Tobaccos Samuel Gawith - Kendal Cream Deluxe Flake

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2008-07-22		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

My Yummy-meter raced into the red after a bowl of this stuff. Different, distinctive and pleasant. I prefer my tobacco with a lot of strength and a little flavoring and Kendall Cream Flake ran the bases.

Without question, this one needs to sit in the open air for 2-3 hours before being consumed. It was very moist out of the tin but dried quickly. The strength is not overpowering but will make its presence known quickly. The flavoring is unique, creamy and unlike the typical "Lakeland Floral" that seems to be off putting to some.

Finally, this tobacco provides a lot of smoke and stays lit easily once dried. I'll keep a tin of Kendall Cream Flake opened and at the ready every day of the week and twice on Sundays.

55 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3046)	2017-03-28		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

The boldly earthy, tangy dark fruity, tart and tangy citrusy, woody, bready Virginias also sport a touch of fermentation, spice and floralness. The very nutty, earthy, toasty, woody, lightly molasses sweet burley plays a support role. There is a very mild essence of Lakeland and geranium as well, which add a floral, almost perfume quality. I’m not sure about the other toppings, but one appears to be tonquin, and something with an alcohol base (whisky?). The toppings tone down the tobaccos without drowning out their inherent strength. The strength and taste levels just passes the medium.The nic-hit is almost medium. Won’t bite or get harsh, but it does have hint of a rough edge here and there. Burns cool, clean and a little slow with a fairly creamy smooth, very consistent flavor all the way to the finish. Leaves just a little moisture in the bowl, and requires some relights. Has a pleasant, lingering after taste, and lightly stronger room note. Not an all day smoke, but it is repeatable.

-JimInks

45 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	newmission (14)	2009-07-29		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Very Pleasant

Smoked this in the tin first and then found that I could get it in bulk so I ordered a pound. What a difference between the tin and bulk. WOW.. the aroma was sweet like a Holiday Fruit cake, my wife gave it a wiff and said it made her hungry. Eager to smoke it, broke some up and packed my favorite Von Erck and puffed away. FANTASTIC from beginning to end. So glad that I found it in bulk, so much smoother and fuller than the tin. Full body, smooth and flavorful with tons of character. It is so good to know that there are still great blends to be smoked when other companies are folding. This will be my daily smoke and believe it or not the price was not as bad as I thought. SG keep it coming. I highly recomend this blend to anyone who like a good steady smoke.

EDIT: A few days into this pound of Kendel Cream and I have discovered something very strange. Some of you may even think that I am off my rocker. But, this blend has a 'whisky' taste a few days in. It reminds me of the 'drug store' tobacco that gramps used to smoke. Much more refined and full, but that tone of whiskey is present for me.

30 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Wibblefishofdoom (139)	2011-09-19		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

It was with great anticipation that I purchased this. Having sampled Gawith's fantastic snuff, I had high hopes that the fine craftwork put into their nasal tobacco would transfer across to the tin that now sat in front of me. Opening up said tin and taking a good, deep inhalation of aroma, I was more than pleasantly surprised by a strange soapy creaminess that possessed a very slight hint of something acerbic underneath, much like a beautiful summer's day with just a hint of storm in the dark rain clouds poking over the horizon.

Having got over my initial confusion of what "flake" actually meant as these strangely delicate "slabs" (for want of a better word) of tobacco peered out of the tin at me, I finally got round to rubbing one out and packing it into my weapon of choice and pulling the trigger. The soothing, creamy taste enraptured my senses and my soul like a Keira Knightly back rub after a particularly heavy triathlon. The pleasant room note merely added to an already perfect, if strangely delicate, smoke.

A surprising delicate yet flavoursome smoke, this is, for me, as perfect a smoke as can be had and a definitely a star player in my perfect Pipe Tobacco XI. Perhaps, my only word of warning is that it is quite a subtle, delicate tobacco, more Pele and less Vinnie Jones. So if you do prefer a stronger smoke, by all means try this, but it's not Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Pipes.

16 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2080)	2017-03-23		Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Samuel Gawith - Kendal Cream Deluxe Flake.

One of my first reviews I decided to re-do. That was from a small sample, this is based on a tin.

Everyone in the pipe world knows of the main problem with Samuel Gawith, the moisture, or rather the EXCESS moisture. St. James is one of my favourite VaPer's but some of the tins practically need a furnace to dry them out! This one though, shocking: perfectly smokeable direct from the tin.

I give K.C.D.F. more of a breaking, than a full rubbing, and this keeps the smoke cooler. It lights easy enough, and causes no problem with bite. The flavour? A bit of a Jekyll and Hyde here. On the Jekyll side there's a vanilla creaminess with a pleasant Burley nuttiness, and a little Virginia. But for Hyde there's a Lakeland/floral attribute, with a touch of sharp herbs, which I think spoils it. Being fair, the burn's faultless from K.C.D.F, so it's not All Bad!

The room-note's quite strong, and the nicotine's easily above medium.

Rating? Well, it has a few positives and one negative. Positives: moisture, creamy Burley flavour, lack of bite and the burn. Negative: the Lakeland/floral/herbiness.

Sadly, although the negatives are few, the bitterness holds enough weight to reduce the rating:

Somewhat recommended.

Pipe Used: Peterson #03

Age When Smoked: Three weeks

Purchased From: My Smoking Shop

15 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-08-04		Strong	Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Like lots of other SG virginia blend flakes, this one also took its place in my forever favorites list.

I don't realy know what essence they have added in this but this mild addition made a great combination with virginia-burley strength. SG used again a very fine recipe for preparing this true pipe tobacco.

Must be dried for easy lighting and full taste. I dried it to crispy and one light was enough for the whole bowl. The strength is not overhelming but it makes me to be saturated.

Virginia blend lovers, please do not miss this one!

14 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-09-26		Strong	Medium to Strong	Medium	Tolerable

Even when I don't really like a Gawith blend, I am always impressed. That's the case here.

KCF (not to be confused with KFC) is a well made, idiosyncratic blend. The flavor is so distinctive, in fact, that reviews are not so useful: it's a real love-it-or-hate-it blend. The most useful thing I can say is that it's a quality leaf and worth trying.

In the tin it smells like a significantly milder version of Bracken Flake. In the bowl, the difference is more pronounced. The topping is indeed milder than BF, but the leaf is lighter and the burley gives a nutty sweetness (just as it should). That said, I found the topping heavier than some other reviewers. In the end, Kendal Cream is a Lakeland, that is to say, an aromatic: a VA/Burley with that distinctive Gawith "essence" (tonquin?) and a dollop of vanilla. On the bright side it is sweet, full, creamy, but never monochromatic; the added flavors never overwhelm the tobacco. On the downside it gives me a headache, and the flavor is one that I never find myself craving. Neither fish nor fowl, perhaps. Don't buy it if you are after a good Virginia/Burley. Do buy it if you want to experiment with Lakelands, or are exploring quality aromatics, or like vanilla, or just want something new and unexpected.

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sasquatch (90)	2008-01-23		Strong	Mild to Medium	Full	Pleasant

Too wet in the tin, and not much in there...compares to escudo in terms of how little you get, volume wise.

Dried out, this is a fantastic smoke. Notes of gingerbread and some weird minty kind of thing overtop a not too sweet dark flake.

I like. You like? High five!

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	GabrielCRT (115)	2017-06-15		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

There are a few pipe tobaccos that I don't smoke very often but when I do I go on a hardcore binge. This is one of them. When I have a bowl of Kendal Cream Flake I will smoke it exclusively all day for a few days. The Virginia is smooth with hay and earth. I would guess that this blend uses Malawi Burley as it is nutty and woody. The topping is very hard to describe. The best I can say is it tastes like tea with milk and honey. There is a notable floralness also. This probably isn't an all day smoke for most people but it sure is for me.

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-08-03		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This is realy good stuff...SG knows how to use virginia...Virginia and burley mix sweet, creamy and a true pleasure ...

Too wet in the tin but dry fast...Burns slowly and nicotine level is very good for me...If you like nicotine and creamy taste use this stuff...Now best SG for me...I ll smoke everyday one bowl...

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Captain Casual (21)	2020-05-24		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Kendal Cream Flake. Or KC Flake, as it's known around here.

Out of the tin, you get a woody, flowery smell from it. Pleasant and fairly restrained. It's a Samuel Gawith Flake, so of course it comes on the moist side and needs a bit of drying time. Not too much, though. You don't want to lose the flavour with this one.

Once it's in your pipe, it lights up nicely and quickly begins to provide it's flavour. Much like the tin note, it's got woody, floral notes, with the occasional whiff of nutty burley. It's very pleasant and smooth.

That, along with it's moderate nicotine content and fairly slow burn, makes this blend true to it's name. It's a creamy, lovely smoke, peaceful in character.

In the latter half of the bowl, the Virginia leaf makes it's presence known a bit more, providing some spice to the sweetness.

It's an easy blend to handle, though if you do manage to smoke it too fast, it'll punish you with some tongue bite. Other than that, it burns clean and dry, though it does need some relights.

At the end of your smoke, you'll be left with some dottle, but zero moisture.

It's a massive recommendation from me. I like to call this stuff "peace in a pipe".

Pipe Used: Various Briars

Purchased From: Cigarworld.de

Similar Blends: Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) - Erinmore Flake Is similar in character, if a tad sweeter in flavour.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Smokeybear86 (14)	2014-08-06		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable to Strong

Disclaimer: Be advised that if you are a fan of this blend then do not read the review below especially if you;

1)Cried during Titanic. 2)Have high blood pressure. 3)Think Justin Bieber is cool.

Because you will be offended and its not my fault.

Tin Note: The jar of which my sample was in smelt like a fusion of chocolate and caramel it was a good smell. Also the only score this high you will see in this review.

Initial Light: Took me three tries with the pack and lite process but it eventually took the flame. My reward was a soapy taste in the mouth I mean i might have swore a few times trying to get it lit so i guess i deserved it.

Mid-Smoke: Mid-bowl it has become apparent to me that this is clearly a burley forward blend as i detect zero Virginia throughout the smoke at this time or after for that matter. I was also starting to get a little bite on my tongue and inside cheek. Near the end of the middle and beginning of the bottom portion of my smoke it just tasted ashy kind of like a cheap cigar I was beginning to question whether I could even finish this smoke.

Bottom of the Bowl: Started smoking hot, I dumped the ash out and the biting was gone however there was no change in taste and my throat was soar at this point, one more thing i will sto....gurgle gurgle Mid thought I just drank the juice. Mid-way through the bottom of the bowl. I had enough, No thanks.

Room Note: No joke as I was spitting out the lovely juice my pipe gave me I turned to my wife eyes watery and said Cheap cigar? she said Exactly what i smell. There you have it a blend the smells like it tastes.

Dottle: Despite me stopping literally 2mm from the bottom of the bowl the ash resembled that of a cigar's compact white ash.

Smoking Duration: I lasted 35min. (I'll take my badge now)

Overall: I usually say i will revisit the blend, maybe my tastes will change later on. However with this one I think if I was looking for that taste I would be better off to just buy a 4$ cigar at the gas station.

Sorry if i hurt your feelings, Smokeybear

Pipe Used: Ringed Metal Pipe 50's

Age When Smoked: Not sure was jarred sample

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stefanos (222)	2017-02-09		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

The scent of this tobacco is exquisite, almonds, lemongrass, tonquin, cinnamon, other sweet spices and who knows what kind of botanicals… And besides all these aromas real tobacco smell! I really wish I knew what aromatics they use at Gawith’s! In any case at this firm they have elevated tobacco scenting to an art form. And it all smells so natural! The flakes are brown colored with some black parts and a few bright spots. They are well formed and thick. Easy to rub out.

I smoked Kendal Cream from a 250g box which contains the tobacco inside a plastic pouch which is not vacuum sealed and the flakes came in perfect moisture condition to just rub and smoke. Contrary to most Samuel Gawith tobaccos this one needed no preparation apart from rubbing! It also had excellent burning behavior and without any bite for me whatsoever. I do not know how the tobacco comes out of the tin though…

Now to the actual smoke despite the heady scenting, you never forget you are smoking …tobacco. And it is a medium to strong tobacco with a healthy nicotine punch to satisfy most smokers. Virginias offer both sharp and darker yeasty notes. The first are accentuated in my opinion by the cool-tasting scenting. Overall Kendal Cream has a slightly bitter-sweet herbal taste, a combination I suppose of the botanicals used and the Virginias. Then around mid-bowl the smoke becomes earthier and nuttier, seems like the Kentucky is taking center stage. What a nice surprise!

I really like this tobacco as I also do Ennerdale Flake, both Lakelands but quite different. Kendal Cream is less heady and less perfumy, in the sense of real perfume. If you’ve never tasted Lakelands do not approach Kendal Cream with trepidation, it is just a high quality tobacco that is mildly scented and what's more the scenting is much less obvious in the smoke than the (heavenly!) tin note suggests. I also use it to scent other tobaccos with good results.

Another great combination for me is to blend half and half Kendal Cream with McClelland's 5100 Red Cake. Beautiful combination, with 5100 adding some more sweetness and a mild tang.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Prior Wrath (6)	2013-06-26		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

This is one of the most extraordinary flakes I've ever tried. Tin note brings a good café au lait to mind. First draws remind me of something nutty and dry, perhaps it's that Burley. I definitely taste some tonquin as well. Halfway down the bowl, all flavorings and burley tones die out, and wonderful Virginias start to shine and sing getting smoother and richer towards the end. N-vitamin levels are quite decent. Burns suspiciously cool and dry.

Nothing to add, nothing to complain about: 10/10

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2003-08-31		Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

What do you get when you mix a stoved VA/Burley flake with Glade air-freshener? This stuff.

Seriously, this is a high-quality flake made in the traditional fashion. I just could not take the flowery perfume that was added. The "aromatic" portion detracted from the tobacco.

I guess I am not suited for Lakeland style tobaccos.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	troyniss (38)	2020-10-17		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Presentation: Typical SG/GH flakes. Thick, grainy and moist. Mottled brown, dark streaks. Nice rows as always and I like that SG keeps to their tradition despite consumer complaints.People still are die-hard fans regardless.

Palette: To me, the tin aroma is very reminiscent of Ennderdale Flake and when giving it constant sniffs, I had to keep checking the tin just to make sure it wasn't. Black licorice, cardamon, anise, clove, cinnamon, lemon, nutmeg. I'm not too fond of the bouquet, but in no way does it translate to the smoke like Ennerdale does. A slight floral essence is there as well. Upon lighting, I can detect the Lakeland topping, but it is so light which was surprising considering the tin aroma. It comes up ever so often but in no way is this a Lakeland bomb. I'd put it on a scale of 3 out of 10. Nice creamy flavor. Hints of floral, heavy cream, baking spices and sweetness. A well rounded VA/Burley taste, and I detect more burley than VA. Mid ground strength and flavor. Not too heavy nor light. Not an all day blend for me but it certainly could be smoked everyday of the week without tiring your palette. Flavor doesn't linger too much in the mouth.

Performance: Dried out for about an hour and to be honest my tin came pretty moist, but this amount of time was perfect. Lit up well after a few charring lights. The last 1/3 was hard to keep lit but I dumped the ash and lit it again and away it went again. Mild nicotine. Can bite a little and it tended to burn hot when puffed more than an average pace, but that is my cadence.

Conclusion: An interesting blend. SG blends are not my favorite or blends that I gravitate towards, but it was nice to see this blend in the shop and just buy it on a whim. I'm a GLPease fan so this was a fun change of pace. Don't be intimidated by the smell of the tin. If you've never tried a Lakeland blend, this would be a good place to start as the topping is so lightly applied it's hard to detect consistently, but still noticeable if you focus. I think that this is a good blend for mid-day as it has just enough nicotine to make you feel a good fuzzy feeling. Nice relaxing flavor and easy to smoke. Probably won't buy again, but I can sure recommend it to others for something different.

Pipe Used: MM Corncob

Age When Smoked: A little over a year.

Purchased From: South Korea B&M

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SteelCowboy (685)	2011-10-19		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Let's face it, scented flakes often come down to whether or not one likes the scent. Even if the underlying tobacco is of high quality, and in this case I think it is, and the scent isn't appealing then it just doesn't work. I like scented flakes very much, and I have tried this fresh from the tin and with two years of age on it and the result remains the same. It just doesn't blow my skirt up. I don't get the described chocolate at all and being too bored to pull out the thesaurus, I am going to go with a “minty” taste. Two stars because it is a quality tobacco, just not for me.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SmokingHawk (54)	2019-08-26		Medium	Mild to Medium	Full	Pleasant

No doubt the tobaccos are of finest quality from the house of Sam Gawith and I had some high expectations being the name Kennel Cream which not present in notes and even until... Wait... it's quarter of the bowl and I'm sipping and applying breath smoking technique and I'm getting this creamy texture filling my mouth and sinuses. Relight is not very pleasant and you get some tangy and hay like taste until you apply the above technique again and you're in creamy state again. After half of the bowl I'm getting nuttiness of Burleys and some medium nichit. I couldn't get any Lakeland flavor or any other floral scents etc. Overall it's a good enjoyable smoke from the house of SG. Anyone who enjoys flakes should give a try to this finest blend. As I write this from beginning I had in my mind to give three stars but Nay... Fours all the way...

Purchased From: GQ Tobacco UK

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	fr_tom (393)	2019-02-11		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I received this as a large sample from a friend. The sample was about an ounce in weight, and it consisted of fairly standard looking flakes. They were a mottled dark brown and came too damp. The first bowl was smoked as delivered and that was an exercise in frustration. I dried it to the point that the flakes would almost break when folded in half. I rubbed it out before smoking both damp and dried. The pouch note was slightly floral with a whiff of honey.

