At the pipe show in Akron last week, I had the pleasure of talking tobacco with the Laudisi rep in attendance. I asked him to recommend a few tins of their Gawith & Hoggarth offerings. I explained that I smoke 20-30 different pipe tobaccos each year but really have a taste for a good rum based flake. He immediately recommended an obscure tin on the top shelf of the store, Gawith’s Jamaican Flake, a blend of Virginias and Burley topped with rum, licorice and vanilla.
It was the most curious and unusual tobacco I ever smoked.
I loaded up a bowl in a Meerschaum and went for my evening walk around the property. It was immediately clear I chose the wrong pipe: the ceramic bowl was overwhelmed; this tobacco needed a big briar, I thought.
The taste of licorice, which I loved as a kid, immediately went to the roof of my mouth, but no tongue bite. The flavors were incredible and honestly so unusual that they are difficult to describe. The nicotine content was higher than I was used to and I momentarily became light-headed. But I could not put it down.
When I got back to the house, I didn’t know whether to exile the tin to the bottom of the humidor or immediately smoke another bowl. Since it was late, I took the middle ground and waited until this morning to load up a big Ser Jacopo briar pipe. The big pipe tamed the flake but the experience was not nearly as enjoyable. I plan on smoking a few more bowls in a smaller briar and expect that it will take a place in my monthly rotation, when I want a bit of excitement
I recommend Jamaican Flake for aromatic smokers who want a little pep in their pipe on occasion..
It was the most curious and unusual tobacco I ever smoked.
I loaded up a bowl in a Meerschaum and went for my evening walk around the property. It was immediately clear I chose the wrong pipe: the ceramic bowl was overwhelmed; this tobacco needed a big briar, I thought.
The taste of licorice, which I loved as a kid, immediately went to the roof of my mouth, but no tongue bite. The flavors were incredible and honestly so unusual that they are difficult to describe. The nicotine content was higher than I was used to and I momentarily became light-headed. But I could not put it down.
When I got back to the house, I didn’t know whether to exile the tin to the bottom of the humidor or immediately smoke another bowl. Since it was late, I took the middle ground and waited until this morning to load up a big Ser Jacopo briar pipe. The big pipe tamed the flake but the experience was not nearly as enjoyable. I plan on smoking a few more bowls in a smaller briar and expect that it will take a place in my monthly rotation, when I want a bit of excitement
I recommend Jamaican Flake for aromatic smokers who want a little pep in their pipe on occasion..
