Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Brown Flake U/S

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.