Smoked, this was very good when dried a little. There is a smooth creamy quality and taste along with a mild Lakeland. The tobacco foundation is not overwhelmed by the topping. It is a solid VaBur with some earth and hay and a certain mellow hint of a bitter edge when puffed. Every now and then there is an overripe citrus note. I found it an easy smoke to sip, and it was slow burning. Strength was close to medium in the mild->medium range.

I thought this was enjoyable and have no regrets. It did not astound me in any way or send me to buy it 500 g at a time. It is easy to recommend to anyone interested in this type of blend.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TallPuffO'Burley (633)	2014-06-10		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

I really enjoyed my time with this one. I would say if I could not get Irish Flake that this would come closest to satisfying that itch for me. I am not saying that they are very much a like. The toppings are very different, but it satisfies me in the same way as IF does. Perhaps it is in the body of the smoke, both offer a fulfilling burley backdrop.

They are they typical flake presentation from SG. The flakes are very moist upon opening necessitating a good drying before it is smokable. Once dried, I had no problem smoking this at all. There is a topping, but it is not an over the top soapy taste. I found it rather enjoyable and tasty. This is a lot like Best Brown #2 by GH & Co., but I think I enjoy this a bit more. It is nothing like 1792 which is a plus for me as I despised that one.

I will most likely buy this one again. It is not earth shattering enough to warrant four stars, but it easily gets three from me.

Purchased From: local B & M

Similar Blends: BB#2, Irish Flake.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	KahveDelisi (73)	2011-02-05		Medium to Strong	Mild	Full	Pleasant

Thanks to Kendal Cream Flake, once again I'm convinced that;

a) I'm not fond of blends containing burley. I don't get those praised nutty fatty tastes from burleys. For the sake of comparison, it's just like those earthy, big bodied indonesian coffees for me, both leaves me with a ruined palate, muddy aftertaste, way too overwhelming to enjoy.

b) I should not take all reviews or reviewers into consideration but instead choose and follow a couple of reviewers whose taste buds I find similar to mine (ie. Claudius Stradivarius is one of them)

Shorter; I and my pipes share his thoughts on KCF.

Longer; Neither my small and big bowled meerschaums, nor briar ones worked well with KCF. The only exception being a left and forgotten problematic canadian shaped briar and that was "eh okay" only when 1/2 packed.

and tin aroma definetely not cocoa or chocolate. it's masala chai (or commonly known as chai latte) which consists of cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, clove, black tea, milk. sometimes nutmeg, almond, fennel, pepper and liquorice added too. Anyway, kudos to SG they invented indian mixture.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-02-22		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Interesting blend. As is my usual custom, I smoked it fresh out of the tin (no drying) and with close to two hours drying time. It behaved rather differently in the two cases.

Fresh... very annoying tin aroma, kind of a soapy floral smell (Lakeland... duh!) but with a hint of something like licorice, like they put in the Pall Mall cigarettes. At the match, I got a pretty good snootful of this aroma, and the taste was a carbon copy of the aroma. Reminded me of Erinmore Flake, which I haven't smoked in decades, and that I don't miss. The flavor became bland as the top note burned off. Very one-dimensional, which was an improvement over that cloying original taste.

Dried out... the tin aroma was less pronounced and finally the actual burley taste won out over the flowers and soap. Much better! I didn't actually taste the virginia (I suspect it's of the stoved variety) but I think it toned down the burley... which I felt was a positive. Still a fairly one dimensional smoke and it is bettered IMHO by Stonehaven and a couple of Solani blends and I would have liked a little more virginia flavor to help the blend develop, but this is certainly a decent enough smoke if it's what you're wanting. No glaring faults but not much to recommend it, either.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	OSR (78)	2005-04-30		Medium	Medium to Strong	Full	Very Pleasant

revised 4.30.05

This is an interesting flake.

To me, it's like Stonehaven in body with an added topping that doesn't taste like any other "Lakeland" style cased flake.

Creamy....... I don't know what the flavoring is but it's sure Creamy! It reminds me of those WERTHERS brand toffe discs.

The tobacco underneath this topping is pretty full and to me this blend has none of those "soapy" attributes that so many dislike.

I find that after my initial enthusiasm, I am still reaching for my G&H blends more often than this. Kendal Cream Flake is a bit more "two dimensional" than the G&H offerings that I enjoy. My suspicion is that the burley in this blend lends to the flatness. Still a very good offering for those who like Stonehaven with a creamy topping.

The best way for me to describe this vs. Stonehaven is to say that Stonehaven is like good Espresso. straight up.

Kendal Cream Flake is good Espresso with heavy whipping cream and lots of sugar added.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Greekpipesmoker (201)	2018-06-29		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

S. Gawith blends have their own way to surprise me.once the tin breaks a unique light Lakeland smell comes out.the brown/dark flakes provide a wonderfull sweet aroma consisted of floral essences toquin and honey.the flakes are very manageable with high moisture so some drying time is needed.packs and lights easilly after dried out with a few relights.while smoking i detected an overthrow.i expected the topping to subtlimate the tobacco flavours but that does not exist.the tobacco flavours combine very well with the topping offering a very pleasant experience.the virginias remind me a lot those of full virginia flake.citruses,grass,dark fruits and earthy notes are the main taste.burleys are supporting with some nuts,molasses and sharp notes.the topping adds some creamy notes,floral notes toquin and honey hints.generally the flavours combine very well offering a nice experience.burns slow and medium hot to total ash with some moisture being created at the end of the bowl.the nicotine level is medium with no tongue bite though some sharp notes may appear from the burleys.the room note is very pleasant.the aftertaste is ok.can be an all day smoke.in conclusion this is a decent blend,worthy trying but not something unique.

Age When Smoked: Dried out for 30 mins

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gigmaster (2)	2015-09-17		Medium	Mild	Full	Pleasant

I should start out by saying that I have smoked at least 7 or 8 other Samuel Gawith blends, and so far, I haven't found any that I would not be happy to smoke at any time. I am particularly fond of Ennerdale, and Best Brown Flake. . If they make a bad blend, I have not found it, yet.

Also, I should say that I do not believe this is a good tobacco for a novice, because to get the most out of it, it takes some TLC and patience, but the reward is more than worth it. It also may be a little intense for new smokers.

The tin note was an incredible aroma of Red Virginia, with it's typical bready character, wonderful nuttiness from top-grade burly, and what I can only describe as a creamy chocolate-covered raisin scent, although very mild. I caught just the barest hint of the Lakeland scent...just enough to make the other scents blend well.

The flakes were very moist and thick. It's better to have the tobacco too moist than too dry. You can always dry it out, but it is more difficult to try to re-hydrate dry tobacco, and the taste is never the same. A little patience here will pay off handsomely. The flakes are too thick to rub out well by hand, so I recommend getting a pair of scissors, and chop away. Chopping it finer will make it dry faster, and you can always chop and dry a days worth to take with you when you leave the house. Again, the extra trouble is more than worth it.

After doing all the previously mentioned preparatory tasks, I filled my wonderful Mr. Brog Chocla pipe, and touched flame. After drying, it lit fairly easily and burned very well, nice and slow. The first few puffs were incredibly smooth and creamy. Initially, the burly took center stage with a satisfying nuttiness similar to toasted pecans. Then, the Virginia kicked in with a sweet, pleasant taste liked fresh-baked pan dolce. After about 10-15 puffs, there was a mild background taste of fresh Raisinettes (you know, those great chocolate-covered raisins that a lot of us used to chow-down on at the movie theater). The chocolaty taste is a bit more pronounced than Bobs Chococlate Flake. The Lakeland essence was barely noticeable, but it did contribute positively to the over-all taste The taste stayed the same all the way to the bottom of the bowl. It was good to the last puff. It burned to a fine ash, with little dottle, and never any bite or gurgle. This is a good medium-strength smoke, and very satisfying. It would make a fine all-day smoke, for a seasoned smoker. Novices may find the strength a bit intimidating at first, but you;ll quickly get used to it and wonder how you smoked all that super-mild stuff before.

My over-all impression was WOW! This is probably going to be my favorite blend unless I find something better in the future (unlikely). A wonderful, creamy, sweet, smooth smoke. The mouth-feel is like Irish Creme and Frangelico.

I really can't say enough about this blend. If you like sweet tobaccos, with minimal extra flavoring, this could be your blend.

Pipe Used: Mr. Brog Chocla

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: Local store

Similar Blends: Chocolate Flake, Bob's Chocolate Flake, Grousemoor.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrumsAndBeer (217)	2015-08-07		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

A darker colored flake with a sweet and slightly smoky tin note. The burley adds good strength, a chocolate note and a nice amount of depth to the smoke. Mid bowl flavors are nutty, earthy, bittersweet and a bit cigar-like. There are no floral or herbal flavors, although I do get hints of tonquin, especially on the finish. Compared to other Sam Gawith aromatic flakes (1792, Mayor's Chocolate, Fire Dance Flake) the topping on Kendal Cream is quite mild.

Altogether, this is smooth, cool, bite-free smoke and it's definitely “creamy.” Kendal Cream Flake is well blended and strikes an excellent balance between sweet and bitter. Furthermore, don't be fooled by Sam Gawith's “aromatic” labeling of this flake. As others have mentioned, there’s some nice nicotine and flavor strength to be found here.

And while I enjoyed smoking this tobacco, my tin of Kendal Cream Flake seemed to have been passed-over by the Gawithian quality control department. Typically I would overlook such a thing and chalk it up to charm, but the flakes in my tin were so inconsistent in thickness, length and press that it made preparation difficult and as a result, some bowls smoked great, while others burned poorly. Some of the flakes were perfect for fold & stuff, (which I prefer), while others were so thick and dense that rubbing them out or cube cutting them were the only reliable options. Perhaps I was unlucky and my tin was filled with end of batch remnants... Needless to say, this was a bit disappointing.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Cumarinophil (108)	2015-04-05		Medium to Strong	Medium	Full	Tolerable

This very dark Burley (Kentucky)/Virginia Flake came unsmokeably wet to me and had to be dried and completely rubbed out. The flakes where in my case cut too thick to fold. The floral-soapy flavor is pretty intense, somewhat creamy and not as annoying (to me) as in Grousemoor. I get pleasant notes of chocolate and roasted nuts in the second half of the bowl, after the casing has faded a little and the tobaccos step into the light.

All in all Kendal Cream Deluxe Flake tastes like a flavored small cigar/cigarillo. It is full in taste and flavor, mild to your tongue, but definitely packs some nicotine punch sneaking up behind the initial mild feel. It’s good; it’s different, like so many SG offerings.

After a couple of bowls I had it dry out completely and than re-humidified. The tobaccos seem in tact, but the casing got less intense – I’m not so much into floral casings. Now it’s very much to my liking for a change of pace, especially in springtime.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SamH (31)	2015-03-15		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

A big fan of flakes, this is one I often buy between the usual Full Virginia (SG's) and my other favourite St Bruno. In my opinion it is to Full Virginia Flake what Skiff Mixture is to Squadron Leader. What I mean is that it is a slightly milder option with a strange but nice extra flavour to it. Definitely one to try, I go through occasional stages of not buying anything else.

Pipe Used: Mixed billiards

Age When Smoked: Newly bought

Purchased From: mysmokingshop

Similar Blends: A Gawith flake with a slight difference..

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Satc001 (67)	2008-05-02		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I am not a big fan of Lakeland blends, but always find them to be of great quality and continue to venture into this genre. My persistence has paid off, Kendal Creme Flake has been a fantastic experience.

The flakes are dark and smell of liquorice. They are rather moist and need to be dried out considerably. If you don't dry it well, this tobacco will not burn. The flakes rub out with some difficulty due to their rubbery texture, but the course matter which this flake produces insures slow smoking.

I find this takes about 3 or 4 matches to really get going. It requires a fair amount of relights to me, but the flavor upon relight is pleasant and this blend doesn't nip the tongue, so it is a minor inconvenience.

This tobacco is meant to be enjoyed while sitting down and focusing on the smoke. It does not work well as a blend to putter around the shop or house with. The flavor is creamy, sweet, and spicy. It has wonderful Virginia flavor in the darker ranges, I taste brown sugar, tea, clove, liquorice, cinnamon, and anise. The aroma is pleasant and the aroma when blown through the nose is of liquorice.

This burns slow, a half bowl has lasted an hour in a half in a normal hour sized bowl. It is a great tobacco for enjoying a movie on the television. It goes particularly well with tea. The nicotine is noticeable, but not overpowering. Its strength is right where I like it. It produces voluminous amounts of smoke. A true pleasure.

This is truly superb stuff and I see myself purchasing some tins for the cellar. It is not an all day smoke, but serves best as a treat at the end of the day (I prefer it most in the late evening). The wife seems to like the smoke that this produces as well. I give this the highest recommendations. Just make sure you sit down and give yourself a chance to really enjoy it.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Glorfindel (86)	2007-07-28		Very Strong	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Yes, this is a VA, Burley blend of the Lakeland variety. Unfortunately, in the tin, it is a stickey, not-easily-rubbed-out flake with a keen nicotine hit. Grousemoor is one of my favorites and does everything this flake would ever hope to do. Plus, Grousemoor is ready-rubbed and smokeable from the start. Don't smoke Kendall Cream Flake as your first SG floral belnd, else you might swear off the brand. Try Grousemoor first, and if it sits well with you, then experiment with Kendall Cream flake. Drying required!

Two stars of four. **

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-05-15		Very Strong	Mild to Medium	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I would like to give this 4 stars but I can't due to being sucker punched by the nicotine. An EXCELLENT flake. It is probably the best of its genre. Again, the only drawback for me was the high nicotine level. It is also slightly astringent on the back of the throat. A better taste than Chocolate Flake but closer in "PUNCH" to 1792 flake. Worth a try. 3 stars.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-07-18		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I picked this up at my local tobacco shop after finding it in their bulk section. After smoking a few bowls I thought I'd add my comments. The very unusual jar aroma had piqued my interest. This was my second Gawith tobacco I've tried. The first being the Chocolate Flake which I wasn't too crazy about.

The flake rubbed out with little effort. It packed easily enough, you can pack it to tight if not careful, something you want to avoid with this blend as you'll end up with a hot, flavorless smoke if you do. It lit well. The room note was certainly different. My sister-in-law complimented the aroma so that's a good thing. There's a definate quality tobacco taste that's enhanced by the casing. I would have like just a tad more burley, but then again that's just my personal preference. One thing to note is there is an aftertaste that can linger on your tongue. A sip of a good spirit will cleanse the palet and make the smoke more enjoyable. I'll recommend this blend to aromatic smokers, like myself, that enjoy a good tobacco with a pleasant aroma and blend quality.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Novaki (41)	2022-04-25		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Like most Samuel Gawith blends, when I popped the tin, this was too wet to smoke, so I let it sit for a while in the tin. I live in Mississippi where the humidity high, so I have to smoke tobacco on the dryer side anyway. The smell in the tin is like a pleasant deep, rich, sweet, licorice-like aroma (kinda similar to Bengal Slices), but not off putting or unpleasant as some might find licorice to be. When smoked, this smell turns into more of a dark cream flavor and looses the licorice. It's a bit stronger on the nic than I expected from a Va/Bur but not even close to something like Old Joe Krantz or Haunted Bookshop. For reference, I can and have smoked this on an empty stomach with my coffee in the morning, and I can't say the same for HB or OJK. Does smoke better if sipped. I wouldn't recommend pushing this one too hard. I enjoy lakelands, so I liked this alright, but I did find myself missing the tonka bean in Hansom Flake and wishing it was there. Still, not a bad smoke, and very enjoyable.

Pipe Used: MM Cobs, Peterson - Dublin Filter Smooth (106)

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: P&C

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Steerpike (156)	2020-07-19		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

A tobacco I've enjoyed quite a few times over the years, I think it's one of the best scented Lake District baccies. Not sure how I never got round to reviewing it!

The tin contains numerous mid brown slices. These have arrived in various thickness and lengths over the years, and sometimes quite varied in the same tin! I like it when they are very thin, but these rarely arrive excessively thick. Like most tobacco from Kendal it usually comes quite moist. They don't add any humectants, but it's often quite humid up there. The tin aroma is perfumed, ambrosia to my nostrils! There are florals, spice, liquor, perhaps a tiny smidgen of Tonquin... Its a complex bouquet and not one I can easily pick out individual components in, more than the sum of its parts perhaps. I'm told its the same scent that was used on my beloved Bracken Flake, and I think I can believe that. Comes across differently on this slightly milder tobacco base.

It lights without much bother, and has very good burning characteristics, staying lit and not requiring much input, it's a cool smoke and won't bite the tongue. The flavour is rich, smooth and delicious. It's moderately sweet, and the scent blends in well with the baccy, the sun effect being of sweet, toasty, buttery, nutty tobacco with a perfumed edge mingling in. People enjoy the aroma, and I enjoy the sidestream smoke. Strength isn't exactly mild, but it's not a heavy hitter.

Overall its a fine example of the lake district stuff, and I'm sure I'll smoke a lot more of it. I enjoy it when hiking or camping, it's lovely in summer or autumn when out and about. It may scent your pipes, I keep some for similar tobaccos and some for the unflavoured or very lightly flavoured ones.

