Tobaccos Samuel Gawith - Chocolate Flake (Kendal Mayor's Collection)

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3022)	2014-05-27		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

The chocolate topping is fairly light, and not present in every puff. It perks up some here and there, and pleasantly lingers when it does as it plays well with the tobaccos. The Cyprian Latakia is smokey, earthy, musty and woodsy sweet, and beefs up the blend without burying the other varietals. The Virginia offers grass and tart and tangy citrus, while the burley is mildly molasses sweet with a few nut, wood and earth notes in a lesser role than the Virginia. The strength and taste levels are medium. The nic-hit is just past the center of mild to medium. Won't bite, and has no harsh or dull moments. Has a few minute rough edges. A bit moist out of the tin, it does a little better when dried some. Burns a little slow, cool and clean with a smoothly consistent, mildly sweet and more savory flavor. Leaves some moisture in the bowl, and requires some relights. Has a lightly lingering, pleasant after taste and room note. It has enough strength to keep you interested while maintaining the ability to be an all day experience. It ought to appeal to those who smoke aromatics as well as non-aro smokers.

-JimInks

58 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-10-06		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Beautiful very dark brown flakes! Way too wet from the tin to keep lit but drying it out does change its flavor significantly. I enjoyed it both ways.

After smoking a tin of Bob's Chocolate Flake last year, I expected a similar batch of dryer sheet flavor from this one. I was dead wrong. Fresh from the tin, the chocolate flavor and aroma is more intense... that is to say, it's noticeable. The latakia takes a backseat and really only pops in on occasion, but it definitely enhances the experience. Moist, this smokes like a lightly flavored aromatic but the tobacco flavor overcomes the cocoa flavor. This experience was consistent down the bowl to the bottom.

Smoked very dry, this becomes a classic burley/virginia flake with a more prominent latakia taste... that is to say, the latakia is more noticeable, but nothing approaching an equal partner. The cocoa flavoring becomes more faint and appears as the same wisp that the latakia does when the tobacco is at tin moisture. Again, this experience is consistent down the bowl.

So this is actually two tobaccos depending on how dry it is smoked. I thoroughly enjoyed it both ways and, assuming SG tobaccos ever make it back to the U.S, I plan to stock up on it in bulk and store half dry and half moist. I found the lack of Lakeland florals in this one made it far superior to Bob's Chocolate Flake made by G&H. This one was more naturally flavorful but also a bit more chocolatey when moist. In other words, it did everything it's supposed to better than the G&H and also kept out the soapy flavor I abhor in Lakeland blends. Well done, SG!

52 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2004-07-22		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Just got in a few tins of the new Sam Gawith Chocolate Flake and after a couple of bowls I can say it is wonderful! Smells delicious in the tin. The very dark colored strips will need a bit of drying before rubbing out (if that is your preference.)

This tobacco offering produces thick, creamy smoke, so, you'll need to keep lots of pipe cleaners at the ready as the leaf does produce quite a bit of steam even when dried considerably. Rich tobacco flavor with hints of chocolate and a healthy dose of nicotine makes this blend delightfully savory.

I can detect a smidgen of Latakia as I smoke which compliments the other components perfectly. Beats the G&H version by a mile (IMO, of course.)

I believe I'll have the whole first tin smoked in record time!

37 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2012-12-30		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

First flake I've ever tried and, given the experience, won't be the last. After all, there's a certain charm to the ritual of preparing your tobacco, gathering your accessories and loading your pipe. Another two or three minutes is nothing to be worried over.

When you first open the tin, there's an air of fruit cake with the faintest hint of chocolate. Not a cloying, over-sweetened chocolate but not the other extreme of bitter cocoa.

The flakes are roughly a millimetre across and about 40mm long. Mine had endured a trip from the cold of the US winter to the heat of the Australian summer but had survived well. They're very sticky to the touch. Almost like a fruit cake steeping in a sticky mixture of booze before it's properly finished.

I rubbed mine out a fair degree as I'm more used to ready-rubbed mixtures but there were few larger pieces that needed a bit of a squeeze along between thumb and fingers. I left this on a saucer for about 15 minutes to help bring it down to a drier consistency as the stickiness I mentioned before remains a little despite rubbing out.

It loaded neatly into a bent dublin and a pre-light draw check gave less of the fruit and more of the chocolate that was apparent from the tin. Still a little more moist than I'd usually prefer but not unbearably so.

Lighting took a bit more than I've experienced in the past. A few waves of a soft flame and a mild tamp to get things ready and the real fun begins.

The smoke is cool all the way through the bowl; no acidic burning here. Although the Latakia in mixture is very subtly detectable if you concentrate, it never steps to the fore and allows the rich, nutty flavours of the Burley and sweetness of the Virginia be the main act. The chocolate flavour dances in and out with the Latakia to provide interest and contrast to the bulk of the blend which, I would think, would be as the blender intended. Despite a love of aromatics, I'd argue that this could be classed as more of a crossover blend. The tobacco is the foremost flavour with the chocolate providing a little "something extra" rather than wading in bold and brash and cloying.

It all burns down neatly with the tiniest amount of dottle and a medium grey ash in the bottom of the bowl with just a couple of relights needed. I think the next run will be rubbed out a little finer and maybe aired for half an hour just to remove the last bits of stickiness and reduce the relight requirements. Vitamin-N hit was there but quite mild and you won't be needing a full stomach to handle a bowl without feeling woozy.

The smell of my garage afterward (wife doesn't allow it in the house) was really very pleasant. This would really allow for those of us who enjoy a good dose of tobacco relaxation without the offensive mess of fumes that non-smokers would object to. None of the sharp tang of cigarettes or the earthiness of a cigar. Just a light, soft sweetness that sadly makes an exit after 30-60 minutes.

Overall, I'd rate this quite highly. A good, solid 3 - 3.5 out of 4. If you're looking for a Latakia bomb or strongly cased tobacco, this is not what you're looking for. If, on the other hand, you're in the mood for a decent tobacco that won't annoy others with the smell, allows for a good tobacco flavour without being sickly sweet and won't leave a syrupy mess in the briar, this could be just what you seek.

16 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SteelCowboy (685)	2011-10-21		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I am a big fan of GH's Bob's Chocolate Flake so I was quite interested in SG's Chocolate Flake. They are very different tobacco's in that I fully agree with Capt. in that this really is more of a cocoa flavor. Deeper, richer and less sweet than Bob's. Fresh from the tin I prefer this over my beloved Bob's, BUT....I am very much into aging my tobaccos (although I don't review aged blends unless noted) and I find that this blend doesn't age as well as BCF. I have smoked both with several years of age and to me Bob's wins hands down. So, if you want to enjoy an excellent chocolate flake, this one's the real deal. For me, when possible (rare these days for SG blends) I enjoy keeping a tin on hand. For aging, it's still Bob's for me. Recommended!

14 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Nicotiana_rustica (23)	2014-02-19		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Nice dark brown tobacco flakes; too wet from the tin to keep lit but drying it out does change its flavor significantly. Fresh from the tin, the chocolate flavor and aroma is intense. The latakia takes a backseat but it definitely enhances the experience.

Smoked very dry, this becomes a classic burley/virginia flake with a more prominent latakia taste... that is to say, the latakia is more noticeable, but nothing approaching an equal partner. The chocolate flavoring becomes more faint and appears as the same wisp that the latakia does when the tobacco is moist.

Well done, SG!

Purchased From: https://pipe-shop.net

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	doc'spipe (241)	2009-07-29		Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I have wanted to try GHs Bob's Chocolate Flake and SGs Chocolate Flake for a good while now.

As with Bob's Chocolate Flake, I was off-put by Sam's version of Lakeland florals - way too perfumy for me to taste and appreciate the tobaccos within. Actually, both made me a bit nauseous and it took a while for the aftertaste of both to leave my palate. Not a pleasant experience for me.

Moisture content of both was just about right for a flake, although SGs was the drier of the two and the easiest to pack, light, and keep lit. I did get a bit of a nicotine hit with SGs Chocolate Flake, but nothing noticed with Bob's.

I intend to keep the lids off both of my tins for about a month to see if it minimizes (I hope rids them) of the soapy/perfumy tastes that made smoking these blends so not enjoyable for me. 1 star.

UPDATE 4-20-10: I had a similar experience as with Bob's Chocolate Flake (see 4-20-10 update under that heading). Deciding to re-visit since my original review, time has allowed all but a trace of the Lakeland presence to vanish, leaving a tobacco that was smokeable - and enjoyable - for me. After smoking both chocolate blends, I tend to favor Bob's Chocolate Flake more so than Sam's version due to a more pronounced (yet not over the top) chocolate flavor present throughout the smoke. Can't taste chocolate at all in Sam's version. I can definitely taste the Latakia in this one as it was minimal with Bob's (I'm not a big fan of Latakia so this was just fine). Sam's Latakia adds a subtle background presence and is more dominating than with Bob's. The soapy presence in Sam's was very minimal in the tin aroma, and nil while smoking this time around. Both are high quality tobaccos and I can now appreciate the 3-4 star reviews each has garnered. While perhaps never becoming daily smokes for me, both are definitely worthy of weekly rotation; but if I purchase any new tins, I will need to let the Lakeland presence dissipate off long before I smoke either blend. Sam's dries out quicker which was ok. The flakes were almost crunchy, but laden with beautiful sugar crystals adding a subtle, non-cloying, sweetness.

UPDATE 2-18-21: Recently revisited. I think the Lakelands have been toned down a bit. Either that or I'm just used to them by now. All in all a very pleasant smoke..enjoying more than Bob's Chocolate Flake and raising to 4 stars.

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BigFatBloke (4)	2016-09-30		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Full	Pleasant

I bought this tobacco partly on a whim, partly as a continuation of my ongoing search for the tobacco to end all tobaccos. For General day-to-day smokes, I use Dunhill Nightcap. That's sorted the go-to end of the spectrum. Now I want something with room presence, flavour, and subtle nuances to savour. Sadly, this is not it. Upon opening the tin, the most delicious aroma of Belgian chocolate. Not just 'chocolate' but top quality, rich, slightly bitter, meltingly smooth chocolate from a chocolatier of distinction, supplier to the Crowned Heads of Europe. I could merrily sit and smell this stuff all evening. I did, in fact. Now the downsides. The flake is cut quite randomly, thickness-wise. Not really a 'downside' I suppose, but it makes drying out harder to judge, as you need to dry out some flakes more than others. The drying out.... oh yes, you do need to dry this out well. Direct from the tin, it is stickily moist to the point of being almost unlightable, and certainly not in a fit state to rub out. Gentle or firm rubbing, it just sticks together in chunks. So, after several hours of gentle drying out (made my boat smell like Willy Wonka's factory, but that's no bad place to be) I tried it in a deep bowled briar, first rubbed out, then with whole folded flake. Both proved hard to light, and impossible to keep lit. But that could be me, I'm still learning. Given the heavenly aroma from the tin, I was expecting a chocolate overload in my bowl. Disappointing. No discernible chocolate flavour at all. Not an unpleasant flavour, by any means, and not sickly sweet either. But chocolate? I finally found some chocolate, but that was in the aftertaste, an hour after smoking the tobacco. Don't get me wrong, this is not an unpleasant blend, by any means. I shall soldier on through the tin. But the quest for the all-time favourite must go on.

Pipe Used: Jean Claude bent briar

Age When Smoked: 6 months

Purchased From: Burkitt's of Hove, UK. An emporium of the highest quality

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Darth 69 (117)	2008-10-26		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I found this to be such an unrefined product from the prestigious Samuel Gawith company. It reminds me of my own adventurous failures in flavoring tobacco with liqueurs and such. In the tin the flakes are overly moist and need to be dried out. It has somewhat of an alcoholic aroma which I'm not sure is from the casing but suspect it may be a processing agent of a neutral spirit to preserve the tobacco (inhibit mold)as I have noticed with other Samuel blends, even english ones.

As others have stated, this isn't like smoking a chocolate bar, in other words those flavors don't come through the smoke but do add a deeper semisweet character more so to the burning aroma. I seemed to notice the vanilla component a little more than the cocoa. Flavor is rather mild, almost bland and undistingwished much of the time with occasions of more natural virginia character assserting itself momentarily. It is a cool smoke; Some small amount of burely being blended in along with as stated Latakia which I could not detect.

As I mentioned before with my own experimenting, anyone could make a facsimile by soaking a virginia flake like SG's Best Brown Flake with a chocolate liqueur and dry it out and that's about what you get wtih SG's Chocolate Flake; A total failure and waste of good leaf.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ynrozturk (62)	2019-07-27		Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

After trying Bob's Chocolate Flake by Gawith, Hoggarth & Co, I was really curious to try this because I never thought I would like Bob's Chocolate Flake, but I ended up loving it. And since I like Samuel Gawith flakes in general, I thought this would be fantastic.

It is and it isn't.

Don't come here expecting any sort of chocolate. I mean there are some nuances in there, but you really have to struggle to pick them up. Like quarks, the chocolate springs in and out of existence within seconds, it's really quite strange. But think of it like this. You go to a restaurant and order a huge platter of cheese nachos. What you get instead is a huge platter of nachos with just a few drops of cheese sprinkled here and there. About a 2% ratio I would say. Oh and there's latakia in this? I honestly couldn't detect any, that must surely be less than 5% as well.

All that said though, it's a good flake. It's your typical murky, woody Sam Gawith flake. Mine came with the perfect moisture which I found to be odd, but was pleasantly surprised. It smokes easy and cool, and the flavour is deep and satisfying. The virginia and burley's are obvious but like I said, if it didn't say that this blend had latakia here on this site, I never would have even thought about it.

I find it a bit odd because I was really hoping for a good balance of chocolate and tobacco flavour. Samuel Gawith knows how to make fantastic blends, obviously, and I guess I was hoping for something like Firedance Flake - a blend where you can really get the tobaccos and the berries that they used in that blend. But here it's pretty much tobacco full on. While not a bad thing, it's just not fit to be called "chocolate" flake in my opinion. The tin says Chocolate Flake, not "Maybe, once every 20 puffs, if you focus real hard, may get a whiff of the faintest chocolate you've ever had" flake.

Still high quality tobacco and enjoyable to smoke. Just don't come here expecting any sort of chocolate.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: No idea

Purchased From: Local tobacconist

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2076)	2017-10-08		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Samuel Gawith - Chocolate Flake.

I reviewed this years back and wanted to re-post.

Opening a tin reveals a set of flakes that are a little darker than medium brown, with yellow specks, there's an absence of the usual Sam' G' moisture issue, and the chocolate is easy to identify in the aroma.

I don't find it as 'sticky', or sweet, as Bob's Chocolate Flake. The chocolate adorns the tobaccos, but doesn't dominate the smoke. The Burley and Virginia are about equal in weight, with the Latakia giving a 'touch', rather than a blast of smokiness. The burn from C.F. couldn't be better, being even and cool. The actual smoke? Dense, thick, heavy, and bite-free.

Nicotine: medium. Room-note: Pleasant enough.

Easy, highly recommended:

Four stars.

Pipe Used: Levent Meer'

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: G.Q. Tobaccos

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-09-16		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Very Full	Tolerable to Strong

This is now my go to. It has an underlying cigar taste, with a subtle sweetness. I don't taste chocolate, but it lays on the palate like a milk chocolate/ cocoa. It makes me feel like I've just eaten an elegant desert; with some sweetness, but not in the diabetic sense :) The body is full. It doesn't always light well, even when dried. It has something to do with the packing rub and ultimate size of flake you fashion.

You know that this has been treated in some way, yet it is a tobacco taste of high quality. I am bummed out because it is hardly available anymore.

For those who are still reading, know I was led to this one through SG Full Virginia Flake, SG Kendal Cream, Bob's Chocoloate, Esoterica Aged Burley Flake. If you have experience with any of those, you will likely be very pleased. To me is hits the 93% mark.

My wife is annoyed by the room note. Also, once you puff this strenuously, you will smell like a tobacco factory She always says, "you smell like a pipe." Oh, the nicotine feels high. I also think for some reason the N is getting absorbed rapidly. Addictive. So take care.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2008-11-12		Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

A slight burst of latakia initially upon lighting is followed by a softly sweet mushroomy flavor. Throughout the first third, the taste, oddly, continues to be of spiced mushrooms. Although not as intense as Just for Him's Shortcut to Mushrooms blend, the flavor is still strong enough to stimulate my appetite, and might be worth smoking between a heavy dinner and dessert.

By the second third, the taste is of a musty English latakia blend, remarkable only for its resemblance to the flavor of the fruiting body of a fungus.

Finally, in the last third, this blend settles down into something fairly enjoyable in its oddness, though for me, it's just not worth the journey to get there. But I must admit the aftertaste of smoking a bowl of this blend is luscious.

This dense very dark brown long flake smokes dry, producing a decent quantity of smoke of a medium strength with medium flavor and body. But contrary to my expectations, this is not a particularly good choice to accompany a cup of strong coffee.

This review was made possible by generous samples from pipesandcigars.com of both this blend and Gawith, Hoggarth, & Co.'s Bob's Chocolate Flake smoked in a few different pipes.

Now, I need to go fix something to eat.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	marosi (70)	2008-09-21		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is another home run flake from Gawith. Some reviewers have commented on the lack of chocolate flavor, and they are correct. This is not "chocolate" in the typical aromatic sense, and if you buy it expecting to smoke a chocolate bar, you will be let down. What this is, to the contrary, is a very natural tobacco whose flavor just happens to be enhanced by the addition of chocolate.

This seems to be very similar to Best Brown Flake, with the addition of latakia and the aforementioned chocolate. This blend is extraordinary, and has quickly become one of my very favorites. I dry it a little from the tin after rubbing out, and pack it loosely. It lights easily and burns very coolly. With the most vigorous hard puffing it is only mildly hot, and when smoked patiently it never bites. If you are getting a hot smoke from this you really need to look at your packing and smoking techniques, because I assure you it is not the blend.

The flavor is singularly rich and enjoyable. The VA's provide the base, but in a very "Gawith" way. It is not tangy, bright, sweet, as is typical of VA blends. Rather, it is cool with a broad, deeply rich and slightly sweet. That, however, is only the beginning, as the subtle addition of latakia gives this blend a whole new level of flavor. The latakia blends perfectly with the chocolate. I would say the chocolate enhances the latakia flavor, so that you get an impossibly rich and sweet (but not in an aromatic, cased way) smoke with a subtle latakia flavor. The chocolate itself is only apparent by itself in the tin aroma, and is subtle there as well.

This is an extraordinary blend, and I would especially urge non-aromatic smokers to give this one a try.

=So I have had a pound of this in a savinelli humdor for years now, and it has morphed from very, very good to insanely, out of this world incredible. The flakes are now covered in sugars and the flavors have deepened and intensified while also becoming smoother. It also burns forever, a bowl of this rubbed out in a medium sized bowl will easily last an hour or more, and it never becomes hot or unpleasant. I once had an opportunity to smoke a VA flake that had been sitting unopened in my tobacconist's basement for more than 40 years, and it was one of the best smoking experiences ever. This is like that. If you have the patience a decade or more of aging does wonders for good virginias, and this is no exception. A truly singular experience.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mister Moo (12)	2008-05-02		Medium to Strong	Mild	Full	Tolerable

I have thought on this barely-aromatic as I was working thru my first tin and I am concluding this is some special gear; I really like this flake a lot. The flavor, the nature of the blend, has been hard for me to pin down so I drifted over to these reviews and read the words of others for inspiration and guidence. You know - plagerism.

The latakia this blend claims is almost invisible but, knowing it's there, I imagine it adds body and depth. Like other aspects of the blend, the latakia effect is key but suble.

The Virginia is rich and flavorful but shows itself with gently rounded edges and a just-muted brightness; no doubt this is a taming effect of the latakia.

Chocolate? I may not have ever guessed that's what's in it but not for the clever clue written on the top of the tin. Having mastered the obvious (in this case) I detect there is something else going on besides muted brightness and a touch of smokey depth - there is that hint of sweet and tar that completely absorbs my interest thru the second have of a bowl. Chocolate, if they say so.

