Samuel Gawith Lakeland Dark Flake

So... I was hoping this would be a reincarnartion of Bracken flake but it is not. When I opened the tin the first thing I noticed was that classic Petersons Irish Flake copenhagen note and a good dose of smoke. Packing a very small portion gives the same results. Sweet caramel, some smoke, that IF road tar aroma, and a lightly fruity component. I need to experiment more and this isn;t a lakeland per se but I'm betting that if you like Irish Flake you'll like Lakeland Dark too!

P.S. This one has all the strength of IF and then some. Beginners beware!

I am posting my comments under Lakeland Dark and Lakeland Dark Flake because the new blend in the States, called Lakeland Dark meets the description listed under Lakeland Dark Flake however there is no mention of the word “Flake” on the tin, only Lakeland Dark here or in the EU that I can find. In both cases, the tin photo is simply that of Lakeland Dark. With that out of the way, I bought a couple of tins when it was recently released here in the States and left one open for nearly two weeks as it was very wet. It was worth the wait. The tin note is herbal, leathery and smoky. I prefer it in a small bowl and was “wowed” at first puff. Typical Lakeland style treatment with no topping that I can detect. For a fairly simple tobacco, it is complex, slightly sweet. Cool burning, it is best sipped to enjoy the earthy, leathery, smoky flavor. Since 1792 ages quite well, I would expect this great smoke to be even better in a few years with the Virginia component only getting sweeter. I find myself now pushing my few remaining tins of 1792 to the back of the closet to make room for this excellent, somewhat strong broken flake. This is going to be a love or hate blend for many, but fans of this type of Lake District tobacco will not be disappointed!

This is a very dark looking tobacco with tiny specs of yellowish-brown. Shaggy in appearance but it is, IMO, of the broken flake variety rather than a full flake. From the tin note, I get a stale cigarette (not cigar) smell, kind of like cigarette tobacco has somewhat been incorporated into the blend. The tin description speaks to Blended Kentucky Leaf as one of its components and I figure that's probably the aroma I'm 'sniffing'. I detect no 'scenty' additives that one tends to get from Lakeland blends. But it is quite wet and damp in the tin and may require some drying before being lit.

In my case I was able to light it right out of the tin a couple of times to get it going without drying it out. It has a rich, full and flavourful taste that may be classified as 'strong'. But the strength has more to do with what I consider a high nicotine content that may jolt anyone who tries it on an empty stomach. The Virginias are subdued and take second place to the Dark Fired Kentucky which seems to dominate the smoke throughout. I have not smoked the 1792 Flake so comparisons are not in order though some reviewers suggest that the difference between both is that the 1792 Flake contains Tonquin. If there was some topping of any kind used here, I'm unable to pinpoint it with any degree of certainty.

Once lit, the smoke delivers a smooth, very full, if strong flavour that did not bite even as hard as I puffed. And it burns to the end with a fine, darkish-grey ash.