Pipe Used: Falcons, various Briars over the years

Age When Smoked: New, or a year or two old

Purchased From: Various places over the years

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pikey Mick (49)	2020-06-24		Medium	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Only a wizard could have created this stuff! Tobaccocino! This is bonkers stuff, extremely mellow, creamy but be warned it might taste creamy but has a decent amount of old Nic to keep you happy. Pouch note reminds me of faint hot cross buns. Slightly yeasty with hints of spice and dried fruit - in a sort of understated way. I bought a small sample as I'm working my way through the G&H and SG tobaccos. Moisture was perfect from the pouch which I didn't expect from Sam Gawith, rubbed out lightly and took the flame easily. False light, then tamp and a great, even light to get the pipe going. Only one relight required at the final third of the bowl. I took this out on my balcony in the morning sun with a black coffee so I can only guess at the room note which going by the retro hale should be pretty inoffensive. Considering the wacky world of Sam Gawith I was immediately taken aback by the sweet, creamy mildness. No Lakeland florals here, or crazy toppings, this reminds me of a cappuccino. Milky smooth with a very pleasant mouth feel and it stays that way until you reach the mid point of the bowl where the burleys start to come through giving the cream a beautiful nutty edge. From the mid point to the bottom of the bowl the burleys climb in statue to their full nutty richness. Bearing in mind that this tobacco is extremely mellow and milky smooth one is suddenly hit by its strength and I may switch to a medium bowl next time I go for it! Its a damned creeper so be warned! And neither is it an insipid smoke, the tobaccos used are top notch and probably mixed with unicorns milk because this is a very pleasant detour from its heavier stablemates. I wouldn't think of it as a winter flake, warm summer morning for me is simply sublime. I've heard some calling it one dimensional and boring but in my opinion it is a beautiful journey from delicate cream to nutty fullness. I couldn't smoke it all day, and probably not every day because then it would lose its charm. But I will buy more, and use it sparingly when I fancy a change of pace. Don't give up on this one before you reach the bottom of the bowl. Burned beautifully to a fine white ash with no gloopy crap at the end. I'm giving this one a 10/10 for its crazy genius. #2 note. I bought a tin of this and I can't believe that it's the same tobacco. QC at Gawiths has a lot to answer for because the tin I got is next to unsmokeable. I therefore recommend that you buy a sample and if it's good then buy a pound of it. If not then you won't have wasted your money buying a tin full of crap.

Pipe Used: Molina straight billiard large bowl

Purchased From: GQ

Similar Blends: Warm milk and toasted nuts..

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sangagor (80)	2020-06-23		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Unnoticeable

Very pleasant smell after opening the sample. Can not say, that cream aroma was strong. Rather to be said that some kind o floral essence was much stronger. Nice sweet smoke for all time. Burned slow and cool. No moisture in the bowl. Medium to strong nicotine hit was too powerful for myself, but somebody could enjoy it. It will be part of my rotation Alongside of Enerdale flake until I will find something more interesting in the field of lake-style.

Pipe Used: Stanislaw, BPK, cob

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: etrafika.cz

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2019-04-20		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

It's difficult to isolate the minimal topping flavor positively...floral & maybe a touch of anise but the caramel flavor aroma is unnoticeable. This stuff is moist from the tin & requires a bit of drying which doesn't take long & it rubs out easily. Not bad at all & a big bang for the buck. The casing is minimal and doesn't overpower the tobacco.

Room note seems kind of neutral as I didn't notice hardly any tobacco odor or much aroma from the topping...like the tobacco odor has simply been masked. Anyway, the sweet taste & nicotine content in this blend makes stoking any pipe worthwhile. It is easy on the tongue/palate & smokes cool. Easy to keep lit & burns dry all the way to the bottom...smooth & "creamy," as it were. Overall, this is really a good pipe tobacco. Works for me.

Pipe Used: Peterson Deluxe 9S & 11S

Age When Smoked: Fresh Tin

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Skando (203)	2018-09-12		Medium to Strong	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

I’m reviewing this as the only tin (almost ten years old) I’ve got in my hands, received as a gift from a dear friend. Before that, I had just some three bowful trial from a generous tobacconist, and I knew this is not the kind of blend in my preferences. And I have to confirm.

When talking of Gawith’s we are always in the top notch quality. Due to the decade the tobacco came in a perfect smoking status. It took me at least five bowls to take the measure, but at the end this VaBur (or BurVa ?) composition, with a mild flavour (some whiskey? Some tonquin?), has not seduced me at all. A matter of personal preference. I felt it bitter, and a bit too much for my smoking habits, with a non-distinct/muddy flavour. Instead, I did appreciate very much the strength... but that’s not enough for this smoker.

Three for the quality, two for my personal taste. I will not buy it again.

Pipe Used: Castello's

Age When Smoked: ten years

Purchased From: received as a gift

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	hawky454 (107)	2017-02-21		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

I'm coming back to this one with a new love after a several year hiatus. It's rich and (you guessed it) creamy with a very mild floral note (maybe rose?). The Virginia and Burley work mighty fine together to give you a very satisfying smoke. The nicotine is a lover not a fighter, but it ain't no wimp either, if you push it, it will push you back. This one reminds me of the late, great Velvan Plug (RIP) so if some of you are mourning the loss of VP ya might want to check this one out. I can almost guarantee that you will like this one if you like VP. The floral note I mentioned is just that, floral, not perfumey, not soapy, just a nice rose-like top note that is far from overbearing. I just recently finished a tin that had at least 5 years of age on it and the flakes had wonderful bloom and had turned to a lovely dark brown color. I believe this one will cellar with grace and still come out tasting lovely. Come to think of it, this kind of reminds me of Erinmore Flake minus the fruity flavors, they both have a very similar floral casing with a nice base of Virginia and Burley tobaccos.

This stuff is really becoming a favorite of mine and I agree with those who describe it as tasting like tea with milk and honey with a splash of rose water for good measure. This one doesn't get much hype in the forums and I'm okay with that, this is one of the few Gawith blends that is most always in stock.

I adore this tobacco!

ESSENTIAL!

Pipe Used: Neerup, Stanwell and Peterson

Age When Smoked: 5 years

Purchased From: www.smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: Carroll P. J. & Co. Ltd. - Velvan Plug, Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) - Erinmore Flake.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2016-01-11		Medium to Strong	Medium	Full	Tolerable

The essence on Kendal Cream is most obvious during lights and relights, after which that nice floral note will sneak in and out briefly throughout the smoke. Most of the time it's totally dominated by a very good Virginia/Burley mix. Tobacco flavor is always right there.

The folks at Synjeco say Kendal Cream is based on Best Brown Flake, but it's a good deal darker ... maybe it was pressed a second time? It comes out of the tin pliable and ready to smoke, and never gives me trouble with moisture or gunk. Out here in the desert, 15 minutes on a table will make it start to feel just a bit crunchy, and I certainly wouldn't leave it out to breathe any longer than that.

This is one of those blends that reminds even a dedicated Virginia smoker like me why Burley exists - it rounds out the flavor of a good VA so well. It also has real nicotine in it, so Kendal Cream doesn't make my list of breakfast smokes even though it's got the flavor for that sort of thing ... far better for me to leave it 'til lunch.

Three stars, easy. Anyone who doesn't curl up into the fetal position and cry at the first whiff of Lakeland flavor should give this a shot.

Pipe Used: basket pipe

Age When Smoked: freshies

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Rupert Boyce (2)	2015-07-11		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

hands down my favorite tobacco in the universe. creamy, rich, cool smoking. hints of cocoa, leather, sweet grass and a subtle kick of something.

flakes are gorgeous and the smoking is superb....as with most SG flakes.

Pipe Used: baraccini billiard, savinelli root briar 904

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Otis56 (31)	2015-04-14		Mild	Mild	Mild	Tolerable

Wet in tin. The flakes were half size for some reason. Taste is rum and licorice to me. Stays wet a long time even when rubbed out. Hard to light. Hard to stay lit. Burns hot. Once again not impressed with another Sam mixture. I will stay with The Sams I like and stop trying new ones. They just keep disappointing me. Good luck and peace.

Pipe Used: Ashton billiard

Age When Smoked: 6 months

Purchased From: 4noggins

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kunsan (76)	2015-03-15		Overwhelming	Extra Strong	Overwhelming	Overwhelming

Well, good luck to all those who enjoy smoking this ghastly tobacco. In fact I'm not sure tobacco is the right word.

When opening the tin one is presented with a strong floral smell, perhaps some vanilla, perhaps something else that's a bit chemical. Smells like an old lady's perfume collection from the Victorian age.

Difficult to light, doesn't produce much smoke, and when it does the smoke is full of the perfume aroma. Disgusting.

How on earth they've managed to sell this stuff for so many years is beyond me, but then all tastes differ and to some people this stuff is an absolute Godsend. Not for me though. Never again. After half a pipeful I threw the rest of the tin away. Loathesome.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	kg0mz (54)	2009-04-05		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

KCDF is a dark, moist flake with an aroma suggesting a lengthy fermentation. I am not picking up the Lakeland essence in the tin. It is an attractive flake, but not with the precision of the F&T CVP. What does F&T do with their trimmings? It looks like SG adds some loose stuff in the tin, or maybe it gets jostled in transit and breaks up.

It rubs out, sort of. I don't dry it because it lights up and burns dry and cool. It clings to the bowl when burned, but that maybe related to the blend that preceded it. It is smooth, though I am not sure I would call it creamy. It is sturdy, and the nicotine rings in my ears a little. It starts with subtle sweetness and floral essence, and becomes earthy, leathery, and woody as it progresses. The Lakeland essence does not disappear, but persists mildly in its floral and tonquin qualities.

I think the Warrior Plug comparison made by hagen is on target. It is similar, too, to the Yachtsman Plug, though not as sweet. The Burley/VA ratio is weighted more to the Burley here, and then there is the Lakeland essence.

Folks who may be wary of the essence may find this one acceptable. This is foremost a great VA/Burley blend.

07/27/09 UPDATE: I am revising some of my reviews. I have given out more 4 star ratings than anything else. That practice is probably not helping. So, I am reducing KCF to 3 stars, not because I like it less than I did before, but because I am limiting 4 stars to fewer than 25% of all my reviews. One day I may use the 4 star rating to designate my top five.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-04-05		Strong	Mild	Full	Tolerable

After finding this very enjoyable & affordable smoke I'm not feeling so sad about the departure of Edgeworth R/R.

IMHO Kendle Cream is superior to that Lame Lane Limited offering.

It's good to know that a company like SG will probably be offering quality tobacco long after my last pipe as gone out.

This blend really shines around mid bowl, and as with most burly blends it taste better in a $10.00 cob than a $300.00 briar.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Croaker (13)	2008-08-02		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Kendal Cream Flake is a typical SG flake that needs to be dried out. After quite a bit of experimenting I fully rub-out SG's flakes; to be fair I never tried the fold-and-stuff approach with this flake. Like most SG flakes this one has some burning difficulties: it typically requires re-lights and seldom burns to a fine ash. Indeed, Kendal may actually require a bit more attention than others. I get a mild Burley-Virginia tobacco taste with a pleasant mild flavoring. I think the flavoring is liquorish. Regardless, the flavoring is subtle enough so as to augment the tobacco and not overwhelm: I certainly don?t consider this an aromatic blend. This tobacco will produce nice nicotine bearing clouds of pleasant smelling smoke without bighting the tongue. Ultimately, Kendal Cream Flake is a pleasant though forgettable smoke. I?ll only give this two stars as it didn?t really distinguish itself. I don?t think I?ll buy any more. I would recommend Stonehaven as a similar and superior blend.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-10-05		Medium to Strong	Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Kendal Cream Flake is dark. I was really expecting something different, but I really like what I've found. The references to some other tobacco blends in the reviews here have me stumped. I was going to start out with a joke about getting this mixed up with GH's Kendal Flake, which for me is impossible. But, I see we all have different tastes--that's cool. So, I confess:

This has everything I like about Braken, St. Bruno RR, 1792, and Royal Yacht )yes Royal Yacht(, and nothing I don't. It's smooth. It's hard to get hot or bitter.(slight fault-1792). It's mildly cased. (bulk buy=air exposure). It's available. And, it's tasty, though I can't say what it tastes like. (Royal Yacht). Plus-Nicotine! From the beginning, this is a great smoke; with a year or more of age it's fantastic.

I can't find pounds of FVF these days and, alas, I smoke too much to have any cellared. Don't confuse the two but, could this be a stand in?

Nah----just Highly Recommended.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-07-21		Medium	Medium	Full	Pleasant

Ah, the best of the Lakeland Flakes.

This is one superb flake and one that is very similar to GHC?s Kendal Flake. Frankly if your not smoking them side by side, then you will probably only be able to tell them apart from their tin aromas. Taste wise KCF clinches it with the addition of a milky tea middle that is lacking from KF.

The taste very distinctive, with mint, elderflower, milky tea, witch hazel and many other flavours all rolling around one another perfectly. I?m surprised that there isn?t a review whinging that KCF tastes like pine disinfectant, as this does creep in a little during charring. Apart from this element at the start KCF is a near perfect blend.

This review is based on KCF deluxe, which has a slightly more floral note than the KCF bulk.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-09-17		Medium	Strong	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Notes: Smoked several batches in several pipes; I found it best in a old Charatan I have dedicated for Lakeland blends. It is rather scented, so you may want to consider a dedicated pipe.

Appearance: Reddish to dark brown densely pressed 6" flake.

Aroma: Strong scent of perfume (a la Chanel No. 5), honey, mead, pink roses, ripe plum, benzoin spirit gum.

Taste: Mildly perfumed, enough to allow the flavor of the tobacco to come through rather well. The tobacco flavor is round and shows a quality Virginia leaf, as is typical of Samuel Gawith's offerings. More on the nutty side, with a little acidic quality that may diminish with age. The palate is dominated, nevertheless by the casing, which provides the flavor of rose petals, crystallized violets, geranium buds, amber, and lime.

Comparisons: Each of the Lakeland blends is similar in that they are all perfumed blends; each has its own unique scent however. This is less citrus and berries than Danish blends or Royal Yacht. Less deep and nutty than Coniston or 1792. More a "Turkish bazaar" sort of flake, I would say.

Bottom Line: For those who enjoy the scented Lakeland flakes, and enjoy a medium bodied Oriental sort of flavor, this may be a winner.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stan (179)	2003-08-26		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

Tim of paylesspipes introduced me (8/03) to this wonderful scented flake -- a true "lakeland" flake. Talk about ecstasy. I had tried, mostly successfully, SG blends before from the Tinder Box, but that SG line seemed to regress (in availability) in recent years. I'm glad they are back plentiful!

I have smoked SG full virginia flake (a little on the dark side but nowhere near 1792) and medium virginia flake (not cooked as long as the full and slightly sweeter) and Brown Flake before. I enjoyed the first two more, as Brown Flake, though liked by many, seemed to have a little edge for me at times.

Kendal Cream Flake is based on the Best Brown formula, they say, which in turn is based on medium virginia flake scented slightly. Kendal Cream Flake adds burley to the mix, for a slightly rounder taste, and a bit more scenting. It seems SG wants to compete more with G&H on the scented flake line (lakeland flakes). The competition is welcome. These English flakes do not use glycerins for preservation like some American aromatics do. They are high quality, if not on the strong or heavily scented side in some cases. Some of those lakelands go over the edge, but not here (but some all natural smokers will feel it's close).

It burns cooly and is quite sweet. Not hot like some bright flakes (the flake here is darker than that). The burley keeps it tame and the sweetness to me is a little reminiscent of G&H broken flake no. 7. I do not know what flowerly-like scent SG uses here. They keep secrets. (It's like McClelland flake no. 27 to the max, but stays cool, and is reputedly sweeter than SG's Firedance flake.) You could also liken the sweetness to Best Brown enhanced, but the burley does add extra taste and mellowness to the blend too.

Like most flakes, it is best to take a slice -- which are easily removable from the tine -- and push or plug it into into the bowl gently while avoiding air pockets. It takes a few swirls with the lighter to get the burn going, but once it's going good, it pretty much stays lit. I usually had to relight it once or twice to the bottom, but not a problem.

I found the taste spicier when I broke up the flakes more. Some may like that sweet-spicy interplay, but I mostly preferred a rounder smoke. So I kept the flakes intact as best as I could during packing. The flakes are plyable.

It smokes dryly in the pipe and the walls stay clean. However, since there is some oil scenting and cooking involved in the flakes, some residue creeps into the shank, which requires use of a pipecleaner during the smoke (I recommend more than once) to avoid any buildup. With a pipecleaner, the taste remained sweet throughout. So use a system pipe or a pipe that passes the pipe cleaner test. You are rewarded with a sweet, flavorful and reasonably dry smoke then. (This pipecleaner use is a trait to some degree with all flakes.)

After finishing the tin, I bought a pound. I smoked the tin in Mastro which I had smoke some Grousemore in and in a Romford I had smoked Best Brown in. So it took a few bowls for the new flavor to settle in, but both pipes tasted similarly after about 10 bowls each. The room aroma was praised (by most). It smelled perfumy to me (nice). Solidly recommended for you lakeland types or new recruits.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2003-05-12		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Grousemoor light?

Kendall Cream is something more than that, but Grousemoor haters beware: The same floral essence is present here, albiet laid on with a somewhat lighter hand. Upon popping the tin, the infamous Grousemoor potpourri scent is immediately noticable, although it seems tipped a bit toward the fruity end of the spectrum. This is not the case upon lighting up, however. The flavoring tastes pretty much like Grousemoor, just less intense (and less intensely sweet).

The real story here is the tobacco itself. Unlike Grousemoor's light, all-Virginia ribbons, KC is a fairly dense flake of both medium-steamed VA and burley. The result is a smoke with more than a hint of Grouse-moor's flavoring, but considerably gutsier and fuller-bodied. And that, I'm guessing, is the cream of which the blend's name speaks.

Bottom line: If you like Grousmoor, give it a try. If you like scented/cased blends and are looking for high-quality tobaccos, give it a try. But if you hate the whole English floral/Sen-Sen thing, step to the left please.

