A friend recently sent me samples of six Synjeco flakes and ropes to try and review. There are a few others, and perhaps I'll get to try the rest of them at a later date. It's obvious to me that these products were made by Gawith & Hoggarth because of the Lakeland scent. I found the tobaccos used to be of very high quality.
Bad Nun:
The Virginias are citrusy with plenty of dark stewed fruitiness, a little grass and a bit of deep earthiness. The Lakeland topping is strong, and sublimates the tobacco flavor to a large extent, and while it diminishes some after the half way point, it always remains to compete with the Virginias for attention. Burns cool, slow and requires some relights. Leaves a little moisture in the bowl, but no dottle and no bite. Has a strong nic-hit. One of the strongest Lakelands I have smoked. If you like heavily scented Lakelands, you’ll enjoy this very smooth tasting flake. If you don’t, you’ll never get into it no matter how hard you try.
Bad Nun 2:
The Virginias are citrusy with plenty of dark stewed fruitiness, a little grass and a bit of deep earthiness. The perique is elusive at times, and seems more raisin and plum sweet than spicy. The spice hit is not strong, not always noticeable. The Lakeland topping is strong, and sublimates the tobacco flavor to a large extent, and while it diminishes some after the half way point, it always remains to compete with the tobaccos for attention. Burns cool, slow and requires some relights. Leaves a little moisture in the bowl, but no dottle and no bite. Has a strong nic-hit. One of the strongest Lakelands I have smoked. If you like heavily scented Lakelands, you’ll enjoy this very smooth tasting flake. If you don’t, you’ll never get into it no matter how hard you try.
Clegir Rope:
The high quality Virginias are earthy with a little grassiness, and a fair amount of naturally sweet citrus with some dark fruitiness and a bare touch of spice. There is a very mild floral Lakeland essence, but it doesn’t sublimate the natural tobacco taste to any extreme. Needs minimal prep time as the rope is very easy to slice, but depending upon your preference, you may want to give it just a little dry time once you have done your cutting. I’d not advise much drying because the tobacco spun in the rope (which is smaller than your average kind) is thin and a little fragile, and will turn crisp if you aren’t careful. Burns clean and smooth at a slow pace, and should be sipped for best effect, though I encountered no hint of bite. The nic-hit and strength is medium, though the taste is a shade more than medium. Has a very pleasant after taste and slightly floral room note. Leaves no moisture in the bowl.
Greenodd Rope:
This is Clegir rope with seven percent perique, and is smaller in width than your average rope. The high quality Virginias are earthy with a little grassiness, and a fair amount of naturally sweet citrus with some dark fruitiness, and a bare touch of spice. The perique is a little noticeable, being as much raisin and figs as it is peppery. There is a very mild floral Lakeland essence, but it doesn’t sublimate the natural tobacco taste to any extreme. Needs minimal prep time as the rope is very easy to slice, but depending upon your preference, you may want to give it just a little dry time once you have done your cutting. I’d not advise much drying because the tobacco spun in the rope is thin and a little fragile, and will turn crisp if you aren’t careful. Burns clean and smooth at a slow pace, and should be sipped for best effect, though I encountered no hint of bite. The nic-hit and strength is medium, though the taste is a shade more than medium. Has a very pleasant after taste and slightly floral room note. Leaves no moisture in the bowl.
Holker Twist:
This is Oxenfisl with seven percent perique. The Virginias are dark stoved, dark and light brown, with a little bright, and are much more earthy/muddy than grassy. The sweet flavors are predominately fermented dark stewed fruits with a mild citrus and some tanginess. The perique is as much spice as it is raisins, figs, and dates, though you won’t notice the spice in every puff because of the Virginia sweetness. There is an extremely mild touch of the Lakeland essence, though it doesn’t seem to mute the tobacco flavor much, and weakens a little as you go along. The perique helps to lessen the Lakeland effect, too, compared to Oxenfisl, so it is less obvious here. The twist may need some dry time no matter how you slice it. And depending on how you pack the bowl, the flavors, especially the citrus, will vary in how often you notice them. I prefer to thin cut the twist and stack them as coins, leaving a few loose stand on the top and bottom of the bowl for easier lighting, and less clog at the bottom. The tobacco strands are very thin, so I don’t recommend drying them too much. Burns slow, clean, and fairly smooth. Has a mild to moderate nic-hit. No bite. Medium strength and medium to full in taste. Leaves no moisture in the bowl and will burn to the proverbial fine white ash.
Oxenfisl Twist:
The Virginias are dark stoved, dark and light brown, with a little bright, and are much more earthy/muddy than grassy. The sweet flavors are predominately fermented dark stewed fruits with a mild citrus and some tanginess. There is an extremely mild touch of the Lakeland essence, though it doesn’t seem to mute the tobacco flavor that much, and weakens as you go along. The twist may need some dry time no matter how you slice it. And depending on how you pack the bowl, the flavors, especially the citrus, will vary in how often you notice them. I prefer to thin cut the twist and stack them as coins, leaving a few loose stand on the top and bottom of the bowl for easier lighting, and less clog at the bottom. The tobacco strands are very thin, so I don’t recommend drying them too much. Burns slow, clean, and fairly smooth. No bite. Has a mild to moderate nic-hit. Medium strength and medium to full in taste. Leaves no moisture in the bowl and will burn to the last molecule of tobacco.
