Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Bright CR Flake
(3.45)
100% pure virginia leaf with no additional flavours made from a blend of Brazilian, Zimbabwe and Malawi bright Virginia leaf. The pressed tobacco as with all flakes, is left to mature before cutting into flakes, to allow for the best combination of flavours.
Details
| Brand | Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. |
| Blended By | Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. |
| Manufactured By | Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. |
| Blend Type | Straight Virginia |
| Contents | Virginia |
| Flavoring | |
| Cut | Flake |
| Packaging | Bulk, 50 grams tin |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Mild to Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Mild to Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
3.45 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 44 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 10, 2013 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
The Bright CR Flake is my favorite Virginia flake.
This nice tobacco is being pushed aside by the famous Full Virginia Flake of Samuel Gawith, and in my opinion having not the acceptance it deserves.
Opening the bulk bag of this tobacco I prime the lightness perfume of "Lakeland". It is a natural aroma, not an artificial one and as I learned that "secret" aroma is coming from the flower of the plant Geranium Rose {"Rose Geranium"} (Pelargonium Graveolens).
The bright colour flakes, "shiny" and "tawny", are nicely chopped, and can be rubbed very easily and comfortably filled the bowl of the pipe.
Varieties of Virginia tobaccos from Brazil, Zimbabwe and Malawi ripen to give a light and creamy taste. Gentle to moderate nicotine, can comfortably be the first morning pipe smoking of the day.
Delicious, with flavors alternating the natural aroma of tobacco and dry alfalfa hay, wet soil (sense of earthy soil after rain), with brief "passages" of pepper, flowers and fruits (I taste somewhere citron) but also some suspicion of cinnamon and anise.
All these result from the excellent quality of tobacco combined to make this beautiful flake rather than adding artificial fragrances. The "Lakeland" aroma sense I think it originates from the common area of production, ripening and storage of tobacco Gawith & Hoggarth. Some smokers call it "soapiness", I still did not felt it at all bad as a perfume, imperceptible to light, with an especially pleasant feeling of flowers and fruits.
By drying the tobacco yields even better, offering comfortable and pleasant smoking that can be enjoyed throughout the day.
Smoked without terrible swings and delicious surges from the top to the bottom of the bowl, some smokers may characterize it as drab or one-dimensional, I again found it delicious and very enjoyable from start to finish smoking it.
Not "bite" at all, it creates no liquid and leaves "clean" light gray ash finishes and staining very little the pipe filter.
In long-term ageing, it gets "sugars" (creating crystal sugars in the flakes) and gives an even more complex flavor, slightly sweet, creamy smoke.
I am smoking the Bright CR Flake in pipes of all types and materials (straight, bent, half bent, with filter and without filter, made by briar, olive wood, pear wood and corn combs) always enjoying a very good and enjoyable smoking.
Perhaps those smokers who are looking for more "loud" nicotine hit and stronger flavor intensity Virginia tobaccos may not be extremely charmed by Bright CR Flake.
I certainly appreciate this Virginia flake a lot and consider it an excellent pipe tobacco of highest quality that can be smoked very pleasant every time of day or night!
Highly recommended!
This nice tobacco is being pushed aside by the famous Full Virginia Flake of Samuel Gawith, and in my opinion having not the acceptance it deserves.
Opening the bulk bag of this tobacco I prime the lightness perfume of "Lakeland". It is a natural aroma, not an artificial one and as I learned that "secret" aroma is coming from the flower of the plant Geranium Rose {"Rose Geranium"} (Pelargonium Graveolens).
The bright colour flakes, "shiny" and "tawny", are nicely chopped, and can be rubbed very easily and comfortably filled the bowl of the pipe.
Varieties of Virginia tobaccos from Brazil, Zimbabwe and Malawi ripen to give a light and creamy taste. Gentle to moderate nicotine, can comfortably be the first morning pipe smoking of the day.
Delicious, with flavors alternating the natural aroma of tobacco and dry alfalfa hay, wet soil (sense of earthy soil after rain), with brief "passages" of pepper, flowers and fruits (I taste somewhere citron) but also some suspicion of cinnamon and anise.
All these result from the excellent quality of tobacco combined to make this beautiful flake rather than adding artificial fragrances. The "Lakeland" aroma sense I think it originates from the common area of production, ripening and storage of tobacco Gawith & Hoggarth. Some smokers call it "soapiness", I still did not felt it at all bad as a perfume, imperceptible to light, with an especially pleasant feeling of flowers and fruits.
By drying the tobacco yields even better, offering comfortable and pleasant smoking that can be enjoyed throughout the day.
