Gawith Hoggarth Jamaican Flake (AKA Rum Flake) in my trusty Morgan Bones Milan tonight.
For this week's blend of the week I decided go with G.H. Jamaican Flake, since we've got a hot and humid week coming up as summer winds down here, so something with a bit of a Caribbean flair sounded nice; and nice it is! Gawith always makes really pleasantly smooth and well rounded flakes, and this one is no exception.
The rum flavor is actually pretty subdued to my palate, it's mostly a mellow Virginia/Burley mix with a bit of licorice and just a tiny hint of rum that I only notice on the aftertaste, but it is an enjoyable flavor. I wouldn't call it an aromatic personally, since the main flavor is the tobacco and the casings aren't much more than a subtle condiment, it's more of a VaBur with a little something extra.
There's no Lakeland essence at all to be found in this recently produced batch, which could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your preferences, and the nicotine content in this one (as with most G.H. flakes) is deceptively high. It's one of those blends that really sneaks up on you, where you don't feel anything at all until about 25 minutes in when it all hits you at once. This one definitely requires a bit of respect and caution when enjoying, though it isn't quite as punchy as something like Irish Flake or 1792. Still, I'd take it slow and easy until you know how it sits with you.
I'll have to wait and see how I feel about Rum/Jamaican Flake after smoking it every day for the next week, but my initial impressions are that it's quite good and I won't have any objections at all to this being an everyday smoke for awhile!