Lakeland Help

[telescopes]

Think I might get this printed on a t'shirt!!

To be honest, I think the tobaccos are just right as they are. I have a few ounces of newly purchased Ennerdale in my pipe cabinet. When I open the doors to the cabinet, I can clearly smell the unique sauce. It is overwhelming. When I am smoking it, not so much - but that has been the way it has always been for me. G&H is one of the few last places you can still get old styled tobacco.

 

[Chasing Embers]

@telescopes : That sounds a reasonable explanation over all the other theories bandied about on this forum. I bet you if they started doing it the old way people would complain that their tobacco was too wet or something!

THAT EXACTLY. Go back three years and the complaints were all about how heavy the sauce was. Whine, whine, whine. The tobaccos were wet, they ghosted pipes and the main critic was if only they would pull back on the sauce. Some even suggested aging and drying the tobacco to “improve” it. Be careful what you wish for.

Interestingly enough, back then it flew off the shelves for so many smokers hating it. You had to be quick when a drop was announced. Stays in stock quite a bit longer now.

 

[Brad H]

To be honest, I think the tobaccos are just right as they are. I have a few ounces of newly purchased Ennerdale in my pipe cabinet. When I open the doors to the cabinet, I can clearly smell the unique sauce. It is overwhelming. When I am smoking it, not so much - but that has been the way it has always been for me. G&H is one of the few last places you can still get old styled tobacco.

I like the Ennerdale enough I bought a pound of it. It took me a few smokes to really learn its notes. I like the lavender notes.

When you say "old styled tobacco" where would you put G&H brown irish twist on the ranking of old styled? When I smoke it, I envision it being as close to an old style tobacco as possible.

 

[telescopes]

I like the Ennerdale enough I bought a pound of it. It took me a few smokes to really learn its notes. I like the lavender notes.

When you say "old styled tobacco" where would you put G&H brown irish twist on the ranking of old styled? When I smoke it, I envision it being as close to an old style tobacco as possible.

I think their plugs and ropes are the best. Obviously, Ennerdale Flake has that rough hewn look and feel. The plugs seem like they need a chain saw at times to cut through. The tobacco has that steamed and pressed feel to it. The ropes - what can I say - it's like being transported back many many decades and strolling into an old time tobacco shop. The smell of them as well as the oily feel - they are everything I went - except the kick in the head after around 15 minutes of smoking. I tend to cut up the ropes, smoke what I went straight, and then use the remainder as a spice for other blends that need more body. But that's just me.

 

[telescopes]

I WANT certain pipes ghosted with the stuff!

That was one of the main complaints. Personally, I don't want my pipes ghosted. I smoke many latakia blends and some of them are definitely like vampires - once you invite them in, they are there to stay. Ennerdale - I can taste the essence - but the essence isn't going to stick around when I smoke a lighter blend in the pipe; and if it does, it will soon be exercised from the bowl. It's enough that now my who office smells of Ennerdale - and that is only after dumping 2 oz into the humidor which is itself, in a closed cabinet.

 

[Brad H]

I think their plugs and ropes are the best. Obviously, Ennerdale Flake has that rough hewn look and feel. The plugs seem like they need a chain saw at times to cut through. The tobacco has that steamed and pressed feel to it. The ropes - what can I say - it's like being transported back many many decades and strolling into an old time tobacco shop. The smell of them as well as the oily feel - they are everything I went - except the kick in the head after around 15 minutes of smoking. I tend to cut up the ropes, smoke what I went straight, and then use the remainder as a spice for other blends that need more body. But that's just me.

yeah, that's the feeling I get of the G&H twists as well. I like the brown twist over the black..... Brown is more potent for my taste. Only issue I ever have with them is they are hard to light, even after setting them aside to dry out.
I like bosun plug all day, but only if its cut. Really do not enjoy messing with it in the plug form. However twist form doesn't bother me. It is probably just me, but I think the brown twist has a better flavor than the sliced brown twist. Perhaps it's the presentation and preparation that goes into a twist.

 

[telescopes]

From our Dear Scottish friend, Ned - who apparently met up with Bob one night at the Drunken Duck. The proof it seems, is in the Plum Pudding, so to speak.

"Ah wis haein a dram wi' mah auld mukker, Boab, at th' Dunken Duck Tavern up thare in th' Lakeland region o sassenach land. Efter a few roonds, he starts telling me a' aboot his problems. It seems th' folks up thare at Gawith ur riding his bahookie aboot nae follaein th' recipes 'n' sic. Sae he tells me, mynd ye he haes bin swallyin sin sun up, that he's bin juicing th' product whin na yin is keekin. Ah say tae him, "Bob, ye better be canny, someone is aff tae catch ye 'n' th' neist thing ye ken, ye wull be sacked." Ned, says he, "maybe in bonnie Scotland ye fellows lik' tae speil it safe, bit 'ere in merry auld Englain, if ye cannae pish in yer ain nest, then whaur th' hell kin ye piss?" Tis a true story, ilka word o' it. "

 

[elvishrunes]

I’ve only been smoking GH the last couple years, but there’s a pretty strong smell on Ennerdale from my purchases/batches, fruits and flowers, but not too strong either, but it doesn’t translate much into the smoke, it just tastes good, a little more then a standard flake, mystical is the word I’d use. And in storage in glass, it hasn’t lost the essence in a year or less, just checked, but even if it did in time, it’s still a good tobacco.