I've never seen a flake that smokes this rich and feels so leathery but burns so easily. (If there is a touch of burley in this perhaps it rounds off the Virgina a bit more and makes this flake burn so nicely.) The first light is the hardest, and it isn't that hard. I've shredded it, crumbled it, mooshed it, folded and corkscrewed it into the bowl and it burns fine every time. I can't make it burn my tongue and it must take a pretty bad pack and some serious uber-puffen to overheat a bowl.

The tobacco has my idea of perfectly balanced elements, none of which control the flavor, but rather, all of which contribute to a new and unexpected conclusion. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ahmad Othman (51)	2022-08-15		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is one of those tobaccos that I regret smoking, not because it bad, on the contrary but because it is so delicious yet so rare to find that it is frustrating. It is by far one of the best tobaccos I have tried. Excellent tin note, well pressed flakes, rubs easily and packs nicely. It takes some work to get it to light well but once it does, no need to maintain it a lot. Its flavour profile is quite nice. Feels like having a cup of coffee with dark chocolate. The virginia play the dark, earthy coffee like notes and the hint of chocolate tops it up. Overall, if you can find it, get it. it is worth it

Pipe Used: Peterson Donegal Rocky XL02

Age When Smoked: Fresh tin

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: Mac Baren - Amphora Full Aroma.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Scottaylor (13)	2020-07-09		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I do love this tobacco! I have seen many a review that states this offering is too moist on opening but I have not found this to be so. I buy my supply from one of the largest on line suppliers in the UK so I am not receiving old stock but have always found it to be fine straight out of the tin. I have rubbed it out and used the fold and stuff method and have never had a problem with re-lights or burn. This is the tobacco responsible for my conversion to flake tobacco. I tried it on a whim and have never looked back! If you are looking for a full on chocolate aromatic hit then I would suggest that this is not for you..... However if you are looking for a well balanced, well behaved, cool smoking tobacco with a suggestion of chocolate then this might just be what you have been searching for. As for the sam versus Bob debate I have tried both and in MHO sam does win hands down.

Pipe Used: No name small bowl briar, chacom calabash

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: My smoking shop

Similar Blends: Bobs chocolate flake.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Briar Piper (89)	2018-12-01		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

This was the most boring Samuel Gawith product that I tried. I have smoked a lot of their products in bulk over the years, having long bouts with their navy flake, best brown, firedance. St. james etc.

There isn't much cholate to be found here, just the occasional whisper. Latakia is present but not enough to keep my interest. The rest of the tobacco is nothing to write home about either. Can get bitter if allowed to smoke too hot.

This might be your pick if you prefer a one note tobacco in which nothing really stands out, and in which the flavors are not very pronounced.

Pipe Used: cobs

Purchased From: Tinderbox

Similar Blends: Kendal cream deluxe flake..

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrumsAndBeer (217)	2016-06-12		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

The most disappointing thing about Sam Gawith's Chocolate Flake is that I found it harsh and disagreeable to my senses. I agree with reviewer anixi, smoking this also left me feeling unwell and it wasn’t for the nicotine. Anyway, whatever Gawith cased this with, as discreet as it may be, just doesn't agree with my constitution, so I'll make this short.

The tin note is fruity and sweet with a subtle trace of smoke from the Latakia. The room note was nice, the aftertaste not so much. Throughout the bowl, I got very subtle hints of the Latakia but could not detect the cocoa. Altogether, I found the flavor to be somewhat dull, which was also a disappointment. I expected a far deeper flavor, especially after listening to an interview with Bob Gregory who mentioned that Chocolate Flake is derived from Full Virginia Flake, which I love.

I can't recommend this flake, but considering the quality of the tobacco, I'll give it two stars because nothing that Sam Gawith produces, at least nothing that I have smoked yet, deserves my one star rating.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cajomu (80)	2016-04-11		Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Perfect flakes that light easily and burn evenly to a white ass. Exquisite aroma and flavor, but more of a VA/BUR than an aromatic. Not exactly chocolatey in taste, more like a medium strength Nicaraguan cigar, although with no cigar leaf characteristics (if that make sense). Moderate sweetness. No tongue bite. Latakia in the background (not a "smokey" tobacco). Moisture content a bit on the high side.

Better than GH's Bob's Chocolate Flake because it has almost none of the Lakeland floral essence that GH is known for, and because the SG flake has a more subtle and complex top note.

If allowed to dry completely, the top note flavors mostly disappear but the tobacco remains extremely tasty. So, as one other reviewer noted, it's like having two tobaccos in one.

I would put this tobacco on my Top 10 list, maybe even in the Top 5.

Pipe Used: Don Carlos Dublin

Age When Smoked: 3 years old

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars

Similar Blends: GH Bob's Chocolate Flake.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	KahveDelisi (73)	2012-01-21		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

EDIT (23.04.2012): A month of rest in an airtight tin does wonders on this. cheap alcohol and artificial cocoa gone to be replaced with milk chocolate taste. But unfortunately I was down to 2 flakes when this change occured. Last 2 flakes were phenomenal, so I'm indecisive if I should buy more and test. If that's the case then I'll have to change my rating.

Dr. Scott was right about this, it reminds me a bit of Kendal Cream Flake too, which I hate hate hate hate hate (I can go on and on and hate forever)

Lets insert some Samuel Gawith cliche here: inconsistent cut, wet wet wet, few tobacco lots of empty space, dense and dark flakes, hard to rub, relight relight relight but no delight

tin scent was alcohol mixed with something pretending cocoa + vanilla but no chocolate there. it's as if someone poured ultra cheap copy of tia maria liquor over it.

it's supposed to be lightly cased or a light aromatic but I had difficulties tasting the actual tobacco. Also ghosts your pipe big time. Latakia? No, there's fartakia in it but not latakia. even if there was, I guess at some point latakia couldn't bear this stinky cheap liquor odor and took left to its mom's house.

Somewhat recommended because additional balkan flake to it makes it palatable. Otherwise not recommended.

And strange enough, people compare SG- CF to GH-BCF but it has nothing to do with bob's chocolate flake which I had liked very much, even though lakeland flavors do not appeal to me.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	MAXYSDAD (9)	2008-12-23		Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Easy pack , easy smoke , easy on ya tongue , then !!! O. M .G - They are right -the soap smell!!it stinks in the tin of soap , even when it dissipates in the smoking process , once you latch onto the pre-smoke stink [ the pinky phenolic stuff @ school when you had short pants} it spoils the whole road show ,don,t be fooled by the room note- its the decoy{ as it is OK ] blec

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2008-06-05		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild	Unnoticeable

This Blend BITES in Every sense of the word. It Bites the tongue like a rabid wolverine, and it Bites as a Smoking Tobacco. I know I'm only a "Rookie" pipe smoker, but I'm arrogant enough to say "THERE IS NO CHOCOLATE!!!", at least to my damaged, undiscerning, unlearned palate. I decided to blend it half and half with a cut/shredded chocolate Phillies cigar blunt just to have some chocolate flavor. It killed the chocolate flavor of the shredded blunt. I like english blends, (love Squadron Leader) and arromatics (Lane's 1Q etc.) and naturals (C & D's) Serenity Series - Conmort) so I'm not completely Ignorant as to quality. Avoid this one, run backwards and throw rocks.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2004-12-11		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

12/11/04 - Chocolate Flake (new tin)

Tin: In the tin, Chocolate Flake lives up to its name - big, pretty, dark chocolate brown flakes in typical SG style. A whiff reveals a bit of cocoa aroma, with full virginias underneath. The flakes have an oily feel to them, somewhat like 1792 Flake. Because of this oiliness, it's a bit hard to judge the moisture level, but at least a bit of drying is appropriate.

Pack: Rubbed out, the tobacco still feels a bit stiff (the oiliness again). It packs into the bowl reasonably well, but I needed a lighter touch than usual to avoid overpacking.

Lighting/Burning: Chocolate Flake lights and burns somewhat reluctantly, regardless of how much I let it dry out. Even on the occasions that I got a good first light, the pipe would die out a bit more easily than I like. I wouldn't call smoking this a struggle, but it's definitely not the friendliest tobacco I've come across either.

Flavor: Without a doubt, this is a VA flake - not an aromatic or a Latakia. The flavor is reminiscent of SG's Full Virginia Flake - lots of dark, low notes with little spice or zing. It's smooth enough, and fairly bite-free as VA's go. The chocolate flavor is pleasant and subtle (much less aggressive than the tonquin in 1792, for example). I can't taste the Latakia at all, though I can see how it fits into the overall richness of the flavor. The flavor seems consistent from the top of the bowl to the bottom.

Pipe/Technique: Chocolate Flake worked the best in my usual flake pipes - group 3-4 pipes with a medium to narrow bowl. A looser-than-usual draw helps with the burning. I gave this a few tries as a unbroken or semi-broken flake, but this only made burning problems worse, so I went back to rubbed-out (as I always do - I'm not very good at flakes).

Overall: I was really excited about this flake after reading the reviews, but it just doesn't work for me. Like FVF, I find the flavor monotonous. But even more so, something about the flavor is just muddy - the parts don't fit together somehow. Add to this the difficulty in getting a good burn, and the tendency to bite if you end up struggling with the burn, and I can't really recommend this. It's clearly good quality tobacco, and the flavor obviously works for some people, but not for me. 2/4

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2004-07-19		Medium	Mild	Full	Pleasant

This is a new favorite of mine - a wonderful flake made up primarily of virginias, just enough latakia for some added body and a subtle, semi-sweet chocolate/cocoa flavoring. I prefer it to Bob's Chocolate Flake because it seems to have a greater depth of flavor without the slightly soapy/flowery aspect. Highly recommended.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	FilipPruncu (85)	2020-04-05		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Well, I loved how Samuel Gawith mixed latakia with vanilla casing/topping with the Perfection blend, so I thought this Chocolate Flake should be as interesting as the that one. Unfortunately, not as much. Of course, the components are also different, Perfection has latakia, oriental and virginia and CH Flake has burley, latakia and virginia, so burley is used instead of oriental in CH Flake. And the toppings are different, obviously.

First time I’ve smoked this it was a bit different. I was with a friend and he gave me to smoke a bowl of CH Flake. It was interesting, I liked it, and back then, I did feel a bit of latakia. I repeat: A BIT of latakia. I’m not into aromatics, but when latakia and the aromatic are blended by Samuel Gawith, they result into something amazing. But this one is not near Perfection. Anyway, my friend offered to give me some flakes to try at home.

Well, the flakes have been put into a hermetically sealed jar, kept away from light and at a constant temperature. It’s been months since I’ve put them there, months since I’ve had my first experience with this blend, so now I’ll write this review based only on these four flakes that I have. So this should definitely be taken into consideration.

I also have no idea about its age, since like most Sam. Gaw. codes easily come off from the tin and get lost, and the code came off from this tin as well.

With that said, lets open the tin!!

Dark chocolate! Yes, this is what I can perfectly detect from the opened tin. A dark chocolate smell, cocoa, some grassy notes but very subtle and some green wood.. The flakes are quite bright, showing a lot of virginia aaaand... sugar crystals! Lots of sugar crystals on these babies. Few parts of the flake are darker, which should be the latakia.

Folded flake:

The flakes were still very well hydrated, so I took a flake and let it dry for 30 minutes. I wanted to smoke it first as a folded flake.

I’m not an expert in smoking folded flakes, I usually rub them up, but this one was easy to fold and stuff the pipe. Problem was lighting it. I always have this problem with folded flakes. Maybe I don’t know how to fold them or how to fill my pipe with fold flake, but it takes some time for me to light it and keep it lit, no matter what flake tobacco we’re talking about. It’s not the tobacco’s fault here, it’s me.

However, after I finally lit up my tobacco and started drawing, I felt a cold smoke with just a bit of cocoa flavor and some virginia notes. It ended up burning very well, didn’t go off at all, wasn’t hard to keep it lit, the smoke was cold and smooth, but just very little taste. It’s not how I remembered it when I first smoked it months ago. It used to be stronger in taste, I could detect a bit of the latakia, the virginia and the cocoa and chocolate notes, but this time they kinda faded. Now it’s like a VaBur with some casing/topping. A good combination of the two tobaccos, with little hints of cocoa and some sweetness from the virginia, but the latakia is absent.

Taste is naturally sweet from the virginia, soft cocoa and chocolate hints here and there, smokes cool (doesn’t get hot at all and doesn’t bite).

Room note is pleasant.

Folded flake (second one):

Once the flake started burning equally, it all went well. Burns very well for a folded flake, and indeed the taste changed when it began burning properly. A sweet natural aroma of the virginia is easily detected, a bit fruity at some point, some notes of cocoa and chocolate are there as well. Still no sign of latakia. It’s like a virginia with cocoa casing/topping and some burley.

I left it in my bowl so I could finish some work. As the flake sat more in the bowl (over 12 hours!!) I was surprised that the taste was more pronounced. Sweetness, chocolate and cocoa notes, some hazelnut and almond notes, also reminds me a bit of Amaretto Disaronno taste. Delivers a cool smoke. Virginia is the star. No latakia taste.

Room note isn’t very strong, but its very pleasant.

Rubbed:

Very easy to rub and fill the pipe, obviously easier to light but lets get to the point.

It’s quite dull and flat. Again, sweet virginia taste, haylike, and just a bit of cocoa and chocolate in the back. Cold smoke.

Final conclusion:

As I said, I’m not a fan of aromatics, but I kinda like this one. Not as much as I liked Sam. Gaw. Perfection but it’s still a good smoke, good tobacco, decent blend. I’d place this in the aromatics section.

Smells better than it tastes. Smokes well, doesn’t go off or get too hot, but still, it s very mild. Tasted better in folded flake

Nicotine wise, I’d say it’s mild to medium, most probably thanks to the burley which gives it a little strength.

I love to smoke it with a ice cream frappe or a cocoa & milk at night. It might go well with some Sheridan’s. A pleasant smoke for someone who doesn’t usually like aromatics.

Pipe Used: Peterson Sherlock Holmes Original

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Falliver (42)	2019-05-02		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The immediate tin aroma is deliciously fruity and creamy, with just a tinge of tangy Latakia and cocoa, but quickly fades. The flakes were, contrary to most reviews, a bit dry in my batch, so I moistened them just a bit, but stick together just as well dry and moistened. Be warned that the slight whitening in tobacco is only sugar, and not the unpleasant surprise of mould I primarily thought (thank you Oslo Pipe Club to get my mind at ease).

It produces a slightly more than medium bodied, creamy smoke, with grassy and spicy notes from the Virginia, delicious nuttiness and sweetness from the burley, and woody, earthy, and citric notes from the Latakia. All blend perfectly, without being too dominant. The cocoa is present, but plays only a minor role behind a superb taste of tobacco throughout the smoke.

It requires a few relights, but is worth taking your time with.

===UPDATE===

For a truly pleasant smoking experience, cube cut the flakes for a delicious velvety smoke that really accentuates the nuttiness of the burley!

Pipe Used: Norrøna Lillehammer 1212

Age When Smoked: From the tin

Purchased From: Tobakkland Majorstuen

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipers' Domain (16)	2018-09-27		Medium	Very Mild	Very Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Having other expectations from the tin description, I found something better. Dominant burley leaf with some spicy turkish stuff and some prompting latakia, enhanced with chocolate flavor, but not in a disturbing way for most not aro fans. The moisture content is higher than usual, but that is not a problem; you can either let it dry for 5'-10', or (for more risky pipe smokers) you can widen the smoke canal up to 4 to 4,3mm. The choice is your's. Higly recommended blend.

Pipe Used: briar, corn cobs.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Greekpipesmoker (201)	2017-07-30		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

A very nice and balanced blend!once you crack the tin a nice and very natural smell comes out consisted of chocolate,cocoa in combination with some dark fruits and nuts.the blend moisture is medium and once rubbed it needs some time to dry out.packs ok and needs some effort to light.several relights are needed.while burning it has a complexity.the topping is present but never subtlimates the tobacco flavours.the virginias are the main players offering mostly dark fruits and some times grass and citrus notes.the burleys are sweet and nutty and the latakia are in the backround not always present with some smokey and woodsy notes.burns very slow and clean(depends how you rub it),medium hot with some moisture being created,to total ash without dottle.the nicotine level is medium and the room note pleasant.no tongue bite for me.in my opinion this is an all day blend wich refers to aromatic and non aromatic lovers.

Age When Smoked: Rubbed and left to dry for 1/2 hour

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	the_dalai_lama_himself (43)	2017-04-16		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I don't believe in smoking aromatics, and have made the mistake of purchasing many GL Pease blends that I'll never touch again. Can't even enjoy mcketchup either.

SG Chocolate flake and C&D Epiphany are my two guilty pleasures.

The chocolate flavor is just right (think Ghirardelli) and the Latakia amount is perfect, and the burley and virginias peak through just the right amount, with the burley a bit more noticeable especially when dry. Burns slow with some relights necessary and ages well with crystallized sugars present.

Update: on my second tin. This new one does not smell the same. Less chocolate and more burley, nor does it have as many crystals. Haven't smoked it yet but will do so soon.. hope it performs.

Age When Smoked: Couple years

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	vespa (18)	2017-03-18		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Well my friends I have to say that the search for my all day everyday smoke has ended right here. SGCF is to me one of the finest flakes I've put into a bowl and set fire to. I prefer to fold and stuff although rubbed out reveals a different side to this fine flake. Even though this is a Va base the Va for me is more of a side note adding some sweetness to the blend. The best part IMHO is the Burly, yes my friends Burly. Even though CF has been topped with chocolate it doesn't overwhelm any of the components in this blend but enhances them. The Latakia is more of bit player adding just a little spice here and there giving more flavor and body to the blend. Much has been said about CF by more sage reviewers than myself so I'll just leave this right here. I remain your brother in smoke

4/4 stars

Pipe Used: Stanwell HCA, Chacom Eltang

Age When Smoked: 2 yrs

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stefanos (222)	2016-12-08		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I bought it in the 250gram box which contains a plastic zip-closure pouch which is permeable by air. Pouch aroma was of natural aged tobacco, yeasty and sweet with a faint cocoa aroma. Bear notice to the caveat emptor: ‘sold subject to loss by evaporation 250g’. So in truth as far as moisture is concerned you’re buying a pig in poke…

I was lucky to receive a box with almost perfect moisture to smoke straight away – not the usual Gawith wetness. The Flakes are brown colored and they rub out easily. They take to light easily and keep lit almost with no relighting to the end leaving a fine white ash. Fantastic behavior!

The smoke is also excellent, it burns slow, it is potent and flavorful with a combination of nutty Burley and natural yeasty Virginia taste and a faint aroma of ground cocoa. I only thought I noticed the Latakia after reading that it included some. Absolutely no bite, innocuous to pleasant room note. Maybe a little too strong for me to become an all-day tobacco, but I can sure enjoy a couple of bowls in the evening. An absolute four star tobacco!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2016-01-12		Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Apparently I live in an alternate universe where every Samuel Gawith bulk box or tin I open contains tobacco at an entirely acceptable smoking moisture, so I load up pipes without a care in the world. No different with Chocolate Flake.

After it's lit, with this blend ... that is where the trouble starts. I'm just not sure where it fits in. The Latakia content is consistent with a light blend, so the VA/Bur component overwhelms it. This is not a problem with a better blended flavored Va/Or/Lat like Perfection, where everything gets a turn in the spotlight. The Virginia doesn't stand out like Full Virginia Flake. The Burley doesn't sing like Kendal Cream. The flavoring isn't outstanding like Firedance.

It just doesn't do anything particularly well. Two stars, and an E for Effort.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pecheur (19)	2015-08-12		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Like all of Sam's flakes it comes a little moist for smoking, so I like to pop the tin and leave the flakes inside for 24 hrs before jarring. The tin note is fantastic, it smells like quality drinking chocolate. Being a dense flake I rubbed it out before smoking.

I find the chocolate flavour subtle and it weaves in and out of smoke, when it appears it's a very nice genuine milk chocolate flavour. The latakia doesn't really jump out at the taste buds it's sits in the background adding a hint of richness to the smoke.

Unfortunately I also find an acrid note to the smoke which stays through the bowl, I find this rather unpleasant and for me it ruins the smoke. Pity because I apart from the acrid flavour I enjoyed the flake. I might just put a couple if tins away to cellar and to see if it looses that acrid note.

