GH Best Brown #2

newfie · Oct 31, 2015

Wondering why more people don't feel the love for this blend.
Yesterday I received a package that contained, among other things, 2 oz each of PS Luxury Twist Flake and GH BB #2. (As a side note, these are the extreme opposite ends of the "pretty" scale as flakes go.) This morning for my first bowl of the day I tried some BB #2 in an MM CG. To put it mildly, I've never been attracted to any blend on first bowl as I was with this. Without getting into a full-blown review (which wouldn't be fair with only 1 bowl) here's some initial thoughts:
- Typical GH blend, quite damp

- No, as in NONE, of the expected Lakeland scent. I do wonder how people can get a vinegar and strong floral scent off this.

- Rubs out quite nicely with a few broken pieces of flake.

- Lit easily after a couple of slight charring lights, and held fire well throughout the whole bowl.

- Exceptionally slow burn and cool smoke, even considering it was in a cob.

- Faint taste of Lakeland in the background, behind nice sweet Virginias and classic Burleys changing through the bowl, with the floral taste appearing faintly occasionally.

- Burned easily 'till foul tasting wet dottle was burning, and not much of that left.
So this blend only has 56 reviews on TR.com with 41 of them being 3 or 4 *. I can't understand why it doesn't have a bigger following!
While I know taste is very subjective, the difference in views on TR would indicate to me people seem to be smoking different tobaccos. Does anyone put any thoughts into the claims of poor quality control by GH? I would like to hear from people who have bought this several times over a period of time to get their views on the claims.
As noted above, upon opening the bag, there is no evidence of the Lakeland scent but I did get a faint sweetness, something like rum, but different, that carried over pleasantly to the smoke. Just faint though and not enough to call it an aromatic.
I can assure you there will be copious quantities of this to be jarred for aging.

7ach · Oct 31, 2015

My take on the low ratings...

The description states nothing of the lakeland. Then when smoking it it shows up and "in my opinion" ruins the experience. Due to its unwelcome surprise and the feeling of being tricked into buying a lakeland, I would give it 0 out of 5

deathmetal · Oct 31, 2015

That, and the name.

mcitinner1 · Oct 31, 2015

P&C's description of Best Brown no. 2, kind of dances around the Lakeland issue.
"Medium strength flake tobacco. Blended from the finest Virginias and Burleys, with a unique, but not overpowering amount of traditional British essences."
But it tells me enough to know not to buy any.
I got some GH Curley Cut Regular this week, and even it has a ghost of a Lakeland taste and smell.

deathmetal · Oct 31, 2015

I think they spray down everything in the whole factory with the stuff.

andrew · Oct 31, 2015

I love this stuff, it's one of my favorite flakes, it's what turned me onto the GH flakes actually. The taste of the lakeland essence is so in the background it's almost like you have to concentrate on tasting it. After smoking it for a bit you hardly taste it anymore, which is why I think this is the best intro tobacco to lakelands.

newfie · Oct 31, 2015

7ach, considering the number of reviews, the rating seems pretty high, 41 of 56 being 3 or 4. You started a good point but I'd like to respectfully dispute it. How many people who know pipes at all order any GH product and not have some level of the floral? Is anyone really tricked into it? Like Metal said, it seems like they spray down everything in the factory.
Now, granted, if you hate the Lakeland scent, you probably won't be buying any GH products. Like if you're a smoker who hates Latakia, you're not going to buy much Nightcap or 965, are you?

The taste of the lakeland essence is so in the background it's almost like you have to concentrate on tasting it

I found the same thing Andy. Question, you smell it when opening the bag / jar / whatever you store it in?

deathmetal · Oct 31, 2015

Question, you smell it when opening the bag / jar / whatever you store it in?

