Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Ennerdale Flake

The tobaccos used in this blend are unqustionably top-quality. Still, I must say that product, to my taste buds and olfactory senses, is truly vile. It is the most horrible smoking experience imaginable. I heard one reiviewer liken Ennerdale to the deodorizing pucks found in men's urinals. Spot-on! With this said, I readily acknowledge that many people like Ennerdale. I cannot imagine why, but I respect their opinions. I'll give the blend one star based on the high quality of leaf used.

I've smoked many dozens of all kind of tobaccos and this is definitely the worst by a long shot. I never had to throw away any tobacco but this one is going straight to the chemical waste bin. This stuff is so incredibly disgusting ... I just smoked about a fifth of a not too large bowl and the taste keeps haunting my tastebuds. I can only compare the taste to having your mouth washed with soap. Brrrr!

I saw some positive reviews on this blend, so I picked up a tin. Worst decision I've ever made!

First of all it's very wet in the tin, typical of most Gawaith blends. It requires quite a bit of drying time.

After it dried out it loaded alright. It did take a bit to get a good char and true light on it.

The burn was kind of hot and a bit uneven.

As for the flavor, well, if you ever wanted to know what those little soaps in the urinal taste like then give this blend a try. The only flavor I detected was an awful nasty soap flavor. If you swore a lot as a kid this will probably give you nightmarish flashbacks. What's worse is that nasty taste lingers on your tongue for a day or so afterwards. It totally ruined anything I ate or drank during that time.

Another word to the wise, this will ghost your bowl like no other. I've alcohol cleaned the pipe I had it in twice and there's still a bit of a lingering soapy nastiness to it. I'm hoping I can just blast it with some pungent strong VaPers and completely eradicate it. If you feel brave enough to try this blend I'd strongly recommend using a corn cob to do so. I wish I had. I would've just thrown that cob away and bought another one.

Clearly Lakeland blends are not for me. Consequently I would not recommend them to anyone else.

I've tried several GH flakes, and picked this one up out of sheer curiosity, somewhat because of the name that reminded me of the laughably horrible British TV program "Emmerdale Farm" and because of the favorable reviews here. This should be a decent flake, and you may like it.

But for me, this was the first flake made by any lake district blender in which I just couldn't find something to love, or even like---and in fact, I intensely _dislike_ this blend.

Is this made by a reputable blender? Absolutely.

Is it made from quality tobacco? Um, I'm pretty sure.

Does it taste like regurgitated cheap rum punch? Well, unfortunately, to me, yes.

Despite what must be decent leaf here, the topping is so fruity and almost poisonous to the taste that it is overwhelming and noxious. I think everybody must have had this experience once or twice with some topped flake blend, and ennerdale must just be my personal kryptonite.

I would still encourage any brave lakeflake smoker to give the stuff a try---it may be just what you were looking for. As for me, I'll stick to the BCF and SG's Kendal Cream and never touch another bottle of Malibu ever again, no matter what.

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 😉

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!

I always scratch my head when I read GH's statement that this is their best-selling blend by a wide margin, but then again Condor sells well in Europe. My biggest problem with Ennerdale Flake is that it is just loaded with Traditional English Flavors (TEFs). "Soapy" isn't really the description; "Floral" comes closer. I detect a strong Rose scent, among others, & I can't stand Rose. As with MacBaren Virginia #1, I lament that GH chose to flavor this, because the underlying tobacco, when you can taste it, is of high quality and quite delicious.

I happily traded this away. With GH Brown Flake, Glengarry, Scottish Flake, CR Flake and others, there is just no reason to smoke Ennerdale. If you choose to do so, try it in a cob, 'cause it will cling to your briar or meerschaum for a long time.

Sooooooo...... Ennerdale Flake then???? First experience and all I can taste is the smell of my old Mums musty brown tights in the washing pile mixed with talcum powder, carbolic, embalming fluid and a coachload of pensioners all sucking on Parma Violets and Barley sugars and farting Codliver oil... Oh, and a hint of Lavender. Not convinced this is a direction in life I need to be taking to be honest.... P.S. Thank Beelzebub I smoked it in a Meer!!!

I feel compelled to wade in to this scrum. Choosing a rating is difficult; I dislike giving a bad review to a reputable company, but at the same time reputation alone is why I believe other poor blends survive. First, the positives. Long broken flakes obviously of high quality. The smoking qualities are nice, cool with lots of smoke. What swings it for me though is the aromatic component is so overwhelming. I think the Lakeland sauce is an acquired taste and close to a love it or hate proposition. To that extent I have enjoyed its barest hints in Best Brown #2. However, it is applied so sloppily here, just drenched, that there is no other taste component. In other words there is simply no skill or restraint in its application and that is a cardinal sin, well beyond the actual taste. I can't imagine anyone enjoying this. As always I have to wonder, did I simply get the bit where the sauce was directly applied like a wick in a scented oil? PS it will ghost your pipe, which I regrettably forgot when I tried it again.