Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Louisiana Perique Flake

The lightly floral Virginias offer a fair amount of tart and tangy citrus, grass, some tangy dark fruit, wood, bread, vegetation and earth as the lead components. The earthy, woody perique is always noticeable: very spicy with raisins, figs and dates. The chocolate is mild, and more obvious to me once I got through the first quarter of the bowl. The Lakeland topping is a shade floral with a soap note, and while it doesn’t upstage the tobacco flavor, it’s always present. The tonquin is mild and sweet. The whisky is a very minor addition, not always to be found, and I doubt I'd notice it if I didn't know it was there. The toppings moderately sublimate the tobaccos, but not enough to lose their intrinsic aspects. The strength and taste levels are medium. The nic-hit is a rung past the center of mild to medium. Won't bite or get harsh. Has a few rough edges. May need a slight dry time, depending on your preference. The flakes easily break apart. Burns clean, cool and a little slow with a mostly consistent, deeply rich flavor. Requires some relights, and leaves little moisture in the bowl. Has a lightly lingering, pleasant after taste, and room note. Not an all day smoke, but it is repeatable during your smoking day.

-JimInks

This is one of my favorite GH flakes! The pouch scent is mainly of chocolate mixed with the usual raisin/fig smell associated with VaPers. I prefer to let the tan/brown flake dry out some as it arrives moist. I have smoked it folded and rubbed out and I find rubbed out brings out the most in LPF. As others have mentioned, the perique is added with somewhat of a light hand, but really helps to balance out the sweetness of the blend. I am fairly certain that the sweetness is a result of manual manipulation and not simply the result of the Virginia's. I do taste a light chocolate flavor and that along with the well blended tobaccos make for a wonderfully balanced blend. I don't pick up the florals to the extent that others have mentioned, but it could be because I smoke a lot of GH blends with far more floral taste. For those that like to cellar their blends, Louisiana Perique Flake should be a great candidate for long term storage.

Lovers of GH flakes and those looking for a different take on the typical VaPer, LPF should be on your “must try” list. Highly Recommended.

I note that many of the reviewers of this blend compare Louisian Flake to Bob's Chocolate Flake. Admittedly, it has been a year or so since I smoked BCF, but I sure don't remember it tasting much like LF.

I found Louisiana Flake neatly tucked in a pouch as a sample with a recent tobacco order from one of my favorite etailers. The flake was much drier than most G&H tobaccos I have tried, and it rubbed out easily. It is not a very dark combination and the flavor was on the lighter side as well. A little of that "Lakeland perfume" was present, but not unpleasantly so.

Quite ordinary in comparison to many other G&H offerings I have tried. You will taste both the Virginia and the Perique, so if you gravitate toward that combination, you may appreciate this blend.

Update 4-09:

A friend recently gifted me some 10 year old Louisiana Flake. It was darker in color and richer in overall flavor (and, certainly more mellow), than the fresh batch I smoked. The Perique element was almost non-existant. The nicotine content seemed higher.

When I first smelled Louisiana Flake in the bag, I could smell the chocolate that others have noted. My first go with Louisiana Flake was that it burned a little hot, but it once got the right cadence, things settled down. I like to fully rub out LF rather than folding and stuffing it. LF starts out with a medium amount of flavor than moves to full. The flavor offered a floral taste and I was unable to detect any chocolate. As the smoke goes on, the floral disappears and I am left with a fruity and peppery spiciness from the Perique that isn’t overwhelming. LF builds in strength and by bowl’s end is a little stronger than I prefer. While not a top choice for me, I would recommend giving it a try.

Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. - Louisiana Flake.

Note: another of my early reviews I decided wasn't too useful so deleted to re-post.

The moisture of this pouch on arrival was good, it needed no time to air at all. In the pouch-note the chocolate is the only added flavour I recognize, I can't pick out any Lakeland/floral additions.

My first piece of advice with this is when ordering don't bother with a 25g pouch, get the biggest you can, it's bloomin' lovely! The chocolate's a notable addition, but never does it become too sweet, or sticky. There's just enough to add another dimension to the smoke, without it seeming 'aromatic'. Although some folks identify a Lakeland/floral appurtenance, this escapes me. The Perique's a lighter variety: enhancing the Virginia with mild spice, but it doesn't take over with vinegary causticity. The Virginia's the prominent tobacco, by a long score. I get no issues with the burn: cool, consistent, and of a medium speed. Nor do I have a complaint about bite: none.