And by all means do NOT confuse it with Kendall Plug!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	The Printer Piper (18)	2023-02-25		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I have been on mission trying different Kendal tobacco's experiencing the Lakeland essence which I do enjoy. What I have learned so far, is that these flakes give more flavor if folded and stuffed rather than rubbed out.

My tin read KC Flake as this is the newer name for this blend. The Burley and Virginias are balanced nicely with a slight push of Burley up front. The tin note does provide a mild Lakeland scent that's not present in the burn. What is present is a creamy and slightly sweet taste, but only after a few minutes after lighting.

For me, the trick with these blends is to smoke them slowly or they will bite and destroy the experience. This one is indeed creamy with subtle flavors that burns nicely. Don't over-tamp or you will smash ash into the subtle flavors and destroy the experience. Give it a try, its a nice smoking experience.

Pipe Used: Meerschaum

Age When Smoked: May 2022

Purchased From: Local B&M

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JaWiBr (558)	2022-11-02		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Tin note is stewed fruit (apricots?), vinegar and floral. Flakes are medium and light yellowish browns and fairly dense, need a little extra effort rubbing out. Flakes are sticky and could use a little drying time. Burns slow with some relights. The strength med. The nic is medium. Flavoring is mild-med with a persistent floral and a background creaminess. Taste is med, with notes of earth, lemon, bread, mild spice and floral. Virginias lead supported by flavoring and burley bringing up the rear. Has a pleasant room note and after taste.

Pipe Used: 2015 XXX Ashton Brindle Author

Age When Smoked: 3 years

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tomcat (221)	2022-04-14		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Samuel Gawith Kendal Cream Deluxe Flake - The very nutty burley in this flake is outstanding. The Virginias are back up to make the Burley shine . It is very creamy indeed and smooth with absolutely no bite . A lot going on here with the tobaccos and flavorings. A little cocoa and molasses and tonquin.. a faint alcohol, maybe like an extract of something. A wee bit of Lakeland Essence. Just a wonderful smoke . Nicotine is almost to medium in a good sized bowl . Solid Vabur that smokes creamy with a touch of Lakeland essence . Count me in . I will buy more . 4

Pipe Used: Peterson system pipe

Age When Smoked: 2 years

Similar Blends: Nothing really.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	smokethefox (14)	2022-03-18		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Oh, my dear! Such a nice Virginia/Burley blend and full of suprises! The tin note was suprising. Reminded me of a grape flavoured cigarillo. Sweet and very aromatic. I was a bit afraid, that how it would affect the smoke. The flakes are easy to handle and broke apart with little effort. The moisture was just right (suprisingly for a SG blend) The next suprise was the taste. No grape, no overwhelming aroma, just sweet, nutty tobacco flavor. The topping is mild and gives a creaminess and more sweetness to the smoke. Well made, quality tobbaco. Highly recomended by the Fox!

Pipe Used: Real Briar

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: etrafika.cz

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Antonius Blok (192)	2022-01-03		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I wanted to open a burley tin from the cellar and when it came time to choose which one, KC was a candidate, but I was concerned that the flavoring in the description was too strong. However, at the time of smoking it, I found a more natural tobacco than I expected, with a Lakeland touch similar to that of St. Bruno, to name a reference tobacco in this regard. After three years the flakes have remained moist, but not so damp that they cannot be smoked ten minutes after rubbing. Surprisingly, even under these conditions it does not leave moisture in the pipe or overheat it. In that sense, it works wonders. The name of tobacco does not lie, as the smoke it produces is creamy and a single flake provides a long smoke.

It is a tobacco that I smoke with pleasure and although I am not sure if I will go for another tin when I finish this one, I am glad I tried it nonetheless.

Three stars, although it has given me some four star smokes.

Age When Smoked: 3 years

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Esactun (11)	2021-08-06		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable

Amazing burley flake, from England no less. The flake that turned me on to burley. A hard to pin down, creamy-ish top note that seems odd at first but actually is perfect for the blend. The Virginia provides a nice solid toasty sweetness, very much a Sam Gawith type of Virginia. Typical irregular damp flakes that say "try to rub me out, I dare you". All the usual finicky SG burning characteristics. But I went through the tin in record time. This, as someone who was always skeptical of burley and firmly on the GH side of the SG vs GH rivalry. Won't hook you immediately, but by the time the tin is gone you will miss it dearly.

Pipe Used: Cobs, old Petersons

Age When Smoked: 5 years

Purchased From: Mars Cigars

Similar Blends: Not quite like anything else, but vaguely similar to many things.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Calamiti (86)	2021-04-21		Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

As long as I love Samuel Gawith's pressed and spun tobaccos (I really believe that St. James Flake is the best mixture in this Galaxy) it's always a pain to be disappointed every time I try SG's aromatic blends. (Perhaps I must add, I don't belong to that flock of 'connoiseurs' who bash aromatics just for being aromatics; I like Gawith Hoggarth Lakelands).

Recently I have had a disappointment with the Black Forest: while smelling honey out of the tin better than certain brands of actual honey it gave me a totally mediocre smoking experience, being dull and totally unremarkable flavourwise. Same story is here, with the Kendal Cream: although it's fragrant like the unicorn's mane (delicate honey and rich lilac!), the wonderful tin aroma doesn't transfer to the flavour, which is actually quite bland. The smoke is low in Nicotine and gives an unpleasant sharp bite because of ample addition of Flue-Cured Virginias into the mixture, which I didn't like at all.

Well, this sampling of another little cute light aromatic mixture from SG was just another proof to a wise idea to stick to Gawith Hoggarth when craving a Lakeland Aromatic.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	thedoc333 (6)	2021-01-21		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

the most beautiful compressed flake I have seen since picking up the pipe again after a decade since putting it down. dark, nutty, decidedly moist consistency; what a pleasure handling this tobacco; many say it must be dried out for a long time but I was able to make it through a bowl with maybe one relight by packing a loose crumble incrementally tighter toward the top of the bowl and having a vigorous second light. the moisture is really what makes this blend so creamy. some same one dimensional however its such an exquisite dimension; I get very very light florals, maybe some tonquin that plays so well with the nutty burley; I agree with other reviewers that virginia becomes more prominent maybe at the bottom third of the bowl. at times it feels like this tobacco is mild because the flavor is so delicate, however, toward the bottom of the bowl the strength was really catching up to me -- perhaps I just stayed with it because this tobacco is so sublime. I really love it; has a creaminess similar to plum pudding without the orientals; more rich dare I say decadent; I think I like the room note too; a good heavy green vanilla cream with a large sweet spot on the draw; watch out for the nicotine though because I was enticed to draw heavily to keep this wonderful blend lit and because it is oh so good; a great 'dessert smoke', afternoon delight or even with a morning hazelnut latte - recommeneded!

Pipe Used: italian briar rusticated bulldog

Age When Smoked: few yrs

Purchased From: local tobaccionist

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TW (38)	2019-07-02		Medium	Extra Strong	Very Full	Tolerable

I smoke a lot of S. Gawith's blends, especially FVF, unscented twist and Cabbie's. So I thought I'd give this a try.

First the good bit. The tobacco quality is up to SG's usual standard, I'd guess mostly Malawi-grown VA and Burley and pressed into a fairly loose flake. Fairly wet in the tin but smokable immediately.

Now the bad stuff. I appreciate everyone's taste in tobacco is different and obviously some do like this blend. However, I've discovered I really do not like it at all, so if you do like this kind of tobacco feel free to ignore this review.

The smell on opening the tin is a sickly sweet concentrated blast of the sort of old-fashioned "pomade" barbers used to douse their customer's heads in (unless the customer managed to dodge first) half a century or more ago. Very sweet, very soapy and very floral.

Smoking the tobacco gives you mouthfuls of the same smell and little else. It's like G&H's aromatic brown flake on steroids except KCF seems to have less burley in it and is sweeter.

It will ghost anything you smoke it in very quickly and very strongly.

Two stars as it's obviously good at being what it is, so worth trying if you like this kind of thing. If you are at all put off by very sweet, heavily scented blends then maybe give it a miss.

Pipe Used: cobs (didn't want to risk ghosting a briar)

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: My Smoking Shop

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2003-03-25		Medium to Strong	Medium	Full	Pleasant

So I get a call from the local cigar/pipe shop here in Philadelphia and the guy at the other end says, "hey Jay, we just received a shipment of a new S. Gawith and I think you should come over and check them out". So I went over and picked up a tin of Kendall Cream Flake. Before I go any further, let me say that this is another example of the high quality Lake District blend. The burlies used are excellent. The tin aroma is a little scary at first but this was attenuated with a little airing out. The flakes are a medium speckled brown and rub out easily.

I packed a small Charatan billiard (which was a gift from a friend) and took a walk around the block. I noticed a very nice side-stream aroma and a semi-sweet/nutty flavor that remained throughout the bowl. It burned a nice medium/slow and left virtually nothing at the bottom. There was a little, and I do mean LITTLE gathering of strenght as the bowl simmered down to the bottom third, but nothing at all unpleasant.

If I had to draw a comparison, I would have to compare it to Esoterica Stonehaven though Kendall Cream is a little more aromatic. That is not to say that this should be pigeon holed as an aromatic. What it is, is a great smoke. There is definitely more of this in my future. Will it be my everyday smoke? No, due to the "added essence". Will I smoke it regulary? Yes. But I will be sure to dedicate a pipe or two just to this blend as I think it will flavor my bowl.

On a scale of 1 to 5, I'll give it a healthy 4 or 4.5.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stah (151)	2022-09-28		Medium	Medium to Strong	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

My acquaintance with this tobacco started with a bit of trouble. A friend gave me a sachet saying, "Take it for free. There's a hole somewhere in the pouch, the tobacco has dried out...". And indeed, there was something crunching inside the forty-gram sachet with the excise stamp "Q1 2016". When I opened the bag and emptied its contents on the table, it became clear to me that the case is frankly difficult: tobacco is badly dried, becoming a monochromatic dark brown color. The strips of flake, already sliced as it was, had partially shattered into separate fibers. There was virtually no dust, however, and I decided to try to restore the mixture. I placed it in a tightly sealed jar with extra moisture, checking twice a day and maintaining the moisture level. It took me two weeks for the tobacco to become normal moisture throughout, at which point I could see that the burley in it was clearly darker than the Virginia, the bulk of which was closer to a shade of baked bread crust.

There was a striking change in the flavor of the tobacco over the time of the recovery. Initially, when dry, the tobacco only smelled strongly of camphor and anise. But, as I moistened, those two notes began to fade and smooth out, and other nuances emerged. After a few days, I smelled clove in the mixture, but not confectionary, but floral. Then the scent of buckwheat honey and a faint woody tone added to it. Finally, around the seventh day, I smelled a light aroma of cream and notes of Virginia - a faint malt note, and variegated herbs - and the honey and woody notes became somewhat brighter. Then there was a slight smell of baked apple. The overall tobacco aroma became smooth and stable by about the tenth day, reminiscent, in general, of the smell of Highland whiskey, but without the alcohol flavoring. The honey note was certainly dominant, woody and meadow notes were supporting it, baked apple, light hints of malt and cream were also present, but to a slight degree. As for camphor and anise, so bright at the beginning of acquaintance, only a slight hint of spice remained.

Of course, it was out of the question to smoke such flake plates whole - during the recovery I repeatedly stirred the tobacco, and therefore the flake almost completely crumbled. So I broke up the flakes definitively, filled the pipe with the mixture, and lit it. The most interesting thing is that in the five minutes of preparation the tobacco had time to dry out a bit. I was immediately struck back with quite a bright nutty-woody note of burley and a slight earthiness in the flavor, as if I had some dust on my tongue. There was also a light, slightly sweet, tonka bean note which I like a lot. Gradually, a slight honey note came into the taste. The essence affected the overall flavor, making it a little "chemical" if I forgetfully took too long to puff. As for the Virginia taste, until about halfway through the pipe it felt like I was smoking a blend consisting of pure English processed burley. I didn't feel the slightest trace of Virginia for a long time - no grassy flavor, no malt or bread, even though there was clearly more of it in the blend. Only by the middle of the pipe did I feel a slight herbaceous flavor. Then a faint note of cream and a faint hint of anise appeared in the bouquet. Overall, the taste remained mild and smooth. The tobacco burned very slowly into a light gray dust, leaving not a drop of moisture in the pipe. The blend gave a slight nicotine kick to the end of the pipe, from which I conclude that, given my sensitivity to burley, the strength of this tobacco is medium or a little higher. The aftertaste is sweet, not persistent.

The smoke from the tobacco has a woody, earthy smell without harsh notes, it is not persistent in the room, in a draft it is dispersed immediately.

What's the result? I don't know how successfully I recovered the mixture, but judging by the rich flavor I got, I mostly succeeded. The resulting tobacco, on the whole, I have not been very impressed. It is very interesting in flavor, but absolutely neutral in taste, being devoid of bright notes. Fans of the Lakeland with a good dose of burley will probably be happy with it. I, on the other hand, think that once I finish it, I won't regret its absence too much. It is a quality everyday tobacco, but no more than that. By the way, I found another tin of this tobacco on my shelves. Maybe in a couple of years I'll open it and compare the experience. But, most likely, I'll just trade it for something more worthy of my attention.

Pipe Used: Peterson 106, Yeats

Age When Smoked: 2016

Purchased From: borrowed from some pal

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	b7q (54)	2022-08-24		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a not complete box, forgotten in a bag, which has not completed Bracken flake, because move, they should be sleeping in my memory for 15 years or so, KC inside each piece of covered with a layer of light frost, at that time I was a young pipe smoker, perhaps it is not on the character of tobacco, stopped to continue.

I found it today, KC is currently in production, I lit up a bowl, guys, this thing has been stored for a long time, absolutely good stuff, no complex fragrance of all those comments on it, just a thick, deep smoke, great!

Pipe Used: Briar

Age When Smoked: 15

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	molst (1)	2021-10-16		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

This is one of my top three tobaccos. It works great as a substitute for my favourite va/per and I find the taste slightly milder and creamier. This does not mean it is the same taste, but rather in a similar category if you like that kind of stuff. It is quite clear that the Virginias had to make room for some Burley, but not enough to actually disturb a Virginia lover. Sweet, and maybe with a touch of citrus. I think there is som nuttyness in the external smoke (the smoke that go from the bowl straight to my nose to then blend with the drawn smoke).

Quite moist when cracking the tin, but I have no problem what so ever to have a perfectly pleasant smoke after just 5-10 minutes of rest in open air. No relights necessary after a good startup procedure.

The tin note is a lot about chocolate and raisin.

Pipe Used: Briar

Age When Smoked: 1 month jarred

Purchased From: Cigarrummet, Stockholm

Similar Blends: Rattrays, Old Gowrie, Samuel Gawith, S:t James Flake.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	awt (20)	2021-09-28		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

This is a difficult review. It certainly is a great VA Burley wilts a light aroma on top which takes away the earthiness you can taste with Brown Flake unscented. I consider it a medium strong sweetish and light burning flake. Even if I prefer unscented tobaccos it deserves my full approval. It’s a marriage in heaven with a good quality meerschaum may be a tad stronger in briar pipes. Enjoy!

Pipe Used: Dunhill Meerschaum and briar

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Switzerland

Similar Blends: Brown unscented flake (with light sweetness).

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	hrhf (38)	2021-08-19		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable

My recently-acquired 8 ounces of 2009 vintage Kendal Cream is a stout affair. I don’t really detect a Lakeland thing, like many reviewers have mentioned. Maybe the years have helped it fade into the background. Or maybe it’s because I smoke an awful lot of Lakeland tobacco.

The years have darkened these flakes somewhat, into something that reminds me a great deal of the color of rough planks of redwood… an almost mahogany brown but with a reddish tint.

Anyway, this is a great change of pace flake for me. In the month or so it’s been in my possession, rare has been the day when I don’t have a bowl of it.

My recent obsession has been VaPerKys, in all their sweet-tangy-smoky goodness. And this one is certainly an excellent change of pace from that. The lack of any Kentucky or perique gives my palate a bit of a respite.

KC smokes creamy indeed. The burley and Virginia (and, I imagine, the flavorings) combine to produce a stout, earthy, woodsy, a little smoky, mocha taste… flavorful, quite flavorful. And creamy. Always creamy.

I realize this is Samuel Gawith, and not Gawith Hoggarth… but I’d place this experience somewhere between GH Dark Flake Aromatic and Brown Flake Aromatic. This is maybe somehow a little richer tasting. I suspect it’s a result of the added flavorings as much as anything.

I’ve found that Sam Gawith adds more non-tobacco flavorings to each blend than does Gawith Hoggarth. GH, therefore, tends to be my favorite in a head to head matchup, as a more natural tasting smoke. Maybe it’s just the way they use them.

But in this case, the added flavoring isn’t as “in your face” as with other SG blends. Maybe it’s a characteristic of Kendal Cream Deluxe Flake, maybe it’s because it’s a decade old. Maybe it’s a little of both.

Regardless, this is a rich, tasty smoke… not quite in the league of a Dark Flake or an Old Dark Fired, but not too far behind.

It smokes nice and cool. Employing the fold and stuff (or my variety of it), I find that it requires slightly more relights than normal.

Would I recommend it? Well, I certainly wouldn’t recommend against it. Will I buy it again? That’s a distinct possibility.

Because, to be honest, I do tend to find the Irish Flakes and Dark Flakes of the world to be a bit much at times. This baby hits a lot of the same notes, but in a less heavy-handed manner.

So yes, I can definitely see myself seeking this out in the future. The only thing that gives me pause is a fear that more recent stock could potentially suffer from a stronger—and harsher—presence of whatever flavorings S. Gawith is using here. That would certainly take away from the edge this decade old example has earned itself in my pecking order.

