Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Glengarry Flake

For a flake that I can only rate with three stars, I certainly have smoked a lot of this over the years. It’s been about six years since my last bowl and this batch is about seven or eight years old. It has darkened considerably during that time. Tasting it again now I realize that there is indeed a lot to like here, although since the passing of the Four Square flakes and the changes in Capstan I have never really been able to appreciate those in which the flavoring is overt. This is an exception.

I agree with the esteemed DK’s review here and recommend it to you. If you are interested in lighter, bright virginia fare, that has an honesty about it in spite of the added flavors, you should definitely give this one a go. It’s also a good option for smoking around others that are less inclined to accept the fumes of our savoring. Works best for me when I dry it considerably and rub it out thoroughly.

Although I tend toward darker, fuller blends, I find this fascinating. I always return to this one, albeit only occasionally, with a smile.

I think this is the most genuine G and H flake I have sampled thus far and I am working through them methodically. It has none of the horrid almondy casing found in Ennerdale and is all the better for it. It is yet another cool, sweet, slow-burning, high quality Virginia. It may well have some flavouring/casing, but I am not clever enough to detect it.

My only criticism, is that that by the last third of my pouch, it had collapsed into rather horrid little crumbs, which smoked like musty hay. That does not happen with Ennerdale. Please note that when I sample a tobacco, that is all I smoke, until it has been consumed completely. I believe this is the only way to make a proper assessment, although if you get a bad one, it is a daunting task!

**Update-I kept smoking this stuff off and on trying to decide whether or not I liked it as much as I thought. Before I know it, I'd gone through an ounce of it. Guess that means I like it. Glengarry will never replace Erinmore Flake for me, though in the future it may have to, but I like it enough to buy it in bulk. Once I got past the feeling it gave me of being an English fancy pants smoke, I really enjoy it. It burns so well, and so cool. My palate finally translated the perfumy taste into a warm sweet aroma, reminiscent of flowers, but definitely not soapy or perfumy. I will upgrade this to three and a half stars, maybe four if I can completely shake the feeling that I should be dressed in a silk bathrobe when I smoke it.

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Let me start off by stating that this is really better than two stars, but I would only "somewhat recommend" it due to its floral overtones. In other words, there's not a doubt in my mind that more than a few people would hate it.

I wanted to try the lakeland style, and since it's available in bulk, I was able to buy just a few flakes rather than a whole tin. I find Erinmore to be delectable, so I thought I would probably enjoy this stuff.

This tobacco lights fairly easily, and stays lit really well (at least in a large Peterson Irish Army straight shank). The floral taste only lasted about thirty seconds or so, then settled into a tobacco flavor with slightly sweet, slightly flowery overtones throughout the rest of the smoke. It is definitely very high quality.

Smoking it was a little strange. Not bad, not unpleasant, just strange. It seemed 'snooty'; almost like it was saying that I wasn't good enough to be smoking it. Whereas a full English blend makes me think of mustachioed gentlemen in a walnut panelled billiards room, Glengarry brought to mind English noblemen in powdered wigs and shoes with big gold buckles on them.

Then it hit me. One of my favorite television shows is the BBC comedy 'Keeping up Appearances'. This tobacco is what she would want her husband to smoke. I can see Hyacinth marching into the den to tell Richard that he really must start smoking Glengarry Flake, as "all the men of Windsor smoke the Lakeland variety of tobaccos". And Richard would whine, "..but why can't I smoke my Rattray's Accountant Mixture?" Tsking, Hyacinth would simply reply, "An accountant, Richard? You're too good for that."

I found Glengarry to be good, but it was very reserved and understated in overall character. If ever there was a tobacco with a stiff upper lip, this is it. That's not to say it isn't good; it is. I just had the distinct feeling that it was meant for someone of a more reserved, genteel, disposition than I.

This isn't bad... in fact, this may be a good tobacco for one who is looking for an introduction to Lakeland type flakes (meaning flavored).

