Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Kendal Flake

This is an unusual smoke for me. It is hard to know exactly how to describe it. There is a floral, herbal thing going on. I don't taste almonds which other reviewers find. There is a quality balanced Virginia based that has tart and sweet and maybe a whiff of citrus - although it is hard to know just where the topping ends and the tobacco starts for me.

On first light, I get a whiff of soap. That is the infamous "lakeland" I guess. After that first whiff, it is an aromatic Virginia that is quite good. It is not something I will keep in stock, but if I had the chance to smoke it again I would. I can see how some people are very fond of this.

Edit: 8/17 I seem to have acquired a taste for the lakeland essence. I am working my way through a half kilo. That makes this a 3.5 on my scale.

. . . soap/Lakeland essence and plenty of it . . .

Some folks adore it, others abhor it.

Mark my card for the latter.

Is it Sunlight, Dawn, or Palmolive. I tried to contact Madge the manicurist, to no avail.

All facetiousness aside, this tobacco burns great, packs great and clearly is quality. However for me, far too soapy on the nose and combusting as well. I tried it various clean briars and the outcome was the same.

I cannot recommend this to any of my pipe and cigar friends and I feel the blending house of Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. might simply be not my cup of tea; apples and pears.

First off, I love almost all of the Gawith, Hoggarth tobaccos. Kendall Flake is among my favorites. Now, if you dont like the Lakeland flavoring, you won't like this. If you do, this might be among your favorites. Its strong, but hardly at the same level as Kendall Kentucky or Brown Bogie or Black Irish Twist. Those are crazy strong. This is not even as strong as Dark Bird's Eye. But, it IS strong. Its probably equal in pure nicotine levels to Irish Flake. It is sweet, but not cloyingly sweet (to my mind anyway). It has a lot of the Geranium floral aroma to it, and some vanilla it seems, and tonquin and probably a few other things as well. But its a masterly blend, and not just thrown together. This is a very finely crafted tobacco blend. Not for everyone. And there is quite a bit less Kentucky/Indian leaf in here and more Virginia, which maybe makes it a second cousin to Grasmere flake, but stronger. Still, the Virginias seem noticeable to me. I love Coniston Cut and Boson Cut, but both are heavy blends and not something i can smoke all the time (though i come close). This is a tad lighter and somewhere between the aforementioned cut plugs and, say, Grasmere. It is still a dark blend, and certainly has some kick. But not head spinning kick. Its worth a try if you like this type of tobacco.

A good introduction to scented Lakeland tobaccos. Kendal Flake has the honey sweetness of Glengarry Flake and is more floral than it is herbal. The rose geranium flavor comes through on the finish but not with the same conviction or clarity of Grasmere Flake. The smoke is smooth on the palate yet zesty to the senses and the added flavorings balance perfectly with the grassiness of the Virginias. The dark cured leaf adds richness to the balance and a light spice note comes and goes as do the honey notes that linger on the finish.

Despite the laundry list of added flavors, the floral notes of Kendal Flake are not as intense as Ennerdale. That said, Kendal Flake is a good smoke for those that enjoy a floral & mildly soapy English Flake. I would also recommend this to those that are curious about traditional Lakeland aromatics and are looking for that point of departure.

One other thing I will mention, is that after a few years in a mason jar the flavor of the rose geranium and heliotrope essences mellow substantially, and it becomes easier to taste the vanilla & almond extracts. So depending on how one prefers these aromatic flavors to come through in their smoke, freshly produced Kendal Flake may be preferable to smoking it aged.

Gawith Hoggarth - Kendal Flake.

The pouch aroma from this is a really strong floral one, almost resembling cleaning fluid! The flakes are of the perfect moisture amount to smoke the moment the pouch is opened. I favour rubbing my flakes and with these it's superbly easy, they only require a gentle hand. Lighting it up is easy and the burn is steady straight away. Now, on to the flavour, it is incredibly busy. I was unaware that so much could be crammed into a blend. I find the floral side the most formidable, this seems to outweigh the other flavours however it doesn't make them redundant. The rest of the taste is pandemonium. Too much. I get some rum, some nut, some vanilla, with a grassiness but sadly nothing clear. It is just too busy. Another negative (for me) is after about ten minutes my mouth feels as though I have dined off a garage floor, sticky, gunky, oily and rank! After being quite negative, well a lot, I feel I should raise a few positives. The first is bite, not any whatsoever. The second is the temperature, it stays cool even when strained. The final good point to end on is the note, it's floral but not anywhere near as heady as I anticipated.

I know this isn't what you would call a glowing report but I guess this is where we must remember that tobacco is subjective. Although not positive I still hope a few folks can draw something beneficial from my review/rant! Sadly, not recommended by me.

While not scented as heavy as Ennerdale Flake, Kendal Flake is fuller bodied and in such has more tobacco flavor. The scents aromas and actual flavors remain consistent throughout the entire bowl working in perfect harmony with the flavors of the tobacco. KF is consistent and it smokes smooth, cool and dry and tastes the same regardless of prep method. Smooth with a really creamy mouth feel like no other with a solid medium body and flavor. It also has the perfect amount of vitamin "N" which leaves me completely satisfied at bowl end, This one I only smoke indoors when relaxing with a quiet, contemplative mind. Tis happily In my rotation and has been for years.

A touch more heavily scented than Ennerdale, over a much different base tobacco. This has a strong rose topping, with plenty of florals and perfumes to spare. Be careful not to dry this one out too much, or it will ruin it. This is easily the smoothest blend on the tongue that I have ever tried. If you use a tall thin bowl, it will develop a strange, smooth floral taste, and almost be undetectable to be burning! It is so heavy scented that bystanders have thought it was a vape fluid, and not burning tobacco. A fantastic indoor smoke, with plenty of nicotine. Indian tobacco really carries rose scents like nothing else.

Smoking now:

Bag odor smells like anise and licorice. However a deeper sniff provides you with a deep fermented fruit smell, yeast, more anise and other aromas I would associate with the old city of Jerusalem. Musty, herbal, floral, toasted spices, burning incense… If you have ever walked the pathways of the old city you’ll know what I mean. Rather moist, let dry, semi broken loose flake came apart nice.

My first smoke and I can tell the flavor is not as strong as the aroma. I get deep fermented Virginias and a plethora of other interesting flavors in the background. This is like trying to identify all the spices used in an Arabic dish. I’m not a tobacco sommelier so it’s hard to describe.

Does it taste like soap? No. This isn’t Ennerdale.

There’s a floral element to it and some incense but nothing like Latakia. Toasted almonds maybe? Vegetative, floral… again it reminds of of the old city of Jerusalem. Look up photos if you’ve never been. I mostly get a nice Virginia taste, grassy, hay, fermentation. The retrohale is easy and provides many opportunities to sample the many flavor notes. No mouth tingle, could burn hot so take it slow. Handles like a Virginia flake not an American aromatic.

I’m actually surprised by this blend which I thought I would hate. If you like Virginias give it a try for a change of pace. That’s who I would recommend it too. It’s a nice blend for me for a change of pace from other Virginia flakes.

*update December 9th 2021*

The more I smoked this the more I liked it. An earthy bready yeasty Virginia with a topping that is unique. Not soapy at all. Nuts, herbs, spices. Like the old city I was saying. Going to up grade this to 4 stars.

There are a lot of scents listed to describe this baccy but there is actually only one - Turkish Delight (roses). Good flake, easy to smoke, not for people who don't like floral scents.