Tobaccos Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. - Brown Flake U/S

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3022)	2013-02-11		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

The Lakeland essence is here, though in a very minor way. The floral taste is usually obvious, though the very light chocolate and some bold nuttiness and earth from the burleys show up here and there while you smoke it. That floralness (which is also a little herbal) comes as much from the tobaccos as it does the Lakeland, which, while not added, finds its way into the tobacco during processing in the factory. The Virginias are slightly dark fruit sweet and earthy, with minor grassy notes. Has a medium level nic-hit. Won't bite or get harsh. A moderately complex flake that burns at slightly less than a moderate rate with a very consistent flavor all the way through. Requires few relights and leaves a little moisture in the bowl. Has a nice after taste. Not an all day smoke.

-JimInks

31 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2011-02-06		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

I'm about halfway through my Lakeland tour and I'm mightily impressed. This is the 3rd so far that is so good, I can't ignore it as part of my regular rotation.

Nice, even colored flakes with a pleasant but not overly robust bag aroma (2 oz sample). I preferred this rubbed out, as I typically do. I also preferred it with some moisture in it, as when it became too dry, it tended to sizzle my tongue just enough to make it mildly uncomfortable.

The flavor was robust but not strong, sweet but not sickeningly, and mostly devoid of the proverbial "Lakeland taste" of florals. This floral taste tends to come through with the manner of leaf used rather than artificial flavorings, at least with the unscented versions. Quite frankly, this one makes me want to try the aromatic one as well! This blend was a nice marriage between highly flavorful and cigar-notes with an all day sort of tobacco. Nicotine didn't seem too high. The mouthfeel leans towards the rough, but it's far from unpleasant. Faster puffing unleashes not tongue bite or bitter flavor but just a heavier undertone of the basic taste of this wonderful blend. Highly recommended. Another pound or so is on its way to my cellar, and I'm excited to find out what a year or more will do for this stuff.

23 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Knightsmoker (216)	2014-09-04		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a beautiful med. bodied flake. No toppings or casings here. I also get a floral sent but this is not the Lakeland topping everyone talks about. This is what I have perhaps wrongly started to associate with a white Malawi burley that has been toasted and working in combination with that same burley that has been dark fired. The blending notes say that they used a Malawi burley for this blend so the floral note that I pick up is just from it alone. Also, I have smoked this is several pipes, the lakeland topping will always ghost this one never did at least not badly (1 pipe for about 3 bowls). Besides this floral note (what I am reminded of is red clover cut and ready for bailing in the hay field) I also get a creamy, smooth but very light chocolate note from the burleys, some nuttiness here and there that reminds me of black walnuts and Brazil nuts, a little (surprisingly little for such a high VA) sweetness that has notes of caramel, toffee, and coffee and some hay-like grassy notes that could be the VA's or the burley or just the combination of all that is going on. I will revisit latter on down the road.

Age When Smoked: 6 months

19 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	beaupipe (102)	2011-09-28		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Over the past year, G&H's Unscented Brown Flake has become one of my favorite smokes. Most of the reason for that probably has to do with the flake's relative simplicity. It is, like all G&H flakes, easy to work with and easy to smoke, but it's the flavor that impresses.

There is the barest hint of florals at first light, but then the tobacco settles into a quite rich Virginia-dominated smoke. There is sweetness here – expected in a blend of mature Virginia with a smidge of Burley and a smidge of dark fired leaf. But the sweetness here is modest and isn't cloying as it is in, for example, Sam Gawith's Full Virginia Flake or even SG's Best Brown Flake. The flavor profile, which typically comes off as vaguely chocolaty, isn't at all complex. But it is beautifully balanced and a thoroughly comforting smoke for Virginia lovers.

There is a great deal of similarity between this and G&H's Best Brown #2 and some similarity between this and Germain's Brown Flake. The Germain's product is perhaps more earthy and savage with a drier flavor profile. But for those with a little bit of a sweet tooth, G&H's Unscented Brown Flake is a fine product.

13 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	LondonCalling (13)	2014-10-22		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

It's probably fair to say this is my desert island blend: it's the one I always seem to end up smoking; which is just as well, as I have a pretty healthy stash of the stuff. There's nothing which really stands out about it. It's not flavoured. It's not particularly strong, yet nor is it particularly mild. It's typically neither too wet, nor too dry. There isn't even anything about it I'd call particularly distinctive. It's just very straightforward, honest-to-goodness tobacco which behaves politely in the pipe, and consistently delivers an enjoyable smoke.

Pipe Used: Peterson silver band billiard

Age When Smoked: Circa one year

Purchased From: Aireys of Kendal

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Carlos (21)	2011-10-07		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Smell of tobacco is very sweet - but not as sweet as in e.g. Samuel Gawith's Full Virginia Flake or Best Brown Flake. You can definately find delicate smell of Burley. Smoking is very cool and sweet, with a bit spicy feeling. I like this one. If you like tobaccos with addition of GOOD Burley - you should try this one.

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stefanos (222)	2018-04-26		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Tin note, maybe a whiff of tonquin? Tobacco plus something very faint.

The flakes are thick and long and almost boken and have a medium brown color. I received them very dry so much so that a little crumbles to dust. But they smoked just fine and even a little wet… so I did not bother to rehydrate. Though nominally unscented, Brown Flake still has an extremely mild Lakeland essence to it. (I could not detect the essence from the tin note though.) Probably this is just unavoidable within the G&H premises… But it is so little that I guess someone not experienced in Lakeland floral flavors might not detect it as such. I guess…

Otherwise, Brown Flake has a very earthy tobbacoey taste with notes of cocoa. Sweet in a natural way, especially if you sip, it is smooth and the Burley does make its presence felt both in flavor (nutty, chocolatey) and by rounding off the higher Virginia grassy notes. Not very complex but still quite flavorful and despite the whiff of Lakeland aroma, Brown Flake offers an otherwise very natural tobacco experience. Strength is medium as is nicotine and room note is tobaccoey.

Very nice tobacco lying halfway between a natural Va/Bur and a true Lakeland aromatic.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2017-02-27		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I was in pipe smoker's heaven when I first tried this blend many years back. Frankly, I am surprised that I never reviewed it. I went to my cellar to smoke a bowl before reviewing because my notes were from 2004 and my own palate can't remember back that far. Wow, what a smoke! The Virginia is certainly the main player and it is darkly rich and bold, yet sweet. The 12 percent or so Burley that is in this blend was heady and body building. And processed in that special way that produces the overall "Old World presentation that G&H is so famous for. Not the strongest horse in the barn as far as G&H blends go, but no Shetland Pony either. This bad boy delivers the goods!

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2015-07-07		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Very nice smoke. Floral notes throughout. Some natural, some not. Seems to be mostly natural to me, but it's hard to tell exactly. The natural tobacco flavors are sweet and a little nutty. Just a hint of chocolate here and there. Altogether pleasant with enough strength to satisfy.

Medium in body and flavor. I would say the flavoring is very mild. Burns very well right out of the bag.

Pipe Used: MM Country Gentleman, Mark Twain, Patriot

Age When Smoked: fresh bulk

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ROTHNH (11)	2014-01-25		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This G&H Brown Flake was in a green G&H box -- a "brick" actually -- perfect whole flakes, stacked neatly with this brick double wrapped inside the box. I decided to jar my new stash last night, including this blend, and was pleased that the flakes were perfectly moist and came apart easily, with minimum breakage, as I stacked them into half-pint canning jars. Of course, I kept the last jar, which was almost full, to add to the current rotation.

What drew me to this tobacco was that burley is the first leaf listed in the blend:

"83.5% Blended virginias are combined with a relatively high (for English Blends at any rate) proportion of Malawi Burley, 12.5%, to give flavour and depth to the smoke, and the addition of just 4% Malawi dark fired leaf is sufficient to combat the typical sharpness of the virginia leaf resulting in a rounded medium strength smoke."

