GH Rum Flake

[Sidehatch]

So I was going through some tins to open up and found a tin of GH Rum Flake. I’m not sure if this was talked about in past but I thought I remember it being discussed that the packaging wasn’t the best. It was cellophane sealed and sitting with rest of my stash in a climate controlled area. When I opened the tin there wasn’t any real aroma and the flakes were pretty dry. I bought the tin maybe a year ago so maybe it’s not that old.

Anyhoo, I loaded a bowl in a beat up cob I use outside for yard work and golf. The first third of bowl was hot air. Not pleasant. The rest of the bowl was mildly vanilla. But not really getting any rum or Lakeland sauce. My question is . . . Is that what the blend is supposed to taste like? My prior rum experience was Wilke where the rum topping hits you in the nostrils and in the smoke. The sauce has been noted to be less with all their blends but I still get some sauce love with Ennerdale. Maybe it’s my cob muting flavors. Maybe it’s too dry and lost it’s mojo. But not exactly what I was hoping for. I’ll try it next in a briar. But was curious from forum on what I’m experiencing

 

[seanv]

Sorry to hear that. The SG and GH tins are nowhere near properly sealed anymore. It is really too bad but as a work around I buy the SG boxes and the GH bulk.

It has been a while since i smoked some Rum Flake but i do not remember an in your face rum flavor. I remember the blend having a deep savory sweetness. Hints of vanilla, rum and an underlying earthy body. When I smoke a bowl of it I really enjoy the blend but I don't smoke it often.

 

[Sobrbiker]

I just yesterday picked up my first tins of FVF and Bob’s Chocolate, from April and May of this year at a local B&M. I should’ve grabbed a Jamaican (Rum) flake too, but I didn’t.
I was going to take them home and shelf them but decided to try them here visiting my dad.
Neither tin took any more force than a tin of Altoids would have to open (in other words a dainty lady wouldn’t have broken a nail, much less needed a tool).
Contents were fine, but jars will be in order and if I buy more it’ll be 500g packages.
Tin of last fall production 1792 I got earlier this month took a screwdriver and opened with a hissing suck of air….
The inconsistency sounds pretty consistent in my small data pool.

 

[K.E. Powell]

I know it is a bit late, but this is yet another reason I jar my tobaccos as soon as I get them.

That being said, no, Rum Flake has a fairly robust and boozy flavor when it's not dried all to hell.

 

[vosBghos]

I just yesterday picked up my first tins of FVF and Bob’s Chocolate, from April and May of this year at a local B&M. I should’ve grabbed a Jamaican (Rum) flake too, but I didn’t.
I was going to take them home and shelf them but decided to try them here visiting my dad.
Neither tin took any more force than a tin of Altoids would have to open (in other words a dainty lady wouldn’t have broken a nail, much less needed a tool).
Contents were fine, but jars will be in order and if I buy more it’ll be 500g packages.
Tin of last fall production 1792 I got earlier this month took a screwdriver and opened with a hissing suck of air….
The inconsistency sounds pretty consistent in my small data pool.

I am interested to know if the tin of 1792 was brass colored or silver all my brass tins are the OG and you can see by the concave on the top that they are vacuum sealed, they also started doing this weird clear plastic tape thing around the new silver tins that obviously does not work. But it's safe to say just jar any SG and G&H as soon as you get it now adays.

 

[Sobrbiker]

I am interested to know if the tin of 1792 was brass colored or silver all my brass tins are the OG and you can see by the concave on the top that they are vacuum sealed, they also started doing this weird clear plastic tape thing around the new silver tins that obviously does not work. But it's safe to say just jar any SG and G&H as soon as you get it now adays.

Surprisingly enough they are silver, with the plastic wrap.
Once I get home from vacation I need to get another rack of 8oz jars and will be getting the ones I just got and the the other (still in tin) 1792 in jars.

 

[woodsroad]

May the wrath of @gawithhoggarth be upon you! She'll tell you that nothing has changed there in the last 1200 years. Now, I have not bought any tins of Rum Flake recently, but the bulk I've stowed away certainly is in keeping with @K.E. Powell's observations above.

 

[solideogloria86]

Give it a day or two after opening.
It'll open up after it's had time to breathe. You should taste maple sugar and rum.

 

[lukasstrifeson]

So I was going through some tins to open up and found a tin of GH Rum Flake. I’m not sure if this was talked about in past but I thought I remember it being discussed that the packaging wasn’t the best. It was cellophane sealed and sitting with rest of my stash in a climate controlled area. When I opened the tin there wasn’t any real aroma and the flakes were pretty dry. I bought the tin maybe a year ago so maybe it’s not that old.

Anyhoo, I loaded a bowl in a beat up cob I use outside for yard work and golf. The first third of bowl was hot air. Not pleasant. The rest of the bowl was mildly vanilla. But not really getting any rum or Lakeland sauce. My question is . . . Is that what the blend is supposed to taste like? My prior rum experience was Wilke where the rum topping hits you in the nostrils and in the smoke. The sauce has been noted to be less with all their blends but I still get some sauce love with Ennerdale. Maybe it’s my cob muting flavors. Maybe it’s too dry and lost it’s mojo. But not exactly what I was hoping for. I’ll try it next in a briar. But was curious from forum on what I’m experiencing

I remember the first batch out of the pandemic had some serious variance tin to tin. A lot of complaints on the forum about not having enough Lakeland 'sauce'. Maybe you just got a dud, I remember someone making similar complaints about Louisiana Flake and these are two of my favorite GH&Co blends. I have a tin from 2017 in my humidor and its still very rummy on the nose.