Purchased From: mysmokingshop.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Roger Xavierq (34)	2015-08-04		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

I love this delicious flake! This is truly my "sit-back-and-relax" kind of smoke! I am a big fan of SG flakes and was eager to try their Choco Flake. I have to say that my expectations were more than surpassed.

Tin aroma is one of the best I've experienced. Nothing overbearing or dominant but instead the VA, latakia and chocolate scents seemed VERY blended and complimentary and the flakes are long and thick, of a beautiufl dark brown color.

Although the smoke starts out rather thin, by the end of the bowl it has taken on a creamy mouth-feel. If care is given to drying and loading, Chocolate Flake can be pushed very hard before it bites back - but be warned, when it does decide to bite, it does so with a vengeance!

Very lightly cased, Samuel Gawith Chocolate Flake offers a very pleasant tobacco flavour. The latakia is dark but very smooth and muted. You can taste latakia all day long in this flake but somehow it is pushed back from the forefront without at all seeming diluted. In thinking back I'd have to say it was like the latakia had been perforated and then quickly passed thru a cloud of vaporous chocolate cream. That's it.

The burning qualities are exceptional - in fact, almost too good. The ash remnants are so fine that one must be extremely careful when tamping so as not to clog the airway. I would suggest you smoke this blend on a full stomach if you have any concerns about nicotine levels.

All in all I found this very easy and relaxing to smoke. highly recomend!

Pipe Used: Stanwell Royal Prince 97

Age When Smoked: fresh from the tin

Purchased From: La Civet, Paris

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TallPuffO'Burley (632)	2015-07-11		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I picked up a tin of this and wasn't too crazy about it. I am thinking that I am just not into smoking chocolate although I do like to eat it. My experiences with chocolate so far are Boswell's chocolate cream, Molto Dolce (chocolatey) and Mac Baren's Honey and Chocolate (despised this one). This was different from the latter two in that the topping was more subtle. Something that I would usually like in an aromatic.

I did not really pick up any of the smokiness from the Latakia, so it must be used sparingly. There is no doubt some Lakeland essence in this that takes the chocolate in a different direction. Otherwise, the tobacco is great like one would expect from SG. Thick flakes in the tin that are well presented. A little difficult to light when fresh.

I am at odds on how to rate this one. Personally, I am at a two star, but objectively it is probably a three. I am holding fast at two stars though as I find this blend odd. I can see where some will and do love this blend, but I think that this is a narrow niche in the pipe world. I know that I won't buy this again, but I may come back and revisit this review after I have had a chance to smoke GH's bob's Chocolate flake of which a tin rests in my cellar.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	sibeen (10)	2014-08-28		Medium	Very Strong	Extra Full	Pleasant

Wet, wet, wet.

It's this form of tobacco that made the Brits bring in their tobacco purity laws in the first place. Could not believe just how soaked this blend was. Open the tin for a day or two to even think about keeping it lit.

I really couldn't believe the smell out of the tin when I opened it. The chocolate smell could stun a child from across the room. I'm normally not a great fan of the aromatics, and bought this one on a bit of a whim.

As with all SG products the tobacco just looks grand. Rustic and proud. Once dried out can be quite easily rubbed out. Let's just say that my whimsical bent was satisfied. Not a disgusting smoke by any means, and the tobacco quality shines through, but I won't be buying again

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PuffPuffKeep (8)	2013-03-07		Medium	Very Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable to Strong

...More like chocolate fake. I'd rather spend my money on something else. I was looking for a really good chocolate tobacco. After the first bowl that went right out the window. It's not sweet and it hardly tastes like chocolate. It's not delicious in that way.

I love English blends, so I tried to forget about the adding of dark chocolate and just pack bowls and smoke it. Still sucks. I got bored with it. Smoked it just to get rid of it, because I feel like I paid too much for it.

puff puff pass...

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2012-09-04		Medium	Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Not really a bad tobacco. But it takes a lot of the smoker to get the flavour to come out. Once you´ve found it, it has a kind of pleasant soft and dry sweetness with hints of dark chocolate and latakia in it. But all in all the taste, although in itself good, is way too weak. If you prefer latakia, you´ll find better ones from SG, and if you´re more in to the sweeter market there are aromatics that give you the same taste but stronger.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BingCrosby (161)	2012-06-05		Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

The lakeland/kendal flakes produced by companies like samuel gawith and gawith/hoggarth are always interesting and frequently brilliant. sometimes, they fit into the 'acquired' taste category.. and that is where this one falls for me.. the combination of cocoa, virginia, burley, and latakia may just not be my thing. the quality of the tobacco is excellent, as one would expect, the virginia base is great, the latakia has a nice salty character, and the burley is even pleasantly in the background.. and although drying this one out works wonders to improve it, i just don't really find myself wanting to smoke this one very often. a fair rating would probably be a three.. but for me and my lack of interest i will go 2

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Beer (345)	2011-11-19		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Not usually being a fan of flavoured tobacco, but liking other Gawith offerings like Full Virginia Flake, I decided to give it a try.

As usual with this brand, the moisture content is excessive: a fresh tin contains rubbery and wet flakes which are almost impossible to get lit (and when they do, taste is watery). A couple of days of airing and drying are heavily recommended!

Flavoring is quite light: the tin aroma is only slightly enriched by vanilla and cocoa, but the dominant smell is of good tobacco, especially dark virginias and burley. At the test of fire, the flavoring is almost nonexistant: only when sipping very slowly, you get a faint creamy cocoa taste.

It's not a bad tobacco, but it's quite light. I wish its taste were richer. I have tried it folded or fully rubbed out, and I would suggest that rubbing it out too much can make it smoke too fast and hot, and with even less taste. Personally, I find this flake rather unremarkable, although absolutely pleasant.

I don't think I will get another tin, it's more of a once in a while curiosity than a really satisfying smoke.

If you enjoy light flakes with a very moderate amount of sweet flavoring, by all means give it a try, though. Better than the more soapy/flavored Gawith & Hoggarth equivalent flake, anyway.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Capt (339)	2011-02-21		Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

This should be re-labeled as Cocoa Flake, but that would sound silly, wouldn't it? There is a big difference between cocoa and chocolate. This is plain as day cocoa. Latakia is hiding somewhere in the back ground, but it is done just right. I cannot believe cocoa and Latakia would pair very well in this flake. Best way I have found to smoke this terrific flake: Fold in half lengthwise, then fold in half the other way. Load into the bowl, then top with a wee bit of broken flake out of the tin. Light and enjoy! Truly a terrific chocolate, I mean cocoa tobacco. A must try.

Would pair well with a light roast coffee, black.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-05-23		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

I can't say that I experienced chocolate on any sensory level, though I enjoyed the unique flavor that resulted from Gwaith's attempt. I would have to assume that naming this tobacco chocolate has more to do with the creamy and somewhat bitter flavor that one associates with very dark chocolate, but cocoa--no way. Nevertheless, a mild and flavorful smoke is still had. Needs to dry out a bit after rubbing out. Room note's out on this one.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2008-12-09		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Not what I was expecting to find in the tin. I do like English tobacco but only once did I seem to find the ideal conditions to get a satasfactory smoke from the tobacco. It seemed unbalanced.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2007-05-04		Mild	Medium to Strong	Full	Very Pleasant

Sorry, this stuff made me sick. I tried it many times, in many pipes, prepared many ways and it is disappointing to say the least. If it's me, so be it. If it's not, be forewarned.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipepundit (168)	2006-12-05		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Chocolate Flake is a bit of an oddity in that it is a virginia based aromatic. The virginia base is of excellent quality. The latakia is difficult to detect - but there is a certain gravitas to the smoke which most likely comes from it. The chocolate is not sweet, and does not interfere with the tobacco taste. There are no high notes in this, but the consistently dark flavour is by no means monochromatic. The tin aroma is chocolate and I was not sure if I was going to like it, but have gone through the tin in no time at all and will look forward to more as a cold weather aromatic.

A must try for the lover of aromatic tobaccos, but equally recommended to pure virginia smokers as a variation on a theme.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RickPiatt (16)	2005-11-16		Mild to Medium	Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant to Tolerable

I must admit before starting that I'm not much of an aromatic smoker although before making the switch to VAs and Burleys I smoked aromatics exclusively for about 2-3 years. I believe I have some ground to stand on to review this blend.

When first opening the tin you will be greeted with the most outstanding smell of VAs, a little Latakia and that all important chocolate topping. The strongest smell is the VAs to my nose, not the other ingredients and the chocolate seems to be more of a coco smell rather than a chocolate - or if a chocolate, then a bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate at best. I was so mesmerized with this smell and the look of the flakes that I dove right into my first bowl. Now, I must note that the tobacco is a bit on the wet side in the tin so you need to give it a little drying time before lighting up.

Methods of smoking tried: My first bowl was the roll and stuff method of loading. My second bowl was about 70% rubbed out. My third bowl was fully rubbed out. Roll and Stuff gives the most intense flavor. As of this writing, I've just about finished the tin - don't know how many bowls it's been.

Pipes I've tried this in: A Group 3 Meer, a group 3ish Stanwell HCA II with short stem, a group 3ish Stanwell paneled horn, a group 4 Aldo Velani, a straight paneled Nording billiard, a Gourd Calabash. So, I've kind of run the gamut on pipe sizes and styles as well.

Here's what I find ... this tobacco is a disappointment. I hate writing that even now because it smells so wonderful in the tin that I almost can't believe it just wouldn't be a winner. But, sadly, it just doesn't cut it for me. I will say however that its substantially better than GH's Bob's Chocolate Flake for sure.

The best I can tell, smoking this tobacco is nothing more than a way to make steamy clouds of smoke leaving grey dottle in the bowl when done. That's a sad review, but it's the best I have to offer. When smoking the tobacco I always thought the VA's were far to mild, the Latakia never came to center stage and the chocolate never really made much of an appearance either. It was just bland, bland, bland. At times, I did notice a slight whiff of the chocolate / coco topping as it interacted with the latakia in the 2nd hand smoke but it did little for me. The worst part was the morning after taste if you smoke this before going to bed ... ugh.

So, a long review for me but I didn't want to post a negative review without at least showing that I did really give this tobacco it's fair day in court. And, unfortunately, it will never be in my bowls again as soon as I finish off this tin. (no, it's not good, I'm just cheap and don't want to throw it away) rp.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tantric (321)	2005-07-22		Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

In my opinion this could be a very nice aromatic smoke--full of character and not at all cloying (it seems a dark bitter chocolate flavor was used), but the Latakia element makes it somewhat bloated. I liked the flavor, but since Virginia leaf, unlike Burley, is not exactly prone to absorb artificial toppings, I kind of get the impression that the chocolate was forced into the blend. The slightly salty undertone of Latakia does not exactly help, and in fact makes for a heavy room aroma, not at all appreciated by the wife. However, I imagine this can be a novel smoke in cold weather, especially for the Latakia lover who'd like a change of pace.

I agree with other reviewers in the sense that artificially condimental tobaccos are not the specialty of British blenders. Another similar Lakeland experiment (Perfection), only goes to proves the point.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Leon (82)	2022-12-14		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Tolerable

Before going into the real story of this review, the most important part - the tobacco notes - should be quickly reviewed. This is a nice blend, led by the balanced Latakia leaf which adds to the overall chocolate character. It is not overly leathery, woodsy, or smoky, but more silky or creamy.

It is only mellowed by the other ingredients. However, I'm not getting any citrus or bread-like notes from the Virginia. The Burley probably adds some cocoa and earth notes. However, it isn't really distinguishable in the smoke. This is a Latakia-forward blend without it being considered a Latakia bomb. I only get some chocolate in the tin note, but nothing much in the smoke.

Now, for me (unfortunately) the big story is the mechanics. In order to enjoy tobacco, it helps if it is easily smoked. Well, Chocolate Flake is not. Many have commented that it comes in moist and recommend anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours of dry time. Well, even after couple of days my flakes were not ready. In fact, I forgot the tobacco in a tin can for two whole weeks, only to discover pretty dry tobacco. And even then (!) it wasn't easy to deal with and requires several relights. What's in this thing?

The trap is that once the flakes are dried up, it is harder to rub them out as you would with a fresher flake. So I got the bad news of both ends. To be honest, I really want to just finish this tin.

I considered giving it two stars because the flavor is not bad. It's ok. I'd like it more or less if it smoked easy. But in the end of the day if I can't actually smoke the thing, then I can't recommend that anyone gets it.

Mild in body and strength. Nothing complex here.

Will absolutely not buy again. I've dealt with blends that aren't considered easy to smoke but this was just the worst.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	MechanicPiper (3)	2022-04-28		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

It seems there are a lot of different views on this S&G CH flake.

I'd like to add mine as to add in numbers to what others have already said.

My tin was some years old (even had some rust outside) and was bought on Praga when my sister was traveling there.

Contents were moist and hard to light without drying. First bowl I did not dry and was not possible to smoke. The second bowl I started experimenting with drying times and filling styles. For me It was best smoke with 2-4h drying and crumbling/rubbing the flakes to help keeping it lit.

After those first experiences here's what I found:

You can definetly taste the virginias and burleys, the latakias were there but very very mild almost not possible to taste. This blend does not bite and smokes cool. Have little chocolate taste that only appears here and there sometimes. As I said tobacco was moist and leaved some moisture on the end of the bowl (did not gurgle though). Smell is also great both from the tin and from the smoke. After every bowl I seem to like it more. I usually prefer those tobaccos that have soft flavoring and this fits right in that section. If you are looking for a heavy flavoring aromatic do not buy this as it wont work for you.

Pipe Used: Everyman London 36

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	krog (20)	2022-03-13		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Smell: Lovely breadlike, grassy, chocolatey, nutty, woody with sweet floral undertones.

Moisture: moist, it needs 10-20 minutes to be good to go

Smoke flavour: Smell of the tobacco strongly correlates with the flavour. Chocolate topping is relatively simple to spot. Virginia with chocolate topping plays the main role. Latakia and Burley plays the second role and for sure there is not much of them in the blend. Also the flavour does not change, pretty straightforward.

Well, Im actually a big lover of the SG and GH blends so I really like this tobacco. Incredibly well balanced and delicious blend. Highly reccomended.

Pipe Used: R.Filar 237 briar

Age When Smoked: 1 month

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Big T (5)	2020-11-12		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

My go to morning smoke for many years. This is not a chocolate aromatic. The cocoa topping is very mild and comes in and out as you progress through the bowl. The virginias are front and center and the latakia sits nicely in the background providing a mild incense flavor. Pairs very nicely with coffee.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HabaneroHardy (395)	2019-06-22		Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Unnoticeable

I was able to obtain a large bowl size sample from 2005 some weeks ago. With 181 reviews I see that this one is very popular. It is medium dark flakes and had what I thought to be whitish plume but read a review where this was described as sugar so sugar it is. The only way I can describe the smell of this flake to me is that of smoked bacon and kind of earthy. I folded and stuffed it and light up. I can tell this is premium tobacco with a mild chocolate/cacao topping and taste. About two thirds of the bowl it kind of lost some flavor. I like it but not enough to buy more. Due to its age another rare find for me from my local pipe club.

Age When Smoked: 14 years

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Len (11)	2019-03-07		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Unnoticeable

Delightful smoke. Puts me back into Victorian times, smells and tastes like something from a bygone era. Whitechapel London, Sherlock Holmes, that sort of thing. Has a woody, chocolate, sweet taste. If you ever had Durian chocolate, this is chocolate mixed with the Durian fruit from Thailand, it reminded me of that. I thoroughly enjoy it and would buy it again.

Pipe Used: Mr. Brog.

Age When Smoked: Recently bought

Purchased From: Smoke king

Similar Blends: Don't know..

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CDM Jr. (19)	2019-03-02		Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

A very pleasing SG blend. Chocolate is subtle and so is the latakia. Hand rubbing is suggested. I did not need to dry it. Very mild for a SG tobacco. Recommended! Will buy more.

Update 4/16/19 The square tins SG uses do not keep air out! While the tobacco came to me a bit on the moist side, it is now brittle after only a month or so. However, it still smokes well, tastes good but I am detecting more of the Latakia than before. The Lakeland scent seems to be all but gone.

If you plan to cellar it, and you can find some in stock somewhere, don't open the tin!

UPDATE: 6/17/19 With some re-hydration it's good as fresh! And mighty good indeed!

CDM JR.

Pipe Used: Big Ben Phantom

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Iwan Ries

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Adam Z (18)	2019-01-09		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant to Tolerable

I had high hopes for this, as a friend of mine absolutely loves this stuff & raves about how it's like smoking a chocolate milkshake. My experience was very different - proving once again that everybody's palate is quite different. I've tried this in 3 different pipes with 3 different prep methods (rubbed-out, cube cut, and fold & stuff), and my smoking experience has been the same each time. This is not a bad tasting tobacco, but to me it is a very flat-tasting, uninteresting experience.

My flakes were a bit on the dry side, but not problematically dry. It takes a fair bit of effort to get these flakes burning, but once they were going good they required what to me seemed to be an average number of relights compared to other flakes I've smoked. To my mouth, the chocolate casing is extremely light, and is not evident in every puff - I was only able to detect it occasionally, and only if I was really focusing and looking for it. Not a chocolate milkshake - more like a mild cocoa dusting (think baking chocolate, or mild chocolate notes found in some dark roast coffees). The tobacco flakes appear to be decent quality tobacco, with an appearance that isn't that different from other SG or GH flakes that I've smoked.

The taste to me is very homogeneous - I can't really pick out the virginia, burley, or latakia in this. It all blends together in such a way that none of the components stand out, but together they somehow make for a very monotone, flat flavor. I enjoyed this most when I was reading a book, as I was then focusing on something other than the smoking experience. On the plus side, there was no bite, and the smoke produced has a thick creaminess to it despite the lack of popping flavors. The room note is inoffensive as well.

Needless to say, I have no desire to purchase/stock this in the future. There's a lot worse things to try to smoke, but there's a lot better too. Tastes are subjective, and this blend just doesn't do anything for me.

Pipe Used: Peterson 68, Peterson 01 & a Bones 'fat author'

Age When Smoked: unknown

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Goose55 (33)	2018-11-18		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I've bought quite a bit of this Virginia based Samuel Gawith: Mayor's Chocolate Flake recently as it is so very very good. Tins & 250 g boxes. In lovely flake form, it's not a goopy aromatic but as others have noted, this Chocolate Flake has a lot more chocolate flavor than GH Bob's Chocolate Flake. It's truly wonderful. A "luxury blend?" Yes. It truly taste's like I'm smoking a chocolate milkshake. Very tasty and satisfying. It is clean and cool burning and leaves a pleasant, fresh aftertaste in the mouth. I don't taste much latakia in this at all, so if there's a lot in it, it's been expertly blended. Its wonderful with morning coffee. I find it's best enjoyed in a large diameter, deep-chambered pipe.

On Drying: This blend comes very wet in the tin or box. This might sound heretical but I rub out however much I'll need and then microwave it on a plate for 20--30 seconds. I place it on the table under a ceiling fan while I prepare my pipe. Within a couple minutes, it is dry enough to enjoy. Drying this tobacco does not affect its flavor at all that I can tell.

Pipe Used: Viprati Oom Paul

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Tobacco Pipes.com

Similar Blends: GH Bob's Chocloate Flake.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Hans Bollen (2)	2018-09-26		Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Upon opening a haylike smell is mixed with a hint that reminds me of a cherrypraline. Lightly sweet. The flakes are a bit wet and during smoking it needs a few more relights than average. A little drying time should reduce the number of relights for a more relaxing smoke. I rubbed out one flake and didn't let it dry. The taste is lightly sweet, but is in no way an aromatic. It's a faint chocolatenote that comes up better if you puff slowly. The Virginia plays the lead with a light note of latakia every now and then. No sharpness noticed.

Age When Smoked: fresh

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Uncle Al (17)	2018-09-15		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Now called CH Flake. There’s very little chocolate here, maybe very mild cocoa but you have to search for it. The subdued Latakia takes a back foot. What you have is a deep flavoured, medium strength, quality flake with a subtle sweetness. I prefer mine moist but excellent dry as well – with a more pronounced, still condiment Latakia. Buy in bulk and allow to age, if you can.

