My Lakeland Haunting Story

[madox07]

Man, I must admit that I didn't truly know the meaning of the word ghosting until last night. I had some guests over, and after dinner I reached out for a pipe. Since I was in a rush, I grabbed my lakeland dedicated pipe from the rack. In the kitchen i had a Dunhill 221 B Baker Street jar, and I was too lazy to go back and change the pipe. I was like, sure, whatever it won't kill me to smoke it out of this pipe. Man ... I could't understand a darn thing from the above mentioned virginia burley tobacco, but I could feel the scent of all three past consecutive lakelands in the smoke - gawith and hogarth coninton's plug being the more recent and the more in your face, and samuel gawith palace gate's coca popping out here and there, with a soapy condor aftertaste. Very interesing is that when smoking lakelands I didn't feel a ghost, not once, but with this burley tobacco in it was like smoking a weird mixture of the past three and not a burley tobacco at all. I wonder if I will ever be able to get that ghost out, or I should rest the case, and keep this pipe dedicated for lakelands until it catches a legion of ghosts.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

@madox07 ,Well that depends, I prefer smoking tobaccies where the Lakeland essence is applied rather sparingly,such as Condor Long Cut,Revor,Brown Flake,Glengarry,yet St Brunos and I so far have dedicated no specific pipe to smoke those,in case I'm noticing that my pipes start ghosting or taste otherwise unpleasurable then a good ole wet coffee ground in the chamber trick' + some consecutive bowls of plain Burley tobaccies afterward will resolve the issue out

 

[cosmicfolklore]

After dedicating a pipe to lakelands like that, I have found that they seep deep within the pores of the wood. Goopy aromatics, when dedicated like this do the same, IMO.

I’ve gotten estate pipes to use as Virginia smokers, and after trying everything, I’ve ended up taking it all back to bare wood and soaking for a few days in acetone to be the only way to rid the poltergeist. Sure, I had to restain and wax it again, but... my only alternative was to burn it in the fireplace.

Now that I can smoke the occasional lakeland and aromatic, I just keep those pipes dedicated. I have enough pipes to have a few lakeland pipes and aromatic pipes, and sometimes I will smoke a latakia in them for the unique combo of flavors. But, never will I pack a straight burley or virginia in them.

YMMV

 

[oldgeezersmoker]

After dedicating a pipe to lakelands like that, I have found that they seep deep within the pores of the wood. Goopy aromatics, when dedicated like this do the same, IMO.

Ditto on the goopy aromatics. Also estate pipes I have bought that have had decades worth of Latakia smoked in them.

My strategy is the direct opposite of dedicating, though that really isn’t the motivation. I enjoy lots of different genres of tobacco, I have plenty of pipes, so I grab a pipe that appeals to me and whatever tobacco suits my mood. No thought given to what I last smoked in it, except for a new pipe, I stick to McClelland 2010, 5100 or 5105 for the first 10 or 12 bowls. Except for the occasional estate pipe that I acquire, this is a ghost free environment.

 

[rushx9]

I have 4 pipes, all with small chambers, dedicated to Lakelands. 1 is 1792 only, I think 1792's ghost is reminiscent of Worcestershire sauce and doesn't play well with other Lakelands. Another is for Grasmere and Grousemoor, different tobaccos but on a similar end of the flavor spectrum. Another is for Condor but I will probably switch to #7Broken Flake when I run out since Condor is very hard to come by here and they have some (very slight) similarities. Another 1 is for SG Chocolate and GLP Stonehenge, but I don't feel that they really ghost the same way as the florals and a few bowls of burley would easily exorcise them. I have another bowl I use often for Firedance Flake but I wouldn't call it dedicated because I love to smoke latakia blends in it just because the flavors mix so well. I occasionally smoke straight VA in all of my dedicated pipes just to conjure the ghosts that live there and commune with the spirits?

 

[mso489]

I don't smoke Lakeland aromatics, but those are the classic case for designating pipes, and I take people at their word on that. There may be a few rare birds who enjoy the overlay of Lakeland aromatics with other blends and smoke other blends in their Lakeland aromatic pipes, but they are probably one in a hundred thousand. On the other hand, when a less persistent blend joins with another blend, without threatening permanently haunting a pipe, it can be mildly enjoyable. I don't build cake, so mostly I don't bust many ghosts.

 

[mikefu]

I have a semi-recently acquired estate that has absolutely no essence of Lakeland to it whatsoever, until the tobacco burns down to the bottom 1/4 of the chamber. Then anything, and I mean anything, tastes of rose geranium. It’s reamed to bare wood. I’ve alcohol and cotton soaked it, used coffee grounds, and smoked many a stout ghost busting Burley in it, and still flowers. I don’t know whether to keep trying or to just concede and make it a Lakeland pipe. It’s the only one I’ve experienced with that level of haunting.

 

[perdurabo]

Man, I must admit that I didn't truly know the meaning of the word ghosting until last night. I had some guests over, and after dinner I reached out for a pipe. Since I was in a rush, I grabbed my lakeland dedicated pipe from the rack. In the kitchen i had a Dunhill 221 B Baker Street jar, and I was too lazy to go back and change the pipe. I was like, sure, whatever it won't kill me to smoke it out of this pipe. Man ... I could't understand a darn thing from the above mentioned virginia burley tobacco, but I could feel the scent of all three past consecutive lakelands in the smoke - gawith and hogarth coninton's plug being the more recent and the more in your face, and samuel gawith palace gate's coca popping out here and there, with a soapy condor aftertaste. Very interesing is that when smoking lakelands I didn't feel a ghost, not once, but with this burley tobacco in it was like smoking a weird mixture of the past three and not a burley tobacco at all. I wonder if I will ever be able to get that ghost out, or I should rest the case, and keep this pipe dedicated for lakelands until it catches a legion of ghosts.

