Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Glengarry Flake

This is one of those category of tobaccos that people told me to stay away from when I first started smoking a pipe. "Ick, you won't like that stuff, soapy nasty, blech." Thank goodness I finally stopped letting "those" people influence me. I was smoking crap pipes and crap tobacco. I finally made my way into a tobacco shop and started buying better pipes, ultimately premium pipes, but I was still smoking crap tobacco and about to quit the pipe altogether! Then I started experimenting with all of those "ick" tobaccos and discovered paradise. What does all of that have to do with Glengarry Flake? Nothing, I just like reminiscing!

After many years I just retried GF last week. Yummy! The first bowl immediately rekindled memories. At first I thought I don't know, maybe not. But then it kicked in and I've smoked several bowls. Perfume, oils, special essence of the Valkyries, whatever it is it's good! However I can definitely understand how some could hate it. You definitely want dedicated bowls for this kind of tobacco. It is a rough cut cake but not unmanageable. Give it a try, there is amazingly no bite and loads of flavor!

UPDATE 10/22/07: This stuff just keeps getting better. IT should have five stars!

An excellent Lakeland flake that is on the mild side of the spectrum both in terms of the floral flavoring and overall strength. On charring light an ever so slight honeysuckle like essence is detectable but this quickly dissipates, giving way to a straight forward Virginia smoke that fits nicely into that pleasant all day pipe tobacco type category. This flake is of the highest quality, rubs out easily and smokes perfectly. A small amount of dry time is recommended, but it still smokes well without. There's very little complexity with this one, but the sweet grassy flavor of Glengarry is undeniably superb. Highly recommended

If anyone is put off or afraid of Lakeland flakes due to their "soapy" or "floral" character and doesn't want to be overwhelmed with dark taste or nicotine, this is what I would recommend. Both the flavor and the flavorings are subdued, with just a bit of the Lakeland essence coming through. This is a "tweenie" - somewhere between the dark unflavored G&H blends and their more heavily flavored ones. Ditto blends like Perique Flake and the various brown flakes. But where those leave their own mark of complexity and depth, this one falls a bit short in that department.

I find nothing to dislike here and indeed I give this a 3 star rating, which is "recommended". As mentioned, it is a good starter Lakeland, neither overly sweet nor complex. The taste is of the proverbial grassy, slightly sweet nature. Nothing too offputting. However, it simply doesn't distinguish itself the way other G&H flakes do. The flavor is a bit too subdued for my tastebuds. The aroma, however, is fantastic! If the smoker wanted a natural taste but a great room note, this is one place to go. Recommended as a good "all-dayer" but might leave you wanting when a more robust flavor is desired.

The grassy/hay-like citrusy sweet Virginia also has light earth and wood, some bread and sugar. The Lakeland topping is floral, but not strong at all; mostly a background presence. The various toppings are sweet, and lightly sublimate the tobacco. They mostly hold on to the finish. The strength and nic-hit is a step past the center of mild to medium. The taste is a notch past that level. Won't bite, or get harsh, and has a few small rough notes. The flake is very easy to break apart to suit your preference. Burns cool and clean at a moderate pace with a rather consistent, subtle flavor from top to bottom. Requires a few relights, and leaves little moisture in the bowl. Has a short lived, pleasant after taste, and room note. It can be an all day smoke. Two and a half stars.

-JimInks

When I first ordered this, early on in my pipesmoking career, I ordered it purely on the extremely flimsy pretext of having just watched the film Glengarry Glenross, proof enough that I'm still acting my shoe size and not my age.

My impressions, first time around, were a little disappointing, though my reasons for thinking so are shrouded in a haze of pipe smoke. This time round though, things are a little better. This one has grown on me slowly but surely.

Both the packet aroma and the room note, as with the flavour itself, are hard to pin down, maybe little hints of flowers sprinkled with early morning dew during a pleasant August break to the country, wiffs of oak and other such wonders of the English countryside. While not an easy pack or light, it is a lovely slow burner and a pipeful can last me over an hour on the one light. There is no tonguebite whatsoever, but I found it can be a little harsh on the throat. This so makes me want to camping in the wilds of Britain, just so I can sit round a log fire while my beans cook so I can smoke this and sing Jethro Tull songs. My only complaint is that I don't have enough.

