Samuel Gawith Chocolate Flake

I'd really like to give this 3.5 stars. I bought this just for the sake of it as I wanted a bit more variety and have a Vauen White Spot which is as yet unallocated to any particular blend. I thought "What the hell, it might be acceptable." The problem with this tobacco is that it is badly misnamed. What most people think of when they hear the word chocolate is not actually chocolate...and describing this as an aromatic is equally misleading. It is high quality, manly tobacco leaf which has been formed then 'seasoned' or 'spiced'. It is much more subtle than one would imagine and not at all goopy, sugary or un-natural. The nearest equivalent I can think of is drinking a Margarita from a salted glss- it's there, it adds a little something but isn't the be-all-and-end-all of the experience. For some reason it also seems to be far easier to light, kep lit and smoke cool. An unusual and extremely pleasant smoke from a master blender.

Always wanted to try this one,& i can say its a very nice smoke, i dont do Latakia blends but i like this one as its not to over powering,i would recommend this and i would give it 3+++

I have been keen to try this and finally landed a tin. it is good, but not great.

Aromatics probably are just are not my thing, but I much prefer Peterson University Flake.

The first flake I have smoked, and it took a while to work out how to use it, dont squash it rub it out! then it is very rewarding, if I had more cash I would get this along with the dunhill flake, can anyone reccoend another flake to try? As I have gone with some bad ones, like best brown and Bobs, I might be a newbee but I have tried some tobaccos and they can taste like cigars, this is mellower smoke and well worth a try

I like this blend. Good aromatic flake tobacco with a bit Latakia and a dark chocolate.

This is a unique aromatic. It's a virginia-burley blend with a little latakia tossed in to complement the chocolate casing. In the tin, this smells like dark chocolate: not sweet, but with an earthy, cocoa aroma, almost leathery in fact!

I love flakes -- the process of rubbing out a flake somehow makes you feel more involved with the tobacco. I rub this out into rough strands and pack into a larger bowl. You'd need to rub this out to smaller pieces for smaller bowls.

It takes some effort to get this tobacco lit (at least the way I rub it out), but it seems to stay lit just fine. It can get hot if pushed too hard, like most aromatics.

The payoff? A great, high-quality virginia-burley flavor. It's a little sweet, and a little like hay. The chocolate flavor doesn't seem to come through so much on the palate, but it's present in the aroma, making this a great blend for those of us who like the taste of tobacco, but who need to smoke something more sociable.

I highly recommend this aromatic!

It has an apetizing smell and look in the tin. As many othe SG flakes the humidity level is high, so dry the flakes befor packing into the bowl.

Lights easily, and stays lit. It has a generous smoke and satisfies my nicotine needs. The chocolate sweetness is a shade which covers the nice flavors of the mixture. This is the only disadvantage of the blend for me. Lots of other pipe smokers can find this unique particularity unbeatable. For me the excellent VA, burley and the latakia touch mixture might have the priority.

Even if it is dried well you may have steam problems. Try to smoke very slow, and keep some pipe cleaners nearby.

this IS a strange blend. at present - after 4 pipefulls - i must say that it is no favourite of mine. the chocolate and the latakia really clash in my mouth, and the notes never seem to unite. i can't imagine sage, pine nuts and chocolate uniting either, for that...

interesting, perhaps, but not for me. still, as most sam gawith, there's nothing wrong with the leaf.

Samuel Gawith Chocolate Flake is a pleasant tobacco. When I first lit it I noticed it has a silky feel on the tongue like a good quality chocolate and I thought that was why it is named Chocolate Flake. I couldn't taste or smell any chocolate, but as I got down to the last third of the bowl I started to taste a hint of dark chocolate. I don't know if that is the result of a chocolate topping or just a similarity. This tobacco would deserve four stars but (to my taste) it has two flaws. The first flaw is minor. It is a flake and I prefer my tobacco ready rubbed. To me the second flaw is major. It doesn't have any Latakia. To some that would be a plus. So if you are a fairly mild virginia flake lover this could be your dream tobacco.