Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Rum Flake

I am intrigued with aromatic, flavored tobaccos. The thought of a tobacco and extraneous flavors is an interesting prospect. However, the execution of such blends leaves me with chemical burn, little nicotine spin and gooped up pipes. Hence, my usual flavor-search is relegated to Balkans, English and other Latakia blends.

Enter Rum Flake! A fine tobacco taste with crystalized sweetness and little goopiness. Hell, I've smoked English blends that burned wetter.

Superb, excellent, praiseworthy.

I give this three stars because it is not the pinnacle of my piping experiences. In solely aromatic realms this is a 4star.

Images evoked include an undead santa claus delivering monkey brains to the stockings of anklebiting zombies during winter solstice.

I expected something similar to S.Gawith Navy flake, but this one is a lot different. The rum casing is more present at the nose than at the match, when smoked you taste only tobacco with a light almost soapy flavour. The nicotine punch isn't the strongest I've tried, but it isn't a mild one at all.

First off, I had to give this tobacco a try. I'm glad I did. The bulk stock from which I purchased was not overly moist, in fact it leaned towards dry, so I was thrilled. I imagine that this RF smoked with a bit more moisture could turn the pipe bit into a blow torch. I also didn't notice any but the slightest topping aroma ... so either my tobacconist has defrauded me or this tobacco needs to served exactly this way.

The broken flake is very easy to work with and rubs out easily, in fact, the first pipefull was just stuffed into #4 sized Brand X pipe of decent quality and fired up. The first whiff of smoke was bewildering but pleasant. To be honest I wasn't sure what I was smelling but nonetheless I proceeded with reckless abandon. Tamped and retorched, it was full tasting, balanced and I searched (although wary) for the maple sugars. We still haven't been introduced.

What I did notice is a rather malt-like, buttered toast-ish bottom to a nicely powerful blend. It is complex IMO and those soapy / floral highs peak at intervals along the way. It smokes slow, cool and rich.

Now, with all due respect to those noteworthy reviewers that have been so helpful to me that have also bombed RF, I'm wondering if there is a major inconsistency in the varying stock of this tobacco or my original supposition that my tobacconist is a crack pot. All the casing / topping ingredients in the RF I'm smoking is almost indistinguishable and I have found this to be a very enjoyable, rich, full and complex basso that also doesn't cripple the palate. This blend could be called No Name Flake and that would be more appropriate from my experience.

I would love to hear more from detractors re-visiting RF in a more naturally aged drier condition.

Cheers, VC

(Update - I finally was able to identify the Maple Sugars essence after dedicating a pipe to this blend. As with all the other elements of this smoke - the rich smooth taste of a wonderful blend is merely tied together very successfully with the maple/rum. I'm convinced that further aging and slight drying is the secret to the transformation of this tobacco.)

I have been smoking G&H Rum Flake off and on for some time now, about 4 ounces. This is a quality tobacco, with a rich tobacco flavor. The maple topping passes quickly, not that the topping is at all bad. As others have mentioned, this tobacco can have some kick, but not at all as strong as, say, G&H Dark Birdseye. I usually rub the flake out fully, and find it burns very well, with no bite. If you're looking for a step up from most "normal" tobaccos to something with a bit more strength, this is an excellent choice.

This is a well-made blend, typical of G&H. In comparison to Bob's Square Cut/Bob's Chocolate Flake, the floral note is subdued and seems to diappear once it is lit and going. Like the other reviews, I detect little in the way of a rum taste, though the maple is apparent at first. However, the sweet maple flavor is itself eventually replaced with that of the rich natural tobacco. This blend burns well despite its density and moisture content. It is a somewhat unusual flake because the pieces are so long. The flakes need to be broken up or folded over to fit into a pipe. While there is no bite, this is a deceptively strong tobacco for the unwary and may induce dizziness if smoked too fast. Whle I think the aroma is nice, others of the female persuasion have informed me that it smells like a "dirty cigarette"---whatever that means. Nonetheless, I give Rum Flake a grade of "B".

Gawith and Co. have to be commended again for their ability to blend tobacco that is different than the rest of the pack, and yet "classic" in every respect of the word. With Rum Flake, they have again upped the ante.

Appearance: Beautiful 8-9" long by 1.5" Flakes Medium Brown with light yellow specks here and there.

Aroma: This comes in bulk so there is no tin to open. The flakes smell like raisins, hay, a little floral,perfumy (light though, not as perfumy as BCF)

Packing and Lighting: I found that this smokes better fully rubbed out and in smaller pipes (grp 3-4) Three lights typical.

Initial Flavor: Rich VA with a spiciness that does not burn your tongue. Where is the Rum?

Mid-Bowl:The flavor is rich and sweet, without being cloying. The florals pop in and out more. This is a delicious tobac!

End of bowl: This is where this blend is the most tasty to me. Rich, round, mellow, with the florals more in evidence. When it is over, you are satiated, your pipe is dry, and the ash is powdery grey.

Overall: This is a delicious blend if you appreciate Gawiths Genre of flavoring. The floral flavor is less pronounced than BCF. The tobac burns cool, what more could one ask for?

Rating: since I am still primarily a Balkan smoker I could not rate it higher than "I smoke this on occasion" but in this genre, I give it 4.5 points out of 5, a most excellent smoke, enjoy!

Ennerdale flake is a staple for me. Rum flake is a new flake that I have just tried for the first time this week. I am very impressed with it. This is a Virginia Burley flake with a casing. I have read Rum, Vanilla and licorice. It has a very pungent aroma in the tin. Rubs out with some effort and packs nicely. Burn is nice and flavor is excellent. The base tobacco flavors come through very nicely with the added flavors. Very enjoyable but will not replace my Ennerdale Flake. Four stars.

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.

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