Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Bob's Chocolate Flake

Summary: a mild version of the classic Lakeland flake with dark chocolate flavoring that creates a unique and enjoyable smoke.

Like most classic Lakeland flakes, "Bob's Chocolate Flake" starts out with a burst of rough flavor and then melts down into itself, producing a molasses flavor from the Virginias that melds with the warm Burley backdrop, the smoky leathery Latakia, and finally, a chocolate topping slightly offset by the old-lady-bathroom-mat geranium oil "Lakeland essence" madness. The key is in knowing how to smoke it: these flakes are designed for working men in motion in a cold, wet climate. Loosely fill the pipe three quarters of the way to the sides with the flake, then crumble the last ten percent on top as shake. Whip out your wood matches or trusty lighter and really go to town on it; give it the coal, repeatedly, while drawing in fairly strongly, in order to get the tobacco going like a campfire on a rainy day in winter. Now, sit back and make a seal with your mouth around the pipe, then breathe slowly as if you were fixing a teapot or repelling a Norman invasion. It helps to mutter along the lyrics to "Rule Britannia" or "God Save The Queen." What was at first a ragged stream of smoke becomes a soft, silky, and sweet flow of flavor across the tongue with occasional flashes of nicotine. This may not be a go-to for me, since flavored tobacco is difficult, but it is the closest that the UK has to "Prince Albert" and is quite tasty for what it is, plus rather creative in the use of the Latakia to bring out a dark chocolate instead of overly sweet flavor. This is more like a Tootsie Roll than a Hershey's Bar, and a large bowl will last you for two hours of pleasantly distracted smoking.

I'm not sure why I haven't reviewed Gawith, Hoggarth's Bob's Chocolate Flake before, given that it is one of my favorite pipe tobaccos. I bought a pound of it a year ago to put up but I couldn't help digging into my stash, and now half is gone. Oh well, time to order some more.

What I find so enjoyable about BCF is it's depth of flavor and dark notes. From chocolate to coffee to burnt sugar and molasses, it's one of the richest tasting tobaccos I know of. While it doesn't have any cigar taste, the closest experience I can compare it to is smoking a really good Nicaraguan cigar, like a Padrón Maduro.

This is definitely a burley blend, and I mean that in the best sense. Like any good burley, the taste is nutty, earthy, rich and creamy. The relatively small amount of Latakia is definitely in the background, but adds to the depth of flavor without hijacking it. The virginias are not very noticeable, other than to provide some sweetness (along with the casing, no doubt). There is also just the barest hint of Lakeland essence, which adds to the experience but is so subtle that even those who don't like Lakeland won't be offended.

BCF arrives a little on the moist side and therefore benefits from some airing out. It will take you a couple of lights to get it started and may require a relight or two, but it will burn completely to a dark gray ash and taste good to the bottom of the bowl. Given the quality of the tobacco, at a little more than $50 a pound it is a real bargain.

If you like rich tasting tobacco, you owe it to yourself to try BCF.

Tin note is very nice, it smells of yeasty tobacco with an added whiff of cocoa, whisky, almonds and a touch of vanilla or tonquin. Comes in broken flakes which can either be folded or rubbed out. They need some drying, but moisture is surely not excessive.

The tobacco lights easily and from the start there is a light floral Lakeland touch which intermingles very nicely with the, also light, cocoa flavoring. Latakia might very well contribute some smokiness to the taste but it is virtually undetectable per se. The Virginias are what I get most from this blend. Dark and yeasty but with grassy tones as well. Strength is just about right for an all-day smoke. What is more the smoke is smooth and cool. This tobacco for me has it all, it has flavor, it has complexity, it has excellent tobacco taste and the flavoring is only mild and very congruent with the tobacco flavors and delicious. It also leaves quite an agreeable room note and smokes to a very fine ash to the last shred of tobacco.