It's made in a similar fashion of the G&H Bright CR Flake, which is another plus for me, since I cellar the CR and enjoy it's bright, lemony, creamy goodness.

I reasoned that this "Brown Brother" to the CR, being burley-forward, would be more full while adding the nuttiness and subtle punch I was looking for. I was a bit concerned though, because some reviewers noted that this "unscented" version was actually laced with Lakeland essence, yet since I'd smoked the CR and detected very little if any essence at all, I decided to go for it anyway. Well, as it turns out, my 500 gram sample of this flake does indeed have a very slight floweryness -- after all, G&H is a very small company and the machinery used to prep their blends can "carry over" from one to the other (makes sense to me LOL).

I cube-cut it, of course. I chose a small half-bent Group 4 Rhodesian for this smoke. Well that slight "floweryness" is nice. And it literally disappeared after the first few puffs -- no way will this Brown Flake ghost a pipe, I'm certain of that. That richness and nuttiness, marrying perfectly with those outstanding virginias I love, is there in spades and remains, burning cool and even, right down to the white ash it leaves me at the bottom of the bowl.

I am sure this flake will age extremely well and I'm glad I bought 500 grams of this. Maybe I should have grabbed another pretty green box of it.

Pipe Used: Wally Frank Comoy Make Shipmate Rhodesian

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: 4 Noggins

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stan (178)	2002-08-07		Strong	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable

This is the unscented version. Man, this is a full virginia flake that is richer, with more body, and more complex than SG's full virginia flake IMO (which is darker in flavor). The age of the matured virginias (years) and the burley in this brown flake adds to the strength I'm sure.

This is so rich to me that I feel like I have had a full meal with I'm finished a bowl. (Now it doesn't have the spice or effects of the extreme SG 1792 dark flake.) I've been smoking this brown flake blend for about a year exclusively in a Cavicchi bent rhodesian and still later in a Rinaldo bent bulldog, both large pipes, and I plan to smoke it in more pipes rotating soon.

It is cool, very rich, dry, and steady burning, with an earthy tobacco flavor right to the edge. I find that it does develope an edge it I break the flake up much, so it is best just to break the bottom a little and to twist or push a good portion (or all) of a flake into your bowl for maximum coolness. The flakes are quite long. The finish is slightly stronger. Smoke it slowly.

This blend is available from several sources in the U.S. in bulk, so you can start with 50 grams and work up to more.

It doesn't compare with SG's Best Brown, which is more of a medium and scented (I like GH's better), but seems comparable to Walnut Flake (maybe stronger but not richer) and Germain's Brown Flake (not quite as full but rich and tasty -- still testing).

I also tried a few bowls of the GH's Scented Brown Flake for the semi-aromatic buffs, which is the same formula, with "english flavors", and is a bit on the sweet side (but I didn't smoke it enough to review it fully). So far I prefer the unscented Brown Flake. I'll stick with that one for now. How could they make it any better?

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	hrhf (38)	2021-08-13		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Brown Flake Unscented is the most blue collar of Gawith-Hoggarth’s many flakes, in my opinion. There’s nothing flashy or special about it, other than the fact that it’s just a high quality, tasty, cool-burning pleasure to smoke. It’s the pipe tobacco equivalent of the black lunch pail: sturdy, reliable, essential.

I was introduced to this blend earlier this year, when the last (to my knowledge) big G-H release happened here in the states. Upon receiving word of the release, I hastily ordered 2-4 ounces of as many different GH products (mostly flakes, as it turned out) as I could afford at the time.

Nothing really stood out, to be honest. They were all great, and my favorite was usually whatever I was smoking at any particular moment.

Those GH Virginias are probably my favorite Virginias. Same with their Burleys and Kentuckies. They simply taste to me like tobacco processed the way it’s supposed to be done. I know they’re not alchemists over there, but they may as well be. Nobody else produces such consistently great tobacco.

I realize I’m wasting time speaking of GH in general, but everything I’ve “said” is evident in Brown Flake Unscented. It’s not necessarily going to “wow” you, other than by it’s simple goodness. It’s very middle of the road flavor-wise, strength-wise. It’s not as strong as Dark Flake or the brand’s other heavy hitters. It’s not as tantalizingly sweet as Scotch Flake or#7 Broken Flake, or as sublime as Louisiana Flake.

There are certainly at least a half dozen GH flakes I’d rate higher in terms of desirability. But Brown Flake (and Dark, for that matter) are essentially smokable measuring sticks. They provide a baseline for what a smoker should expect in a quality smoke.

If I could only smoke BFU all day, every day... I’d be perfectly okay with that. It’s a great, tasty, fulfilling smoke. It’s the quintessential simple pleasure when it comes to VaBur flakes.

So it gets 3.75 stars... falling short of four stars simply because there ARE several more desirable GH flakes. But compared to everything else out there in the world of pipe tobacco? Four stars. Out of the dozens of tobaccos I’ve tried (and the literally hundreds on the market), I could count on both hands the number of non-GH tobaccos I’d rate as good as or better than humble Brown Flake Unscented.

In my perfect world, THIS is what the codger blends would taste like. Simple VaBur goodness... and, in that way, perfect. You can keep your Old Joe Krantzes and Haunted Bookshops. THIS is what I’m reaching for when my cravings lean toward the VaBur side of things. I pity the poor misguided soul who’d rather smoke the unfinished-tasting C&D VaBurs over this classic archetype.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: New stock, four months

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Adam Z (18)	2018-11-27		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a blend that I probably wouldn't have been likely to try were it not for the generosity of a friend who mailed a few flakes to me to sample - and I'm sure glad he did! This rather nondescript blend that is only available in bulk (when you can find it at all) is an excellent every day smoke. Mostly virgninas, with just a tad bit of burley, it's a naturally sweet smoke that never bites.

There's debate about the casing on this one - GH calls it "unscented" but I can taste just a hint (and ONLY a hint) of lakeland essence (doesn't bother me one bit). Incidentally, the guy who turned me on to this blend does not like lakelands, but he likes this blend, and he thinks its weird that I taste the lakeland essence. I figure what I'm tasting must just be residual transfer from the machinery that Gawith Hoggarth is using to press the tobacco. I find that I enjoy this most in my Savinelli 311ks cherrywood, but truth be told, I've smoked this in various briars and never had a bad experience with it. This blend does not ghost your pipe either.

It does seem to require a fair number of relights, but I just deal with it. Little to no dottle left at the end of the bowl.

HIGHLY recommended for Gawith Hoggarth afficionados, Virginia flake lovers, and those who think they might enjoy just a tiny hint of lakeland in their tobacco.