In some tobaccos, like Brown Twist Sliced, Black Twist XX and Brown No. 4, the smell is not present but upon smoking, the taste emerges like a demon spectre periodically in the smoke. I love GH and SG products and try to buy the ones with the least Lakeland and then age them to dispel the evil spirits.

andrew · Oct 31, 2015

@Newfie when I smell it I smell nothing but some of the highest quality Va, even better than McClellend's I'd say. I think it's pretty straight up when you hear "traditional British Topping" what it's going to be after you've smoked something like erinmore which has some kind of "special Topping". After smoking through a sample of this flake I acquired some and then found any un scented GH flake to just have a really special nutty flavor, partly because of the burly in them, but alot of it may be what I call and almond like taste which I love which could be this "cross scent". GH bulk also ages incredibly, after 6 months the BCF I had aging had crystals after just 6 months, then continued to get more while smoking through the jar onced opened. I love G&H, everything about it, the history, the continuing of producing traditional ways, places like C&D do this as well, and I love some of their stuff also, same with McClellends, but both SG and G&H are like what dunhill would be if they'd never gone through the hand changing and different recipes, leaf sources, everything. Perhaps in more time if C&D or McClellend's will have produced over 100 years using the same methods and sources, they will be on a legendary level like the old classics, right now it's more like a really good microbrewery that history awaits.

I also don't take tobacco reviews very seriously, if I did there were alot of people who said Blackwoods flake sucked, but it's one of the best in my opinon, it just needs time to breathe.

newfie · Nov 1, 2015

One thing I didn't mention was I feel it's a bit on the low side of medium on the Vitamin N scale. Later yesterday I tried a bowl with a coin of GH Brown #4, and while the nicotine was good, it kind of pushed the delicate nuances of the blend far back so they were nearly unnoticeable. Just have to accept that issue I guess.

when I smell it I smell nothing but some of the highest quality Va, even better than McClellend's I'd say

Agreed on the high quality Va in this blend, but as noted I also get something else, something a different sweet than the Va's or rum. Maybe it's something in the Burley, don't know, but I enjoy it and do find it comes through slightly in the smoke, something as you noted above with the Lakeland, something that if you're not looking for you may miss it.

I also don't take tobacco reviews very seriously

Right or wrong, I do to a point, but with some filtering. As an example, when researching a resort for vacation, if that place has 50 reviews, I will toss the top 10 and bottom 10, leaving what I would consider the "meat", the middle 30. I believe those are as accurate a portrayal of the truth as you will get unless there is one specific factor you're looking at.

andrew · Nov 1, 2015

@newfie the something else you're getting is the light lakeland topping, I have no idea what it is, it has a rose taste to me, I don't really know if I get a rum taste, but to me it has a floral "soapy" taste that's in the background

saint007 · Nov 1, 2015

I love this blend, one of my Top 3!
The light scent adds to the intrigue.

deathmetal · Nov 1, 2015

Later yesterday I tried a bowl with a coin of GH Brown #4, and while the nicotine was good, it kind of pushed the delicate nuances of the blend far back so they were nearly unnoticeable.

For me, mixing with it is very tricky, but I'm using it to shore up bowls of My Mixture BB1938, which is too Latakia-heavy in its natural form and simultaneously a bit mild.

newfie · Nov 1, 2015

the something else you're getting is the light lakeland topping, I have no idea what it is, it has a rose taste to me, I don't really know if I get a rum taste, but to me it has a floral "soapy" taste that's in the background

Yes, if you look back at the OP, I do get that coming and going, and I believe it was you said that it's so faint that it may be missed if one wasn't looking for it.
The other I'm getting faintly in both taste and tin note is a sweetness that isn't the Va's or not rum, but similar in a strange way, kind of hard to describe exactly what it is, but it's there. I've tried it in different cobs too so it isn't a ghost of anything.

deathmetal · Nov 2, 2015

if you're used to unadulterated Va flakes and blends BB2 might as well be Ennerdale

While that's true, the presence of dreaded Lakeland flavorings -- the whiff of death itself -- is less present than in 1792 Flake, wouldn't you say?

pitchfork · Nov 2, 2015

I don't smoke it all that often, but it is one of my favorite VA flakes. I've bought it over the past 3 years or so and haven't noticed much variation in the batches.
One of the things I love about it is the vinegary tang, which is probably enhanced by the small portion of burley. One of the reasons it isn't super popular is that it does have an odd taste. I happen to like it, but I also enjoy Ennerdale and all the other weird Lakeland flakes.
Also, I don't know that the VAs used are all that special. I mean, they're fine, but they can't compare, in my opinion, to the American VAs used by McClealland or GL Pease. With those, you can really taste the subtle flavors of the underlying leaf. What makes BB#2 great, to my mind, is the processing -- whatever they do in terms of steaming, flavoring and pressing this tobacco makes it ultra smooth and cool burning.

GH Best Brown #2

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