So until then, I’m giving this one a cautiously optimistic 3 & 3/4 stars, rounding up to four.

For now.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: 2009 (12 years old)

Purchased From: Fellow smoker

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cm1648 (108)	2021-07-16		Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Prep: The flakes arrive on the wet side. I found leaving the tin open for a couple of hours sufficient. Rubbing out the flakes is my preferred method for this blend.

The Virginias offer a some mild fruity notes and sweetness yet more evident is a spiciness. I found the Burley more predominant, bringing the typical nutty and molasses notes it's known for.

The cream and lakeland essence additions are evident and push this blend into something unique. As with many SG blends, if you dont like lakeland essence, you'll probably not want to pick this blend up. I however do, and found this blend enjoyable. The nic content is about right for me and it burns fairly cool. No more than a 7/10.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Briar Piper (89)	2018-11-18		Strong	Medium	Full	Pleasant

This needs a lot of age to smoke right. A light whiskey topping with some spices, and perhaps a little natural vanilla or oak sugar. New it is a bland, monochromatic and bitter smoke. Given a couple years, it gets a little floral, a little alcoholic, and a hint of cinnamon, nutmeg, and/or clove pokes its head out. If it did not need so much age I would rate it higher, but fresh out of a tin it is not very pleasant.

Age When Smoked: Old and new.

Purchased From: Tinderbox

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Black Sheep (25)	2018-05-29		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Nice and relaxing smoke. After a bit of drying, it was really easy to burn. No bite. Really quite lovely. I don't find this quite as strong as some of the previous commenters did. As another reviewer noted, this blend lit much easier after a little drying.

Pipe Used: Stanwell Poker

Age When Smoked: 6 Months

Purchased From: SmokingPipes.Com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	thefish (3)	2017-07-22		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Wonderful tobacco, i am very glad i have ordered 100 grams this time.

Very yummy flavuoring twist added to virginia-burley, has all chances to become my daily smoker for few weeks.

As always with Samuel Gawith, you have to dry tobacco for at least 20 minutes before smoking. Besides that a great tobacco!

Age When Smoked: fresh

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	MadMick (4)	2017-02-03		Mild	Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable

I read the revues. Looked like it was worth taking a punt. It wasn't. This will seriously screw your briar up with PEPPERmint. Smoked fresh out, an hour and thirdly almost crisp. Cob and briar led full on with pepper BIG TIME til half way ( when the mint kicks in) and then 4 draws of sweetness and dead. Strangely with the clay it was the reverse, but no sweetness. Have S.G. tried to recreate the famous Kendal Mint Cake ( a confectionary)...tut tut.....epic fail. For creamy read black cavendish ( not listed as an ingredient but it sure is there). It's not creamy, it's oily. Just write peppermint on the tin ay and spare your regular customers some grief ?! The cost of this experiment? £12.90 ( $16.10) and a homemade briar. Buy some Tic Tacs and a packet of cigarettes.

Pipe Used: Cob, clay and briar.

Age When Smoked: New.

Similar Blends: Crumbling a Trebor mint into 'lines' on the coffee table and snorting it through a pepper grinder half full of broken glass..

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jorge Soler (202)	2016-05-03		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

These flakes look like they have been pressed into tobacco cakes. They are very light in colour and seem to crumble easily in your hand. The casing seems to provide some creaminess to the very nice Virginia properties which is not soapy or overtly sweet. I am finding the Virginia content quite satisfactory and very light on the tongue despite being full of taste (no tongue bite here). As these flakes only contain Virginia and Burley I am missing the sharp edge of the Kentucky, but I appreciate this for a little bit of a respite. I am not sure why they've class this tobacco as an "aromatic" as I cannot find any properties that would justify this term. Yes, the smoking experience has this sort of creaminess to it, but for the most part, it is the taste of tobacco what I detect in my tongue. Also, they seem to have good burning properties and won't smoke hot in your bowl. I have enjoyed this, so I will give it 3 stars.

Edit1: This tobacco is doing the trick for me, so I am upgrading to 4 stars.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	jonoz (14)	2015-09-08		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I've always liked the taste of Burley, but have not come across a tobacco that hits the 'Goldilocks' spot;till now.This has the vicelessness of BB Virginia flake with just enough Burley taste. It starts off a bit peppery but after a few minutes the Burley taste takes over and remains until the end.My first pipefull gave me a queasy stomach from the nicotine but this has not recurred although it is a little more than I am used to.I have not noticed any 'floral' or 'soap' as others have mentioned. So if you, like me, are looking for a tobacco with a bit more 'oomph' than Best Brown Flake, this could be the one.

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: www.smoker.co.il/info@smoker.co.il

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Witold (11)	2015-09-05		Strong	Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable

This tobacco makes me nauseous. Trying to finish a second bowl but it's kinda hard for me. Someone described it as "love it or hate it" and I agree with that. Definitely it's not a tobacco for me.

Burns with few relights, not so well.

Pipe Used: Missouri Corn Cob

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Nathaniel (38)	2015-09-03		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

This is from a couple of eBay tins dated 11/09. Pretty dry out of the tin, with a fair bit of whitish bloom on the bark-like flakes. Fold-and-stuff never worked too well, because the flakes wouldn't fold, they just broke in half. I had to rub out at least half a flake for tinder, and hit it a few times with the lighter to get it going. Once it got going though, I got that nice white layer of ash on top, it smoked very coolly, and bite was a nonissue.

Tin note is very distinctive: milk chocolate and powdered milk overlaying figs and smashed raisins, and beginning flavor follows the tin note with milk chocolate, powdered milk and a bit of figgy tobacco taste. Fairly one-note on the way down, although the chocolate and milk start deferring to the figs and tobacco. I would have preferred they didn't, given that this is a cream flake, but it wasn't unpleasant on the whole. The famous Lakeland flavor joins the party, and it comes through to me as "laundry powder". It doesn't sound good, and on its own or in large quantities, I don't think it would be. But as a team player with the slowly receding milk chocolate, it somehow works. A very mild, bright, spring-time sort of effect.

Smoked outside on a breezy spring day, this tobacco wanted a few relights, and that was unfortunate. Kendal Cream Flake doesn't like heat. Relit or puffed hard, a really disagreeable plasticky flavor comes out, along with an acrid ashen smell that burns the nose. If smoking inside is at all an option, I definitely recommend that. I don't retrohale this one either; the only flavor through the nose is burnt plastic and sawdust. Sipping slowly, you get cream, straight tobacco and a little ashy tang, among plumes of wispy but satisfying smoke. I came for the cream, but the honest straight tobacco is not going to drive me off. Tasty, if monotone. But monotone is not a bad thing, if the thing gets started off on the right foot.

The nicotine level is sturdy. Again, hitting this one too hard is not a good idea in my book. Sip it slowly, almost mincingly, and it carries you along nicely. Start sucking on it, and you'll feel it in the stomach and head. The bowl didn't burn all the way down, partly because I didn't rub it out as fully as I should have, but also because I didn't feel like finishing the bowl. It's just a little too much for me. A nicotine lightweight like me might get all they want from half a flake at a time, I think.

Kendal Cream is one of those things that is unmistakably itself. If what you want is Kendal Cream Flake, you're going to have to smoke Kendal Cream Flake, because there's nothing else quite like it (that I've smoked, anyway).

Pipe Used: Savinelli 925 Silver pot

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Michael N. (10)	2015-01-22		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Unnoticeable

SOAP ! That is all of what I tasted. Easy to light, easy to smoke......... I do not care for the taste of soap ! I do enjoy MANY, SG offerings...... NOT THIS ONE.

Pipe Used: Castello, Caminetto, Peterson

Age When Smoked: 6 months +

Purchased From: a seller, on net

Similar Blends: Unknown. Never tasted another which tasted like SOAP..

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	balkan_boy (49)	2014-11-17		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

No matter how hard I try to begin to like lakeland style aromatics, I just can't. There are a few of them that ring my bell, and only periodically. This one, I didn't get to like after a whole tin, smoking only that. The soapy flavour at the beginning, is annoying, not the grandma's soap, nor fresh (as in the cleaning detergents) either, something in between, tonquin and something something else, geranium rose perhaps, no idea. All I know is that it's annoying as hell, and you eagerly puff just to get to the point where it's gone, and in it's place comes the tobacco taste. And the tobacco taste is good, obviously there are high quality VAs in there. Somewhere at the middle of the bowl, you get a good tobacco taste and start to enjoy. And that's only in a small portion of the bowl. Advancing down towards the bottom, you have to relight countless times. Also, comes very moist and if you dry it too much you'll get nasty smoke. If you leave it wet, prepare a brand new butane lighter, cause it'll run empty until you smoke your pipe. Bottom line: It is a good smoke if you cut it in cubes, dry to the point of perfect moisture level, and don't mind perfumish thing the first third of your pipe. Not my cup of tea.

Age When Smoked: about a year

Purchased From: Tel Aviv tobacconist

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	E. Bonit (3)	2014-11-02		Medium	Strong	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Just wanted to add, that the tin note is definitely that of bitter almond / marzipan. You won't get this while smoking, thats nice. If you're not a fan of bakery-like scents: stay away and stick to BBF.

Pipe Used: Quality briars

Age When Smoked: fresh from tin

Purchased From: Gerd Jansens Pfeifendepot

Similar Blends: Not as heavy scented as Ennerdale, but comes close.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	gam86 (49)	2013-12-20		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

I'm a ST enthusiastic but these flake took me down. ST are always extra humid but these one is too much humid. I left 2 days opened but was still too humid. The tobacco itself is not bad but isn't characteristic. doesn't have the usual SG surplus

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2013-06-11		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Tolerable

Simply did not like the flavor profile on this one. I had found that the SG line of flakes were very inconsistently sized. The cut would be thin for one flake and then thick for the next flake. Also the flakes were a little difficult to rub out. Lastly, I had trouble keeping this stuff lit and producing an acceptable amount of smoke. Eventually dropped the whole line of flakes due to these drawbacks.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	doc'spipe (242)	2013-03-26		Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Tin note reminded me of cake batter with perhaps a smidgen of spice, similar to the Cinnamon spice in their 2013 Christmas Mixture and mild. No soap or floral in the tin note nor while smoking. Loading and lighting similar to all of the SGs I've tried, so better to dry it a bit. Not too much in the way of flavor for me, but a comfortable smoke without bite or heat. The leaf notes come to the fore very nicely with slow puffing and they are of high quality. I just wish there was a bit more flavor with this one, but it is still satisfying. Sliced thinner than other SG flakes which makes for easier smoking. A solid recommended.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	machinebcon (50)	2012-04-02		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A tobacco I really tried to like. The dark brown flakes are chunky, moist, and need to be dried and rubbed out fully. Tin note reminds me of baby powder, aniseed, cedar and roasted nuts. Pack this stuff loosely into your pipe. Be surprised with Burley's bitter nuttiness covered with something that might cause headache - and this casing is not as sweet as the name "Kendal Cream Deluxe (!) Flake" suggests.

Pros: - Quite "creamy" and full smoke. - tongue-friendly and cool. - delivers enough nicotine.

Cons: - SG-typical flakes are inconsistent in thickness and moisture level. - smoke carries a bitter taste which pretends to be cocoa. - unreasonably expensive (in Europe) for an average smoking experience.

I won't buy this stuff again, but it is still quality tobacco: 2.5/5

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2012-02-27		Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Not bad, not great. High quality tobacco, very thick and irregular thickness of flake. Have not been able to smoke a full flake, it's too wet, comes saturated in the tin. Dried out, rubbed, still hard to keep lit. The only way I have been able to smoke it is cubed and dried. It tastes, well it's hard to explain.. Burley and a bit of something, I get a faint aniseed taste at first, then sorta coco, bitter nougat. Its not really creamy as far as I can tell, but it's not rough either.

I won't buy this again, but I'm glad I tried it, I can see how some people would love this stuff.

EDIT - After smoking the last few flakes, I sorta miss it now its gone. I'll buy another tin or two if the opportunity presents itself. I just wish it wasn't so wet. Maybe I'll dry it with the air conditioner.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dr. Scott (82)	2011-11-16		Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium	Tolerable

The tin aroma of this Sam Gawith flake is sickly sweet, nothing you can identify as a common or known scent, more like the smell of an organic chemistry lab exercise.

The flakes vary in thickness from 1 to 3 mm. They are almost wet with the topping, and require some combination of drying and rubbing to make it smokeable.

I use a cob to avoid ghosting my briars. And although not as refined an experience as with my cherished briars, I must admit that a five dollar Missouri Meerschaum provides an excellent smoke.

The "added essence" dominates the bowl, but in the second-third of the pipe the tobacco itself starts to shine.

Worth a try if you enjoy flavored weed or love Samuel Gawith, but not likely to play well in Peoria.

Addendum, 27 December 2011: I have quit smoking this one after becoming quite ill. It wasn't the nicotine which made me sick. I'm convinced it was the casing. That organic chemistry lab smell did not mix well with my own personal chemistry.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-08-24		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Another great SG blend, pairs nice with morn'in coffee or a nice bock lager...

my taste/likes to compare: 1792, Bracken, Best Brown, FVF and now Kendal Cream Flake

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrT999 (318)	2011-08-17		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Nice bendy flakes (which accounts for it needing the odd relit) and to me an interesting flavor. Depending on the pipe, about 1/4 to 1/2 the Lakelands I found in G&H Bob's Chocolate, and this level was about right for me when I was first trying Lakelands -- I can see how some might miss it entirely. I found the 'milky tea' note others have, with a little chocolate cream now and again. Not sweet at all for me. The Nicotine creeps up on me in this blend. After a bit of an internal debate, a three for me.

Since I know there are many tobaccos out there I would rate a 4, the question arises would I rebuy this particular tobacco, assuming my tastes don't change much more. In this case, the answer is probably not too often.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-06-24		Very Mild	Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

sorry to say i did not care for this one. I like a tobacco I can eat with a knife and fork, and this ain't one of them. the tin aroma was very mild, and the taist was not there. a bit to mild for me, and my pipe went out three times before I gave up on it.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	onehitter (16)	2010-01-07		Mild to Medium	Strong	Full	Pleasant

It has a lavender smell and beginning taste that quickly turn to...Idont know what but it was gross. Thats it.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pseudo Nim (129)	2009-05-11		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Once dried out the added essence is subdued, revealing a rich creamy smoke of excellent quality leaf, smooth without a bite. A splendid afteroon tobacco.

I have never been overly fond of Burley, but Kendal Cream could make a convert of me yet.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sinister Topiary (84)	2009-01-19		Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Kendall Cream Flake is obviously a quality flake that gives, as advertised, a creamy full smoke. But I found it lacking subtlety and depth, "two dimensional" as OSR put it. Plus, it was strange.

Once I realized what I was smoking it was way too sweet, floral and weirdly soapy for my taste buds. I say "once I realized" because it was hard for my senses to parse this tobacco. Indeed, my first few bowls of it I felt an odd disconnect between the flavor and the tobacco, that they were out of sync in some way: I was clearly smoking a quality tobacco, but tobacco doesn't taste like this: it was smooth and creamy and filled the mouth nicely, but where's that strange flavor coming from? Oh, is that the tobacco?! It actually took me a couple of bowls to realize that yes, that is the tobacco. (Though I disagree with the strength of the insult, I think BriarLaw is not incorrect when he likens it to a "mix" of "stoved VA/Burley flake with Glade air-freshener".)

Each time I smoked it I had to follow it soon after with a latakia heavy english blend just to get the taste out of my mouth. An odd smoke and I'm glad I tried it, but I'm sure I will never feel a need to go back to it.

Update 08/12: Never say never, eh? Years later, I felt a need to go back to it. Go figure. There's something about its unique flavor that has stayed with me all this time. So I just had to try it again. I'm not sorry I did.

It's still the quality flake I remember; but now that weird "glade air freshener" essence doesn't strike me as unpleasantly obtrusive, but kind of refreshing. I've upped it from two to three stars. KCF won't be a regular in my rotation, but it is one that I may revisit every so often.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-09-05		Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Lakeland Tour Stop 9

The epitome of the Lakeland burley/virginia flake. Like all Lakeland flakes (at least those with little age on them), this one needs to be dried out. I popped the tin and left it in a large tupperware container with other tins for a month before smoking it. By then it needed no more drying out.

The thing with this flake is that it REALLY varies depending on the kind of pipe you smoke it in, more than any other tobacco I've experienced. Sometimes it was cloyingly sweet. This seemed to happen in significantly tappered bowls of all sizes. And in straight-sided bowls of 15/16" diameter or larger, it was very "soapy" and herbal. The best smokes were in straight-sided bowls of 13/16-7/8" diameter. In these, you get a lot more spice and that earthy, nutty burley goodness.

Also, I had a bit of an epiphany with this flake that will probably help with other Lakeland flakes (especially FVF) in the future. After about 6 weeks after popping the tin, the smoke lost its flavor, just as FVF has done to me in the past. I always thought that since these tobaccos seemed to be a good humidity that this was irreversable. But since I had a few more smokes-worth, I thought I might as well add some moisture and see what happened. Success! Even more hard-hitting burley goodness than before! Maybe it's obvious to you, but somehow that solution had evaded me before. Hope that helps others.

In the right conditions, this is wonderful; a must-try for burley and Lakeland fans. Lots of nicotene, as others have noted. Give it a try and be patient with it.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sylvian (28)	2008-07-28		Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

One of the three best offerings by SG, the other two for me being Full Virginia Flake and Balkan Flake.

Kendal Cream has that delicious bread taste and aroma combined with some intoxicating flavoring. The smoke is really creamy and incredibly fragrant.

It's strong - don't let the word 'mild' on the tin fool you. It's mild in the taste, but not in the strength. I have smoked the first bowl of it at about 7 am and almost fell asleep. The tickling in the back of the throat will tell you it's got plenty of nicotine.