Pipe Used: Savinelli 311ks cherrywood, Nording freehand

Age When Smoked: unknown

Purchased From: 4Noggins, Mars Cigars, SmokingPipes

Similar Blends: Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. - Best Brown #2.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	doc'spipe (241)	2013-03-06		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I ordered this along with Brown Flake Scented (read my review under that entry). Very nicely prepared and long flakes in my 2 ounce sample baggie. No discernible smell upon opening the baggie - tobacco or Lakeland. There was no Lakeland (floral) taste while smoking for that matter. Only rarely did I seem to detect a faint soapiness in the aftertaste, not often, and not in every bowl I smoked, so go figure; very evanescent. This offering packed and lit very easily and smoked clean and dry all the way to the bowl's end. It was neither hot or bitey. A very pleasant smoking experience with a subtle, dry and muted sweetness, a bit chocolaty, a fair amount of nicotine presence, pleasant side stream aroma, and mild to medium taste in the tobacco department. It emits a fantastic room note. After smoking a bowl I went into another room and after a while, the remaining room note from where I was smoking entered into where I was. It was very old-world pipey in aroma and immediately brought back memories of the smell emanating from the pipes of those pipe smokers of my youth - very comforting (reminded me of Capt. Black White). Nothing fancy about this one, and way better than SG's Best Brown Flake or Full Virginia Flake, but along those lines. I also enjoy it more than G&H's own Best Brown Flake offering. No complexity here, but in its simplicity lies its strength. This is a high quality, well prepared pipe tobacco and I am happy I tried it. Definitely to enter my rotation, and enjoyable enough for me to have as a daily smoke. Pure tobacco goodness.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	strongirish (249)	2010-11-13		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I pulled some of this from a box pass and set it aside to dry and when the moisture content was right, I have smoked nothing but it for a few days now and I have to say this blend satisfies. It really would make a great all day blend. In the bag, mine was already rubbed out from the flake, is a uniform medium brown in color, is a ribbon cut rough flake and the pouch aroma is a slightly sweet, yet peaty aroma of a nice VA blend. I say blend because it does have a little burley in it which gives it a nice rounded body yet the VA is the dominent tobacco and lends it's sweet, creamy, and smooth flavor from top to bottom of the pipe. It loads easily into my pipe, I tried it in a lot of different pipes and find that it smokeds best in a stacked somehat narrow bowl. It does have a "N" presence but not overly so but enough to satisfy the itch. It is very cool smoking and it smokes at a very nice slow pace and sipping it with strong coffee is fantastic. It is not a tongue biter at all even if you get aggresive with it. It smokes all the way down to the bottom of the pipe with no moisture and no dottle left, just a medium grey ash powder left when done. Since it was out of a box pass, i don't know how aged this was but i can imagine that this would be a great one to cellar and would get better with age, if it needs to get better, it's great as is. I smoked it so much that my pouch was gone very fast and I will miss it after i finish this last bowl I am smoking as I type this. I hope to procure more in the near future both to smoke and to cellar. This is the unscented blend not the scented, and I could not imagine wanting to change the taste in any way. This is a first class tobacco that is a great mix and I have to say I highly recommend this to everyone. I can find nothing negative about this blend at all. They simply nailed it on this one!

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2004-11-30		Medium	None Detected	Very Full	Very Pleasant

Brown Flake (unscented) is very attractive. Lots of colors, from bright to dark brown. What we have here is a classic and classy flake that is suitable for all-day smoking.

Brown Flake is a flavor-forward mixture that is naturally sweet and honest to the palate. The mouthfeel is on the full side, but that in no way means bite. This is smooth stuff, but you know you're smoking it. You also may notice a slightly sweet aftertaste. Very nice.

Brown Flake is easy to smoke. It burns nicely and remains interesting to the end. Highly recommended.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BostonPipe (84)	2003-03-07		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong

I picked up a couple ounces of this blend to try earlier today. The flake is quite pliable and easily packs in the bowl. As with most flakes I rubbed out a single piece of flake to assist in the lighting. It lit easily and did not require a relight.

The initial taste is full, with a nice, almost leathery/creamy texture on my palate, and a slight, pleasing, peppery taste. As I smoked down the bowl, a faint sweet note began to accompany the full rich taste.

The taste left me feeling satisfied and content. This is not what I would consider an all-day smoke, rather, and end of day, "All is Well," smoke.

I look forward to rubbing this flake out on my next turn with it to see if changes will be noted.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2076)	2017-04-24		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Gawith Hoggarth - Brown Flake U/S.

One of my first reviews I've redone:

Medium brown flakes, mottled with yellow specks, and this pouch I'm basing this review on arrived with a good hydration level. The appearance of the flakes from this pouch though, despite the colour and moisture, is a little incongruous: the flakes are the slimmest in width I've come across! I don't get much in the way of an aroma from the blend, nothing implies a topping/flavour of any kind.

Every bowl I've had of Brown Flake U/S has lit and burned well, giving me quite a simple smoke. The Virginia leads with its bready/doughy flavour, but the Burley adds some depth and robustness. I struggle to detect much of the Lakeland/florals that a few other reviewers do; to my palate, apart from the tobacco characters, it's a natural taste. B.F.U/S. doesn't bite me at all, and the temperature from it sits just below medium.

The nicotine's medium, and the room-note's about a 6/10.

Easy: highly recommended.

Four stars.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: Various

Purchased From: Various

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrT999 (317)	2013-08-16		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

First of all, not a hint of Lakelands (at least in my sample). A lovely, basic, straightforward, even relaxing to smoke blend. The flakes were easy to break up and fold, and lit fairly easily.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2003-07-19		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

My favorite unscented GH blend. Sweet, cool, wonderfully "brown", and possessed of that wonderful GH signature flavor, which I believe comes from the steam-pressing and leaf selection. Gorgeous pliable 6 inch flakes. Not incredibly complex but oh-so-satisfying, like a cup of hot chocolate on a cold day.

Store a pound of this away - or more.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DeathMetal.org (231)	2021-08-02		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Summary: a good Virginia flake stabilized by Burley and given a slight smoky flavor by dark fired Kentucky Burley.

Every smoker will at some time fall in love with Virginias, the sweet leaf with overtones of citrus, clover honey, and almonds. By themselves, however, they burn hot and acidic until pressed and aged properly, and even then, can be one-dimensional. The best blenders introduce just a little bit of dark fired Kentucky Burley as occurs here to color the flavor a give the blend some strength, while using air-cured Burley to slow the burn and warm up the flavor, pushing it closer to roasted almonds and toasted barley. "Brown Flake" brings us the best of the Virginia genre with a gentle sweet flavor, but also uses Burley as a condimental ingredient to perfection. Unlike many flakes, this one takes to the match easily and burns consistently, leaving behind little dottle and speckled ash. It naturally cadences the pace of the smoker with its flavor, which rewards the draw achieved by breathing instead of rapid puffing of sucking. When the bowl melts down into its second half, the Virginias fully caramelize and a lemony molasses flavor takes over. Those who like vapers should consider this blend because it has a similar depth of flavor even without the Perique. Since this one clocks in at just about medium on flavor, strength, and room note, I could smoke this all day, every day and not feel slighted in the least.

Similar Blends: Dunhill - Royal Yacht , Robert McConnell - Scottish Cake, Mac Baren - Dark Twist Roll Cake, Newminster - No. 403 Superior Round Slices.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tomcat (212)	2021-04-11		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Unnoticeable

Gawith Hoggarth-Brown Flake U/S -No lakeland essance here ! Just great Virginia and Burley tobaccos . Perfectly balanced , creamy smooth . Cool smoking with enough sweetness and a touch of tart cocoa . Medium in every way . A Vabur delight ! 4 stars Email alert is on for the next shipment .

Age When Smoked: Fresh

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	LV9 (85)	2018-02-04		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

First off the bat this is not truly unscented there is a floral note to it that it just might ghost your pipe, second thing if you can’t handle nicotine stay away this one packs enough to loosen up your jaw, now that I have warned you what we have here is a Virginia-burley mix with a fair amount of dark fired stuff that might confused some for perique but is not, i rather smoked this fully dried in a bent pipe you do not want to try this blend in a nose warmer smoke calmly and you get a nice pleasant ride smoke fast and it will zinge your mouth to no end, would I buy again...absolutely this one is meant to age and dedicate a pipe or two to it.