All in all, this was a bit "thin" to me. There is a good VA base here and while there is nothing negative to report, I will say that Ennerdale is a much better tobacco for me, it is similar to Glengarry flake but has more nicotine oomph and also has a more pleasant flavoring added.

Again - not bad but given the choice between this and Ennerdale it's a no brainer for me... Just not enough OOMPH here for me. A good primer for the Lakeland style flakes for the novice.

02-11-2005 Another Classic Flake.

Appearance and Aroma: This one comes only in bulk. The Flake are about 6" by 1 1/4" and look light brown to medium brown with some birdseye here and there. It smells slightly perfumy and sweet.

Packing and Lighting: While I typically rub out my flakes, this did better with the roll and stuff method. It was at he right moiture straight out of my tobacconist's glass jar and lit after 2-3 lights.

Initial Flavor: I like these Lake District blends and this one seems to have the least "soap" of the bunch. That is what you taste from the get go, but as someone else has noticed, each one has a distinct character.

Mid-Bowl: The "honeydew" flavor comes out at this point and the "soap" recedes. The tobacco used is also very tasty and cool for a Va.

Bottom of Bowl: a slight increase in strength. The toppings never get bitter or harsh. Your tongue is not assaulted and you are ready to reload another bowl of this fine blend.

Overall: For those of us that like these "soapy" blends, this is another fine entry to the genre. This one is my personal favorite, with Rum Flake and Bob's CF close behind. There is strength here from the leaf as well so eat well before smoking. the burning characteristics are also amazing in this particular flake. It would burn well and cool in just about any of my dedicated pipes.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5 points.

My first sampling of Gawith, Hoggarth and Co. tobacco. I must admit, I was reluctant based upon the amount of "floral" and fruit flavoring described. But I was in the mood for something completely different in my last tobacco order, so I included a sample of Glengarry Flake.

Nice texture and appearance - I enjoyed rubbing out the strips into a bit of "rough" and much finer flakes.

The scent is distinctly like very flowery incense. I began to question whether or not I could stomach it. First light immediately melded and toned down the scent. It became a very pleasant aromatic odor within seconds.

Two relights later and I was on my way. Burning through the bowl I found the predominant flavor to be the sweet virginia, enhanced - not taken over - by the amazingly mild topping.

Even after enjoying the smoke, I found the scent in the container a bit cloying. But after subsequent bowls the attraction to the pleasant, sweet and amazingly subtle smoke remained. The taste is not terribly complex or layered, but remains consistently good with the tang and sweetness of the tobacco and topping playing off through out. Giving some time between relights certainly enhances the flavor and makes the scent more robust.

This probably won't be something I dream about on a daily basis. But it will likely retain a spot in my rotation as "something different" for quite a while.

Burning qualities are exceptional - it stays well lit and is easy to deal with. Glengarry flake burns cleanly to the end with the aroma growing increasingly subtle instead of overwhelmingly sickening.

This is an encouragement to further explore the Gawith tobacco line.

UPDATE After letting it settle and continuing through my sample, I've found I like this leaf even more. The flavor and aroma becomes VERY subtle and is slowly climbing its way up to the top of my favorite VA aromatic. I'm looking forward to more Gawith tobacco.

Glengarry Flake is clearly in the GH "soap flake" category. Unlike a previous reviewer, I find each of these floral-scented flakes has a distinct personality, but I can also understand that unless you can fully embrace the soap-flake concept, these are all fairly uniform and hard to stomach. (All the various tequilas taste the same to me- abominable.)

I prefer to smoke these scented flakes in a smallish meer dedicated to these offerings, as they are best appreciated IMO in small doses and will definitely "taint" what ever pipe they are smoked in.

Compared to other scented Gawith flakes, GF is fairly restrained, and for that reason is one of my favorites. Ennerdale Flake, for example, is much more aromatic. It also seems to have slightly less nicotine than some of the others, though still packs a punch.GF is a nicely complemented Bright CF Flake and a good "jumping-off" place for trying the scented Lakeland flakes.

