Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Rum Flake

Dang, this is sturdy stuff.

The tin note is actually slightly off-putting. The topping is clearly alcohol, but not classy stuff, more like someone's breath who has a hangover. Its kinda rancid, sour, rough alcohol, on top of some very rich and sturdy tobacco.

Sits in a plastic wrapper inside the tin, odd.

Ships damp, and needs some drying out. However, this is a very good smoke. Its like Irish Flake with some aro elements, so there is a very rich VaBur combo at work at the heart of it, deep and dark VaBur with plumes of rich blue smoke, and the alcohol flavour comes through in brutal fashion. It doesn't hide whatsoever.

Its somewhat similar to Sextant without the Lat, the richness is not hard to find, and the furnace brings out a lot of nuance and deep flavour.

I really liked it, however, its also responsible for the first time I was put on Weird Street, and after smoking a massive bowl of this in an XXL Billiard sitting down for almost 90 minutes, I was very green and ill for almost 2 hours, ending up not smoking again for about 2 weeks. The strength of the tobacco, the volume and richness of the smoke, the big and loud alcohol aroma, this is not for the feint hearted and if you are not ready for it it will knock your socks off in brutal fashion.

Big yes, but be cautious.

I actually did not like this blend the first time I tried it, but now I consider it a favorite. It starts off a bit harsh and too floral. Then the foreground Lakeland influence begins to relinquish some of its prominence to the musty perique-like maple and (almost undetectable) rum about ¼ the way down the bowl. (Don’t misunderstand me, I like Lakeland blends, but not when they are too heavily stated.) Pull slowly to enjoy. Stays lit. Sweet spots are treasured and interplay delightfully with the acrid. The harshness progressively transforms to the smooth and creamy. Last third of bowl it becomes more fruit-berry like and the nicotine gets stronger. This smoke can dry your throat out, so have a drink handy. The blend goes through a metamorphosis in taste and PH as you work down the bowl, but the integrity of the tobacco is maintained throughout without the taper off that so many lower quality tobaccos exhibit. If you like the prospect of smoking an aromatic tobacco that is a step up from the typical fare, then this blend with its stoutness of character and medium nicotine should qualify.

G&H's Rum Flake sits high on my list of mild or subdued aromatics. Great looking in the tin (or bulk package), Rum Flake arrives as a medium brown, loosely pressed flake. Like most G&H Flakes, it's very easy to work with and versatile enough to allow for several preparations—rubbed out, folded and stuffed, rolled into a plug, etc. Personally, I tend to rub it out because I find that preparation best for releasing the subtle aromatics of the tobacco.

A whole lot of ink has been spilled discussing the flavor profile of this stuff. I think it smells heavenly—a lightly intense mix of rum, raisin, and maple. In the pipe, the maple flavor tends to come to the fore, but the aromatic intensity is sufficiently muted that there are occasions when I forget that I'm smoking an aromatized flake at all. Since I'm also a fan of G&H's Unscented Brown Flake (which may well serve as the tobacco base here), I'm fine with that.

The mildness of the flavoring here really does need stressing, given the name of the tobacco. Smokers looking for either intense rum aromas or intense maple aromas should probably look elsewhere. The maple here is nowhere near as intense as it is in, say, C&D's Autumn Evening, and the rum here is far more subdued that it is in tobaccos like Sutliff's Barbados Plantation or C&D's Blockade Runner. That's all for the best as far as I'm concerned, but others may find Rum Flake to be a misleading title.

As for the complaints about the “Lakeland” scents here: on occasion, I do get a wee hint of something floral, but complaining that this tobacco is heavy in Lakeland scents doesn't strike me as useful. Or true. This is wonderful stuff for smokers who enjoy rich tobacco flavor lightly enhanced with aromatic agents.

Another nice flake from GH. Rum Flake arrives a bit moist and it does have the soap like smell that GH is known for in many of their blends although not as soapy as others. I don't find that it translates to the flake. Rum Flake is somewhat sweet and I find the rum flavor to not be as strong as some suggest. Its not in the league of other spirits flavored tobacco like Pembroke or Cognac Mixture. The rum adds some of the sweetness. I prefer to rub the tan flake out and smoke it in a smaller bowl. While a decent flake out of the tin, it ages very, very well. The flakes turn very dark in color and while the rum taste diminishes, the sweetness increases. A few years of age on Run Flake and its a four star blend. Rum Flake is a must try for those that love Gawith Hoggarth flakes. Recommended.

Comes as a pressed block with delicious sugar crystals forming on the outside. Smokes rich, deep and sweet with a sublime room note. THIS is why I took up pipe smoking...

I don't know how this could be rated only two stars! Absurd! This is one of the best flakes ever! Don't smoke this first if you are planning on trying any other tobacco that day! It is so flavorful it would overwhelm any other smoke that followed. If it has any fault it would be that a small pipefull seems to last forever! Really good stuff! "Non-Flakers" need not apply!

Update 11/26/04:

One of my pipe-buddies new to the game (a former big bucks cigar buyer) says this is as good or better than any of the $10 cigars he used to buy. He is not saying it tastes like a cigar, rather it gives him similar satisfaction.

The batch of Rum Flake I have been smoking is pretty old. The light tan flakes are now a much darker shade. In the jar, the smell of rum is strong and sweet. I lightly rubbed out the flakes before packing. The flavor is medium to full. Because of the age, I get a mild sweetness with a bit of Lakeland soapy and floral flavor, but the soapy flavor seems to come in and out through each smoke, but it isn’t constant. Even though I smelled the rum in the jar, I didn’t taste any of it in the pipe. Rum Flake has no bite at all, but I don’t know if that was due to the age of the tobacco. I really enjoyed the sweet floral taste of Rum Flake, but I have grown tired of the soapy flavor and that kind of ruins it for me. I am not saying I would come back to this because I used to really like it, but for now I can only somewhat recommend it.

I bought half an ounce (12.5 grams) of Rum Flake at the suggestion of a friend, who loves it. I see that several previous reviewers have rated it highly, and it may be that I haven't really given it a fair trial; but I have to say that I found it rather a disappointment. I don't hate it, but I wouldn't go out of my way to buy any more of it.

The pouch aroma is just plain gorgeous; 'Christmas cake' in the manufacturer's blurb is a very apt metaphor. But this is a tobacco that promises a good deal more than it delivers: the aroma doesn't (in my experience so far) carry over into the smoke to any noticeable degree. After the first couple of puffs, there's nothing much to distinguish RF from (say) G & H's Brown Flake; though, thanks to the sugary casing, it's inclined to smoke a bit hot.

RF is all right, and I don't mind recommending it to people who like G & H or SG flakes. It's a pleasant enough smoke if you don't rush it, and not too strong in terms of nicotine content. Nothing to write home about, though.

A tobacco description that is absolutely spot on. The taste definitely makes me think of a slice of spiced Christmas cake with rum drizzled over it. It is fuller of taste but not so strong where I would be grabbing a small bowled pipe. I smoke it in a standard size billiard. I don't get Lakeland floral at all but since I smoke Ennerdale and Kendall flakes perhaps I'm less sensitive to it and miss it in it's most minute addition. I highly recommend you try this if it sounds at all interesting to you. personally, I smoke my flakes dried significantly and suggest if you have an unsatisfactory smoke with this tobacco, dry it more and try again before moving on.