Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Ennerdale Flake

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.

I was looking at about a half dozen or so sample baggies that I had and came across this one except this one was marked 3 ounces, so apparently, I bought this one, jarred it, kept some out to smoke and forgot all about it. This was many moons ago. What was left in the baggie was bone dry but the compulsive part of me wants to smoke these bags up as there really isn’t enough to jar and on top of that I have no idea where this particular jar is and just want to be done with it. Maybe some of you can understand. TMTRN (too much tobacco right now). I put some of this in my Ukrainian Pear Pipe that my girlfriend bought me that I use for aromatics. Probably due to the excessive drying period I found this one to be mildly fragrant with a slight almond flavor and on occasion the Lakeland perfume taste. If I can ever find my jar, I will smoke more but this as it stands now was not too bad. I normally do not care for the botanical oils, floral, perfumes of G&H but this one ain’t half bad. I rated this mild due to it being bone dry and I am sure it has lost some of its essence.

Am not into aromatics/flavoured so my bias is obvious: I just did not like it, fullstop.

Some objective and neutral thoughts: the virginias used are excellent indeed, I love the little sugar white stains when I open a tin, they mean a good amount of Virginias and an honest time of perfect storage. The look is nice, the leaves are humid just right and the color is just what I like to see when I think of dark VAs. It packs quite easily, the flake is an easy one to tame once rubbed. Though, you need to love flowers to like this tobacco. Flowers, almonds, vanilla, rhum, Lakeland soap, nuts and -if you really sip slowly and your buds don’t get too stunnied by flowers- finally some leaf taste! (But, wait... wasn’t there burley in here?? Very little, if none, detected by my buds, probably too much used to stronger burleys/kentucky).

As for all soaps...ahem...flavoured weeds: don’t use your everyday favourite pipes for this, as you’ll regret it -and resmoke it- for a long time! My single star goes for the natural tobacco lovers 😉

I wasn't sure if I would like the Lakeland Essence after reading so many descriptions making it out to be the bane of men and the epitome of "granny" tastes / smells. Turns out I love the stuff. This tobacco rubs out fairly easily, and once rubbed out I feel it's at the right point to smoke. Lights after a few tries.. typical flake behavior, and then you are greeted with a smooth, delicious flavor. The tobacco flavor is good, but the toppings/scents work perfectly with it to deliver a smoke that gets the job done but doesn't leave the room note of a cigar. The best way I can describe the room note is "classy" or "cologne-like". Even my wife somewhat approves so I think I've found a tobacco that I will keep cellared and buy again and again.

Well, I finally met a tobacco that I could not smoke. It's composition seems to be equal parts mothballs, rotting camel-hair and shredded cadaver, seasoned with lavender soap and embalming fluid, pressed and aged in the body-cavity of a possum, left in the road for a winter.

I would give the tin away, but I don't dislike any other pipers enough to foist it upon them, alas.

Begone, foul weed!

Admittedly I've not tried the SG or GH & Co. blends with high doses of the Lakeland Florals ... however the blends I have tried without LF have been quite darn good. I consider Ennerdale Flake my first step into the "flower garden". The tin note reeks of quality Virginia's from around the globe, melded with some Burley, and a medium floral note reminiscent of geraniums. The initial char light can be rather difficult if the flake is not sufficiently dried nor rubbed out. When finally lit there is a release of that slight soapy/flowery taste characteristic of the LF blends (so I'm told) ... yet it doesn't seem to last very long. Quite to my surprise & enjoyment the ensuing smoke translates into a heavenly sweet & flavorful experience. As a child, my dear ole Momma would keep a bar of soap in my mouth with regularity for being a "potty mouth" .... I now understand she was really just training me up to handle LF-type blends later in life!

I'll keep things brief.

As a new(ish) pipe smoker I was looking for a bacca that wouldn't blow my socks off but that I could enjoy at my leisure without a challenge. This tobacco delivers.

It smells wonderful from the tin/bag. Sweet and floral but not synthetic or soapy. Slightly oily to the touch but not damp like some other aros. Breaks up with a little bit of effort and packs nicely. Lights without too much encouragement and, if looked after properly, will burn to a fine white ash with very little 'gurgle'.

Taste. Naturally sweet Virginias predominately coming through, with coffee/nutty/hay undertones. Tongue bite absolutely minimal (I'm sure that if I was a more seasoned smoker this would be none existent). The flavoring is noticeable but does not adulterate the tobacco in any way and the quality shines through, this is neither cheap or nasty.

May require a few relights if you attempt to write a review whilst smoking. Burns easily with lots of thick white smoke. At risk of sounding cliché, cool with no hot bowl or acrid tang.

A nice introduction for the new/intermediate smoker, but with enough substance and quality to please the veteran. Recommended.

I'd been smoking and cellaring Bob's Chocolate and Sam's Chocolate flake for a while. I found myself craving the Lakeland floral flavor more and more, and decided to give Ennerdale a try, having read it had a heavy splash of the sauce.

When my first 4oz bag arrived I could smell it through the shipping box. A vague reek of tutti frutti and flowers. Opening the box filled my kitchen with the scent. It smelled like a combination of Fruit Stripe and Juicy Fruit gum plus a healthy dose of Love's Baby Soft.

It tastes like it smells for the first portion of the bowl - Fruit Stripe/Juicy Fruit and Love's Baby Soft. I never in my life thought I would willingly smoke something in a pipe that smells/tastes like Ennerdale, except for the Chocolate Flakes I smoke exclusively non-aromatics, but ohhhh man... I absolutely adore it. I'm very sensitive to artificial flavorings, and nothing in the topping tastes fake, I can tell it's all from essential oils. The topping pushes the boundaries of cloying and overdone but stops right there and gradually gives way to the sweetness of the Virginias and Burley. And my lady loves the way it smells. Ennerdale has earned kitchen privileges (with vent fan).

I don't smoke it all day, but I smoke it every day. I would almost dare to call it my favorite. I absolutely understand how Lakeland florals are a love/hate thing. I am firmly in the "love" camp.