Tobaccos Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. - Best Brown #2

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3050)	2012-11-28		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

The Lakeland essence is hardly present. You do get a light nuttiness, some molasses, wood and earth from the burley. The Virginias sport a lot of earth and tangy ripe and dried dark fruit, a little grass and tart and tangy citrus along with a touch of floral, herbal vegetation. The Virginias are more obvious than the burley. I notice a slight sugar topping, though it doesn't really tone down the tobaccos to any degree. The strength and taste levels are medium. The nic-hit is a couple of steps past the center of mild to medium. Won't bite or get harsh even when pushed, though it does have a few small rough edges. It may need a light dry time, though that seems to strengthen the vegetative taste of the Virginias just a little. Burns at a slow to moderate pace, clean and cool with a very consistent flavor. Requires some relights. Leaves a little moisture in the bowl. Has a lightly lingering pleasant after taste, and stronger room note. Can almost be an all day smoke for the veteran.

-JimInks

39 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	doc'spipe (242)	2013-03-21		Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I've been enjoying GH offerings as of late (Brown Flake Unscented & Scented, and Rum Flake). I now decided on Best Brown #2. Packed in the typical GH way in the plastic baggie, folded neatly and inserted into the tin. Moisture content was good and not overly moist as with SG tobaccos. Initial tin aroma had no soap smell whatsoever. The tobacco smelled like yeast/unbaked bread and with deep sniffing something I was familiar with but couldn't quite describe. It was not floral in any way. At times it reminded me of a ginger snap cookie, but I'm not sure if what I was smelling was actually ginger. What ever it was, I did like it. There was no pre-light taste detected on the draw. I rubbed it up a bit and it loaded easily. Lighting was no problem and only required a few re-lights along the way due to its freshness. Overall the smoke was very smooth. The Virginias made themselves known but in a subtle, spicy way. There was no taste of the typical Lakeland soap or florals in this one. I would have to say that this is one of the most balanced Virginia/Burley blends I have ever smoked. It was sweet in a natural way, not cloying, but good Va sweetness, and had no bitterness whatsoever. It never burned hot regardless of my puffing cadence. There was no moisture/gurgling issues. Just a clean, smooth tobacco taste with that hint of that Virginia spice throughout. The Burleys were not at all harsh and there were no throat issues either. It is milder than their Brown Flake Unscented - not as full bodied - but also different in taste profile as well. This, for me, is a set it and forget it smoke that is enjoyable from first puff to the last. A well put together flake and one I could smoke more than one bowl a day, each and every day. Much preferred over SGs Brown Flake by way of comparison. My experience is GH smokes are smooth and SG smokes are rough. Highly recommended!

UPDATE 3-25-13: Flakes are drying out nicely in the tin/bag they were packed in. Sniffing reveals a real nice depth in the aroma. Deep like licorice -and in combo with a subtle hint of molasses. Translates into the taste very nicely, too!

27 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2011-02-09		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

The G&H Lakeland tour continues, and continues to impress!

Nice even brown appearance in the (2 oz) baggie. Just a faint whiff of what has become to be known as "Lakeland florals" but I would regard this as a mostly unscented tobacco. Very similar to my tastebuds to the Brown Flake Unscented that I just smoked but unfortunately, I didn't do a side-by-side comparison. Tasting notes indicate that the BFU was more earthy and rough, perhaps from a higher concentration of burley. This one was creamier - an almost buttery finish to the taste. Milder, but still with a decently robust flavor. Since I've ordered pounds of both, I'll be able to compare them and update this review. As it stands, this seems to be the one to recommend to someone that found DFU just a bit unruly and feisty. BB #2 is a slightly tamer version, without the taste suffering.

G&H flakes are without peer. If you want to try one without a lot of the extra flavors/scents they put in their blends but still want one that is mild, here is a good start.

23 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2082)	2018-01-02		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Gawith Hoggarth - Best Brown #2.

Quite a surprise initially: often as not flakes can be a bit too damp but this one has an incredible level of moistness. I always rub my flakes and getting this rubbed is totally straight forward: it only needs a light rubbing, not the heavy ordeal that some need. I know this includes a few floral/Lakeland attributes but I find this to be very vague from the un-lit aroma; all I really detect are the tobaccos.

Once lit it's easy to form my opinion, do I like it? Yes. There's a slight floral/Lakeland addition but this is only really made available via retro-haling the smoke. The tobaccos are superbly balanced giving a full Va-bur taste. The temperature isn't too warm, but below medium. The burns consistency is faultless.

Nicotine: medium. Room-note: mild Lakeland.

This would be an excellent regular smoke.

Four stars.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: Various

Purchased From: Various

17 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	panduji68 (28)	2014-01-19		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Wow, from reading the previous reviews, this is one highly controversial pipe tobacco! I almost wonder if the quality control at GH could be causing such a wide gap in takes on the added flavoring? Inconsistencies during processing maybe? I can't believe everyone is tasting the same tobacco with such wide gaps in opinions on strength of flavoring, etc... My tin smelled more like a sweet iced tea with lemon! None of the Lakeland type essence as in Ennerdale Flake.

At any rate, I found this tobacco to be highly pleasant, sweet and medium bodied. Very cool burning, no bite at all, and great to the bottom of the bowl. Very consistent throughout, satisfying, and a solid three star blend for me. I really like the stuff, and don't get any of the Lakeland flavor many have mentioned. Slightly sweet rum in the taste, with a tin aroma of sweet iced tea with lemon. Who knows!

Pipe Used: Large bowl Nording briar

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	KinnScience (30)	2010-09-26		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a great lakeland flake. It is the epitome of English tradition. I've always said that the flavor of anything can be reduced to terms that carry negative connotation. McClelland flavor to Ketchup, Lakeland to soap and flowers, etc. The problem with this is that our tongues can only detect a limited number of flavors, and we can reduce anything down to a common term such as "ketchup" or whatever. Someone can say that a delicate Merlot tastes like "grape kool-aid with too little sugar added" if they seek to "reduce to absurdity", if you will. Ignoring the subtle delicacies that play upon our palate to "sweet", "sour", "bitter", ignores the subtle combinations.

I wonder how Lakeland was described before the masses had "dove" soap, or whatever folks are calling the Lakeland flavor these days. Most people in the 1800's didn't know what modern day soap tastes or smells like ... especially men. To these populations, this Lakeland tobacco was probably described as having a "buttery" flavor married with a "blackberry wine". Perhaps our modern day industrial society has produced so many artificial flavors along with condiments with preservatives that we begin to identify everything we taste by common foods, condiments, and toiletries that are mass produced.

If we want to reduce what would otherwise be experienced as enjoyable flavors in our wines, tobaccos, teas, etc. Then we may be missing something. I've heard those with developed palates say of many things, "you have to develop a taste for it". Caviar is one such experience (though I never have developed a taste for sturgeon eggs... salmon .. sure.. but not black or green caviar). "Bitter" is another "developed taste" (English beer .. heavy on the hops). What if someone said that John Adams beer tastes like raw Kale? Would that be accurate?

I won't say BB#2 it tastes like soap and flowers. Instead I'll say that It renders subtle flavors of blackberry and buttered brandy. The nutty flavor of Burly comes through and Burly is further tamed by the Lakeland flavor. The Virginia offers a subtle and natural sweetness.

For those of you who don't enjoy a "full-on" Lakeland flavor, aging takes the Lakeland down considerably. After a year, The Lakeland is better than half of what it was when fresh. Also, the Virginia comes through better over the Burly. Be sure to dry it a bit before smoking (I fill my bowls the night before smoking).

For those who don't want any flavor at all ... try the G&H Best Brown Unscented.

One final note: The Lakeland flavor/aroma is something for which you have to develop a taste. :-) 3 stars

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipemanuk (76)	2010-01-08		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

What is it with folks who persist in writing reviews on blends of tobacco they clearly know at the outset they will not like. I have no problems with an objective critique...but when you get comments which run like I don't like Lakelands and this is a typical example and then give it 1 star, kinda negates the whole reason for these pages in the first place. If you do not like a genre, then fine, leave it alone and don't rubbish it on TR. Try the varities you do like and write about how you compare them. That way we all learn something :-)

Looking at the sensible reviews for Best Brown no.2 then, it would appear that there are two utterly different flakes masquerading under the same name!

The Best Brown no.2 that I know is a gentle sweet, slightly rummy and completely delicous flake somewhat reminiscent of its cousin Rum Flake but NOTHING like the Lakeland Florals that some of our friends here seem to be having problems with. Juna Gu is a case in point and to my mind the poor lad's not actually had Best Brown no.2 to review. I agree with him that the Lakeland florals are a difficult genre for some to come to terms with in order to extract the yummy tobacco flavours, but I promise him and the rest of you that BB no.2 is definitely NOT a Lakeland Floral...its a gentle sweet and fresh buttery flavoured flake. Anyone who gets the Lakeland Floral has been sold the wrong baccy.

So my friends....read the reviews that match creamy, sweet, buttery flavours and you'll be reading about BB no.2. The others are I know not wot :-)

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrT999 (318)	2013-10-20		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

First up, yes, there is some sort of essence used in this. However, I don't believe it is any sort of floral or herbal essence or combination of them, so I wouldn't really call this a 'Lakeland' in the sense that Grasmere (foral) or Ennerdale (floral & herbal) are. Looking over all the comments, I wonder is the idea of it being a light rum might not be correct. I also wonder if most GH base tobaccos aren't produced in some way that give some smokers a mouthfeel that they identify as 'soapy' even when there aren't any extra flavors added. (Or perhaps I am just too used to Lakelands now.)

