Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Ennerdale Flake

In the tin, Ennerdale is a soft flake, easy to wad or rub out. It is dark but mottled, and it has a sweet Virginia aroma plus the Lakeland District peculiar trait. Just the right amount of moisture for me. This stuff remains cool and dry requiring little attention. The Ennerdale Virginia is gentle on my throat. It has a medium body with adequate nicotine. It cannot bite. I prefer to go right from the tin to the pipe. Rubbing and drying seem to remove the highlights.

Initially, the "soap" is undeniable (not offensive to me), neither is a peppery spice and sweet Virginia. Alternately creeping up the stem: a musty-leathery-woodsy note, a fruity sweetness, a bitter-sweet nuttiness, a tangy citrus, and peat. The "soap" dissipates. To me the remarkable characteristic is the sweet Virginia with fruit, nuts, and vanilla. As advertised.

I have not encountered a more pleasant tasting and soothing Lakeland. I would not smoke it all day, but I have not found a tobacco I would want to smoke all day. Highly recommended for the Lakeland-tolerant Virginia lover.

Let me start by saying I enjoy Ennerdale Flake so greatly, I dedicated an entire pipe in my collection to it. Of course, that is also to say I basically had to buy a new pipe to smoke this long-term because it WILL ghost on you something fierce, but it's so worth it, at least to me. I will add Ennerdale is not for everyone, but it is a great way to open the doors to the admittedly niche but oh so tasty world of Lakeland flakes which are actually scented, similar to a perfume or potpourri, instead of topped with a casing - named for the Lakes District of England. My understanding is this 'scenting' is achieved by spraying the leaves with flavored oils prior to pressing them into flakes, and then adding similarly-flavored oils to the steam press prior to aging for the bouquet of flavors to marry. Amazing, unique stuff, and Ennerdale is the best of them all, in my opinion.

Ennerdale Flake is not an 'Aromatic' in the traditional sense, and I actually classify it much closer to a Virginia blend than an Aromatic. The strong emphasis on the specific varietals in the description from GHC is not without merit for this exact reason: the scented oils imbue the leaves with light flavoring, but it's not overpowering - the natural essence of the exotic Virginia's used in this blend shine through as the prime notes on your palette, and the imbued scents accentuate and add depth to the overall bouquet.

The Ennerdale experience is much akin to drinking a high-quality flavored Gin, like Hendricks Gin: the Juniper berries are the clear center, but the added cucumber & rose which makes Hendricks unique are strong supporters making for a fantastic experience, especially for lovers of classic Gin. In the same way, the sun cured Virginia from Malawi is the prime spice note; while not a similar flavor as Perique, it gives a similar effect on the blend a primary flavor. The sun-cured Malawi is smoky, woody, and slightly vanilla sweet. It's supported by the wealth of strong, aged Virginia in the blend providing a warm, almost grassy or hay-like flavor with notes of sugar, sea salt, and vinegar. THEN comes the clear almond & rose notes with a bit of orchid & citrus on the finish.

What a mountain of flavor; it can be a lot to take in at first, but keep a cool smoke going, and you are sure to experience many of these notes in different combinations with each puff with a good amount of body to back it up. Unlike many pipe tobaccos which have consistent flavor profiles throughout a bowl, I notice Ennerdale is more like a cigar in how the taste ebbs & flows; it builds. Most importantly, the almond & rose flavoring, which stand out nice & pronounced at the beginning of the bowl, become muted the longer you smoke, giving way to those high-quality Virginia leaves. This is another characteristic of Lakeland flakes; the added scents are not intended to mask mediocre tobacco, but enhance good leaves. In this way, Ennerdale is a meal where the potatoes compliment the steak, and the after taste of all this is almost intoxicating - especially if you are pairing a bowl of this blend with a glass of Hendricks Gin on the rocks (and I recommend you do!).

I must also highlight the smoking characteristics as this blend requires a little patience in the beginning. Whether in the tin or bulk, some rubbing out will likely be required, and it can be difficult to get lit or smoke a bit hot right off the light. Patience is key as only a bit of extra work right at the first/false light and for a few minutes after will yield the smoker a sublimely cool smoke with minimal relights (I find rubbing the flake out first will also minimize relights, but this is my general experience with all flake-cut blends). As mentioned, the Lakeland scenting process does lend this blend to ghost, and a Meerschaum or Morta (Bog Oak) is recommended if you do not want the next few bowl to taste of almond & rose. Eventually, you may end-up going my route & dedicating a pipe to the blend - you will not be disappointed if you do.

A former co-worker of mine at the Briar Patch in Sacramento, CA often remarked of Ennerdale Flake as the "Monkey Roses" blend - even writing it on my bulk bags from time to time. "Monkey Roses" highlights the mix of earthy & floral notes in this blend's bouquet, and I always saw it as a testament to how evocative & illustrative this particular mixture can be. A rare Lakeland gem among so many grains of Virginia sand. Enjoy!

