Brief GH Brown Flake Unscented Review

[AppalachianPipe92]

I'll bet OP got more than he bargained for with this one. I for one have gotten some insight from the thread.
Personally, I love some BF Unscented as well as DF Unscented. The slight variations year to year aren't enough to deter me from stocking up on my favorites, though it is there.
Lakeland essence on Unscented blends is a tough one for me. I've experienced it but I'm really not sure how often. And if I remember correctly, it's always with the bulk blends too. I usually assume something like BF Unscented will have a slight essence to it whenever ordering. If not, well then that's a plus.

 

[andrew]

News to us! Same factory, same machinery, same senior production staff and blenders for the last 30 odd years.

Also those in the factory have and still all baffled by the "Lakeland Essence". This is not a concept we particularly came up with, it is something that sprung up from reviews etc. We don't have a Lakeland essence although understand others label more "floral" scents as this.

Could this floral taste come from the African Virginia's and burley used? I notice this floral type taste but I quite enjoy it

 

[oldgeezersmoker]

Could this floral taste come from the African Virginia's and burley used? I notice this floral type taste but I quite enjoy it

Possibly here also, but at least on one other forum @gawithhoggarth has said they don't use as much African leaf as they used to.

 

[andrew]

Possibly here also, but at least on one other forum @gawithhoggarth has said they don't use as much African leaf as they used to.

So that could coincide with reports of no Lakeland essence now.

 

[futureman]

As I was sayin, I'm really enjoying this blend.

 

[vosBghos]

By virtue of their storied history and reputation, I've been wanting to try one of GH's products. The last drop gave me an opportunity to do so. I suspect I would not be a fan of the Lakelands, so I went with something low-risk: Brown Flake Unscented. I've read that this blend would likely have a slight residual Lakeland aroma due to production methods, but I didn't detect anything resembling a floral essence. To me, this blend smells and tastes like an unadulterated VaBur. It's by no means a light tobacco, nor is it overwhelmingly strong. I would describe it as a sturdy blend with a mild and perfectly natural sweetness. It smokes cool and very smooth. The flakes are also lovely; they sparkle with sugar crystals and are easy to rub out. Excellent stuff. I may have a new favorite!

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Good stuff, I love their Best Brown # 2 too

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I'll bet OP got more than he bargained for with this one.

Pah-lease... anyone who think that we were "arguing" as opposed to "discussing" hasn't seen some of the threads that have actually gotten closed. Discussing differing experiences is merely conversation.

 

[vosBghos]

So that could coincide with reports of no Lakeland essence now.

Malawi is succumbing to the anti-tobacco Justice League it's going the way of Peru no more black leaf from there either. Very sad...

 

[vosBghos]

And, I think it's a positive. Instead of denying it, or "implying" that we are wrong, crazy, or just lying, they should just embrace this. I've always said that I would love to know what these stronger flakes tasted like without any sauce. But, at a point when I should be excited, I find the company throwing shade and putting us down. I just don't understand this treatment of customers. It's as turn off.

I am setting up the tastings because I am not wrong, and I want you all to experience it for yourselves.

I would definitely like to take part in this test, as a Long Covid sufferer though nothing tastes "right" I can still tell the difference. DM me if you feel like it.

 

[hoipolloiglasgow]

Haven't tried the unscented one yet, but the aromatic one makes me want to. It's got a subtle licorice tone to it, but I wouldn't say it's over powering as a Lakeland. It's wonderful.

 

[Gimlet]

Best Brown unscented is one of my mainstays. Always got some. To me it has a creamy, woody, biscuity taste, nothing remotely floral and certainly nothing soapy about it.
I also smoke Ennerdale frequently (latest batch is particularly good). Again, I don't get florals or soap. Or indeed rose or geranium. The note for me is citrus, lemongrass in fact, and grassy almond and like BB unscented the smoke is creamy.
Also smoke a lot of 1792 flake. I get liquorice, leather and cigar overlaid with sweet tonquin. It's one of my favourites. I would say nothing links these three except the quality. I get no "lakeland" common denominator. In fact the only Kendal flake that I've smoked which was strong with rose and geranium was Rich Dark Spring dew.
In my opinion Gawith Hoggarth and Samuel Gawith by a country mile make the finest quality flake you can buy in the UK. And if the mystery "Lakeland" essence haunts all the products, why is there not a trace of it in their American style blends? I've tried all of them and I'm never without a couple of tins of Coffee and Caramel and there is nothing remotely floral about that and it's made in the same factory.

 

[FLDRD]

I also smoke Ennerdale frequently (latest batch is particularly good). Again, I don't get florals or soap. Or indeed rose or geranium. The note for me is citrus, lemongrass in fact, and grassy almond and like BB unscented the smoke is creamy.