For me Bob’s Chocolate Flake is a fantastic medium strength tobacco that is so full of flavor that you cannot miss! A high quality and very well-crafted product with potential to mass appeal. Highly recommended to Viginia smokers. Could serve well as an introduction to the Lakeland style.

I, too, struggled with this blend. Trying to do too much is often not a good thing, and I can only categorize this tobacco as an attempt to bridge smokers of widely varying tobacco styles. The latakia was unnecessary but what I found the most offputting was the Lakeland florals. Sorry to be so trite but it tasted like soap to me for the first third of the bowl - like I had sucked on a dryer sheet.

I got the strong impression that without the florals and the latakia, this would be a very strong offering from G&H. But then it wouldn't be Bob's Chocolate Flake, would it?

All in all, I found this to be a blend of high quality tobaccos blended to a somewhat tragic end. It's something I think most people should try, however, as there seems to be differing opinions - and strong ones on both sides.

GH- Bob’s chocolate flake

I have to admit that at first I was not a fan of this blend, I got nothing from it except hot air and wondered where the chocolate was.

This has been sitting in a jar for a year, bought in bulk.

I loaded this today and thoroughly enjoyed the nutty chocolate and Lakeland mix. It never overwhelmed, stayed cool and smoked well for me.

When I have a yearning for a well flavored aromatic Lakeland, I’ll be sure to grab this one. Not a favorite but good none the less.

I just finished my first tin of this flake that I have been wanting to try for so long. Overall, I liked it as I do most GH offerings. There is a common thread with all GH tobaccos. They don't bite, no matter how hard you push them; they use top shelf ingredients and they all have a tinge of lakeland aroma that distorts the tobacco and/or topping tastes.

With the other things being plusses across the board, it is only that last thing that can really cause me to dislike these products. If you abhor that lakeland aroma/taste, you would be wise to avoid any GH blends; however, if you are like me and enjoy a light lakeland essence, say somewhere south of Ennerdale or Grasmere, you should enjoy this one.

BCF is no Ennerdale, nor is it some chocolate brownie type American aromatic. Truth be told, if it wasn't written on the tin, I would have never figured it as a chocolate topping at all. I do taste the Vanilla and the latakia though and would say their presence, albeit also very light, is more easily perceived than any chocolate taste to me. As an added bonus, I noticed no ghosting in any pipe this was smoked in, so most bowls were smoked in briar pipes.

Overall, it is nice and the taste that stands out the most to me, is the Virginia leaf, which I believe to be mostly bright leaf. It has a very nice citrus sweetness to it. The other favors play well with this. I could easily smoke this one all day and have a few times. I usually smoke two to three bowls a day, so it is not that big a feat. This is also nothing like the GH aromatic twists in that you can smoke a whole bowl without shaking and getting the cold sweats. It certainly isn't weak on nicotine, but it is not heavy by any means.

I recommend it but will keep it to three stars as it does not rise to the next level for me.

Although the world does not need another review of this outstanding tobacco, I feel constrained to record just how good this tobacco is. Cool and slow burning with all the expected tobacco, Lakeland and chocolate flavors that are blended together so that the whole experience exceeds the sum of the parts.

Lakeland aromatics fill a niche in my rotation. This is my favorite of the bunch. The tin note is unique, and immediately something you will always be able to identify. Flowers, almonds, and a dark cocoa note. The smoke is fairly strong, in both nicotine and flavor. I taste Virginia and a small amount of Latakia. I also taste cocoa and baking spices. I really like this as a change of pace tobacco during the cold season.

At first i did not enjoy this blend to much, it was my first try into the lakeland territory and i was not used to that specific taste, but the second bowl started to sway me to start loving it and now that same lakeland essence that puzzled me was making me really like it. It actually really goes well with that deep cocoa topping and the rich tobaccos. The latakia for me was present in the tin when smelled but doesnt really translate to the smoke that much, after all it is only 8% but it is there. I really love this blend but it surely isint for everyone (judging from some of the reviews here) it gets better and better with age though.