Nicotine: medium. Room-note: pleasant.

Louisiana Flake? Highly recommended:

Four stars.

Not much of a VaPer here. More like a FloPer (Flowers and Perique) or maybe a PerPer (Perfume and Perique). The Lakeland scent just smothers the Virginias. It's enough to make you gag. Never again. Hey...the room note's great though.

I find myself reaching for this tobacco more than any other I smoke. The quality of the leaf is top notch, and the flavor is perfect. If you're a VaPer purist, you might be a little disappointed. Also, if you're not accustomed to Lakeland toppings, you might be put off when you first try it. They can be mildly "soapy" until you get used to them. Louisiana Flake is no exception. The Lake Sauce, like the Perique, is lightly applied but definitely noticeable. Taken as a whole and unique creation, this is a brilliantly crafted blend. Highly recommended.

Bought this at local B&M, who are growing pipe tobacco part of biz. First non- tinned baccy, 7ish per oz. Long caked flake, nice complex colors, good texture, unsure of what moisture content should be as this was nearly last oz in large jar, moist enough...

Smelled of good powder cocoa, and Virginias. I got no other smells, no whiskey or anything else. Nearing end of oz, as it has dried out its taken on a very peppery taste. I reside in SE Louisiana, love Perique (and all things spicy, fwiw) and this was very spicy.

Orlik Golden Sliced is a go to in my rotation, and as I understand it to be a Danish Vaper, more mild. This ounce -however - would be akin to comparing ketchup to Tabasco. Also, don't know how the tonquin fits in, maybe it adds to the pepper? It makes my mouth somewhat....numb after!? It is very tasty, will try to get several ozs when I catch a fresh batch at the store, see if there's a difference. Won't likely make permanent rotation- of which a Vaper is always present, but if your up for some zip in your pipe, give it a try.

Edit: Having smoked several VaPers since this review, decided this was tasty enough to purchase it by the pound! I missed it that much 🙂

I hate to go against all the positive reviews here but my experience has been quite different. The flavoring is way over the top. I have smoked Lakelands before and really enjoy them. This stuff however, does not taste of Perique or Tonquin to me. I can only describe it tasting like Johnson and Johnson Baby Power smells. Picture that in your pipe and you have it. This is one of the worst tasting blends I have came across.

Just near the end of an ounce of this one and I really feel like I've got my money's worth with this, properly been through the mill with it, but has it been worth it?

The packet aroma has something of both chocolate and cheap and not particularly pleasant bread, wasn't quite sure what to make of that one when I first opened it but I decided to get stuck in anyway, it wasn't overwhelmingly off-putting. Rubbing out, packing and lighting were immensely easy, especially given that it's a flake. My first couple of smokes where in a corncob legend and was particularly unimpressed by it, finding it rough and lacking in flavour. I then moved over to a briar I had sweetened with calvados after it had developed a bitter taste, once again I found it rough and bland. Now don't go thinking it was the pipe this time because I followed it up in that same briar with some Orlik Bull's Eye which proved rather palatable, so pipe salvaged if not the tobacco. Finally, I moved it onto another briar with a good cake on it. The first two or three smokes were only marginally better but on the fourth a hint of flavour managed to sneak in, something a little chocolately perhaps with a hint of fruit. After a few more smokes and nearing the bottom of the packet, I have started to warm to this one as the flavours have begun to strengthen, they seem to nicely dally between chocolate and a lemon like fruitiness which keeps it interesting. It's still a little rough but nothing a good drink to hand, say tea or water, won't solve.

So was it worth it? On the whole, yes. I am glad I stuck with it and have had a good journey sampling it. I think three stars is fair at this point in time but I do plan on investing in a couple of ounces sometime in the future to get to grips with it a little better.

I approached this flake with positive expectations; but, having tried it, I won't be getting more.