Just goes to show how different our palates are.

Far from citrus & lemongrass for me - it's rather all "lakeland", or the rose gerranium-esque scents & flavors that I associate with it. But I like it because I expect it and know what I'm getting when I choose it.

Bob's Chocolate Flake, however, gave me "lakeland" when I didn't expect any...

 

[gervais]

Inconsistency is part of the charm of hand made British made blends. And in today's world where sourcing is more complicated, consistency is not going to improve.

Frankly, I like the variations. They may be a bit more pronounced than some of their American counterparts, but I find them more interesting and richer in flavors than the majority of current US product.
A couple of years back I picked up a few pounds of Brown Flake unscented as well as Aromatic and the difference between the to is not subtle. BTW, the Brown Flake Unscented I bought at that time didn't have any noticeable "Lakeland" scent. It also seems really inaccurate to use that term in respect to G&H product in general. The scented products I like, such as Glengarry Flake, don't taste like Grannie Pants. They taste of spices, like licorice and tonquin. With other blends I get rose geranium and other flavors.

This Lakeland thing is interesting. Years ago I got samples from a blender who used only selected Virginias, without flavorings, to get that floral balance. Part of my education in tobacco blending. Some Virginias can be quite floral, though I usually relate that to them being quite old. So I guess it's not necessary to use a Lakeland "essence" to get that result.

I enjoy G&H's responses, even when she's disagreeing with something I said. I'm happy she's here, willing to participate. She's direct. And unlike anyone here, she's actually in the factory.

In my work, everybody's output gets reviewed, and sometimes that review can be expressed in very unflattering (though often hilarious) ways. People with thin skins are going to have a very hard time of it. Standards are very high and you're expected to be expert in what you do.

These days it's popular for everyone to act like they're an expert, without having really done the work. You're an expert just because you say you are. Sorry, I'm not buying it.

Real skills are hard earned, and part of that is not failing to make mistakes but knowing how to rectify them. I guess I must have done that well enough, since Warner Animation continues to pay me a retainer between assignments. They only do that with a literal handful of people that they find to be essential and don't want to risk being poached by another studio.

If some of you want to block her because you don't like what she has to say, that's your privilege. Bubbles are a popular thing these days. Just keep in mind what always happens to bubbles.

Do you like the brown flake U/S?

 

[sablebrush52]

Do you like the brown flake U/S?

Yes I do!
I bought a couple pounds of it a few years back, and occasionally smoke a bowl of it.

 

[Puffaluffaguss]

Honestly, I can see both perspectives but to me and as someone getting into the "Be your own boss" game and dealing with individuals of different character, some nice some dreadful. The way I see it is, No tobacco blending company has to tell us anything. If it's the business's prerogative to engage in consumer dialect and conversation so be it. I personally wouldn't change my attitude or personality i am straightforward in life and buisness.

But from Cosmics point I can also see if you are P.R. or a front liner of a company and react to forum post, give us more, more insight, , a detailed "process" video or something, alot to ask for but not too much for long standing loyalty from consumers in every content on just this forum alone.

Either way supply and demand will always outway truth and honesty. I'm just glad we get some interaction from one of my favorite companies and are able to have discussions as this.

 

[rmpeeps]

The Anglophobia is strong in this thread. It cracks me up, reminds me of Kevin Kline's character from A Fish Called Wanda.

Like many things tossed around these days, it’s really NOT a phobia.

In 25 years I’ve never received any unscented GH&Co product with any hint of ‘Lakeland’ scenting.

 

[Gimlet]

Just goes to show how different our palates are.

Far from citrus & lemongrass for me - it's rather all "lakeland", or the rose gerranium-esque scents & flavors that I associate with it. But I like it because I expect it and know what I'm getting when I choose it.

Bob's Chocolate Flake, however, gave me "lakeland" when I didn't expect any...

I find the tin scent is very often not the same as the flavour when smoked. But again, the scent for me is citrus, sometimes with a rose hint but not geranium. Maybe that's because I'm comparing it with other Kendals I've tried, like Rich Dark Spring Dew, which is very strong on both. A bit too strong for me though the taste develops and changes quite markedly as it's smoked down.
But then, a lot of my favourite blends taste different to their tin smell, so maybe it is my palate. Or my nose. I do have rhinitis, which comes and goes with varying severity.

I also like the level of any "lakeland" essence in Ennerdale. It tastes wonderful. I've never detected a molecule of it in Best Brown Unscented, from which I get the scent of burley more than anything else. I find very similar to Solani Aged Burley Flake, which is fast becoming another favourite of mine.