Dedicated! It’s a done deal. Unless you soak the pipe for days in Golden Grain.

 

[perdurabo]

Dedicated! It’s a done deal. Unless you soak the pipe for days in Golden Grain.

I mean soak the whole damn pipe minus stem in Golden Grain. Not the cotton soak mentioned above. I did this to get the lacquer off the pipe It was dedicated to Lakeland. It smoked fine with no ghost after the soak for a week. Now I’ve dedicated it to GLP Stonehenge. I guess that means it’s married to Lakeland again. Stonehenge is better than any Lakeland I’ve had.

 

[Worknman]

Is "lakeland essence" something applied to the tobacco or is it natural and has something to do with where its grown? Is it just Gawith blends? I keep hearing about it but dont really know what it is.

 

[logs]

Is "lakeland essence" something applied to the tobacco or is it natural and has something to do with where its grown? Is it just Gawith blends? I keep hearing about it but dont really know what it is.

It's a euphemism for the aroma they apply to Gawith tobacco. Lakeland is the region where the factory resides. It's basically a type old-timey perfume-like rosewater sprayed on the tobacco.

I think it's fair to say it takes getting used to and many people never do.

 

[mso489]

I don't smoke Lakelands aromatics, but I've heard it said the flavoring on the aromatics is rose scent and geranium. This rarely if ever shows up by mistake in the non-aromatic Lakeland blends. I've had superb non-aromatic Lakelands, like Brown Sugar Flake, just top notch. One joke about the aromatics is that they smell and maybe taste like granny's bath mat.

 

[mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast]

The pipe's dedicated to Lakeland blends. Period. Oh... and please engrave it with a capital L so that we all know, just in case it hits the estate market someday. Thanks.

 

[rushx9]

I mean soak the whole damn pipe minus stem in Golden Grain. Not the cotton soak mentioned above. I did this to get the lacquer off the pipe It was dedicated to Lakeland. It smoked fine with no ghost after the soak for a week. Now I’ve dedicated it to GLP Stonehenge. I guess that means it’s married to Lakeland again. Stonehenge is better than any Lakeland I’ve had.

I still really don't pick up any Lakeland essence on Stonehenge.. maybe just particular flavor of African Va and burley. I've heard others swear it's there, maybe I'm just desensitized.

 

[rushx9]

I have a semi-recently acquired estate that has absolutely no essence of Lakeland to it whatsoever, until the tobacco burns down to the bottom 1/4 of the chamber. Then anything, and I mean anything, tastes of rose geranium. It’s reamed to bare wood. I’ve alcohol and cotton soaked it, used coffee grounds, and smoked many a stout ghost busting Burley in it, and still flowers. I don’t know whether to keep trying or to just concede and make it a Lakeland pipe. It’s the only one I’ve experienced with that level of haunting.

Just dedicate it! It's a good excuse to try more Lakelands!

 

[rushx9]

Is "lakeland essence" something applied to the tobacco or is it natural and has something to do with where its grown? Is it just Gawith blends? I keep hearing about it but dont really know what it is.

Floral and herbal essences commonly used on some British tobaccos, mostly Gawith houses, but the term is also used to describe the flavor of others such as Condor, St Bruno, War Horse, etc. Oft maligned as soapy, perfumy, and powdery. I can't argue with that but I tend to think of exotic floral incenses and herbal cough drops instead. I feel they have an aroma-therapy effect. Almost like an extra buzz on top of the heavy nic.

 

[perdurabo]

I still really don't pick up any Lakeland essence on Stonehenge.. maybe just particular flavor of African Va and burley. I've heard others swear it's there, maybe I'm just desensitized.

There is a slight Fart of Lakeland.

 

[oldgeezersmoker]

I don't smoke Lakelands aromatics, but I've heard it said the flavoring on the aromatics is rose scent and geranium. This rarely if ever shows up by mistake in the non-aromatic Lakeland blends. I've had superb non-aromatic Lakelands, like Brown Sugar Flake, just top notch. One joke about the aromatics is that they smell and maybe taste like granny's bath mat.

I have mentioned repeatedly in replies to your posts that the flavoring agent used on some of their tobaccos is “Rose Geranium.” One substance, not two.

 

[rushx9]

I have mentioned repeatedly in replies to your posts that the flavoring agent used on some of their tobaccos is “Rose Geranium.” One substance, not two.

I've seen it stated many times that it is, in fact, Rose-Geranium. But in MSO's defense, there are a few listed on tobacco reviews as both rose and geranium. Not sure how that info got there but they make it look like manufacturers info. Grasmere comes to mind, and it really does taste specifically of rose petals. Maybe some use RG and others just use r and g, or all of the above?

 

[oldgeezersmoker]

Floral and herbal essences commonly used on some British tobaccos, mostly Gawith houses, but the term is also used to describe the flavor of others such as Condor, St Bruno, War Horse, etc. Oft maligned as soapy, perfumy, and powdery. I can't argue with that but I tend to think of exotic floral incenses and herbal cough drops instead. I feel they have an aroma-therapy effect. Almost like an extra buzz on top of the heavy nic.

Correct as far as it goes, but some of the tobaccos they use do in fact have a distinctive taste that is present before they leave the country of origin. If you want to experience the difference in how Virginia’s can taste without intervention by the blender, and want to move away from discussing Lakelands, give Dan’s Patriot Flake a try. Not a Lakeland taste at all, some swear it has Turkish in it, but the blender says not, just a healthy portion of Virginia seed tobacco grown and cured in India.