Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Rum Flake

Another great blend from GH. It comes a bit moist for some, but nothing a little drying won't cure nicely. A very nice presentation in the tin. Loads, lights and stays lit well. It burns down to an ash easily. The taste and room note are top rate. What more can one want from a bowlful of fine tobacco such as this? Overall, I would definitely recommend this blend to one and all.

I was surprised by this tobacco. When I first tried it, I detected a definite Lakeland flavoring that convinced me that the pipe I was using had been "ghosted" by Ennerdale flake. Upon trying Rum Flake in a different pipe, however, I came to understand that the tobacco does indeed contain a Lakeland topping.

Upon opening a pouch of Rum Flake, the tobacco presents itself in long, wide flakes with some ragged edges. Coloration is medium brown with lighter spots and variegations. Some small sugar crystals are apparent on the flakes, and will likely develop further with cellaring. Aroma is sharp and fruity, with a slight background of cocoa. Surprisingly, I could not detect any of the Lakeland floral scent present in the pouch.

The tobacco had an ideal moisture content, and did not require drying time or rubbing out. Lighting was surprisingly even and easy for a flake tobacco. Expansion on the charring light was minimal, and the draw remained easy.

During burning, the taste of the tobacco is slightly sweet, and the Lakeland flavor begins to assert itself. Unlike most Lakeland mixtures, the distinctive flavor is mild and subtle. (Some Lakeland tobaccos assert themselves like a luchador charging into the room and clotheslining you; Gawith Hoggarth & Company Rum Flake is more like a purring cat rubbing against your ankles.) The light Lakeland treatment harmonizes well with the meatier tobacco taste that appears when a bowl is burning well.

The tobacco burns evenly and easily, leaving fine, crisp ashes. A minimal amount of sacrificial dottle can be left in the bottom of the pipe at the end of a smoke. Rum Flake does not seem to turn foul or oppressively concentrated at the finish of a bowl.

In summation, Rum Flake is a pleasant experience and may be a good introduction to Lakeland flavoring for a person who is curious about the experience but afraid of being overwhelmed. The scenting is very mild here, and allows enough of the true tobacco taste to come through, so Rum Flake should be acceptable even to an individual who finds something like Ennerdale too strong.

Oddly enough, I couldn't detect any distinctive taste from the maple sugar casing Gawith Hoggarth and Company uses in Rum Flake, even though tiny crystals of sugar sparkle throughout the flakes.

Pipes used for testing: Peterson Aran 268, Peterson Killarney 999, Savinelli Saturnia 606 KS, Neerup Classic Poker (2), Stanwell Special Billiard (102)

Probably my favorite gawh, nice n sweet all day smoke with great va taste, this blend is perfect for a introduction blend to gawh, the floral tones are nice and soft. Top broken flake.

This is another fine tobacco from GH. This one is for burley puffers, not Va smokers. There is very little Va in this one. It is a full bodied, medium strength blend that smokes dry to the bottom with no bite at all. Initial taste and smell to me is of cotton candy, which diminishes down the bowl. The latest tins say it is topped with licorice, rum and vanilla. I give it a light rub out in a grp 6 bowl, and it burns well enough, maybe requiring one or two relights. Stays good tasting down to the bottom. This is one of my regulars,and highly recommended.

A very dark flake, with only a trace of rum, which really only appears briefly in the tin/pouch aroma and the initial light. Seems to be available only as a loose tobacco.

The strands are tight and moist (but not as moist as SG's Navy cut). Any flavour there is dies away as you progress the bowl, leaving a harsh, but somewhat mellow aftertaste.

If you are looking for a Rum soaked blend this isn't it. It's pleasant, yes but really not what I thought it was going to be.

Certainly not a tobacco I'd smoke on a regular basis, but well worth buying in small quantities.

strongirish said it best below. "How anyone could not like this is beyond me". I almost passed on this because of some of the reviews I read here. His convinced me to give it a shot.

Am I ever glad I did. This stuff rocks! I've smoked through a 2 OZ sample in just a few days. It just keeps getting better.

Despite the rum and maple sugar toppings this is not at all an aromatic. It tastes like I want a a VA to taste. It's the thing I keep trying to coax from many VA blends

I typically avoid burley because it bites me. But this doesn't' bite at all. In fact it's almost soothing to the tongue.

It comes a bit wet and like most flakes benefits from drying. I rub it out and pack it with a sort of hybrid air pocket/Frank technique. It burns amazingly well. I typically seem to have several relights through a typical bowl. Not with this. I won't roll out the cliche' "fine white ash". But it burns down to the bottom of the bowl with no fuss.

I buy very few blends in quantity to cellar. Only if they rock my world. This will be one I buy several pounds of. It has immediately made my top 5.

The look and smell of the flake was wonderful, once rubbed out and lit, it all went pear shaped. SOAP. Sadly for me, thats the end of the story. I just can't stand soap flavoured tobacco's.

Update August 31 2019 I found a tin with some of this left, dry and crispy, there's not enough to warrant rehydration, so I smoked it as is. The florals are still there but the rum flavouring still comes through, I may even be tempted to buy another tin, although by now it's probably only available in bulk. My palette has obviously needed time to change in order to appreciate Aro's more.

Well, I heard a lot about this blend and really, most of what I heard was good . so I ordered me a tin of it from an online shop.

I had it sitting on the shelf for about a week or so and today I decided it was time to give it a go.

The smell of the Tobacco when I opened the tin was fantastic, very Rasin like and very pleasant. it comes moist and dries out easily.

The smoke is not as pleasant...I really couldn't find the Vanilla, Rum, or Licorice. It just had a shampoo/soap taste, just really a chore to get through about half the bowl. I couldn't continue smoking it. I know you should give a tin a bowl or two before you judge it but this Tobacco just doesn't do it for me, no matter how many attempts I give it, my opinion won't change.

But, then again, it seems like plenty of people like it. So you might as well pick up a tin, I can only give so much information. It's your own opinion and your own tastes that decide.

G & H produce some fine scented flakes...fine that is if you have the taste for them; Rum Flake almost escapes the base notes of their scented flakes. Almost. It has a wonderfully subtle aroma in the tin or box; rich and chocolatey, sweet and alcoholic...and there's wafts of the same tastes when you light up. For me, they seems to dissipate as I work my way through the bowl, becoming less pervasive and more soapy (as others have alluded to); not that that is a problem as I enjoy the Lakeland scented varities G & H produce. I can see however how this tobacco could dissappoint some folk as the early promised taste doesn't quite last. So from an objective point of view, while I still enjoy it very much, I think in a way Rum Flake falls just short of being a great tobacco...so 3 instead of 4 stars.