Purchased From: 4Noggins

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SmokingHawk (54)	2018-06-03		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Very neatly and beautifully presented dark brown flakes tin aroma is of Latakia dominant came out of tin just dry enough to packs easily and smoking is a pleasure... you get that Coco and chocolaty taste till the last drop burns evenly needed couple relights very enjoyable smoke experience with nic hit medium to someone intense upon smoking fast. Highly recommend!

Pipe Used: Savinelli

Age When Smoked: One year old

Purchased From: Cup O Joes

Similar Blends: Bobs, Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. - Bobs Chocolate Ready Rubbed.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Knightsmoker (216)	2017-10-08		Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

This is a very good Chocolate Flake. I like it a little better than GH's version. Here, the VA's lead with notes of citrus and grass, the burley has notes of nut (goes good with chocolate, right!) and some earthiness as well. The Lat. is way in the background and comes through once in a while it is woodsy and sweet. The chocolate note is slightly bitter more like a dark chocolate and not very sweet, again like dark chocolate. It is very mild and does not overpower the tobaccos but is present and for me I could taste it in every puff. I do detect the lakeland essence way in the background from time to time. It was added with a very light hand but still present at times. Overall strength is med. but the nic is closer to the mild to med. range. Could be smoked all day if one was inclined to do so but it wins no complements from the wife and friends with its room note. Smokes slow and surprisingly dry for an aromatic. Well worth a try if you are looking for a chocolate aromatic blend.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Luckyluke (11)	2017-10-05		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

To put it simply, this tobacco is an english blend with a cocoa topping. Not bad at all by any means, I have no idea how some people don't taste any cocoa, its there alright especially on the retrohale. I would say i lean more towards bobs chocolate flake rather than this one because of the rich and full flavor of bobs, one difference i noticed is the latakia stands out alot more with this one and i am not sure if the cocoa compliments it fully, don't get me wrong it goes very nice but not as nice as in bobs for some reason. I smoke this rubbed out and dried for 30 to about 40 minutes.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	jimyfafy (10)	2017-07-15		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Hmm. A bit of conjecture here. I have smoked this blend for a good while and this tin is more the color of St james flake than the old tins. Still it has the coco flavor of old.I,m finding it a little more biting perhaps due to less time in the press.I,m guessing demand these days exceeds production.(Old woman says i fall in to this catagory myself.Ive never bit her so whats her problem.) Anyone else notice this? Still quality is there

Pipe Used: Calabresi straight apple

Age When Smoked: fresh tin

Purchased From: smokingpipes

Similar Blends: Bobs chocolate flake sort of but less sweet.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Phils Galore (12)	2017-06-02		Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

I have smoked several tins of this over the past few years with varying degrees of satisfaction. Some tins have been good and some have been rather flat and boring. I'm not sure why this is. I suspect it has something to do with how well the tin was sealed. I was recently gifted a ten year old tin, which I am currently smoking. This tin is a good example of this tobacco at it's best. It was not overly moist and needed no drying before it was smoked. I usually rub this out as it is slow burning even when rubbed out. The flavours are Virginia, and Latakia, with just an ever so slight hint of chocolate. This tin is old enough that the flavours have melded so well that it is impossible to tell where one stops and the other starts. While this tobacco is medium in strength, it is mild in taste. For that reason I've dedicated a couple of pipes to this. I should also state that I have had some younger tins that have tasted almost as good as this older tin. They were, of course, moister. I will finish off this tin but probably won't buy any more as I prefer Sam's Flake and SG Navy Flake to this. However, if someone else offers me another ten year old tin of this, I won't hesitate to accept it!

Pipe Used: various briars

Age When Smoked: from 1 to 10 years

Purchased From: victory Cigar, Oshawa

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DenizBeck (323)	2017-01-24		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

As you open the tin, you'll get a deep, dark chocolate Smell, just a whiff of Latakia can be noticed if you concentrate on smelling it. But the Latakia acts more of a "supporter" in this whole thing.

You have to seperate the taste into two, because the it significally changes if you dry it out.

1. Fresh out of the tin: Condition and preparation: - I'ts very, very(!) moist! - I take a few slices and rub them out, stuff it into the pipe pretty gentle, but not too soft. So it has air to keep lit at least for a couple of puffs.

The taste: Even tho it reminds of "hard work" smoking it wet, i'ts definetly worth it! It tastes solely like dark chocolate. Here and there you get a clue on that there's Latakia in it. The Burley support the awesome chocolate flavouring damn well! The only bad thing is you have to light it a bunch of times to keep it lit and all in all you should take your time and not be in a rush, if you smoke it that way.

2. Dried out (4-6 Hours, 12 hours once but that was too dry for my taste): Condition and preparation: - After 4-6 hours its halfly dried. From the outside the tobacco is already pretty dry, but inside of the flake slices its still a bit juicy. For my taste this is the perfect dried condition for smoking it.

The taste: A whole diffrent experience! The Chocolate takes a backseat, as the Latakia comes to take you to Latakia heaven. Not too strong taste - but its there, and its delicious! Here its the opposite of smoking it wet! The Chocolate can only be detected here and there - every 3th/4th puff you take.

All in all this is a genius blend in my humble opinion! 4/4 Stars (Edit: Also I wanna mention that after I smoked 2 tins of this, my pipe was ghosted real hard and deep. It took a while to get rid of most of the taste. Every now and then I belive I taste it again, but that might possibly imaginagtion I'll admit. Still: This tends to ghost!)

Edit: Somehow the tobacco changed - for bad, as I don't like Lakeland essence! My first two tins didn't have Lakeland at all, the recent ones do have easily noticeable Lakeland... only 3-stars from me now and Flavoring uprated from 'mild' to 'mild to medium'

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Big (321)	2017-01-05		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

My Sample was from their BULK offering . I think reviewer, "DK" 2010-10-06, gave an excellent review from the TIN offering. Seems like we may have a processing consistency problem with the bulk, there was NO , NADA, ZIP, ZERO Chocolate flavor ,neither damp nor dried. Hey, the underlying tobacco was good, but that's not why I bought this blend.

I am totally reluctant to try G&H's Bob's Chocolate because of the underlying "Lakeland Floral" , my most hated essence in any quantity. I have to rate this low, because it's not what It's advertised in BULK

Pipe Used: cob

Age When Smoked: new bulk

Similar Blends: a NONE Chocolate.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lazarus77 (91)	2016-10-13		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Clean dry smoke, no tong bite at all, doesn't matter you puff slow or fast.No moisture at the end, just clean ash. Nice English aromatic blend. Worth to try it.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Cigarworld.de

Similar Blends: Gawith Hogarth - Chocolate flakes..

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Midnight Smoker (1)	2016-04-13		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is my first review and I am a relatively new pipe smoker, so take it for what it's worth. As others have said, this stuff is pretty moist. I rubbed some out and let it sit for a half an hour and I didn't have much trouble smoking it. Very nice, smooth, rich smoke, in my opinion. The cocoa is there more in the tin note than the taste. I must have received an odd batch of this tobacco, because the Latakia is obvious and very much in the foreground for the first quarter of the bowl. Then again, I snork nearly every mouthful. The Latakia slowly integrates with the other tobaccos through the rest of the bowl, while the cocoa takes a back seat the entire time. I really like this one and I will likely buy more, but I'm not sure yet how often I will reach for it. I got a fairly nice nicotine hit from this, so I'm calling it medium strength.

Pipe Used: MM Cob, Peterson Dalkey x105

Age When Smoked: New

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Big Train (118)	2016-03-18		Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium	Pleasant

S.G. Chocolate is a real treat tobacco . It is , by far , the best chocolate flake that I have smoked . At the end of the day it beats the G & H chocolate because it has that real dark chocolate flavor . The problem with this tobacco , and all S.G. tobaccos ,is that is delivered way too moist to smoke . It should be called Rain Forrest blend . Leaving it out to dry for a while doesn't really work because , like chewing gun left on the bed post overnight , it losses it's flavor . What does work for me is adding some really non descript Virginia flake and rubbing it out well . I usually use either Sutlif Virginia flake or the Newminster Virginia flake , nieher of which really changes the flavor of the chocolate . Mostly , I add about a 30% amount of the Virginia . For a really moist can , which sometimes happens , I will go as high as 50% . I mix each smoke separately . The S.G. chocolate flavor is so well done that the add mixture of Virginia does not detract from the chocolate flake . Although this mixture does have some latakia in it I cannot taste it . All in all , this is a great flavored tobacco , actually the only one I ever smoke . If you find S.G. mixtures too moist , and who doesn't , try my method . It works with all the S.G. mixtures .

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	aksamolsa (20)	2016-01-27		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

This is a fine blend, everything with the right amount. Satisfying, not overwhelming, nothing harsh or difficult. I can smoke it all day and night, a bit of dull may be for smoking regularly but there are lots of other SG tobaccos to cheer you up or challenge you for an adventure.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Erman (9)	2016-01-26		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

For me this is a perfectly balanced flake. I am amazed how Virginia, Burley, Latakia and Chocolate flavour perfectly complements each other. I have noticed that tins have more chocolate flavour than 250g bulk presentation.

Pipe Used: Several Briars

Age When Smoked: Fresh, 6 month aged in a jar.

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NobbyR (79)	2015-10-30		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

When you open the tin, two rows of neatly stacked, dark brown flakes speckled with some tan leafs are awaiting you, effusing the typical peat smoke smell of Latakia and some earthy cocoa scent, which is an interesting combination. As you would expect from Samuel Gawith, the slices feel rather moist.

From a freshly opened tin it's wise to let the tobacco dry for one or two hours before filling your pipe. You might rub the flakes out, but I prefer to use the fold and stuff method. Either way it's important not to fill your bowl too tightly.

Depending on how fresh and moist the tobacco is, it can take a few lights more to get it burning evenly. You will at least need a thorough charring light and, after leveling out the ashes with your tamper, an equally thorough true light. An occasional re-light might also be required. Apart from that, the Chocolate Flake tends to burn slowly and coolly.

Even though this is a good-natured smoke, because of the Virginias in the blend it needs a little attention. The smokiness from the Latakia and the chocolate flavoring are in the forefront. However, it's not a milk chocolate kind of sugariness, but rather the bittersweet taste of dark chocolate or cocoa beans, which compliments nicely the peatiness of the Latakia and some sublime nutty taste from the Burley. There's also some tangy sweetness from the Virginias, but it doesn't really come out until the finish. It's a medium strength smoke that you can enjoy throughout the day. Despite the moisture of the flakes, it burns down rather dryly to some graying ash.

In the room note the smokiness of the Latakia is softened by the chocolate aroma, which makes it more pleasant for bystanders.

Pipe Used: Bentley Wooden Treasure Half Bent

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Local Tobacconist

Similar Blends: Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. - Bob's Chocolate Flake.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SamH (31)	2015-10-24		Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

Not my usual type of flake, but I decided to try some different samples. This is a rather pleasant tobacco benefitting from a slow relaxed smoke. Generally I go for a full bodied medium strong tobacco such as Full Virginia Flake for example. Essentially I like a fairly 'thick' smoking wet-ish virginia with a bit of a kick to it. (I like St Bruno by the way.) In comparison this is milder, with an extremely pleasant aroma. The lighter and dryer tasting tobaccos seem at first almost 'watery' (Gold block being the prime example), thicker smoking less dry tobacco is more satisfying to me. This oddly reminded me faintly of when I used to smoke Squadron leader or Erinmore Balkan Mixture. The nicotine creeps up pleasantly however and that combined with it's aroma makes it a good lazy afternoon or maybe late morning smoke. I'm personally not a smoke and brandy type (one spoils the other - I'd rather smoke a good cigar or pipe Partagas or Kendal cream Flake for example with an espresso or mineral water (how pseud-ey) and THEN have a brandy or two- depending on the time of day). Do bear in mind I have only tried this once at 3am having got up early to attack the drawing board. It could well grow on me. Worth a try. Personally (I'm open to criticism on this one) I might blend it 50/50 with St Bruno or FVF. Update, whilst not unpleasant, and making for a nice room note, the slightly scented nature does linger a while, whilst no Condor, it does hang around a little, but I liked it so that isn't really a dig.

Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum Corncob

Age When Smoked: Sraight from the sample bag.

Purchased From: Smoke King.

Similar Blends: Hmm, a slightly floral mixture, possibly a hint of something stronger lurking as an undercurrent. Hard to say..

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2015-08-12		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

The Latakia is light lending more of a woody note than smoke. The VaBur portion is slightly sweet and nutty. The chocolate topping is about mild to medium and always present. It's a pleasant and enjoyable smoke. Needs some drying time and I prefer it very dry. I seem to get more natural tobacco flavor that way.

Mild to medium in body and flavoring. Taste is medium. Burns very well when dry though it may take a few matches to get it going.

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

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	mnadz (69)	2015-05-25		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

This was tough to recommend or not. It was a very mild chocolate flake. Smokes well and was not hottible; however, I kept comparing it to Two Friend English Chocolate. When I compare these two, I can't even put SG's blend in the same category. To spare you the specifics, if you want a chocolate blend that has more Latakia and cocoa, don't even bother with this one...just go pick yourself up some Two Friends. Another plus of TFs, those around you wil be infinitely more happy with the room note.

Pipe Used: Ben Wades

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mike10 (17)	2015-01-18		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This was an enjoyable tobacco. It had a very smooth, dry, and flavorful taste and feel consistently though the bowl. Its tin aroma was slightly misleading, but still gave a "ball park" promise of how it would smoke. Based on the writing of Frank Hanna, I eventually tried his suggestion of blending chocolate and Latakia, and found it very enjoyable. So, this chocolate-Latakia-Burley blend was almost sure to please.

Granted, this is already a blend, but on several occasions I admit I experimented with it by adding minimal amounts of Dark Star or Yenidje Supreme which both yielded a somewhat milder, yet richer and more balanced smoke.

Pipe Used: Comoy, Yves St.Claude, GBD

Age When Smoked: unkown

Purchased From: online

Similar Blends: McClelland Tastemaster or #403 (Darkest Chocolate).

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bluesmoke (75)	2014-11-29		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

SG has a talent for making some of the tastiest flakes, but they can also be the wettest, unevenly cut and most difficult to catch flame. This flake is wonderful in its flavoring, it is so subtle and delicious. Take some rich VA and mix it with just a bit of latakia, make to a cake, slice and add some rich chocolate topping. This flake does not produce enough smoke for my tastes, but it seems as though this is a defining characteristic of the blender. The tin aroma is wonderful, the aroma while smoldering is even more alluring. The latakia changes the flavor while melding with the chocolate to produce a warm, slightly spicy flavor that is second to none. This is one not to be missed. MJBLTY

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Granny Smith (29)	2014-11-24		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

The major issue I have with this tobacco is that it is just too damn moist straight from the tin, which ruins the smoking experience. I was ready to give up on this blend but then another review told me to leave the tin open for a day to allow the flakes to dry out. Once that was done I was rewarded with an extremely tasty smoke. Yes the chocolate taste is delightful and quite long lasting. I had no problem keeping it alight and found that my taste buds were really rewarded when I sipped the tobacco rather than puffing away like crazy. Straight from the tin it's a pain but when dried out it is a wonderful tobacco.

Pipe Used: My Gandalf Pipe

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: Black swanne

Similar Blends: bob's chocolate flake.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	jonoz (14)	2014-09-07		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Love it. The most gentle of all tobaccos I have tried.Lovely taste, don't know what it is but I love it.Slight chocolate taste and this stays in your mouth.

Update: looking through the reviews I see much mixed messages. This stuff will never bite if dried out properly. I leave the tin open for 24-48 hrs depending on how wet it arrives, breaking the flakes after the first 12. Of course you will have trouble lighting it if it is wet ! As I said, it is gentle and I have it as my first smoke of the day, and then move on to BBF.

2015-3-22 just thinking(dangerous, I know). I mentioned in review of Firedance that, I.M.O.,toppings dumb down the taste of the tobaccos they are added to and I am wondering what this particular combination would taste like in it's unadulterated form. When I smoke Choc Flake I feel there is a great tobacco trying to be heard.

Pipe Used: various

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

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Demetri (113)	2014-03-09		Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I am going to violate my own rule and review a blend I would not normally do. I try to not review blends outside my usual comfort zone of English, VaPers, or C&D burleys, but make an exception here.

Obviously quality Virginias well matured and pressed. Not overly sweet, but still with the tang of Virginias. When I first loaded this up it was far too wet rendering a steamy pipe, hard to keep afire. And I did not like the flavor at all.

Fast forward six months after which time my tins had dried almost to a dessicated state. Packed in a small cob and the smoke is much better. I can see how folks who like flavored blends could like this. Personally I rate his at two stars but would say three for the guys who appreciate topped blends.

Pipe Used: Lorenzo Banker - briar

Age When Smoked: Current production

Purchased From: Cigar Express - McKee's Rocks, PA

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	meerschaum (8)	2014-01-28		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

Extraordinary Flake. I hated it straight out of the tin, but kept it in a glass jar for a few months and then tried it again. It has improved immeasurably. However, rubbing it out is not as easy as I may like neither is lighting it but it is manageable. And worth the effort. It is clear that SG used real quality tobacco as a basis for this aromatic flake, which is unlike many other aromatic pipe tobaccos on the market. I often stay away from aromatics because it appears as if the manufacturers intend to make bad tobacco sellable by adding a few spritzers of syrup.

Pipe Used: Meerschaum

Similar Blends: None.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	machinebcon (50)	2014-01-06		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

IMO one of the most interesting and tasty flakes I have ever smoked. Not sweet as a Snickers, so don't misunderstand the Chocolate on the label. This is something much more refined: leathery, musky, fragrant, naturally sweet, yet manly. Exceptionally cool smoke, no bite. Acceptable room note. I prefer to cut the flakes to cubes or rub them out. Else this stuff is very hard to get lit (and keep burning). Apart from that, taste-wise, excellent. Full score: 5 of 5!

Pipe Used: 3

Age When Smoked: 2

Similar Blends: Samuel Gawith - Kendal Cream Flake.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	musicman (131)	2013-10-19		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I like this one. It perplexes me, but I like it.

I really like the way they use latakia in this one. As a condiment for sure, not as a main course. This would be a great blend for someone who thinks the don't like Latakia. It is really used differently here.

This one comes in thick greasy oily flakes. The tissue paper in the tin was stained and dripping. Yum Yum. The flakes were also covered in sugar crystals.

I don't detect any chocolate taste here, but the taste it does have I really like. Good stuff, and not your average flake with latakia. Give it a shot.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CoolPilot (69)	2013-09-05		Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

Very weak on the latakia side, and quite strong in flavoring. I would define this a tobacco entirely on his own. Worth trying at least once. The tobacco tends to dry once the tin is open, and this means you must deal with a full tin of a flavored tobacco to be smoked. So and so..

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tleek (51)	2013-08-19		Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

FIrst off this is not a chocolate aromatic, so I did not review it as such. This is a Virginia and oriental flake with a bit of dark chocolate to add bittersweet undertones.

the flakes are very loose and inconsistent. Some are very thin and some are thicker and they are all a little ruffled along the ends. Very different than the thick and consistent flakes of the famed Full Virginia Flake, but also very easy to rub out.

The tin note on this tobacco is musty. the virginias are noticable behind the odd must, and the Latakia adds a slight smokiness to the must. The nutty hay like scent of burly is faintly detectable to the nose. No chocolate smell is detected

The flavor intensity differs dramatically depending on if you choose to rub out or fold and stuff. When rubbed out the flavor is more obvious and a lot harsher. It also has more of the musty flavor smelled in the tin note. The taste of the bitter sweet chocolate topping is also a lot more noticeable in the back ground of the flavor profile.

When folded and stuffed, the tobacco really shines. The virginias become way more noticeable and produce a delightful sweetness. The flavor overall becomes a lot more complex. The chocolate topping is way in the background and hardly noticeable until the end of the bowl. The latakia is also very sublte but still there. Oriental tobacco is noticeable just behind the virginias adding tang and spice to the mix.

