Tobaccos Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. - Grasmere Flake

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2013-05-14		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Generous sample from SouthBound below - several flakes, and almost enough to give me a good sense of this blend! :) Whenever I can't put my finger on a blend's essence, I find myself reduced to making comparisons. So here goes.

This is a fairly heavily scented blend, but less so than Ennerdale. The scent is different, and more akin to Kendal Flake with the rose and geranium. But where KF was softer, this one is bolder in overall flavor and nicotine. Shares more of a burley presence with Brown Flake but is better behaved and not as robust or youthful in taste. Much more flavor and body (and mouthfeel) than Glengarry or Bright CR but also with more scenting. Nicotine level is fairly high, as with most G&H flakes.

The most telling thing I can say is that while there are remarkable similarities across many of G&H flakes, they are all different. I have most of them in my rotation and I smoke them at different times for different reasons and with different outcomes in mind. If you like Kendal Flake and Ennerdale, meet their middle brother. If you like Brown Flake and Best Brown #2, ditto, but it's their more flamboyant middle brother with the scenting. This blend has hit my rotation. As with most of these types of blends, it is excellent... even if I can't really pinpoint what makes it so. Thanks, SouthBound, for the opportunity.

26 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrumsAndBeer (217)	2012-09-27		Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

A beautiful smoke. This tobacco is really, really good. I highly doubt that there is any other flake out there that tastes and smells as unique as Grasmere Flake.

Grasmere is also very much an acquired taste and if you are the slightest bit put off by the Kendal floral ambrosia (the subtle soapiness that comes through in Bob's Chocolate Flake, or Rum Flake), you may want to steer clear. And while Grasmere is not as pungently scented as products like Ennerdale Flake, it still delivers a distinct verdant/herbacious flavor on the finish.

Grasmere is very well behaved, slightly honey-sweet & floral. All of this is accomplished by Gawith & Hoggarth in the most organic, natural tasting way possible. In other words what you are tasting is not some curious chemical additive.

Like the natural oil of clove flavor in Bosun Cut Plug, Grasmere's flavoring is that of actual rose geranium. The tobacco flavor & added essence taste seamless. The rose geranium scent is soft yet precise, rounding out the edges and providing balance to some relatively strong tasting tobacco.

The flakes are nicely cut and they do smell somewhat like Turkish Delight. I like to smoke this on warm afternoons in a Country Gentleman cob pipe that I have reserved for scented Kendal products.

If you admire scented Kendal blends (and obviously I do), this is one to pursue.

Pipe Used: Cob

20 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3046)	2016-08-04		Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

The very toasty, nutty, earthy Burley has a lead over the earthy, dark fruit sweet Virginia. The very mild spice note comes from the Virginia. The fragrant perfumy floral, soapy medium sweet rose geranium toppings greatly sublimate the tobaccos. They have a bit of smoothness and light creaminess, and tone down whatever rough edges the tobaccos have. The taste level is a step over medium. The nic-hit is a little more than medium. Burns at a reasonable pace for a flake, cool and clean with a very well melded flavor from start to finish, although you will notice the tobaccos just a little more in last quarter of the proceedings. Requires a few relights, and leaves just a dab of moisture in the bowl. The strong after taste and room note linger. Not an all day smoke, but it is repeatable. Will ghost a briar and smoked enough times, will do the same to a meer.

-JimInks

18 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CherchezLaghost (52)	2017-06-18		Medium	Strong	Medium	Pleasant

I once bought a beautiful small full bent egg pipe from the estate case at the local tobacconist shop. It was manhattan branded, and after some research i learned it was made no later than 1904. This exquisite little flake pipe smoked beautifully, the very old briar delivering one of the coolest and most flavorful smokes of carter hall that ive ever experienced. Interestingly though there was the faintest note of something haunting to the flavor. An exotic, nearly-not-there something that i couldn't put my finger on, but that spoke of lifetimes ago. It beckoned to victorian drawing rooms and earl grey tea. At the time i could only liken it to a distant memory of essence of bergamot. It was beguiling, and then as i smoked more bowls it became a mere memory, and then, as things often are, it was forgotten. Grasmere flake jarred me back into that memory and sensation. It is potently scented and this translates into the flavor, but though the strength of this scent is heavy, the scent itself is dainty and oh so refined. Gentlemanly. It is almost opiumlike in its rose geranium glory. The tobacco base is well ordered and the essence is well married to it. A first rate flake of the medium to heavily scented variety. A credit to its class, and a fine example of the genre. Highly recommended if you are into that sort of tobacco. I can't say enough of how delightful the recognition of this scent was from that old briar. To the long dead owner of my Manhattan, i can say only, "Kudos, sir. Ive filled this pipe once again with something that can do justice to your discerning tastes".

