Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Rum Flake
(3.03)
The 'Christmas cake' of all our tobaccos. A very rich, sweet fully flavoured blend. The main feature is the high proportion of naturally sweet sun-cured tobaccos in the blend - over 40%. Only 30% Virginia leaf, with the rest of the blend coming from burleys and dark-air cured contribute to a strong, but rewarding smoke. The whole blend is cased in maple sugars to further enhance the natural sweetness of the sun cured leaf and then rounded off with a dash of rum.
Notes: Due to EU regulations, this is now sold in those countries as "Jamaican Flake".
Since 2016 and perhaps earlier, the tin label on the back states ”Virginias and burley with flavors of rum, licorice and vanilla”.
Details
| Brand | Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. |
| Blended By | Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. |
| Manufactured By | Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. |
| Blend Type | Aromatic |
| Contents | Burley, Virginia |
| Flavoring | Maple, Rum |
| Cut | Broken Flake |
| Packaging | 50 grams tin, Bulk |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Medium
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant to Tolerable
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium to Full
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
3.03 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 101 - 110 of 138 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 22, 2023 | Medium to Strong | Medium | Medium to Full | Pleasant |
It just tastes old-fashioned - like something from another time. The Christmas Cake of tobaccos--well, just as a cake is more than just flour, sugar and spices, G&H Rum Flake (RF) is more than just tobacco and rum. I taste mostly rich tobaccos, some brown sugar/molasses/rum, and a little licorice that collectively provides a smoke with a distinctly creamy quality. Although I mention the spice of the casing and toppings they in no way sublimate the rich taste of tobacco. And that sense of "Lakeland", although present in this flake, is not overdone. You may actually find yourself approaching a kind of sensory overload with this blend. (The first time I smoked this back in the late 90s I was so taken and intrigued with it that I smoked 3 bowls over the course of 3 hours.) I have enjoyed this tobacco in both bulk and tin forms over the years, but I prefer it in the tin as the flavors seem better integrated, consistent and uniform. (In bulk form the flavors seem to be less focused.) This is a rich tasting flake that provides a decent amount of nicotine. I think it's a couple of steps beyond medium in strength, but it is just not as strong as most of the G&H ropes and twists. Its herbal, floral, sugar, and spice elements integrate well with the tobaccos without overwhelming them while providing a provocative and well-integrated mosaic of flavors. The toppings and casings merely add additional dimension and are just necessary ingredients in the recipe. NOTE: Although RF is not as heavily scented as some other G&H offerings, Rum Flake can still "ghost" a briar. So, I would advise dedicating a briar or two to G&H blends or simply restrict yourself to "foams" and clays.
Pipe Used:
Best in a Meerschaum
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 22, 2023 | Medium | Medium | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Tin note of sweet, spiced rum and maple. Tobacco is a flake of marbled yellowish tan, brown and dark brown. Moisture content is ok, most pipe smokers will want to dry it a bit. Flakes rub out with a little effort. Burns slow with a few relights. The strength is medium and nic is medium. Flavoring is medium, with notes of rum, licorice and vanilla. The rum and vanilla are prominent in the beginning, loosing intensity very quickly, settling down in the middleground. The licorice seems to be occupying the background. Taste is medium and very consistent, with notes of sour vegetation, maple, lemon grass, rum, vanilla, wood, spices, floral, leather, molasses, tangy dark fruit, earthy, brown sugar, nutty, hay, cocoa, mild licorice, mildly spicy, a rich savory sweet bready background note, and a peppery retro. Burley is leading with Flavoring and Virginias supporting. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is great.
Pipe Used:
2016 Northern Briars Premier Rox Cut #4 Prince
PurchasedFrom:
smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked:
fresh
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jan 10, 2023 | Mild to Medium | Medium | Medium | Pleasant |
Rum Flake is a Virginia and Burley blend with rum, licorice and vanilla (per the tin). The flake is a well pressed and rubbed out is very easy to pack. I get the rum and vanilla notes quite well, with earthy and grassy flavors from the Virginia. The smoke is cool, so no bite. It has a nice texture when rubbing out not wet or sticky. Some reviewers have stated it is a Lakeland style, which is not true. The Enneradale is noted as a Lakeland style with floral notes.