Sweet virginia/oriental tobacco flavor, with smoky musty oak like undertones, and an occasional taste of bittersweet dark chocolate. There is a slight tanginess to the flavor that vanishes in the aftertaste

In my opinion Chocolate flake is best enjoyed folded and stuffed. It is like night and day. The flavor grows and becomes more intense down the bowl without the harshness experienced if rubbed out. Also, as opposed to other flakes, I have a very easy time keeping this lit while folded and stuffed, it burns very nicely.

had I not tried stuffing this tobacco, it would have gotten a good 2.5 stars, because the flavor differs so drastically, a solid 3 and 3.5 if I could!

Definitely worth a try!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	albfneto (184)	2013-06-17		Medium	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

I bought it in the Bulk form. Twin, Long and beautiful flakes, easy to charge and light.

Good, slow burning, good flavour.

3 Stars for their quality, but for me is desirable that it may be have less Nicotine.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2013-06-11		Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

I had found that the SG line of flakes were very inconsistently sized. The cut would be thin for one flake and then thick for the next flake. Also the flakes were a little difficult to rub out. Lastly, I had trouble keeping this stuff lit and producing an acceptable amount of smoke. These flakes had a really nice flavor though. Eventually dropped the whole line of flakes due to these drawbacks. This was my favorite of the SG flakes and I am still disappointed that these flakes didn't work for me.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BigWhiteWilly (10)	2013-02-02		Mild	Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Very Pleasant

A delightful smoke from start to finish. I normally prefer much stronger tobacco, but this stuff is very flavorful from start to finish. Smells and tastes, from start to finish,just like the pouch smell when you first open it. Not many tobaccos can do that. I like it best in a meerschaum.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tomspeed (23)	2013-01-29		Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

This is most wonderful tobacco from Samuel Gawith really nice smell and great room note LOVELY Blend and my Favorite for all time

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2012-11-19		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Well Samuel Gwaith has done a superb job with this tobacco. As I have said before I'm not a huge flake fan as a rule but this one is truly an exceptional blend.

Virgina sweetness and strong but not overpowering Latakia come though on the tin note with an earthy background of cocoa and chocolate. Really lovely.

The big coarse flakes rub out very well or can be folded and packed well into the bowl.

Its rather moist and does not lend to firing up easily or quickly but when got going is a joy to behold. rich and cool to smoke full bodied but not cloying or punchy. The Latakia comes in first followed by a slight sweetness from the Virginia. The chocolate is an underlying richness throughout and a soft cocoa aftertaste is present with a lingering of the Latakia again. No bite or bitterness unless smoked right down to the bottom of the bowl. I found leaving substantial dottle is best then taking it and drying it out Holmes style and using it the next day as a top fill works wonders.

Easily the best flake I have tried to date or will try for a long time for that matter. Perfect for any time of day. Pure class.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Badbrude (16)	2012-07-05		Medium	Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

This is a terrific, harmonious blend of top-shelf virginias, burley, an optimal amount of Latakia, and a wisp of cocoa. If there is a cocoa taste, it is quite subtle, athough cocoa is definitely present to the room note. I find the taste similar to SG's Navy Flake, probably due to similar percentage of latakia and virginias, but the addition of burley adds the expected nuttiness to the flavor, and the room note is a tad different.

The cocoa is more subtle and less sweet than Bob's Chocolate Flake, which also has a more predominent cocoa aroma before smoking. I slightly prefer SG's version.

As usual with SG products, it's quite moist so a little drying before smoking is reccommended.

Overall, a well-rounded smoking experience. SG's Cholocate Flake will definitely remain in my rotation, assuming I can continue to find it.

Lastly, a word about Samuel Gawith. I've been a pipe smoker for decades but only came across SG a few years back when I started smoking flakes. There's a lot of good product here in the States but the folks in Lakeland are a cut above.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	who broke my clay pipe? (70)	2012-06-18		Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

50g rectangle tin.

Tin aroma: potent slight perfume(masculine)cocoa& mild tonquin/woody waxy vanilla,(not dissimular to Gawith and Hogarth's 'Bobs Chocolate Flake')full dairy butter,earthy.

Appearance of uneven, dark bark brown coloured, roughly hand chomped, honest looking meaty flakes, with salt or sugar crystals.

I take some loose stuff and speculating that it will be difficult to light without pre-drying,i put it in a bud grinder to tear it into raggy little loose pellets to creat some more exposed surface area.

Lighting is quite easy actually and i don't get much expansion overflow due to the fully rubbed out nature of my preparation having already expanded it.

Tastes how it smells,i feel i can mainly taste a browned virginia,mature and fermented with a slight earthy burley backdrop.Very well melded together to produce a 'burginia/virley' where it tastes like a single tobacco. Whole wheat but thoroughly smooth ground with no lumpiness.

Meaty earthy full,but gentle,buttery with evident cocoa hint and very light tonquin & potters clay red terracotta/ bread dough mouth feel.Its thick and rich like a big butter pie pastry.

Slow and cool burning,but possibly faster than it would be due to the extreme rubbed out nature of my preparation;if i had smoked this in a more intact flake form,i am sure it would be cooler and slower again(but would it burn?)and i would probably be tasting the burley more. But seeing as i dislike relights and that this is already performing as good as i would like already,i don't see any need to alter my preparation methods.

Sweet and salty in equal measure at the same time,but not to the point of being brine like;the interface between sweet and savoury actually(kind of mocca coffee - meets malted night drink).

Simular to G&H 'Bobs chocolate flake',but no smokey latakia hint,and also this doesn't have half of bobs 'playdoh'factor(a factor i do like in bobs,but didn't want in Sams because i wanted this to be different).

Regarding the pipe,i am using a vintage 'Turbo Flow' aluminium stem system pipe with moisture trap ala falcon style,with about a @2.5mm draught diameter smoke tube which being slim amplifies and concentrates the virginias to be tasted at their fullest without compromising other ingredients.I expect this baccy will be a gentler option for those who are not so keen on the lakeland charecteristic which is stronger in G&H'S Bobs Chocolate Flake.

The moisture trap needs to be wiped out about 1 or 2 times in a smoking session or i drown;but its not a problem - and means the system is doing its job and i am getting a good dry smoke which doesn't leave unburned dottle.

Creats a sweet & savoury bakery room note with no sour stale ammonia or cigarettish hum/linger.

The post pipe aftertaste is akin to a powdery bakers flour/pie pastry mix with cocoa powder and slight brown sugar factor. No bite at all or soapyness either.

This and 'Bobs Chocolate Flake'make good contemporaries and substitutes when i want to smoke a chocolate flake like them. I will definately keep some on hand and would buy again.

The nicotine is medium to strong,but the heavyness of the rich tobacco that actually makes me feel like i have a full stomache afterwards, makes the nicotine probably feel higher than it actually is.It feels like a heavier weight strong dark english ale that while not high in percentage,it compensates in density(of which would probably be the perfect complimentary drink).

Once lit, it burns all the way down with little maintenance to a fine fluffy ash..

3 Stars* recommended.

Update:just checking 'Tobacco Reviews' for a second oppinion,it mentions latakia;i admit that i never tasted any directly but it could explain a certain mouth-feel where its coolness was felt and perhaps amplified or disguised itself well with the cocoa to taste like a burn't cocoa,or like the well-done crust on a slice of bread if you get my meaning.

The latakia in here is definately in lighter measure than in Bobs chocolate flake.I would not change pipes to augment the latakia (bigger draught smoke tube)because i feel it will creat taste losses in the virginia,plus the latakia in here is probably serving some subtle technical background control function to serve the burley and virginia marriage rather than as a real 3rd tasting ingredient i recon(others may differ).

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SmokingMySav (9)	2012-06-01		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable

This is regular in my rotation, but I gave it only 3 stars since it's kinda in the middle - neither a classic aro, nor an unscented blend, so I don't see how it would be highly recommended to anyone. Still, I do recommend people try this one to see if they like it.

It's by no means a classic aro - there is no sweetness at all to this blend (not really chocolate), on the contrary, the added cocoa makes it a bit on the bitter side.

I've found that for the best taste and smoke-ability, one should rub it out and let it air out for about 40-50 minutes. Smoking it right out of the tin or with just a bit of airing won't do. Don't over-dry it either, though.

Word of caution: The latest batch of Chocolate Flake tins I ordered, the tobacco came very fresh, very unlike S.Gawith. It would need at least a couple of years of aging.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2012-03-09		Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Well, my first review... here I go: I had heard of this blend for so long and I decided to give it a chance but it showed nothing to me. Plain and weird, I couldn't taste nothing but chocolate and a little sip of subtle latakia sometimes... NOMORE!!!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrT999 (317)	2011-12-06		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

Nice hints of dark chocolate/cacao make this a nice flavored tabacco for those who dislike overly-sweet aros. While I cannot detect any Latakia, I'm sure it's providing some of the structure to the full taste.

edit: considering the number of positive comments I've gotten, I've upgraded the room note to 'very pleasant' -- of course, it might be in relation to what people feel about other tobaccos I've smoked around them!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dr. Scott (82)	2011-12-01		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

In a head-to-head smoke-off, SG's Chocolate Flake easily beats Bob's Chocolate Flake from the cross town competition. There is enough Virginia to give this flake substance. The Latakia is undetectable. And the flavoring is so mild, it is easy to forget that this is a light-aromatic.

It comes wet in the tin and needs a long period of drying to make it smokeable. Closer to chocolate than the competition, the flavoring is more reminiscent of Kendall Cream Flake.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	krg1000 (183)	2011-11-13		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Maybe I was expecting too much of this blend when reading all the praises below me here. I just could not really taste anything that was very good to me. I see, as with other SG blends I have tried that the tobacco used is of the highest order. This one is just not for me. I recommend that this is worth the try when it is available. It is just not a blend that does anything for me. YMMV.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JustOneforMe (28)	2011-09-30		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

Objective: Very wet flakes. Flakes not uniform in size, results in uneven burn. Difficult, but not impossible to break up. Hard to light and stay lit even after drying very well. Only a slight to moderate amount of smoke produced. Hard to find online and at local B&Ms. Can be quite expensive.

Subjective: I like the flavor very much, but considering it is such a pain to keep lit and does not produce a great amount of smoke, I will pass on this flake.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PipesterJim (47)	2011-05-26		Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Can't help thinking I am going to damn this tobacco with faint praise, but I really did find it a little underwhelming.

This is one of SG's flakes that has a smidgeon of Latakia, but not really enough to be considered 'The Full English'. The other one is Navy Flake, which is topped with rum rather than cocoa. That one has no Burley component and more Latakia (to my tastebuds); I like it much better than this.

Upon lighting there is a distinct cocoa flavouring, but I didn't find it all that wonderful, and once it fades you are left with...not a lot.

This was always a bit of an experiment for me. Nowadays I prefer stronger baccy, so a blend that doesn't have a pretty healthy dose of Vit N has to be something really special to get me excited. This one doesn't do it, although I will still give the GH&Co Bob's Chocolate Flake a try before I give up on this style of baccy altogether.

As with all SG blends, the actual quality of the tobacco is top notch, but I won't buy it again. I can see that it could be a good choice for someone who likes cocoa and hasn't become accustomed to the heartier blends out there, so it gets two stars.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Vladlon (7)	2011-04-23		Mild	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

If you want to do something and smoke simultaneously - this is your tobacco - good cool burning,do not need special treatment or attention. It's a just MILD smoking in all respects of the process. One star less for the mediocrity

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sweetbriar (14)	2010-12-16		Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

best brown with sutle hint of cocao witha dash of latikia. mmm mm this one tastes good too.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TonyC (13)	2010-09-09		Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is a high quality VA blend, with a hint of cocoa, both in the tin aroma and when smoked. The flakes are somewhat moist when first opened, but a little time in the open air will be most helpful.

As previously stated, the chocolate flavor is subtle, certainly not in-your-face as some aromatics can be. It's apparent that the leaf used to produce this blend is first-rate, as noted in the leathery feel of the flakes, as well as the smooth, rich smoke. I have begun to pack using a fold/roll/twist action, sort of a hybrid MacBaren method; it seems to work pretty well for the larger Hackert Billiard I've now dedicated to this tobacco.

I get plenty of favorable responses on the room note when I smoke this, even when I'm smoking it at my local tavern on pool night! It's now solidly in my rotation.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-07-25		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

The first couple tins I opened triggered some worrying in me...The sugar crystals were such that I thought it was something else - mold.

But it was not. I have had the misfortune of falling on molded tobacco once and the tin aroma was sickening.

These dark flakes are extremely slow burning and do combine the taste of Latakia, VAs and dark chocolate. I do not detetct any Burleys in here.

The tin aroma is Latakia and bittersweet chocolate, not necessarily in that order.

One of the most original flake I have smoked, I believe it is not for everyone.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	eamonclever (48)	2010-07-22		Mild	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Maybe I expected to much, but there was not that fine cocoa taste in this blend, that I like. There was just a hint of good bitter cocoa. So, 1 off. Although I like my tobaccos with a good moisture level, this one was a bit too much. The stripes a little bit too thick to light it up easily, as I only fold my stripes. 1 off This is not a bad tobacco at all, but in coparison to Bob´s#2 there is a difference, that has to be taken into account. Room note is okay, smoking qualities of the leaf is good as far as you found the right method to fill your pipe. But to me there was no difference folding or rubbing it out, it didn´t turn out to make it in my rotation, although I bought some tins, to store them in case I don´t get bob´s- This is no aro at all, so take it as a quick change of pace during the hot days of summer, because there is a low nicotine contet and the smoke is very mild even for neighbours and wives.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-05-29		Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

I opened a tin of this blend four years ago, and I left, why do not excite me. But the mystery of pipe smoking, never ends. In fact, today I wanted to smoke it, and it was a nice surprise. Not one of my favorites, but I must say that is not bad. It is a flake, not broken flake. For this reason, I think all the reviews on any blend should be taken with due expectations! However I'm sure that will buy it.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	meerkat (64)	2010-04-21		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable

A flake cut from a cake of dark tobacco seasoned with latakia and cocoa powder. Sound interesting? It's not.

But it's not exactly bad either.

It is very smooth and I like the subtle wet soil of the latakia and the delicate dryness of the dark cocoa (not chocolate) but there's very little else on offer. The core tobacco flavour is notably unremarkable. Oxymorons aside, the taste available here is not bad, it's good infact, but it is a bit one sided and monochromatic.

The flakes in my tin were carelessly piled, partly broken with raggy edges and of vastly differing thickness which I didn't mind at all. I mention it purely as I am used to seeing flakes presented very neatly when tinned.

As others have mentioned, this flake is leathery; not just in aroma but in feel. Even with considerable drying time it is difficult to rub these out fully. It also produces a lot of moisture and is impossible to avoid relighting it every couple of minutes.

I really liked the idea behind it and, I guess, overall I liked the taste of this tobacco. I just thought that, given a bit of fruitines from the virginias and maybe some interesting orientals it could have worked so much better.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-04-04		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I have never been disappointed by Samuel Gawith so far. But I rest assured that almost 220 years of using the same traditional craftsmanship methods has something to do with it!

Chocolate flake is a unique cookie. The flakes are dark and uneven in thickness and I can detect dark chocolate, leather as well as a spicy tin aroma. The Latakia is not really appearent in the tin aroma but is in the pipe.

The chocolate flavor is a topping. It lingers smoothly and discreetly in both taste and room note, never impeding on the VAs, Latakia and a very subtle Burley background taste.

CF is a slow burner, never boring and rewarding smoking experience. The Latakia flavor will become more noticeable once past mid bowl.

Not quite an aromatic and not quite a pure tobacco blend, CF is very interesting.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pipealicious (21)	2010-01-05		Strong	Mild	Full	Tolerable

My second Samuel Gawith flake tobacco after Full Virginia Flake. Flakes look ebony and leathery with a small amount of sugar crystals due to natural fermentation. The smell is leathery and 'dusty' in a positive sense.

This tobacco had to grow on me, at first I could't keep it burning nicely when folding the flakes. The taste was very 'leathery' at first too.

After giveing the tin some air, and somking it a few times outside I started to like the taste better. There is indeed a faint hint of bitter chocolate powdering. The Latakia is noticeable but the Burley dominates the blend in my opinion.

Not on top of my list but defenitely a nice variation.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Xeneize (275)	2010-01-03		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This pretty unique Lakeland mixture is an American-English of sorts, with high quality stoved Virginias as the main component, a mixed taste of Latakia and chocolate backing them up, and burley quite in the background.

The smell from the tin is one of the best I've ever tasted, and that doesn't change when the smoke hit the taste buds. If you enjoy the tipical floral taste of Lakelands tobaccos, Latakia and chocolate, then you really need to try this one.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-12-14		Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

I tried this tobacco in my search for a replacement to the now non-existent Sobraine Rich Virginia Flake - the saddest loss to pipe smoking in its annals IMO.

However, back to Sam Gawith. I purchased this blend not knowing it had Latakia in it. Now if you want to totally ruin a smoke then put Latakia in it! This Flake would actually be nice if it didn't have Latakia. It smells good (unlit and lit) and tastes mild and burns really very well. Clouds of smoke to boot.

For those of you who can tolerate mixtures then this is worth a smoke. For those of you who really like Virginia as it is "supposed" to be - don't buy this stuff.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JLong (36)	2009-10-03		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Upon first opening, the tin aroma reminded me of a dental office. Like leather soaked in novocain.

I get the best satisfaction out of this tobacco by rubbing out the flakes, letting them air dry for four hours or so, and plugging a small bowl suited for flake tobacco. Similar to the method described in the Mac Baren web site for smoking flake tobacco.

When smoked in this fasion, it is a smooth burning tasty tobacco with some tang to it. It comes off a little bitter at first but the palette adjusts. As others noted, there is a hint of chocolate. The after taste is very pleasant and lingers for hours.

I doubt this will be a go to tobacco for me but it is definitely a keeper. Something to relax with on a cool fall night with a good book.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pip (80)	2009-08-18		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

The chocolate is very subtle. You can smell hints of it in the tin. Latakia is very faint.

None the less the flakes were big and dark and rubbed out well. Have to let it dry out a bit before packing otherwise it clumps up. I packed my pipe loosely and it lit up fine. It smokes smooth and cool and every so often you get a chocolate hit. No bite at all.

I enjoy this blend with a galss of Drambuie on ice. It really accents the tobacco's flavors.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Skando (203)	2009-07-26		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable to Strong

Chocolate Flake is the only SG's I have left unreviewed, because I always felt uninspired to do.

Seems to me that the Burley plays the main role; Latakia and chocolate are applied in very small quantities. It's the whole blend that doesn't inspire me anything and, like the brothers Balkan Flake and Sam's Flake, is dull and flat.

The combination of the elements in CF gives a faintly sweet & salty (even ashy...) smoke which doesn't really mean a thing to me.

As Hagen says just before me, nothing to complain about the leaves, it's just the boring combination.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ranger (78)	2009-06-15		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I really liked this blend. Moist right out of the tin, a few minutes drying is all that is needed. The tobacco is dark, rich in taste, low levels of latakia but noticeable, and a nice background of cocoa; not the sweet candy bar kind, but a more bittersweet cocoa used in baking. Not A plus material, but very good.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-05-09		Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

It's interesting how palates differ: from 2006 to 2008, this was my main-stay tobacco and I enjoyed it very much. I smoked a tin last month, the first in about 18 months, and I am reassured that that my first impressions back in 2006 were spot-on.

This is a traditional English style flake (plenty of pipe cleaners at the ready) with interesting flavours and a dense, rich and heave smoke emanating from the smoke. I preferred it fully rubbed-out with a little advanced drying.

A good smoke - highly recommended.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-04-14		Medium	Extremely Mild	Very Full	Tolerable

I don't like this. It tastes like a combination of Hershey's chocolate syrup and McClelland Red Cake. There is no consistancy; they're both just there and the flavors don't work. It makes me feel sick. Avoid.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dov of the Galilee (32)	2009-04-09		Medium to Strong	Medium	Full	Very Strong

I'm an aromatic man so bear that in mind but this too is an aromatic in a sense. I enjoy flake tobacco it's the rubbing it out and the build up to the smoke that I occasionally enjoy. The blend itself reminds me of Frog Morton which I like in its own right. Chocolate? I can't detect that in the least and that's what I want in a product that states it so boldly in its name. If a product is going to say chocolate or Cherry it should first and foremost be evident to anyone who walks into the room. For me as the smoker I want the flavor too. Aromatics are notorious for their gunkiness and this burns perfectly and leaves behind a pleasant pile of ash that ole Sherlock himself would find welcoming to investigate. I've given the mix three stars because it deserves it overall but it's not what I expected.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	kg0mz (54)	2009-03-08		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Someone said it below...Stonehaven with a little latakia and more chocolate. Bob's CF is different from this one, not that it has more chocolate. BCF smokes cooler and has that Lakeland District flavor, soap if you will. I enjoy them both, and I highly recommend them both.