This is the second Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. flake I've reviewed. There are certainly elements common to at least a few of their scented flakes. I have a confession to make before I write my review in ernest: I'm beginnning to like these scented flakes from Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. The first few times I tried them, I enjoyed them most once the flavoring had burned off. Now, I'm actually enjoying that soapy, perfumy flavor. I've long been a straight Virginia or Va/Perique smoker, so this has been quite a change for me (and I'm considering seeking therapy to contend with the changes in my self-image that have accompanied this discovery ). Seriously, while I doubt they'll replace my all-time favorites, such as Escudo and Astley's 109, they have certainly won themselves a place in my tobacco rotation.

Just as with other Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. blends, the tin nose (or perhaps bag nose, in this case) scared me. The perfumy smell sets off warning bells in my head-- this is a scent I associate with cologne, not tobacco. But, in the interests of tobacco science, I steeled my nerves and packed my first bowl of it into an Ashton XX Pebbleshell (I've since smoked more of it, though in the same pipe because I'm a little concerned with flavor bleed-over).

Though the initial lighting took some effort, I found it burned extremely well thereafter. I let it dry slightly before smoking it, though right out of the packaging it certainly would have been smokable (the drying was incidental rather than intentional). Most of the Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. flakes look pretty similar and this one is no exception. The tobacco runs from light tan to dark brown.

Though I found the perfumy, soapy flavor to recede as I was smoking the bowl, it remained throughout in this case (with other flakes from GH&C, I found the flavoring receded more quickly). Of course, now that I've been converted to liking the perfuminess, this is something I'm quite delighted with.

In spite of the perfumy flavors, the underlying virginias certainly make themselves known. There's a heavy, full-bodied-ness here that I've found with all of the Gawith, Hoggarth & Co flakes that I've smoked so far. There's a sweetness of the Virginias that is independent of the flavorings. It seems to reign in the top-note well-- offering a roundedness between the heaviness of the virginias and the clear high-notes created by the topping.

In summation, this is certainly a tobacco that I'll return to from time to time. I doubt I'll tear through the couple of ounces I have, but it will certainly be a welcome change of pace for me a couple of times per week for the next few weeks.

I've smoked 2 oz. of Glengarry Flake in the past 2 weeks and it's becoming one of my favorite blends. The pouch aroma is wonderful; it smells like a high quality VA with just a touch of sweetening added. I love to just stick my nose in the jar and smell it.

I'm pretty much a straight VA smoker, but this blend is sweetened so perfectly that I don't mind. In fact, I'm starting to prefer it to many natural VAs. As with all GH flakes, the presentation is lovely: beautiful 6" flakes with varying shades of brown.

I prefer to fill by folding the intact flake and stuffing it into the pipe. I have found that a loose pack has worked best. It lights easy and stays lit. The flavor is sweet and slightly tangy and the flavor builds throughout the bowl. As a previous review stated, the slightly sweet casing is best perceived by smelling the tobacco, but is ever so slight when smoking. This is an excellent blend to start the day with, due to its light, sweet flavor. I have smoked Glengarry Flake in an assortment of briars and meerschaums and found it performs well in all.

For me, Glengarry Flake was a wonderful discovery. I plan to buy a lot for cellaring. I could be wrong, but I feel Bright CR Flake, Glengarry Flake, and Ennerdale Flake are composed of the same tobaccos. Bright CR Flake has no casing, Glengarry Flake has a little casing, and Ennerdale Flake has a generous and different casing. I have read that Ennerdale is the most popular, but I prefer Bright CR and Glengarry so far.

ADDENDUM: I am now buying Glengarry Flake by the pound (500g, actually); it has become my "go to" tobacco, edging out McClelland 2015. It is a nice summer tobacco that's easy on the tongue.