In any event, this is a nice slow-burning flake, the combination of VA, Burley, and whatever flavor it might be making it a somewhat complex easy-smoking mixture.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TallPuffO'Burley (633)	2012-05-29		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable

My first experience with anything Gawith and I am impressed. In fact, I don't think I have finished any tin as quick as the 50g I purchased from P&C. I will definitely need to buy much more and in bulk.

As to Lakeland/floral/soapy, there is back and forth as to whether this blend contains any. I am by no means an expert, but I must add that I tasted something that definitely resembled what I frequently see described as Lakeland essence. I enjoyed it, and started noticing that the same scents that I was smelling did smell an awful lot like perfumes of ederly women who happened to cross my path, so I can certainly now see why these aromatic toppings are often compared to these perfumes and soaps.

Aside from this the base tobaccos (Virginia and Burley) were more than evident in this and the topping/essence was light and by no means overwhelmed the leaf. The virginia and burley really mesh together to give a nutty sweetness that plays well with the sugary/floral aroma. This is also a very forgiving flake to smoke. You can puff away like a choo choo and barely heat up the bowl; nary a chance of a tongue bite with this one.

I am anxious to immerse myself in Gawith and think I will start with an order today.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TK Pipe (101)	2011-03-14		Mild	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

Best Brown. #2 … Once you get by the third world tin presentation, you will be rewarded with a smooth, mild and bite free smoke, with outstanding burn characteristics, complimented with a unique mild bar soap, aroma and taste, with few familiar Virginia flavors present. After so many years of smoking the likes of McClelland, C/D and a splash of Danish Virginias, I have come to expect a certain flavor profile from my Virginias, not found in this blend, this stuff is to strange for my taste.

But in all fairness, just because I don't like anchovies on my pizza, does not mean you won't, some love it that way, and some will love Best Brown #2, just not me. Guess there right, you can't teach an old dog anything new.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrumsAndBeer (217)	2014-07-31		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a great medium bodied smoke. The flavor is slightly sweet & spicy with a prominent tangy quality to it. There is an added top dressing but I really had to search for it and when compared to most other G&H offerings, it is very subdued. The flavoring is listed as “floral essences” but I get more of a honeyed-citrus scent with just a smidgen of a nondescript floral note. Regardless, this blend is a superb Virginia/Burley with nice flavor and exceptional balance. It also burns wonderfully. As the flavors develop, I get hints of a grassy oat-like flavor along with a spiciness that gradually builds adding a bit of welcomed strength & complexity.

Very flavorful, high quality, cool smoking and about the most straight-forward natural tasting tobacco of the G&H flakes I have tried. Excellent stuff.

Pipe Used: Briar, but mostly cob

Age When Smoked: 3

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2007-10-04		Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Reading through the previous review notes I am amazed at the inconsistancy of some of the observations and ratings on this very good blend.

Some reviewers are too ready to stigmatise all G&H blends as being floral.This is certainly not the case here, or I am smoking a different blend!!

I have been smoking Best Brown #2 for several years now, I find it a great mild smoke,it is one of my everyday regulars.Easy to rub out and takes a light almost immediately without too much fuss.

I have no hesitation in giving it four stars and a highly recommended.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SteelCowboy (685)	2014-03-16		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Best Brown #2 doesn’t offer the strong aromatic scents of many of the other Lake District blends. But that’s not to say that it isn’t noticeable. But I would disagree with those that say this has strong or overpowering Lakeland flavors. The only way that would be the case would be if the other Lakeland style blends haven’t been explored by that person. Although I still would recommend a pipe dedicated to Lakelands. The flavor offers a bit of brown sugar along with the light Lakeland flavor. As others have noted, there isn’t much of the usual floral or soapy flavor, but something I can’t put my finger on. The Virginias are of good quality and the burley adds a nice backbone to the blend. I like it new, and I have smoked it up to about three years old and prefer it aged. I prefer to cut it into small pieces as that offers the best flavor for me. There is a bit of strength here too, but not as much as other blends in this genre. I would put it more at the medium level. As mentioned, BB2 cellars very well too. On a tip from a well-known blender, I have also tried it with just a pinch of Latakia and it makes for a totally different, but satisfying blend too.

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Similar Blends: Pipes and Cigars.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2010-07-27		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The current unavailability of Samuel Gawith flakes, my favorites, has sent me on a tour of Gawith & Hoggarth tobaccos. Since all my old English favorites from the last century (Rattray's et al.) have moved to the continent and been changed beyond recognition, I try to smoke only tobaccos actually manufactured in Britain. At first I was put off by the descriptions (floral notes, soapy aroma, etc.), but I decided to give them a try. Maybe I've gotten accustomed to the tastes now, and in any case I'm sticking to the ones that are not listed with lots of added flavors, but I'm finding them to be excellent tobaccos. My favorite so far is this Best Brown #2. This is a bit of a surprise to me, because I normally don't like Burley, but here it adds some depth to the smoke, and perfectly balances the sharpness of the Virginia. As with Sam Gawith's products, the quality of the leaf is superb. The initial hit of floral note on light-up quickly dissipates, and the flake burns slowly and coolly down to the end. For my taste, these flakes were made for corncobs, and it's made me rediscover the virtues of corncobs. The moisture content is perfect for me straight from the baggie, and I just fold and stuff the flakes right in.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2009-06-28		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This GH offering is far superior to SGs Best Brown and a more exciting melange of virginia and burley flavours. Try as you might, there is no bite with this one - under any circumstances.

Wonderful 'tang' and natural sweetness with no toppings and a reasonable nicotine injection. Could suit as an all-day smoke, but I prefer as an evening smoke when relaxing and have the time to nose the full flavours.

Bought this one loose and in bulk and it needs some drying. Top grade stuff and definetely recommended.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RCUSElder (244)	2006-05-12		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This blend is definitiely a classic G&H blend.

Appearance and Tin Aroma: It looks like a fine stoved VA flake, smells like one too, but also smells like a fine English style tea!

Packing and Lighting: It comes in a rectangular tin and is in a plastic bag within the tin. It is pretty moist upon opening. I recommend rubbing out a bowlfull and letting dry out a bit before packing. Once dried out a little, 2-3 lights max.

Initial Flavor: Classic Lakeland flavor, but restrained compared to the other offerrings by the same blender. Cool, but flavorful.

Mid-Bowl: The scenting does not build up in strength, the Va is in the forefront, the Burley is for body, sometimes I get a flavor hint from it. Round, mellow, gets ino the zone easily.

Bottom of Bowl: Strength does not build up too much, this is definitely a all-day medium blend. Ends with a dry, fluffy-grey ash. Leaves a clean taste in your mouth, not sooty at all.

Overall: This is a classic scented VA/Burley flake. Not something I smoke regularly, but will keep on hand for an ocaisional treat. This will flavor your briar, you have been warned! I have pipes dedicated for Light, Medium, and Full scented blends. This one falls into the "light-scented" category. Give it a try, it is a high quality offering from master blenders G&H, enjoy...

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ranger (79)	2005-07-10		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I've had two of these tins stashed away for two years now and thought it was time to sample one. I don't know what some of the other reviewers were sampling, but I find very little of the typical odors or toppings that can be associated with G & H or SG tobaccos. Also, this is much better than Brown Flake in my opinion. A delicate flake that needs little rubbing out and very little airing. The burn was perfect and the taste was incredible. Sweet, sugary with good body, and I mean sweet from good Virginia tobaccos, very minimal from toppings. I've been rotating Cairo and King Eider lately and BB#2 is a nice change of pace

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jorge Soler (203)	2015-07-24		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

The tin note has a very strong smell of vinegar. The Enerdale/Lakeland essence is quite apparent and it does not wane during your smoke, so be advised. The combination of virginia and burley tobaccos is quite balanced, but the virginia is more in the foreground. This leaves the burley tobacco lurking in the background adding body to this blend. I find this Lakeland pretty much in line with the rest of GH's tobaccos in this range, but the burley content will set it apart. As an overall achievement, I'd say it is not as sweet or earthy as other virginia based tobaccos, but the burley's floral essence is missing somehow. These flakes will need/benefit from some drying time and can be smoked as broken flake tobacco, so don't rub it all out for a better smoking experience. A very slow burner, this tobacco is. As for the nicotine content, I'd say is rather medium, but it will feel stronger the more you smoke. This goes for the taste too: it really buids up as you go past every quarter of your bowl. The room note might feel soapy at times, but I'd say is wife friendly and not overpowering at all. I think this could be a good mid day/early morning choice for those pipe smokers who like stronger blends throughout the day. And if you like most of the Lakelands, you should not miss it, so give it a go.

Edit1: this baccy is ticking so many boxes, so I am going to upgrade to 4 stars.