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

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	beaupipe (102)	2009-02-15		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Hmmm?. When I first tried Gawith and Hoggarth?'s Bob?'s Chocolate Flake, I didn'?t much care for it. Too large a Lakeland signature made me feel like I was licking chocolate sauce from my lady'?s perfumed hoohaw. I had the opposite reaction to SG'?s Chocolate Flake. I liked it immediately.

I'?m sure you can tell where this is going.

A few months later and I'?ve re-ordered BCF and I?'m struggling to finish this little number. The two flakes have a lot in common. They?'re both based on brown Virginia (though Sam's claims Latakia), both are fairly generous of tobacco flavor and nicotine, both are delightfully smoky, and both are pretty subtle as far as aroma is concerned. If I?'d never experienced BCF, I would probably make this flake an occasional houseguest. Where I think BCF bests Sam's flake (at least for me) is in the level of complexity, the layering of flavor. It?'s got more to say, I suppose.

But at least one other reviewer here had precisely the opposite reaction. (I though you should know.)

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-01-29		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Full	Tolerable to Strong

Chocolate Flake's tin aroma is something that I cannot help but compare to smoking meat and perhaps tires on a hot summer day, which perhaps doesn't sound appealling but smells very intriguing and enticing. The flavor is sweet and tangy, rich and smoky all at the same time. I find that rubbing it out makes it brighter and tangier, whereas simply rolling up the flake and stuffing it in the bowl yields a fuller, richer, deeper smoke. I prefer the latter. The Virginia is deliciously sweet and full. The latakia is like a catfish I used to have in my aquarium; I would go months wondering if he was still alive, and then he'd pop up and I'd wave and smile and he'd go back under his rock. Which is not necessarily bad, unless you're looking for a lot of Latakia; in Chocolate Flake it's content to swim around the bottom, mostly unnoticed; it's very much a condimental leaf here used with the lightest touch. As for the eponymic chocolate, we must bear in mind that chocolate is not sweet; it is rich and bitter, and much sugar must be added to create chocolate candy. I suspect that however SG employs the chocolate, it is in its natural form, dark, bitter, and unsweetened, and I catch a whiff of it as such, adding a certain elusive savor to the smoke. That is what I like best about Chocolate Flake: it is essentially a very tasty quality VA flake with a couple of inconspicuous condiments added which very delicately yet very definitely add interest and depth to the smoke.

One of the very best smoking/imbibing combinations I have experienced was SG Chocolate Flake + North Coast Red Seal Ale. Greatly recommended.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2008-12-01		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

I've not much else to add to the list of reviews for this tobacco, only to echo the sentiment that while this isn't a bad tobacco by any stretch, chocolate it is not. There is an "old fashioned" aroma in the tin from the Latakia, but honestly I challenge anyone to find anything remotely chocolate about it. And while that isn't necessarily a bad thing, hey, I did buy it because it was called Chocolate Flake. If you're looking for a pressed VA/Latakia flake, this very well might be your bag.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Big Nick (74)	2008-11-24		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Calling this blend "Chocolate Flake" might be a little deceptive. Although the tin description implies some sort of chocolate flavoring, I did'nt detect it. That being said, this is a good Virginia/Latakia flake that does produce a sort of bitter chocolate nuance similar to some premium cigars. This is a fairly sweet blend as can be seen by the flakes themselves which seem to be secreting sugars to the surface. Latakia smokers might find this flake a little weak. Aromatic smokers might feel a little decieved, but all in all it is a good smoke.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WmZiggy (81)	2008-11-21		Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Strong

I aged this tin for a year and a half before trying it again. Dried it out and stored it away. Any chocolate top note was now gone. Latakia was front and center on the nose in the tin. Rubbed out and in a meerschaum I found this a wonderfully complex flake. Full, but not a Latakia dump. The interplay between the Virginia and the Latakia was nice and kept me coming back for more. Slow burning, needing some relighting, perhaps because I left it chunky. Not an all day smoke for me, but a nice finish after a steak dinner with red wine.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	gunnn (4)	2008-10-19		Medium	Very Mild	Mild	Tolerable

i enjoy this smoke and find it very relaxing. i am not a chocolate fan and was very pleased to find that the hint of chocalate barely comes through. if you are a new pipe smoker wanted to journey into english tobacco this is probably a good choice but if you are a fan of all things chocolate you will be disappointed.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2008-08-03		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I really wanted to try some Samuel Gawith and I chose a few selections. CF was one of them. CF smells delicious and the taste is wonderful...however...through experimentation(drying out the tobacco before use, packing it still moist, different pipes,etc.)every time I smoke a pipe full by the time I hit the bottom bowl I get this burnt latakia taste that is horrible. It is not the latakia ruining it but the horrid taste that combines burnt ash and a mold taste.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WillardFan (90)	2008-06-03		Mild	Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

Samuel Gawiths Tobacco's are among my absolute faves, so I was hoping for my usual Yee-Haa reaction to Sam's Blends, but this one leaves me going Huh! The tin scent is weird. Others have stated that they taste the Latakia, but I can barely taste it, and no matter how many bowls of this stuff I smoke, The Chocolate taste is almost non-existant. I'm gonna smoke this whole tin, and hope by some miracle of fate, that it will live up to some of the other reviewers remarks. My go-to tobaccos are Squadron Leader and Navy Flake by Samuel Gawith, but to me this stuff just isn't of the same caliber.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2008-05-06		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

UPDATE 05/06/08: Setting aside my bias against non-burley tobaccos the writing was totally on the wall when I ordered this in bulk. Once I take that step, I feel pretty obligated to award a fourth star and so I am. This blend is particularly remarkable as an early morning blend (reminiscent of a Starbucks Mocha).

After many, many years of pipe smoking, I finally broke into the flake world. I have had my eye of SG Chocolate Flake for some time so it seemed like a very good place to start. Some may complain about the light, almost occassional background chocolate taste. To me this is what makes this blend unique. It is a very full, very satisfying tobacco which at any minute can adopt the more positive characteristics of an aromatic. No small accomplishment when you think about it. Not so aromatic or chocolatey that you'll get a Baby Ruth bar in every pull but still there's that something sweet that varies from invisible to right out front seemingly at will. It's really quite unlike anything I've ever smoked before. At a low smolder it's quite a good breakfast smoke and will last for even a very long drive to work. This one's a keeper

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sylvian (28)	2008-05-04		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Chocolate Flake is one of the most relaxing blends. Wherever you smoke it, it creates that home atmosphere. Mellow Virginia, cocoa taste, and a hint of the trademark Lakeland scent which gradually fades away. Hardly anything that's associated with Latakia, which does not diminish the outstanding characteristics of this blend. Most highly recommended for relaxed indoor smoking.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Frosty (29)	2008-04-19		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Hooh boy, another 4 star rating from old Frosty. This has been so expertly described already that I will merely say that I really like this flake. I fully rub out enough for the bottom 1/4of the bowl, then rub the rest out quite coarsly. This is just wonderful, and as is my habit I have devoted a nice big Bjarne billiard exclusively to this flake. Wonderful creamy smoke, reminds me of bittersweet brownies. Pipe smoking to me represents comfort, and I just picture myself this winter sitting in my new man cave in the basement, a nice cup of tea laced with brandy, stoking up a bowl of Chocolate Flake while listening to gentle music. Try this, you will like it. Not an aromatic in the genre of candy coated glop, by the way. Yum!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Fofo (81)	2008-04-05		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Flavor: The chocolate comes through but not in an overpowering manner and the tobacco flavor comes through beautifully. The Latakia, used as a condiment here, adds an interesting dimension.

Complexity: One of the few aromatics out there that offer some degree of complexity. The tobaccos are properly married. The Virginia isn't all that obvious (due to the casing) but it's present though you need to concentrate to detect it. The Burley is pretty easy to pick up and is superbly complimented by the chocolate casing.

Aroma: The predominant aromas are of milk chocolate, Burley and a hint of Latakia.

Tin aroma: Smells of chocolate with something else. Somewhat sour.

Room note: a wife pleaser. The Latakia is only a condiment here so it doesn't leave its signature stink. The note also does not linger too long after smoking.

Burning characteristics: This tobacco comes on the moist side, some drying is necessary (but not required) to facilitate lighting. Once I got it going I had to relight once or twice but, to me, this isn't a big issue.

Cut/Moisture content: The flakes are hard to fully rub due to the high moisture content. What I did was rub, dry for an hour, rub again. This might be inconvenient to some looking for a "quick fix." It might be specially inconvenient for those who are not inclined to spend much time with an aromatic.

Overall: Very good blend. A welcome change of pace from my steady Balkan diet. Although the Latakia is noticeable it's used in small ammounts as a spice. I wouldn't consider this a "Crossover" blend. Recommended.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipemanuk (76)	2008-03-22		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Tis pointless my typing out anything here as Blackie has summed up this tobacco EXACTLY as I see it. A fine tobacco and well worthy of its 3 stars.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2008-02-22		Mild	Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This is an interesting tobac. The chocolate is so mild, but it's in there. You can smell it and taste it. The Latakia is barely noticeable also, but it lends its body and spice directly to the Virginia. It's really sublime!

This is a really good blend. It delivers it's wonderful flavor without having to work too hard to get it (as I have found in blends like 1792). A bit wet at first, but easily managed.

The middle of the bowl reveals more chocolate some cherry and a mild leathery taste; not unpleasant somewhat like an old study with leather furniture. It burns cool despite my efforts to heat it up. Nice puffs of smoke that really hit the spot.

Near the end of the bowl, the flavors have become perfectly balanced. Some spice emerges in the smoke, and some nuttiness. I taste cinnamon, but perhaps that's just the chocolate appearing again.

This is a very satisfying and complex smoke. Among my favorites from Gawith along with XX Black Rope and Brown #4.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PipePaladin (78)	2008-02-09		Medium	Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Thats a nice flake with just a few latakia and just a few choco casing. I like it cause I am not really into English blends but I do also like to have it from time to time! If you are looking for a heavy choco aroma and strong latakia fix you are in the wrong place but if you prefer a solid virginia with surprises from time to time thats the one! Definitely it worths a try!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jaybee (77)	2007-12-05		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A very nice flake of Virginia with Latakia playing sometimes in the background and sometimes the forefront. I must admit that I don't sense any chocolate either in the taste or aroma. I like to sip on this while relaxing with a glass of single malt scotch. More natural than Bob's Chocolate Flake and with less assault to the senses than other latakia-laden blends. Truly relaxing.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2007-11-25		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

I must say : after battle and defeating the ennemy, this is the tobacco I would reach for, after thanking God for our glorious victory! And I would accompany it with a fine glass of brandy while I would discuss the details of the battle with the Captain of the Flag ship and the Combat Officer...

I can understand why Samuel Gawith held Chocolate Flake among his personnal favorites; after only 3 bowls, it has become one of my favorites!

What stroke me upon opening the tin, besides the cacao aroma, was the amount of sugar crystals on the flakes: I have never seen a tobacco with as much! The beautiful, dark flakes are covered with them...it is truly fascinating!

The cacao aroma is simply delicious and, with it, I can detect the Virginia and Latakia.

I decided to fully rub out a flake; lighting proved a bit difficult, it needed a couple relights, but once started, it was just fine. This tobacco is very creamy, and one can taste the full virginia, some Latakia and in the background, the cacao casing that is just right. After mid-bowl, the cacao casing will slowly fade away and the virginia and Latakia will be the stars of the show.

It smokes dry to the end and I was ready to fill another bowl right away...this is truly an excellent tobacco, I will purchase regularly.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2007-11-14		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Lately I have been getting into this line of tobaccos and aside from having some mixed results with Bracken Flake and 1792...I think there are some real gems here.

I must admit that when I think of a blend named after a piece of fruit or candy I shudder. Despite my trepidation, I thought I would give it a shot since I am very fond of chocolate and didn't want to be a wuss and not take a chance. I was hoping that this would not be a waste of $10 and I was pleasantly surprised

SG's CF is a nice mixture of cocoa, smoky latakia (just a tad mind you)burley and good old pressed VA's...and it really works very well. This flake comes quite wet, but I let it dry for about a day with the flakes separated and all was fine. This flake breaks up well into nice strands and packs well too. I usually pack most flakes length-wise and not too tightly and CF liked this proposition. The flake lit quickly and stayed lit, a good volume of smoke and never a bite. The sensation I got was one of smokey chocolate with some nutty and caramelized tones....nice! I wish this was a little bit stronger, but still a great blend. This is not syrupy, or really even a sweet aromatic...its more like a medium english with a cocoa sprinkle.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2007-09-01		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

All I can say is that this is a very good smoking tobacco. There is a hint of chocolate. The Latakia is faint. All in all a good tasting tobacco. I give it four stars.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2007-08-03		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Like all Gawith flakes, this blend is excellent, burns very cool and exhibits excellent burning properties.

I take one flake out of the tin and let it dry out for an hour or so. Then, I rub it out a little and pack the chunky pieces into a pipe that I have reserved solely for this blend - a Radice clear dublin. I sprinkle a little powder on top to get things going.

As I mentioned, once it gets going, it burns great. I can't really taste the Latakia, but the Virginia component is quite nice and the added essence is simply "icing on the cake" for me, without turning the whole affair into an aromatic. Quite the contrary, instead of sweet, CF is at best "semi-sweet" and is great anytime I need a break from my usual Balkan blends.

So...CF is a semi-sweet, well-mannered VA flake that always burns cool (like all of Gawith's flakes) and never fails to please.

What a great effort from Samuel Gawith and a real validation of their extensive knowledge of tobacco and blending skills.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2007-06-30		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Chocolate Flake's name may be a bit deceiving. The flavor is more of a pressed Virginia than chocolate. The VA is sweet and the latakia is light, so it might be a good starting point for a novice English smoker. The Chocolate taste is present at about mid bowl and is always in the background, never overpowering but ever present. I would never smoke it every day but it is a nice after dinner smoke. This tobacco also does not require a lot of attention two matches and a few tamps and you are set to go. Enjoy.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	puro66 (73)	2007-05-20		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

As a general rule I avoid any tobacco marked chocolate. Don't get me wrong I love chocolate but not in my tobacco. I seriously hesitated buying a tin of this. But, wow! This is a high grade virginia with a hint of cocoa, chocolate, special essence 104 or whatever. It is not uniformly sliced but is still pretty easy to work with and provides a very smooth smoke straight to the end. If you are a fan of virginias and looking for a change of pace, pick up a tin and give it a try!

As to the latakia which is eluded to in the description, no way! If there is latakia in this blend I'll eat my shorts. There is no tin aroma, burn or taste that indicates latakia. If there is latakia, only the folks at CSI could find it!

UPDATE 5-01-13: Did not make it to my regular list or even guest list but I still recommend others try it!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DoctorThoss (146)	2007-05-20		Mild	Medium	Mild	Pleasant

This is a mild, flavorful aromatic that actually tastes like chocolate. It doesn't smoke wet, it shouldn't burn your tongue and it burns easily. Nothing earth-shattering, but definitely worth trying out. I'm not a huge fan of aromatics, but I found nothing off-putting in this blend and would definitely recommend it.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2007-05-12		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Update: It has been over two years now since my original review, which was based on the tinned version. Since that time, I have been smoking the bulk version and find it identical and slightly more economical. I still enjoy this from time to time, especially in the cooler air of Autumn in seasoned pipes dedicated to it.

Original Review: 04/28/2005 - This is a medium brown to light tan flake, with a tin aroma of carob and natural cocoa that takes some effort to get going, even when rubbed out. Once the bowl is underway, it burns cool and clean down to a nice dry white ash. Its flavor continues to intensify in a pleasant way throughout the entire smoke. The natural carob and cocoa flavor is always present and semi complex, definitely not monochromatic, without ever dominating the natural Virginia flavor. The Latakia element is so subtle it does not come through in taste instead it adds smokiness to the aroma. The overall flavor is rich, smooth and balanced. No floral Lakeland scents or soapy taste. Smokes cool and dry, never nips, bites, gets steamy or becomes astringent. Recommended for those that appreciate rich Virginia tobacco.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2007-01-29		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

rlaw had it nailed. SMOOTH!! couple of matches, a light tamp, and your off to the races. Puff as hard as you like. No bite here. Nice flavor thats not a latakia overdose... Chocolate never really came through. More like adding cream to coffee type of a smoothing the rough edges effect. At 40.00 bucks a pound this stuff is not that cheap.. but still cheaper than GL Pease and a few others.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2007-01-06		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I am not a big fan of Latakia blends at all but this one is done right. Just a good smooth mixture. Goes great with a cup of coffee of the evening. Has just a very slight bite but I am a pretty aggresive puffer. Stays lit good, did not burn hot. Certainly worth the money to try.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Philo Beddoe (221)	2007-01-02		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

When first opening the tin I was fascinated by the sugar crystals that had formed on the flakes and the dark chocolate aroma in the tin, I knew I was in for a treat. I bent two flakes into my pipe and lit up. The taste of dark chocolate was present from the beginning, but it was never overwhelming, always in the background. I was generally pleased with the smooth taste, but it does become tiring toward the end of the bowl.

Chocolate Flake is similiar to Perfection in it's basic smoking qualities but it lacks the creamy undertones that keep Perfection in my cabinet. I will finish the tin but I think that it will be some time before I purchase another.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2006-12-17		Medium	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

First of all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to one and all! If you are looking for a post Christmas dinner smoke you could do a lot worse than Chocolate Flake - it is quite simply delicious and extremely satisfying. Yet another four star tobacco - we need more stars to differentiate all this brilliance in the tobacco market.

No syrupy topping here, more like (as others have said) a very good dark cocoa applied with reserve. The chocolate weaves in and out and makes for an excellent room note. The smoke still has real tobacco presence though, and is rich like a good cigar. This tobacco produces an enormous amount of smoke - half a flake could last an hour if you were deep in thought...

A friend of mine bought this and I liked it immediately. His seemed to have a "dusting" of topping and was quite dry in the tin. I experimented with the dashboard stoving (it's summer here in New Zealand) and the results were excellent. Two days in the sun and the contents of the tin had merged into a damp chocolatey block. After some drying out the flavour was sublime...

Great stuff.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Buster Bluth (56)	2006-12-16		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Like most on this board, I avoid anything with "cherry", or "chocolate" in the name. Reason being, we've all had our foray into the flavored stuff, and our tongues were singed, and our pipes soaked. I love most everything Samuel Gawith makes, and bought a tin as a 'change of pace' for the Xmas holiday.

After 1 tin, its now a member of the rotation, with more in reserve. This is one of those magic tobaccos for me, and I've been smoking it exclusively. It isn't chocolate, but more cocoa. The flavor is extremely natural.

Neither the Latakia or the flavoring is overpowering to the smoker, or the bystander. The flavor is as pleasurable as the room note.

It came pretty wet in the can, so I gave it some air. It burns cool and dry.

I really don't see how anyone could find fault with this blend.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2006-12-14		Medium	Medium	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Not to be confused with Bob's Chocolate Flake, SG's Chocolate Flake is in a class by itself and unlike anything else I've ever smoked except perhaps to a chocolate burley I used to purchase in Manhattan some forty-five years ago at a small midtown shop. Unlike that tobacco however, SG's blend is not a burley blend at all, and burns clean down to the bottom of the bowl. It is cool burning without a hint of bite.

This is for me, at least, too rich in flavor to be enjoyed all day, but to be smoked for a change of pace.

Is this an aromatic tobacco? Some say yes while others say no. I really don't know and frankly don't care. It clearly is flavored and the flavoring is magnificent.

This works surprisingly well with DGT.

If I had only three word for this blend, they would be: flavor, flavor and flavor.

