Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Louisiana Perique Flake

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.

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.

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).

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.

High quality tobacco like all Gawith and Hoggarth. The virginias are similar to many of the other Lakeland blends from this company. Perique is for sure second fiddle in this blend only making itself known in the mouthfeel. Yes there is a Lakeland essence which tastes and smells like roses to me. Very light and sweet and more noticeable on retrohale. An excellent starter Lakeland or all day smoke in the hot months.

LOUISIANA PERIQUE FLAKE (a.k.a. Louisiana Flake): Without any doubt it is a superior tobacco compared to a lot of junk you can find around. However, I will not give it four stars, but three and now I’m going to explain why (my review refers to the 50 grams tin). Excellent Virginia (really pleasant), perfect Perique, but Louisiana Flake is also a flavored mixture. The Lakeland flavoring is extremely mild but noticeable and it is on the side of the casing. Nothing to say, it is perfect, it integrates completely. Not so for the chocolate topping which seems to me a jarring note (for this reason only 3 stars). Obviously, it’s a matter of taste and this is only my personal opinion. Anyway, a very good tobacco with a medium strength (I confirm). Despite being a Virginia based blend, the Perique is well present and you can taste it from the beginning to the end of the bowl. Justly not overwhelming but in the right proportion (a spice must be felt, it must not cover). So, in my personal rating system (from 1 to 10) my score is 9 and three stars.