Edit2 (16/05/2016): I have been smoking this tobacco for quite some time now and I think I have a better appreciation of it at this point in time. This is perhaps one of the best GH blends that I ever had, so I decided to put it in my rotation. My only complaint, and this will apply to Brown Flake too, is that it does not seem to evolve as nicely as other blends I am familiar with the more you progress with your smoke. The first two quarters of your bowl are quite remarkable with its subdued sweetness and the casing hitting you here and there, but as you move into the last quarter, it sort of becomes acrid and somehow looses its cool. Not that you cannot profit from any of it, but not as enjoyable as the beginning of your bowl. As for the rest, this tobacco wants to be sipped at a very low pace and you will probably enjoy it the most keeping its moist content. Do not worry about relighting every now and then as it will burn through and through if your smoking cadence does not cloy it in the end. If you smoke it properly, you will end up with nothing but white ashes in your bowl.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2010-07-20		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Hey man this dark brown flake is really satisying to me and nice nicotine hit with out being intestinally challenging. After I got the tin opened I stuck my nose in the bag and received a good hearty burley kind of aroma. I rubbed out the flake and found the moisture level just right for lighting immediately with out needing to let it dry some. I did put the remaining flakes into a jar as the tin didin't seem to keep a tight enough closure.

I have to say this is a classy blend. Not too heavy but nice enough for that late just before retiring smoke. A strong THREE star rating for sure.

8/27/2010: In my previous review I was noting on BB#2 from a tin. Today I want to say the I just recieved BB#2 in bulk. Upon opening my package I immediately broke up some of the flake and had a smoke right away as I was seriously anticipating having BB#2 around again. I was treated with a nice full wholesome smoke and what surprised me is that the taste and room note reminded me of a sample of McQuaid Plug! Now I don't want to steer anyone away from this blend by mentioning that it only 'reminded' me of a plug tobacco. I know that there are people that shy away from plug at just the idea of it. This is ONLY my humble untrained observation. BB#2 is a great blend and I recommend it to anyone who indulges in briar. Also I feel it necessary to say that just becasue it reminded me of plug it did not leave a ghost in my pipe. I fired 'er up in my large bowl Nording pipe only a couple months old and it faired very well. I'm going to give the bulk BB#2 a FOUR STAR t this point!

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	eamonclever (48)	2009-04-23		Medium	Very Mild	Full	Pleasant

if I get it I smoke it! I love brown virginia flake tobaccos and this one is a good example how different people smoking the same tobacco might taste it´s amplitude. There is a long story with lakeland tobaccos due to flavouring, meaning this is all about soap. This is rubbish and shows to me that most of the pipesmokers don´t even take their time to smoke a good bowl with excitement and slowly. If they do, they might taste that what they think to be soapy might become a taste made of hay and flowers. Especially #2 is a good example of rich tobacco. I would not mind if most of the reviewers downgrade a bad tobacco because of its taste, but I don´t accept it with this one. It is not a question of good and bad, it is just the taste question which starts the argumentation, but it still is a tobacco of high quality. It has a medium strength an is not a nicotine bomb, but you get a good quantity of this stuff right away. I recommend it to all pipesmokers who are fond of tobacco at first and who are anxious and willing to even taste more different aromas than the sweet danish type.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipe4ever (204)	2008-11-13		Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Good tobacco quality but unfortunately the taste is extremely soapy for my liking, I simply cant enjoy the lakeland soapiness.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PiedPiper1010 (16)	2019-02-19		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

The more I smoke the tobaccos of G & H, the less I want to smoke anything else. As I write this review, I have a bowl filled with this wonderful flake. This blend has wondeful sweetness to it, I presume from the topping, in addition to the Virginias. If there is Lakeland used in this blend it does not stand out as much as some of the other blends that it is used on. The burley tobacco provides a pleasant nuttiness and very subtle hay note, the typical earthiness and natural sugar typical from high quality Virginia tobacco. Like all Gawith and Hoggarth blends, flakes or ropes, the tobacco is of the highest quality available. There is no bite, no harshness and could very easily be an all day smoke. To sum it up...this is a medium strength, middle of the road tobacco, with notes of brown sugar, overtones of earth and some hay; with nuances of chocolate, and dates. There is a very subtle floral note to this blend as well, that I am noticing mid bowl. Burns nicely, with a small amount of drying time needed, but not too much. This is not for the latakia lover as there is none here to rave about. This is a much different take on a VA/BUR blend because of the sweetness not typically found in such blends. This has become one of my favorites from G & H and I will be ordering more the next time around. A must try for those of you who are looking for something that will keep you satisfied at any time of the day or night. The tobacco will burn down to a fine white ash leaving no dottle in the bowl with very little moisture.

Pipe Used: Petersons

Age When Smoked: Fresh

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stefanos (222)	2018-04-16		Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Long and thick flakes of differing hues of brown with quite a few crystals formed on them. The tobacco I receive was in a condition ready to smoke straight away.

Earthy and bready/yeasty Virginias cut with some nutty Burley and spiced with an almost imperceptible Lakeland aroma at first which adds a higher note. As the smoke progresses the more I realized the scenting. It has a mildly ‘sharp’, even grassy, overall taste and I do not mean this in a bad way. It tastes like natural tobacco and quite aged at that. Sweetness is there and it also feels natural. Smokes well and cool to a fine grey ash with no bite.

I find that Best Brown no.2 has more flavor than strength which I find only mild to medium. So I do not find it completely satisfying in the nicotine department – but some may like lighter tobaccos in strength. Room note is a little cigaretty.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CherchezLaghost (52)	2017-07-23		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

The first 2 oz or so of this blend that i smoked, i was firmly in the "no lakeland essence added" camp. I would have said, with certainty, that only a very slight molasses/brown sugar flavor was added to this delicious virginia. However, after not touching anything but mb virginia no.1 for a few weeks, i return to it, and upon first light i can say that there is definitively an incredibly subtle floral note here...it may even be residual upon three machinery or presses used, but it is there. And it is lovely. Its so subtle as to be missed if one has been smoking any lakelands in the previous days.

Ok. Now to the blend. BB#2 is an absolutely 1st rate flake from GH. I am a fan of the house in general, and i must say that if one wants to try out a very natural offering in this style, you could do much worse than bb2. The flakes are moist, and benefit from drying time. I almost never have the patience, and it smokes well as is too. I prefer to fully rub this one out, contrary to my typical flake preparation, because the flakes are so dense that a full rubbing doesnt seem to change the burn or flavor much. The flavor is a rich, smooth, sweet aged virginia, with bready sweet notes. Think confectioners sugar. Very sweet, but balanced by deep tobacco flavor. The floral notes are most prominent upon initial lighting, and seem to recede quickly, or rather to soften into a vague herbal spice. I taste the Virginias most prominently, but the burley is present throughout and lends a nutty, earthy flavor and a depth of body to the smoke. A superbly well integrated flavor characterizes the entire bowl. Burns exceeding slowly with absolutely no chance of bite. Is right in the sweet spot for me where depth, flavor, and nicotine intersect for an all day smoke. I am finishing up my first purchase of this, 6 ozs, of which i smoked 2 upon purchase and the remainder up to just over a year from when i received it. I will be purchasing much more to cellar. I greatly enjoy it, and while i dont smoke it every day, i do reach gor it several times weekly. Medium level of nicotine. Highly recommended. I could see lovers of viginias or aromatics very much enjoying this vlend, though it is a very high quality blend that offers far more than a typical aromatic.

Pipe Used: Cobs, meerschaums, briar

Age When Smoked: New to 1 year

Purchased From: PipesandCigars.com

Similar Blends: SG best brown, though i much prefer bb2.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2016-01-12		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

One for the Burley fan. This is a super solid Virginia/Burley mix, a little less strong than SG's Kendal Cream so it smokes better for me in the morning. The flakes are folded and packed in plastic in the tin, and they've got some early signs of bloom on them even though I haven't done any aging. They are also quite tightly pressed, so I don't even bother trying to rub the blend out, opting for a loose pack and light.

Early on, Best Brown #2 smokes almost a little too sweet for me, but by the middle of the bowl it's calmed down and at the end it is pure heaven. It smells like chocolate in the air, sometimes earning appreciative comments from the crowd.

Funny thing is this isn't my pick for G&H's best brown, that would be Brown Flake u/s. But I'm not primarily a Va/Bur smoker, someone who is might fall in love with this blend quick.

It's another one with classic reviews, too! All over the map, like a Rorschach test, with one gentleman even speculating about how often or not G&H cleans their gear!

Pipe Used: basket pipe

Age When Smoked: freshies

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2015-06-26		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

One of only a few Lakeland blends that I like. This one seems to have an additional flavor that I can't quite identify. Almost like rum, maybe it is rum. The VaBur underlying these flavors is of high quality and I wouldn't mind smoking it by itself. It's pretty much about the added flavors though and I find them to be very sweet and tasty.

Medium in body. Medium to full in taste. Flavoring is medium. Needs a little drying time.

Pipe Used: MM Country Gentleman, Diplomat Apple, Mark Twain

Age When Smoked: fresh bulk

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tabaco (112)	2013-09-28		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Some folks adore the Lakeland essence, I for one abhor it. And really I should've anticipated as much. Mind you the tin was a gift from a well intentioned gift/contribution from a newer member of our garage pipe/cigar/homebrew club. He's still apprenticing in the dark arts of briar lore.

Overall an okay smoke which occasionally peeps out from the casing, if you concentrate.

