Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Louisiana Perique Flake

The more I smoke G&H flakes, the more I appreciate the remarkable subtlty they exhibit in their flavors. Most of the milder G&H blends don't have anything about them that really hits you in the face; no immediate 'wow' factor. However, they always remain in my regular rotation due to their quality and complexity.

Louisiana Flake is another one of those great, but subtle, offerings from the folks at Gawith & Hogarth. I expected it to be more like a standard va/per blend, but was very pleasantly surprised at how different it was from Escudo or Elizabethan. I don't think I would even classify this as a va/per blend, as it does not behave in the same manner.

Typical of G&H flakes, lighting is a bit ornerous. But once lit, the smoker is greeted with a pleasant tobacco flavor with, as is stated, hints of chocolate. The perique imparts more of a tartness than a tanginess, and really does more to round out the virginias than anything else. The expected lakeland floral taste which I have come to enjoy was quite lacking. I believe that, due to the blending process of this flake, the floral overtones have become the chocolatey undertones.

Halfway through the bowl the tobacco begins to take on a warm character. It doesn't heat up, it's just the sweetness barely peeking through to create a warm taste sensation. The perique tartness goes really well with this sensation, and gives an impression of an even drier smoke than what one is really experiencing. While the tobacco maintained these characteristics throughout the entire smoke, I wouldn't call it boring or one dimensional. Throughout the entire bowl there was a nice interplay of nutty and chocolately flavors dancing around in the background.

If you are already a fan of G&H offerings, this one will be a good fit in your regular rotation. For those of you who have been leary of trying the lakeland tobaccos, this would be a really good one to try.

Well, I have been an ecclectic smoker for a few years. No one blend has WOWed me enough to sit down and smoke it on a regular basis. Well, so long to that idea. I have smoke 1000 grams of this since I got my first taste of it in the summer of 2004. This has become my "go-to" blend. In fact, if I smoked nothing else, I could finally be content.

This blend is flavorful, has a room not that makes my sons happy, and delivers a bold spicy kick of perique with rich, deep, sweetness.

I have enjoyed Escudo for years, this is smoother and richer.

Some have talked about a similarity between this and Bob's Chocolate Flake - I don't see it. I like BCF, in fact, it is part of my rotation and makes up a good part of my cellar. This is something different entirely. Also, I have balked at many Lakeland blends which sport either the soapy or floral notes - I do not like them. This has neither.

This blend gets a full 5 out of 5 halos. Wonderful stuff.

I should disclose that I have only smoked about ten bowls of Louisiana Flake. I'm a GH fan and a lover of VA/perique flakes, so it figures I would enjoy this blend, and I do. Of course, it's presented beautifully. Louisiana Flake comes in a brown and black rectangular plug that is sliced into thin flakes. It comes too moist for my tastes, so I allow it to dry quite a bit before smoking. I prefer to smoke the flakes as intact as possible.

The initial flavor is that of semi-sweet chocolate or cocoa. Initially I thought this was the natural tobacco flavor, but now I'm convinced it's a mild casing that is extremely well done. Perhaps this is the same casing used on Bob's Chocolate Flake. The initial flavor dissapates quickly and then just appears periodically during the smoke. The predominant flavor is slightly sweet and somewhat tart. It seems most like Bright CR Flake, but the perique really sets it apart. What strikes me is the smoothness of this blend, and I credit the perique and the casing. The strength and flavor is medium, so LF could be an all-day tobacco.

I am very impressed with this blend. It smokes great right out of the box after some drying, but I think it would improve with aging. I've already sealed 500g of Louisiana Flake in a Mason jar for long-term aging while I enjoy another 500g of the fresh stuff.

Very similar to Bob's Chocolate Flake but with the addition of perique. It is probably identical to Tavern Tobacco's Rusty Hinge which is also made by G&H. It has good tobacco flavor with the distinctive flavor of Bob's Choc and the added zip of perique. It can nip if not thoroughly dried. I like to smoke all three back to back. It makes for an interesting evening. Well recommended! Paddy.