Smoked without terrible swings and delicious surges from the top to the bottom of the bowl, some smokers may characterize it as drab or one-dimensional, I again found it delicious and very enjoyable from start to finish smoking it.
Not "bite" at all, it creates no liquid and leaves "clean" light gray ash finishes and staining very little the pipe filter.
In long-term ageing, it gets "sugars" (creating crystal sugars in the flakes) and gives an even more complex flavor, slightly sweet, creamy smoke.
I am smoking the Bright CR Flake in pipes of all types and materials (straight, bent, half bent, with filter and without filter, made by briar, olive wood, pear wood and corn combs) always enjoying a very good and enjoyable smoking.
Perhaps those smokers who are looking for more "loud" nicotine hit and stronger flavor intensity Virginia tobaccos may not be extremely charmed by Bright CR Flake.
I certainly appreciate this Virginia flake a lot and consider it an excellent pipe tobacco of highest quality that can be smoked very pleasant every time of day or night!
Highly recommended!
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 10, 2011 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Very Pleasant |
Bright CR is one of (if not the) lightest G&H blends I have had the pleasure to smoke. It won't beat up the tongue and palate, but certainly has enough flavor to satisfy. I smoked it a variety of ways but fully rubbed out and dried for an hour or so before loading up seemed to work best. It's a little steamy if smoked moist, IMO.
If you appreciate Lakeland style flavor in lighter doses, Bright CR would make a fine choice.
If you appreciate Lakeland style flavor in lighter doses, Bright CR would make a fine choice.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 27, 2011 | Mild to Medium | Extremely Mild | Medium | Pleasant |
I don't think this flake is exactly light. It is a fairly mild and simple Virginia flake though, and kind of reminds me of a milder version of FVF. I got the full 17.5 oz. box because it was on sale, and was greeted by nearly perfect 6'' flakes when I opened it. I promptly cut them in thirds and stuffed them into a couple mason jars to age, and have enjoyed a few bowls thus far. This is the essence of an unflavored Lakeland (there is a slight hint of a scent, probably from being in the same room as the likes of Ennerdale Flake!) and offers a pure (African and South American) Virginia experience. Don't look for complexity here, but lovers of Virginia flake with no added flavors will rejoice! I will add more if this shows me new facets after a couple years in the jar, but for now, just good, clean VA smoke, and I'm so glad GH is around to deliver (deliver being the operative word) a flake like this to the US when SG can't, or won't do so.
Update 3-4-12: I love this stuff, but I hate myself for not buying more than one pound (well, 500g) last summer when it was $43 a pound and not over $60! It has even improved a bit since then in the jar. Opening the jar, it kind of smells to me like fine tea. The appearance of the flake is beautiful; fine sugar crystals when you move it around under the light, a "furry" look and feel around the edges, but not mold; some kind of breakdown of the tobacco in the aging process. Indeed, this flake has a nice, almost meaty texture when rubbing it out. It's one of the finest Virginia flakes I've smoked, and the slight hint of Lakeland scents one gets from time to time, as I said in my original review, is probably only due to merely being in the same room as such tobaccos as Ennerdale and Kendal Flake...
Update 3-4-12: I love this stuff, but I hate myself for not buying more than one pound (well, 500g) last summer when it was $43 a pound and not over $60! It has even improved a bit since then in the jar. Opening the jar, it kind of smells to me like fine tea. The appearance of the flake is beautiful; fine sugar crystals when you move it around under the light, a "furry" look and feel around the edges, but not mold; some kind of breakdown of the tobacco in the aging process. Indeed, this flake has a nice, almost meaty texture when rubbing it out. It's one of the finest Virginia flakes I've smoked, and the slight hint of Lakeland scents one gets from time to time, as I said in my original review, is probably only due to merely being in the same room as such tobaccos as Ennerdale and Kendal Flake...
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 15, 2014 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Pleasant |
While doing a year end cleaning of my pipe room, to my wife’s delight I might add, I came upon an ounce of Bright CR. It had been sitting for two years in a jelly jar that was not airtight. As one would image, it was dry as a bone. But after reading comments here on TR about smoking it dry, I stuffed a pipe and wow! I have always enjoyed many of the GH blends, but I tend to lean more to the darker or more cased GH blends. This is by far the lightest GH blend I have smoked thus far. The unique Virginia flavor, I believe, is from the processing of this blend or the origin of the leaf (or both) rather than a topping. The flavor for me is on the medium to full side of things. It’s lightly sweet and complex all the way to the end of the bowl. I enjoy this far more than FVF. I can only imagine how good this blend must be when properly aged. Great stuff!
