Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Dark Flake

Well, I like the GH tobaccoes but this one ... At first I tried Dark Flake, I was hoping to have a new full experience with another GH but it ended after a few puff. Taste harsh! It's a very very strong cigar! But now, it have his place in my cellar. I blend it with any flake I have if I need a nic hit and it work very well; no more harsh or cigar taste, just a full tobacco taste. It's not a lakeland and it don't have any "soapy" taste at all.

Dark Flake Unscented;

Star Rating = 3.75;

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

Pouch Note = 10;

Room Note = 9;

Flavor = 10;

Bite = 9;

Burn = 10;

After Taste = 9;

Raw Score = 57;

Rated Percentage = 95%;

Comment = Smooth, Strong Strength, Rich Full Body Natural Tobacco Flavor, this is a Strong but enjoyable smoke.

I tried this because it got reviews indicating that it was good quality, unflavored and strong but rewarding if not puffed like a locomotive.

I found it to be utterly lacking in depth and interest. It gives a kick, but there is no trick to that. I'd dispose of it in my leaf burner but the neighbors might call the EPA. Any one of us who has tasted the better blends from Sam Gawith or Esoterica would probably find Dark Flake to be rock bottom.

When the taste leaves my mouth in a few days, I hope to get back to my regular rotation.

Gawith and Hoggarth: Dark Flake ---Unscented:

I'm not sure if it is me (body Chemistry ) or the tobacco that I got from two different distributors but I have no problems enjoying this tobacco. I don't get the grand hoopala about the strong taste and nicotine content of this blend. I have had some blends,nost notably aromatic (in the American sense of the term) and one or two English/Balkan give me a bit of a spin head and tongue-wise but this one does not.

This is not some hairy-chested testo-moronic brag just a fact. I recognize that everyone has different tastes and sensitivites to different blends and I respect that and don't doubt their valid opinions.

In so far as I recognize that I do not reccomend this as a starter blend for a newbie and also that it does indeed have a sort of a cigary undertone and some people just can't stand that sort of thing. I wouldn't reccomend it to them either. Personally I like both the strength and all the tastes that this blend provides.

After a little bit of drying and chopping up it loaded well and smoked just fine so no problem there.Burn was mote than acceptable and as far as romm note goes I have no complaints there either. I still maintain that the average pipe smoker really can't get a true smell of the burning tobacco unless he takes a stroll in the open air and returns. I think that this sort of perambulation is more or less a waste of time and being blessed with a very tolerant wife dshe is not bothered by anything I smoke. Hence---no help from me as to room note.

The blend itself is not a light blend and this is stated in the advertisement and descriptions by Gawith and Hoggarth and by most if not all distributors selling it. Keeping this in mind should be enough for a good decision on what and what not to smoke.

As far as flavorings I didn't note much or indeed any. I suspect that Gawith and Hoggarth knew that the tobacco itself was naturally strongly flavored and didn't bother wasting time or scents on this version. Thank you Gawith and Hoggarth for that!

As stated in the intro to this piece I don't see the cause for all this trepedation and reticence about this blend. My best recommendation for those hearty souls that have not tried it is to ask your distributor for a moderate sample and try it. If it turns you off the worst you may expect is a slightly queasy stomach and a little head spin which will pass if you can't smoke it. This is ,of course not a permanent condition. Then again you may come to the conclusion I did---Ain't bad at all.In either case you will have a very definite experience.

The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (Truckin' in the morning!)

Update: For those that find this blend a little too much(nicotene or flavor[cigar or otherwise]) I have a suggestionh. Mix it (you will pdaron the expression) "half nd half" with Medium Virginia Flake from Samuel Gawith (or its aka in tinned form-"Golden Glow")and the resulting mixture is quite smokable and very enjoyable. Packs well. Burns nicely and tastes - as most expect heavier than Medium Flake alone and not as robust as Dark Flake alone. Quite tasty and a remarkably agreeable blend for the evenings or even the mornings. The proportions of course can be adjusted up or down the scale for variations of strength and nicotene punch.