It needed a full day of drying time to be smokable: a bad start. Handling the flake left my fingers coated with a fine dust, neither here nor there, but that's similar to the mouth-feel. I expect a Virginia-Perique combination to have clarity of taste, zest, sweetness and spice. This was to my palate just muddled and unexceptional.

Too bad

...And a year later, everything I felt was lacking with the fresh flake was present, in spades. The jar-note after a year of aging was mouth-watering, and the experience only got better.

I will be buying more to set aside for awhile.

As a big G&H fan, I received this generous sample with great anticipation. While I do enjoy VA/P blends (Elizibethan Mixture by Dunhill is the current favorite) my mindset was that G&H would "perfume" the mixture up somewhat and thus change the dynamic of the pair. In other words, I was expecting a "flower cascade" of flavor on top of a milder VA with a smidgen of perique.

This is NOT what I was expecting. If there is a flavoring agent in this tobacco it is entirely subtle. There may be a tad of chocolate or cocoa in this blend but that's about it.

Brownish and black in color, this flake arrived a whit on the moist side; No problem, I folded the flake up and cut it with scissors into an almost granulated cut. These days I find that this granulated cut smokes best for me.

After letting the tobacco air for a few minutes I loaded up my pipe and applied match; Wonderful! There is a creamy roundness to the VA's (a smidge of burley added?) and the perique is there but it's waaay in the background. Full flavor, quality tobacco which I totally expect from G&H.

What is this similar to? Nothing that I've tried in the line is similar to this. Louisiana Flake is more natural than the flakes that I so enjoy and the perique is applied with a subtle and masterful hand. You get the taste of the perique but without the "peppering" that (say) a blend like Elizibethan Mixture has.

At mid-bowl the blend hasn't changed much but has picked up a little steam, flavor and nicotine wise. While this isn't overpowering it IS full in flavor. And the perique keeps in the background yet I know it's there.

I'll buy a brick or two of this and smoke it this winter to see if my impression changes. My generous sample has been lovely. For those who like the fullness of G&H tobaccos then you'll like this one. The Perique adds a little zing to the blend without peppering your tongue. Quality and consistency is something that I always expect from Gawith and Hoggarth and this Louisiana Flake definitely continues in this tradition. Very nice and quite a surprise!

Too much cocoa for me. I can taste that soapy "lakeland" essence as well. I liked it, but would like it more if there were a little less of these two things. Some people like chocolate with hot peppers; the sweet and the heat supposedly complement each other. But Perique and chocolate? Perique's unique overtones are better enjoyed with unflavored Virginia, in my opinion. This said, I must admit I kind of like it; when the pipe starts to open up it has a nice rich taste I enjoyed immensely, and it did not overwhelm with heavy puffing. I'm just not cuckoo for those cocoa puffs.

1-16-10 Revisited this tobacco after a long hiatus. I still get a sense of chocolate from it, but am no longer convinced that it has chocolate in it. I like this smoke better in the second half of the bowl; this time I let the pipe go out while I roamed Wal-Mart for a new tobacco-jar and some beer (new Samuel Adams Noble Pils-try it: it's the best I've ever had of their beers!), and the difference this made was quite palpable. Maybe I'll try that DGT thing. So I guess the jist is, I would keep this tobacco around if I had someone to smoke the first half of the bowl for me, or some kind of smoking machine. I have about three loads left, so this unusual flake still has three more chances to convince me. Even though I may seem wishy-washy about it, this is still at least three-star quality weed, and is obviously four-star for some.

I'm just not sure!! I guess I would say earthy and smokey, not sweet at all but the cocoa is evident. When you rub this blend out and load it up it will smoke to the bottom of the bowl without a single relight, no hint of tongue bite, but a bit of an aftertaste that is not unpleasant but smokey. Maybe heavy? I like it okay but it certainly is not what I expect in a VA/Per (sweet and spicy).

I am really enjoying this tobacco the second time around. The first time I smoked it years ago, I was blown away with what some call the "soapy" aroma/flavor. I quickly turned away from the blend. Now that I revisit, I am loving it - especially the tonquin. I love good vapers and am happy with Gawith, Hogarth's take on this wonderful style. I will be buying more for sure.

