Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Rum Flake

I really like GH Rum Flake, with one annoyance: the Lakeland perfume thing. Granted, it's not extreme in this blend, but I'd like half as much or maybe even none at all. On the plus side, I've learned that bulk is better than tinned for a slightly less Lakeland experience.

On to the part that keeps me coming back to this blend: The balance of the Virginia, burley, rum and maple sugar is superb. It's a remarkably smooth smoke, cool burning with no tendency to bite. The leaf is top shelf, the flake construction is typical Gawith excellence, the toppings (other than Lakeland) are perfectly balanced, and it's just an excellent smoke every time I go to it. Creamy, almost chewy. Mild to medium nicotine content.

It takes about half to bowl before the Lakeland overwhelms my palate enough that I enjoy the rest of the bowl without thinking "grandma's perfume is gross in tobacco" with every puff.

I guess my key point to make is that despite my disdain for Lakeland "essence", this particular blend is so good otherwise that I often find myself powering through it. I've searched high and low for something else that does what this blend does right, but without the Lakeland thing. After lots of disappointing purchases, I've come to accept that if I want to enjoy all the great things about Rum Flake I'm going to have to learn to live with it's Lakeland additive.

One star removed for the perfume that I dislike, however if that's your thing this is a 4 star blend.

For me a good rum flake is the one from C&D, like the Afterhours That's what I call Rum. It does smell and taste like Rum.

Well well, what have we here...a gorgeous English aromatic. I came by 2 ounces of this flake and have rendered it to a wistfull memory in short order. Other reviewers have made mention of the "maple" smell. I concur but I don't taste it. Initial taste is thin, dare I say somewhat cheap, especially when exhaled through the nose. Thankfully, several puffs later the smoke revs up and tastes wonderfull, rich and full. I have been smoking it in a long Canadian, providing a gentle, cool experience. Due to it being cased and sugary, relights can be a tad ashy, but the unpleasant flavors soon diminish. Not an all day smoke but rightly rewarding when in the proper mood and space. As to the mention of "floral" notes, I couldn't detect any. I smoked it alongside half a dozen of the traditional Lakeland mixtures and found it a welcome departure. Enjoy.

GH Rum Flake is one of my first forays into GH soap flake land. And I like it. I, too, found it to need a bit of drying before it was ready to smoke. As it came, it was fairly harsh and monochromatic, but once dried a bit, and consumed slowly it revealed a rich spectrum of flavors. Rum was not one of them. The restrained floral soapiness was evident in the background throughout, but VAs and added sweetener make it a rich and rewarding smoke.

I also like the cut. Contrary to the description above, my sample came in nice broad flakes. A gentle rubbing-out into long strands (after the requisite drying of course) produced a nice slow-burning texture. I found that it burns best in a tall narrow bowl, where a smolder of just the right temperature can be attained.

I also tried it chopped into teensy cubes, and it was amazing how much sweeter the flavor was. It had a tendency to burn the back of my throat, however, so I went back to the long strand consistency I prefer with VA-type flakes. It is fun to have it both ways.

I have enough to cellar several oz in a sealed glass jar for a few months/years to revisit frequently in the future. A recommended smoke.

Bulk. Moist like all Gawith products. After some serious dry time I prefer to rub this one out fairly fine. Sweet aromas. I do get the Christmas cake reference made by previous reviews. I also notice the burley quite distinctly in the aroma. A few lights required to really get it going. First taste is sweet and savory. The Virginia's are noticeable and robust. Somewhat dark fruit like. The burley is nutty and earthy. The burley for me really takes over about a third of the way. The sweetness becomes a mild side note. I did not once get the rum flavor. Overall a decent smoke.