Pipe Used:
Rossi Rubin Antico Pot
PurchasedFrom:
Smoking Pipes
Age When Smoked:
Fresh from Tin
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 31, 2022 | Medium | Mild to Medium | Medium to Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Bag note is sweet spicy molasses. The broken flakes rub out easily it is a bit moist fresh from the bag but it burns fine. The Lakeland soap is almost un-noticeable in this G&H blend . Starts out a bit strong but smooths out quickly. The burley is nutty and the maple topping is quite nice, no chemical taste. Burns very cool and smooth. Once I got this going it stayed lit, Not sure I would smoke this all day but a few bowls are great. This is my personal favorite Gawith, Hoggarth blend. Nic hit is middle defiantly a full flavored smoke gives a bit of tingle (not perique) I suspect from the Virginias. 4 solid stars
Pipe Used:
Paronelli Briar
PurchasedFrom:
Chesapeake pipe and cigar
Age When Smoked:
fresh from the bag
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 19, 2022 | Medium | Mild to Medium | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Another blend I find hard to call an aromatic. It’s not bad, but don’t go into this looking for a strong, pronounced rum flavor. If you’re looking for the sweet, natural, nutty tobacco flavor, this is for you!
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 27, 2021 | Medium | Medium | Medium | Pleasant |
I thought I had finally settled on GH Brown Flake as my representative GH blend. Just a smidge of Burley to round out the Va, much more savory with a little more backbone than BBF or FVF. It's just the thing when you aren't quite in a Burley or a Va mood. It takes little time in storage before this tobacco is glistening with sugar crystals, although it never crosses into what I'd call sweet.
Then I tried Rum Flake. 1/3 Burley, so it's rounder and stouter than Brown Flake. I don't get maple from the flavorings, more of a subtle Christmas spice with a familiar whiff of Lakeland perfume, but toned way down compared to many of those.
Gosh Rum Flake is just a good, satisfying smoke. I find it to be sweeter and stronger than Brown Flake, which pretty much makes it just what I want when I am in a VaBur mood. It also has kind of a bread-y quality to it. Again, it just seems kind of Christmas-y all around to me. Too bad I never tried it til I had put my whole cellar up. I'll keep a tin in the house but I have more tobacco than I can smoke. I'll trade some decade old BBF tins one for one if you have some Rum Flake lol
Then I tried Rum Flake. 1/3 Burley, so it's rounder and stouter than Brown Flake. I don't get maple from the flavorings, more of a subtle Christmas spice with a familiar whiff of Lakeland perfume, but toned way down compared to many of those.
Gosh Rum Flake is just a good, satisfying smoke. I find it to be sweeter and stronger than Brown Flake, which pretty much makes it just what I want when I am in a VaBur mood. It also has kind of a bread-y quality to it. Again, it just seems kind of Christmas-y all around to me. Too bad I never tried it til I had put my whole cellar up. I'll keep a tin in the house but I have more tobacco than I can smoke. I'll trade some decade old BBF tins one for one if you have some Rum Flake lol
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jan 17, 2021 | Medium | Medium | Medium to Full | Pleasant |
Flakes are very dark and a bit tough. Seems to be a Lakeland thing! The jar note is wonderful and rich and like ,well , tobacco. I can't detect rum at all but it does smell non specifically boozy.
I just break the flakes up a bit and stuff them in my pipe. It's not the easiest to light.(I don't dry it as I find the flavour better if I don't) I eventually get it going. It's a blend that changes as the bowl progresses. At first I get the sweetness of the topping , I can't taste any Lakeland essence, then later a rich Virginia/ nutty flavour.
It burns very slowly and a bowl lasts 90 minutes. Just ash and no dottle.
I just might have to do it again!
I just break the flakes up a bit and stuff them in my pipe. It's not the easiest to light.(I don't dry it as I find the flavour better if I don't) I eventually get it going. It's a blend that changes as the bowl progresses. At first I get the sweetness of the topping , I can't taste any Lakeland essence, then later a rich Virginia/ nutty flavour.
It burns very slowly and a bowl lasts 90 minutes. Just ash and no dottle.
I just might have to do it again!
