I know some of you have seen and commented on my previous post/questions about Nightcap, and no new found love of English blends and some VaPers. I’m currently satisfied with enjoying my current purchases in these two categories, as well as looking forward to exploring many more that several of you have recommended. My question now is… I’ve run across some posts about Lakeland tobacco, and being relatively new, I’ve never heard of it. Is it good? Is it something I should try, based on the tobacco blends mentioned above? If so, which ones are the best? I don’t want to introduce too much variety as I’m just starting to settled in on what I know I like and it was a long, relatively expensive, journey getting here… do really putting it out there because I’ve gotten so much great feedback and advice here. Thank I’m advance!
Lakeland Tobacco
- Thread starter Relax62
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I’ve really been enjoying Ennerdale and consider it a favourite and will be stocking up this fall, the only one I’ve had…. The first notes are oranges and fruits followed by “perfume“/Lakeland essence, if the order was reversed I probably wouldn’t like it, but it creates a great smell. It’s also pretty high nicotine, a stronger tobacco and so far after one tin hasn’t ghosted my pipe.
They're very different than what you have tried, so far. They're Love or Hate tobaccos. I love them. I found the aromas to be strange but didn't let that stop me. Which is good as I enjoyed them in my pipes. I keep stashing them up when I can.
In summary: They're something else.
The only way to find out, for you, is give a few of them a try. Bosun Cut Plug, Bob's Chocolate Flake, Balkan Mixture, Best Brown #2 and Rum/Jamaican Flake are not too pronounced in terms of tin note. So they could be a good start.
In summary: They're something else.
The only way to find out, for you, is give a few of them a try. Bosun Cut Plug, Bob's Chocolate Flake, Balkan Mixture, Best Brown #2 and Rum/Jamaican Flake are not too pronounced in terms of tin note. So they could be a good start.
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It’s worth trying one or two because it’s usually a love it or hate it thing. Unfortunately it’s almost always too potent for me……..it’s all I taste, so I know to generally stay away. I still try something here and there but my tastes continue to say no.
Auntie Mary's underwear drawer, bath soap, old lady perfume, are a few descriptions. It is caused by the use of Rose Geranium as a topping in the tobacco which can be either Ready Rubbed or Plug. For people like myself whose world view hasn't moved much beyond the late 19th century they are the 'be all and end all' of tobacco technology. Love them or loath them you should certainly give them a whirl. If you need small samples to test out just drop me a PM. As an after thought that offer is open to @Relax62 and not to every one you other lot!! 
Lakeland means tobaccos from the English Lake District (nowadays Gawith & Hoggarth and Samuel Gawith). Those producers (now one, G&H owns the Sam Gawith brand) make all sorts of different styles of tobacco (English, Virgina, VaPer, VaBur etc.).
People commonly use this to refer to heavily floral tobaccos like Ennerdale, which is excellent. Personally, my favourite is Grasmere flake, a robust tobacco with rose geranium flavour, among others. Worth also trying G&H unscented flakes (both Brown and Dark) to get an idea of the constituent tobaccos. These are both really good traditional flakes.
People commonly use this to refer to heavily floral tobaccos like Ennerdale, which is excellent. Personally, my favourite is Grasmere flake, a robust tobacco with rose geranium flavour, among others. Worth also trying G&H unscented flakes (both Brown and Dark) to get an idea of the constituent tobaccos. These are both really good traditional flakes.
I would recommend trying Ennerdale. That will tell you if you like Lakeland tobaccos or not.
When people say Lakeland, they're generally referring to the aromatics that have the "Lakeland essence" of like, rose and other flavors that many people ascribe to soap or old lady perfume. I personally like the Lakeland essence.
Be forewarned though, Lakeland will absolutely ghost a pipe. I'd recommend a cheap clay or cob first to try them and if you like them enough, you might want to get a pipe dedicated to only Lakeland blends.
When people say Lakeland, they're generally referring to the aromatics that have the "Lakeland essence" of like, rose and other flavors that many people ascribe to soap or old lady perfume. I personally like the Lakeland essence.
Be forewarned though, Lakeland will absolutely ghost a pipe. I'd recommend a cheap clay or cob first to try them and if you like them enough, you might want to get a pipe dedicated to only Lakeland blends.
So they are considered an aro? I’ve had a hard time with aro’s burning hot and no taste, except an ashy taste and aftertaste. Having said that, I’ve found a couple that I enjoy on occasion.
Ennerdale is flavoured but it’s mostly pure Va flake, with a few % burley, and smokes like that. In a blind tasting, I’d guess Va. Its nothing like those Cavendish based OTC aros at all, nothing,
I’ll chime in from the “hate” team. You should give them an honest try, as they are a classic genre of tobacco, and the quality is as good as you can get. You may not immediately know if you like the style, but you will immediately know if you hate it. Choices are good
For a very first try I would choose Emmerdale Flake and/or Bob's Chocolate Flake. I encourage you to read first some reviews about 'em. It may be not for you but the Lakeland perfume/geranium"taste" will eventually gradually grow on you if it's Indeed the case. Give it some time and you'll be amazed. It's a completely parallel universe.
Aromatic is a pretty broad category and there's lots of different aromatics made in different ways.
Some are super goopy and 200% propylene glycol and they take 10,000 years to dry out enough to be smokable. Others are more mild in the flavorings. Don't write off aros as a whole. I don't know what ones you have tried, but even the heaviest gooping sloppy mess of an aro can be smoked without tasting bad, just requires proper technique. Try drying more, packing lighter and smoking slower.
