Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Bright CR Flake

I don't get the hype. I have tried this folded and stuffed, totally rubbed out, and broken. I allowed the tobacco to dry out considerably. Lights fine, but to me it tastes like rhubarb with no sugar. It didn't bite its just nasty to my palate which disappointed me because I love Gawith and Hoggarth flakes. And I wouldn't call it the lightest of their flakes, or creamy at all. I will cellar the rest of it and revisit it in a year or so. I guess I really don't enjoy super tangy Virginias. Oh and the room note smells like a stale, full ashtray.

Granted one bowl does a review not but here is my two cents worth. I found this to be extremely mild and this was fresh from a fellow pipe club member who brought this in. He had a hook up in England I believe. This had a sweet faint apricot smell to it and also smoked a little bit sweeter than I care for in a Virginia. Though no flavor is listed it seems to me to be cased with something that I do not care for and I could be wrong. It might just be a really sweet natural Virginia. I smoked this out of a new cob so there was no ghosting from other blends in a pipe. Nice to try but just not for me.

Let’s put it that way , a light unflavoured Virginia flake you can smoke all day long. Perfect for a first pipe, excellent during the day. Perhaps late night you may crave for something stronger . Has a Kendal background. Should be smoked in larger pipes where I mean max group 4 because it takes time to develop its mild flavour. Is smoked in tiny pipes you will not get it and have an unsatisfactory smoke. I have rediscovered a good chimney pipe as it burns easily. Short chubby billiards are also good (Castello 10) . Short story get a pipe which can enhance the flavour and hit as it could be otherwise slightly bland. Puff slowly please , this is not an easy tobacco and I wouldn’t suggest it to beginners. I’ll stick to it for a while perhaps a very long while . Definitely 4 stars in the category of light flakes. It’s summertime

Summary: a classic Bright Virginia flake which brings out the unique flavor of this type of leaf.

Tobacco companies early on learned that people liked blends which tasted like foods, such as the gingerbread cookie of "My Mixture 965" or the jelly donut that is "Escudo." Bright Virginias generally appeal because they taste like breakfast cereal: a light toasted rice or wheat with an inner sweetness. "Bright CR Flake" takes these characteristics and matures them, producing something which tastes more like malted syrup on whole wheat bread. It tastes to me like some red Virginia crept into the mix somewhere, but that could simply be the maturing of this leaf in the pressing processing. These soft flakes expand quite a bit, so pack loosely, but offer a steady sweet flavor with natural undertones for a long, simple, and satisfying smoke. You can see why writers like J.R.R. Tolkien favored this type of smoke, namely that you can load a pipe, light it, and type away while enjoying an intense but subtle sweetness.

This is a very nice straight Virginia from the house of Gawith Hoggarth, and I recommend it to any fans of the style. I'd agree that it's a less well known baccy, pushed aside by Full Virginia Flake (stronger and fruitier) and Best Brown Flake (actually quite similar but as I remember, breadier and a little stronger). This tobacco has no flavouring or aroma added at all, unlike many other "natural" Virginias I could name which all contain a smidgen of something. If your Bright CR Flake has a lake district perfume to it, you've either made the mistake of having it shipped in the same package as scented tobacco, or your tobacconist has made a error in its storage.

The tobacco arrives as a bundle of flakes, of a lighter shade of tan brown. The aroma in the packet is of ripe hay and horse food. Lovely! The flakes are nice and thin, and rub out easily. They accept the flame just as readily, and the enjoyment begins. Smoke this low and slow. Little sips, "breath smoking" if you will. The flavour is naturally sweet, hay and bread, delicious. It doesn't seem prone to bite, but I think if pushed the subtleties of the flavour will be lost. It stays cool and delicate if smoked slowly, but can warm up if pushed in the heat. It's a type of tobacco that I lean towards on the hotter days of summer, but it's better smoked in the shade, and outstanding on a cooler evening. It doesn't have a big nicotine hit, and it's better in a larger bowl, but lightly packed.

Overall, top marks, this is another fine natural Virginia on a par with the Best Brown and Full Virginia flakes, and worth having as well as them as its the lightest of all. I'll be buying more to squirrel away for ageing.

The flakes are neat, not very thick, pliable and a very nice aroma of dried hay, decaying grass and damp earth with a whiff of something like milk chocolate also a hint of sweet floral aroma.

Bright CR Flake seems to be as straight a Virginia as it gets and yet I do get the feeling that it comes from the Gawith factory. It is of a solid medium strength with no rough edges with a soft creamy mouthfeel. It is very flavorful with yeasty aromas dominating but it is also grassy with floral notes as well which seem to be from the tobacco itself mostly. Bright CR Flake is one of the easiest tobaccos to handle and smoke that I’ve ever encountered. This is an unreserved four star Virginia flake!

Even though it claims 100% VAs without any flavors added, I do perceive some Lakeland-ish essence on the unburnt tobacco! Lovely, long flake cut with citrusy-sweet bag-note from my sample, that also holds some honey tones and maybe a whiff of grass to it. It's a joy fiddling with these long ribbons of flakes.

Also in the taste there's definetly some (very mild) Lakeland essence to it! Whether it's "contaminated" by being produced next to Lakeland tobaccos, or they added it and claim it to be unflavored...it's there, especially in the first few puffs and then fading in the first quarter of the bowl. Besides that I was surprised that it has some decent spice to it that's slowly overtaken by a rich grassy, decent citrusy and moderatly sweet aroma that is building up quickly. Has some delicate honey-ish sweetness to it, maybe a bit of hay notes by times. The spiciness fades after the first few puffs, but some of it remains present throughout the bowl. Pleasant!

Not the best straight Virginia I had, but certainly not a bad one! Deservers 3/4 stars to me.

I was thinking this would harmonize with some blending Perique, so I set up a bowlful of it in a 65(BrightCR)/35(Blending Perique) ratio (yea..I like me Perique...:-P) to try... and it's delicious! 20-25% would be enough though, but it adds a peppery, sour-fruitiness to it, that gives depth and intensity to the aroma. Worth trying!

An enjoyable Virginia flake with a just a touch of floral essence on the finish.

Bright CR displays a certain level of maturity in its smoking characteristics that I find quite compelling. It tastes like a well aged Virginian tobacco. I have noticed this flavor trait in both recently purchased and aged samples from my cellar. Bright CR is very mellow with no edges. The flavor strikes an even balance between grassy-sweet and earthy. Bright CR Flake isn’t a complex tasting blend but it does have a certain depth to it. It burns cool and it’s easy on the tongue. The smoke is soft and smooth with a subtle peppery mouthfeel.

Now there are fellow pipers who claim that they can detect no flavoring here, but I definitely taste a sliver of a floral topping, especially on exhale or when retro-haling.

Altogether, a tasty and casual Virginia flake from Gawith Hoggarth.

A simple, but nice tasting flake. Mild Lakeland over a hay-like Virginia. A nice bit of sweetness. This thing couldn't bite you if it wanted too. Very smooth and cool smoking. Very satisfying.

Mild to medium in body and taste. Flavoring (Lakeland floral) is mild. Burns very well.