Pipe Used: Imp Meerschaum

Age When Smoked: 9 years

Purchased From: Pipesandcigars.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jorge Soler (202)	2016-04-20		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

OK, so this is a VaBur with a pinch of Kentucky leaf. The Virginia leaf is really good in its own right. It is sweet and mellow, and it evolves quite nicely as you progress with your smoke. The floral essence is still here despite the U/S denomination, so it must come from the leaf itself. Because of this, Brown Flake somehow reminds me of most of the ropes and twist tobaccos Gawith Hoggarth is so well known for. I personally don't mind it, but all of those Lakeland haters should probably avoid it. Back to the Virginia leaf, I find it quite satisfying. It has most of the Virginia characteristics I like in other tobaccos, such as, earthy undertones, its subdued sweetness and a hay/grassy dimension. As for the Burley leaf, I dare to say it's all been quite balanced as its presence does not kill the Virginia properties of the blend. For the most part, the smoking experience is that of a Virginia flake, the Burley leaf being the beef dimension, but it is the Kentucky leaf that seems to dominate despite being only 4% in this blend. It just gives the whole blend a rounder/fuller body to play with. I guess I like Best Brown 2 more in this range, but I might buy this one again some time in the future. All and all, it is 3 stars.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Danno (106)	2016-04-07		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

This is a wonderful tobacco.

Nice, messy flakes, with tones of oats and a mild virginia sweetness. As others have noted, there is a trace of the Lakeland essence here, but it is only a trace.

The taste, flavour, and fullness place this squarely in the medium camp, and I find it good at any time of day. The burley component ensures no bite. This stuff is content to smolder, and with just the right amount of richness.

Not overly complex, but tastes damn good, and the more I smoke it, the better I like it. The enjoyment only deepens as you work your way through a bowl, and revisiting a half-enjoyed pipe is as simple as striking one match. Magical.

I enjoy McClelland's tang, and appreciate Macbaren's sweetness, but this is an order of magnitude beyond.

Age When Smoked: Newish

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Darth Smoker (1)	2015-10-31		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Pried the lid off a 7 Year old Mason jar of GH Brown Flake Unscented. Nose - well aged VA. Beautiful Stringy flake. Oh My such a nice smoke.

Pipe Used: Large Cob

Age When Smoked: 6.5

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	incognitopoet (37)	2014-09-09		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Knightsmoker's review really covers everything. This is a delicious, straight tobacco with lots of flavor. It burns cool and without bite.

My only regret is that I didn't buy a pound when I started cellaring this flake three years ago. It is certainly appropriate for an all-day smoke.

Pipe Used: Big CAO Meer

Age When Smoked: 3 years

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Virginia lover (218)	2014-04-23		Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Nice meaty flakes with the right moisture that I fold in my pipe. I have a nice malty, toasty and nutty flavor that is well rounded. Creamy Virginia with some typical notes, no bite whatsoever. A good blended tobacco is about balance and this one has it. Definitely worth a try for the Virginia smoker.

While advertised as unscented, it has the floral/Lakeland essence taste that comes and goes depending on the batch. This inconsistency is really annoying for people who dislike this flavor. Personally, I' m not bothered by it if it's kept on the mild side but it prevents me from highly recommending it.

Virginia lover

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Smoke_Ring (158)	2013-07-24		Strong	Strong	Very Full	Strong

Brown Flake Unscented;

Star Rating = 3.75;

Rating Scores - 10 is the Best and 0 is the Worst;

Pouch Note = 10;

Room Note = 10;

Flavor = 10;

Bite = 9;

Burn = 10;

After Taste = 9;

Raw Score = 58;

Rated Percentage = 97%;

Comment = Very Smooth, Strong Strength, Rich Natural Tobacco Flavor, No Bite, White Ash Burn.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TW (38)	2012-09-06		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Well it's a flake, and it's brown.

My 50g had no trace of any flavouring or floral aromas/toppings at all. A bit damp as supplied (though not dripping wet).

Rubbed out it's a finely cut shag in texture. Smokes easily, with little bite. To be honest I think it tastes as it looks - brown, uninspiring and ordinary. It seems to be lacking something - kind of like it's the backing track to a song, but with the lead vocals yet to be added.

Maybe that's not surprising, as it's basically the scented brown flake without the scent - kind of a base intended to carry added flavours well.

It's not unpleasant, but there are very many more interesting tobaccos about. Two and a half stars, maybe.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kilmarnock Piper (250)	2011-04-13		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I'll keep this one short. Nice to try the Lakeland-style flake without the Lakeland-style flavorings! Don't get me wrong, I like the Lakeland flavorings, but this one really points out the quality of the Virginias (and I suppose the Malawi Burley) Gawith Hoggarth is using, and presents them in a pure, unadulterated style. I imagine this would age well, and would seriously consider buying a pound for aging. I keep waiting for FVF to return, but I'm sure this is just as good, even though I have not had FVF in a couple years. It would make a worthy substitute, I'm sure. I'm sure many think it's better. How does a Gawith Hoggarth Lakeland Flake taste like without the Lakeland flavorings? Like tobacco. Like tobacco, but this one manages to remain smooth (unlike Dark Birdseye, but I digress. I don't think they were looking for smoothness there!) but at the same time rich. From time to time, I get those fig, fruit, and almond undertones one gets sometimes from good, well-cured Virginia weed, but they stay pretty much in the background. Just the basic good, well-cured Virginia weed is what predominates, and that is enough!

Note: one can get a whiff of those Lakeland scents even in this flake. After all, it is made in the same factory with the likes of Ennerdale and Kendal Flake. Some smokers may just not like these scents at all and be sensitive to their presence even as a "ghosting," but I do not think any flavorings were intentionally added to BF U/S.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-12-19		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

It seems my lot in life...every time I find a VA I enjoy, I learn it has a smidge of Burley. Dunhill Flake and Blackwoods Flake may be the only two actual 'straight' VA's that I find worth repeating. (So far...)But I digress.

I picked this 2-3 ounce sample from the local B&M for cheap...they had just received it, and the clerk forgot to label it...it was a mystery weed. One look, and whiff, told me it was a quality mystery, and I was able to get it on a discount. (I called the following day and had the original clerk confirm it as Brown Flake.) Man, good stuff! Strong in that UK Virginia sort of way, without being a total slap to the head. Tasty and non biting, I could see me dropping this into a rotation...if I ever settle into one, that is!

I have to say, between this and the slew of 'scented' G&H flakes I've had, none have been clunkers. This makes me think that I've found a favored blending house. It helps that they are available when I want them to be, too. My next step will probably be to try Bright CR and Dark Flake (and KK, and Bird's eye...)...try the opposite ends of the spectrum that Brown seems to split. If they are close to what I think they'll be, I won't have to stress purchasing (quite) so many tins. Gotta love bulk.

yinyang...smoking the last of his Brown Flake stash in a Hackert antlered General.

Four stars.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tee-dub (48)	2010-12-09		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a much-appreciated gift. This review will bear re-writing, as I feel it and I are still only barely acquainted after several quiet bowls.

I am not well-versed in Virginias, and have only a small frame of reference.

It is, to begin with, dark-pressed Virginia. It smells sweet and musty in the jar, qualities which softly evolve when a match brings this to life. The natural sweetness is complemented by something dark and earthy. There's clearly no casing or essence, but something in the pressing or the blending imparts delicate and surprising flavors, of incense, candle wax. This is full of pleasant surprises.

Interesting, flavorful. Strongly recommended.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-11-26		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

I tried a few GH flakes recently and this is the one that I liked the most.

Big, robust flakes, mid-brown in colour and with a typical fermented Virginia pouch aroma. Great moisture level too and I found it a very easy tobacco to live with in terms of smoking rate, lack of relights etc.

The strength and volume are just right for me. Plenty of mouth filling, medium level rounded flavour with a bright Virginia sweetness backed up by the Burley giving background and satisfaction. Overall, I just get the impression of a good Virginia, which I suppose points to a well blended and aged tobacco. Some welcome fruitiness there too, but I don't find is swamped with Lakeland funk like some are.