Pipe Used: Manhattan bent egg, cobs, meerschaums

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: PipesandCigars.com

Similar Blends: Ennerdale flake, dreamhaunting tobacco from the past in my minds eye.

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PipesterJim (47)	2012-12-28		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Something of an iron fist in a velvet glove this one, as despite all the dainty flowers it still delivers an ample slug of vitamin N, which is just what one would expect from this estimable blending house.

In the packet I encountered a very strong rose scent, despite several days in transit to me in non-airtight conditions. This rose essence was not so strong in the smoking but would probably still be considered powerful by folks who are coming to this style of weed for the first time. I found it to be both sweet and soapy, and it allowed me to identify the rose constituent of more complexly flavoured lakelands. A quarter of the way down the geranium becomes more prominent, and gradually that too recedes to create a gently floral miasma of flavours that mixes nicely with the tobaco.

A bit more burley than I usually like but not so much that I don't want to smoke it. In fact, it works very well with the particular floral flavours of this tobacco. Mostly, this is a very honest blend, in that it delivers pretty much exactly what you would expect given its description and the well known character of GH&Co flakes. However, there is also the occassional pleasant diversion into greater complexity, where for a few moments the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts.

Reading the Turkish Delight comparisons I wasn't sure I was going to like this one (I can't stand Turkish Delight), but I have enjoyed working through my sample. For me, it doesn't quite match the appeal of Kendal Flake or Coniston Cut Plug but I am sure there is more than one lakeland lover out there for whom this will be 'the one'. Recommended.

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2016-07-18		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Got a nice sample of this from a good friend. Thanks D.

This is a bit of a strange one for me. For the first third of the bowl the Rose and Geranium topping dominate the tobacco and I have to say that I don't much care for it at that point. Then, for the last two thirds, the Virginias and Burley catch up and I have to say that, all combined, it taste very, very good. I love this part of it. The Burley is especially good seeming to have a fair amount of sweetness to it. I guess I'll just have to suffer through the first third to get to the good stuff. It's worth it.

Medium all the way around. Burns very well when dry. Same in briar or cob.

Pipe Used: Moonshine Stoker, MM Marcus, MM Dwarf

Age When Smoked: unknown

Purchased From: gifted

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SouthBound (10)	2013-04-18		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

This is one of the easiest flakes I've ever smoked. The bulk package I received was the perfect moisture straight from the box. In fact, I rubbed a flake out, loaded it, and smoked it as I was putting the rest away. I'll preface with the caveat that I my rotation is dominated by Gawith Hoggarth blends, but I did not find this to have an overpowering soapiness. It was there, but it played a supporting role. I did get a strong sense of the rose and geranium. I like what they add. They impart a sort of sharpness or slightly sour taste and feel. The constituent tobaccos were the main players, and they were toasty and sweet and very high quality. My enthusiasm has settled somewhat since I first smoked it, but it has a prominent place in my weekly smoking rotation. I've spent several Saturdays smoking little else all day. If you're a Lakehead, you owe it to yourself to give this one a try. Highly recommended!

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2080)	2018-01-03		Medium	Strong	Medium to Full	Strong

Gawith Hoggarth - Grasmere Flake.

The flakes are quite dark, of a decent hydration and fairly robust. The scent from the pouch is mildly floral. If you favour a fully rubbed as opposed to folded flake it needs a forceful hand. And that results in extremely thick ribbons, you won't rub it into a shag.

It's a bugger to get a burn going. It takes either a jet flame or about a million matches. Although the florals/rose additions go without question they don't form a heavy, Lakeland style, flavour: it isn't sticky, it's perfumed and vivacious. I don't get much from the tobaccos, the toppings account for the majority of the smoke. It burns well, in the end: consistently, to a white ash.

Nicotine: medium. Room-note: I don't like.

Grasmere Flake? It's a good smoke, I guess, but I won't re-order any. Two stars:

Somewhat recommended.

Pipe Used: Altinok Meerschaum

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: My Smoking Shop

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Wibblefishofdoom (139)	2013-03-13		Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium	Tolerable

Having sampled Glengarry and Ennerdale Flakes and rediscovered the quality Bosun Plug Cut, I ordered this one with high hopes. Not sure I quite got what I ordered.

On receiving the packet, the smell of bergamot and rosewater leaked out providing fond memories of Turkish Delight and Earl Grey tea, even when sealed. Upon opening though, this whiff became a little unsettlingly strong, if still nice. Packing and lighting were no particular problem, even for a flake. The initial smoke however, was spoiled by those flavours mentioned above, just way too strong and not really interacting with the tobacco underneath. Once these faded away, all flavour pretty much disappeared with nothing coming through from the tobacco itself. Sadly, this continued through the packet, it's not bad, it's just not that good. Me thinks dull is the word.