PurchasedFrom:
Smoking Pipes
Age When Smoked:
2 years
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jun 29, 2003 | Medium | None Detected | Medium | Tolerable |
This blend is a real sleeper. It's composed of 6" long flakes that are sliced perfectly thin. I usually rub them out a little and then just stuff them in my pipe. One flake goes a long way towards filling my largest pipes. CR Flake is composed of exotic Virginias that have just a touch of that floral taste.
This tobacco is really a treat for me and I don't smoke it every day; one could get spoiled very easily. It's not too complex, but the flavor is remarkable; it contains just the right combination of Virginias. Smoke this one slowly and appreciate its delicate sweetness.
This tobacco is really a treat for me and I don't smoke it every day; one could get spoiled very easily. It's not too complex, but the flavor is remarkable; it contains just the right combination of Virginias. Smoke this one slowly and appreciate its delicate sweetness.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Nov 12, 2003 | Medium to Strong | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant |
This is my favorite of the Gawith, Hoggarth & Co flakes thus far, barely edging out Bob's Chocolate for that top spot. I discovered it later than some of the others as I've worked my way through the forty-odd blends that are available from Gawith Hoggarth & Co.
Though others have compared it to Samuel Gawith blends, that's not what I'm getting here. It brighter (visually and on the palate) than most of the English style flakes that I've tried. In many respects, it reminds me more of North German style flakes in some respects. It's still obviously an English style flake-- the predominantly African & South American virginia leaf that constitutes this blend have their own character (a slightly more woody taste? Or is it my imagination?). That said, the lighter body of smoke and generally brighter characteristics on the palate are vaguely reminiscent of (if not necessarily similar to) Heinrich's Golden Sliced or Reiner Long Golden Flake (without the Perique) or Orlik Golden Sliced (without that slight honey top-note). Simply, it seems like an English style flake, made with English flake components in an English way, but styled on a German style flake (does that make any sense at all?).
Anyway, I love it. It's something of a best of both worlds for me. I love virginia flakes-- from both England and Germany/Denmark (without nitpicking, the Germany/Denmark flakes can probably be broken down into a number of sub-categories, but the macro-category suffices for this comparison).
Though others have compared it to Samuel Gawith blends, that's not what I'm getting here. It brighter (visually and on the palate) than most of the English style flakes that I've tried. In many respects, it reminds me more of North German style flakes in some respects. It's still obviously an English style flake-- the predominantly African & South American virginia leaf that constitutes this blend have their own character (a slightly more woody taste? Or is it my imagination?). That said, the lighter body of smoke and generally brighter characteristics on the palate are vaguely reminiscent of (if not necessarily similar to) Heinrich's Golden Sliced or Reiner Long Golden Flake (without the Perique) or Orlik Golden Sliced (without that slight honey top-note). Simply, it seems like an English style flake, made with English flake components in an English way, but styled on a German style flake (does that make any sense at all?).
Anyway, I love it. It's something of a best of both worlds for me. I love virginia flakes-- from both England and Germany/Denmark (without nitpicking, the Germany/Denmark flakes can probably be broken down into a number of sub-categories, but the macro-category suffices for this comparison).
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Dec 26, 2020 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium | Very Pleasant |
We’re so lucky, over here in the U.K., to get our mitts readily on Gawith and Germain tobaccos. I recently bought about ten samples, some to my liking, some not. This offering I particularly enjoy. From the packet, golden flakes of pure Virginia waft delectably into the olfactory apparatus. None of that Lakeland thing, which can often be sickly and overwhelming. Slightly moist, but no hindrance to packing and lighting. No touch ups or relights required and absolutely no bight whatsoever. It’s nice just once in a while to enjoy a tobacco that hasn’t been blended with the intention of stupefying the smoker with a myriad of philosophical nuances. Just straight forward medium tasting Virginia, which I often crave. FVF seems to be one of the Holy grails in the pipe word and comparing the two, I much prefer this. So, after half an hour of bliss, I can heartily say that this is my favourite straight Virginia, so far! The room note is highly agreeable to the missus, praise the Lord, so without any hesitation, I highly recommend this beauty and will be purchasing more, albeit at a ridiculously high price, here in what is still Great Britain, but only just.
Pipe Used:
Savinelli
PurchasedFrom:
Gq
Age When Smoked:
New
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Nov 23, 2010 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant |
Oh this is good stuff! The tobacco smells of sweet hay. Comes slightly moist but does not require drying to smoke.