Bad Nun:
The Virginias are citrusy with plenty of dark stewed fruitiness, a little grass and a bit of deep earthiness. The Lakeland topping is strong, and sublimates the tobacco flavor to a large extent, and while it diminishes some after the half way point, it always remains to compete with the Virginias for attention. Burns cool, slow and requires some relights. Leaves a little moisture in the bowl, but no dottle and no bite. Has a strong nic-hit. One of the strongest Lakelands I have smoked. If you like heavily scented Lakelands, you’ll enjoy this very smooth tasting flake. If you don’t, you’ll never get into it no matter how hard you try.
Bad Nun 2:
The Virginias are citrusy with plenty of dark stewed fruitiness, a little grass and a bit of deep earthiness. The perique is elusive at times, and seems more raisin and plum sweet than spicy. The spice hit is not strong, not always noticeable. The Lakeland topping is strong, and sublimates the tobacco flavor to a large extent, and while it diminishes some after the half way point, it always remains to compete with the tobaccos for attention. Burns cool, slow and requires some relights. Leaves a little moisture in the bowl, but no dottle and no bite. Has a strong nic-hit. One of the strongest Lakelands I have smoked. If you like heavily scented Lakelands, you’ll enjoy this very smooth tasting flake. If you don’t, you’ll never get into it no matter how hard you try.
Clegir Rope:
The high quality Virginias are earthy with a little grassiness, and a fair amount of naturally sweet citrus with some dark fruitiness and a bare touch of spice. There is a very mild floral Lakeland essence, but it doesn’t sublimate the natural tobacco taste to any extreme. Needs minimal prep time as the rope is very easy to slice, but depending upon your preference, you may want to give it just a little dry time once you have done your cutting. I’d not advise much drying because the tobacco spun in the rope (which is smaller than your average kind) is thin and a little fragile, and will turn crisp if you aren’t careful. Burns clean and smooth at a slow pace, and should be sipped for best effect, though I encountered no hint of bite. The nic-hit and strength is medium, though the taste is a shade more than medium. Has a very pleasant after taste and slightly floral room note. Leaves no moisture in the bowl.
Greenodd Rope:
This is Clegir rope with seven percent perique, and is smaller in width than your average rope. The high quality Virginias are earthy with a little grassiness, and a fair amount of naturally sweet citrus with some dark fruitiness, and a bare touch of spice. The perique is a little noticeable, being as much raisin and figs as it is peppery. There is a very mild floral Lakeland essence, but it doesn’t sublimate the natural tobacco taste to any extreme. Needs minimal prep time as the rope is very easy to slice, but depending upon your preference, you may want to give it just a little dry time once you have done your cutting. I’d not advise much drying because the tobacco spun in the rope is thin and a little fragile, and will turn crisp if you aren’t careful. Burns clean and smooth at a slow pace, and should be sipped for best effect, though I encountered no hint of bite. The nic-hit and strength is medium, though the taste is a shade more than medium. Has a very pleasant after taste and slightly floral room note. Leaves no moisture in the bowl.
Holker Twist:
This is Oxenfisl with seven percent perique. The Virginias are dark stoved, dark and light brown, with a little bright, and are much more earthy/muddy than grassy. The sweet flavors are predominately fermented dark stewed fruits with a mild citrus and some tanginess. The perique is as much spice as it is raisins, figs, and dates, though you won’t notice the spice in every puff because of the Virginia sweetness. There is an extremely mild touch of the Lakeland essence, though it doesn’t seem to mute the tobacco flavor much, and weakens a little as you go along. The perique helps to lessen the Lakeland effect, too, compared to Oxenfisl, so it is less obvious here. The twist may need some dry time no matter how you slice it. And depending on how you pack the bowl, the flavors, especially the citrus, will vary in how often you notice them. I prefer to thin cut the twist and stack them as coins, leaving a few loose stand on the top and bottom of the bowl for easier lighting, and less clog at the bottom. The tobacco strands are very thin, so I don’t recommend drying them too much. Burns slow, clean, and fairly smooth. Has a mild to moderate nic-hit. No bite. Medium strength and medium to full in taste. Leaves no moisture in the bowl and will burn to the proverbial fine white ash.
Oxenfisl Twist:
The Virginias are dark stoved, dark and light brown, with a little bright, and are much more earthy/muddy than grassy. The sweet flavors are predominately fermented dark stewed fruits with a mild citrus and some tanginess. There is an extremely mild touch of the Lakeland essence, though it doesn’t seem to mute the tobacco flavor that much, and weakens as you go along. The twist may need some dry time no matter how you slice it. And depending on how you pack the bowl, the flavors, especially the citrus, will vary in how often you notice them. I prefer to thin cut the twist and stack them as coins, leaving a few loose stand on the top and bottom of the bowl for easier lighting, and less clog at the bottom. The tobacco strands are very thin, so I don’t recommend drying them too much. Burns slow, clean, and fairly smooth. No bite. Has a mild to moderate nic-hit. Medium strength and medium to full in taste. Leaves no moisture in the bowl and will burn to the last molecule of tobacco.