I don't care for the heavy ghost in the pipe for about 5 bowls or so, and the Sunlight detergent thing does not float my boat at all. Anyway, one of the other chaps liked it a tad more than the rest of us so he adopted the tin; thankfully.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Smoke_Ring (158)	2013-07-24		Very Strong	Very Strong	Overwhelming	Overwhelming

Best Brown #2 [Lakeland Flavor];

Star Rating = 2.0;

Rating Scores - 10 is the Best and 0 is the Worst;

Pouch Note = 6;

Room Note = 6;

Flavor = 6;

Bite = 6;

Burn = 6;

After Taste = 6;

Raw Score = 36;

Rated Percentage = 60%;

Comment = Smooth, Very Strong, has the Famous Lakeland Floral Flavor, Wife complained about the nasty Aroma. You have heard the old saying “Go smell the roses”, well this is you chance to “Go smoke the roses”. Some people report that they actually like the Lakeland Floral Flavor, but my guess is most people are going to hate this Blend. I was very disappointed with this Gawith Hoggarth & Co. best seller.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	joeljcj2 (13)	2013-03-01		Very Mild	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

i am currently smoking from a 500g bulk box of gh-bb2 which i sealed 2 yrs ago. it is quite wonderful. mild and gentle, smoothed out nicely by burley,nice fresh virginia taste, chocolate? a wee bit lakeland-floral but not excessive. i usually smoke sam gawith best brown, and this is more different than i had remembered---more floral certainly, maybe even smoother. it burns beautifully, cool right down to a fine white powder. i do not taste either perique or any latakia or that family.... no spice. it is remarkably consistent from the start right now to the dottle. ( eh- a little sharp at the dottle but what isn't?). this makes a fine tobacco when aged like this. i wish i had aged more of it.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2012-08-16		Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I'm with my Engish friend who say's he's never found a soap that smells like tobacco. I too get tired of hearing "soapy taste".But I guess if that is what it tastes like to you...very well then. This is very fine tobacco that I think doesn't get enough respect. Do you like Stonehaven? Well here you are! Just with an almond and floral essence that makes it even more delectable. Smooth, mild, nutty,sweet and well rounded. This tobacco can be an all day smoke. Goes great with a coffee.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2012-06-24		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I have tried every Gawith Hogarth blend and I have settled on this as the most "reliable". I keep going back to it. Our American friends detect soap in some of these blends - I have never found a soap that smells like a Gawith Hogarth tobacco, or vice-versa,just wonderful aromas of floral and almond and so on in the tobaccos. There should be a separate website to discuss American soap, I would like to sample some and see if it smells like a pipe tobacco! (Pipe smoker of ten years), age 61. Available in UK in specialist shops only, my nearest is 20 miles away in Durham City, or I buy from many retailers on the internet.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Budman (25)	2010-10-10		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I really do not understand some of the reviewers complaining about the floral and soapiness. This blend does not have that at all.

This is just a great old fashioned Burley and Virginia flake. In my opinion the sweetness is merely from the high quality Virginia used and not a topping.

No need to reinvent the wheel here.

Rub it out, let it dry some and smoke it.

Highly recommended.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2010-03-03		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I love the taste of a good virginia, but usually can't smoke them because they bite me so badly. This one is tolerable, if I take it very slow. It reminds me of Rum Flake, but it obviously has a higher virginia content as it burns a good deal hotter.

This definitely does have a light floral topping, but is the lightest I have experienced in this genre. If this is too heavy for you, don't smoke lakelands.

I gently puff this in grp 5 bowls, rubbed out just a bit, and it is creamy and smooth, always wanting to follow up with another bowl. If I have any criticism, it would be it lacks a heavy nicotine hit.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lancelot Gobbo (25)	2007-06-11		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

My stock of Best Brown #2 is now nearly two years old and I visited it again recently. I'm so glad that I did! The Germolene-antiseptic cream scent is much milder, to the extent that if a pipe is packed and left for an hour before lighting it is hard to notice. The tobacco now has a rich 'tang' on the tongue and palate without much tendency to bite. Truly delicious!

Edit 13 June 09: This flake continues to grow in my estimation. Rich, strong tobacco with just the combination of flavours and scents that make the whole process worthwhile. It is one of the few tobaccos that would make me happy if I could have no other for the rest of my days.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2005-02-10		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I suspect the previous reviewer ended up with one of this flake's topped cousins. Best Brown #2 is most definitely an unscented offering from G&H, in my opinion any lingering odours are from packaging and not from the making of this fine virigina flake.

Admittedly, there are more complex VA offerings out there, there are stronger, there are sweeter, but for BB#2 has the right combination of a good strong flavour, reliable burning and taste characteristics and it's not too strong, sweet or anything else.

If I want a light, sweet VA flake I'll go to McConnell's Scottish Flake or Glengarry Flake. If I want something that's dark and strong in the way of VA I'll turn to one of the ropes maybe. But if I want something I can puff away on when out walking in the daytime (my favourite time to smoke flakes - just stuff them in the bowl and the breeze and the slow-burning characteristics of un-rubbed flake cancel each other out) and enjoy a reliable and consistent smoke.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stan (179)	2004-05-19		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I had to wait several weeks and try a several times for this new blend to be posted, and other reviewers have beat me to a punch. Nevermind, after two full tins in a large bent Don Carlos, this is a good, trusty, but full Lakeland flake, almost all natural in my book.

I too like G&H flakes, including Brown Flake and Rum Flake. Best Brown no. 2 is very close to G&H's Brown flake (unscented) in my book, but not quite as robust in my opinion. Don't confuse the two, as some have. I don't really compare it much at all to the floral scented flakes (Ennerdale, Brown flake aromatic, or SG Best Brown, etc.), which have varying degrees of extra sweetness added.

This is just a tad, and I mean tad lighter than the full bodied G&H's Brown flake. It may have more portion of virginia than burley than in Brown flake, and has just a hint of sweetness more so.

Overall it starts creamy, builds by mid-bowl to full, and ends nice and round-like. Its sweetness may be just from the sweet virginias added. Any scenting is musty and minimal. It is earthy but a little sweet nonetheless. (It is not sweet in the sense of SG's Kendal Cream Flake.) It is not a light smoke by any means.

It smokes dry and steady. Easy to rub out (I do just a little). It feels like a good cigar in body (but no cigar leaf is added). It leaves a strong room aroma.

I can compare it most to Germain's Brown flake, but it is fuller than that (with a touch of sweetness). It also has some similarities to University flake but is fuller and better in my opinion.

I don't know whether I like Germain's Brown Flake(which can be smoked more as it is not as full), G&H's Brown flake unscented (which is even more robust), or this variation better (the mid-full ground). They are all variations on a theme of earthy, fuller flakes. Still less full than darker flakes. Highly recommended to fuller side flake lovers, va. or burley or both, but a little milder than most dark flakes. Not necessarily for those who prefer lighter or sweet golden virginia flakes.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pounder 5000 (178)	2004-05-18		Medium	Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Finally! I have been waiting for some time to be able to review this tobacco and the wait is over. This is an incredible tobaccco from G&H. Rum flake is an all time favorite. They pulled off using a buttery rich burley to tame a nice sugary VA better than any others so far. Now I love the casing used in Rum Flake ( Maple sugar, rum, and a light smattering of the Lakeland florals in the bvack ground). But sometimes it seemed a bit too sweet. Enter Best Brown #2. This phenomenal flake is almost identical to Rum Flake minus the sweet topping. It's got the same musty richness with absolutely no tongue bite. This could be an all dayer for sure! It seems to smoke better in a larger bowl. The ending isn't real intense and it smokes all the way down to a dry ash. The Lakeland floral perfume is lightly used here, and you either love it or hate it. This flake does need some drying out time. A winner!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	hrhf (38)	2021-05-05		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

This one is another fine flake from the master tobacconists of Gawith Hoggarth.

It smokes cool and smooth using the old fold ‘n stuff. Requires slightly more than the usual amount of relights.

This one has an unusual, kind of musty, smoky-spiciness lurking in the background. Call me crazy, but I think this blend has a little whisper of latakia. It’s not mentioned, I know. But as anyone with any substantial time as a pipe smoker knows, that doesn’t mean anything.

Maybe I’m wrong. It HAS happened.

Otherwise, this is a great little vabur. I really think GH sources my favorite Virginias, and they’re pretty forward here.

Like most Gawith Hoggarth tobacco, this one smokes down to an almost completely dry ash, with usually little dottle.

Will I buy this again? Maybe, but not as long as better GH offerings are on the table. I prefer both Brown Flake Aromatic and Unscented to this.

I would however absolutely recommend it to anyone unfamiliar with GH as a decent intro to the brand. The Lakeland essence is minimal here.

Or, quite possibly, I’ve become such a regular GH smoker, I no longer detect it in lighter applications.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: New stock

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JP Pipe (4)	2020-02-22		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

For a while I've wanted to try this blend. Finally had the chance when I got some from my pipe-club (Sherlock Holmes Pipe Club of Boston). Overall it's a fine blend but I find it monochromatic. For me, it has a main citrus note that pervades the smoke. It's smooth for the most part but has little depth. I'm not a fan of burley so can't speak to the quality of that element -- but though it adds body it seems to add little depth or flavor. It's a nice blend -- but only nice, so I won't be pursuing it. If you seek a consistent blend all day this might be your cup of tea, but for me it's just "meh" as my nephew would say. Seekers of nuance or depth in a VA blend might wish to look elsewhere.