A very high-quality weed with unique taste and aroma.

I'd give it four stars if it was a bit milder on nicotine.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-03-11		Medium	Mild	Full	Tolerable

After a disappointing engagement with 1792, I wanted to revisit Gawith to see if my initial experiences with them were a fluke, or if I truly enjoy any of their tobac.

I was pleased to find this was a much nicer experience then the 1792 flake. There is what I discover to be that soapiness experienced by other smokers in this blend, but it's not at all unpleasant, and stoking the pipe to large puffs of white smoke, brings out that delicious flavor I enjoy in 1792 without the nasty aftertaste.

To me this flake is recognizable as Gawith, strong, tasty with a wonderful je ne sais quoi that I have come to associate with Gawith. I like it. I especially enjoy getting this blend hot in the bowl and tasting the wonderful flavors produced. There's just something about the way Gawith handles Virgina tobac that draws me to their blends. There's a flavor in this that reminds me of aged beef or cheese. A very rich blend.

Recommended. (3 stars)

Update 3.11.08 I have been smoking this now for a few days and it has really grown on me. I am upgrading it to a 4 star.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PipePaladin (78)	2008-01-03		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Okay, here we go! You wanna go out tonight with your nice savinelli pipe, drink a couple of scotch or some pints of Guinness and smoke a strong tobacco that will not make your aura remind of a wet dog? what you do?? You bring along this dark sugary animal! It?s definitely NOT the best of SG collection but it IS definitely worth a night out!

However, I don?t thing I will buy another tin of this animal in the near future as FVF wins the race.

Happy new year to all of thee and happy smoking!

?Oooooh Gwaiiiith? rule the smoking waves?.!?

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-09-24		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

September 24, 2007: I have ordered a pound of this in bulk, which came in 6" long, beautiful dark flakes! Kendal Cream is bliss. One more tasting note: I "taste" a very light and modicum of Oriental leaf (not in any way Latakia) when exhailing through my nose. I did not notice this after smoking Orcilla, Embarcadero, Yenidje Supreme and McConnell's the Original Oriental Mixture during the summer.

August 7, 2007: This is not floral or soapy in my estimation, but Kendal Cream Deluxe Flake is scented with essences that speak of berries, raisins and honey. This seems topped rather than cased and without added sugars. Lakeland blending is certainly unique in the world and Kendal Cream Deluxe Flake is as good an introduction as any blend for flake fanciers. For a solid example of Lake District floral scenting, try GH?s Best Brown #2. The latter, to me, tastes ?soapy? (as do nearly all their blends).

My tin description says ?Mild, Full [sic] Flavoured Tobacco.? Since ?Mild? and ?Full Flavoured? are distinct, I assume ?Mild? refers to strength. But this is no mild strength blend. It is very nearly full and requires that I eat something sweet after a bowl to get my blood sugar back on track. If by ?Full? and ?Flavoured? are meant ?full-flavored? then not really, except maybe the last quarter of a bowl. Neither is KCDF heavily laden with scenting.

KCDF?s tin aroma is reminiscent of Bracken Flake, as is the broken flake cut. With these, the similarities end. Bracken is more intense from the fire-cured Burleys, whereas Kendal Cream Deluxe Flake is a bit sweeter (though not a sweet blend) and less redolent of SG?s twist tobaccos as is Bracken. Kendal Cream is more like a Virginia flake with Burley accents and the cool character to go with it. The smooth nature of KCDF makes me give it the nod over BF. Flavor-wise, the only comparison I can make between KCDF and 1792 Flake is the taste of fire-cured leaf, albeit much lighter in KCDF.

KCDF also reminds me of Erinmore Flake. They are not similar in terms of flavorings (well, sort of in some ?berry essence? kind of way), but in deceptive strength, easy burn, mottled white ash, dry dottle, and each starting bland and ending complex and much fuller in flavor. KCDF is also smooth like I remember Erinmore Flake. Both are made from markedly very well-aged tobaccos, with all the harsh edges lost in time.

My first go with KCDF was three bowls in immediate succession, meerschaum, briar, meerschaum. Such experiences are atypical for me, as I like to switch it up if I have the time to smoke more than a bowl a day. My sample came from a 50gram tin. It was very good in either the silicate or briar pipe, though briar ultimately won the nod.

My real joy is the side stream aroma and the aroma exhaling through my nose. I simply get lost in smoke when puffing on this kind of blend. I have now consumed almost an entire tin and plan on purchasing a pound in bulk, along with the incomparable 1792 Flake. I will save a bowl or two from the tin to compare with the bulk when it arrives.

Really quite lovely, KCDF is something that I have been reaching for first when my palate is clean.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Spike (296)	2006-12-21		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

If you enjoy the unusual flavors of the Lakeland District tobacs give this a try. Not one of my favorites at this time.

Update: Rubbed out fully and dried overnight this flake improves a great deal. The only minus (or plus) is the flavoring agent has a similarity to Royal Yachts'!(8/24/05) Three and one half stars.

Latest: Tried a small(group 1)recently. Flake was way too dry for optimal smoke. "Soapy" taste still evident. Rich virginia flavor with virtually no flavorings remaining. Nice aroma from bowl. Nicely satisfying. "Soap" haters need not apply. Very well behaved for too-dry condition.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipepundit (168)	2006-10-13		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Kendal Flake is the most approachable of the Lakeland flakes.Feminine in its grace and lack of aggression, it is a delightful introduction to scented flakes. In the genre, 1792 Flake is a class apart, but an acquired taste. This will satisfy any seeker after tobacco taste moderated with a bit of perfume.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BigSwede (93)	2005-12-24		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Kilted1's review is spot on.

Recently I too have been trying some of the Lakeland scented tobacco's and I found this one to be, if anything, milder in topping than many of the others. In the tin it has a very nice aroma, but when smoked its pretty low key. Once lit this is a nice, cool, even burning smoke. The interplay of the flavoring and the natural tastes is nicely handled.

Granted there will be many who hate the thought of trying anything with the Lakeland flavor, as I did once myself. This would be a good one to try to see what can be done. A quality tobacco and a good smoke. Recommended.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-10-08		Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

Quirky lakeflake with the standard floral undertone and a "creme" flavor more akin to witch hazel, rosehips, and milky tea. Almost sharp at times rather than cremey, but very intriguing. Some considerable drying time prior to smoking helps this blend behave in the pipe.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-08-09		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Although I appreciate what Gawith has done with this blend, it's not going to be a regular smoke for me. As an aromatic, it's too full; as a burley blend, it's too hot; and as a an aromatic Virginia blend, well, it's too damn flavored. if you are looking for a very sweet, fairly strong blend, though, this is your puppy. Note that even though this blend has Burley in it, it still smokes best if you smoke it like a Virginia flake--slow sipping is the order of the day. Fast puffing leads to a flat, bitey smoke.

Sampling notes: I have smoked about two tins of this blend in both meerschaum and briar pipes in several sizes. I find this blend works very well in a smaller briar pipe, which concentrates the flavor and offers a very sweet taste. In a larger pipe, some of the uniqueness of the blend is lost. I don't find that this blend works well for me in a meerschaum. And, as others have mentioned, a loose pack works best. This blend smokes much better when it is has aried and dried considerably.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-06-24		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

Very nice tobacco taste. Although this is an aromatic with a strong aroma in the tin, the taste is by no means overpowering. The cream flavor is very interesting and mild enough to let the tobacco come through. I think this may be my favorite aromatic.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-04-18		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

As can be expected with Gawith, even their "mild" blends have a bit of kick in the nicotene department, particularly for a sensitive soul like myself. Although this one will set my nerves on end by the bottom of the bowl it's not quite strong enough to make me feel sick. So that's a bonus. This is indeed a fine looking tobacco, a flake that is already a little broken up and easy to rub out. Many people find that all of their blends, which are produced in the Lakeland District of merry ole' England, in fact have a "flower essence". In any case, my tongue wasn't sensitive to notice any particular essense at all. The first time I lit it I detected a sort of "creamy flavour" but I may have been unduly influenced by the blend's name because this never really came through in subsequent smokes. I found this tobacco to be mostly natural in flavour with the slight nutty flavour of the burley poking through.

The quality of the blend is clear in its burning characteristics: Smooth, bite-free and burns down to a fine white ash with minimal relighting. This is a fine blend for those who prefer their tobacco a little more natural and want very little from the flavouring aspect.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-01-02		Medium	Mild to Medium	Full	Pleasant

Absolutely a top notch tobacco. It demands your attention and you'd better give it if you truly want to experience it's nuances.

As with my other SG favorites, KCF is not for the faint of heart.

=UPDATE=

After reading other reviews mentioning a "floral" note I wonder if maybe there is an issue of confusion with this tobacco. I have 2lbs of "Kendal Creme Flake" which was bought in bulk and is in my "cellar" for the future... or another that I bought named "Kendal Creme Flake DELUXE" which came in a 50g tin. The KCFD certainly had a very fruity and maybe even floral note out of the tin and while smoking and is very unlike the bulk KCF I have cellaring [for the most part ;)].

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Danno (106)	2004-08-07		Medium	Medium	Full	Pleasant

I am a fan of scented flakes and as such, I enjoy this one very much. The topping is somewhat reminiscent of old time liquorice essence or extract, used in cakes. It is sopping wet in the tin and apt to bite if not dried suitably. I am unsure about the "cream" moniker but do find it rich, but not so much so that I only smoke 1 bowl in a sitting. Pairs beautifully with strong tea and doesn't flavor a pipe so rabidly as St Bruno or Condor. Well made and worth a go, in my book.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2004-03-24		Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Kendal cream flake is most definitely a full flavored blend. You must like the flavoring to smoke this stuff. Very good quality flake and makes alot of smoke. Easy burning and not too hot on the tongue. I could not smoke this often due to its very strong flavoring, but it is pleasant enough to smoke once in a while. I much prefer Ennerdale flake as a daily dose of flavored tabac. I can see if I run out of Ennerdale I could easily smoke this.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2003-09-06		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I don't ususally go in for much flavoring in tobaccos, so after reading the reviews, I was skeptical regarding the added flavor in this blend. Surprisingly, I found this to be an excellent smoke and the flavoring did not bother me at all. I found the added flavor to be a welcome change. This tobacco has a nice full, round flavor and is very satisfying, especially after a plate of wild-game sausage, red-cabbage and a couple of pints of Guiness in the local Irish pub. The tobacco stands out well and is not overwhelmed by the flavoring. I think "Cream" is an accurate name, because this is rich and smooth without overpowering. I thought the tin aroma was very enticing, although it needs to breath a bit before being smoked due to the moisture content. I will continue to smoke this.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PipeDragon (44)	2021-05-06		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

On paper, this has many things that I like. I love SG, I love Virginias, I like Burley a lot and I love Lakelands. So my expectations were pretty high.

Before moving on, I should point out that my particular tin was at least four years old when I bought it from the store. I know this because the label still bears the name "Kendal Cream Deluxe Flake", no longer permitted in the EU since 2017. Also, because of the age, the flakes started to form some crystals.

The flakes are dark brown and, like other SG flakes, they are thick, rough, leathery and wet. Even after this time, an hour of drying time is still required before packing. When discussing the tin note, the first thing that jumps out is that classic, flowery Lakeland essence smell. Some profound smelling is required to pick up anything else.

Mechanically, this behaves like a typical SG flake. Long drying time and extra effort in rubbing out, though it shouldn't be dried too much as that will lose a lot of flavor. Packs easily enough, but it can take some time to get it properly lit and under control. Smokes really cool, though it can form a bit of moisture.

When discussing the flavor, this is not too complicated. You have the nutty, earthy Burley, balanced out by the Virginia that brings a bit of sweetness, a bit of grass and a bit of citrus. To round it all up, there's that Lakeland essence which, though mildly applied, gives this blend its distinct character. It's flowery, but not perfumey, with a touch of a vanilla-like taste (maybe Tonquin bean) and a dash of what seems like whiskey. I feel that the essence is more pronounced if smoked while drinking lemon tea. They all come together to create a rich, mature-tasting, creamy, flavorful and highly enjoyable smoke. The overall nic-hit is medium, though it can pack a bit of a punch if smoked in the morning or on an empty stomach.

With Kendal Cream/KC Flake, SG has created another high quality flake that's very dear to me. I will certainly keep this in my rotation and buy more tins to make sure that I never run out. I just can't get enough of it! As soon as the bowl is finished, I'm already looking forward to smoking it again.

Pipe Used: Peterson Sportsman 68

Age When Smoked: At least 4 years

Purchased From: Mohilla store (Vienna)

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	Emeritus Account (30167)	2019-03-03		Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

It's difficult to isolate the minimal topping flavor positively...floral & maybe a touch of anise but the caramel flavor aroma is unnoticeable. This stuff is moist from the tin & requires a bit of drying which doesn't take long & it rubs out easily. Not bad at all & a big bang for the buck. The casing is minimal and doesn't overpower the tobacco.

Room note seems kind of neutral as I didn't notice hardly any tobacco odor or much aroma from the topping...like the tobacco odor has simply been masked. Anyway, the sweet taste & nicotine content in this blend makes stoking any pipe worthwhile. It is easy on the tongue/palate & smokes cool. Easy to keep lit & burns dry all the way to the bottom...smooth & "creamy," as it were. Overall, this is really a good pipe tobacco. Works for me.

Pipe Used: Peterson Deluxe 9S & 11S

Age When Smoked: fresh Tin

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2018-12-28		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This is another one of my catch-up reviews from 2009 since I've recently rejoined TRs under a different handle. OK... Popping the top: Difficult to isolate the minimal topping flavor positively...floral & maybe a touch of anise but the caramel flavor aroma is unnoticeable. This stuff is moist from the tin & requires a bit of drying which doesn't take long & it rubs out easily. Not bad at all & a big bang for the buck. The casing is minimal and doesn't overpower the tobacco.

Room note seems kind of neutral as I didn't notice hardly any tobacco odor or much aroma from the topping...like the tobacco odor has simply been masked. Anyway, the sweet taste & nicotine content in this blend makes stoking any pipe worthwhile. It is easy on the tongue/palate & smokes cool. Easy to keep lit & burns dry all the way to the bottom...smooth & "creamy," as it were. Overall, this is really a good pipe tobacco. Works for me.

Pipe Used: Peterson System 312

Age When Smoked: Fresh Tin

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sybariten (61)	2016-10-25		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

An oddly flavoured tobacco that takes some time to get to know, but rewards the one who bothers to bother. Probably not for everyone, but I really like this one.

Taste: A fruity floral scent bounces right up my nose as I open this tin up. It reminds me of chewing gum or toothpaste, it feels synthetic. Now, after some rubbing and drying of the flake that scent diminishes slightly but it does not entirely go away. As I light my pipe I find exactly that scent translated in to flavour. It is so strange, I do not initially know what to make of it. It stays very pronounced during the first halv of the bowl after wich it fades some and lets the virginia take the lead, but in never fully leaves. The virginia in this blend is the co-star, it is as good as one can expect from SG - grassy, sweet and medium bodied. As I got used to the topping I started to love it, and that has been the case with many SG blends sporting the lakeland style - it needs time to get to me, and it requires me to explore it properly. It seems worth it, as I always like what I discover.

Mechanics: Comes in wet, thick flakes that need some rubbing and drying. The topping tends to ghost a pipe, even though the tobacco burns down properly, no dottle. Never bit me, never even tried, but it is mainly virginia so that's worth bearing in mind. Mild to medium strength.

Pipe Used: Briar, cob and clay

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	FP Stew (25)	2016-03-02		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Full	Very Pleasant

SG’s Kendal Cream is top shelf in my book! I was rummaging through my cellar and found a mostly finished tin of KC which means that I really liked it and saved enough for a bowl or two; and to remind me to order more when I have a few cents saved up.

Well I pulled the trigger on 200 grams from Allegheny Smokeworks and I’ve refreshed my memory with multiple bowls of great enjoyment! This flake from the bulk has perfect moisture, packs well and has a nice charring light that reminds me of pipe smoke from my uncle’s pipe 45 years ago. I’ve come to appreciate his types of tobacco and I think KC would have been in his rotation if he were here today. This as a solid straight forward VA with slight sweetness and hints of grassy hay mixed with the subtle nuts and hints of chocolate that good Burley can bring.

This smoke is a No Bite, strong and rich flavor tobacco that will make you look forward to the next bowl.

Pipe Used: Several

Age When Smoked: Fresh Bulk

Purchased From: Allegheny Smokeworks

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	THROATHIT (38)	2016-01-25		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Easy to rub out it says at the top of the page in the product description. That I can not agree with one bit. Apart from that I like this tobacco, I have a big bowl chunk just for lakeland tobacco. The perfume will taint your pipe so use this to your advantage and dedicate a pipe.

Dark in colour and oily looking. Even if you get a dry batch it is still tacky at best. once you get the leaf apart and I take my time over this you will need to get the moisture level right before trying to smoke it. This is personal taste Vs will it burn as I find to dry is not the best taste. PACK IT LIGHTLY and give each layer a little more packing until the top which you can give a fair plugging down which will set the tobacco in the bowl. You need some air gaps for this to smolder which it excels at.

Tastes: starts sweet soapy and Lakeland topping but not loads of the stuff compared to other Lakeland I have tried.

Mid bowel: on the cooler tokes you can get a chocolate hint and when giving it a hit or to a rather fresh mild leather spice. The tobacco is obviously good stuff and the processing has made it even better. It must be noted that the taste is rather monotone but a good tone so not a minus but a taste well fixed.