The Piper at the Gates of dawn still truckin' in the morn

I hate it when I see constant 4 star reviews here at Tobacco-opinions, and Im guilty of it myself, so far, but this fine Tobacco IMHO deserves no less than 4 stars.

This is a nice strong, dark colored flake of Dark-Fired Virginia's and Burley, available in bulk. At first light the intense, smoky and almost cigar like flavor hits the palate like a ton of bricks and then gently yields to what some might interpret as a hint of a floral or a soapy taste. These gentle herbal flavors, I believe, come from the actual curing process as described in the "tin description" at the top of the page.

The Virginia leaf used is grown in Africa, and is potent in every sense of the word, IE, flavor and nicotine, its most definitely not for the uninitiated or the nico-wimps. It burns slow and never bites the tongue and wont give any harshness.

A great old fashioned flake! 🙂

Update, addendum, whatever. I recently broke this out again after it was sealed up for about two years. Time took the sharpness off the floral character of this tobacco, and really mellowed it out, at least the flavor and aroma. The nicotine strength has not abated, however, and it is still a very stout smoke. This is a very good tobacco, and will satisfy even the most ravenous of nicotine cravings. Smoke it after a very big meal; flavor is strong enough to stand up to a good scotch or strong ale. Truly a first class smoke.

*[original review] My head is still ringing three days later. I roll my own cigarettes using Drum tobacco, sometimes without filters. And this stuff was strong by my standards. Not that it isn't good, I just don't care for this kind of tobacco strength in a pipe.

The flakes are leathery in consistency, and take a little effort to fully rub out. There is no scent to the flakes, but I tasted a distinct and obtrusive soapiness that was only present as a perfumy scent with Glengarry flakes. About halfway through the bowl, the soapy taste hadn't settled down at all. Undaunted, I finished it down to the ash. This stuff smokes really very well. It never got hot, didn't bite, and I never had to relight it after getting it going. But that soapy taste, and it was rather harsh, just got in the way of the tobacco.

I tried it again a few days later, and no change. Very high quality tabac, with a weird taste. I think that what goes on is that the brain, being so very unfamiliar with whatever this is that has crept into the tobacco during processing, is mistranslating the taste as "soap!". I persevered with the Glengarry flakes, and was rewarded with one of the coolest, most pleasant smokes I had ever had. But, this is just really stout tobacco, and my brain is still telling my tongue that it's soap.

This is a great tobacco. It is true that even the unscented version has some of the lakeland taste to it but I did not find it to be overwhelming and the Virginia used is quite tasty. Also this satisfies a nicotine craving in a hurry. All in all one of my favorites.

wow, the reviews here are all over the place, if weighed toward the recommended side. I guess you're just gonna have to try it. I love it, on my second 4 oz. It's the things you read of here, smokey, nutty, but if smoked carefully, there's definitely some sweetness as well. Not like a grassy Virginia sweet, but a dark chocolate kind of bittersweet, not that it has a chocolate flavor. The "soapiness" of lakeland blends is really sort of herbal and floral, and it's present in this one. If you like full, smokey blends, this is worth a try. Not the kind of smokey of full latakia blends, but it's there nonetheless.

update: This tobacco is very heavy in body and flavor. If you're into that, I'm sure you will like this tobacco, but for most it will not be an everyday smoke. Since I wrote the first review, I've put a few ounces into storage as I just couldn't take the heaviness anymore.

wow, this IS strong tobacco. for a predominantly virginia and balkan smoker like me, it is quite overwhelming.

actually, imo, a tobacco like this is nearly impossible to smoke on its own. i see it more like an ingredient that will spice up a blend, as in st. bruno. still, judged for its quality per se, it's top notch. loaded with not only nicotine, but also flavour, its characteristic smoky/perfumy taste so typical of first class dark fired, can't be beaten.

i might even get hold of a small - a very small, really - pipe to smoke this excellent tobacco pure.

highly recommended!