The kinsmen of this stuff and the initial whiff provide a bit of promise that is sadly unfulfilled, the pungeant aroma starts off too strong and then fades into the power-sappingly mundane. It's like going on a blind date to find your companion plastered in make up, you can't tell what she looks like under all that slap and she might be a perfectly charming lass, but you lose interest in her because there's absolutely no need for it. Sadly, this is a tobacco that should never have been turned up to eleven.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-12-15		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I just finished my first 1/2 pound and Grasmere Flake is very akin to Kendal Flake in scent and aroma, but less perfumed. The addition of Burley affords more natural tobacco flavor. Lights easy, burns cool and dry and delivers a consistant medium bodied smoke that developes throughout the bowl. Nice vitamin "N" content but never overbearing. A great choice for those who enjoy Lakeland style Virginia/Burley flakes.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2016-12-17		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Grasmere Flake is definitively on the rose and geranium side of things. When I received my 4oz bag, the tobacco was bursting with these floral notes. However surprising an encounter, it was, curiously, not unpleasant. It containing a clear majority of Golden virginias. After a few months in the bag, when the flakes started to separate from each other when I was manipulating them, I decided to rub the flakes out and transfer them into a jar and let it sit there for another number of weeks, to let the drying process continue. Now, the casing has toned down some, making the floral notes rather discreet, but nonetheless present, and, yes, still pleasant. The moisture level seeming almost ideal to me, I packed a bowl. My first impressions were similar with my experience of Kendal Flake. The casing does not truly transfer into the taste. It is there, but much more toned down. The main flavours are floral with some very light sweetness and the tobacco taste, mostly "hayish" Virginias, dominate. However, the tobacco being mostly golden leaf, it is more an unidimensional (but not boring or bland!)smoking experience than Kendal Flake was. I still like Grasmere Flake, but not as much as Kendal or Glengarry Flakes, for example. I will rebuy, as it is very good, but not as often as Kendal Flake.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ducksbreath (125)	2013-12-09		Medium	Very Strong	Medium to Full	Pleasant

update:

I've turned back to smoking this again, in my old age and in the warm weather. I like it better than Ennerdale because it has some underlying strength . The fact that the flavoring in Grasmere is dominated by Rose (Geranium) is second to the balance of flavoring/strength. Where Ennerdale is mild to medium, this is a solid medium, and the burley can be detected in the taste and smell, but not to any great extent. My main objection is still that the flavoring is too intense in the first third of the bowl, but I just overlook that. Nothing is perfect.

I had to update this review as I've found the intense Rose scenting of this one to be just too much, too overpowering and the underlying taste isn't there for me either. Had me fooled and I reviewed it too quickly. However that doesn't mean that I do not recommend it to someone trying out some of the floral Lakeland flakes. I put it in the same group as Kendal, Rum, and possibly Bosun Cut Plug in terms of strength.

Similar Blends: Rum Flake, Kendal Flake, Ennerdale.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TallPuffO'Burley (633)	2018-11-20		Medium	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

I popped a one ounce sample of this blend right after finishing a container of Ennerdale Flake. I found my enjoyment of these blends to be pretty similar. One thing I can't do with any of these Lakeland blends is accurately describe the toppings. I don't know flower scents or the differences between them. I do know that I often smell perfumes and soaps that resemble the scents of various GH tobaccos. I guess this is why many americans refer to these blends as soapy.

So this is another heavily topped lakeland blend from GH. I would really love to try one of these with no trace of floral scent, but I don't think it exists. I can't really say how the Virginia/Burley base on these aromatic blends tastes since it is always overwhelmed by the topping, but I do know they won't bite regardless of how hard you try to make them. This is one common trait with GH tobaccos if you can stomach the toppings.

So far I will say Ennerdale is by far the most heavily topped of these blends and just the most in your face of them. Grasmere was a touch lighter and I found it a touch more enjoyable. I also like the fact that it didn't ghost everything within a few inches of it as Ennerdale is prone to do. I really enjoyed puffing both of these in cobs and found them to get tedious in my large meers. I choose not to use these types of blends in my briars for ghosting reasons.

Based on performance of the leaf, I have nothing bad to say. This, like many of the GH offerings, really comes down to what you think of the toppings. If you like the topping a lot (as I do Top Black Cherry) it deserves a four star. If you don't like the topping, you may feel compelled to give it a one star and talk about how it reminds you of urinal cakes (1792 Flake). In any case, from an objective point of view IMO, no GH (or SG for that fact) blend deserves less than three stars as the leaf is done so well and for much longer with more success than any other company out there.