I do not smoke Lakeland every day or week and sometimes it is repulsive to me. Seriously sometimes I wonder why I have any in stock. Then when the mood takes me It is all I need. Something in the taste is moreish,. I do not know what But when I enjoy it the floral topping is not so floral and the other flavours of tobacco and sugars are lifted and pronounced.

Smoke is medium thick creamy and nicotine is just right for me but not a mad hitter at all. Smoke temp is cool and I get no bite with a 9 mm filter inline or without. All in a good tobacco in a Lakeland style that has its place, highly recommended if an introduction to Lakeland is what you seek.

Pipe Used: stefano exclusive briar

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: g q

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Leeboy (20)	2015-11-04		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable

Good points are that its creamy, sweet, lovely burley flavour and the topping is nice. The topping is like a mild ennerdale flake which I love.

Bad points are that I couldn't get this stuff to stay lit. I tried drying for days, rubbing out, cube cutting but nothing worked. As others have mentioned there is a nasty taste on relights so half the time that's what I was getting.

If this would burn I would have had a new member for the rotation. I know there are those out there that have mastered the SG flakes but I give up. If your after a lakeland this is definitely worth a try.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lingo (39)	2014-08-07		Medium	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

Wow, great tobacco. Wet as all SGs, dark and strong enough to complete a full dinner, or to join a black tea.

Now, you really must like PEPPER to smoke this. I went through the page looking for "pepper" and found only 1 occurrence! How can that be? I'm not the most nose-expert here, I have never been able to say "yessss there's hay... maybe figues... no no, dry figues...". So I'm not that kind of guy, but it's PEPPER here, lots and lots of pepper!

Smokes probably cooler than an average SG, as far as the "Lakeland" word still means something...

After a tin of Kendal Cream, once enjoyed the strong burley flavour, I love our poor "Italia" (italian kentucky) even more than I did before, because FVF+Italia will cost me less than this flake but will probably be worth much more in the end, I'll let you know....

Pipe Used: Peterson

Age When Smoked: new

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	manno (50)	2013-09-11		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Amazingly benign compared to other SG flakes. Cookie dough tin note is not all that bad, but the tobacco tastes like......warm smoke? Hard to say what it tastes like. It's not offensive, it just, to me of course, isn't much of anything at all. Like the artwork if that counts for something. Burley for sure, virginia in trace amounts. If you want to smoke and it's there, fine. If you want to enjoy a bowl of pipe tobacco, I'd grab at any number of other tins, pouches or canisters.

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	CoolPilot (69)	2013-09-11		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

What can I say, this is again a SG flake which comes out othe tin as wet as possible, as usual. Instead of discussing the properties of the tobacco per-se, which are already quite well analyzed in previous posts, I am giving some advice on how to correctly ignite the SG flakes. This comes from my experience after several years of attempts.

As all SG smokers know, a beginner is tempted to say "this tobacco will never light up and kept lit". Some think that it could be used in place of asbestos in fire-critical environments.

The solution is to use a mix of propane and AvGas (aviation gasoline), the latter used also in turbine jet engines. Do not exaggerate with this mix, or the bowl will explode or (at best) take off with an amazing vertical speed.

Do things carefully, and the SG Kendal Cream will then light up, and kept burning to ashes, even if you dont smoke it.

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	Emeritus Account (30167)	2013-07-26		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I am a big fan of Gawith tobaccos just can't get into this one. I guess I don't like Burley mixed in my Virginia's.

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	Emeritus Account (30167)	2013-02-02		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I didn't try a lot of burley falkes, but I have to admit that this one is quite good. I't reminds me a bit the Peterson Irish flake but a lot milder and with a sweet aftertaste. I don't know if there's some sort of top dressing but, if present, is really mild. I don't agree with who think that smell like "cake", instead, when you open the tin, you can sense a pleasant smell of fresh bread & butter, combined with a less plaesant smell of cinnamon (or tonquino beans?)that you also can find in the taste, but not as strong as the smell. The flakes are cut in large and fresh slices that you can bend and press into the bowl but is better to rip & rub them up a little. Obviously the KC flake is a lot better smoked with a meerschaum if you looking for a full- colored experience.

Type: Burley & Virginia flake natural aromatic ; Contents: Burley, Virginias ; Flavoring: Some sort of natural flavor in very low percentage (as tonquino beans or cinnamon) ; Cut: Large slices of flakes ; Humidity: Fresh but not wet ; Lighting: Easy after the first couple of bowls, when the tobacco become a little more dried ; Pipe recommended: Definitely a meerschaum or any type with a large bowl.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SteveH (37)	2012-09-25		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I'd read a couple of unenthusiastic reviews of this before I bought it, but decided to try it anyway, because I wanted to try all the tobaccos in Sam Gawith's regular range. I'm glad I did, because I love it. I wasn't very impressed with the first bowlful, but it grew on me, and the fourth bowl was a fantastic smoke: tasty, smooth, reasonably full-bodied, and slightly spicy. On opening the tin, the first thing you notice is the strong, sweet, cake-like smell, but it is not indicative of the smoking experience. It is definitely a new regular smoke for me.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2012-08-22		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I love this Gawith tobacco, but not as much as Full Virginia Flake. Please see my review of SHPC-VR to understand my general orientation. There is a definite pattern here in my tastes. If you like the tobaccos I like - then this is for your arsenal.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2012-07-02		Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I liked this blend. Braken Flake and 1792 Flake are just a little too strong for me in the nic department but Kendal Cream hit's just right. The flavoring is defiantly lakeland but not overwhelmingly so. I found the tobacco to burn quite nicely once rubbed out and dried, and burned all the way to the bottom. Overall a good blend and a nice change of pace from my usual rotation.

Soli Deo gloria!

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	piedpipester (19)	2012-05-08		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Bought this at the tobacco store at the mall on a whim, i've heard much about Gawith tobacco and wanted to try it. I smoke this in a small bowl.

Smells like a cross between floral and aftershave to me, very moist and requires a couple of minutes drying after you rub it out. After lighting, it's not a bad flavor, the topping is there, but I can't tell you what it is, I taste a good blend of the Virginia and burley.It has a full taste, doesn't bite, and is light on the nicotine to me.

I probably won't buy this again but I will be glad to finish my tin and use it as a refreshing smoke after a bowl of a heavier tobacco.

UPDATE: I just ordered another tin of this, i've somehow grown quite fond of it for a change of pace!

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Beer (345)	2012-02-12		Medium	Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Mmmmm, the flavoring here seems strongly related to the one of 1792 and Bracken Flake: vanilla, cocoa, and probably tonquin. Luckily, the tobacco underneath is not as strong in nicotine, nor in "dark fermented stinkiness".

Actually, on the other hand, it's a very dull blend. Mild to the edge of boredom, monochromatic, no evolution. It burns cool and very slow thanks to the burley (after a slighlty harder time than usual to get it lit, due to the density of the flakes even when dried a bit), and goes on forever...

The problem for me is that it doesn't give me much satisfaction, not enough flavour or interesting moments. Nothing offensive, mind you... but it doesn't get much better than the taste from a (mild) cigarette. When dried a bit more, the only thing that stands out is the burley... but I have had some better ones.

The typical Kendal aromas are mild, too, and not too intrusive during the smoking experience.

Not much my cup of tea, but if you fancy a much lighter version of the classic S&G flavored flakes, it might be up your alley.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Thbg (29)	2012-02-08		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I bought a tin of this in the summer on 2011 and got frustrated with the moisture level so I guess I forgot about it. Now, in the winter of 2012, I came back to it and the moisture level really decreased in my tin and now this stuff really shines.

The flowery smell in the tin (reminds me of Gabel's Lilac aftershave) doesn't show up in the smoke and I think the burley provides the creaminess and the virginia the character of the blend.

You need to get this going good after your false light and then slowly sip on it. I have found this technique to bring some great pipe smoking pleasure from this blend.

Not an everyday kind of blend, but good none the less.

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	Northern Pipes (22)	2012-01-03		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

The tin smell was of raisins and other dried fruits like dates or something. I first tried smoking this folded and did not have a good smoke. It got better after I fully rubbed it out. I found that it gave a little tongue bite and smoked a little hot. Granted it was one of my first ever tobaccos so I may have had inexperience against me when I smoked it. It was a passible smoke so maybe I wouldn't buy it again, but I'm not going to toss it out. To each their own though, it's worth a try.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	renwardhoop (177)	2011-11-20		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Unnoticeable

Updated : November 2018.

Time moves on and so does my taste. This time I have a complete tin, 50g. This is quality tobacco it really is. This reminds me a little of the excellent Golden Glow, although it's much darker to look at. A wee bit moist in the tin, as you'd expect from a Gawith's blend, but this seems to smoke just fine.

Rubbing out is definitely the way to go here and that, in itself, is a joy. I was concerned that this might have that horrible Gawith lakeland scent, but it doesn't. It just smells of good fresh tobacco with a hay-like aroma.

The smoke is sublime. Mild, yet creamy and tasty this satisfies from first puff to the last. Yes, it goes out a lot, mainly because I was too damned idle to dry it out first.

An excellent blend this that ranks alongside Gawith's very best I shall have this in stock at all times.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Admittedly this review has been made on a small sample of this flake, but even so there isn't much to get get excited about.

Best moment is the flake itself. Dark, very gooey and slightly scented with ....something. Pleasant yes, distinctive no. Very easily rubbed out.

Due to the moisture content I'd recommend drying it out for a few hours at the very least.

Oh dear.

I don't detect any of these flavours.

Chocolate ?

No.

Cocoa ?

You're having a giraffe.

There is a creamy texture to the smoke however, but this does little to save this pretty tasteless brew from the obscure.

Worth a punt at a tin ? No, don't bust a gut.

Pipe Used: So far, just a Meerschaum

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Cgars.com

Similar Blends: SG Golden Glow, Orlik Golden Sliced.

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	JohnnyMcPiperson (119)	2011-11-14		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A delicious topped virginia flake with a nice subtle creamy flavor not unlike Stonehaven, but much milder and creamier. I had only a sample, but I found it to be a delightful smoke for any time of day seeing as how it is mild and does not tend to bite unless it's a little too dry. As with most all VA flakes this is one that must be sipped in order to be properly enjoyed!

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	Katharsis (39)	2011-10-20		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

The first few goes of this didn't work too well for me, but it's starting to take. "Cream" is an apt title, as this tastes pretty creamy and smooth. It's not low-quality tobacco, like many other flavored blends are. Put simply: I'm not an aromatic/flavored smoker, but this stuff works for me, which must mean it's pretty good.

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	TEO (33)	2011-10-09		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Since nearly all of my pipes are dedicated to straight VAs and English Mixtures I decided to try out this in a little savinelli apple, the only one dedicate to those casual aromatic days. Tin aroma definitely is about lavender and classic Lakeland scents but way too bold to be pleasant. I cannot sense that much chocolatey and lavender aroma as I'm smoking it, but I feel a little disturbed because of some "greasiness" I sense, maybe because of the Burley easily absorbing too much of that Lakeland essence. I expected much more taste and body too, anyway.

Maybe the cellaring gone bad for this tin, maybe it'll work better with a different pipe...certainly this is the less impressive of SG flakes I've tried so far.

Not bad at all but it doesn't drive me nuts.

And......"easy to rub out flake" may only mean "easier than other SG flakes". Anyway I don't care that much because I find it works better to use the fold and stuff method to enjoy the best experience with flavor and freshness.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-09-27		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This flake had an unusual tin aroma. If I closed my eyes and thought on it greatly I suppose it could be described as chocolate/cocoa. When I lit this one up I quickly discovered that it was not cocoa, nor was it creamy, it was quite peculiar tasting and acrid. I can't place the taste/aroma when burning, but I know I didn't like it very much. Though this was not pleasing to my sense of taste/smell, it burned very well and produced a nice volume of smoke and it needed no drying time before smoking. BTW, this is definitely not a "sweetish" aromatic. I suppose if you're like me you will try anything once just so you can give new things a whirl...Well I gave this a try and must pass on Kendal Flake. Lastly, I do not think the burley in this flake imparts any negative flavors since burley has a relatively neutral taste profile. It does lend to the overall body of the smoke and is an excellent vessel to absorb the flavoring put upon this flake...too bad I found the flavoring not to be, my cup o' tea.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Capt (339)	2011-07-16		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Every few weeks I absolutely CRAVE this blend. The name is very suitable, but Cream should be bold type and underlined. This is the creamiest smoking flake I have ever packed in my pipe. For some reason, I have difficulties (at times) packing the rubbed out flakes. I never seem to be able to finish the whole bowl, it requires that much attention (It could just be operator error), then my attention floats elsewhere, and I am off to a different blend.

Pairs well with a Rusty Nail.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tee-dub (48)	2011-05-24		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

Others have claimed to taste Lavender in this, but I don't. I taste something bitter, like unsweetened chocolate.

My first impressions were tepid, but now that it's dried out a bit I kind of like it.

This is a Virginia-Burley flake. I'm not a particular fan of burley, but didn't find it objectionable here. It's got a healthy dose of nicotine, a pleasant bitter flavor, and burns well. It is creamy in texture, and very dry in taste and mouthfeel. It is almost devoid of sweetness.

It's clearly not for everyone.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-11-02		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Nice rustic looking flakes. Not very well sorted. Thickness and size varies. Great tin aroma. Almost like tangy fruit soaked leather I'd say. Must be well aged. Lots of sugar crystals on the flakes.

Needs to be dried out of the tin quite a bit. It's pretty obvious by the texture and feel when they are ready to smoke. I like to pull the flakes apart into thin strips and either roll up a sort of pseudo flake or just pack the strips as I would ribbon. Either way it smokes hassle free in a few different pipes anyway.

It's a pretty hardy smoke. Strong in the nicotine department. Smooth and tasty. Not difficult to get along with at all. It's hard to pinpoint anything particular to say about the smoke. For me anyway at this point. It's not like anything I've smoked up to this point but is. It's not bright and sweet nor deep and dark. Somewhere in between with a little musty sweetness I guess. I'm standing on the fence apparently. But there is nothing bad about it. It's all good. I have alot of tobacco on hand at this point and find myself reaching for it when I feel a bit like smoking a bright virginia but don't want to bother sitting concentrating on gentle sips for any flavour. These flakes bring it right out and say hello.

3 stars for being a pleasurable smoke. I'd buy it again.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	juanocp (11)	2010-08-25		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

In the container the smell is wonderful. The first problem is to keep this bacy going, it's relight after relight even after being pretty dry, the perfume flavoring doesn't taste that well in the smoke. It's one of does nah smokes for me, not worth the trouble.

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	krg1000 (183)	2010-08-11		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I find this blend has one real heavy kick of nicotine that really affected me this morning. Mental Note: EAT FIRST. Good thing I can do my job without thinking clearly. I am used to less Vitamin N than what this one loads up. But really, this does seem to be another hit for me from SG. The flakes do seem to be on the thick side, as others have noted previously. I have done the fold and stuff method and the slightly rubbed out method with about the same results for burning quality. This seems to be a real slow burner, which is fantastic. There does seem to be a nice amount of smoke. This burns down to a nice fine ash. The taste is great for me. I'll put this down as pleasant for room note, since I have only smoked this outside. I would definitely recommend this blend for those who are looking to see what an English blender can do with these fine leaves that we constantly burn up. As long as I eat before smoking this fine blend, it really is one of the best smokes I have had the pleasure to burn.

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	Xeneize (275)	2010-08-03		Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This mixture is not my thing. Althout the tobaccos are high quality and enjoyable when you can focus on them, the casing is odd and kind of mismatching the base leaf. Towards the bottom half of the bowl, once you're past the yuck point, you can appreciate the great Virginias and the backing burley, but with so many great tobaccos on the market, what's the point?

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	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-07-25		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I didn't react well to this flake - nor my pipes.

The tin aroma was wondeful, but smoking it proved disappointing.

It was strong, bitey and the casing was badly reacting with the briar. And the nicotine content make my head spin.

Only St -Bruno flake proved to be worse than this one...

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	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-06-24		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Like others on here, this was my first foray into the Lakeland style blends. Out of the tin, the brown flakes emit a rich earthy smell that I went absolutely nuts over. The flakes themselves came cut fairly thick and very moist. From what I've read, this fares better folded rather than rubbed, so that's been my only experience so far, having let the flake dry overnight. It takes a LOT of relights for me, and the strands tend to harden into charcoal as the bowl progresses. This is probably my own fault for not drying it out better. Aside from my own fiddling and relighting, it lasts quite a while; a single bowl takes me all day with on-and-off smoking. The first half of the bowl gives me wispy smoke and a taste that mirrors the tin smell, while the second half gives me a richer flavor and body. The cocoa certainly comes out here, but doesn't overpower the tobacco by any means. I see why others have labeled this creamy: it's gentle on the tongue and rich without being overly sweet or smoky in flavor. Someone in a past review mentioned the taste of milky tea and I'd say that's spot-on. As for the room note, I was less than pleased. I'm not big on burley, neither the flavor nor the smell. It plays into the taste well here, but leaves a cigar-like aroma afterwards. My pipe smells like coffee (though I can't detect much ghosting), but the room smells stale. This one stays outside. No complaints there, seeing as this is great for sitting and reading outside. Lastly, this gives me a good nicotine kick. Not one of my better ideas to combine this with a big cup of french-press coffee on an empty stomach.

--- After revisiting this tobacco, I'm finding that my tastes are changing significantly. The above still holds true; it is an aromatic that is well-fragranced and based on great tobaccos, but the combination of Lakeland scent, nicotine, and (particularly) burley is not really agreeing with me.

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	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-06-18		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

this is a good baccy with chocolate/cocoa flavor but the flavor is not overwhelming which is good.the only reason I give 3stars to this is because it doesn't have much body and its quite mild nevertheless its worth trying. cause you can't always smoke medium to strong tobaccos, and it compliments coffee(Drink) very well.