The downside for me was the tongue bite. I had to go very, very carefully with this one to avoid it, but the easy-going nature of the smoke made me forget all the time. Ouch! Three stars.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrDyson (148)	2009-10-15		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

To my mind/taste, this is one of the most successful of the G & H flakes. It all depends on what you like, of course; but its great virtue, to me, is that it's a completely natural, unscented tobacco (Virginia/Burley) with a good, consistent ‘masculine' flavour. There's a nice, spicy, traditional Virginia aroma as soon as you open the packet. There's no fancy perfume or gimmick of any sort. If you like G & H's Ennerdale flake with its very heavy casing and overpowering properties of aroma and flavour, I guess you won't like this. If you like your tobacco to taste of tobacco and nothing else, this will be a good choice for you: sweet, good and full all the way down the bowl. DGT is very rewarding also.

BF is a fairly mild and satisfyingly tasty smoke, without the cigar flavour and sharpness that I find in G & H's Dark Flake. It burns well and evenly all the way to the end, doesn't bite (if you take it at the steady pace that Virginias need and deserve), and has an acceptable/pleasant room note: Klio (cat) and SWMBO don't mind it. It's better folded than rubbed out: not a cheap way to smoke a flake, but very satisfying in terms of flavour and duration. It does rub out satisfactorily, though, and if you store it the flakes will disintegrate naturally after a while.

BF will give you a good long smoke in a big bowl: the nicotine hit is not excessive, and it doesn't ask anything more of you than passive enjoyment. If you smoke all day (I don't), this would be a good all-day tobacco. It's one of my personal Arcadia blends. Samuel Gawith's Medium Virginia Flake runs it pretty close, but Brown Flake still has the edge IMO. I wish I could give it more than the maximum number of stars. After a lifetime of searching, I reckon this is just about as good as it gets. No matter how many tobaccos I try, I always come back to this.

BTW: this also comes in an aromatic version. My prejudices being what they are, I think this ruins a wonderful baccy; but people might like to give it a try. At any rate it's a lot less over the top than Ennerdale Flake.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2008-11-04		Medium	Very Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I have to admit that this has taken a while for me to fully understand, both in terms of the floral note and the tobacco flavor. I'm still not sure I've got it right.

This has a characteristic Lakeland flavor, which I interpret as a flowery sense on the palate. However, this should not be taken to mean a light sense. It is full of flavor and full to a VA oriented palatte. It may appear thin to a palatte that is attuned to a Latakia standard.

The blend responds well to a DGT treatment and is quite tastey after 20 min followed by 12 hours.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2008-02-26		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

another classic! actually, i'm not absolutely certain that i'm not reviewing "best brown #2", as it was bought as "rich brown flake, unscented". but as "best brown" doesn't come in a scented version, i guess this review is in the right place! :-/

anyway, this does resemble bright cr flake a lot. the same whiff of perfume, only weaker. the same spicy discreet sweetness. only, here you get a bit of added strength and earthyness from the burley (and probably the dark fired, though i can't taste it). the pouch aroma has a bit of vanilla/tonquin bean in it, but luckily there's no trace of it in the smoke. it may just be the kentucky, actually.

it is certainly not an in-your-face tobacco, but it kinda sneaked in on me, and i soon thoroughly enjoyed it. one of my favourites.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2008-02-07		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I sorta stand corrected. This may be the ideal place to begin experimenting with Lakeland flakes. I prefer this to the aromatic variety but please note there does seem to be a floral flavor in this flake. Maybe this is from it being made at the same place as the heavily cased offerings of GH& Co offers. Who knows I think it enhances the smoke early on for by mid bowl it seems like a very good VA flake with depth and weight of the best in the category. I also like the room note better then most other flakes out there that are unflavored.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RMBittner (66)	2007-12-13		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I enjoyed this from the first bowlful -- a straightforward but nevertheless rich blend of African Virginias and burley that makes for a delightful change of pace from straight Virginia flakes (and from other Virginia blends that aren't based on African leaf).

I've tried this rubbed out and simply folded up. But this didn't hit its peak for me until the flake had been in a jar for several months and -- as a result of that time -- had naturally fallen apart into small, easy-to-pack strands that were still properly moist but much easier to pack.

It also became much more rewarding in the bowl after all of that jar time. As others have noted, Brown Flake is not a complex blend, but it can be extremely satisfying. If you don't take to it right away -- but you're likely to be partial to its ingredients -- let it sit in a jar for a month or so and then see what you think.

Bob

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2006-01-08		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I have lately been exploring Lakeland Flakes, I have smoked Brown Flake off and on for several years now and thought it was time for a review.

Appearance: A mostly dark brown with some lighter brown and tan mottling with a few yellowish bits leathery flake of varying thickness. Tin aroma: The first thing that is apparent when opening a tin of Brown Flake is quite simply tobacco. You couldn't possibly mistake this for anything else. I don't detect any casing or topping at all, just a fresh tobacco smell, deep and rich. There are nice stewed fruit tones, with leather and spiciness and a deep nutty mustiness which I associate mostly with mature Burley.

This tobacco is absolutely perfect for smoking, no drying time required. As with most flake tobaccos I simply take several flakes together, fold them in half and insert them length-wise into the bowl trimming off the excess. I find it has a much better burn this way and makes for a long enjoyable smoke. For this review, I?ve chosen an Nording Silver Series Canadian which is dedicated to Virginia based flakes.

A first light is brings billows of rich white smoke, followed with a brief visit of the tamper to settle the light crowning effect and then a tamping light. Immediately this blend is there, full and rich. A rich dark stewed fruit taste with nuts and mustiness. When exhaled nasally there is a slight sharpness and citrus quality and deep leathery flavors and scents. The first third of the bowl gradually builds in slowly increasing intensity. This has a very rich creamy mouth feel which I find irresistible.

Mid Bowl: Approaching mid-bowl, the fullness tends to build and while I wouldn?t call this mixture particularly complex, the flavors slowly deepen into a rich deep harmony. The Virginias build in depth and character while the Burley slowly builds and begins to assert dominance. Eventually the Burley becomes the main statement, though in a very refined way, tempering the brighter Virginia qualities. The Burley seems to enhance all the finer points about the Virgina, lending depth and mustiness. From time to time rich almost Maduro like scents are just there, however briefly.

Home Stretch: As end of the bowl approaches, I find that it becomes more intense though never overpoweringly so. The Burley eventually becomes the most dominant component with the Virginias with their stewed fruit scents fading. Deep and resonant forest, leather and cigar tones emerge from the heart of this blend, and it pleasantly drones on like a fog horn. If there were ever a deep rich Virginia and Burley flake for cold winter nights this is it. The final third of any bowl of this become very rich indeed. The perfect compliment to a nice cup of strong tea by the fireplace in late evening. I highly recommend this blend to a mature seasoned smoker. Plenty of interest for those who prefer English/Balkan products as well.

Supplemental Notes: This is a regular part of my rotation as a especially for late Autumn or Winter nights. ** 4 full stars

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	sasha (228)	2005-12-28		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

This is a blend for those moments in which you want to taste true tobacco and nothing else. Though it can seem a little flat in taste if you're used to scented blends or mixtures, at a more concentrate smoke it reveals all its subtleties. The taste is dominated by the Virginia sweetness, while the little addition of Burley helps a lot in rounding the typical Va harshness and contributes in keeping a certain coolness. To be a Lake District classic flake, it burns remarkably well and dry, without a lot of relights.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pounder 5000 (178)	2005-01-31		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Pleasant

Another wonderful Va flake by G&H. Stan pretty much sum it up perfectly as usual and all that I will add is that the only reason I don't smoke it more often is because I think Best Brown #2 is slightly better and very similiar. That said however, I would never turn down a bowlfull.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2004-11-30		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

If your in the mood for a straight VA this is the stuff. Not a complex smoke by any means just plain good tobacco that will hold your intrest to the bottom of the bowl. long flakes allow you to rub out to the desired consistancy. packs and smokes well. Elegant in its simplisity

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2003-12-20		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Brown Flake. I load it in pieces just short of the height of the bowl, strand ends oriented up and down; top it off with enough rubbed out flake to cover, light and go.