Pipe Used:
Stanwell briar and mm cob
PurchasedFrom:
On line GQ tobacconist
Age When Smoked:
Just bought
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 21, 2019 | Medium to Strong | Mild | Medium to Full | Tolerable |
This one gave me heartburn, so not a huge fan. OK, the acid reflux is likely the result of morning coffee on an empty stomach, but this was still a dense no nonsense smoke. The rum flavor is barely perceptible, so this is one of the Aromatics that allow non-Aromatic fans to say they enjoy the other side of the blend spectrum. The bag did have a solid Virginia presence, but once the product was lit everything becomes very deep and burnt toast like, encasing a few Lakeland blips trying to surface.
The flake has a good thickness and moisture, dry enough to dive in or wait a bit if that is your preference. The ember burns slowly for the long haul. The product produces a strong cigar-like smoke that can get caught in your throat if sucked too hard, sipping slowly provides a mild molasses flavor, but nothing I would consider rum or maple.
Likely will only appeal to smokers who want to put some hair on their chest and want some solid nicotine for the efforts. I won't smoke it again, but the quality is there so I gave it a 2 star nod.
The flake has a good thickness and moisture, dry enough to dive in or wait a bit if that is your preference. The ember burns slowly for the long haul. The product produces a strong cigar-like smoke that can get caught in your throat if sucked too hard, sipping slowly provides a mild molasses flavor, but nothing I would consider rum or maple.
Likely will only appeal to smokers who want to put some hair on their chest and want some solid nicotine for the efforts. I won't smoke it again, but the quality is there so I gave it a 2 star nod.
PurchasedFrom:
pipesandcigars.com
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Dec 05, 2018 | Medium to Strong | Medium | Very Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Easily the soapiest of all the Gawith & Hoggarth flakes. However, the "soap" is not detected in every puff. It is the licorice evaporating onto one's tongue. The maple is next in line, and the rum taking third place.
One of the most bite free tobacco blends available, along with kendal flake and bosun cut plug.
The burley dominates in this blend, but is never bitter, being one of the very, very few blends containing burley which is not so.
I think of this as more of a thanksgiving blend vs the "christmas cake" it is claimed to be, that title being better placed on bosun cut plug, as rum flake is more like a hearty meal. And satisfy it does. Nicotine is medium to strong, the tastes are filling but not too plastering, while the tobacco shines through with no flowers, just rich scents of yesteryear.
Sadly almost always out of stock, because it is that good.
One of the most bite free tobacco blends available, along with kendal flake and bosun cut plug.
The burley dominates in this blend, but is never bitter, being one of the very, very few blends containing burley which is not so.
I think of this as more of a thanksgiving blend vs the "christmas cake" it is claimed to be, that title being better placed on bosun cut plug, as rum flake is more like a hearty meal. And satisfy it does. Nicotine is medium to strong, the tastes are filling but not too plastering, while the tobacco shines through with no flowers, just rich scents of yesteryear.
Sadly almost always out of stock, because it is that good.
Pipe Used:
Dedicated Ser Jacopo
PurchasedFrom:
Many retailers.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 19, 2018 | Medium to Strong | Extremely Mild | Full | Pleasant |
No bite. Very rich and sweet. Great Virginia taste. Pleasant and satisfying.
This is a new favorite of mine. Bought it for Christmas, still enjoying it into Feb. Its got a little strength, and a lot of authentic tobacco taste. Many relights for the first 1/3 of bowl. But that doesn't bother me
Update: Sept 2022
I guess I failed to mention that this blend has a lake Land essence. Not so much the clove, but more the floral laundry detergent taste. I think it goes well with this blend. But if you try this, do understand it will taste a little soapy. That's okay, it's supposed to. Give it a chance smoke enough and you'll really miss it
This is a new favorite of mine. Bought it for Christmas, still enjoying it into Feb. Its got a little strength, and a lot of authentic tobacco taste. Many relights for the first 1/3 of bowl. But that doesn't bother me
Update: Sept 2022
I guess I failed to mention that this blend has a lake Land essence. Not so much the clove, but more the floral laundry detergent taste. I think it goes well with this blend. But if you try this, do understand it will taste a little soapy. That's okay, it's supposed to. Give it a chance smoke enough and you'll really miss it
Pipe Used:
Cobs, petersons
PurchasedFrom:
P&C
Age When Smoked:
New
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