 

[krizzose]

It’s been a while, but my recollection was that the rum was noticeable but not heavy. I couldn’t get past the Lakeland essence, as light as it was. Not my jam

 

[ThermionicScott]

I've read some chatter that GH&Co has improved the sealing of their tins as of late. People are actually complaining about the effort to open them, when a quarter did it easily before. Go figure!

 

[woodsroad]

I've read some chatter that GH&Co has improved the sealing of their tins as of late. People are actually complaining about the effort to open them, when a quarter did it easily before. Go figure!

That's the life of a retailer. No matter what you do, someone is going to complain about it.

 

[vosBghos]

That's the life of a retailer. No matter what you do, someone is going to complain about it.

amen

 

[grimpuffer]

So I was going through some tins to open up and found a tin of GH Rum Flake. I’m not sure if this was talked about in past but I thought I remember it being discussed that the packaging wasn’t the best. It was cellophane sealed and sitting with rest of my stash in a climate controlled area. When I opened the tin there wasn’t any real aroma and the flakes were pretty dry. I bought the tin maybe a year ago so maybe it’s not that old.

Anyhoo, I loaded a bowl in a beat up cob I use outside for yard work and golf. The first third of bowl was hot air. Not pleasant. The rest of the bowl was mildly vanilla. But not really getting any rum or Lakeland sauce. My question is . . . Is that what the blend is supposed to taste like? My prior rum experience was Wilke where the rum topping hits you in the nostrils and in the smoke. The sauce has been noted to be less with all their blends but I still get some sauce love with Ennerdale. Maybe it’s my cob muting flavors. Maybe it’s too dry and lost it’s mojo. But not exactly what I was hoping for. I’ll try it next in a briar. But was curious from forum on what I’m experiencing

I always jar any of my GH or SG purchases.

I’m actually enjoying a bowl of run flake as I type this.

I’ve heard mention in other reviews about this having a mild Lakeland essence but I don’t detect it.

For me this is just a good, straight forward tobacco. No frills or crazy in depth flavors.

If you had to force me to compare it to something else I’d say it is a sweeter version of MacB Old Dark Fired.

When rubbed up, I get more on the nose than I do in the smoke. The flakes themselves smell like spice rack with hints clove, cinnamon, all spice etc.

The smoke however, just a good no fuss tobacco taste. No rum detected at all so take that for what it’s worth.

 

[WerewolfOfLondon]

That's the life of a retailer. No matter what you do, someone is going to complain about it.

Well thank God you never complain eh lol

 

[condorlover1]

It is hit or miss. I have a few older tins from 2018 that are as sound as a pound. The silver tins have been a little challenging but according to GH&Co crowd you are meant to consume the stuff and not keep it. I am not a big fan of the Rum Flake since it doesn't have much in the way of Rose Geranium going for it and I really don't have a developed taste for all these different flavors. I will be interested to hear what other people have to say on this topic.

 

[Puff nstuff]

I just opened a tin of Rum Flake that I bought at the beginning of 2022. Of the four GH tins from the order, only one had lost the vacuum seal, so I opened it. Turned out to be in perfect condition for smoking now, still just a tad moist and pliable.
As for the taste, I would agree with @grimpuffer, it's a fairly straightforward sweetish Va/burley with some depth, but very smooth and easy to smoke. I don't get any Lakeland flavors, nor much in the way of rum, but molasses, maple, brown sugar flavors are definitely there. I really like it. It's sorta like an extra flavorful American codger blend.

 

[JackOrion]

That’s it, I’m sitting on some tins of FVF that I worry about the seal. I’m sick of guessing and risking. I’m gonna jar it.

 

[Skippy B. Coyote]

I just got a fresh tin of Rum Flake (now called "Jamaican Flake") from SmokingPipes earlier this week and tried it for the first time. The tobacco was quite moist out of the tin and had a strong licorice aroma but no detectable rum or Lakeland essence, and when I smoked it the only flavors I got were a bit of Virginia and a lot of Dark Fired Kentucky. No rum, licorice, or Lakeland essence; just plain Virginia and Dark Fired Kentucky. It basically tasted like a mellower version of Mac Baren's Old Dark Fired and was the first Gawith Hoggarth blend that I was actually rather disappointed with, though the tins of Bob's Chocolate Flake, Kendal Black Cherry, and Ennerdale I got in the same order were all great. They do seem to have removed the Lakeland essence from Bob's Chocolate Flake though, or at the least toned it down to the point that it's almost imperceptible.

 

[gawithhoggarth]

I am interested to know if the tin of 1792 was brass colored or silver all my brass tins are the OG and you can see by the concave on the top that they are vacuum sealed, they also started doing this weird clear plastic tape thing around the new silver tins that obviously does not work. But it's safe to say just jar any SG and G&H as soon as you get it now adays.

Obviously does not work for what?

The clear plastic is a heat sealed anti-tamper device - if your tin had this on and was intact then it shows the tin has not been opened or tampered with in any way prior to you getting it and so the plastic wrap has indeed done its exact job.