Initially, there is a strong "Lakeland" flavor which diminishes quickly to a very subtle, sometimes absent, note. Present througout the smoke is a distinctly British, but also clearly Virginia, sweetness. At the same time, there is a spiciness. Not spicy like pepper, but more like...baking spices (whatever they are!).

I find Brown Flake, well, mouth-watering. It's changes are slow and subtle, and its complexity is minimal. This is not, for me, boring, but rather satisfying. Like eating a slice of pumpkin pie.

Also noteworthy is minimal bite. Savored slowly, it is um...savory! Puffed hard, it will still return flavor with no bitterness, but far less chewy goodness.

As best as I can tell, the room note is not unpleasant. So, I find it a good smoke when wandering about the house, expecting company, or sitting in the park when I have a bit of time on my hands.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2003-11-19		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

I find far too many of the VA flakes from across the pond to be downright weird. GH offers some of those, to be sure, but Brown Flake is a nice, unadulterated flake with only a smidgen of the telltale floral aroma, which appears to come from the processing, rather than toppings. It is an excellent, all day smoke that has its share of fans, but doesn't quite do it for me. Still, it's well tooled, balanced, and very nice.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Paddy (127)	2003-11-18		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I was first intrigued with this blend and foolishly bought quite a bit of it. I liked the lightly scented flavor with good tobacco taste. But after a year of trying to tame the bite, I have given up. I now smoke it almost bone dry, usually a cure for Va. bite, but to no avail, and if I smoke it moist, I feel like I am sucking steam. I very much like a wide variety of the G&H dark flakes and dark scented flakes. But almost all of their lighter brown tobaccos, except for Broken Scotch Cake, do not get along with my tongue. There are just too many excellent tobaccos on the market these days to fool around with it any longer. I advise a small sample if you try this one. That should be enough to discover if you are immune to its bite. Paddy.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2003-11-04		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Given my proclivities towards natural virginias and my new found interest in Gawith, Hoggarth & Co's scented virginia flakes, I really expected to love this blend of Virginias and Malawi Burleys. Alas, it wasn't to be. It's not that there's anything that I particularly dislike about it-- good burning characteristics, pleasantly strong, but not overwhelmingly so etc. It has just failed to grab my attention. I also find it bites a little, which surprises me, as I'm not often bitten by straight virginias (except for a couple of the McClelland blends).

I find it rather earthy and musty by virginia standards-- and not quite as sweet as I had anticipated, given my experiences with Samuel Gawith's Full Va Flake (which I find almost cloying, depending on the pipe I smoke it in) and Best Brown to which this is often compared. I will continue to smoke it off and on-- perhaps I've missed something in these first four or five bowls.

All in all, there's nothing particularly wrong with this-- it's not at all unpleasant. I just find that there are other virginias (including some made by Gawith, Hoggarth & Co.), that I find to be more interesting.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2003-10-29		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I received some of this as a "bonus" when I purchased a pipe at a local tobacconist. The sample I received was quite generous and allowed me ample opportunity to get to know this note-worthy tobacco.

U/S Brown Flake came to me as a broken flake with a pouch aroma reminiscent of freshly cut hay. I love the "grassy" smell of "un-fooled-around-with" virginias. The Malawi burley is not evident in the pouch aroma (at least as far as my allergy ravaged schnoz can tell), but if you inspect the broken flakes closely enough, you can see the blondish strands.

U/S Brown Flake lights easily and stay lit without much attention. The initial flavor is a musty/grassy/sweet tang that interplays with the faintest of florals that G & H is known for. As soon as I detected the floral in the background, I braced myself for the soapiness that often accompanies the florals. I am glad to say that this never developed and the floral essence dissipated quickly.

From that point I was left with a lightly sweet and clean burning smoke that burned down nicely to a mottled grey ash. The spicy aroma that often comes with VA's kicked in about 1/2 way down the bowl - right about the same time that the sugars started to develope. While this tobacco blend never kicks in with your sweet tooth, it stays lightly sweet and, thanks to the Malawi Burley, is a very satisfying smoking experience. No need for handfuls of pipe-cleaners while smoking this.

G & H Brown Flake DGT's very well. I might even suggest this as standard modus operandi for this good tobacco. Highly recommended.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2002-01-24		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

A nice full VA flake . Definately worth a try if you like full VAs , similar to FVF .

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JaWiBr (440)	2023-02-24		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Package note of hay, fermented vegetation and spices. Tobacco is a flake of marbled yellowish brown, dark brown and tan. Moisture content is good. Some pipe smokers will want to dry this a bit. Burns slow with a few extra relights. The strength is medium and nic is medium. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium and very consistent, with notes of sweet grass, wood, peaty hay, bread, floral, spices, earthy, semi-sweet nuts, savory, citrus, , spicy, leathery, vinegary fermented vegetation, acidic, a ripe dark tangy fruit background note, and a peppery retro. Virginias are leading with Burley supporting. Dark Fire Cured is supporting minimally. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is great.

Pipe Used: 2016 Northern Briars Premier Rox Cut #4 Prince

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RK_Oz (15)	2022-02-02		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Nova Bee Briar First 15 mins: Sweet, floral, smoked paprika, earthy and nutty. Floral notes are more obvious when sipping as opposed to using the breathe method. Nutty, earthy, Paprika smoky and mild sweetness in the profile is obvious using breathe method. Retrohale: fairly peppery and quite enjoyable

15+ mins: floral notes are more profound using the breathe method. Smoky, spicy, earthy and some nuttiness is present all along. I can taste some chocolate creaminess at this stage as well. Retrohale: fairly peppery with added creaminess... Yummy

Country gentleman corn cob First 15 mins: floral, earthy, sweet and slightly less smoky spicy profile. Retrohale: smooth peppery but not as strong as in the briar.

15+ mins: similar notes as first 15 mins mark with nutty and creamy smoothness. Retrohale: same as 15 mins mark.

Note: I only had 2/3 of the bowl filled with baccy in the corn cob

Overall: Needed a few lights initially. Burnt at a nice pace, slightly hot but that could be due to wind and my cadence. No harsh spots and won't bite.

I found it very enjoyable and I am confident age will make it even better. Smoked better in the briar IME

Pipe Used: Nova Bee Briar, MM Country gentleman

Age When Smoked: 1 month

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	getyur@sstomars (26)	2021-09-29		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

First off I have always absolutely LOVED this stuff. I ordered it the first time off of smokingpipes com. It was bout 10 years ago, after my first year really enjoying a pipe . I had experience w Samuel G.'s best brown flake, and skiff mixture bso I knew the name was quality (remember how not long a go it was relatively easy to get S. G. And G. & H. Tobaccos?) I didn't know much about theLakeland school of flavor. Just that my tobacconist had never been a fan in his 40 years of working and owning his own B&M, and he never steered me wrong. So when I got brown flake U/S and it had a strong, unmistakable oder of rose water and soap, I thought "major false advertising here". I smoked it any way ,because why not. And I loved it,band ordered it regularly trying to always cellar some, but never could cause I loved it to much to not smoke.

This review is about the new one, or the one that truly does indeed have no topping, added sugar, or scents of any kind. I really wish I could get some as it would at least have 3 or 4 years of age on it.

Fast forward to a few years ago the recipe changed, it's the exact same wonderful tobacco but no scent. It really is unscented now, at least no Lakeland scent. All you taste and smell is THE BEST, most CONSISTENT, most PURE leaf us mortals will ever consume.

