Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Dark Flake

I ordered the unscented version. What I was sent was labeled unscented. What I smoked was not unscented. Your guess is as good as mine on this one.

I get mellow, mild, smoked Virginia flavor along with the floral Lakeland "perfume". It's medium to full in body. It does have a vague resemblance to a cigar; one that is mild in flavor. I don't much care for this, but it is tolerable to smoke.

Received this in a sample from Synjeco. My first impressions were that of a basic Va. flake, thin slices that were dark and strong to the nose, certainly a Virginia. This tobacco was tried in my vehicle on the way from work, I thought that a good nicotine buzz would speed up the process, so on I went. A quater bent Peterson Donegal Rhodesian was selected, since I usually smoke on Va's in Peterson's, this seem to be the pipe. Rubbing this flake out was a bit of task, since my hands were on a sterring wheel at 60 miles an hour, on a secondary road at that! The charring process took just a few seconds, probably due to the moisture content, and away we go. A slow burning, deeply rich Virginia, and that is not cased, or at least my palate is suspect. Not so bad, tooling down the road, listening to some Jethro Tull, and WHAM!, it hits me, my head starts a slight spinning move, and that feeling of eating to pizza, indigestion sets in, the whole while I'm puffing away. My inintial reaction was that my tobacco was cut, with something, but the reality set in I realized that this is some potent stuff. I will rate this tobacco high because of the quality of the processing, the flavor, and richness, and quite simply, it surprised me. A hit for those who like a strong nicotine buzz, and for the many lover's of Virginia flake. Well Done!

I received this tobacco from Richard Kaminski, as he had received it from Tapio Pentikainen, and it has covered two continents to get to me! I'm really looking forward to trying this out.

These flakes are large! I've never smoked anything but a "broken flake" before this, and this is imposing looking. I can only imagine the tin 🙂 Almost all chocolate brown colored and shot through with birdseye of lighter colors. This looks delicious.

Pouch aroma : LSW said "that smells nice" and I strongly agree. Leathery and soft on the nose. I wasn't sure if it smelled tannic like a red wine, but I went back later and smelled again - it did smell like a deep dryish red wine.

Tobacco was dry and yet still supple - the flakes just started to break when I took them out of the bag. I separated one flake and folded it over a couple of times and rubbed it out against my palm. It separated nicely, and was easy to pack into my Aldo Velani bent billiard. This is my only pipe currently dedicated to VA's and I am working on converting three other pipes over. It lit well - raising a crown nicely. A second match and I was thrilled! Deep and dark are the right adjectives. Very cigar-ish overtones, almost like a maduro wrapper. The more I smoke this the more cigarish it feels. Perhaps that's the nico-weenie in me, but I think I need a smaller bowled pipe for this blend 🙂 The AV I chose holds a full flake - almost 6 inches by 1.25 inches of tobacco! There was just a little left over when I rubbed the flake out, so I put it back in the bag. Oops - a little gurgle here - run a cleaner down and it's all better. This makes my nose tingle as I puff.

As I smoke slower with smaller puffs, I notice far more of a campfire smell in the smoke. Very woodsy and pleasant. This will probably be one of my longest smokes as I don't think smoking this quickly will be good for my stomach

There's a tingle in the back of my throat after the first third of the bowl, and I'm pretty sure this is going to have to be DGT'd a few times over the course of the day - but it's very nice.

I got up to change the laundry over (my Sunday task), and I realized how wobbly I was - this is STRONG... If this is the average strength of a flake tobacco, then I'm in for a long smoke. My relight is a little ashy tasting - perhaps a cleaner down the stem - that helps.

About halfway down the bowl, I cannot light through the ash on the top. I decide to dump the ashes, which are pretty mottled grey with a touch of black in them and relight. The nicotine hits hard in my mouth in a strong rush. This is decidedly too strong for me. I'll probably finish this bowl, but I'm not sure that I'll light another. I'm sure that this is a tobacco tasty smoke, but I think it is too much for me. It's good, but it's not quite my thing.

I tried this on recommendation of a very good friend.

Opening you have very moist almost black flakes, aroma is very pungent, it reminds me very much of dark birds eye, although from the famous kendal blending House I detect none of the signiature floral essence. Just very musty, smokey tobacco scent, a typical British flake if you will.

