Hearth & Home Lakeland Brickle Fortissimo
(3.54)
Lakeland Brickle is a combination of Virginias (mostly red), along with dark, tangy burleys (which add depth, spice, and strength) and infuse them with traditional Lakeland-style flavors such as rose and a tonquin-type (among others), but with a light hand to avoid the “soapiness” that some people dislike. We then heat treat it and put it under pressure to further develop the flavor and body, and finish by vacuum sealing it in 8 ounce bags. The mildly sweet but robust flavor is intriguing and seems to get better with each successive bowl.
Notes: The original Lakeland Brickle has been a big hit for us, but we received a number of "I liked it, but..." emails and phone calls. What people were requesting was a version that would be stronger than the original with a more robust scent. And a number of people wanted smaller packaging. We listened to you, so we're announcing Lakeland Brickle Fortissimo; a fuller-bodied blend with dark air-cured, dark fire-cured and perique with a richer flavor including juniper, lavender, and clove, and packed in 4 ounce. bricks.
Details
| Brand | Hearth & Home |
| Series | Marquee Series |
| Blended By | Russ Ouellette |
| Manufactured By | pipesandcigars.com |
| Blend Type | Virginia Based |
| Contents | Burley, Kentucky, Perique, Virginia |
| Flavoring | Floral Essences, Nuts / Beans, Other / Misc |
| Cut | Krumble Kake |
| Packaging | Bulk |
| Country | United States |
| Production | No longer in production |
Profile
Strength
Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Medium
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
3.54 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Apr 22, 2013 | Medium | Medium to Strong | Medium to Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
A pleasant full bodied tobacco that burns easily with few relights. I smoke it for it's body and strength. Don't expect the same scent and strength as the true Lakelands though, this one is different. Milder,and a different scent altogether.I find it a little heavy on one of the toppings, which I can't put a finger on, but think it may be the cloves. This is, at best, a couple time a week smoke for me. A little too heavily flavored for more than that. Recommended if you like the genre.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 05, 2016 | Medium | Medium | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
I love Lakeland style blends and when Russ Ouellette decided to attempt one on this side of the pond several years ago (Lakeland Brickle) I was intrigued. So moving on to Fortissimo was a natural transition. As described in the blending notes, this blend is stronger in both nicotine and added flavorings and I find both to be true. As was true with Lakeland Brickle, Fortissimo isn’t as “soapy” as many of the Gawith Hoggarth blends. The dark fired adds some body and strength and the Virginias, I am guessing, were sourced from C&D as they taste of them. The Virginia adds some dull sweetness. The Lakeland perfume/floral flavor is there in all its glory, but there is something missing for me. I enjoy this and Lakeland Brickle, and when Gawith Hoggarth was tough to come by in the US, it made an excellent substitute. I have smoked this new and am now reviewing it based on a jar from around four years ago and I am not sure if this is produced any longer. There is a good nic hit from the dark fired, but, like with LB, it lacks the body of the Gawith Hoggarth blends. I am an amateur, but my view from the couch is that the underlying tobacco isn’t as high of quality that GH uses. With that said, this is a good blend, but given the choice of this verses something made by GH, I would reach for the GH blends most often.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 02, 2012 | Mild to Medium | Mild to Medium | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
I have to admit that I was disappointed at first. I was hoping that a blend that called itself 'Lakeland' might be a little bolder. When I first cracked the seal on the vac-sealed bag, I was hoping to catch a scent of Lakeland floral, but all I got was a nice rich tobacco scent. Smoking that first bowl was again, not what I was expecting. Only the faintest hint of lavender from retro-haling through my nose. My disappointment slowly faded though as I began to realize that while not an American replacement for my favorite British blends, it did have it's own pleasant merits. A rich, even burning Burley with a touch of Virginia sweetness with an occasional appearance of spice from the Perique. This is anything but a boring smoke. This would be a nice, interesting smoke even if it had a completely different name. So while it's not America's answer to the Lakeland 'soap' that so many of us enjoy, it is still a welcome addition to my rotation. I hope that in the future, Russ will give us a full bore, no-holds-barred blend to stand along side of classics like Ennerdale, St. Bruno, and Condor. Until then, this is still a great little blend that's well worth a try.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Apr 19, 2012 | Medium | Mild to Medium | Medium | Pleasant |
Really a treat, Flavor, kick, Aroma. Its a mystery what catergory to put this in. The vaccum packed brick was cool also. Family loves room note. A solid B+
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