Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Kendal Flake

The various Virginias offer a range of deeply bold varietal aspects: a lot of earth, a small amount of grass, fermented dark fruit and a light citrus, along with a very minor spice note. The toppings do tone down the tobaccos a little, but mostly work in concert to create a homogeneous, very consistent floral, earthy flavor from start to finish. I notice the almond, rose geranium, heliotrope and rose fragrances more than the vanilla, coffee, whisky, rum and musk. Has just a little of the “soap” and “perfume” usually associated with a Lakeland blend. You have to spend dedicated time to obverse the less noticeable toppings. The nic-hit, strength and taste levels are medium. There’s no chance of bite or harshness even if puffed fast, which I don’t recommend. This should be smoked slowly to capture all that it has to offer. The flake is easily manipulated to suit your packing preference. Burns a little slow, very cool and clean, and can burns to ash with little difficulty. Requires a few relights, and leaves just a little moisture in the bowl. Has a very pleasant after taste, and a very floral room note. Both will linger a little. Will ghost a briar fairly quickly, though it’s not as strong as G&H Grasmere. Not an all day smoke, but it’s certainly repeatable.

-JimInks

I'm going to go against the party line and call this a "mild to medium" smoke. Obviously, tastes are different and I find this to be a "different" smoke - so outside my norm and so perfectly fitting that it's really bias-dissolving for me.

Beautiful looking medium-dark flake that I got best results from by rubbing out almost completely. The bag aroma from my 2 oz sample scared the daylights out of me. As someone who in the past could barely tolerate the lightest snootful of Lakeland soap, I had low expectations of this one. Very floral smelling. Yet, this added flavoring did nothing but enhance the high quality tobacco and the overall smoking experience. This ended up as a fully-flavored flake with a hint of the florals in the taste, and it worked flawlessly from lightup to dottle. I know there are added flavorings in this blend, but they are so expertly applied that I view this as a "natural" tobacco. I smoke a lot of "subtly enhanced" tobaccos, particularly burleys. In those cases, as in this one, if I wanted pure and natural, I can find it. Smoking this blend simply made me want to smoke more of it. I can't give a higher recommendation than that.

A few puffs or half a bowl will not tell the story behind this blend. Neither does it require 50 grams. Just put your biases aside as I did and smoke a nice leisurely bowl or two. Granted, this is not for everyone, but if I'm any indication, this is for a lot more people than they realize. Highly recommended. This blend has hit my Top 10 and I expect to never be without it in my cellar or tobacco jar.

Thanks to fellow reviewer OSR for giving me a sample of this to smoke a year or so ago. I am surprised that I did not post a review after smoking a few bowls.

This G&H offering is certainly scented in the typical Lakeland Flake style. While the G&H trademark flavor is there, so is the nicotine strength and palate pleasing taste.

Rub it out more or simply stuff it in your pipe for a long, slow smoke. An exemplar for the Lakeland Flake lovers among us.

It's a bit splendid this one. Definitely a fully flavoured example of the lakeland genre. In the pouch I detect a smidgeon of the violet flavour that I disliked about GH&Co Brown Flake, but in the pipe there is a whole lot more complexity. Yes, that violet note is there but it is quite subdued and I think it mainly contributes to the soapiness of the blend, which is pretty intense when the tobacco is fresh, but dissipates a little after a few days in a jar.

I can also pick out the tonquin, geranium and (now I have read a description to prime my senses) the heliotrope, which is described on basenotes.com as having a sweet vanilla/cherry cough syrup kind of vibe. I am sure there are many other flavours here too, but they are all so interlaced that it is very difficult to identify them as individaul components. What it does mean is that the flavour of the blend morphs and changes, subtley yet continually, as you work your way down the bowl.

All in all it's very delicious.

That tobaccos are the usual GH&Co fare, which is to say that they are excellent. I don't think you would get them to bite if you tried. I rate this one as on the strong side of medium, perhaps thanks to the air-cured component, although this doesn't come through in the flavour as it does in say Coniston Cut Plug or Dark Flake, which is the monster of the GH&Co family in this respect.

My sample came at the perfect moisture level for smoking, possibly due to spending several days stuck in the UK postal system during the run up to Christmas without the benefit of air-tight packaging. This does also mean that the top flavours might have been somewhat diminished, and that a 'fresh from the tobacconist' sample would be even stronger in the lakeland department. The very thought has me salivating!

I don't think I have ever worked my way through a packet of tobacco so quickly. This one joins Coniston Cut Plug and Bosun Cut Plug in my triumvirate of exemplary lakeland flakes. Must get more.

I'm wondering what G&H dude wrote the description for this blend. Must have been on a bad acid trip. Talk about over-complicating things. I get a simple blue-collar smoke from this flake.

Basically, a Virginia/Kentucky flake with a Lakeland floral topping. I do get a very vague semblance of an almond note on occasion, but it's mostly floral. I think the description has people over-analyzing this thing. but then again, I could be full of crap.