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	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-05-27		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

No doubt the description given by SG corresponds to 100%.

It is a nice smoke, smooth, truly enjoy between nose and mouth.

Some light reminiscent of a flake that no longer exists, Craven mild flake.

Is a blend that can be safely smoked by those who start with a pipe, in fact I recommend it to beginners! Slow smoking, without broken the flake

Better in a small pipe.

Leave off the pipe if the smoke gets hot too, is not no problem!

Indeed, it is better!

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	ynrozturk (62)	2010-04-25		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I love this tobacco. Just thought I'd get that off my chest from the get go!

Opening the tin, you are greeted with a nice, earthy smell, and medium dark brown colored flakes. I just love the way Gawith's flakes look - they look very appetizing.

The moisture content out of the tin was good for me. It could help with a bit of drying out but I felt no need, I just took a flake, folded, packed, and lit. Holds to a flame well requiring few relights. If you rub it down it won't go out at all, but just burn smoothly and evenly.

The taste is outstanding. I love how the Virginia's and Burley's play off of each other. The sweetness of the Virginia's and the boldness of the Burley's is excellent.

Nice and creamy, it's easy to smoke, and doesn't wear your tongue down. It's not coated with a whole bunch of stuff so the base flavors you get are just really high quality tobaccos - the way it should be.

Four stars.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Big Nick (74)	2010-04-13		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I love this stuff! It's sweet, creamy and flavorful. Mild mannered yet robust, smooth and refreshing. This is a big time smoke! Buy it in bulk, it's very affordable. Definitely in my top five.

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	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-03-26		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

As with all Sam Gawith flakes, Kendal Cream also benefits greatly from at least an hour of breathing time before lit. To be honest, when I first opened the tin, the aroma was so strong and so weird, I thought "no way". But I'm glad I didn't place false judgment based on the tin aroma. The smoke is thick, creamy, and tasty right from the start. The added flavor is pretty light and pleasant. You mostly taste high quality tobacco. I did find this tobacco to become a bit harsh at times, and it can bite if provoked. The flavor is earthy and somewhat sweet, with a hint of fresh grass. I'd smoke it again for sure.

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	Kilmarnock Piper (251)	2010-03-07		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Among the Kendal offerings by SG that I've tried, this is the one in which the "lakeland" elements are the most mild, or toned-down. I can see what people mean by lavender, but it is unobtrusive enough to allow the Virginia to shine through. The burley is evident as well, but not overpowering. Based on the first few bowls, this seems to have little bite potential for me, which probably means that it is about the right strength for me, and flavor can be found without overpuffing. The bowl starts out as a thin yet pleasant smoke, but develops in complexity, as a good smoke should. It never becomes strong or harsh to my tastes, but in the "homestretch" I am reminded that this is a Kendal-style flake. All in all, I recommend this blend heartily, but leave the rating at three stars because there are a couple of other SGs, Navy Flake and FVF, which I would buy before buying this one again, and in larger amounts. But I will buy it again eventually; the taste at the end of the bowl is quite nice!

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	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-10-29		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

A great Lakeland tobacco! Very rich and lavender like. Some reviews on here claim that it has a 'soapy' taste to it, yet I assure you my palate did not detect soapyness but a rich creamy lavender taste. Very full bodied and smooth. Great Choice! Get a tin and try it!

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	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-10-03		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Popping the top...difficult to isolate the minimal topping flavor positively...a bit of anise & maybe a touch of caramel. This stuff is moist from the tin & requires a bit of drying which doesn't take long & it rubs out easily. Not bad at all & a good bang for the buck. The casing is minimal and doesn't overpower the tobacco. Room note seems kind of neutral as I didn't notice hardly any tobacco odor or much aroma from the topping...like the tobacco odor has simply been masked. Anyway, the sweet taste & nicotine content in this blend makes stoking any pipe worthwhile. It is easy on the tongue/palate & smokes cool. Easy to keep lit & burns dry all the way to the bottom...smooth & "creamy," as it were. Overall, this is really a good pipe tobacco. Therefore, IMHO, Samuel Gawith's Kendal Cream Flake merits four **s!

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	Sailorjack (57)	2009-09-12		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I don't know what all the negativity is all about. This is my first try at a Lakeland type blend and I rather like it. I don't know what the flavoring is but it is not overly applied.It's not floral as is reportedly the case with a lot of the Lakelands. It's smooth,creamy with a good bit of strength and over all I find it to be very satisfying.It's not one of my favorites but I enjoy it and will be keeping some on hand.

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	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-09-12		Medium to Strong	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I was rather disappointed by this flake. I truly enjoy FVF, BF and CF from Samuel Gawith. The added essence was definitively interesting and I was looking forward to start enjoying the flakes.

After 4 bowls, it came to me as being rather tasteless with a tendency to bite, even when smoked carefully. All I get is a nicotine hit, but flavor wise, not much. Too bad!

I will stick with the other offerings from this high quality tobacco house.

I will not rebuy KCF again. I did not even care to finish the tin.

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	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-05-16		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is my very first time trying tobacco of this type(lakeland)and I really enjoyed it.The only problem I had is it gave me a slight headache due to the fact that my regular tobaccos dont have that much nicotine.It burned well,stayed lit and kept its flavor all the way through.

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	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-05-13		Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

This is a wonderful virginia/burley flake. Some topping but I think it really adds to the blend rather than takes away. I give it some drying time -- where I am it stays at about 15% humidity so I don't dry it too long, maybe 30 min.. I fully rub it out and generally enjoy it in a clay that holds about 3/4 of a flake. A real treat. No bite - lights easy, stays lit. Slightly sweet. Simple stuff. Reminds me some of MacBaren's Navy Flake or even Mixture Flake maybe a little sweeter and fuller, thicker flakes. Enjoy!

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	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-04-16		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

My first flake tobacco (I have since had two others, all by Samuel Gawith). It does have a certain creaminess to it, but the tobacco flavor is there and pleasant. The room note is wonderful and mild. I found that this particular blend has quite a bit of nicotine, which I don't mind, but it has got me craving the stuff so much that I've begun to use swedish snus to experience some nicotine in inclement weather or where I cannot smoke.

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	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-04-05		Medium	Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

Very nice burley in this one, and the added essence was mild enough to just top things off, not overpower the tobacco. Another winner from SG.

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	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-01-29		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

update: going through my reviews here, i find that i'll have to downgrade a good deal of the praise i've given so many blends. 4 stars should, i feel, be reserved for the blends i find truly exceptional. so, this is downgraded a bit. end update.

tin aroma: mmmm. absolutely delicious, with a pronounced smell of well aged virginia; the flavouring subdued, and the burley only just recognizable.

rather moist, though not, perhaps, as much as other gawith tin flakes. lights allright without drying, but is easier after a couple hours drying in the pipe.

taste: the burley and the flavouring become a lot more pronounced than in the tin aroma, but are still tied together by the exquisite virginia. there's a slight sweetness, a little tartness, and first of all it's earthy and slightly floral/vanilly (in a tonquin-like way.

this is somewhat similar to "warrior plug" in the over all flavour profile, with perhaps a bit less virginia taste, a more pronounced burley, and a little less "chewy" mouthfeel. though it packs quite a punch, it's very smooth.

a fine blend!

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bazsup (13)	2008-10-22		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This review is of a bulk purchase (8 ounces). The tobacco was moist but not overly when it arrived. It is much like best brown burley but with more high notes.

It hasn't burned yet and I am a hot smoker. The pipe seems to get richer and more flavorful as you go deeper in the bowl. If I am smoking on an empty stomach it can give a little light headedness but no problems under normal conditions.

Again my one complaint of SG flakes is that some get so thick as to negatively effect the load and the smoke. Variety of thickness is fine until it gets too thick.

All an all a favorite.

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	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-09-30		Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

A good smoke if you want a decent tasting tobacco that gives a nice room note. I let this one dry in one of four clay sugar pots I bought at a secondhand store some time ago. It smokes MUCH better when dry.

I detect the flavoring more than anything else in this blend. It's nice, unassuming, but it is certainly not a pure tobacco experience. It has a similar feel to MacBaren navy flake, but with a bit more flavor, and that flavor is definitely there on the nose and the tongue, gently masking the burley.

This one is more "Cream" than "Kendal" and it's not so bad for it.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipe4ever (204)	2008-09-25		Strong	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Incredibly delicious tobacco, it gives an explosion of thousands tastes and flavors during the smoking experience, tasty and rich, not soapy at all!

This tobacco is not intended for fast pipe smoke, it has been created for conscious enjoyment, it require you full attention, it is better to smoke this before bed, as your last smoke of the day, because any other blend smoked just after KCF seems to be tasteless .

It works better for me when folding and packing the flake in long narrow bowl, an extremely slow puffing is the only way to enjoy it; this is a wonderful late evening blend, contemplative smoke with your solitude, just laying down doing nothing but smoking KCF, in a relaxing and peaceful silence, wonderful experience!

It works great with sweet black tea, very good tobacco, Truly Exceptional! Highly Recommended!

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	Auld Eire (12)	2008-09-14		Medium to Strong	Medium	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Lakelands fascinate me, but Kendall Cream floors me - floral, soapy, buttermilky, anisette-tinged, nic-charged, burley-esque - individually things I would never claim to enjoy, but Gawith brings them all together in a melange that can only come from genius. Cream is one thing, but Kendall Cream Flake is Devonshire (that stuff comes from cows?). What ties it all together is the sweet-tart Virginia. I don't have the words. This stuff is a delight not to be missed. : j

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	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-09-05		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I'm glad that I waited to review KCF. (saves an edit) Upon arrival I found it strongly scented, and not a very pleasureable smoke. I had the same impression after several bowls. I put the bag away for sevearl weeks, and revisited it today. What a change. The aroma has softened, and the taste is great. Mild, sweet, cool, lots of smoke. Dried, and rubbed out the pack, light, and burn is PERFECT. I will be getting more of this......lots more!Rate

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-06-16		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

KCF is another high quality offering from Gawith and a bit different in my opinion from their other virginia flakes. What ever topping is added to this is quite nice and it does produce a creamy and pleasant rather aromatic smoke.

I purchased a pound recently and was reminded of how good this flake smells upon opening. KCF has always been somewhat of an illusive flake to me. It tastes very different than what the smell would lead me to believe. It seems as if I just can?t put my finger on it enough to determine if I truly like it or not. (I tend to over analyze things so I figured a pound of it would help me make up my mind...)

The smoke is very relaxing and to me medium to full in the strength category but by all means manageable if respected. It has a wonderful aroma, pure tobacco taste, huge clouds of smoke and leaves a nice aftertaste however it seems to be a little more assertive than it has to be. Others have noted that it can be a little rough on the back of the throat and I agree. I blame that on the burley content. I have never been a big fan of burley however in small doses on occasion I do not mind it. I would say that the burley content in this particular flake exceeds my preference limitations. In fact, this would be the only negative quality of this flake in my opinion yet a significant one. The others such as a tenancy to smoke hot, lack of sweetness and drying out a little too quickly would all be the result of the first (burley). For some this may pose no problem and I do not feel that this is a show stopper, just not my preference.

I will continue to smoke this on occasion, probably in the winter but it does not find a place in my top five Lakeland district favorites. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a more serious tobacco than the aromatics that they normally smoke or those who appreciate good burley. But for those who are looking for a more complex Virginia flake (like me) I would not say that this falls into that category. If this had a little less burley I could see this being a great everyday smoke for me.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-05-29		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I find this blend mild compared to Stonehaven, which was my first burley virginia blend. It may be too mild for me. I like something a little stronger. There is no bit, it has a nice floral smell. Worth trying. I give it 3 stars.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-02-20		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable

I took delivery of these flakes in bulk and they smelled great in the bag. I am not opposed to a Lakeland "floral" mixture, as some seem to be. This is a rich full-bodied smoke for me; however, I can't handle the heart-thumping nicotine kick it gave me.

This is much stronger than say Esoterica's Stonehaven, or Pembroke. I smoke them regularly w/o getting the nicotine jitters. I realize I may be a lightweight compared to some, I beleive it was Dirty Harry that said, "...A man needs to know his limitations...".

I plan to cellar and age the rest of this flake in hopes it will mellow with age.

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	Emeritus Account (30167)	2006-08-11		Medium to Strong	Mild	Full	Pleasant

In the tin, this tobacco looks like 3in long strips of bacon, stacked one on top of the other. It has some dark leaf and light colored leaf in these compressed strips. The tin aroma is very mild & sweet. I've found that it smokes better in a larger bowl pipe (by rolling it into a ball and placing in the bottom of the bowl, with some broken sprinkles on top). It can be a little difficult to get it lit, but once it's burning it puts off lots of billowing smoke. I have not been able to detect the burley, but it definitely has the full, sweet taste of virginia. It burns slow and cool with zero tongue bite. If it has a casing, I cannot detect it. The room note is very pleasant as well. Not as stong in nicotine as the 1792 flake, but it still has some punch. This is a high-class tobacco, very elegant! 4-stars.

8/11/2006 update: After trying a couple of more bowlfuls, I detect sweet virgina upon lighting up, then it settles into what the monograph describes as a cream flavor...very distinctive taste which is hard to describe. Although the monograph does not list Perique, I can detect the same type of spicy note that Perique imparts. The burley is still undectable to my tastebuds. No change in my 4-star rating.

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	Emeritus Account (30167)	2006-05-18		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I should have started smoking this delicious blend long ago. I'm not one that particularly likes the Lakeland floral scent/taste. In fact, I hate it. Although this blend is supposed to fit into that catagory, I just don't detect it. If it's there, it must be in very small amounts.

What I do taste is a sweet, creamy smoke that burns cool, smokes dry and does not bite the tongue. Four stars!

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	caddad (53)	2006-03-26		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Very high quality tobacco and very unique. I ordered this with another selection from Gawith (Grouse Moore)and I really enjoyed both of these blends. This did have a very nice ?creamy ? flavor and was a very cool and enjoyable experience. Actually writing this review and remembering these blends has me thinking of putting in an order for more of these scrumptious blends and maybe trying one of Gawith?s English blends

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	Emeritus Account (30167)	2006-03-14		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

A very nice, somewhat mild blend, with a definite "cream" flavour. I would agree with the reviewer who identified it as a "milky tea". This is not to say that it is unpleasant, but rather a nice, light touch.

Since this tobacco is a flake, the smoker has some control over how rubbed out they want this. I personally like flakes, as preparing my tobacco adds some small joy to the smoking experience.

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	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-12-07		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I have lately been exploring Lakeland Scented Flakes. It is a fascinating journey.

Appearance: A mostly dark brown with some light brown and tan mottling leathery flake of varying thickness.

Tin aroma: Kendal Cream Flake is that it is fairly heavily scented, one that most American pipe smokers would likely call ?soapy?. I don't find that soap is a proper description at all. I pick up tones of black cherry, something sweet and vaguely like molasses and hints of rose as in Greek Rose Petal preserves (not a regular on many an American table). I can also detect deep Virginias and an underlying nuttiness which I attribute to the air curred Burley. There is an underlying sour almost citrus scent as well.

This tobacco seems too moist to me, but I find that it generally performs well straight out of the tin. As with most flake tobaccos I simply take several flakes together, fold them in half and insert them length-wise into the bowl trimming off the excess. I find it has a much better burn this way and makes for a long enjoyable smoke.

For this review, I?ve chosen an Peterson Pipe of the Year 2002 smooth spigot Rhodesian.

A first light is brings billows of rich white smoke, followed with a brief visit of the tamper and then a tamping light. The topping or casing is immediately there a nice compliment to the fine quality leaf underneath. Flavors of cherry, rose and a deep nuttiness are exhaled with increasing pleasure. There is a nice inter working of Virginia sweet 'n sour and Burley nuttiness. This is a fairly sweet mixture owing partly to the Virginias and to the topping/casing agents. As is fairly typical of English flake tobaccos when smoked un rubbed it takes a bit to get this blend going; once there though it smokes with minimal re-lights.

Mid Bowl: Approaching mid-bowl, the fullness tends to build getting rounder and building in complexity. The topping or casing gradually fade completely into the background but never leave the scene. The Virginias build in depth and character while the Burley slowly builds and begins to assert dominance. I've not experienced any hint of tongue bite from this blend, though if over puffed the Burley can become bitter and ruin things. If one takes the time to smoke this slowly and methodically a sweet, rich and flavorful voyage is there for the taking.

Home Stretch: As end of the bowl approaches, I find that it becomes more intense though never overpoweringly so. This blend never reaches the strength of some other SG offerings such as 1792 or Bracken Flake. It is more subdued and mild by comparison. The Burley eventually becomes the most dominant component with the Virginias and the topping/casing fading in intensity. Deep and resonant forest, leather and cigar tones emerge from the heart of this blend. The sweetness and topping/casing never fully leave, yet their initial flavors have matured and ripened into a fascinating mixture of stewed spiced fruits and rich adult pleasures.

Overall this is a mild to medium bodied mixture of outstanding quality and flavor.

Supplemental Notes: This is very likely to become a regular part of my rotation as a something to be reached for when a scented flake is desired without the strength of similar offerings. *1/2

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NEWMAN (305)	2003-08-05		Medium	Strong	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

Although the burning characteristics of this blend were much improved over the "mixture" of the same name from SG that I previously received in error and reviewed, I thought the taste was even more artificial and intense in this flake form. It did not infect my pipes as other aromatics have. This nicely prepared flake is truly creamy as advertised but I miss the natural tobacco taste. However it did get excellent reviews from all non-smokers regarding room aroma. Since most of my smoking is done for my pleasure, I won't have this or other aromatics in my normal rotation. If you enjoy them and also prefer flakes, you might like this blend.

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