I love reading reviews from people who so dislike a product they need to insult other pipe smokers just to feel better. Some go so far as to continue buying blends from the companies that make the offending smoke in hopes, I suppose, that they might once again be so relieved in public. Reminds me of the guy who kept hitting himself in the head with a hammer because it felt so good when he stopped.

But, once again, I must digress. Ennerdale is great! I can see the comparison to Kendal Flake but Ennerdale has the almond note and Kendal doesn't seem to. There's also to me a distinct toffeeosity to the smoke as soon as the flowers burn off. That's usually about a third into the bowl. From there on out, I don't get much of the, um, 'TEF's' (I'm glad to admit, that's not my term). It is Flavored, but not nearly as much as say, 1792, Cannon plug or even Erinmore. Lights and smokes well even when a little too wet for my liking. Plus, more comments than I can remember on the great room note (I couldn't care less) and Nicotine! Highly Recommended!

P.s. I enjoy this most while ironing my bloomers in a freshly starched camiknicker, extra powder. Anyone got a problem with that? Go find yourself some crumpet! (Bridge for sale)

With out a doubt true pipe smoking nirvana. A pipe tobacco blend fit for the gods. Every time I smoke a bowl of this fine mixture I feel at peace with life and the universe. The almond, vanilla, floral, rum and mixture of other scents. Just takes me to somewhere else. Somewhere where humans are kind and help one another, somewhere where life is a little slower and kinder. I want to go fishing. Or sit in a lavender field and listen to nature. If you don't like this mixture I understand. If you like this mixture as I do. I also understand. A very complex blend not for everyone. Peace.

First let me say that this tobacco is flavored with almond oil or extract. I bought some almond cookies at Christmas, couldn't figure out what the flavor and scent reminded me of. Until I opened my jar of Ennerdale flake. Almond Cookies! So the tin description is correct...almond!

Ennerdale comes In a broken flake wrapped in a plastic bag inside the tin. The tin note is Almond oil, with scents of lavender, tonquin bean, and bergamot. These flavors show themselves throughout the bowl. Very creamy and enjoyable. The Virginia tobaccos are extremely flavorful with hints of baked goods, with the mouth feel of burley. At times I can sense a Fruit Punch flavor near the bottom of the bowl. The flake never bites and the nicotine stays at a mild to medium, depending how fast you smoke.

I cannot recommend Ennerdale Flake enough.

Having enjoyed some of the other scented flakes, and reading that this was among the most richly flavoured, I decided to try it. I was expecting to enjoy it (I rather like the perfumed, slightly soapy edge to some of these tobaccos, it's very distinctive). However, on opening the pouch and smelling it, I was struck by an uncomfortable feeling of dread... It smelled like cheap perfume, fairy liquid and toilet cleaner all rolled into one! There was little aroma of tobacco detectable, nor could I smell any almond or vanilla. It just smelled like artlessy mixed essential oils, mostly lavender.

I decided to smoke it anyway (I had to try it), and on lighting it, the main taste was of lavender, with a hint of incense. I hoped this would fade into the background, as with other scented flakes like Erinmore. But no, it just got stronger, and otherwise remained unchanged throughout a 2 hour smoke. My mouth felt like it was coated in lavender oil and soap, which I didn't much enjoy. There was no flavour of tobacco, or of almonds or vanilla, just soap. Worse still, after smoking it, the flavour hung around in my mouth for hours. I couldn't even taste pure hot pepper sauce!

In fairness, it must be good quality tobacco, for it lit with ease, burned cool, slow and without a hint of bite, and required few relights. It must appeal to those who like heavily perfumed tobaccos, to such an extent that they no longer care much for the tobacco. Personally, I enjoy Erinmore flake (Piquantly fruity), St Bruno (rich and full, the sweetness is complemented by the hint of bergamot oil) and Conniston Cut Plug (rich and deep, with just a hint of perfume) but to me, the flavouring in this is wildly excessive. Did their hands slip at the blenders? Is this a bad batch? I don't think I will risk my palate finding out. As for the wife rating:

'Often my husband asks me to take a sniff of his tobacco in the pouch/tin and tell him what I think it smells like. After a few long draws of this tobacco, I can confirm that it smells *exactly* like the cleaning fluids used to clean the public toilets in Addenbrokes' Hospital, Cambridge (I used to work there). I consider myself quite a laid-back non-smoking partner, and I usually enjoy the smell of pipe tobacco. But this stuff was FOUL! Wifes of all unsuspecting pipe smokers - beware!'

And she really likes the smell of Latakia!

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UPDATE

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I've actually started to love this tobacco. I smoke it quite regularly. I think the scent takes a little getting used to, is all, then you're hooked. It smokes so well!