I smoked this fairly fresh leaving most of the new flake moisture typically found with this blender. (I believe dry tobacco is a crying shame). I thoroughly rubbed it out, just sprinkled it in the bowl until it mounded over the top of the bowl, and then packed it down just below the rim. I lit it, let it go out, repeated, then lit it for the third time which took me to the end of the bowl. Burned cool, and was enjoyed to the fullest. I find it better to pack lighter than I thought possible, and make sure plenty of moisture still resides in the tobacco. Awesome stuff.

This could be amazing tobacco but its been ruined with perfume!!! what ever the baby powder stink is its disgusting and i keep getting blends with it, every blend from this company has it!!!! i hate it. Perfume this awful has no place in a tobacco called Louisiana flake period.

Update: after rubbing and drying some of this out to basically dust then smoking it, the baby powder smell seems to be gone, there is a slight faint bit left but its almost not noticeable, now this is smokeable and quite enjoyable, now i get a nice perique flavor and no bite.... i wont change my rating tho because I shouldn't have to go to this extent to clean the perfume out of my tobacco that i don't think should be there in the first place, its called Louisiana perique flake not grandmas perfume nighty tobacco.

This is not a va/per, it's an aromatic, and a nasty one at that. Smoke it in a corncob, boys, because you will NEVER get the smell out of your pipe.

GH&C Louisiana Flake is a pleasant enough tobacco but, IMO, a little light on flavor. The flakes are quite dark and smell strongly of chocolate. As delivered, they are moist and benefit greatly from an hour or so of airing out. However, even smoked without drying, they light easily and don't require many relights. The strength is a bit on the high side but nothing to worry about if smoked with a regular cadence. It burns to a dark grey ash, leaving no moisture in the bowl.

The Virginias lend both grassiness and dark notes, plus a touch of sweetness. Quite nice. The perique balances the Virginias, beginning spicy but quickly settling down to fig and raisin flavors. The chocolate topping is always present but in no way overpowers the taste of the tobacco. I detected the famous Lakeland essence but only a bit. I liked it.

All in all, while I enjoyed Louisiana Flake, I prefer GH&C Bob's Chocolate Flake, of which it reminds me.

I got some GH&C Louisiana Flake mostly to compare it to its ex-pat sibling, GLP Stonehenge. As much as I like the latter, I have to say, I think I like LF better! When I got my bulk sample I promptly put it in a jar that I left alone for a month, based on my experience with Stonehenge. Opening the jar, the moist, gold striated, dark brown flakes smelled like dark chocolate over subdued, stewed prunes, and - surprise – no Lakeland scent. Despite it’s a bit of a pain to smoke wet, I much prefer LF flakes this way, folded, spindled, and loosely stuffed into my Stonehenge pipe. It lights with effort at tin moisture, then, given regular attention, it burns down slowly to some black dottle that I presently toss out and write off as part of the cost of enjoying this fine-tasting flake to the fullest. As pronounced as the chocolate starts out in the jar, it’s barely there over deep, stewed prunes and very deep, exotic Perique when I smoke it. The Lakeland essence is also noticeable, though it’s much less so than Stonehenge. The VAs are pretty stout. They seem to be rich, sweet, slightly musty, air cured browns and deep, stoved reds. GH&C specify that just a small portion of Perique is used. You could have fooled me; I think there is plenty, not so much peppery as generally “spicy”, even dessert spices. Also, though there’s no mention of Burley in the TR blurb, LF smells and tastes to me of dark fired, so deep and so rich is this blend. Perhaps it is the rare, KY Cavendish? Regardless, I find LF to have a perfect balance of earth, brown sugar/molasses, spice, stewed, dark fruit, white pepper, cardamom, paprika and more. It’s darn near as deep and earthy as HH Bold Kentucky, though it’s not as spicy, nor as edgy; rather, it is soft and smooth by comparison. LF is deeper in some ways than HH Old Dark Fired. Finally, LF is deeper, “darker”, and more intense than Stonehenge, which does declare some KY. Strength is medium. Tastes are toward full from medium. Room note is tolerable at best. Aftertaste is a nice, trailing best of the smoke.

I would say, if you like the other blends I mentioned above, try Louisiana Flake. It’s cracking good.