Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Grasmere Flake

On opening the pouch, a perfumed rose scent was noticeable. This diminished during the drying process, and made me wonder, prior to smoking the first bowl, whether the flavour had disappeared. Quite the opposite; the smoking experience was unique, with a decent amount of N and lavish flavour. More evocative of an English stately home's garden than Grasmere, be it tarn or fell, to my mind. Nonetheless having stayed in beautiful Grasmere a couple of times, I feel this tobacco does not usurp its name but merely serves as a journey from Kendal to Grasmere. Will ghost a pipe but that is a problem easily solved.

Intensely unique - the perfume in this is different to all the other lakelands. It's both more pungent than Ennerdale, but if anything that gives it a sense of 'nature' to it. Whilst Ennerdale is a sweet, soapy olfactory treat, Grasmere is akin to sitting in an old fashioned English Garden. The tobacco underneath adds some pleasant hay and grass, a slight soil taste and there is even a herbaceous element coming through at times. All of this, the florals, herbaceous, and earthy topping notes are all tied together with the wonderfully warm, tangy VaBur flake forming the base of the composition. Finally, like a cherry on top (or rather a slice of lemon), I detect a mild tea-like bergamot note akin to old fashioned SP snuffs and Earl Grey Tea. Sumptuously scrumptious.

This blend harks back to a simpler time, there is something indescribably English flake that I, as an Englishman, really connect too. This blend is not for everyone, and frankly I really need to be in the mood in order to enjoy it. It's not a heavy hitter on the nicotine, the experience is entirely flavour based, much like sipping on a low alcohol-high flavour ale.

If you like floral tobaccos then this one is more than worth at least sampling, that is if you have the gumption to face the lakeland ghost... To everyone else I wouldn't recommend this; this is so far removed from your run of the mill syrup soup cavendish-laden aromatic that it could very well be a waste of your hard earned money.

I know I shouldn't review a tobacco just by having one single bowl smoked, but here I am, reviewing it after just having tried it. Today, some really nice tobaccos came and since it's lent period and I limit myself to one pipe a day, I chose Grasmere Flake. I smelled it from the bag, and what hit me in the first place, was that strange smell of old people. Once, many years ago, things used to smell that way. Geranium rose essence, the soaps were made with. Geranium rose is the cheap substitute for rose oil, and was used once to perfume things quite a lot. Including the "rose lokum" (turkish delight). It just smell like grandma's house in the country many years ago. That brings a lot of dear memories. Childhood memories are so beautiful, not because something worth remembering happened, but because of your perception of the world. As a child, you like everything, even the "lakeland" type of smell. Grasmere is not as soapy or nearly as strong as Condor, more like floral dark if I may say so. VAs lack sweetness, Burley rounds everything and mutes every sharpness, everything is about Lakeland "old grandma" note which is wonderful by the way. I never knew Lakeland smell can have so many nuances, it's pretty amazing. Room note is almost undetectable. While Condor perfumes the whole house for a week after smoking it, this passed undetected by my wife. Was a bit moist for my taste, but I didn't have the patience to dry it to the point of perfect burn/taste balance, I just lit it, and although wet, it burns OK. I suppose when dried a bit will burn perfectly. I'm balkan/english (latakia) lover, I love also VAs or VA/Pers, I enjoy sweetness in the VA, but here I didn't find any. I love also Lakeland floral tobaccos, unlike danish aromatics, they taste naturally. Grasmere is somewhere there. Floral style perfumed that goes along with VA natural aroma, and mellowed by the Burley. I give it 3 stars just because of sweet innocent memories of grandma's house in the village that almost made me cry. Otherwise it would be 2 stars. I have 8 oz of it, will last for quite a while.

P.S. I have no idea why is this tobacco rated as "Strong" and "Full". I had totally different experience. It's mild.

Grasmere Flake is a splendid example of the perfumed Lake District tobaccos, heavily laced with Rose and Geranium - it is outrageously floral, and some may be horrified by this. Personally I think it's rather nice. Comparisons to rose Turkish Delight are apt, and if you like one, you will probably like the other.

The flake is a reasonably mild blend and not heavily stoved, it takes a light with ease and doesn't need much in the way of attention or relights. It's a smooth smoke, no bite or other misbehaviour, and as it progresses the floral essence will permeate ones taste buds. The nicotine is adequate if you choose a large pipe.

For me, this is a Lake District tobacco for the summer months, an equally good companion out for a walk or sat outside the pub afterwards. Nobody seems to mind the aroma, although surprisingly, given how unusual it is, I can't recall anyone passing comment on it.

This is the third Va/Bur flake from GH I try and it is so far my 2nd favourite (I still have the Kendal Flake to try, and Ennerdale Flake is my favourite so far).

The smell of the flake is a bit odd, too rosy I felt. But from the first puff, the Virginias and Burleys blend superbly with the rosy/geraniumy taste.

Honestly, who needs black cavendish aromatics when you have GH and SG offering the best Lakeland tobaccos.