This is my first review on tobacco reviews and my first experience with flake. Since re-kindling my interest in pipe smoking (my cigar habit had gotten too expensive), I have been experimenting with several different brands and blends, looking for that ever-elusive "Holy Grail of Pipe Tobacco". GH & Co.'s Ennerdale Flake may not be the Holy Grail, but it darned close. As previous reviewers noted, the flakes are a light to medium brown with quite a bit of gold flecks present. As I opened the bag, I'm stuck with a wonderful "floral" aroma, somewhat like roses mixed in with almonds. The scent is quite stiking and not at all what I expected when I first opened the pouch. I pull out some of the flakes and rub them out rather coarsely (again, my first flake experience) and pack them into a brand new Jensen freehand Dublin I just purchased at the same tobacco shop. Lighting was easy and the tobacco burned like a dream. Being fairly new to pipe smoking, I have a tendency to smoke a little hot, but both the pipe and ambrosia inside stayed cool and burned evenly. I did have to relight a couple of times (because of my newness to flake?), but the tobacco burned clean to the bottom of the bowl with the first puff being as heavenly as the last without the slightest hint of bite. The rose and almond taste are very apparent in this blend. I also detect a slight hint of vanilla flavor. It is mildly sweet (and pleasanty so and the room aroma is heavenly. I have read that this is GH & Co's best-selling flake, and the reason is very apparent to me after sampling this tobacco. If you're an English blend fan who wants to try something with an aromatic quality to it, then I highly recommned picking some of this stuff up!

Wow...and i do mean...WOW!

When first received, this was a darker flake but as i dried it out(and it did need some good dry time) it got quit a bit lighter. Initially I could smell the unique perfume like fragrance but then it changed. I swear, this stuff smells exactly like an oatmeal raisin cookie to me. It is genuinly splendid. I will say, that I did buy this in bulk from smokingpipes.com so maybe the bulk is mildly different from tin but I doubt it. That said, very nice looking flakes and a wonderful "tin" aroma. Superb!

Smoking: when I first tried this, it was still very wet. Previously I had tried "dark birds eye flake" and "dark flake aromatic". Both very good but absolutely set me on my butt every time. Very strong tobacco. So, when I started in on this it was a nice change of pace. Still a present nic hit but not near as stout. Each day I made sure to dry it out a little bit more. And, I will say that it smokes best just shy of crispy. But, once it went crispy is wasnt as good. Rehydrated a tad and it is nothing short of incredible. I get that each person has their own preferences but this is a top 10 tobacco for me. Really great. During the smoke, the sweet hay, citrusy virginias are there. The coco, well rounded burleys are there but this almost cinnamon, vanilla, licorice and so pleasantly sweet flavor is there. There is an oat like quality to the flavor. A very smooth and dense smoke. The retro is sublime. Smokes to ash at the bottom of the bowl and smokes really well all the way down. There really isn't a lot of change in flavor as you get to the bottom except about half way through the virginias really start to poke their head up and present themselves nicely. More forward. All that said, it is a complex smoke. Very good quality tobacco. Excellent quality flakes. Clearly aged due to crystallization of sugar on the flakes. Very well produced. I havent tried a G&H blend I didnt feel that way about though.

Highly recommend!!! At least try it!

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer’s lease hath all too short a date: Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimm’d; And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm’d; But thy eternal summer shall not fade Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest; Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou growest: So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee

I am convinced that the bard must be talking about Ennerdale Flake when he wrote this work. I remember going through the jars at my local tobacconists and when my nose found this one I almost passed out with joy! The jar note is intoxicating, good Virginia's with a floral aroma, almond, tonquin and ripe green fruit. The flake rubs out easily and requires a soupcon of drying just to allow the tobacco to breathe a little. I have a Duncan Delta that used to belong to my dad (he used to smoke Condor and Erinmore flake) so it's well seasoned with that perfumey scent and I have dedicated it solely for my Lakelands. I pack and light using the Frank method as I find taking your time to get the bowl going pays off big time with this tobacco. The Lakeland sauce is evident for the first third of the bowl and prepares your palate for the rest of the bowl in the same way a good port delivers. After the first third the floral take a more background role and the sweetness of the Virginia and nutty Malawi come through. The final third of the bowl and the tonquin adds a liquorice note that marries with the nuttiness. Burns clean all the way to the bottom of the bowl. I find the whole experience of a bowl of Ennerdale is like walking through a garden where you get the scent of the flowers hits you first, then the smell of freshly mown grass and finally the organic smell of the compost at the bottom of the garden. If I had to choose one tobacco to last me a lifetime then this would definitely be the one. Goes well with Whittards Regal blend tea with a slice of lemon and a spot of honey, or a large gin and tonic. Stunning.