Kendal Cream, and Glengary flake too is a lighter version of Lakeland from my readings but haven’t tried, still a good tobacco I hear though, so those probably aren’t the ones you’re after. I think Ennerdale is the archetype Lakeland. 1792 is really good too, but different, more booze and vanilla and musty, than flowers…

 

[gawithhoggarth]

"Interestingly enough, back then it flew off the shelves for so many smokers hating it. You had to be quick when a drop was announced. Stays in stock quite a bit longer now"

Probably stays in stock longer now as we are sending far more than ever before and more regularly and far more blends than ever before. We always knew (and discussed with distributor) that it would take a few years to really get a proper feel for the market, once people saw there was a more regular larger supply and thus hopefully stopped hoarding the same. And shops would take more of a range when they knew it was a more regular supply.

But that said, many blends still sell out very quickly and crash the SmokingPipes set whenever there is a drop so......

 

[Brad H]

As Sutliff dies down, G&H going to go up. (my predictions anyways)

 

[PaulRVA]

Thought this might fit in here
Not aimed at anyone though.
It’s just going to be a lot of different opinions.

 

[andrew]

I find as you get used to the Lakeland scent, the taste diminishes. Like my first Lakeland with a tiny bit of scent was BB#2. Then as I went to more scented flakes BB#2 had no scent to me. It's the same batch, you just acquire a taste for it. Like when I was young and I had to force myself to drink beer, absolutely hated the taste of straight alcohol. Now I love beer, love straight spirits, love lakelands

 

[Sobrbiker]

My take (with my limited experience) on the GH&Co Lakes:

GH&Co’s #7 Broken Flake Aro and Kendal Flake are the max of the Rose Geranium floral essence I can tolerate.
Dark Flake Aro is good, you get the strength and Lakeland flavor without it wiping out the tobacco.
I think Coniston Cut Plug is “Goldilocks” level, with Bosun Cut Plug being a notch more Lakeland-y.
1792 to me has hardly any floral notes compared to the Tonquin flavoring, and hits the nic level of the brown ropes.
Ennerdale has a good balance of fruit to floral, and pretty medium on the flavor, with a tick above on the nic.

 

[Brendan]

Nice post @Sobrbiker - back to the subject at hand, thanks for that.
I'm not the OP of course but am just as curious.

 

[andrew]

1792 to me has hardly any floral notes compared to the Tonquin flavoring, and hits the nic level of the brown ropes.

Yes 1792 is not a good representation of Lakeland. It's just like full Virginia flake, it's technically a Lakeland but to me and most everyone Lakeland is an aromatic flavour profile. We even have American Lakeland. So for a Lakeland I'm thinking floral always

 

[spearheadbill]

First of all you cannot just pick 1 single product!! Stop it. It hurts too much. Which sauce do you want? Rose geranium? Almond? Maple? If you can get your hands on the rich dark spring dew get a bag of that and Bosun cut or whole plug. Dark flake aromatic wears the crown as King of the World but you need to pay your dues and carry water before you’re even worthy of it so get to work!!!

 

[Sobrbiker]

Yes 1792 is not a good representation of Lakeland. It's just like full Virginia flake, it's technically a Lakeland

Being made in the area is about the only thing 1792 has in common with FVF.
The GH&Co twists, DarkBirdsEye, and a couple others are made in Kendal, so geographically Lakeland but for the vast majority of smokers I’ve interacted with, “Lakeland” refers to the floral essence.
I only put 1792 in my comment because it was previously mentioned, and to point out that I get no “Lakeland” essence from it.
BBF/Kendal Plug have no granny flavoring either.

 

[wyfbane]

Being made in the area is about the only thing 1792 has in common with FVF.
The GH&Co twists, DarkBirdsEye, and a couple others are made in Kendal, so geographically Lakeland but for the vast majority of smokers I’ve interacted with, “Lakeland” refers to the floral essence.
I only put 1792 in my comment because it was previously mentioned, and to point out that I get no “Lakeland” essence from it.
BBF/Kendal Plug have no granny flavoring either.

That and 1792 is trash and FVF is delicious...

I said what I said.

LOL

 

[Sobrbiker]

That and 1792 is trash and FVF is delicious...

I said what I said.

LOL

That and 1792 FVF is trash and FVF 1792 is delicious...

I fixed it for ya

LOL

 

[bean_counter]

My three favorite scented Lakelands are Kendal Flake, Grousemoor plug, and Ennerdale flake.

My understanding is that Kendal Flake (my absolute #1 favorite tobacco) has been discontinued. Is broken flake #7 or Grasmere in the neighborhood? Haven’t tried those.