Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Louisiana Perique Flake

Louisiana Flake has not secured my interest to the point where I would buy it again. A major flaw was its tendency to be hard to keep lit, even when the tobacco was on the ideal dry side. I could make out the chocolate casing without any problem. Being very pleasant, the issue with it was that it was the only thing I could make out both when smelling the pouch aroma and smoking it. The casing is not strong by all means but it seems like it was enough to smother any tobacco taste. It had enough nicotine for my liking (medium) but I have serious issues smoking a tobacco that does not taste as such. The result is that I always tend to puff harder in order to get some taste out of my pipeful; and this always creates some tongue bite. This is unfortunate.

At charring light there is a blip of sweetness along with just a tiny bit of spice. There’s also that certain flavor that’s uniquely Gawith & Hoggarth as well as an indicator that you’re in for a different kind of smoke. Gawith flakes from both houses are notorious for being overly moist and this one is no exception. However, once properly dried this is a loose enough flake to allow for folding & stuffing.

Louisiana Flake is not in format with other tobaccos typically found in the VA/perique phylum. It does not boast the archetypical vaper flavors that I enjoy, which tend to be brighter & sweeter, well nuanced & peppery. Instead it has much darker & murkier tone, as well as a certain gritty, unpolished flavor quality.

The perique is noticeable but does not have an overt pepperiness to it, nor does it provide any of the mouth-watering tanginess that I prefer. As far as the topping is concerned, I don't get anything floral or herbal from this blend & frankly, I don’t taste the tonquin or the whiskey. I am however smoking a relatively well-aged sample.

Lousiana Flake burns very cool but unfortunately it also has a certain harshness to it that becomes more & more unpleasant as the bowl progresses. The mid to end-bowl experience is not at all to my liking and the flavors taste much more muddled than married. Altogether, the more I smoke this tobacco the less I like it.

Thankfully Gawith Hoggarth produces so many excellent tobacco products that running into one that I don't care for is no big deal. A somewhat disappointing smoke from one of my all-time favorite blending houses.

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.

Willy wonker got his hands on this one. A good introduction to perique i'd say. It should be mentioned that this is certainly not simply va/perique. It's definitely cased and chocolate is the culprit. I think this is a well blended tobacco but it is not my cup of tea. each to their own and an interesting experiment for me. i'll keep it jared and will maybe come back to it one day.

My overall experience was o.k. I guess when I see a flake that is predominantly Virginia and Perique, my mind tends to wonder back to the sixties and seventies when "Three Nuns," was "Three Nuns." This flake was a nice smoke, it is just that I found it average for this genre. Pleasant, smooth, good burning qualities. This is just not a flake to sit-back and "experience."

As a person who frequently smokes Virginia-Perique blends and enjoy many flakes including Gawith, Hoggarth products, I knew I would love this flake...Sorry not yet. Maybe my sample is too moist or young but I did not enjoy smoking this. I will update this review after the flake gives up most of the moisture and aroma that it contains now.

This is a G&H rendering that is similar to their Bob's chocolate flake but composed of different tobaccos. Namely instead of burley and brown virginias it uses brighter virginias and no burley. And it substitutes 6% perique for the latakia. This a somewhat lighter and tangier taste when compared to Bob's.

I do taste the chocolate but it is light in effect. More of a hint of cocoa. The flavor masks the perique for most of the bowl and only lets a little of the virginia tang through. You can taste some perique toward the end of the smoke but it keeps its character mostly in the background.

This flake needs very little rubbing in my opinion and burns quite steadily and on the dry side.

A little sharnpess sneaks through at times, and I am not sure if this is do to the fair amount of perique or the bright virginias. However, steady puffing keeps it cool enough for me.

I do like it as a substitute for Bob's. CAO's Patriot Flake is smoother but heavier in comparison (which too has a hint of chocolate but no perique). I think Louisiana Flake is better than G&H's first perique attempt with Mr. Pease a couple of years ago (Stonehedge flake, which I had a small sample of), which was blander. This new attempt has Louisiana character for sure.