Lakelands

Like much with pipe smoking the recommendation depends on the extent of the lakeland you wish to try. I suggest buying a little of an assortment from minimal (Dark Bird's Eye or Brown Twist Sliced) to hardcore (Ennerdale Flake) lakeland infusion. Many of the GH blends are available in bulk, so this is cost effective. Check them out here.

I say go in head first with Ennerdale Flake. Stonehenge Flake is about as mild a Lakeland Essence that you are going to find, but with EF, you get the full experience.

Yeah, Ennerdale. It'll put you off or turn you on to Lakelands. I'd grab an ounce of that and maybe something else like Coniston.

Just smoked through a tin of Grousemoor by Samuel Gawith. Whether it could be considered a true Lakeland is certainly debateable, however it does have a distinctive soapy-floral signature both in the tin note and in the pipe. I love and highly recommend Grousemoor.

I love all the twists, but be warned they can knock your socks off if your not careful!

Get ready to throw your pipe away.

Get ready to throw your pipe away.

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That's a good point. I recommend smoking your Lakeland blends in a corncob until you know you like them.

Lots of good suggestions, except that if you are seeking what constitutes a Lakeland, it makes no sense to buy Lakeland tobaccos that aren't topped with the typical Lakeland toppings, such as the brown and black ropes, Dark Birdseye or Kendal Dark. Lakelands are notorious for their toppings.

You might as well just jam an ice pick into your ear and end it all. If you enjoy the taste of dead grannie moth ball coats and urinal cakes have at it. Oh and if you do ghost a pipe and decide to sell it, man up and tell the potential buyer that you ruined said pipe with lakeland tobacco.

Try the Ennerdale Plug if you can find it. That stuff is wonderful with a few years age. That Lakeland essence dissipates into the background are more VA flavors come to the forefront. Dedicate a pipe to it though as it will ghost something serious. Definitely not as bad as the Black XX but it is up there.

Michael, say it ain't so. You recommend a lakeland blend? That's it, I am cutting you out of my will, ya fucking heathen.

You might as well just jam an ice pick into your ear and end it all. If you enjoy the taste of dead grannie moth ball coats and urinal cakes have at it.

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I am cutting you out of my will, ya fucking heathen.

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C'mon, Harris, tell us how you really feel!

Salt, you know me, always the wall flower.

I'm gonna email Kevin and tell him to revoke Michael's pipesmoker's card! :x

My B&M guy introduced me to granny via Hyde Park.
Since then, I've gotten into Dark Flake, Unscented.
I had my first flake of Stonehenge a few days ago and could taste just a bit of the Kendall essence.
I guess I've not had the "full" Lakeland experience yet, but I enjoy that DFu quite a bit.
Since I've made it this far without recoil, I probably need to try the Ennerdale.

The Lakelands and “Lakeland Essence” - Terminology/Definition Confusion?
- To one degree or another, some blends taste ‘soapy’, ‘perfumed/floral’ or both. Some like it, many don’t.

- The “Lakelands” are a beautiful part of Cumbria in North West England, more commonly called the “Lake District”, where a

town called Kendal is situated.

- Gawith Hoggarth and Co. (GH&Co.) and Samuel Gawith (SG – originally from the same family) are both based in Kendal.

- Some blends from both companies have a soapy/perfumed flavour (let’s call it “SPF” for now to avoid confusion), but many

DO NOT (e.g. SG’s wonderful FVF, BBF, and GH&Co’s equally marvellous Brown Flake unscented, Bright CR and Dark Flake

unscented). And of course neither do their brown and black ropes/twists.

- Some blends that originate from nowhere near the Lake District DO have an SPF-like flavouring in spades, e.g. Condor

(originally blended by Gallaher, N Ireland).
IMHO, it is a pity that the term “Lakeland Blend” has crept in; its use can wrongly imply that ALL GH&Co. and SG blends from Kendal in the Cumbrian Lakelands are tainted with this flavouring, although there are some who claim that they can detect SPF in all GH&Co blends (that’s a laugh – think homeopathy and Avagadro’s Number!!). It would also (wrongly) imply that blends from elsewhere, which share this or a similar flavour, originated in the Lake District/Lakelands.
These points may seem pedantic or nit-picking, but for newcomers or those that do not know the geography it can (and does!) result in confusion, and perhaps also causes some to be biased against /miss out on wonderful GH&Co. and SG blends that do NOT have this flavouring.
I would prefer a different descriptor for this distinctive flavour, maybe “Soapy/Perfume Flavoured” (“SPF”)? But that will never happen.
However, even describing a blend as having a “Lakeland Essence” would IMO be better than calling them “Lakeland Blends”.
PS – best not get into the terminology/definition of “English” or “Balkan” blends the noo!! :wink: :puffpipe:

Thank you for this information. I usually avoid most Lakeland blends, as I have a sensitivity to certain smells. However, I smoke Stonehenge Flake regularly, and that distinct flavor doesn’t bother me. I’ve also smoked Brown Flake (US) without any issues. I don’t plan to buy any heavier blends, but I’m getting over my fear of the lighter blends you mentioned. I was advised to dry out Stonehenge and the scent will disipate.

Well described Flakey :clap:
As you say, so many folks are missing out on some fantastic blends because they assume everything coming out of Kendal is perfumed when in fact it is not.
Regards,
Jay.