Chocolate Flake Discussion

[rushx9]

I haven't tried Bob's Chocolate yet, but I love Sam's! I don't notice any Lakeland, and as mellow as the chocolate is I wouldn't worry about ghosting any more than I would with Edgeworth or MacB london burley. I have some Stonehenge that was tinned last November and
search as I may, I find no hint of Lakeland essence. To me, Stonehenge is very similar to Sam's Chocolate with perique instead of latakia. The quality African tobaccos shine through the topping and they have their own floral character, but I got nothing similar to Ennerdale at all. I wish I did because I love it! @chasingembers mentioned that earlier tins definitely have a floral presence, and I believe him, but don't jump into a new tin expecting to be hit over the head with a bouquet or you may be let down. With the way folks say Bob's has noticeable florals and sweeter chocolate, I'm gonna have to try some soon!

 

[alaskanpiper]

I haven't tried Bob's Chocolate yet, but I love Sam's! I don't notice any Lakeland, and as mellow as the chocolate is I wouldn't worry about ghosting any more than I would with Edgeworth or MacB london burley. I have some Stonehenge that was tinned last November and
search as I may, I find no hint of Lakeland essence. To me, Stonehenge is very similar to Sam's Chocolate with perique instead of latakia. The quality African tobaccos shine through the topping and they have their own floral character, but I got nothing similar to Ennerdale at all. I wish I did because I love it! @chasingembers mentioned that earlier tins definitely have a floral presence, and I believe him, but don't jump into a new tin expecting to be hit over the head with a bouquet or you may be let down. With the way folks say Bob's has noticeable florals and sweeter chocolate, I'm gonna have to try some soon!

Do it. It’s a weird ass amalgamation but it’s the bizzomb dizzigity.

One of those things that sounds like it should never work but just does in some magical way. Like deep fried pickles, danny devito in a sitcom, or habanero stout.

 

[workman]

Only chocolate blend I've tried is Amphora Full Aroma. It tastes like burley with sweet chocolate and berries. None of those flavors are up my alley, so I didn't care much for it. My wife finished the pouch for me. She liked it.

 

[troyniss]

Ennerdale light.

View attachment 19195

Ennderdale light? Really? You must have a sommeliers palette to taste the lakeland in Stonehenge.

 

[troyniss]

Thanks for this tip! I have an unopened tin of Stonehenge Flake in the cellar that I've been wanting to crack open for awhile and your comments has made me even more excited since I do really enjoy the SG Bob's Chocolate Flake and it's hard to find.

From what I recall, GH Bob's Chocolate Flake and SG Chocolate Flake both contain the same leaf. What's different about Stonehenge is that it replaces the latakia with perique. And as you may or may have not known, Stonehenge Flake is a collaboration between GH and Greg, so it's no wonder they have similar profiles. I have a tin of SG CF in the cellar and I expect it to be more on par with GH, but I prefer Stonehenge as it's the most readily available.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Ennderdale light? Really? You must have a sommeliers palette to taste the lakeland in Stonehenge.

Not really, it seems the older it gets, the stronger it gets. Plus I let mine dry out completely before smoking it. If it matters, all of mine were purchased on the date of the re-release a couple of years ago.

 

[kschatey]

I am currently enjoying my first bowl of Samuel Gawith's Chocolate Flake, in a MM Cob.

I'm not quite ready to share an opinion but I had some questions and wanted to get a thread going.

I notice that SG and GH&Co's Chocolate Flakes both contain the same base tobaccos. SG lists cocoa/chocolate topping while GH&Co also has Vanilla and "other toppings" (presumably whiskey?)

So, who has tried both and can offer a comparison and contrast?

How might the experience differ in a briar vs the cob?

Have you found this blend to be a "ghoster"?

What other Chocolate influenced tobaccos have you tried?

Thanks.

View attachment 19175

I really enjoy the chocolate tobacco that I already have, but this thread inspired me to keep exploring. I recently ordered a tin of the Samuel Gawith Mayor's Chocolate Flake from Watch City along with some of their house bulk blends and I popped the tin open this afternoon to try it. I've only had one bowl so far, but it was good and can now offer a bit more insight between the SG Chocolate Flake and the GH&Co Bob's Bob's Chocolate Flake:

• The appearance of the two flakes is identical in color and composition, although the Bob's Chocolate Flake is a bit more broken out of the tin and the SG Chocolate Flake is pretty much full slices.
• The GH&Co Bob's Chocolate Flake has a really nice soft/milky chocolate flavor with a lightly floral undertone from the Lakeland essence. It's a great flavor combination. The blend smokes soft and sweet and has a great richness overall; it's a bit like hot cocoa in the pipe.
• The SG Mayor's Chocolate Flake is more tobacco forward with much less chocolate coming through overall. What does is more of the semi-sweet or cooked chocolate pudding type that works well with the rich fig/date/raisin qualities of the underlying tobacco. There's also a bit of spiciness at times. Similar to Bob's Chocolate Flake, a floral note comes through in the middle that compliments the other flavors well.
• I had smoked Bob's Chocolate Flake in a briar Savinelli that I use for English blends, but decided to smoke the SG Chocolate Flake in my briar Bjarne that I use for aromatics. The Bob's Chocolate Flake likely has more added flavors because of how much that milk chocolate taste comes through, but maybe that's due to the much softer/mellow tobacco that comprises the blend. It's difficult to determine if one or the other has more Lakeland essence as is definitely comes through in each, but it's balanced and therefore seems to be proportionate to the intensity of the tobacco; my guess is that the SG Chocolate Flake probably has more. I haven't yet repeatedly smoked either of these or other Lakeland-laced blends in the same pipe, so I can't yet speak about any ghosting concerns. I have SG Sam's Flake (not yet tried), SG Fire Dance Flake (smoked in a cob), and GLP Stonehenge in addition to these chocolate blends, so maybe I should consider dedicating a pipe for them. Something to think about, I guess and I am really enjoying the subtle Lakeland flavor.