Any tobacco, not just aros, can taste like nothingness and ash if you smoke too hot or too fast. Some tobaccos are more forgiving than others of improper technique. And some naturally burn a little hotter than others, you just have to slow down more for those.
While I appreciate the "Scented" Lakeland tobaccos and on occasion I have enjoyed them, I much prefer the "Unscented" blends that come out of the region.
My absolute favorite blend for the past several years is Gawith's Best Brown Flake #2, followed very closely by Samuel Gawith's St James Flake. They're not always available, so I stock up any time I can get my hands on them.
But they age magnificently and are my favorites at any time of the day.
The "Scented" blends with the Rose Geranium are good, but they will ghost a pipe something fierce. So if you aren't going to smoke them regularly, then I suggest smoking them from a cob or clay unless you want to dedicate a briar pipe to it because that pipe will make every blend after taste and smell like the Queen's Rose Garden.
My absolute favorite blend for the past several years is Gawith's Best Brown Flake #2, followed very closely by Samuel Gawith's St James Flake. They're not always available, so I stock up any time I can get my hands on them.
But they age magnificently and are my favorites at any time of the day.
The "Scented" blends with the Rose Geranium are good, but they will ghost a pipe something fierce. So if you aren't going to smoke them regularly, then I suggest smoking them from a cob or clay unless you want to dedicate a briar pipe to it because that pipe will make every blend after taste and smell like the Queen's Rose Garden.
I kinda went all in when I was learning about Lakelands, granted they were readily stocked most anywhere a few years ago. But I ordered an ounce or two of everything that got good reviews or people talked about them alot.
This showed me alot about Gawith's tobaccos. I really enjoy the Unscented flakes and went kinda deep on some of those. Then I saw that I like a few heavier Lakeland blends, but only enough for a few smokes of each per year, so I stocked up but nothing crazy.
There really is a spectrum to the Lakeland tobaccos and I can appreciate just about anything across that spectrum depending on my mood. For example, I could smoke Dark Flake Unscented year-round, whenever. Dark Birds Eye is another. But something like Ennerdale, or other heavier cased flakes, I only get an itch a handful of times each year.
I would argue that they produce some of the best Virginia blends currently available and it's worth trying a variety, they have a lot to offer. Though maybe buy a corn cob for sampling - they will ghost a pipe.
For a "starter pack" of Lakeland (G&H), my picks would be:
Ennerdale Flake, Dark Birds Eye, Black Irish X and Brown Irish X, Dark Flake Unscented, Burley & Bright, Brown Flake Unscented, Bosun Cut Plug, Broken #7, Louisianna Flake, and 1792 Flake. I'm excluding Sam Gawith tins, these are all available in bulk and easier to obtain.
Just my .02 - YMMV
This showed me alot about Gawith's tobaccos. I really enjoy the Unscented flakes and went kinda deep on some of those. Then I saw that I like a few heavier Lakeland blends, but only enough for a few smokes of each per year, so I stocked up but nothing crazy.
There really is a spectrum to the Lakeland tobaccos and I can appreciate just about anything across that spectrum depending on my mood. For example, I could smoke Dark Flake Unscented year-round, whenever. Dark Birds Eye is another. But something like Ennerdale, or other heavier cased flakes, I only get an itch a handful of times each year.
I would argue that they produce some of the best Virginia blends currently available and it's worth trying a variety, they have a lot to offer. Though maybe buy a corn cob for sampling - they will ghost a pipe.
For a "starter pack" of Lakeland (G&H), my picks would be:
Ennerdale Flake, Dark Birds Eye, Black Irish X and Brown Irish X, Dark Flake Unscented, Burley & Bright, Brown Flake Unscented, Bosun Cut Plug, Broken #7, Louisianna Flake, and 1792 Flake. I'm excluding Sam Gawith tins, these are all available in bulk and easier to obtain.
Just my .02 - YMMV
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I cut my teeth with Lakelands, they wasn't called that 50 years ago, my school took me to the Lake District in 1968 and I fell in love with it and spent most of my time since escaping up there, rock climbing, mountaineering and getting very drunk down the pubs at night, I used to visit SG & GH when they were 2 separate factory's, I climbed in Scotland and Wales and all over the world but my first love is still in me, I smoke English and Balkans along with Lakelands, all made by my friends, the only tobaccos I smoke that are not made in Kendal is Petersons, the Scandinavians are very good at blending, I kind of like Dunhill and Peterson tobacco's merging, I think they are in safe hands. I never new how the Lakeland tobacco's were popular around the world, I thought they just made them for me.
Lakelands in the scented sense are something you just need to try. I think starting with something like best Brown #2 is a good intro. Eventually you hardly taste the scent and then you move to stronger scents. To me their the best aromatics because theres purity laws they follow so it's natural scents. It is a love or hate to curious and learn to appreciate, much like scotch
I'll vote as well to recommend trying the Lakeland blends. It is its own genre of pipe tobacco and the only way you know if you like it is to try it. As suggested above, Ennerdale Flake or Bob's Chocolate Flake are a good and fairly gentle intro to the genre. If you are feeling adventurous you could also have a go at 1792 Flake as well.
I personally love Gawiths products and buy them every time they reach our colonial shores.
I personally love Gawiths products and buy them every time they reach our colonial shores.