Breaking up the long 6 inch flakes and rubbing it out, it packs well into the pipe. Lighting is easily done and it stays lit with minimum relights. No bite.
Lovely, clean tasting Virginia with no artificial taste of after- taste. I did not detect any floral scents. Just sweet and nutty quality Virginia smoke. The room note is intoxicating! I kept going back to the smoking room just to catch a whiff of the note.
5 stars!!!
Breaking up the long 6 inch flakes and rubbing it out, it packs well into the pipe. Lighting is easily done and it stays lit with minimum relights. No bite.
Lovely, clean tasting Virginia with no artificial taste of after- taste. I did not detect any floral scents. Just sweet and nutty quality Virginia smoke. The room note is intoxicating! I kept going back to the smoking room just to catch a whiff of the note.
5 stars!!!
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Aug 04, 2009 | Very Mild | Mild | Mild to Medium | Very Pleasant |
Very curious about the taste of this offering especially after reading the ingredients list and seeing the inset photo at Pipes and Cigars.com. I tried to order some but they were completely out which I considered a good omen(must be good if everyone is ordering it and causing a shortage like all wothwhile things) but a bit of a tease. Found some finally at 4 Noggins.com . Ordered a couple of ounces and was very pleased with the tobacco. An unparalled mild,friendly Virgina blend!
As a tobacco it has everything I require in a lighter blend. Easy to prepare and to fill the pipe.Excellent mositure content and light-up-ability and a very remarkable first few tokes. An especially nice morning smoke in one of my "hobbit" (handmade by yours truly) churchwarden and a nice way to greet the very early dawn hours. Great taste with the bonus of a very pleasant aftertaste. A great launch off for the more "serious" fulsome smokes of the day by way of either of the Gawiths or anyone else. Easy steps from Bright CR to perhaps Medium Virginia (Sam Gawith) to Full Virginia Flake(Sam Gawith)to Curly Cut Deluxe and Broken Scotch Cake(Gawith and Hoggarth) and on and on up the more potent offerings from many different suppliers.
All in all a very welcoming and friendly smoke. I am not all that sure about the others coment here about "soapy" tastes or "floral" this and that. I just know it smokes very very well and as a blend and it and I seem to have struck up a good friendship. I have noticed that it also smokes well in any size pipe of any bowl diameter or height. Another plus for me , personally.
It is therefore a very highly reccomended blend by me and very versitile for early morning or indeed as an all day smoke. I'd say order a bunch of it if you can find a suppier with a large inventory since you will probably want more.
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
As a tobacco it has everything I require in a lighter blend. Easy to prepare and to fill the pipe.Excellent mositure content and light-up-ability and a very remarkable first few tokes. An especially nice morning smoke in one of my "hobbit" (handmade by yours truly) churchwarden and a nice way to greet the very early dawn hours. Great taste with the bonus of a very pleasant aftertaste. A great launch off for the more "serious" fulsome smokes of the day by way of either of the Gawiths or anyone else. Easy steps from Bright CR to perhaps Medium Virginia (Sam Gawith) to Full Virginia Flake(Sam Gawith)to Curly Cut Deluxe and Broken Scotch Cake(Gawith and Hoggarth) and on and on up the more potent offerings from many different suppliers.
All in all a very welcoming and friendly smoke. I am not all that sure about the others coment here about "soapy" tastes or "floral" this and that. I just know it smokes very very well and as a blend and it and I seem to have struck up a good friendship. I have noticed that it also smokes well in any size pipe of any bowl diameter or height. Another plus for me , personally.
It is therefore a very highly reccomended blend by me and very versitile for early morning or indeed as an all day smoke. I'd say order a bunch of it if you can find a suppier with a large inventory since you will probably want more.
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 14, 2022 | Mild | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
As a straight Virginia this is a solid smoke with excellent character and a good flavour profile with spice, fruit, hay and bread. The flakes from bulk are on the slightly moist side and require some drying out. Tongue bite is a risk as with many straight Virginia's so I use 6mm filters for myself and this gives the best results if the flakes are a not quite in the goldilocks zone taking the edge off any steam or over dry heat. I did not detect any rosewater or soap in the pouch note or charring light. This could be specific to this batch and could vary but for myself no flavours other than good tobacco were detected. If Sam Gawiths Full Virginia Flake is difficult to come by this is a great alternative and certainly worth a try if available. Satisfying and enough depth to keep you interested throughout the smoke.
Pipe Used:
Falcon and MM corncob with 6mm filters
PurchasedFrom:
The Black Swan Shoppe
Age When Smoked:
New
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