Samuel Gawith Chocolate Flake

Upon first opening, the tin aroma reminded me of a dental office. Like leather soaked in novocain.

I get the best satisfaction out of this tobacco by rubbing out the flakes, letting them air dry for four hours or so, and plugging a small bowl suited for flake tobacco. Similar to the method described in the Mac Baren web site for smoking flake tobacco.

When smoked in this fasion, it is a smooth burning tasty tobacco with some tang to it. It comes off a little bitter at first but the palette adjusts. As others noted, there is a hint of chocolate. The after taste is very pleasant and lingers for hours.

I doubt this will be a go to tobacco for me but it is definitely a keeper. Something to relax with on a cool fall night with a good book.

I'm an aromatic man so bear that in mind but this too is an aromatic in a sense. I enjoy flake tobacco it's the rubbing it out and the build up to the smoke that I occasionally enjoy. The blend itself reminds me of Frog Morton which I like in its own right. Chocolate? I can't detect that in the least and that's what I want in a product that states it so boldly in its name. If a product is going to say chocolate or Cherry it should first and foremost be evident to anyone who walks into the room. For me as the smoker I want the flavor too. Aromatics are notorious for their gunkiness and this burns perfectly and leaves behind a pleasant pile of ash that ole Sherlock himself would find welcoming to investigate. I've given the mix three stars because it deserves it overall but it's not what I expected.

Someone said it below...Stonehaven with a little latakia and more chocolate. Bob's CF is different from this one, not that it has more chocolate. BCF smokes cooler and has that Lakeland District flavor, soap if you will. I enjoy them both, and I highly recommend them both.

07/27/09 UPDATE: I am revising some of my reviews. I have given out more 4 star ratings than anything else. That practice is probably not helping. So, I am reducing Chocolate Flake to 3 stars, not because I like it less than I did before, but because I am limiting 4 stars to fewer than 25% of all my reviews. One day I may use the 4 star rating to designate my top five.

Hmmm?. When I first tried Gawith and Hoggarth?'s Bob?'s Chocolate Flake, I didn'?t much care for it. Too large a Lakeland signature made me feel like I was licking chocolate sauce from my lady'?s perfumed hoohaw. I had the opposite reaction to SG'?s Chocolate Flake. I liked it immediately.

I'?m sure you can tell where this is going.

A few months later and I'?ve re-ordered BCF and I?'m struggling to finish this little number. The two flakes have a lot in common. They?'re both based on brown Virginia (though Sam's claims Latakia), both are fairly generous of tobacco flavor and nicotine, both are delightfully smoky, and both are pretty subtle as far as aroma is concerned. If I?'d never experienced BCF, I would probably make this flake an occasional houseguest. Where I think BCF bests Sam's flake (at least for me) is in the level of complexity, the layering of flavor. It?'s got more to say, I suppose.

But at least one other reviewer here had precisely the opposite reaction. (I though you should know.)

Calling this blend "Chocolate Flake" might be a little deceptive. Although the tin description implies some sort of chocolate flavoring, I did'nt detect it. That being said, this is a good Virginia/Latakia flake that does produce a sort of bitter chocolate nuance similar to some premium cigars. This is a fairly sweet blend as can be seen by the flakes themselves which seem to be secreting sugars to the surface. Latakia smokers might find this flake a little weak. Aromatic smokers might feel a little decieved, but all in all it is a good smoke.

I aged this tin for a year and a half before trying it again. Dried it out and stored it away. Any chocolate top note was now gone. Latakia was front and center on the nose in the tin. Rubbed out and in a meerschaum I found this a wonderfully complex flake. Full, but not a Latakia dump. The interplay between the Virginia and the Latakia was nice and kept me coming back for more. Slow burning, needing some relighting, perhaps because I left it chunky. Not an all day smoke for me, but a nice finish after a steak dinner with red wine.

Tis pointless my typing out anything here as Blackie has summed up this tobacco EXACTLY as I see it. A fine tobacco and well worthy of its 3 stars.

Thats a nice flake with just a few latakia and just a few choco casing. I like it cause I am not really into English blends but I do also like to have it from time to time! If you are looking for a heavy choco aroma and strong latakia fix you are in the wrong place but if you prefer a solid virginia with surprises from time to time thats the one! Definitely it worths a try!

A very nice flake of Virginia with Latakia playing sometimes in the background and sometimes the forefront. I must admit that I don't sense any chocolate either in the taste or aroma. I like to sip on this while relaxing with a glass of single malt scotch. More natural than Bob's Chocolate Flake and with less assault to the senses than other latakia-laden blends. Truly relaxing.