Pipe Used: Frey billiard, S. bang (old), Ashton billiard

Age When Smoked: 1-2 yrs

Purchased From: gift

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cargohold (14)	2019-12-13		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

After having spent many years smoking hundreds of bowls of Gawith's Best Brown Flake, I was introduced to this blend of Virginias and Burleys by G and H. Being a confirmed Virginia flake man I thought, "how good can this stuff be with just added burley"? Well I was underestimating the fullness that the burley this flake brings to the party, while maintaining the rich sweet flavor of the Virginias I found the bit of Burley weed to be a great compliment to the overall flavor profile, the Lakeland presence was definitely noticeable but in a very slight way, kind of like Stonehenge flake but without the chocolate notes present in that top notch Pease flake. Very tasty stuff.

Pipe Used: Savinelli Punto, Comoy blue riband

Age When Smoked: 2018

Purchased From: Cargohold

Similar Blends: Pease Stonehenge.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	canvas (337)	2019-09-12		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

The initial bag opening delivers a sick pungent rotting-thing smell, but once some fresh air bellowed in, things settled back to a familiar hay-in-the-barn Virginia affair with some added sugar spray. The flake also has a burnt musty smell. Ultimately this manure air freshener is what I would expect from a quality Burley/Virginia blend.

The batch was quite fresh and need some definite dry time to tame the moist bits I just rubbed out. The first few puffs put some hair on my chest, then midway I got used to it. Maybe I was just off, but it I found it too be stronger than most reviewers and was I wishing I still had the Missouri Meerschaum Missouri Pride (Burley/Virginia) I had earlier in the week.

Because of its strength, the taste was overwhelming and I didn't experience the natural tobacco taste I was hoping for (nor any Lakeland soap I enjoy), just a lot of pipe beef. It's likely it would develop if I aged the batch, but who has time for that.

This is the kind of thing folks with grease on their hands may enjoy, but this tenderfoot is simply too fragile.

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BingCrosby (162)	2018-11-10		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Lakeland.. a joining of two words.. but the complexity that can happen between 2 worlds.. oddly, one could never mistake a gawith hogarth from a sam gawith.. and yet they are neighbors and frequently get grouped together (common relative aside very different).. brown #2 is a 'light lakeland'.. and although I do like it very much.. I'm fighting grandma to find the tobacco.. thankfully it is worth it.. wonderful marriage of virginia and burly.. and fortunately the botanical garden does blend well with the leaf.. I just gotta be in the right mood.. when I am in the mood it kicks up to 4 stars.. Added note. . This was the bulk version.. gonna try the tinned soon as there seems to be some dispute about the essence.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Goose55 (33)	2018-11-04		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Here in November of 2018, with every vendor out of stock of GH Brown Flake (unscented), I finally opened a 2-year-old tin of BB No. 2. After the 1st bowl, it became quite good. Consistently very sweet blend. When Sam Gawith & Gawith Hoggarth blends came back in stock in the U.S. I purchased a 500 gram box of this and will buy again.

Pipe Used: Viprati Oom Paul, Large bent Tinsky Poker

Age When Smoked: 2 years

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars

Similar Blends: Samuel Gawith Best Brown and Gawith Hoggarth Brown Flake Unscented..

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lazarus77 (91)	2017-03-24		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Another premium tobacco from Gawith Hoggarth. Beautiful looking flakes, wonderful smell, easy to pack, burns easily, no tongue bite or harshness. Can be all day smoke. Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: mysmokingshop.co.uk

Similar Blends: Best brown flakes.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Theosprey247 (73)	2017-01-26		Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

Nice looking flakes that come in a baggie. Needs a little drying time (nothing like SG blends) or be prepared to relight your pipe several times. But once it gets going.....Oh boy is it great. Gently smoking this blend gives a sweetness like no other blend I've tried before. The burleys provide the backbone and the floral topping hangs in the background and is barely noticeable. In fact, sometimes I don't even notice it. Highly recommended.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	hawky454 (107)	2016-12-02		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Sweet and sour, tangy and delicious!

This is yet another one from GH&Co that just ticks all the right boxes. To be honest, this one took me awhile to figure out and really fall for. I remember tasting a light Lakeland topping when I first tasted this blend but I don't pick up on that anymore, at all. I'm assuming I just got used to the topping and I just don't taste it anymore. This is a very sweet, tangy Virginia blend. The leaf had some obvious age on it when I got it as I could see the beautiful sugar crystals (bloom) covering the flakes. I also pick up that vinegar, ketchup type smell that you will sometimes find with well aged, fermented VA's. When I say this blend is sweet, I mean it is sweeeeet. Not in the overly topped aromatic kind of way but in the all natural tobacco kind of way. I'm sure I'm picking up on some of the casing in this tobacco but overall it tastes just like a natural tobacco and it's absolutely wonderful! This one isn't too strong in the nic dept but it's strong enough to satisfy my needs and I'm a proud nicotine addict. What we have here is another winner from the GH&Co house and I rate it as an absolutely essential blend for the experienced pipe smoker, their tobaccos make me wish I were a Brit.

Pipe Used: Stanwell, Stanwell and Stanwell

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Past Master (20)	2015-11-01		Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

Tastes like soap. (Hmm. My original three word review was rejected, because it must be at least 25 words in length. So, let me add some words to this review.) Let's see. How's this? This tobacco, unlike any of the other many, many dozens that I have tried and smoked over the years, TASTES LIKE SOAP. There. That oughta do it.

Pipe Used: Two different Petersons

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Major on-line pipe & tobacco retailer.

Similar Blends: Lifebouy, or maybe Camay, but stronger than Ivory., Sorry. I don't mean to sound like a smart-aleck. But, all I can think of when I smoke this is, "Soap shavings." It is amazing. I've never experienced this before. Has anyone else found the taste of this stuff to be like soap?, I just read through some of the other reviews of Best Brown #2, and I discovered that 20 other reviewers used the words "soap" and/or "soapy" to describe this tobacco. So, apparently I am not imagining things..

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	22yrsonthepipe (22)	2014-12-16		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I'd like to clear something up. BB#2 is not a floral or soapy tobacco. However occasionally you'll get a tin which is tainted by whatever was processed before it. BB#2 seems to be the only GH tin that has this problem. Most of the time BB#2 is just plain straight untopped tobacco with that vinegarish tang to it which is just a natural byproduct of fermented baccy.

Out of about 8 tins, I have had 2 'tainted' tins, which have a really nice violet/lavender thing going on. I prefer the tainted stuff myself and in fact I only order it in the hopes that it will be, because I only have access to the tinned GH stuff and none of those have the lakeland florals. The tainted stuff gets 4 stars. The usual unscented BB#2 is very high quality but actually quite boring without the floral, and is what I am rating.

I agree with the reviewer who said it's like bob's choc without the choc.

I find it strange that people detect 'floral' toppings or 'soap' in Ennerdale or Rum flake. Ennerdale tastes like almonds and citrus fruits (like european pretzel) and rum flake tastes like....rum. I constantly see people referring to Ennerdale as the 'quintessential' lakeland floral/soap when it has no floral/perfume toppings whatsoever. None of the Samuel Gawith tins have it either - except arguably Kendal Cream Flake. I just put it down to lack of experience. If you've ever tried Condor, you'll know what 'lakeland soap' is without a shadow of a doubt.

My theory is that what people are describing as 'soapy' or floral is just the effect of GH using natural essential oils and real plants as opposed to artificial flavorings. Case in point GH top black cherry uses real cherries - I even got a whole cherry stone in one of my tins! Bob's choc has actual cocoa. SG 1792 has bits of fibre in it from the tonquin beans. People are not used to it, and they are expecting soap, so they taste soap. It's a psychological thing.

Pipe Used: Briar/Meer

Age When Smoked: New

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2010-04-13		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I'd give this four stars except I get some tongue bite from it. It is definitely lighter than FVF, definitely a bit more interesting than BBF in terms of additional Lakeland flavors but lighter in body than BBF. Nice stuff, but I prefer Brown Flake Unscented which seems to have a bit more oomph.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2009-12-16		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I bought this and some Ennerdale Flake at the same time. Someone please tell me where I'm going wrong. I just cannot get into them. This one I like the best of the two. My local tobacconist stocks G&H and not a lot else but I couldn't find any of the ones on this site that get good reviews, they only seem to stock a weird bunch of horrible looking/sounding ones (Peaches and Cream?!). I'm not into aromatics, so I eventually persuaded them to get in some Best Brown #2 and I was the first into the 500g box (and it said Best Brown #2 on the box in the same kind of design as the tin shown above). It took a week to dry this out to acceptable levels. Fresh out of the box it is sooo pungent!! Like a bottle of HP sauce or something. And that didn't even begin to quieten down until at least 10 days of being in a tin on a radiator and even then it was still a strong smell and I just cannot believe that there is not casing involved here (hence Strong Flavouring). And again it seems just a little contrived or artificial to me. This was doubly so when I actually tried to smoke the stuff, especially without any drying, the wet runoff from the pipe which I inadvertently tasted (a lot of moisture) tasted so chemically and ridiculously sweet that I just cannot believe it is just from tobacco. Maybe I'm wrong. And as for no tongue bite?! I couldn't get it to stop biting no matter how slowly I took it. At the very end of my packet after 2 weeks I got a couple of decent smokes out of it, so I guess that it really needs some cellaring and drying to get the best out of it, but then it loses a lot of it's weight - I noticed that it didn't last very long; a lot less time than my Samual Gawiths FVF. Kept leaving me with a soured and ruined pallete every time. I didn't get on with it. However I may try again, maybe when the tub is nearly empty at the tobacconists and the stuff has had time to sit a bit.