I will leave this at three stars as the topping was alright to me and will further recommend that if you plan to try any of these blends start with the smallest amount you can buy, because if you don't like it, it will be hard to make it through more than a couple ounces.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	canvas (337)	2018-10-08		Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This was the thickest, densest, flake I have yet encountered. No amount of rubbing broke the strands apart, so I just waded up the knotted mess and called it a day. The density and possible light moisture, sure kept the ember rolling far longer than the usual bowl, which I appreciate.

The aroma is tamer than their Ennerdale Flake, but Grasmere Flake still carries the hallmark Lakeland floral/soap note that is very polarizing when finding an audience. Now, while the flavor with this one was more bashful, it still has plenty of ghosting power, so be careful which pipe you use.

I did find it harsher than I would of liked for an aromatic, not from any bite, just a denser "choking" smoke that took away from really rolling the flavor around on the tongue. This is the kind of smoke you puff on occasion and certainly not in succession.

I would liken the experience to drinking Rosewater lemonade. At times it is fun, unique and refreshing, but sometimes when you are thirsty... just some cold water is better.

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: Ennerdale Flake.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	riobrew (80)	2018-06-23		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

Little brother of Ennerdale. I like the English Rose and Geranium smell. And has a mild taste, not intense. Very enjoyable smoke. Easy to light and stays going to the end. The flowers sense and taste is always in background. Like it better than Ennerdale.

Pipe Used: Stanwell Tivoli Rhodesian

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Smokingpipes

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	UncleSquinty (27)	2017-06-25		Mild	Medium to Strong	Medium	Very Pleasant

I didn't even know that one could buy this in the U.S., but a friend in the U.K. sent me a pouch to try. I am not expert in Lakeland tobaccos at all, and I had up until trying this blend never even knew that floral scented pipe tobaccos existed. A little rubbing is required right out of the pouch in order to get a good burn, the moisture to me was quite high for a pouch tobacco, and the flake (actually pieces of flake) are slightly sticky to the touch. In order to avoid ghosting an expensive pipe, I first tried this in a cobb, then a meer. I liked it much better in the meerschaum. If puffed too vigorously, the floral scents mutate into a bitter garbage pile. But when sipped, the delicacy and pure "natural" flavor sings. Rose and geranium top what is essentially a nicely balanced Virginia blend. I have heard complaints that this doesn't burn well, but a half hour drying in 40% humidity seemed to help a lot. Once lit, I had no trouble smoking this to the bottom of the bowl, where it left a slightly sticky and cohesive layer of ash and a bit of dottle. This was an amazing change of pace but nothing I would smoke everyday. That being said, I finished the pouch in three days' time. 3/4 recommended.

Pipe Used: Unbranded meerschaum billiard from the 1970's

Age When Smoked: Presumably fresh in pouch

Purchased From: Received as gift

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stefanos (222)	2017-04-19		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

The long flakes are of a mixed light and darker brown color interspersed with some brighter spots – (you can see how the flakes look like in the pictures above). I received them in just the right moisture for packing straight away without any drying. Their scent unsmoked is not very intense, they actually smell of tobacco with a hint of rose water (Turkish Delight candy) and exotic spices, cardamom maybe, and others.

It rubs and takes to light easily. My first impression is that it not only belongs to the same genre as Ennerdale Flake but it is actually quite similar, especially as regards the tobacco used, yet not as intensely scented. The natural taste of the underlying tobaccos is really great and you can taste it from the beginning. Sweet, mature hay-like Virginias and earthy Burley. I also get hints of dried rose petals, a little something coniferous which gives the blend freshness and cinnamon maybe as well. The scenting is complex but subtle and it tastes natural. This is not an average aromatic, Grasmere Flake tastes of tobacco, scented tobacco, but tobacco nevertheless. There is some sweetness which I guess comes both from the casing and the tobacco but it is mild – very far from being cloying.

Strength is medium and flavor is full but not overwhelming. Nicotine-wise while not strong it is quite satiating. Room note is much more tolerable for non smokers than most. Grasmere Flake is a very high quality tobacco and I recommend it not only to Lakeland aficionados but also to lovers of Virginia flakes.

Similar Blends: Ennerdale Flake.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lazarus77 (91)	2016-12-19		Medium	Strong	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is for English - Lakeland aromatic lovers only. If you don't like these type of tobaccos, don't try it. Personally for me this is heavy aromatic with Chanel no 5 topping on the top 😊. One smoke and your briar will be ghosted forever. From other side I like it because this is something different. At least worth to try it.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: mysmokingshop.co.uk

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Edgy6gun (7)	2014-08-13		Mild	Extra Strong	Overwhelming	Overwhelming