I loaded up a cob of well rubbed out mixture and its moist Ness can cause issues on the light but a fair amount of drying alleviates this.

Smoking this tobacco you are greeted with very heavy and very meaty smoke, it is extremely full in taste and it doesn't take long for the nicotine to rear its head. It's a bomb on this one, i barely got half way through a legend Cob before I had to give in and calm myself down from the nicotine overload.

Friends this is brutally strong, I would not recommend this to either a newbie to the pipe or someone who only smokes now and then, I fact if you have a less than strong tolerance to nicotine I wouldn't recommend it all.

I can see its virtues, it is classic British style at its finest and I can see why it has a cult following, but personally dark flake will never come near my pipes ever again.

It is brutal in strength in every sense of the word. Room. Note will not win you any friends at all like its strength and taste to say it is potent is a vast understatement, my other half absolutely abhorred the room note and that was even smoking it outside, make of that what you will. All in all in my personal opinion no adjective can possibly portray its strength on paper it is massively over the top much like using a 50 calibre round to crack a walnut.

Again I can see why it is popular but it is Deffinitely not for me.

I would somewhat recommend it only to those who know they can handle such a rampaging beast. 2 stars

I much prefer the scented version of this blend. This is OK, but it just didn't ring my bell like its relative does. The blend also turned sourish mid-bowl and that was a little off-putting

This is a very robust, full-bodied Virginia/Burley flake, with a pronounced cigar flavour mixed in with its Lakeland fruitiness, and a serious nicotine kick. If you want a strong and tasty smoke, it's excellent: cool, slow, consistent; lights easily and stays lit. At certain points during a bowlful, it reminds me a little of St Bruno. There's a room note that is distinctive but not at all unpleasant. Sip it, though, or your head will spin: it's a good deal too strong for me, and I would recommend a small bowl for your first attempt at it. I smoked it in a Peterson 312 and felt distinctly queasy afterwards.

DF has an odd, tough consistency, though - I see another reviewer has called it 'leathery.' This is a small negative. The flakes don't either rub out well or fold well; it also tends to leave a lot of moisture behind. It would probably benefit from a little drying before you smoke it. Aging it would probably calm it down a bit, also, and maybe make the flakes more tractable.

I don't care for it much because I don't like the cigar-type notes and there's too much vitamin N; but DF is an honest and worthwhile baccy if you like a thoroughly masculine, 'outdoor' sort of smoke. Somewhat recommended, then. Not for the beginner, though; and beware of the ghost. Also, don't let it dry out too much; too dry and it smokes very hot; also, the cigar-type flavour becomes very prominent and the tobacco develops a harshness/bitterness that I find rather unpleasant.

Other reviews helped me identify my impressions of this tobacco. First impresion - this is a strong, old fashioned, slightly rough smoke. The sort of smoke I'd imagine favoured by grufty old country bumpkins who want some bang for their buck. It does change a bit through the smoke to add some interest. It is a cool smoke, & cigar-like. Best enjoyed occasionally, after a meal & with a drink.

Gawith Hoggarth Dark flake - A rich hearty full flavored , earthy woodsy blend . Very smokey all the way through the bowl . Nutty , vegative and slightly floral from Dark Fired tobacco . I get no Lakeland essence at all . I get no flavoring I can notice . Doesn’t take cigar like to me . Maybe a whiff of cigar once or twice in a bowl barely . Strong tasting and nic hit is strong . Stronger than Old Dark Fired But not as strong as Nicotina Rustica . Tiny bit of sweetness . Doesn’t taste like a Virginia tobacco blend really . The smokiness of the dark -fired leaf is the main flavor . Recommend for those who like strong blends and may make a good mixer . It tastes better than Rustica for sure . I think I will stick with Old Dark Fired for the best smoking experience. Somewhat recommend. Maybe I’ll like the scented version better? Not bad but probably won’t buy more . 2 stars

I loaded up a bowl in the Kirsten esquire at the wedding of a friend. Put flame to it and breathed it to life. Whoah! I came to pipes from Cuban cigars, Ashton VSG's and various other "strong" cigars. They didn't even phase me. This stuff, however, seemed very rough. I did not want to spend the rest of the dance puking in the woods, so I dumped the bowl. It is now 2 years later, and I have not been brave enough to try it again. Now that it is spring, I will brave another bowl on the deck when I am not afraid to spend the rest of the day puking.