out how many flavours you can spot.

Perhaps a soupcon too much vanilla which results in a vanilla experience, if you see what I mean.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PipesterJim (47)	2010-05-19		Medium	Strong	Medium	Tolerable

First up, I have to say that from reading the descriptions here I am not entirely certain that I am smoking the same blend as the other reviewers! Nevertheless, the tobacconists tub said it was Scented Brown Flake so I have to assume that it is.

So, let's cut to the chase. It's scented and then some! I've not tried many other G&H blends but I enjoy a bit of St Bruno and various other 'English' style flakes and plugs so I was prepared to like this. Unfortunately the particular scents used do not appeal to me at all.

I get a combination of violet, rose and geranium, all pretty cloying. The tobacco is there (I get a fair amount of burley in addition to VA) but it is mostly overshadowed by the powerful perfume. At about the half-way mark the VAs peep through more regularly and I experience the odd moment of pleasure, but not sufficient to make smoking the first half of the bowl worthwhile.

English readers may recall the flavour of those little purple 'Parma Violet' sweets from their childhood. Now imagine smoking them!

Somewhat recommended as if you enjoy that type of thing you will probably enjoy this tobacco more than I did. I am going to put mine in a jar then try it again in a few months to see if has mellowed at all, probably in a clay or cob to prevent flavouring my briars any further.

Of all the 'Gawith and Hogwarts' blends I have tried so far I have enjoyed Black Twist, Brown Twist, Revor Plug and Dark Flake Unscented (not because they all happen to be strong, but I have found the flavours pleasing). I have not enjoyed this flake or Rum Flake. Hopefully this will help other reviewers to orient themselves when assessing the relevance of this review for their own particular tastes.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stan (179)	2004-08-01		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is the second of G&H brown flakes. I like the unscented brown flake the best - full and hearty but with a natural deep virginia sweetness and a helping of burley earthiness to boot. If I want something a little lighter (and I do mean a little), I go for G&H Best Brown Flake No. 2, which is also a little sweeter than the unscented, fuller version. But here goes with the aromatic version.

Same body and underlying earthiness as with unscented brown flake, but obviously here we have an amalgam of flavors added. No one flavor stands out to me, but it is noticeably sweeter than either of the other two versions. Tasty indeed. Smoked slowly it does not really bite me, but it can be a bit sharper than the other two. I understand the comments about the charing lights.

Despite the many flavors added (like maple, etc.), they are clearly evident but not overwhelingly so. (Some other G&H scented lakeland flakes are even more aromatic.) The natural tobaccos underneath still come through.

If you want a sweet full tobacco and you are use to flakes, give this a try. You'll probably like one of these three brown flake versions. If they are too much, try something like Germain's version (straighter) or then to Samuel Gawith's version (sweetened).

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2003-11-25		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

Yep, another scented flake from the Gawith guys, this one built on G&H Brown Flake. This one is not quite in the same league as their other scented "soapy" flakes, IMO. The flavoring is quite similar to many others (they all differ in subtle ways, but the floral "scented" theme is the same). I happen to like the admittedly acquired taste, but others clearly do not.

I must agree with pipestud above that this blend has a wicked bite. My order arrived very dry, not sure whether it was shipped by G&H that way or had been sitting around at my suppliers drying out. At any rate, excess moisture was not the issue with the bite. In fact, I even slightly rehumidified about an ounce in case the bite came from too-rapid combustion, and it still had shark's teeth.

The odd thing is, regular (unscented) BF does not seem to have this biting problem for me. And other scented G&H flakes (like Ennerdale for instance) do not burn so hot. It seems like BFA is an outlier.

I would not recommend this blend for this reason. Maybe if one built up enough oral scar tissue though...

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mijnnif (130)	2022-11-28		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Bag note is quite sweet floral vanilla and earthy. the flakes are quite damp and need drying time once rubbed out I spread mine out on a board for 30 minutes. It probably needs more drying time. The first 1/8 of the bowl was quite harsh before it smoothed out. Your puffing cadence need to be very controlled as this will bite back hard. Once you get the bowl going and you are past the first few tamps it is quite nice. Floral sweet vanilla Virginia (not much of the Lakeland soap) Nic hit is medium as well as flavor. It smokes like most Virginia's quite balanced. Anything other than lite puffing will produce harshness. This is not a stuff and forget smoke, but if you keep your cadence controlled and dry it before smoking it really is quite nice. Due to the amount of concentration required 2 .5 stars

Pipe Used: Paronelli Briar

Age When Smoked: 3 months old

Purchased From: Chesapeake pipe and cigar

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lord Guyrox (24)	2021-06-20		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

A Virginia and Burley medium brown long flake with golden shades and the occasional dark brown speckle, this offering is topped with licorice, fig and tonquin bean according to the SPC description; and as a typical British flavorings with vanilla and fig extracts, according to TR. To my nose, what I perceive is more of the floral note (geranium, I believe) with some licorice. Once lit up the taste will be consistent with these notes but the room note unveils the vanilla as well as the licorice. The burn is very good once the tobacco has been dried some before packing and it does not develop into any type of complexity as I progress but the Burley brings some backbone and nuttiness to the overall experience. The floral note does not stick around for too long once the tobacco is lit. By mid bowl there is more of a tobacco taste supported by the Burley, which becomes more dominant and the Virginia accentuates the licorice but no in its sweet side. By the last third the taste of the tobacco is dominant with the licorice hanging around but it is more subdued. Nicotine is in the mild to medium range during the first half and upgraded to a bit below medium during the last third. Overall, a fine G & H bulk tobacco which I found very pleasant. The taste was very refreshing, if it makes sense. I am enjoying this tobacco a lot but would not recommend it as an all day smoke unless for the true and hard fans of Lakeland flavorings as the nicotine content is perfect for a daily repetitive smoke.

Age When Smoked: Fresh bulk

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bernardo (1)	2020-07-22		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Scent on opening storage jar is reminiscent of Turkish Delight.

Raw flake is quite tacky/moist so does benefit from some air drying time before lighting (otherwise difficult to keep alight without constant drawing).

Burns quite hot. Not much in the way of fig or vanilla in flavour or taste. Medium strength. Pleasant room note.

Would recommend as a mild to medium strength flake.

Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum Mizzou Corn Cob

Age When Smoked: 1 Month

Purchased From: Astons of Manchester

Similar Blends: Gawith Hoggarth Medium Brown Flake.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lazarus77 (91)	2017-03-29		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Not bad Flakes from Gawith Hogarth. Flavoring is very mild, somewhere in the background. Smoke is cool and smooth, no tongue bite or harshness. The best is to mix this tobacco with mild in strength heavy aromatic blend. Recommended.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: 6 month

Purchased From: mysmokingshop.co.uk

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