I have left a very similar review of Ennerdale. Both these blends had the same extremely overpowering, pipe-ruining flavoring strength. This one is just a different sent. WARNING! After smoking only one bowl, the flavoring is extremely strong in the pipe. I have tried cleaning with alcohol, reaming, even the "GL Pease activated charcoal oven" trick. Grasmere flavoring is still very prevalent a month later. The flavoring is what I would describe as very strongly scented bath salts or what my friend accurately calls, "old lady's house" (try it and see for yourself, it's true!). It is overwhelming and gives me a sour stomach after only a few puffs. I truly would like to know why they would ruin such a beautiful Virginia flake with this overpowering flavoring. After reading the positive reviews here, I honestly wonder if I got a goofed batch or something. It is truly unsmokable, in my opinion and my friend's opinion, due to the ridiculous amounts of scented flavorings added. I've smoked Virginas, Burleys, heavy Latakia blends, even the occasional guilty pleasure of super sweet aromatics. I never thought I would find a pipe tobacco that I truly could not smoke but Grasmere and Ennerdale are just that. You have been warned.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrDyson (148)	2012-11-03		Medium	Strong	Medium	Tolerable

I bought 25 gm of Grasmere Flake in Keswick out of curiosity: it was one of the few Lakeland flakes I hadn't tried, and a friend of mine has smoked quite a lot of it and liked it. To my (rather undiscerning) palate, there isn't much difference between it and Ennerdale Flake. The casing is perhaps laid on a touch less heavy- handedly, but there's not much in it: Grasmere Flake has the same rosewater/Turkish delight/”soapy” flavouring – which, to my mind, spoils an otherwise high quality tobacco. But that's just me: I know some people enjoy this kind of thing, and if you like Ennerdale Flake, you'll like this; if you don't, you won't. On that basis, somewhat recommended. Apart from the casing, it's a well presented and well behaved flake; slow-burning, and it won't bite you unless you beg it to.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Rustedrailsmokes (293)	2018-09-12		Medium	Extra Strong	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I ordered some bulk of this one wanting to experience the "Floral" tobaccos which I had read about.

Opening the bag the scent I got was my mom's geraniums. The taste was Grandma's rosewater when I broke up a flake and tried it.

This is NOT something that I personally could see as an all day smoke but it is quite unusual and I found myself enjoying the experience much more than I originally expected.

Strength wise this one was much stronger than I expected with the burley's delivering a kick under the garden notes.

I've dedicated a cob to this and I look forward now to trying some of the others in this genre.

Pipe Used: a dedicated or was it sacrificed cob.

Age When Smoked: fresh to 6 months

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Knightsmoker (218)	2018-03-26		Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

I have to say that I have had my eye on this one for awhile but was a little hesitant because of the English rose and geranium essences that has been applied. Some reviews call this floral fragrant and perfume but this is not perfume, it is floral somewhat flowery but really it is more like the entire planet is there much like walking through a garden rather than a flower shop or your grandmother's perfume. So if you are like me and enjoy these scented English style flakes don't hold off, give this one a try. The tobaccos do come through, the burley is slightly nutty with notes of damp earth. The VA's are dark fruit sweet with a note of grass and hay way in the background and a very light spice note that comes and goes too. The English rose and geranium essences blend very well with these notes and while they may overtake some of the subtleties in the tobaccos it makes for a wonderful smoke. Don't push this one too hard, it will turn acrid and bite if you do. Slow sipping brings out all the goodness and make for a well behaved smoke. It comes a little moist and needs a few minutes of drying after rubbing out. Room note will not win any awards, however. Recommended for those who enjoy a good scented flake.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	who broke my clay pipe? (70)	2013-08-31		Strong	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

While similar to the popular Ennerdale flake ,this has a more robust taste and nic kick.The burley in this adds some strength that I have come to appreciate from this manufacturer..It has a curious floral taste like floral gum sweets.(don't ask me what flower)..And yes it has a taste akin to that sugar powdered Turkish delite,but more like those clear yellow ones and not the pink ones(for those who have eaten the proper Turkish delight).I have bought also today some Ennerdale flake which I sampled first and this second,i prefer this basically.Burns ok,stays lit,no tongue bite.Although it smells sweet it tastes serious(natural neutral).Curiously spicy in a floral way combined with a bakery macaroon almondness and rice paper that is hard to describe,unless one say incense sticks.Kind of tangy on the tongue in a red Virginia way.Certainly smells more sociable than others.It wont replace condor but may well become a repurchase(it takes time for a tobacco to make its longterm impression with me).Seems to be perfect moisture/I bought mine loose 25g worth,dont know if this comes in a tin or not.I thought the ennerdale version was under powered but this is more on par with the strength of 'condor' which makes it a winner with me.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrT999 (318)	2012-07-07		Strong	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Dark v pliable flakes, with lighter colors interwoven, in the bag modest rose notes. Pre-lighting in the pipe, the rose scent/taste was certainly there (reminding me of various rose-flavored sweets). Smoking, the essense was a bit stronger than Glengarry Flake, but nowhere near the levels of some of the other GH scented tobaccos, probably between Glengarry and SG Kendall Cream Flake, maybe (for me) around the level of Louisiana Flake (which I also liked). The room note (well, car note) when I went to check was more of a straight darkish VA, with just a hint of rose that might have been my imagination. The N-level was strong, but not overwhelming.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	meerkat (64)	2011-07-25		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

Another high quality, robust but fragrant flake from G, H & co.

