Flakes Like Gawith

[OlJawBone]

So all I have been smoking recently is Gawith tobacco, and I am coming to realize that the main thing I like about it is the underlying leaf, not the flavoring. Don't get me wrong, I have loved basically all of the Lakeland sauces I have tried, but getting the Gawith tobacco can be a challenge. I am curious if there are other flakes that are reminiscent of the Brown Flake and the Dark Flake that they make, flavorings aside. I see they reference Malawi leaf, and I haven't seen that in other blend descriptions so far. Maybe that is the thing that I love? Anyways, if anyone has any tips, that would be fantastic. Thanks in advance.

 

[Ahi Ka]

I’d be interested to know whether the base tobacco flavours are coming from the environment the leaf is grown in, the way in which it is cured, or if there are any manufacturing/processing differences? (Appreciate it is probably a mixture of all of the above)

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

Perhaps some HU blends have similar last but I don't think they taste similar all. Thank goodness.

 

[hauntedmyst]

I've found GH&Co to be a unique house with their flakes, particularly more so with their dark flakes. Everything else seems brighter, more hay like.

 

[verporchting]

There are some excellent flakes out there but IMHO there’s nothing else that can replace or compare with the G&H offerings - even the non-Lakeland or non-scented ones. I suspect it’s a combination of the leaf (commonwealth varieties), the environment, the blending recipe, the processing at the manufacturing shop, and just about anything and everything else you can think of.

Kind of like McClelland’s VA tobaccos - they were just in a class of their own from A to Z.

Just my thoughts however, because I’ve got absolutely no idea and no data or facts to back up anything I just said whatsoever.

 

[verporchting]

I've found GH&Co to be a unique house with their flakes, particularly more so with their dark flakes. Everything else seems brighter, more hay like.

This ^^^

 

[OlJawBone]

I've found GH&Co to be a unique house with their flakes, particularly more so with their dark flakes. Everything else seems brighter, more hay like.

yeah everything else seems so much brighter in my experience so far as well

 

[logs]

Pretty sure the major European producers all have access to Malawi and other commonwealth leaf. MacBaren uses it in some blends... but nobody seems to rely on it as heavily as Gawith does.

 

[--dante--]

GL Pease Stonehenge Flake is a collaboration with John Gawith. Maybe these notes on Tobacco Reviews will offer some insight:

"Previous notes: Stonehenge Flake is a wonderful traditional flake comprised of bright flue-cured and sun-cured leaf from Brazil, Zimbabwe, and Malawi, with just a touch of Malawi Burley added for a bit of body, and a slightly fuller flavor. Then, we added a hint of genuine St. James Parish Perique, for its special piquant contribution. Once blended, the leaf was steamed, hot-pressed into blocks, and aged, to allow the flavors to meld and marry."

 

[OlJawBone]

GL Pease Stonehenge Flake is a collaboration with John Gawith. Maybe these notes on Tobacco Reviews will offer some insight:

"Previous notes: Stonehenge Flake is a wonderful traditional flake comprised of bright flue-cured and sun-cured leaf from Brazil, Zimbabwe, and Malawi, with just a touch of Malawi Burley added for a bit of body, and a slightly fuller flavor. Then, we added a hint of genuine St. James Parish Perique, for its special piquant contribution. Once blended, the leaf was steamed, hot-pressed into blocks, and aged, to allow the flavors to meld and marry."

i like stonehenge but they flakes dont have the same heartiness in the smoke too me. but you are right. the notes are helpful.

 

[--dante--]

i like stonehenge but they flakes dont have the same heartiness in the smoke too me. but you are right. the notes are helpful.

I agree -- but I must say as a non-Gawith blend, GLP really did a good job on creating a 'Lakeland' with that blend.
I remember buying a couple tins out of frustration that I couldn't get any of the stuff from across the pond, and was pretty pleased with it.

EDIT: I'm going to keep eye on this thread -- I'm curious what your findings will be, and what the other folk's feedback is.

 

[JohnClyde]

No, I've not found anything to have that same profile with the hint of Malawi that G&H u/s brown flake base has. Agree that it's fantastic too.

I've never found it in offerings by euro producers like K&K and McB.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I do wish that GH&co would offer the same tobaccos, except without any of their sauce. I know, I know, they have versions that they call "unscented," but that's bullshit. They even spew their sauce on the unscented versions. But, I would love to have their tobaccos without it.

 

[JohnClyde]

Yes I agree.

At least a temporary solution I found was to blast away with some of the more heavy fetid ones.

Afterward I really lost my capacity to detect that very faint perfume in virginia-based G&H unscented flakes like the Reunion Perique Flake, BCF and Brown Flake u/s

I'm pretty certain I lost my capacity to detect the whiff of anything after coniston cut plug

 

[Ahi Ka]

This is gonna sound arrogant, not my intention at all, rather I’m just excited. The closest tobacco I have found so far to be reminiscent of the Hogarths’ base tobacco is homegrown ‘stag horn’. This is a dark air cured Virginia variety and after being fermented it has a ‘nod’ to the likes of FVF.

@cosmicfolklore you don’t flue cure your brights do you? If not, I wouldn’t be surprised if they have some of the brown flavours which come from the Indian sun cured Virginias in a lot of their stuff

 

[cosmicfolklore]

This is gonna sound arrogant, not my intention at all, rather I’m just excited. The closest tobacco I have found so far to be reminiscent of the Hogarths’ base tobacco is homegrown ‘stag horn’. This is a dark air cured Virginia variety and after being fermented it has a ‘nod’ to the likes of FVF.

@cosmicfolklore you don’t flue cure your brights do you? If not, I wouldn’t be surprised if they have some of the brown flavours which come from the Indian sun cured Virginias in a lot of their stuff

I do flue cure. But, before I built that small barn cabinet a few years ago, I grew some African Virginias and mostly air cured them. It had to sweat a few seasons, but it had a touch of that GH&co twang. But, it takes patience.

It's just that every time I smoke a GH&co twist or a Dark Flake, I just try to imagine what it would be like without the sauce.

 

[Ahi Ka]

I personally get less scent from the dark plug than the flakes. Maybe see if you can pinch a bowl or two of some of the synjeco ropes if anyone stateside has some handy

 

[OlJawBone]

I do flue cure. But, before I built that small barn cabinet a few years ago, I grew some African Virginias and mostly air cured them. It had to sweat a few seasons, but it had a touch of that GH&co twang. But, it takes patience.

It's just that every time I smoke a GH&co twist or a Dark Flake, I just try to imagine what it would be like without the sauce.

try smoking a ton of dark flake scented first. after that the dark flake unscented seems pretty well unscented

 

[cosmicfolklore]

try smoking a ton of dark flake scented first. after that the dark flake unscented seems pretty well unscented

I have both. I don’t hate either. Just long for a true unscented.