My initial forays into GH pipe tobaccos has been a bit of a disappointment, especially after sampling their impeccable snuff. At last, I have found one that I can finally call home.

A dark brown broken flake, needing some rubbing out. Smell: leather, wood. Taste: rich, dark, dry, leather, dried fruit. Honey comes through subtly later. Excellent, but perhaps not for the faint-hearted.

Glengarry Flake is a solid, middle of the road Lakeland style flake from GH. It isn't too soapy or too floral. As one of the other reviewer mentioned, it is a good starting place for the pipe smokers that want to begin smoking Lakeland style blends. The flakes only need a small amount of dry time and I prefer to smoke it fully rubbed out. GF smokes cleanly to the bottom of the bowl, but even with the lesser amount of Lakeland scents, it will still need to be smoked in a pipe that is dedicated to Lakelands. The flavor is slightly sweet and a bit “hay-like.” It shares some the same flavor profile as GH's Rich Dark Honeydew (a blend that is very hard to find here in the US) but I must admit that in a blind taste test I don't think I would identify the flavor as honeydew. I enjoy Glengarry fresh from the tobacco shop, but I am much fonder of Glengarry when it has been aged. The flakes darken and the flavor really deepens. Glengarry is a great blend for the cellar! Recommended.

GH&Co. Glengarry Flake is a moderately flavored pure Virgina tobacco that comes in rather thick flakes. As delivered, the flakes are a little on the moist side for rubbing out so, either give them an hour or two of drying time or use the fold and stuff method. Either way, they light easily and burn cleanly with only an occasional relight being required.

How does it taste? In a word, delicious. For the first half of the smoke, the casing is at the fore. The flavor is sweet, fruity and slightly floral, with the Virginias adding some spiciness and dark notes. But this is not the old lady cologne or soapy taste that many dislike. Instead, the casing is rather subdued and intriguing.

About half way through the smoke, the casing mostly burns off, giving the choice Virginias a chance to shine. They are rich and plumy, spicy and earthy, with no grassy or hay taste. The burning tobacco produces a fair amount of creamy smoke which makes for a very pleasant room note. While one needs to smoke it with a slow cadence given it's strength, it won't bite if you puff hard although, as others have noted, to get the most out of it you should sip rather than gulp it. Towards the very end of the bowl, one detects a bit of a cigar note, but it's the taste of a good cigar.

I would recommend aging this tobacco. I purchased mine about a year ago and, while I liked it when I bought it, after sitting in a jar for a year undisturbed, it is much better.

My only criticism of GF is that the flavor is a little on the light side. Frankly, I wish it had more of the wonderful casing. But that's a minor criticism of what is a very solid tobacco.

I think GF would make an excellent introductory blend for those who want to explore the world of traditionally cased English flakes, or for someone who wants a sophisticated aromatic that still tastes like tobacco.

UPDATE: After another year of cellaring, this has become a "highly recommended" tobacco. Just wish it were more available.

Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. - Glengarry Flake.

Note: one of my first reviews which I considered inane when I noticed it whist reading someone else's new review. So, I ordered a fresh pouch to re-post.

When I took it from my cellar I couldn't remember what sort of blend it was, Virginia, aromatic, VaPer, etc. But a quick whiff of the pouch soon rectified that query: Lakeland. The flakes are just below medium in colour, partially broken, and the moisture enabled fresh smoking.

It reminds me of what the fellers down the club my dad used to take me to as a boy smoked back then: old school. I'm unsure if the amount of Lakeland has adjusted, but like in the pouch's aroma, I get a fairly heady hit of Lakeland. It's not just perfume/flowers, the Lakeland gives a notable sweetness and piquancy, also. Next to the fuller topping the Virginia seems a bit middle of the road; I don't mean that negatively, the smoke's lovely, but the Virginia doesn't seem particularly special. The burn from it's slow, steady, and cool.

Nicotine: medium. Room-note: I like.

Glengarry Flake? I like it very much. Highly recommended:

Four stars.

Like the esteemed OSR, I found Glengarry Flake to be a little flat in both strength and flavor. And like G&H Rum Flake sometimes does, this offering left the back of my throat a little bit roughed up.

I received Glengarry Flake as a sample tossed in with a recent tobacco order, and mine was at a perfect moisture level. Experience has taught me that these Lakeland Flakes normally need considerable drying before being smoked.

I concur with OSR, this offering would be a good first foray into the Lakelands.