The added flavouring (which can be tasted as well as smelled) is, to me, like a good Turkish Delight (the rose essence). I do mean a good one though; the stuff you get dusted with icing sugar from a proper confectioners, not the cheap, chocolate coated stuff you get at a newsagent/petrol station/supermarket.

Other than that, it's just what you'd expect from this blender; high quality, flavoursome & reasonably strong

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Briar Piper (89)	2018-11-15		Strong	Strong	Very Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

A rosy flake that smokes smooth and strong. The most floral tasting of G&H's flakes, along with Kendal flake. Never bitter, no bite, and very smooth. This is one of the best lakeland flakes and probably the one to start with. It is quite strong nicotine wise, and sneaks up on you. I find this a good smoke both indoors and out. The room note is strong to some and pleasant to others. Has a really nice aftertaste that lingers. Not much more to say, if you only try one lakeland you can't go wrong with this flake, which I feel is Gawith and Hoggarth's best all around floral flake. Needs a good airtight container, or the rose fades.

Pipe Used: Comoy, vauen

Age When Smoked: unknown

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	oldermanpipe (25)	2017-08-14		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Subtle. That is the one adjective I would use to describe this tobacco. Is it a Lakeland Flake? Yes, it is. Is it like Ennerdale or Condor? No, it ain't. Can I compare it to anything else? Nope. Grasmere Flake is it's own animal.

This smoke is touted to have a "Rose Geranium" topping. For all I know, it does. It is certainly floral, like many Lakeland tobaccos. All I can say, is that it is delightful. One will find oneself, after just about every puff, saying, "What IS that?" So lasting and beguiling is the floral topping.

As to the mechanics of the smoke...it is best folded and stuffed. It burns fairly well, and, really, who cares about matches? Relighting is part of the game! There is a bit of a cigar taste on relight, but I LIKE cigars, don't you?

I honestly can't say whether the Virginias or Burleys predominate. Either way, there is a real tobacco taste beneath the flowers, full and gratifying. I would say, though, given the subtlety of the topping and the balance of the constituent tobaccos, one should dedicate a pipe to Grasmere Flake to appreciate fully all this smoke has to offer.

Pipe Used: MM Washington MM Country Gentleman

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars

Similar Blends: Nothing I can think ofm.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	William H. Hardy (95)	2016-04-22		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Another great flake from Gawith, Hoggarth. This one is scented with mainly floral aromas and is quite an excellent smoke. I haven't decided if I like this one more than Kendal Flake from the same manufacturer, but it's definitely near the top.

This one is a bit more full bodied, which is definitely a plus for me. It still has the light Virginia flavor along with the satisfying burley strength. As I've stated before; GH tobaccos are really good, quality tobaccos, with just a little something else on top. Well, with the exception of Ennerdale, which is absolutely over-the-top. Though, I do really enjoy Ennerdale from time to time.

The only problem I have with this blend is that it's frequently backordered at smokingpipes.com, which has been the only retailer I've been able to find it. If you enjoy Lakeland-style tobaccos (and I certainly do), this is a fantastic choice. If you're curious about Lakelands, this would be a good place to start, along with No. 7 Broken Flake. But, if you despise the Lakeland aromas, steer clear. Most of Gawith, Hoggath's offerings have some of the perfume on it. I don't know if that's just their signature or there's no way to keep it out of the other tobaccos in the factory. Even the "unscented" tobaccos still have a faint whisper of the famous Lakeland sauce.

Pipe Used: Peterson Kapet 408

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SoundsOminous (11)	2022-05-17		Medium	Strong	Medium	Pleasant

On opening the pouch, a perfumed rose scent was noticeable. This diminished during the drying process, and made me wonder, prior to smoking the first bowl, whether the flavour had disappeared. Quite the opposite; the smoking experience was unique, with a decent amount of N and lavish flavour. More evocative of an English stately home's garden than Grasmere, be it tarn or fell, to my mind. Nonetheless having stayed in beautiful Grasmere a couple of times, I feel this tobacco does not usurp its name but merely serves as a journey from Kendal to Grasmere. Will ghost a pipe but that is a problem easily solved.