UPDATE: 1st May 2010 So, I bought some more from the same batch that I tried first, after it had been sat on the shelf for 5 months and I am glad I did, as now the flake is much drier and the casing much more in the background. Smokes very well, no bite anymore and a good flavour.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2009-04-21		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

this is the only lakeland flake that i enjoy, i guess cause i don't get the soapy aftertaste from best brown #2. this blend is very much like rum flake only less soapy and much easier to dry out.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2008-06-25		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Update 8/10/11 This is the second of the six samples I picked up on a recent trip. I'm only changing the taste rating, up to Medium. I want to reiterate that the tin aroma here is the best I've ever smelled. I know that seems like judging a book by its cover. But I can't get over that. The taste varies a lot, and I can never get a handle on it. This one is not amazing in any particular way, but it gets under your skin.

Original Review 6/25/08 This is my fourth stop on the Lakeland tour.

First, some interesting differences between this flake (and I presume all G&H flakes) and Samuel Gawith flakes. BB2 came in flakes that were much more consistent in thickness, etc. than the SG flakes so far. Also, the texture/consistency was more brittle or flaky, whereas SG flakes are more, say, leathery. Perhaps because of this, BB2 dried out much faster. Finally, I got more smokes out of BB2, about 20, than the SG flakes (15 or so). We'll see if these differences hold when I smoke Rum Flake later.

When I opened this tin, I was greeted by the best tin aroma I have ever smelled. I just couldn't keep my nose out of it. I took one flake out, rubbed it out and dried it for maybe 30 minutes, loaded it and fired it up. At that time the flavor and aroma was very sweet, with notes of rum, licorice, chocolate, and such. I wondered if I had gotten Rum Flake or Bob's Chocolate by mistake. Even when still a bit wet, this is still a nice smoke.

Sometimes I would smoke this for about 15 minutes, then leave the pipe smoldering for 20 minutes, and then relight. Those were the best smokes. The burley flavor came through very well, salty and earthy.

Toward the end of the tin, this became salty and vegetal in flavor, with perhaps a bit of spiciness. Not great but still good.

Very consistent and user-friendly, this one, also in comparison to the SG flakes. However, I don't mind some trouble and for my money I'll still smoke BBF and FVF. If I were looking for a bargain, all-day smoke, I'd buy this by the pound.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2004-05-18		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I tried a tin of this at the encouragement of Solar Pons, with whom I have shared a fondness for Lake District tobacco.

Upon opening the tin, I was greeted by an aroma that I can only describe as a combination of leather, florals and spice. The flake strip are medium brown in color with some darker veins and a smattering of birds-eye. The strips are fairly this and need little rubbing out.

When first lit, I was a little put off by the presence of florals (often used in European style tobaccos). I have never liked the taste of florals (read - soap) but in BB#2, these soon give way to a rich and almost creamy smoke. Mind you that the florals never go away, they just seem to dance along in the background of high quality VA and Rich Burley.

I would not consider this a "sweet/sugary" smoking experience, but BB#2 does have a good sugar content that comes from top notch VA. The Burley is dense and satisfying. I would recommend this. I WILL be buying more.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pikey Mick (49)	2022-02-23		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Strong

Tin note reminds me of an old library, leather, well handled pages, wood and a faint whiff of rubber. I rubbed it out and gave it a modest amount of drying time. Lit easily enough and the various leaves are composed well with a nice balance between rich Virginia and nutty, woody burley. The flavour improves for me in the second third of the bowl where I found the burley making its presence felt. I get no Lakeland essence from this at all. In my humble opinion Brown Flake Aromatic is the King of the Lakelands and although this is quite a satisfying smoke it doesn't hold a candle to the King. I will put some in the cellar and revisit it at some point but it's not one I will use in regular rotation. The final third of the bowl is very cigar like and it leaves an OK aftertaste in the mouth. Room note isn't all that to be honest, a bit too ashy for me so I prefer to smoke it outdoors. A good solid VaBur if that's what floats your boat, I'll stick with my Brown Flake Aromatic as I love the way the Rose Geranium gives the flake a much more playful and enjoyable experience.

Pipe Used: Falcon, Molina billiard

Purchased From: GQ

Similar Blends: Best Brown Flake.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lord Guyrox (24)	2021-12-18		Mild	Strong	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Unnoticeable

I don't know what's been going on at G & H over the last few years but things are not boding well. I smoked BB #2 about 3 years ago and was absolutely charmed by the 4 YO tin I had smoked. The tobacco had good body while remaining smooth. The Virginias and Burleys were top notch and I could not make out any casing. I smoked my way through the tin in record time. This time the tin I recently opened had aged for two years. Right away, things went downhill. The tin note was of strong vinegar with an underlying, typical Lakeland casing. The olfactory experience was off putting, to say the least. Not because of the Lakeland essence: I am a big fan of several G & H mixtures but the last few tins of BB #2 did not have an added essence. The smoking was worse. Already on the dry side, the bloody thing would not burn. So I decided to wait another week. The flakes had become bone dry. But behold, it would still not burn properly. And, of course, the tobacco was absolutely bland or almost bland and procured some tongue bite. As for the nicotine, it seemed to be MIA. I courageously sustained 3 pipefuls before deciding to mix it with some MB Modern Virginia and see if it will help or make it worse. I, like everyone else, work hard for my money and I detest to throw out any tobacco without at least having tried a combo with another tobacco in the hope of avoiding having to dispatch it. Back to the review. Again, an overdose of PG seems to be the answer to everything and anything. Unfortunately, it will not make an unsuitable batch of flakes any better, quite the contrary. It's very sad when I get more satisfaction and enjoyment with a pouch of Borkum Riff Original than with a reputable house such as G & H. I hope this was a 'bad' tin because I had ordered about 15 at the time it became available. I have this curious feeling that another mixture (sub-standard) was thrown in this tin. Not BB #2. In summary: Need I say I do not recommend this tobacco?

Pipe Used: Various Dunhills

Age When Smoked: 2 YO

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stah (153)	2021-06-03		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

The tobacco has the color of stained oak. The slicing of the plates from the bag is sloppy and crumbly, like most Gavich flakes. The tobacco is quite moist, which affects the smoking. It smells of molasses with a slight scent of wormwood, a bit of saltiness from dried fish, the classic earthy scent of Burley and a bready hint of Virginia. Lakeland doesn't overpower the overall scent, but rather sets the stage for this complex flavor. It took me quite a while to identify all the nuances. I know that some people don't like the smell of molasses (treacle). I can recommend drying the tobacco outdoors, the base of the odor is easily weathered.

Tobacco is well kneaded due to the crumbly cut. When smoking, the tobacco gives a flavor of nutty, sweet molasses with flour - very similar to the taste of gingerbread. As you smoke it adds the typical dry earthiness of Burley and a grassy hint of Virginia. The strength is medium. It doesn't bite, but there is some harshness in the smoke - not even harshness, but more of a roughness. The blend burns slowly and cool, sometimes fading. Smoking is moist if you do not dry the tobacco - so I recommend a pipe with a filter. The aftertaste is pretty much the same as smoking. The smoke is medium dense, but fairly persistent in flavor.

Overall, I'm not a fan of Burley-based blends, but I find this tobacco quite good. can only be faulted for quality control, where the tobacco in the bag can be overly moist or flavorful.

Pipe Used: Peterson Irish Writers

Age When Smoked: 2016

Purchased From: Online

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BrokenRecord (124)	2021-05-06		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The mixture of Gawith’s fantastic Virginia leaf with African burley makes for a tasty smoke. The VA tobaccos are earthy, sweet and grassy, while the burley adds depth and fullness to the smoke. The sugar casing is mildly applied and accentuates the flavors of the VA leaf. There is some residue Lakeland essence: I would put it as a one or a two on a Lakeland 0-10 sauce scale. I can taste the ghost for a smoke or two afterwards in my pipes dedicated to VA blends. Overall, Best Brown #2 is almost perfection and easily recommendable.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tomcat (227)	2020-06-07		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Unnoticeable

There is a little “lakeland essence “ in the taste of Best Brown #2 . I did not like the floral topping at all at first but I am kinda getting used to it somewhat but still don’t love it . There is very little in this blend . The Virginias are hay and citrus right off with a little baked bread . The Burley is very subtle but adds a little nuttiness and body . A citrus sweetness is the main flavor to me overall. I get no soapiness from the lakeland at all . It is a decent smoke . 2 1/2 to 3 star blend . Don’t regret trying it but wouldn’t buy it again .

