Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Balkan Flake

This being a G&H tobacco product, I would've expected it to be more on the Lakeland side of things, but the casing is barely noticeable. This can be a good or a bad thing, but there are other Balkan flakes out there similar to this particular one. The Latakia is very pronounced in this tobacco, well aged and tasty. One drawback though is that G&H is not very consistent with its flakes, so you will get them in different lengths and sicknesses, and if you are unlucky enough as to bump into the very thick ones, the rubbing out process not only can be discouraging, but daunting as well. Having said that, if properly dried, these flakes seem to be easy to keep lit and will smoke cool in your bowl. Even though they don't seem to bite, I would have expected some oriental leaf here for both a little bit of added flavour and to soften it round the edges as the Latakia can be a little bit harsh on the palate. All and all, this is not a bad tobacco, but a few shortcomings can only mean it will only get 3 stars this time.