Pipe Used: Vauen Melvin MV 134

Age When Smoked: Recent

Purchased From: My Smoking Shop

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Baboon Island (5)	2021-08-12		Medium	Strong	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Intensely unique - the perfume in this is different to all the other lakelands. It's both more pungent than Ennerdale, but if anything that gives it a sense of 'nature' to it. Whilst Ennerdale is a sweet, soapy olfactory treat, Grasmere is akin to sitting in an old fashioned English Garden. The tobacco underneath adds some pleasant hay and grass, a slight soil taste and there is even a herbaceous element coming through at times. All of this, the florals, herbaceous, and earthy topping notes are all tied together with the wonderfully warm, tangy VaBur flake forming the base of the composition. Finally, like a cherry on top (or rather a slice of lemon), I detect a mild tea-like bergamot note akin to old fashioned SP snuffs and Earl Grey Tea. Sumptuously scrumptious.

This blend harks back to a simpler time, there is something indescribably English flake that I, as an Englishman, really connect too. This blend is not for everyone, and frankly I really need to be in the mood in order to enjoy it. It's not a heavy hitter on the nicotine, the experience is entirely flavour based, much like sipping on a low alcohol-high flavour ale.

If you like floral tobaccos then this one is more than worth at least sampling, that is if you have the gumption to face the lakeland ghost... To everyone else I wouldn't recommend this; this is so far removed from your run of the mill syrup soup cavendish-laden aromatic that it could very well be a waste of your hard earned money.

Pipe Used: Peterson 05 Dublin (without filter)

Purchased From: GQ Tobaccos

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pikey Mick (49)	2020-08-07		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I can't believe that I'm at the bottom of the tin and I'm only just reviewing this! Jar note is rose/geranium and a mild Virginia grass. I rubbed the whole lot out and jarred it. Moisture was perfect. Upon lighting the flora's in this are exquisite reminding me of the way a rose garden smells after a summer shower. This calms down a touch after the first third of the bowl but the presence is there from start to finish. I found this tobacco beautifully inoffensive and mild to the palate and really enjoyable throughout. I think this is probably one of my favourite Gawith and Hoggarth flakes and one that I will keep in rotation. I could smoke this all day and be happy if I run out of Kendal Cream which is my current all day smoke. Probably won't please the haters of the Lakeland style but is nowhere near as in your face as Ennerdale which I also enjoy. Has a lovely room note and mild, mellow nicotine hit. Not as punchy as Brown Flake Aromatic although the flavourings used are near enough identical. 10/10 for a beautiful flake that smokes with a few relights towards the bottom of the bowl.. I would think a novice would enjoy this as an introduction to Lakeland tobacco. Leaves a lovely taste in the mouth afterwards.

Pipe Used: Butz Choquin Mexico full bent

Purchased From: GQ

Similar Blends: Brown Flake Aromatic. Cannon plug..

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Olivermac (19)	2018-12-30		Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I personally really enjoy this Lakeland scented flake. I keep several different g&h scented flakes, but I believe this is my favorite. I get it in bulk and I'm not sure if this is the case when and if it is tinned, but mine has developed more and more of what look like delicate and inviting sugar crystals all over it. Like, a lot of them. This wonderful tobacco reminds me of something that the hobbits in the shire would grow and smoke. Halfling leaf. Some people steer clear of these types of tobaccos, but I think they are just awesome and grasmere will always have a lofty status in my rotation. It's probably what I would consider my special occasion tobacco that I smoke more than occasionally and when I feel particularly whimsical. It smokes really well and it's merits should definitely be studied in great detail.

Pipe Used: My special Lakeland diplomat

Age When Smoked: Unknown

Purchased From: P&c

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jorge Soler (202)	2015-12-11		Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium	Very Pleasant

Very good smoke, but I cannot find much of a difference in between these flakes and the rest of the Lakelands, be it Ennerdale, Kendall or any other one that will fall into this category. Not that any of them will bite, but this is probably the easiest on the palate of the whole range. Despite the moist content, which is rather medium/high, you can actually smoke this tobacco straight out of the tin. The casing evokes roses, talcum power, etc., and it feels soapy on the palate, which is a feature you will probably appreciate if you like any of the Lakelands. At times, it feels tangy or citrusy, I suppose, because of the strong Lakeland essence. I am inclined to believe the burley tobaccos contained therewith have not been flue cured as the taste seem to be rather medium throughout the whole bowl.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	balkan_boy (49)	2014-03-04		Mild	Medium	Mild	Unnoticeable