Let me just add that whether or not you like aromatic tobacco's, you really ought to give this one a try.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2006-10-10		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Tin Aroma: Cocoa and must. There's nothing here that I would identify as a ?tobacco? aroma.

Preparation: I?m of the fold and stuff school when it comes to flakes. One-and-a-half of these wide, thin flakes folded and stuffed is enough for a bowl in most of my pipes, whick tend to be on the large side.

First third: As the match hits the weed, the first flavor is that of a quiet Virginia. This is followed by a distant Latakia taste. The Latakia combines with just a hint of chocolate, bringing forth an earthy, sausage-like flavor. Fresh from the tin, the flake is difficult to light. Like most flakes, it benefits from a little drying out.

As the bowl progresses, the very pleasant tang of Virginias is at the forefront. The Latakia continues to lend its sausage-like flavor in the background. This is a very tasty blend!

Mid-bowl: A re-light brings a whiff of very pleasant cocoa flavor, and the smoke settles quickly down to a somewhat delicate Virginia flavor, deepening as the bowl goes on.. My palate is not educated enough to pick out just what Virginia, alas, but it is well-mannered and smooth. There is some small sweetness here, but it is not at all cloying. I wouldn?t be surprised to find that a major component in this blend is Burley. I?m betting that there?s some Turkish in here, too, playing into the sausage-like note, which is there if I look for it, but it is very un-obtrusive.

Final Third: This blend develops wonderfully, with the flavor of the smoke becoming deeper and the individual flavors melding together to the point where it is difficult to pick out one over the other. Here in the final third of the bowl, the flavor becomes quite rich.

Re-lights continue to bring the cocoa flavor to the fore before the tobacco settles down again. Exhaling through the nose amplifies the Latakia leaf, and makes me a bit more certain about the Turkish addition.

Overall: This tobacco is quite the gentleman. It behaves well, doesn?t bite or over-heat the pipe. It is very tasty and never boorish. It never lectures and is always engaging, developing a very understated, slightly sweet richness by the final third of the bowl. Like all gentlemen, it is rich enough to stand up to a cup of strong coffee or a splasheen of whiskey, but goes particularly well with a cup of tea. The room note is quite pleasant with a hint of chocolate, but not at all aromatic. It makes a wonderful all-day companion, and is not picky about the pipe it likes.

Highly recommended for the English or Virginia smoker. Highly recommended also for the Burley and aromatic smokers for a change of pace.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2006-10-05		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This is a great tobacco,Im not much for latakia but in this one its not overerpowering.You can really taste the sweet virginia and the chocolate flavoring is exceptional.I love this tobacco.Try it you wont be disapointed.Sammy the bull Gravano used to smoke this.I know he's a rat but whatever.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2006-10-03		Mild to Medium	Mild	Full	Pleasant

Simply put, one of the finiest flake tobaccos around. This dark, chocolate brown flakes are moist out of the tin, but not too moist. Loaded properly into your pipe, as flakes are meant to be smoked, this product provides a long, enjoyable smoke. Nothing but real tobacco flavor with just a hint of unsweetened chocolate staying in the background. Unlike Bob's, this doesn't have the floral essence to ruin the experience. This is a must try smoke for those who haven't experienced it. Four Stars!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Moe (46)	2006-09-07		Mild	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Sammy G. has done himself proud with this mix.I like my tobacco's on the dry side, and I like my flakes rubbed out fully. I dry and rub out SG Chocolate flake and it smokes great, tastes great, doesnt bite. I'm normally a non flavored tobacco smoker, but this is done so well. I cant help but love it.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2006-09-06		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

If you like choclate (and who doesn't), and you like latakia (and who doesn't) this is for you. The latakia is very light and you might think that wouldnt go with a sweet choclatey flavour you would be wrong, this stuff is really nice. I normally don't like aromatics, but chocolate flake is good. I found that it didn't really like to be rubbed out and worked better if I folded a couple of flakes up and stuffed them in the bowl. try some of this you will like it.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2006-07-02		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I reviewed this blend four years ago and didn't care for it very much. Now that I have smoked Chocolate Flake again my opinion has improved. It smells like cocoa in the tin-just as it did when I smoked it four years ago. It was overly moist and needed drying out just as it did back then. The taste was chocolate to start off, but it was more pleasing to me this time around. The flavor was deep and rich and although there is latakia in the blend I did not taste it. I tasted Virginia with a flavoring of chocolate, but mostly it was the sweet and smooth Virginia that I enjoyed all the way to the bottom of the bowl. The smoke was never harsh or bitter and this from a tin just off of the shop's shelf so I can imagine that a bit of aging and this tobacco will be as smooth as silk. This is an English aromatic from the Lake District, but it will not ruin your pipe for smoking non aros. I dislike aromatics, but this is a different animal altogether. I will keep some of this blend in my cellar for those occasions when I feel like something different. Other smokers could want this blend on a much more frequent basis. It deserves a try.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2006-04-03		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I really liked this weed. It has a natural tobacco taste with a noticeable,but not pungent dose of Latakia.The chocolate topping is very similar to Baker's Chocolate. This really is not an aromatic by any stretch of the imagination. I would say the flavor is akin to Stonehaven with a little Latakia and Bittersweet Chocolate. A very nice change of pace. Burns cool no matter how hard you puff. A definite 4 of 4 stars! I really can't describe the sensation while smoking this. It has the best of all 3 worlds- Latakia,Virginias, and aromatics. A must try for all experienced smokers. JR CIGAR sells it for $5.75 a tin. Really a nice change!

As a side note , This smokes really well in my new collection of Pearwood and Cherrywood pipes. These pipes are from Poland and are the best kept secret in the pipe smoking world. They are called Mr.Brog Pipes. I picked up 1 at the Chicago pipe show last year,and just recently this year, I purchased another 3 while on holiday in Lithuania.These pipes really intensify all aromatic and semi-aromatic blends in a way that meerschaum and briar simply can't. I am sure they are available at Pipes and Cigars in Albany. Happy smoking with Chocolate Flake!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2006-01-16		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

RCUSElder got this one just about right, except that I find it sweet, particularly for a latakia mixture. This is likely due to casing with the chocolate liqueur I think flavors this. That said, I am very fond of this and waited quite a while to review it to see if my appreciation would wane with its novelty. This is a great flake tobacco, a great latakia blend, and a marvelous aromatic: three treats in one. This is the essence of a cool and nearly dry smoke.

If aromatics were generally this refined and built upon the foundation of excellent tobaccos, as SG Chocolate Flake is, I would smoke more of them. Vastly superior to Bob's Chocolate Perfumery Flake.

A perfect blend for my 100th review.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ducksbreath (125)	2005-09-17		Medium to Strong	Medium	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is actually a pretty strong tobacco.I'd say it's about as strong as GH Rum Flake overall, but with less aromatic elements and less sweetness.

There is the suggestion of chocolate which never really burns off yet never really makes itself present. The latakia is a little more recognizable. There is no soapy or floral taste at all that I can pick up.

For me, as the bowl progresses the latakia becomes a bit more pronounced, in the sidestream smoke or nose, and the richness of the VA builds with the slightest hint of bittersweet choclolate. It becomes dense on the palate with a lot of body, a little like Stonehaven in this regard.

Somehow, all of this sounds more interesting on paper than it is in actual smoking. Hence my guarded recommendation.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RCUSElder (244)	2005-06-02		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Another fine surprise!

Appearance and Tin Aroma: Flakes that are mostly brown with streaks of both golden and dark leaf. Smells of hay and baker's chocolate.

Packing and Lighting: I rub the flakes lightly and stuff. The flakes are a little moist, but light up well anyway, 3-4 lights max.

Initial Flavor: Nice rich VA flavor with the chocolate mostly for support.

Mid-Bowl: Nice interplay between the leaf and the topping. The latakia is noticed only in the body of the smoke. This is not a sweet blend even though it has a chocolate topping.

Bottom of Bowl: This builds up a fair amouunt of strength. This is no beginner's aromatic, but a manly rich blend for the accomplished piper. Burns to a very light fluffy grey ash that practically floats away when dumping. Bottom of bowl is dry too.

Overall: This is a fine change of pace smoke for me. The ingredients are top notch and the blend is rich in strength and flavor. The chocolate topping is of the unsweetened type, is layered in discretely, and adds a rich body to the flavor and as a side benefit, leaves a nice room note.Well done Samuel Gawith!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2005-04-26		Medium	Medium to Strong	Full	Pleasant

The tin aroma is of natural cocoa, not a candy type hershey bar "sprayed on" chocolate. While it does take more effort than most broken flakes to get going, once it is, it burns down to a nice dry white ash. Its flavor continues to intensify in a pleasant way throughout the entire smoke.

The chocolate is always there with a "natural" flavor and somewhat complex, definately not monochromatic, without ever dominating the natural tobacco flavors. The thing that this blend does well is it is an extremely rich and smooth blend. It smoked cool and no matter how hard I puffed it, it never did bite.

This excels as an all day smoke, a real treat anytime of the day or night. 4 solid stars.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	UncleGar (110)	2005-04-22		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

When is an aromatic not an aromatic? I get no chocolate unless I seek it, and there it is. This comes off more like a burley to me than a Virginia (with rumored latakia): kind of cloaking and graham-crackery almost sweetness. It is not dumbed down with the inevitable vanilla like the rest. Intriguing blend, this stuff, a chimerical oddity that is difficult to describe and categorize.

I like it best not rubbed out, but cut into bowl height strips and stood on end and allowed to remain there until dry enough to ignite. (Really: I found this so wet from the tin I did a loss on drying test with a few flakes and a sensitive balance. Over 20% by weight lost overnight, leaving a still-pliable flake.) Once dried and lit, it starts with a heady creamy aromatic smoke with a flavor that builds nicely. The best part is the luxurious bottom third, which takes some time to get to. Some reviewers disliked relighting, yet I found no off tastes.

This is a quirky tobacco I think all should try at some point. There really is no comparable blend to this one. No soap, no cavendish, no vanilla. The chocolate is subtle. Yes, there is plenty of nicotine and tobacco flavor. It makes for a good change of pace smoke.

Update 4/11 Dried crispy 5 year opened crystal-saturated flakes are surprisingly cocoa-ish and delicious, quite possibly the best smoke yet for me. Downgraded nicotine to "medium" and upgraded aroma to pleasant. This blend is no longer available due to hoarding and it's a damn shame. Otherwise, the above still holds. It's not for everybody: send me your unwanted tins. Gawd I love this stuff. I just love this stuff.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2005-04-18		Medium to Strong	Medium	Full	Strong

Having tried and loved Bob's Chocolate Flake, I had to give this one a go. And, boy -- do I ever enjoy it. Unlike Bob, which I find has a milder, flowerier (perhaps even minty?) flavour, this one tastes of deep, dark, unsweetened chocolate. Rich, rich, rich! My first try of it was in a large-bowled pipe, and it burned seemingly for hours. This is one of those blends that burns cool and biteless without any effort. It IS monochromatic in its properties, but that neverending richness puts me into heaven. Near the bottom of the bowl, it really starts to sing: The richness of the chocolate (rounded with latakia) flavour deepens considerably, while at the same time the nicotene starts to concentrate. The result is a feeling of heaviness in my head and body and a deep, dark flavour that makes my eyeballs involuntarily roll up into my head.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lbarraa (29)	2005-01-02		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

The chocolate flake is a very good tobacco. In the tin the flakes very nice, with a great aroma,but not chocolate aroma. The tobacco is easy to pack in the pipe and is easy burning. Provides a cool smoking, the latakia is does not shows up during all the time. At the begins the tobacco can be a litle strong, after a few minuts teh nicotine decreases. Is a tobacco perfect for the aromatic's lovers who want to start tryng the english blends. If you in the past have a "bad trip (or experience)" with the latakia, this tobacco will help to forget it.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2004-11-24		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is an extremely nice tobacco from Samuel Gawith. It's what you'd expect from them-- leathery (but with a little cocoa!) smell coming from the dark and thinly-cut flakes in the tin. Once lit, this stuff burns all the way down (it may be a little moist for some, I found it about right). I think that many smokers will enjoy this unusual aromatic tobacco. The main course is definitely tobacco, but the addition of the subtle chocolate casing makes this just delightful. I enjoy it very much as a change of pace, but it's good enough to smoke regularly. Don't be put off by the "chocolate" appelation in the slightest, it behaves and tastes like tobacco... and yeah, the chocolate is really pretty nice, too. The other reviews have it otherwise pegged-- so there's my $0.25 for now. Enjoy!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2004-11-24		Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I think it's somehow 'unfair' to call this tobacco an 'aromatic'. When the tin is opened the aroma of chocolate is very nice - but it's natural spicey baking chocolate instead of a 'perfume of candy chocolate.' It is a nice 'broken flake' and I like to load it in my pipe without any fancy rubbing or cutting. I just break it up in little pinches and pack it in...tamping it gently. The tobacco burns well; it's a tad slow to start up, but not difficult and once started it stays lit and burns down to a nice dry white ash. Its flavor grows and gets better as you smoke it. Chocolate? The chocolate is there - but always natural. It's not a one-dimensional flavor. For me it seems to alternate between a kind of chocolate earthiness and sweet virginia smokiness with the former being the flavor that grows in strength...but it never overpowers the tobacco. The best trait of this tobacco - is its smoothness. It gives a lot of complex flavor but it smokes cool and doesn't bite! It's an all day smoke and strangely enough - my wife likes it more than some of my other tobaccos such as Balkan Sassieni. Is it my favorite? Sometimes it's my favorite, but sometimes I like something else. So many good tobaccos it's hard to ever single one out as 'the best'. This is however a great tobacco...and a great afterdinner tobacco... I give it 5 stars!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stan (178)	2004-10-24		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Similar formula -- stoved pressed virginias and less than 10% latakia -- as SG's Navy Flake. Nice typical SG strips of tobacco, easy to rub out. I break it up some.

In the tin I see brown and black. Smells just barely of latakia and chocolate. After lighted, it burns very well to the bottom.

I'm told it doesn't smell like chocolate while smoking but ashy. However, when I re-enter a room I detect a slight chocolate scent.

I find the latakia is just background except at the very end. It's hardly detectable due to the added scent; the scenting makes the blend taste earthy but sweeter than a brown flake alone. In fact, I sense a hint of cocoa that lasts throught the smoke. But it's light and you would not likley guess it if you weren't told about it. The latakia adds body to the blend.

I don't recommend putting the lit pipe down for a while (DGT), as the chocolate note fades in favor of a dull virginia muted by too little latakia. I don't think an aromatic smoker will consider this enought flavor added, but don't let the chocolate scent put you off. It's light and complements the virginia, almost like a brown flake.

It is similar to Rob's Chocolate flake, but no burley here, and in my opinion the chocolate stays longer with SG's blend. Not quite as round as Patriot Flake, but smooth enough in my view. Not as chocolatety as G&H's Louisiana Flake, which is sharper due to the brighter virginias and perique used.

All and all, a cool, flavorful, reasonable dry, steady burning, slightly scented Lakeland flake worthy of a small bowl now and again. Recommended to brown flake and slightly scented virginia flake lovers. I liked the chocolate mild note's companionship throughout.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	rosczich (10)	2004-10-19		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

i guess its based on the reciept of Full Virginia Flake,but there is a hint of latakia in it. the Chocolate aroma is really delicate, but believes a companion for the smoker until the end of the pipe, without becoming "owerthelming".they say its one of samuel own favourites, but who knows?i suggest to drink a good cup of cold chocolate with it.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NEWMAN (305)	2004-09-22		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This blend is also available in bulk via the net and I'm glad that I chose this route since I had more of this high quality tobacco to smoke. A tin would have disappeared far too fast. The dark brown to black flakes were ~1"x6"x3/64" and pliable enough to avoid rub out which is my normal, initial approach. Packing and lighting were easy and relights were not required. The tin aroma was inviting and the room aroma less objectionable to non smokers than most other Latakia blends. I didn't sense the chocolate in either. This blend was consistent within a bowl and from bowl to bowl in a variety of bowl sizes and little condesation occurred even without drying the tobacco. The Latakia is present but not so dominant to overpower the sweet VAs. The absence of the Lakeland 'soapy' taste was also appreciated when compared to the G&H variety of the same name. This blend produces a thick, intense, rich smoke that is too much for my tastes as an all day item. However, I'm starting to prefer Latakia after meals and this and Solani 763 are the winners to date. Give it a try.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2004-07-24		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Deeeelicious! I'll keep this review short and sweet so you don't waste time reading and go out and try some of this excellent flake.

A classic Gawith pressed flake. Dark and soft with a hint (very little) of Latakia. I really cannot discern any Chocolate essence but, it is a bit sweet smelling and clearly has something added.

Billows of thick creamy smoke. Full bodied but very approachable. No "soapy" essence at all. The Latakia hides in the background.

If you like S. Gawith or G & H flakes, but shy from the "soapy" ones (like me), try this. It's great.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2004-07-17		Very Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

If you are a fan of English Rope blends, this is going to make you happy. If not- don't bother. This is nicotine and strong flavors (not strong topping, but strong tobacco tastes). SG, or G&H afficianados will know what they are getting into. If you favor Danish, beware. Do not allow the word "chocolate" to make any decisions for you.

This arrived as slices in the standard rectangular tin. Very dark with the typical look and feel of small, leathery slices of beef jerky. The aroma is that of cocoa powder, or baking chocolate and fine Virginia tobacco. In fact, the smell in the tin is nothing short of wonderful.

It rubbed-out very easily, but don't make the mistake of letting this shred into the consitency of cigarrette tobacco, or that's precisely what you will swear that you are smoking. Depending on the packing method that you employ, I suggest you stick with, or deviate to a loose load with the slice only about two-thirds rubbed out. I did this initally and was well rewarded. The second bowl was fully rubbed and packed more tightly. The latter smoked with all of the charm of three Camel Cigarettes ground in a food processor with a piece of a Milky Way Bar.

I found that this smoked best in about a group 3 bowl. Any smaller and the taste will never fully unfold. Any larger and the tidal wave of nicotine will eventually cause an arterial bleed in your head. Great care must be exercised to keep the puffing tempo restrained, and the temperatures moderate. This is the kind of tobacco that you have to be calm around, or it will get ugly fast. Like my neighbors mongrel dog, if you mind your manners the relationship will be fine and no hospitalization will be required.

The moisture level from the tin was just right. Semi-rubbed, however, made the lighting process slightly more bothersome than usual, but no big deal. Once lit, it takes a few minutes to realize the nicotine level, quality of the Virginia or the particular presence of the topping. In fact the first minute or two of smoking is not particularly enjoyable; but I have found that this tends to be the case with many of these types of blends. Some are initally hot, weedy and thin until the entire top of the chamber is evenly lit and allowed to moderate in temperature.

If the documentation on this particular blend had not mentioned the inclusion of Latakia, I would have not noticed it at all. If you are thinking of trying this to be wooed by the subtle smokiness of that leaf, you will be disappointed, IMHO. This tases like stoved Virgina and Burley to me. I could be suffering from Latakia overload from the rest of my tobacco collection, but the Virginia most assuredly occupies center stage and the spotlight as well in this mixture.

The Chocolate level is very restrained in terms of flavoring. It certainly can be detected in the room note however, which is nice. It is a subtle, dark chocolate background flavor that comes and goes through the smoke and adds a nice complexity. It is not in any way shape or form a dominating, dessert-type flavoring. It makes a larger appearance in the second half of the smoke, as does the sweetness of the Virgina. This is a good tobacco to smoke with a cup of strong coffee, soda or a scotch. Wine, and especially beer harmed the flavor.

This is the kind of topped Samuel Gawith blend that I like. It does not have a soapy or floral side at all. It does, however require an investment by the smoker to approach it correctly. That being said, I recommend it to any piper who can appreciate a strong Virginia tobacco.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	The Printer Piper (15)	2023-02-19		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

My tin was sealed and tobacco was 2022 fresh and somewhat moist. The flakes were bend-able without breaking and requires you to either bend them or roll them and insert them, you really can't rub out this tobacco. Tin reads Virginias, with a touch of Latakia flavored with rich chocolate in medium strength flake. I definitely tasted Burley in it too.