Out of the jar it's a tad moist, definitely needs ten or fifteen mins to air out. My nose doesn't pick up a whole lot from the tin that reminds me of other "pure" V/A's. This has NO toppings what so ever. So many so called pure VAs are indeed topped. Even as awesome as Wessex Curly Block is, it indeed is lightly topped (although it doesn't claim not to be) some times that nice sour, fermented smell is either enhanced, or applied w a topping. And lots of citrus scents are in fact falsified. Brown unscented has a light, almost Earl grey smell to me. Very clean. The floral note is mild and doesn't align w a Lakeland essence. It's the smell of fine tobacco. It doesn't smell sweet and fermented like Dunhill Flake. Or cloyingly sweet like Best Brown. It does have a wonderful dark brown color, w veins of black running all through it. Nice long flakes, so beautiful.

It packs well, needs a good amount of lights to get going, but once it does, it well behaved. Great clean taste of slightly sweet hay. Evolving in to sweet brown bread. Nothing complex or earth moving. Just honest flavor Will get harsh if puffed to much fast, and can almost bite you if pushed. I'm setting back my 6 oz of it for one year. And I'll amend this review accordingly.

Pipe Used: Bari bent billiard, falcon,wall F acorn

Age When Smoked: 5months

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: Best brown #2, beat brown germain's brown flake.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HabaneroHardy (395)	2019-08-20		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Unnoticeable

I was at the club yesterday and a friend of mine suggested I try this as I was looking for a Virginia. Though listed as unscented, I detected a faint Lakeland Essence or LE for short. I loaded my meerschaum and was assured it would not ghost my pipe. The first few puffs I tasted and smelled LE, somewhat like a mild floral soap. About 2/3rds down the bowl the scent that permeated my nostrils began to fade out almost completely. This appears to be good quality leaf. Part Deux: Today I chose a cob and reamed it out which I am sure is up to debate but for another forum. I did my customary fold and stuff and fired her up and as before I detected LE and felt it lingering in my nostrils. I paired this with some Trader Joe’s Red Honey Processed El Salvador coffee freshly ground which was not a bad companion. Part Thrice: Repeat of same. I am glad my friend likes this but I just cannot handle rose soap or grandma’s perfume no matter how faint it is. But that is what makes this hobby interesting, there is a blend out there for just about everyone but this one is not it. Kind of like the Matrix: Oracle: OK, now I'm supposed to say, "Hmm, that's interesting, but... " then you say... Neo: ..."but what?" Oracle: But... you already know what I'm going to tell you. Neo: I'm not The One. Oracle: Sorry, kid. You got the gift, but it looks like you're waiting for something. Neo: What? Oracle: Your next life, maybe. Who knows? That's the way these things go.

Pipe Used: Cob

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gordon Tavistock (23)	2018-10-30		Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

An absolute super star! While there is a slight hint of Lakeland essence (enough for anyone who hates that scent to not like this tobacco), it is very weak (Lakeland-smokes will probably not consider it a Lakeland at all). I often struggle to discern whether the floral notes that shine through on some puffs actually from the burley itself, rather than the topping. The small amount of Lakeland melds and blends so well with the refreshing and light notes of the tobacco itself, that it hardly feels like an aromatic or Lakeland blend. The flakes sometimes come too moist, like most flakes from this blender. When sufficiently dried ut, however, it packs and lights easily, wether you rub it out or prefer the fold and stuff method. It burns rather slowly and the smoke is cool. The Virginias are everything you could want from a Virginia flake, and the Burley adds a robustness and toasty nuttiness that works extremely well with the light floral notes. As mentioned, I suspect that some of the floral notes stem from the Burley itself. I get a similar floral/herb note from the Burley in C&Ds Briar Fox (which I otherwise haven't reviewed as favourably as this one). All in all, this tobacco always leaves me wanting more. Every puff is a pleasure, and something quite different than anything else in my rotation, despite its plain and no-nonsense composition. Burns down to a white ash.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cajomu (80)	2018-03-03		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I was rather disappointed with GH&C Brown Flake Unscented. It just did not have enough flavor to be of much interest.

It comes in the form of long, rather ragged flakes. The aroma of the unlit flakes is that of high quality burley although, as noted below, the burly is definitely a bit player in the blend. The moisture content is perfect (no drying necessary). After rubbing out, it's easy to pack and light, with only an occasional relight being needed.

Upon lighting up, the spiciness of dark fired leaf is the first thing you taste, but this dissipates rather quickly and the tobacco settles down to be a rather insipid Virginia. It reminded me of a light version of Peter Stokkebye Luxury Navy Flake. The Virginias are mostly earthy and grassy, with little sweetness. I didn't detect the burley until the end of the smoke, when I got a bit of nuttiness and a little more depth of flavor. I didn't taste any Lakeland essence. On the plus side, it doesn't bite no matter how hard you puff. The nicotine hit was medium.

Brown Flake Unscented is clearly a quality tobacco and one that will probably appeal somewhat to Virginia smokers. However, for me, there is just not enough flavor to justify the price.

Pipe Used: African Meerschaum

Age When Smoked: Recently purchased.

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars

Similar Blends: Peter Stokkebye Luxury Navy Flake.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Goose55 (33)	2017-05-03		Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

This luscious tobacco has become my most desired morning smoke. From the tin note to the room note, it is perfect. Lots and lots of scrumptious, heady, deeply rich & earthy sweet flavor, with billows of smoke, and yet so very smooth & creamy. No bite, even if you chug away, as I do--because I ravish the flavor so very much. The 500-gram box presents the enormous, thick flakes that GH is famous for. Rubbing the flake out is very pleasant, as the tobacco has an almost meaty texture. This will be a mainstay tobacco for me for a long time. Get yourself some to try. You won't regret it. Best enjoyed in a large, wide chambered pipe. I've purchased many lots of this in 500g boxes and there's never been the slightest bit of Lakeland essence. That I can detect, anyway.

After a long absence in the U.S. this blend (and maybe others) are back in stock at 4Noggins. As of my writing on the morning of 1/18/19 it just arrived, so contact them & have them pull what it is you want.

Pipe Used: A large bent Viprati Billiard

Age When Smoked: New & aged a few months in Kerr jars.

Purchased From: 4Noggins

Similar Blends: Sam Gawith Best Brown Flake.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WillardFan (90)	2016-08-28		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Lakeland floral scent! What the heck is that stuff? I guess you either like it, or you don't. I'm still trying to give it some more time for my taste buds to come to an favorable opinion about G&Hs products. A beautiful flake to be sure. Moisture content for me was smokable right out of my delivered package. I've noticed that the flavor improves towards the middle of the bowl. Over all, it's an excellent flake. Definitely worth a try, and it's available in bulk...

Pipe Used: Captain Black Yeoman

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars

Similar Blends: G&H Scotch Flake scented..

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2013-12-09		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

The best G&H IMO

Nothing more to say to the fourstarrevies here.

just my 2 cents.

The star of the show here is the Malawi Burley - a bit sweet and very nutty.

Nothing to compare with anyone in the states.

But be carefull. It is good in summer and winter ! I had maked once the the mistake to smooke it over weeks or month without rotation. Thats was too much. I get tired for a few month.

You could it simple duplikat.

Add 50 % G&H Brown Flake plus 50% SAMUEL GAWITH ST. JAMES Flake together and you almost have it

Another good mix is : SAMUEL GAWITH ST. JAMES Flake + SAMUEL GAWITH ST. Balkan Flake

Pipe Used: diverent ca. 20 pieces

Age When Smoked: 1 - 5

Purchased From: bulk

Similar Blends: nothing.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Big (321)	2011-09-28		Medium to Strong	Medium	Full	Pleasant

I will never buy another G&H tobacco again. Don't tell me that a tobacco is UNSCENTED and then have me hit with that crappy Lakeland Floral soap taste with the first light. I should charge them for ghosting my pipe . They probably got the processing equipment dripping with LF soap juice. What a crime, they ruin what looks like a fine tobacco.