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Voyaging (80)	2019-10-17		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

(In relatively cold weather, 6-8℃) I've had this tin for about a year, but the Gawith & Hoggarth and Sam Gawith blends seem to be pre-aged. This came in long flakes and there were tons of crystals and plume on the flakes. It had a touch of something floral in the smell, but I don't think this is intended to be one of their scented tobaccos. It mostly had a sweet, tangy, wine-like, earthy, and slightly leathery smell.

The flakes are moist and could definitely use some drying to aid the combustion. I've tried it without drying and I had to re-light many times.

The taste was somewhat tangy and sweet, developing into some bready flavors and wine-like tangy flavors. It unfolds into a round, creamy, nutty taste with some woody (sometimes cigarish) accents and floral accents. It's really good in its unique way. The only negative with this blend was the moisture out of the tin. I also think it does ghost briar pipes.

Strength is mild to medium, and so is the taste. The nicotine was mild, for me.

I recommend this to Virginia lovers, Burley lovers, and Lakeland lovers. Also, anyone that likes an easy-going blend, and you don't mind prepping. It could be an all-day blend for someone that likes mild strength and flavor. It's totally enjoyable. Three stars.

Pipe Used: Billiard, canadian, lovat

Age When Smoked: Unknown

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Knightsmoker (218)	2018-04-23		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The VA's lead the way here. They have a slight grassy note, along with toasted grain, a little yeasty at times and a dark fruit note and a very light sweet spicy note as well. The burley is earthy, with a slightly nutty nuance here and there. The topping is sweet and adds to the overall sweetness of the blend. The lakeland essence has been added but with a light hand. It comes forward when lighting, and at subsequent relights but otherwise remains in the background. The nic is closer to mild-med and there is a creaminess to the smoke. Overall, I would place the total strength at the bottom end of med. Needs a few relights but worth the effort. Smoked slowly all these nuances can be tasted smoked quickly the lakeland essence seems to be more forward. This would be a great entry into the lakeland genre for those who are hesitant to try them.

Age When Smoked: 6 months

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WillardFan (90)	2018-04-14		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This flake is a bit thicker than something like a Dunhill Flake. This being the case, I cut this up cube style, and gravity feed it into a medium sized billiard. A light tamp, and you're off to the races. For an unscented blend, I definitely taste the Lakeland Essence. Not too heavy, but it's there. Very smooth, lots of smoke. Nic hit is mild. It's an excellent flake, but I would love it even more, without the floral taste. Probably won't order this one again...

Pipe Used: Captain Black Yeoman

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	gladi8tor96 (143)	2017-01-30		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

Beautiful multicolored flake in the bag. Perfect moisture content. When sniffed I get earthy, bready, dark and deep fermentation (slightly sweet), with hints of slight tang. Didn't detect any floral notes right from the bag.

I was gifted this from my local tobacco shop during a pipe night. I just now have been well enough to give it a go. Rubs out easily and packs just fine. Took a bit of lights to get it going, but easy to keep lit (rubbed out) with slight tamping.

I'm not too familiar with burley and burley va mixtures. I've been trying my hand at them recently to get a grasp of what they are about. I think this is a fine example of what can happen when you blend those two tobaccos together. The smoke is plentiful and not too harsh. The VA's provide a very slight sweetness and tang while the Burley gives some nuttiness and maybe even some dark fruit notes, but ever so lightly. The two flavors balance each other nicely and create quite an enjoyable and satisfying smoke. The floral notes are there, but not in great supply. Just a hint here or there, which is fine by me as I don't care for too much floral of soap essence.

This is an interesting smoke and is quite enjoyable. It's probably not one I'll invest much money or time into, but it was a great experience along the way. I would recommend this blend for sure as it is high quality and satisfying.

Pipe Used: Corn Cob Anse

Age When Smoked: Unknown

Purchased From: Gifted

Similar Blends: Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. - Rum Flake.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mawnan Smiff (28)	2016-08-03		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

One of the beauties of buying loose tobacco is that one can buy a small 25g sampler pack if one is unsure whether they will like the blend or not. Thus my last telephone order from Mysmokingshop.com consisted of several, one of which was G&H Best Brown #2.

Upon opening up the bag I was presented with a few mid brown straggly flakes that look somewhat 'distressed'. I stuck my nose in there expecting the famous/infamous Lakeland essence but was quite surprised to find it was not there at all! What was there was a gentle aroma of slightly sweet hay with perhaps a little tartness. It reminded me of the smell of Cabbie's Mixture but there the similarity ended.

I rubbed out the rather long damaged flakes on a tray to allow some air drying time. Once rubbed out the shreds were still somewhat chunky, not the finer cut that I prefer so therefore perhaps not best in a small bowled pipe.

I loaded up a Hardcastle bent bulldog, filled up a glass of cold Bishop's Finger and sat back to see how I fared with this new to me blend.

Lighting was surprisingly easy considering the coarseness of the cut and that it had only aired for a few minutes. As in the packet note, the actual smoke was devoid of any Lakeland essence which was nice. I don't actually mind it if its lightly applied but would rather not have it, preferring to taste pure tobacco instead. This like most blends is best sipped, then the sweet flavours come to the fore though here I did find them to be rather muted but still very pleasurable. Hints of molasses and honey came through with just a smidgen of spiciness thrown in for good measure.

I found this to be a pleasantly mild blend but one that was lacking something. I can't quite put my finger on it but it wasn't as 'wholesome' as some reviews had led me to believe it would be. Perhaps I might have better luck with Sam Gawith's Best Brown Flake which I believe is a straight Virginia.

Writing this review I am smoking it after much air drying in a large Captain Black egg and still find it to be lacking. Not quite bland but rather dull.

Certainly not a completely duff smoke, many folks love the stuff but for this smoker one that I may try again but wouldn't be too bothered if I never saw it again.

Pipe Used: Hardcastle bent bulldog/Captain Black egg.

Age When Smoked: Fresh.

Purchased From: Mysmokingshop.com

Similar Blends: A very mild version of Cabbie's Mixture (though of course without the perique) though more in the aroma than the taste..

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Corvus (36)	2015-12-14		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

A nice tin with a white painted lid applied with a muted but stately sticker. The flakes are long in the English style and of moderate thickness but shaggy and stringy, folded over and stored in plastic. The flakes are primarily chocolate brown with a mat look and have a textured feel, almost gritty. Coming in the bag is important because it is more easily climate controlled. It is somewhat moist and benefits from a little drying. Tin note is straight straw, not even as rich as a fresher hay.

The topping on this muted and lovely. Is it an aromatic? I think by some standards it is, but is not an American or Danish style aro. I think Gawith calls it scented, and that is probably most apt. It is floral, and I tend to pick out rose hips most, but it is fundamentally a Lakeland flavor. It is present throughout the bowl and doesn't fade but never overpowers. The exception is on the match when it is pretty strong. I must note that the first tin was much more strongly flavored especially when first opened but did diminish over time. Please note I slayed Ennerdale on its indiscriminate overuse of flavoring and that is Lakeland plus almond and other components.

This is a VaBur, but burley predominates. This includes the burley hit on the light, that almost sulfurous burst that I have compared to some root vegetables, and the drying and ashy taste lower in the bowl and even a carrot-like quality, but never unpleasant. You also get the dry cool smokes and great tobacco taste. The Va supplies a bit of constant low-level sweetness that very infrequently manifests a quick burst of buttery goodness. Overall a really nice marriage of flavors that really do meld. My final impression is of a soft smoke, velvety, but never weak. Finishes as a talc-like gray ash.

More realistically a 3.5 star blend that is subject to increase, but one that also has some inconsistencies in terms of flavoring. This I think is a virtue in general. Large scale productions are based on consistency over quality, dependent on processing a tobacco within an inch of its life or over. Artisan and hand crafted products can't achieve that and should not.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: Fresh

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	L'Italiano (233)	2015-10-23		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable

My review is about the bulk version. Best Brown # 2 is a tasty semi – aromatic mixture. Certainly in this blend there is flavoring, and you can notice the particular seasoning typical of Gawith, Hoggarth & Co, a sort of identification mark. Really I don’t know if it is “floral essences” but it is good. Ultimately this tobacco is an interesting Virginia Burley mixture slightly flavored. In my personal system rating (from 1 to 10) my score is 9 and three stars.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Virginia lover (218)	2015-04-09		Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Nice meaty flakes that smell of uncased Burley in the pouch (bulk). The first time, this tobacco was quite moist and the defining taste was of a flowery perfume and a soapy finish. After a few weeks of drying, the burning qualities are highly improved and a light Burley nuttiness appears while the aforementioned taste of perfume comes and goes. It packs and burns perfectly, no bite and no gurgling, this tobacco would be perfect if it were unscented.

Virginia lover

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2014-04-10		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

An interesting flake, this offering! Sadly, at first, the tin was unsealed - I verify each tin individually upon receiving my tobacco orders - but it was not dry. So I believe my impressions will be accurate. BB # 2 reminds me a bit of the Drum RYO in terms of aroma, but with the sweetness much more up front and the spiciness very faint. I detect no Lakeland aroma whatsoever (probably beacuse the tin was unsealed?), this tobacco does not seem to have even a mini topping. This is confirmed at the lighting up, combustion and characteristics of the ashes stages. The burning is even, the tobacco slightly sweet with a definitive tobacco flavour. BB # 2 is not complex, but it is still a good tobacco. The nicotine level is lower than Ennerdale Flake.