Has some body to it, about medium to strong. Nicotine is about medium. Taste is medium to full. I found that it burns very well when rubbed out. Needs a few extra relights when folded and stuffed. A pretty solid smoke. A briar gives you a little extra Virginia flavor. The Kentucky comes out best in a cob. The Floral note stays about the same in either at about mild to medium.

Smells like a less aromatic version of the grasmere flake. Rosy, slightly spicy and fruity.

The tobacco once lit produces an excellent smoke (better than all other aromatics from GH), and the aroma is just as good if not better (roses, almonds mostly).

However, the plus side of this tobacco is that the nicotine hit is a tad bit stronger, something which I like more and more now.

Definitely worth trying...

I don't know if it's just me, but I find this tobacco very similar to Glengarry Flake, and a lot of what I said in my review of GF applies here.

The manufacturer's description of the casing - Rose Geranium, Vanilla, Rum, Tanquid, Musk, Heliotropin and Rose - led me to think at first that this was going to be another whore's bedroom horror like Ennerdale Flake; but I was very pleasantly surprised. The casing is delicate and, to my palate, not at all ‘soapy' or ‘floral.' Like several reviewers before me, I find that the pouch aroma doesn't much carry over into the smoke itself. BTW: does anyone know what Tanquid is?

Kendal Flake lights well, stays consistent all the way down the bowl, doesn't leave behind any goo to speak of, and has a pleasant room note. It's not exceptionally strong, either, though I see that some people have found otherwise. I find, incidentally, that - for once - this is a flake that's better rubbed out than folded.

A good, slow, cool all-day smoke. Highly recommended, if you like Kendal Flakes. It's certainly joined my list of favourites.

Kendal Flake is more floral in the pouch than “soapy” like some of the other GH offerings. It burns cool and without bite. While aromatic in nature, KF it isn’t nearly as aromatic as Grousemoor, #7 Broken Flake or even Ennerdale Flake. However a pipe dedicated to Lakeland style blends is a must. KF to my taste is very, very smooth and unlike some, I find it just medium in strength. The Virginias are not “wiped” out by the scent as they go well together. The batch that I am smoking is a couple of years old so it could be benefiting from time in the jar. If you are not a fan of Lake District tobaccos, this is unlikely to change your mind. If you’re a fan, this should be on the “must try” list.

I agree with the previous reviewer. I have had Kendal Kentucky, Dark Birdseye, and Coconut Twist. I would call this mild to medium in nicotine strength. (Revisiting it in 2022, going to say medium now.) This is the first true Lakeland I have had by GH, though I did go through a one-ounce sample of Louisiana Flake. I really like this: all those flavors are not at all overwhelming, but manage to convey a pleasant perfume to the smoke. Like they say, I get mainly almond, but a rather flowery almond! This is one of the better balanced Lakelands I have had. It will not bite even if provoked, but it is so much nicer to pet it kindly. Sip it gently, that is. The tobaccos underlying all those scents never rear their heads and become harsh in any way; rather, there is a perfect balance achieved between leaf and topping that make this one a joy to smoke. I am enjoying my present bowl of Kendal Flake with a rather strong, bitter ale (Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale). A libation such as this is a good companion to these lovely yet admittedly flowery British offerings. It cleanses the palate through contrast. Especially suited for nose-blowing, if you are attuned to that art. Great burner, little or no dottle with little maintenance. I will be trying many more of Gawith Hoggarth's offerings in the near future. Get you some, sucka!

11-1-2022 I have four flakes of this left in a little jelly jar that I found in the shed; I had given them to my best friend Brad (RIP) and it got left with some of his stuff that I was letting him store there. Sugars are leeching out and parts of the flake are off-white; a novice might think it was mold! 11 more years, and it may have had some age on it when I got it, have really mellowed it out even more, but also added some subtle aged Virginia flavors. The Lakeland essences have faded a bit, but they are still there. Four of these meaty flakes=four bowls left, and I will enjoy them.

A nicely prepared flake in the usual GH way; neat and beautiful to look at. Arrives at a good moisture level for immediate smoking. I couldn't pick up on any almond scent at all while sniffing the bag content. Overall it was like an extremely mild version of Brown Flake Scented as far as bag aroma; really very little bag aroma. Loaded and lit with ease. There is an overall bitter-sweet taste to this which is fine with me. What I did notice on occasion and liked a lot was in the side stream - there was the faintest cherry-like smell; I'm suspecting from the Heliotrope, very delightful. I could not identify any of the other flavorings individually with the exception of what PipesterJim calls violet, again, only on occasion and very, very light at that. No bite, heat, or gurgle. The overall experience was very satisfying, albeit mild. No soap with this one and certainly not floral. A solid offering that can easily satisfy as an every day smoke. Highly recommended.