IF YOU DON'T LIKE LAKELAND FLORAL SOAP THEN DON'T BUY THIS

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2007-07-27		Medium	Mild to Medium	Overwhelming	Tolerable

I don't like this at all. It was purfume-like and that floral-soapy aroma/taste was disgusting. Objectively it was a nice looking flake that burned well. The volume of smoke was good. To me this stuff was overwhelming with that lakeland stench which is not present in Gawith's BBF or their CF. For me Gawith and Hoggarth are a mixed bag....Love some...Hate others....but its been fun trying.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RCUSElder (244)	2006-01-02		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is another fine flake from the house of Gawith, et.al. I think that this is their version of Samuel Gawiths Brown Flake. The main difference is that this one is a bit earthier in flavor and a tad bit stronger, plus it has a tinge of the famous "Lakelend" scent.I found it perfect in moisture and had no issues with tongue-bite at all. I found it just as cool as BBF. One note of warning: Dedicate a pipe to it, because it will impart the scenting to your pipes. Even though this is the "unscented" version, it still has a tinge of the scenting that I suppose comes from it being in the same factory, but I like it so it doesn't really matter to me. I will definitely continue smoking this blend, alternating between it and BBF. Enjoy...

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2005-09-25		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

11/24/04 Brown Flake has an earthy/musty smell in the pouch. I do not detect any flavorings or casings. It is a beautiful flake, composed of dark and lighter brown leaf. I prefer to let it dry a little before smoking. It?s more expensive than McClelland bulk Virginias, but still quite economical due to its slow burning qualities.

I prefer not to rub it out; I think I get a little more flavor and it burns slow and steady. The flavor is very similar to the pouch aroma: earthy, hay-like, and slightly creamy. I enjoy the room-note; it?s very natural and slightly sweet. I like Brown Flake best in the morning, particularly outside or in my car on the way to work with the window open. It?s a blend that can be enjoyed year-round. Brown Flake is not terribly complex, but straightforward and satisfying. There are no substantial high notes like Bright CR Flake, but it?s smoother and creamier, which is probably due to the added burley. It could easily be an all-day smoke.

Update 09/25/05 All my other comments still hold, but I want to upgrade my rating. Its creamy and smooth nature deserves 4 stars.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	John Frum (19)	2022-12-14		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I've been enjoying Sam's Best Brown Flake recently, so decided to try this one from G&H. So far, I'm enjoying it at least as much as Best Brown. Maybe even more. There's a richness and depth to the flavour which I guess is the Burley in the mix. Nice clean mouth-feel, well behaved from start to finish, needs few lights, and I don't get any bite. As with Best Brown I cube-cut and take it slow and easy. I can't fault this tobacco, so a full four stars from this puffer.

Pipe Used: Falcon small Dublin

Age When Smoked: Don't know

Purchased From: GQ Tobaccos

Similar Blends: Samuel Gawith's Best Brown Flake.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	neuron_md (32)	2022-11-05		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Very nice and sweet tobacco. The description says it has dark fired and plain burley in it. But it is applied lightly, just enough to give it body and depth.

So it is not too grassy as pure Virginias tend to be, but rather full and well-rounded. It is mostly medium flavored with dark notes.

There is a sweet, sugary, custard-like, fruity, and nutty essence to it, and I sense it especially when retro-haled thru the nose. This particular sampling was folded and stuffed into a large-bowled Peterson billiard.

Very enjoyable from beginning to end.

Pipe Used: Various briars

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: SPC

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mijnnif (126)	2022-09-12		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Bag note is coco and a bit of sweetness. I found the tobacco to be a bit on the most side I let it sit for about 15 minutes after rubbing it out. The first few puffs were a bit on the floral side but after it stoved a bit the floral receded into the background. What was left was a wonderful nutty Virginia, Burley super smooth and creamy and just slightly sweet smoke with lite coco notes. This is a delightful blend with just a touch of the Lakeland floral note. Nic hit is mild. Burns very even doesn't get too hot. No bite at all. Its a bit hard to find but highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Paronelli Briar large bowl

Age When Smoked: fresh bag

Purchased From: friend gift

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Big Tom (20)	2022-04-17		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

G&H must've cleaned up how they produce this because there is zero Lakeland which should be the case in something labeled as unscented. It truly is unscented. It's smooth and medium the way I like it. I struggled with their stronger blends. This one is perfect and harmonious. It's stronger tasting than a straight Virginia, a VaBur this is. I'm sure if you did multiple bowls the nic would creep up on ya like a Boogeyman.

Pipe Used: Meer, briar

Age When Smoked: New to 8mos

Purchased From: Smoking pipes

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Honest&Simple (25)	2021-10-16		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Beautifully pressed flakes, dark brown and speckled with lighter spotting. Not much on aroma' I can smell slight virginia notes.

Another good one from gawith. This one is a bit lighter than the dark flake but not by much.

Well behaved and easy to smoke. The burleys are the stars here, they flatten the virginias edges and make this a treat to smoke. I reach for it often.

3.5

Will buy more

Pipe Used: Cob, various briars

Age When Smoked: Fresh to 6months

Purchased From: Smoking pipes

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TallPuffO'Burley (632)	2021-06-07		Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

I just finished up the 2 oz. sample of this I purchased 5 years ago and was overall pleased with it. This, like every other blend labeled unscented from GH and Co that I have tried, has that underlying twinge of lakeland aroma that is just the right amount IMO.

I compare BFUS to BB#2 and CR Bright Flake even though those two are, I believe, all virginia blends. This one is differentiated by an addition of a small portion of burley. This is a great smoking blend. GH does virginia in a way that makes it more forgiving on the tongue than most and this is no exception to that rule. BFUS smokes great with a little dry time and tastes mostly of virginia IMO. The burley is definitely in a support role adding, I presume, body and heft. I can't really distinguish the burley though and tbh, I did not find this to be a strong blend at all from a nicotine standpoint. This is why I feel a comparison to the earlier mentioned Virginia blends from GH to be more apt.

Ultimately, I enjoyed this but not as much as I did/do CRBF or BB2, so I will give this a strong three stars and will be happy I only purchased the 2 oz I did.

Pipe Used: Dunhill Ruby Bark 4110

Age When Smoked: 5 years

Similar Blends: Bright CR and Best Brown #2.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lingo (39)	2019-04-22		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

After testing several GH, and hating the Lakeland soap, I finally opened a tin of Brown Flake Unscented. Boys, THIS is good, why scent them you lakeland people?? Very nice flake, dark colors and essences in the tin. Yes, maybe some reminiscence lf lakeland flowers do come up, but boy, this is a right amount! Packing can be hard for newbies to flakes. The smoke is cool and just tasty as you would expect from the tin. I could count many turns and swirls during the evolution of the bowl, and this is very good to notice about a “natural” non scented, simple tobacco. A good lesson for the lovers of 6-or-more-weeds-mixtures-and-flavoured. Loved it.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Little Steven (76)	2016-08-30		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Unnoticeable

The usual high quality. A pretty much straight virginia. Many have compared it to Sam Gawith Full Virginia Flake or Best Brown. That's fair, but this has it's own identity.

If you like full on brown virginias this is absolutely for you.

I've gone off virginia so I'm cellaring what I've got for..... days, at least.

I know what I'm like!

Pipe Used: Stanwell billard.

Age When Smoked: Fresh.

Purchased From: Online somewhere.

Similar Blends: Sam Gawith Best Brown and Full Virginia Flake., And a host of other browns from yesteryear..

1 person found this review helpful.