Gawith & Hoggarth Consistency (or Not): Fluke or Typical?

[jeff540]

Bought two tins of GH Best Brown No. 2 Flake recently, never had it before and was curious. The first tin was simply awesome, echoes of SG Best Brown and FVF but easier to dry and light. Nicely stacked flakes.

Opened the second tin last night. Bunch of broken flakes jammed into the tin, and maybe my perception but it's not quite as sweet and rich as the first tin. Both had the same tin number code, so they were from the same batch. Is this a fluke, or has anyone else experienced this?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

GH&co and SG merged a few years ago and have been working out some consistency problems, from what I understand... which isn't much.
I find FVF to be hit or miss with flavor also, sometimes it has a wisp of a Lakeland, sometimes not. YMMV

I think it adds character.

 

[BROBS]

Bought two tins of GH Best Brown No. 2 Flake recently, never had it before and was curious. The first tin was simply awesome, echoes of SG Best Brown and FVF but easier to dry and light. Nicely stacked flakes.

Opened the second tin last night. Bunch of broken flakes jammed into the tin, and maybe my perception but it's not quite as sweet and rich as the first tin. Both had the same tin number code, so they were from the same batch. Is this a fluke, or has anyone else experienced this?

sometimes I get a box of SG and everything is a perfect flake.
sometimes I get a box of SG and it's like broken flake.
I think it just depends what part of the flake you get?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

They're flakey?

 

[alaskanpiper]

All energy flows according the to the whims of the Great Magnet.

 

[jeff540]

Thanks all!

Yes, I figured the second tin was just scrap edges mashed in to make 50g; "flake shake" if you will.

Guess I'll get a box and see how 500g looks.

 

[shanez]

But it's still a flake right?

I've often wondered (I have nothing better to do apparently) what they do with the edges of the tobacco that comes out of the press and they're making slices. Kinda like steak trimmings that go into ground beef? I wonder...

 

[BROBS]

at G&H and SG they are tinned and boxed!

it was a flake at one time.

 

[alaskanpiper]

But it's still a flake right?

I've often wondered (I have nothing better to do apparently) what they do with the edges of the tobacco that comes out of the press and they're making slices. Kinda like steak trimmings that go into ground beef? I wonder...

Probably smoke them. I would.

 

[mingc]

It's part of the charm. Old world product with old world consistencies.

One of my solutions is to put them all in one big jar and stir it up.

 

[jeff540]

But it's still a flake right?

I've often wondered (I have nothing better to do apparently) what they do with the edges of the tobacco that comes out of the press and they're making slices. Kinda like steak trimmings that go into ground beef? I wonder...

Yes, it's still a flake per say. Just the trimmings. Now you know, and knowing's half the battle - GI Joe

 

[mortonbriar]

GH&co and SG merged a few years ago and have been working out some consistency problems, from what I understand... which isn't much.
I find FVF to be hit or miss with flavor also, sometimes it has a wisp of a Lakeland, sometimes not. YMMV

I think it adds character.

You have enough character already, best send me the rest of what you have.

 

[oldgeezersmoker]

SG and GH don’t have the volume or facilities to do fully automated packaging like larger manufacturers can utilize. I prefer the boxes for reasons of economy, but they also have the benefit of usually arriving, for the flakes, in one big chunk. Usually?

 

[sandollars]

sometimes I get a box of SG and everything is a perfect flake.
sometimes I get a box of SG and it's like broken flake.
I think it just depends what part of the flake you get?

Broken Flake = Purchased from Pipes and Cigars.

Perfect Flake = Purchased ANYWHERE ELSE!

 

[BROBS]

I’d agree with that besides I just got two boxes of best brown from IRC and one was full perfect flakes and the other was all broken.

 

[shanez]

Well now I'm confused. I've always considered the nice, pretty, full slices to be just that, slices. The other, what is being called broken flake, I always thought of as more of a marketing term to distinguish it from slices and more generic "flakes" that aren't as chunky and large sized. Sort of an in between slice and what can still be called flake.

Both are still flake tobacco?

The option to label as slices, broken flake, and just flake have to still meet minimums but a manufacturer can choose to label slices as flake but not the other way round unless it truly is a slice?

 

[alaskanpiper]

Well now I'm confused. I've always considered the nice, pretty, full slices to be just that, slices. The other, what is being called broken flake, I always thought of as more of a marketing term to distinguish it from slices and more generic "flakes" that aren't as chunky and large sized. Sort of an in between slice and what can still be called flake.

Both are still flake tobacco?

The option to label as slices, broken flake, and just flake have to still meet minimums but a manufacturer can choose to label slices as flake but not the other way round unless it truly is a slice?

I've always assumed that slices and flake were interchangeable terms, and that broken flake was basically ready rubbed.

Disclaimer: I don't know shit about shit.

 

[oldgeezersmoker]

Well now I'm confused. I've always considered the nice, pretty, full slices to be just that, slices. The other, what is being called broken flake, I always thought of as more of a marketing term to distinguish it from slices and more generic "flakes" that aren't as chunky and large sized. Sort of an in between slice and what can still be called flake.

Both are still flake tobacco?

The option to label as slices, broken flake, and just flake have to still meet minimums but a manufacturer can choose to label slices as flake but not the other way round unless it truly is a slice?

.Flakes will stay flakes damn near forever if the manufacturer uses enough gum Arabic or similar adhesive to hold them together. Dan uses none, so their flakes have some tendency to break up just with time. I have always considered flakes and slices to be synonymous. Not so broken flake and ready rubbed. My expectation would be that a broken Flake blend would be a good bit chunkier than one labeled ready rubbed.

 

[shanez]

I've always assumed that slices and flake were interchangeable terms, and that broken flake was basically ready rubbed.

I guess I could be clearer. And these are just how I've always thought of it.

In terms of "solidity" for lack of a better way of thinking of it. Start at plug, rope, or cake. Then slices. Then broken flake. Then flake (generic). Then ready rubbed. Then ribbon cut. Then shag.

Or something like that. Perhaps flake and ready rubbed are the same thing for most people.

 

[alaskanpiper]

I guess I could be clearer. And these are just how I've always thought of it.

In terms of "solidity" for lack of a better way of thinking of it. Start at plug, rope, or cake. Then slices. Then broken flake. Then flake (generic). Then ready rubbed. Then ribbon cut. Then shag.

Or something like that. Perhaps flake and ready rubbed are the same thing for most people.

I'd switch slices/flake and broken flake on your list. I mean, isn't a broken flake inherently less solid than a flake?