The tobacco presented a dry smoke with almost no Latakia (which I enjoy) and was really a Burley forward, somewhat spicy smoke. Very slight sweetness from Virginias. The chocolate taste couldn't really be found in either a sweet nor dark chocolate variety to me. And only slightly as a bakers-chocolate room note after half a bowl.

Best to smoke by sipping it slowly, but you really can't because it doesn't stay lite for long requiring constant re-lights.

Overall, a disappointment that is either a mis-marked Burley blend or the mixture is so convoluted and over-mixed as to not present any definite tobacco variety flavor at all. Latakia was MIA. My only positive comment here is that the flakes themselves looked and felt good and they were formed well.

One of a very few tobaccos I wouldn't buy again.

Pipe Used: Meerschaum

Age When Smoked: 2022

Purchased From: Local B&M

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JaWiBr (440)	2022-12-16		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Tin note of smoky, mild chocolate and tart fruit. Tobacco Flakes are a marbled dark brown, black and flecks of tan. Tobacco is moderately moist and may benefit from some drying. Burns slow with a few extra relights once lit. The strength is medium and nic is mild to medium. Flavoring is mild, with notes of dark chocolate. Taste is medium and mostly consistent, with notes of mildly smokey, musty dry earthy, moderately spicy, lemon grass, floral, very woody, mildly sweet toasted nut background note, and a spicy retro. Virginia is leading with Latakia, Flavoring, and burley supporting. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is great.

Pipe Used: Wally Frank Limited White Bar Sandblast 128

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: www.cupojoes.com

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ondraash (13)	2022-11-04		Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I usually don't write reviews on tobaccos if I didn't finish at least a tin (or almost finish). But I need to do this one on a basis of just 10g sample. Thats because I purchased that sample and tried it fresh and it wasn't any good then. But after a year I luckily found that one when I was mooving to another house. Unluckily in the meantime GB quits EU and SG and G&H tobaccos are not accessible here in CZ anymore. A shame. I must admit that I enjoyed the CH Flake (as it is called here in CZ) latter a lot! I think it is a three star tobacco but anytime a tobacco has that special something, something outstanding, I do not hesitate with four stars. This one is exactly the case. It is a good... latakia flake? maybe it should be called a virginia based flake but I'd rather stick to latakia flake for obvious reasons. Firstly, it doesn't resemble a virginia based flake when smoked. The experience was much more latakia-ish and I'm not speaking about flavor ar aroma. Just the relaxed feeling I usually got with latakia blends was present. And the outstanding something special extra that brought the fourth star? First third it's a lakeland type of tobacco and a good one (with a hint of cocoa behind), second third there is a virginia (with a hint of cocoa behind) and the last third belongs mostly to latakia finally (with a hint of cocoa behind). Four stars.

Smoke and Drive: Doable but why? Theres a lot of blends that are more suitable. This one is a little too complex and it is better to let it burn in somewhat more relaxing conditions.

Pipe Used: cob

Age When Smoked: from fresh to 1 year old

Purchased From: etrafika.cz

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Woody (1)	2022-09-03		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Well, my batch has been cellared a number of years, and it appeared to not help a very average smoke. Note that there is no chocolate taste. The Latakia is almost at the forefront, then some of the other components kick in. It’s not as sweet as I expected, but not a total failure. Perhaps it’s not sweet enough but it doesn’t have a really distinguishing flavour other than Latakia. I really did expect a little more. I do have some Bobs that I shall try. Average all the way down to the dottle.

Pipe Used: Various Stanwells

Age When Smoked: 10 years

Purchased From: 4 noggins

Similar Blends: Bobs Chocolate.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Michael1953 (6)	2022-09-02		Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This tobacco is in my view sensational. To be honest I wouldn’t normally go for a blend with “chocolate” in its name but since it due to EU regulations has been shortened to “CH Flake” I didn’t smell a rat! I’m glad I didn’t. It’s very good, only downturn is it is, as other reviewers have mentioned, exceedingly moist and so has to be aired 30-60 min before smoking. It’s also rather expensive (185 DKK for 50 g in Denmark), making it a luxury item. But once in a while it’s great.

Pipe Used: Bauer Meerschaum

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Danish Pipe Shop, Copenhagen

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sangagor (77)	2021-10-12		Medium	Medium	Full	Unnoticeable

You can smell creamy chocolate aroma from tin after opening with a pinch of smokiness from latakia behind. I was looking forward to pack my bowl and smoke. Preparation is for long, as tobacco need to be dried. Have to say, casing is mayor component, but never hide tobaccos taste. VA is sweet after brown sugar and maple syrup. Latakia act like side dish - smoky, sweet and underline chocolate taste. Need several relight, even you dry it well.

Pipe Used: Stanislaw, Cob

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: etrafika.cz

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Manorhill (14)	2021-06-02		Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Having recently enjoyed a tin of Ennerdale flake, I opted to try this flavoured variety. Straight out of the tin it is very moist and needs some drying out. This tin was so moist the flakes were bound together as a lump. Some teasing was required to separate the broken flakes.

Do allow some drying time, otherwise you will need a minimum four lights to keep it going.

The chocolate scent is subtle on opening the tin, and not as forthright as I was expecting. On smoking, the chocolate lingers in the nose, and I found it reminded me of those awful chocolate FLAVOUR Easter eggs I was given as a kid - the cheapo ones that contained no actual chocolate, just brown "product"!

The strength is good and the flavouring is subtle, but just remember to dry it out first.

Pipe Used: Budget Italian 9mm filter

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Smoke King

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	MangoLegs (72)	2021-05-06		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Preparation & Burn: 5/10 Very moist flake. Requires dry time. Isn't fun to rub out like some flakes.

Taste: 8/20 It has a bit of a vague identity. It's not a Va. It's not a lat blend, nor a chocolate blend -- everything is too mild so if you're in the mood for one of those varietals, you don't get enough. I don't think lat and chocolate go well together here, but maybe that's just this particular chocolate topping.

Mildness: 8/10 My idea of a good smoke is a relaxing, low nicotine session. Therefore, the milder the better. I barely detect any nicotine here. Perfect!

Total: 21/40

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	boluotou (6)	2021-03-25		Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Open tin there is a sweet lake flavor with proper amount of chocolate smell. While the taste is very different with GH Bob's Chocolate flake. After lit, the first phase it shows a good strength with taste like baking bread and a little chocolate taste occasionally comes by, the latakia feeling is very low. From middle phase, the taste is almost the same, the sweet level is low. 劲道3.0 饱满度3.8 室韵3.0 没有什么巧克力味的“巧克力切片” 生闻有着明显的巧克力味，还有着V草的淡淡甜味。点火时候感受到了一些拉草的味道。进入前段，能感受到不弱的劲道，中等的甜度，拉草在很远的背景板，主线味道是烤面包香气，偶尔能感受到一点点巧克力味；中段以后，烟气变得丝滑绵密，劲道减弱，甜度也有些许降低，主线味道有一点点烤豆子香味，木调为主，巧克力味变得很难捕捉。尾调的感受和中段接近。口腔中的余味有淡淡的甜味。这款草从点燃以后，不管是口腔还是室韵的感受都很难捕捉到巧克力味。这款草适合纯英式烟草爱好者。 B站完整视频评测地址：https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1c54y1h7jw/

Pipe Used: James Upshall

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Antonius Blok (190)	2020-08-31		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

When I open the can I think those black flakes are saying: smoke me. I like chocolate. I like Latakia. Unfortunately for me, I hardly find the former. Luckily for me from time to time I find a pinch of the latter and at some point I get a very slight aroma of latakia that makes the smoke not entirely boring. Also, I have had to work with this can more than others, in the sense that it dried once, inserted the humidifying stone, dried again, etc (something similar is happening to me with Firedance Flake). I do not know if because the tobacco did not have enough moisture or that I smoked with more anxiety than it should, trying to extract flavors that I could not find, the truth is that when I smoke it, my mouth suffers more than necessary. I only have about two cups left in the can, but I don't think my opinion will improve. I also don't think it will repeat, although I guess any mix should be given a second chance.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2016-02-28		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Thick wet flakes! One cannot expect much else, right? The colour range is yellowish to pitch black... with much more darkness in the flakes.

The smell is not of black chocolate as described, but a very sweet milk chocolate which is absolutely fantastic.

Obviously, the most logical choice would be to shred the flakes and rub them out for an ideal burning. After 15 minutes drying time, time for me to enjoy in a very large meerschaum bowl. I absolutely had no issues lighting and keeping the baccy lit.

I am absolutely loving these puffs. Sweet, creamy, with minor hints of milk chocolate. I can detect the high quality Virginias and the Burleys. At times a faint reminicence of Latakia kicks in for interest. This tobacco doesn't quite evolve throughout the bowl but has a steady and pleasant uniformity. A definite week-end smoke with a cup of coffee or a light red wine. Recommended !

Pipe Used: Very Large IMP Rhodesian

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: MySmokingShop

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2013-10-18		Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I'd really like to give this 3.5 stars. I bought this just for the sake of it as I wanted a bit more variety and have a Vauen White Spot which is as yet unallocated to any particular blend. I thought "What the hell, it might be acceptable." The problem with this tobacco is that it is badly misnamed. What most people think of when they hear the word chocolate is not actually chocolate...and describing this as an aromatic is equally misleading. It is high quality, manly tobacco leaf which has been formed then 'seasoned' or 'spiced'. It is much more subtle than one would imagine and not at all goopy, sugary or un-natural. The nearest equivalent I can think of is drinking a Margarita from a salted glss- it's there, it adds a little something but isn't the be-all-and-end-all of the experience. For some reason it also seems to be far easier to light, kep lit and smoke cool. An unusual and extremely pleasant smoke from a master blender.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2012-11-07		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Always wanted to try this one,& i can say its a very nice smoke, i dont do Latakia blends but i like this one as its not to over powering,i would recommend this and i would give it 3+++

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2011-07-27		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I have been keen to try this and finally landed a tin. it is good, but not great.

Aromatics probably are just are not my thing, but I much prefer Peterson University Flake.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2011-07-08		Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

The first flake I have smoked, and it took a while to work out how to use it, dont squash it rub it out! then it is very rewarding, if I had more cash I would get this along with the dunhill flake, can anyone reccoend another flake to try? As I have gone with some bad ones, like best brown and Bobs, I might be a newbee but I have tried some tobaccos and they can taste like cigars, this is mellower smoke and well worth a try

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-07-31		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I like this blend. Good aromatic flake tobacco with a bit Latakia and a dark chocolate.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-02-04		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

This is a unique aromatic. It's a virginia-burley blend with a little latakia tossed in to complement the chocolate casing. In the tin, this smells like dark chocolate: not sweet, but with an earthy, cocoa aroma, almost leathery in fact!

I love flakes -- the process of rubbing out a flake somehow makes you feel more involved with the tobacco. I rub this out into rough strands and pack into a larger bowl. You'd need to rub this out to smaller pieces for smaller bowls.

It takes some effort to get this tobacco lit (at least the way I rub it out), but it seems to stay lit just fine. It can get hot if pushed too hard, like most aromatics.

The payoff? A great, high-quality virginia-burley flavor. It's a little sweet, and a little like hay. The chocolate flavor doesn't seem to come through so much on the palate, but it's present in the aroma, making this a great blend for those of us who like the taste of tobacco, but who need to smoke something more sociable.

I highly recommend this aromatic!

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-09-05		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

It has an apetizing smell and look in the tin. As many othe SG flakes the humidity level is high, so dry the flakes befor packing into the bowl.

Lights easily, and stays lit. It has a generous smoke and satisfies my nicotine needs. The chocolate sweetness is a shade which covers the nice flavors of the mixture. This is the only disadvantage of the blend for me. Lots of other pipe smokers can find this unique particularity unbeatable. For me the excellent VA, burley and the latakia touch mixture might have the priority.

Even if it is dried well you may have steam problems. Try to smoke very slow, and keep some pipe cleaners nearby.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-07-25		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable

this IS a strange blend. at present - after 4 pipefulls - i must say that it is no favourite of mine. the chocolate and the latakia really clash in my mouth, and the notes never seem to unite. i can't imagine sage, pine nuts and chocolate uniting either, for that...

interesting, perhaps, but not for me. still, as most sam gawith, there's nothing wrong with the leaf.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-07-25		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Samuel Gawith Chocolate Flake is a pleasant tobacco. When I first lit it I noticed it has a silky feel on the tongue like a good quality chocolate and I thought that was why it is named Chocolate Flake. I couldn't taste or smell any chocolate, but as I got down to the last third of the bowl I started to taste a hint of dark chocolate. I don't know if that is the result of a chocolate topping or just a similarity. This tobacco would deserve four stars but (to my taste) it has two flaws. The first flaw is minor. It is a flake and I prefer my tobacco ready rubbed. To me the second flaw is major. It doesn't have any Latakia. To some that would be a plus. So if you are a fairly mild virginia flake lover this could be your dream tobacco.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-01-17		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Update

I'm working on my 5th tin of CF. The flakes are ALL deeply covered with sugar crystals. Anyone else to whom it happened?

Original review 12/14/2007

SG Chocolate Flake is the typical cased english tobacco, that is a very mildly cased tobacco.

Discovering dark flakes with quite a high amount of sugar crystals, I can detect VA, Latakia and a subtle bittersweet chocolate aroma. It is very soothing...and holds promises of a privileged relationship yet to blossom.

The flake is sligthly hard to rub out completely and proves rather challenging to light up properly, but I assure all of you: the effort will prove worthwhile! Bold but creamy VA merge with tasty Latakia that is definitely present,I estimate its proportion at around 10%.

Pure VA/Latakia taste with an ever present backgroung of chocolate flavor, this smoke is extremely inspiring and relaxes both body and mind.

It smokes all the way dry and never bites. A Tour de force from Samuel Gawith.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2008-12-03		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Lakeland Tour Stop 14

I tried this alternating with Bob's Chocolate Flake from Gawith and Hoggarth. I liked this one better overall, principally because it was more interesting to my palate and had no soapy flavor to it.

Some reviewers say this is Best Brown with the addition of latakia and chocolate flavor. For my money, I think Best Brown is better by itself. This was ok, once it had aged enough. At first, though I gave the open tin a month to mellow before smoking it, it was a bit bitter and, for lack of a better word, "muddy" in flavor. This subsided finally, especially after I had to rehydrate it, leaving a nice rich virginia flavor.

I never noticed any latakia or chocolate. That was ok; I probably would not have wanted something that tasted like a chocolate bar. But I do think just a bit more sweetness would have done wonders for this tobacco, bringing out the flavors and taking the edge off. This smelled very sweet in the tin, by the way. Certainly worth a try if you're looking for a nice virginia tobacco. Aromatophiles and latakia junkies will definitely be disappointed.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2007-12-09		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Nice smells come out of the box when you open it. It is liquid enough even after a long and strong drying. You have to empty the hydrostatic pipes system after each smoking, obligatorily.

First of all, although it has nice smells, I couldn?t discover neither the chocolate or Latakia. I would say that it is a wonderful tobacco with creamy and ?semi-sweet? flavor. Very good burning, that leaves a very clean white ash in the end, together with some bitter.

But I cannot compare it with the clear flavors that, BOB?s Chocolate of GAWITH HOGGARTH, gives me. I guess that in this point, Samuel didn?t manage to make the combination that he had in his mind, but this doesn?t mean that the specific mix is not a good tobacco. In the end of the box, Latakia appeared. Chocolate never.

Three stars for the very good quality of tobacco.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2007-12-03		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I've been smoking quite a bit of this lately, given the recent dry spell in bulk Full Virginia Flake stocks in the States. It is, I'd say, Best Brown with maybe 5 to 7% latakia added, and a light dusting of cocoa. I think Best Brown itself is a pretty persnickety flake. BBF always seems ready to bite just before it unloads the goods. But, with the Latakia and chocolate additions, this is a fine smoke.

As for the latakia, it's not really enough to taste. Like the burley in some of the Gawith Hoggarth blends, there's just enough to change the body of the smoke, and add a subtle dimension to the flavor.

I buy this in bulk, and it's always been extra dry. Too dry, in fact, to smoke without disaster. (read-thin and very bitey smoke) So I rehydrate it a little, let it sit in a jar (under the bed) a few weeks and it's fine. No different from the tin. Like a lot of Sam Gawith flakes, this can take some abuse and still give a good smoke. Something to be said for that, I think. (Try doing it with Penzance!) Still, I recommend a little caution; a slow approach demands this flake.

A solid, lightly flavored VA flake.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2007-06-21		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Nothing seems to dry this one out, so I smoke it in a Kirsten and literally pour the moisture out of the stem after smoking.

If this has anything to do with chocolate, I can't taste or smell it and envy those of you who can.

What I do taste is a medium bodied, pleasant blend with a hint of sweetness.

This is a good but not great one-of-a-kinder.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2006-11-20		Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

The tin aroma is akin to opening a tin of Hershey's Cocoa powder. At first puff, the smoker is greeted with a cocoa or baker's chocolate flavor. The latakia is subdued. This continues through until the bottom third of the bowl, where a fuller tobacco experience finally emerges. If you're attracted to cocoa, you'll likely enjoy this pipe-weed. While there is a dry sweetness, I do not find it cloying. You'll find a typical VA bite to Chocolate Flake, so smoke accordingly. I find the blend a bit unrefined, but enjoy it from time to time.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2006-04-05		Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is different from Bob's Chocolate Flake, which is Gawith's collaborative effort with Hogarth. CF is a deep, dark, lovely flake with hints of speckled birdseye. The chocolate is hardly detectable in the tin. I think the chocolate moniker might be referring to the color & texture of the flake rather than the amount of cocoa bean in the blend. There appears to be some sort of stoving process here. Try it if there's an open tin or jar, but don't go out of your way for it. Like other Gawith blends I've tried, I suppose it has to fit your particular taste. The few that I've sampled don't do a thing for me. This is smoke in a bowl as far as I'm concerned. Nothing memorable or earthshaking about this, though nothing offensive either. Again, it might be that I am getting to the point that there are only so many blends one can try & ultimately stick with. It's like smelling 100 perfumes at the retail counter. They all smell the same after awhile. For a deep, dark, chocolaty flake with subtle complexity, try the superior McClelland Dark Star instead.

Two of five stars ----------------------------------

update - april 5, 2006

I apologize to Gawith Chocolate Flake. Perhaps my tastes have changed since the last time. Or maybe some of the blends I once loved have been slipping in quality - Strathspey, for one. In any case, this really is a fine, subtle blend. It smokes cool, has just the characteristic sonorities of Virginia and Latakia, neither of which overpower the other. The chocolate provides a comfortable, inconspicuous sweet element. The burn is slow, patient and definitely English. I decided to turn to Gawith again after reading a very nice article about that blending house in a past issue of the venerable 'Pipes & Tobaccos' Magazine. Now with greater respect for the blending house, its history and people, I have graduated to an appreciation for the finer things in tobacciana. I'm proud to add GCF to the honor roll of fine tobac. This is now a regular.

Four and a half of five stars

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2005-09-09		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This actually tastes more like chocolate and has less floral elements than GH's Bob's Chocolate Flake, though it also has a little less character and I find it somewhat bland.

The blend creates nice flavors that are consistent throughout the bowl, and has a nice unoffensive room note, yet lacks anything really memorable to encourage me to come back to it very often. But it is even-keeled and smooth, and worth a try if you like the lake flakes.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2005-08-31		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Average, slightly aromatic (chocolate) tobac. Has no bite, burns a bit wet, has a slight virginia tang, and poor DGT. Good for a change but not a regular daily smoke.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2005-07-20		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This blend was a let down for me. Of the Gawith blends i've tried all were of exceptional quality. And this one is no different, except I didn't like it. I didn't like the room note nor the flavor of the smoke. For a chocolate taste I prefer G&H Bob's Chocolate Flake. It's probable because it's less aromatic and more Latakia English that was the problem for me.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2005-04-19		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

For me (a pipe smoker still in search of a staple blend that includes latakia), this one comes close to meeting the goal. Good quality, and the latakia is quite subdued.

Update: As my research into various blends expands, I find this to be drifting towards mediocrity, particularly with the discovery of Penzance for latakia "moments".

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