To my knowledge, this blend is Gawith and Hoggarth's first attempt to include Perique in a Virginia flake. Not surprisingly, they've done it to near-perfection.

I've been smoking it outdoors in a GBD apple and a small Saseini patent apple. I don't rub it out; just fold the flakes into the bowl. It burns slightly hot at first, and takes several relights. Once going well, however, it stays lit and cools down. About a third of the way down the bowl, the deep flavours kick in. I wouldn't describe the flavour as chocolately (see above); I don't detect any added flavouring or floral notes. I think "nutty" and "buttery" best describe the flavour. I can make out the Perique just slightly here, but it's more of a complement to the other flavours; it doesn't stand out on its own. It burns very cleanly to a fine, powdery ash.

I love both Virginia/Perique blends and the Lakeland flakes, and Louisiana Flake combines the best of both. I've added this blend to my regular rotation. Highly recommended!

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Revisiting this review after smoking several more bowls in each pipe, to correct one statment I made. There seems to be a slight floral note after all. It's not at all unpleasant, and much more subdued than in many Lakeland flakes, but it is noticable.

Having a couple of tins purchased in 2016 of this tobacco I thought It would have been better to check if It aged well or something bad happened. Unfortunately I had a bad surprise with some Best Brown 2 that lost all the Kendal flavour after 7+ years in the cellar (maybe I'll try some food grade geraniol to revive back some floral scent, but this is another story).
The tin pops perfectly letting out air with a *sssst*. I did expect more flavour and putting the nose inside the plastic wrap only gives me back some very mild raisiny and ketchup flavor. Just a little rub into the hands of the broken flake and this is ready to jump into the pipe and get lighted.
The first puffs didn't get me too much excited, the perique was there with some spicy notes on the tongue but what lacked was the background of Virginias. They came later in with some sweetness but always not overwhelming, more nutty than sweet, letting the spiciness come out here and there pleasantly on the tongue.
It burns dry and cool but needs a few relights.

I had a 5 year old pound of Louisiana Flake that I cracked open this year. I smoked the flakes dry and rubbed out. I did expect much more flavour after aging that long. The Lakeland flavour is very, very mild on this one. The peppering note is felt; but I didn’t notice the sweetness of an aged Virginia. Since the flake is rather rare I did buy a lot. For me the blend lacked character. The most I detected is perique and that’s about it. Many rave about the blend. I will give it more time; but it may be relegated to break in tobacco.

Summary: a Virginia blend with a smidge of Perique and chocolate/floral topping.

Making a Va/Per that is both good and distinctive can take up a lot of brain cycles, but this blend spaces itself out from the Va/Per angle to instead focus on a type of "English garden" of flavors added to an intensely sweet but mild Virginia blend. The Lakeland Essence is present with its clove, cinnamon, geranium, and incense flavors, but so is a small amount of Perique which adds a wine-like spice instead of a dark fermented pressure in the other ingredients. As a result, this blend serves up light and bright Virginia flavor with enough depth to keep you going, although not enough nicotine for your average GH/SG consumer.

If you get this expecting a classic VaPer then you will probably be a bit disappointed as the perique is just a condiment in the same way that some people like to flavour chocolate with chilli. The pouch not is powdery chocolate and some quality Virginia. I don't really pick up on any Lakeland florals here but it doesn't need any. This one lights beautifully and is an absolute delight to smoke from first light to the heel end. This is quickly becoming a firm summer favourite for me and although I prefer something a bit stronger first thing this is easily an all day smoke providing you sandwich it between your favourite VaPer in the morning and evening. The flavour of the excellent Virginia improves throughout the bowl and has just enough nicotine to keep you going. The chocolate that's evident in the pouch note is there through the bowl but I wouldn't class it as a chocolate flavoured tobacco. Rather it caresses the Virginia and Perique and serves to marry them really well. I would recommend that all pipers try it at least once, and if it doesn't work for you then jar and cellar it as the flavours become deeper and richer over time. I'm giving this one a strong 8/10.