Overall, the SG Chocolate Flake has less chocolate flavor and is not as mellow as the Bob's Chocolate; but tasty and enjoyable for different reasons. I haven't yet packed a pipe with each and tried them side by side, but that would be a fun experiment. I will definitely report back whenever I get the chance to try that. If I had to pick the one that I preferred between the two, then I would lean toward the HG&Co Bob's Chocolate Flake. I was really hoping - maybe expecting (for some unknown reason) - for more chocolate in the SG Mayor's Chocolate Flake.

The Two Friends English Chocolate has more smokiness in the flavor from a greater amount of Latakia in the blend, but the dark chocolate/cocoa flavor seems to come through a touch more than the chocolate of the SG Chocolate Flake. It also has nice toasty tobacco notes that wasn't really found in either of the other blends. I would put the its overall sweetness level behind Bob's Chocolate Flake, but perhaps on par or slightly ahead of the SG Chocolate Flake. I am quite happy with all three of these chocolate tobaccos.

 

[jaytex1969]

Thanks for that summary and to all other replies.

I've had about 3 bowls of it, so far (SG) and the chocolate is elusive to me, although I am just fine with that. Based on the posted observations, I probably chose the right one for myself, preferring the tobacco forward stuff.

 

[mortonbriar]

BOBS CHOC FLAKE! BOBS CHOC FLAKE!
It does ghost a little, in a nice way. Casper.

 

[rmpeeps]

Three words:
Bob’s Square Cut

 

[kschatey]

Three words:
Bob’s Square Cut

Doh! Another one that I'd like to find and try now. I hate you.

 

[karam]

Haven't tried the SG version, but my 25g sample of GH Bob's CF is disappearing fast. I can't really taste any chocolate, or smell in the pouch for that matter: pouch smells a bit like almonds, taste is intriguing and complex, Lakeland with tobacco and something else. The Latakia has shown up maybe once. I will be ordering a lot more of it soon.

 

[Dandy Pipesmoker]

Had an 8 years old tin of SG Chocolate Flake (forgotten not cellared for aging) that was pretty awful, but maybe because of the age.

 

[lightmybriar]

Had an 8 years old tin of SG Chocolate Flake (forgotten not cellared for aging) that was pretty awful, but maybe because of the age.

I’ve had a few Gawith tins fail on me. Opened up a tin of 1792 once covered in mold. Yuck! Also some tins of Ennerdale that were completely dried out. I wrap all of my rectangle tins in plastic wrap now before storing.

 

[briarbuck]

I get a lot of chocolate off H&H Anniversary Cake.

I'm not a fan of chocolate flavored tobacco. Oddly enough, I like some hints of vanillas. But not chocolate.

 

[kschatey]

I am currently enjoying my first bowl of Samuel Gawith's Chocolate Flake, in a MM Cob.

I'm not quite ready to share an opinion but I had some questions and wanted to get a thread going.

I notice that SG and GH&Co's Chocolate Flakes both contain the same base tobaccos. SG lists cocoa/chocolate topping while GH&Co also has Vanilla and "other toppings" (presumably whiskey?)

So, who has tried both and can offer a comparison and contrast?

How might the experience differ in a briar vs the cob?

Have you found this blend to be a "ghoster"?

What other Chocolate influenced tobaccos have you tried?

Thanks.

View attachment 19175

I finally acquired a tin of the Samuel Gawith Chocolate Flake and actually got around to trying it for the first time last night. Sadly, there definitely isn't any chocolate in the aroma or flavor for me. I was disappointed about that and overall this blend is just okay for me relative to what I generally like. This tobacco starts toasty with perhaps some deeply hidden cocoa notes (only if one really strains the imagination and is allowed to be swayed by the name on the tin), moves toward some dried black fig/raisin in the middle, then lots of cedar; very peppery in the end along with a hint of bitter black licorice in the aftertaste. The blend mostly seems to be muted/muddled overall and perhaps requires a much more refined tobacco palate to fully enjoy than I currently have. I definitely prefer the GH&Co Bob's Chocolate Flake and C&D English Chocolate over the SG Chocolate Flake in the chocolate experience department. I'll likely revisit this blend in another month or so.

Also, regarding your other original questions... I smoked the SG Chocolate Flake in a MM Corn Cob pipe and have no concerns that it would ghost a briar pipe. I will use my Savinelli briar pipe next time I come around to trying this blend to see if it [hopefully] improves the flavors.