Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Kendal Flake

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.

Tin note smells of tobacco scented with sweet, floral (rose petals?) and possibly fruity notes.

The tobacco description in this case is accurate and informative

A tobacco of excellent quality. The dominant flavor is that of almonds while the Virginias have a deep, dark and dry flavor, while the fire cured leaf adds a subtle smokiness to the blend. An excellent medium strength tobacco, mildly scented for a Lakeland.

If you like the genre Kendal Flake is top.

This is my favorite of the Lakeland scented flakes, which is saying a lot at this point. A medium-bodied, medium-strength flake that has a delightful array of flavors applied. Don't be scared off by the ingredients list, as the combination of "scents" is applied in a more restrained manner than in, say, Ennerdale. What is not lacking is the bitter-sweet "floral" taste that so many smokers seem to hate (and I love). This is the most flowery of G&H's offerings, and the flavor remains the same all the way to the bottom. What's curious here is that you can still taste the top-notch VAs -- I don't know G&H manages to pull off this hat trick, but I wish that other aromatic blenders would learn a thing or two from them.

The flakes smoke equally well intact or rubbed out. You may have to relight a few times, but the tobacco stays remarkably cool from first to last. No bite to speak of. Easily a four-star blend.

Wow! This blend is a taste explosion from the get-go. It packs easily and just needs usually one re-light. As with any flake one can 'size' it for any bowl. I find that a medium half-bent is right for this smoker with this blend. I initially bought this tobacco on a whim but it has made it to my regular rotation. I find it throughly refreshing and a great change of pace. This is not an all-day smoke. It is more like having a big cold glass of ice tea on a sweltering Summer Day. The predominant flavor to me is that of the almond and rose with the high quality virginia playing in and out of the bowl as one descends down the smoke. It burns to a fine grey/white ash without heel moisture. A final note, I have two pipes that I use exclusively with this blend, since the scent remains even after the cleanout of the pipes.

June 2012 - I have to upgrade this blend to 4 Stars

Four years ago if you'd told me that this would be my favorite tobacco I'd have laughed in your face and called you a loon!

Get past the smell of this flake, don't let it bother you. I prefer to pull one flake from my humidor and let it sit out for a half hour or so.

Then I'll roll the flake into a log and push it into the bowl of the pipe, almost all of the way down but not CRAMMING it into the bowl. In this way I leave the bottom fifth of the bowl empty, but not for long.

Upon lighting this tobacco I get a sweet taste of the flavouring but it doesn't last long - what comes through upon getting the bowl lit and properly tamped is a rich, round taste with just a hint of flavouring. It's so traditionally English that it will make you spell flavoUr with a "U".

I don't call the flavouring 'soapy' here; I'm also a fan of G&H Rum Flake and it has a hint of that 'soapy' taste. This tobacco is not 'soapy', it's a very unique experience and I thoroughly enjoy it.

The tobacco smokes very cool and dry all the way down the bowl and get a little nicotine heavy at the end but hey, I like that part of it. I can smoke two bowls of this back to back and never get tongue bite - and I'm a heavy puffer.

To break it all down, if you like a rich, round and flavored smoke that's NOT 'soapy' and you like full strength then try this blend in a good smoker/knockaround pipe.

Get by the smell of the tobacco when you open the pouch because it tastes nothing like it smells. Somehow these flavourings all add up into a delightful bittersweet taste that is like no other.

I like it - and I can't believe it!

UPDATE 3/22/04

I've updated the flavoring to "Medium to Strong". After smoking this tobacco for a while I've found that in dedicated pipes, the flavoring has become a bit more pronounced. Still, it's one of my favorites.

Just one more bit here - you owe it to yourself to try some of these flakes. These Lakeland style flakes have been popular for a long time, for a reason. Sure, they're not for everybody - but what is?

Jar note: reads as licorice to me, but I'm questioning it. Could be something I'm not familiar with. In the smoke, I immediately get a lot of whatever's in Bosun plug, thinking rose geranium. Not quite as prominent as in Bosun, but it's up there. Moderately and satisfyingly sweet. A ways into the bowl, the aromatics die down somewhat, and I start to taste more of the grassy and floral Virginia. I would feel sick if I gave this anything but the highest marks, it's absolutely incredible. Out of about 50 or so tobaccos I've tried so far, this is probably my first true desert island tobacco, on top of the list. I get a little teary-eyed just thinking about it.

Package note soap, spices and mildly sweet. Tobacco flakes are light and medium brown and fairly dense, cubes nicely and/or rubs out with a little effort. Tobacco is a little sticky, no drying out needed. Burns slow with relights. The strength is medium and nic is mild-med. Flavoring is medium and consistent throughout with notes of floral, sweet almond, light vanilla and a mild Lakeland. Taste is medium with notes of earth, mild sweet grass, floral and mildly spicy. Virginias leads with flavoring supporting and the Indian leaf in the background. Room note is nice, and aftertaste was great.

Gawith Hoggarth Kendal Flake - The lakeland toppings are unique in this blend . A couple of extra floral scents I have not tasted before and I have smoked quite a few . They are very pleasant to say the least . Very fruity and sweet also . The air cured leaf is ever present in a mild way that Is very savory and they pair nicely in contrast to the flue- cured leaf . Gawith Hoggarth is the undisputed king of Virginia tobaccos that are cured every which way I can think of . Hail to the King ! 4