Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Rum Flake

Tin Note: First whiff of this blend I thought of those rum and whiskey filled chocolates in the shape of bottles you usually see around the holidays.

Initial Light: The flake was in cube cut form ( or as square as i can get it) and i packed it rather lightly at first, so i think this is the reason i had a hard time getting it lit. I just kept repeating the false light process and packed it down more until finally I got it going. at first it tasted kind of soapy.

Mid-Smoke: At this point I had to relight the pipe three times and I was getting a little bite due to the heat it was smoking at, so i gave it a few minutes to cool and picked it up again. I don't know whether it was do to the bite i was getting ,but the smoke seemed rather strong for my liking.

Bottom of the Bowl: At this point it was a completely different smoke, it was cooler, the taste and feel was smooth and creamery. However it wasn't enough to sway my feelings on this blend after all it was a good 45min to reach this point.

Room Note: I asked the wife and I got a rolling of the eyes which in my book translates to tolerable but your an idiot.

Dottle: The dottle was impressive, i give this blend credit that it did smoke down to ash with minimal moister in the pipe and no gurgle throughout.

Smoking Duration: 1 Hour yes i went through 1 Hour of this tobacco all in the name of science.

Overall: I will revisit but I don't see myself stocking this up in the cellar.

For the next time i smoke it:

-Pack it tighter -Use a smaller pipe -Try fold and stuff method -15min dry time was sufficient but maybe ill try an hour.

Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. - Rum Flake.

Quite robust, dark brown, flakes. The rum tastes sweet, with only a little alcoholic piquancy. As well as the rum there's the suggestion of perfume/flowers, which reduces the rating. Rum Flake behaves well in the bowl, giving a bite-free, cool smoke. The nicotine's medium and the room-note's tolerable.

Rum Flake? The slight floral note turns me off. Two stars:

Somewhat recommended.

This is actually a pretty good blend, but one I probably won't smoke again. It has a wonderful aroma and nice, albeit mild flavor. It is a bit like a cup of coffee, bitter-sweet with the occasional maple note from the casing enhancing it. Unfortunately, it is simply too mild for me flavor wise and I'll probably go back to my bosun cut plug. This is a good tobacco, just not for me.

Update: It became more bitey and the taste went flat, going to have to down this a star.

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.

Not a bad tobacco. Provides full smoke, burns cool. However, the taste is not well balanced for me and a small hint of lakeland 'soapy' flavour does not really support rest of the casing. Would still recommend to try as it is interesting and definetly good quality tobacco. But I will probably not buy it again.

Ok, While this had a great burley base a wonderful virgina (G&H and Gawith make great virginia flakes...)taste.....I'm the party crasher. Maybe it was my tin, or I underestimate the floral casing....It just wasn't for me. The tin was presented beatifully. the flakes perfect. The tin aroma was great Anise and Rum.....I sooooo wanted to like it. Once this got burning....there was that weird fake floral taste. Be warned and enjoy....

I've smoked about half a tin of this blend, and I have to say that with each smoke I enjoy it less and less. The tin note is wonderful, full of rich, deep earthy tones with a hint of dark fruit and rum (as the name indicates). Upon smoking it, however, all is lost except for an overwhelming flavor like that of an old woman's powdery, flowery perfume. This perfume-like taste has emerged from each of the GH&Co. blends I've smoked, and it really does detract from the overall experience in my opinion. I'm afraid that once I've finished off this tin, I will stay away from other GH&Co. tobaccos.

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.