If you're in the mood for a nice pure tobacco flavour moment, this one could be for you.

Pipe Used: Morta, Ropp and Corn Cob

Age When Smoked: Freshly purchased

Purchased From: 4noggins.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2012-04-20		Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Lakeland in BB#2 ? I think not my friend, or so very little as to be undetected by me. Nope, all I get is a pleasant Burley Virginia smoke of medium strength. no bite

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Burner (8)	2012-03-02		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

This is a fine Virginia burley flake with a subtle hint of Lakeland flavouring. I cannot understand the people who give this wonderful tobacco a one star review simply because they don't like Lakeland flavouring – Which in this is so subtle as to make it scarcely noticeable. Simply saying I don't like it is only a review of your personal proclivities not the tobacco itself. This is a solid three star blend which smokes cool and without bite, steamtrain puffing not withstanding. The Virginia base is rounded out nicely by the burley and the medium nicotine level combined with the luxurious texture of the smoke never fails to satisfy. If VABUR's are your thing and you aren't prejudiced against the merest hint of Lakeland flavouring, like some of the Pavlovian one star reviewers here, you will love this stuff.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2011-11-23		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

All in all, not a bad tobacco. It is presented in nice dark flakes with a light floral note in the tin. Upon smoking, the light floral note comes through which I rather liked. My biggest complaint is that the flavor just isn't bold enough for me and becomes boring after awhile. Other than that it is a decent flake deserving two and a half stars in my book.

Soli Deo gloria!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CoolPilot (69)	2011-10-27		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Lakeland flavour is disgusting. What a bad idea to buy GH tobacco tins, this is the second one I must give away after the Rum Flake.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Vladlon (7)	2011-06-24		Mild	Mild	Mild	Tolerable

So far not so good - hot burning (burley?), not so pleasant aroma...maybe this is a pipe, but i didn't think so....still keep trying...

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Big (321)	2011-06-16		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

look, I don't like "Lakeland Floral" and this has it. The tobacco is of good quality but in my opinion is ruined by the "soap" flavor. I admit that the "LF" is very light, but even when I eat one piece of caviar it still tastes like rotten fish to me!

12/16/2014- I've been reading some of the reviews about " is there or isn't there" " Lakeland Floral " in this blend . I'm convinced that it's all dependent on when your particular tin was run. Reviewer " 22yrsonthepipe " states that he got it in two of eight tins. This clearly indicates that there is a quality control problem of not fully cleaning the equipment after a "Lakeland run". Buyer Beware !

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	lvpipe (13)	2008-12-16		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I smoked this for the first time from a bulk package over a year old. Moisture level was perfect, it rubbed out nicely. The soapy taste is present especially at first, not in a bad way. Midbowl that is reduced. I usually smoke unflavored virginias but found this a very nice change without getting into aromatics. I can see where this could be an all day smoke for people who like a medium bodied Va. The tobacco flavor is predominant throughout making it a good change of pace or crossover for aromatic smokers.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2005-07-28		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Well, I must agree that this tobacco can taste like both soap and flowers, but there is a way to make it very delicious.

I first tried this tobacco a few months ago when my buddy came to visit me from Knoxville. (we like to share our tobacco findings) Anyway, when I tried this blend the first time I was in love with it. I must admit that I was suffering from a few libations, but never the less this was a great smoke with only a hint of something "Zesty" in it. In fact, I thought it was so great that I purchased a pound of it, which is a big investment for me as I normally favor Latakia blends. Upon recieveing my order I jumped right into my pound of beautifully cut leaf and started smoking. WOW! It tastes like someone just jammed a bar of Dove in my mouth and then lit it on fire. It did burn well, but this is not the tobacco that I remember.

Upon talking to my friend again he told me that he let his tin age in his car under the sun, in effect restoving the tobacco. Being as I didn't want to waste a pound of tobacco I figured I would try something. I placed all of the tobacco in a glass jar, covered it up and threw it into the oven at aboout 175 degrees for about 2 hours. After that I took the lid off and left it in for about another 10 minutes to get rid of some of the moisture. The next day... WOW AGAIN! This tobacco rocks! The soap and flowers taste is almost nonexistant, and the natural tobacco taste was great.

The only reason that I don't rate this tobacco higher is because before it was restoved it made me feel like I was going to vomit daffodils and dove. But if you're into tobacco chemestry give it a try.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tavancleave (11)	2005-07-01		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I decided to try a tin of Best Brown #2 because it looked lonely on the shelf at the store. I recalled seeing the tin a number of times so I decided that I would give the good old college try. (I'm still a Master's Candidate.) In the car on the way home I opened the tin so I could smell my investment. To my suprise it smelled like soap and flowers. After I got home I loaded up my Large Ben Wade and started smoking. The tobacco burned well and did not bite my tongue. From beginning to the end it tasted like soap and flowers. I was dissapointed but I wasn't ready to give up on it yet so I threw it in the car based on a suggestion of Steve Monjure and other well seasoned pipe smokers. After spending about a week in the car I tried it again. The soap and flowers taste had become a side note to the delicious tobacco.

It's worth a shot but beware the soap and flower taste will be in your pipe for the next 5 or 6 bowls.

Taste buds love it....your pipe will pay.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2005-02-11		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This is fine quality tobacco in easy to handle, very thin flakes.

Good lighting and burning characteristics, perhaps better in this regard than Germain's Brown Flake (which tends to burn moist and require frequent flickers) and Samuel Gawith's Best Brown (my favorite in this genre).

It is also easy to get copious flavor from gentle puffing. This is not always true for McClelland and Rattray Virginia Flakes.

I do not like the flavor additives common to Lakeland tobacco, which are frequently compared to perfume, potpourri, and air freshener. I found the hard to identify aromatics present with Best Brown #2. I just could not shake the taste of the fragrance and get to solid tobacco notes.

I enjoyed it best when another pipster smoked it while I abstained. The side stream aroma smelled like well-fermented, aged tobacco.

Along with Bob's Chocolate Flake and Rum Flake, BB2 will be donated to a friend. A tin of Balkan Mixture awaits my fiery trial. Since several local tobacconist stock G&H, I hope I find a blend to please.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2005-01-19		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

This basically tastes like Bob?s Chocolate Flake sans the chocolate (though Bob purports to add a dash of latakia to his flake). A nice Virginia/Burley flake, but with a fairly strong ?floral? or soapy taste that I just don?t care for. For those who like flakes and don?t mind the soapiness, I?m sure this will be enjoyable. Might also be a good introduction to natural flakes for those who prefer light aromatics.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BostonPipe (84)	2004-07-19		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Back to my "Gawith" run. After taking a short break from all the Gawith blends I have smoking and trying over the past several months, I decided to start back with this particular blend as a first time try.

Well, I was delighted. I grabbed a tin of this to try on a three-hour car ride to Connecticut to visit family over the weekend. What a nice trip down and back!

Easy pack in a old Charatan favorite, a couple of false-lights and tamps and I was off to some excellent, mesmerizing downtime.

The taste runs consistent the length of the bowl. It is a wonderful sweet, (throughout the background), smoke, creamy in texture and it burns to a coarse grey-white ash.

If I have any complaints, it is a tad moist when first opened. Next time I will air it out a little bit before smoking.

A very satisfying experience, highly recommend.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sir John Moore (29)	2023-02-15		Mild to Medium	Very Strong	Medium	Very Strong

There is a tobacco for everyone and this one isnt for me. As Lakeland scent goes this is as much as I ever want to get. It ghosted a Mason jar, let that sink in. The blend is quality, deep and rich presented in uniform flakes. The topping ruins it for me though.

Pipe Used: Cob

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: GQ

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JaWiBr (568)	2022-11-05		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Package note of stewed fruit, raisin and vinegar. Tobacco flakes are a marbled brown and fairly dense, will require some prep either cubing or rubbing out. Tobacco is moist and may need some drying. Burns is slow with a few relights. The strength is medium and nic is mild. Flavoring is very mild and inconsistent, with notes of slightly sweet and even slighter Lakeland. Taste is medium and mostly consistent, with notes of wood, earth, tart citrus and tart dark fruit, grassy floral and a little spicy on the retro. Virginia is leading with burley supporting and the flavoring hiding in the background. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is great too.

Pipe Used: Wally Frank Limited White Bar Sandblast 128

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: watchcitycigar.com

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	doc pipes (110)	2022-03-20		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

There is an earthy musty funk upon opening the tin. After rubbing out the long irregularly cut flakes, a sweet and somewhat sour aroma emerges. With further airing, the tin note takes on almost an Apple cider vinegar like smell. The acetic nature of the aroma brings back memories of McClelland’s Virginias. These flakes are fairly dark in color, and loaded with sugar crystals. There are notes of brown sugar and freshly baked bread. The smoke is thick, toasty, nutty, only vaguely grassy. At its best, this is reminiscent of hot buttered cinnamon raisin toast. There is a smooth mouth feel, and the smoke never gets bitter, even at the heel. This flake smokes wet even with prolonged dry time, yet refuses to bite, even when freight trained. A classic natural VABur. As good as this is, I don’t find myself getting particularly excited about smoking it. No Lakeland bleed over whatsoever.

Pipe Used: Numerous briars

Age When Smoked: Tin dated 8/24/21

Purchased From: SP

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