I know I shouldn't review a tobacco just by having one single bowl smoked, but here I am, reviewing it after just having tried it. Today, some really nice tobaccos came and since it's lent period and I limit myself to one pipe a day, I chose Grasmere Flake. I smelled it from the bag, and what hit me in the first place, was that strange smell of old people. Once, many years ago, things used to smell that way. Geranium rose essence, the soaps were made with. Geranium rose is the cheap substitute for rose oil, and was used once to perfume things quite a lot. Including the "rose lokum" (turkish delight). It just smell like grandma's house in the country many years ago. That brings a lot of dear memories. Childhood memories are so beautiful, not because something worth remembering happened, but because of your perception of the world. As a child, you like everything, even the "lakeland" type of smell. Grasmere is not as soapy or nearly as strong as Condor, more like floral dark if I may say so. VAs lack sweetness, Burley rounds everything and mutes every sharpness, everything is about Lakeland "old grandma" note which is wonderful by the way. I never knew Lakeland smell can have so many nuances, it's pretty amazing. Room note is almost undetectable. While Condor perfumes the whole house for a week after smoking it, this passed undetected by my wife. Was a bit moist for my taste, but I didn't have the patience to dry it to the point of perfect burn/taste balance, I just lit it, and although wet, it burns OK. I suppose when dried a bit will burn perfectly. I'm balkan/english (latakia) lover, I love also VAs or VA/Pers, I enjoy sweetness in the VA, but here I didn't find any. I love also Lakeland floral tobaccos, unlike danish aromatics, they taste naturally. Grasmere is somewhere there. Floral style perfumed that goes along with VA natural aroma, and mellowed by the Burley. I give it 3 stars just because of sweet innocent memories of grandma's house in the village that almost made me cry. Otherwise it would be 2 stars. I have 8 oz of it, will last for quite a while.

P.S. I have no idea why is this tobacco rated as "Strong" and "Full". I had totally different experience. It's mild.

Pipe Used: VA's dedicated canadian

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	FilipPruncu (89)	2022-09-04		Medium	Medium to Strong	Full	Pleasant

Got a sample of this from a friend, and, knowing that this will ghost a pipe, I decided to use a corn cob. Now, please understand that I have absolutely no knowledge of flowers, I even had to Google what geranium is. Also, I’m not an aromatic smoker, I rarely find an aromatic that I really like and would buy again. So with these things in mind, lets get to it!

Tin note is... well, like an old woman’s perfume. Indeed, flowers. What flowers? I don’t know. But it’s quite a strong smell.

Aspect: Well, even if it’s a flake, I got this as a broken flake. Light in aspect, yellow bright brown. Had quite a lot of sugar on it.

Taste: I can’t really say what it tastes like, but it’s full bodied. I can’t say it tastes bad. It’s very interesting and very different from all I’ve smoked so far. Has a bit of sweetness, flowery notes, nutty notes, honey. I believe this to have white burley in it. However, it is quite soapy and oily.

A very good burner, but that might be also due to the fact that I left the tobacco to dry a bit too much.

The room note is pleasant, but it’s not strong as you’d expect it.

All in all, I’ll give this two stars out of five, meaning "Somewhat recommended". Lakeland fans and aromatic smokers will surely enjoy this. But, it's not for me.

P.S.: I used a cob because I didn’t want to ghost a briar. Well, it ghosted the cob. I reamed the pipe then I put cotton balls and alcohol for 5 hours. It was still ghosted. I put salt and alcohol for another 3 hours. Still ghosted. I took the salt out and washed the pipe with water. Still ghosted. Now it’s staying in the sun. Whatever you do, don’t smoke in a briar pipe or a meer pipe!

Pipe Used: MM Corn cob

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Steerpike (156)	2021-08-16		Mild to Medium	Strong	Medium	Very Pleasant

Grasmere Flake is a splendid example of the perfumed Lake District tobaccos, heavily laced with Rose and Geranium - it is outrageously floral, and some may be horrified by this. Personally I think it's rather nice. Comparisons to rose Turkish Delight are apt, and if you like one, you will probably like the other.

The flake is a reasonably mild blend and not heavily stoved, it takes a light with ease and doesn't need much in the way of attention or relights. It's a smooth smoke, no bite or other misbehaviour, and as it progresses the floral essence will permeate ones taste buds. The nicotine is adequate if you choose a large pipe.

For me, this is a Lake District tobacco for the summer months, an equally good companion out for a walk or sat outside the pub afterwards. Nobody seems to mind the aroma, although surprisingly, given how unusual it is, I can't recall anyone passing comment on it.

Pipe Used: Northern Briars Lovat

Age When Smoked: New

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RonR (85)	2020-09-17		Medium to Strong	Strong	Full	Tolerable to Strong

3rdguy

My favorite G&H offering right now. I smoke OJK daily and I can see using this great Burley forward flake to mix it up. Strong in nic, medium in flavor. Geranium scent is pretty stout IMO but it does subside a bit. Easy to light once dried fully, no relights once it is going. White ash with a small amount of moisture left.

I believe I will cry once and get the next 500g box I can find and will have all that I need. Highly recommended to try if you do not mind Geranium.

Pipe Used: Cobs only

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2013-05-10		Medium	Medium	Full	Tolerable

This is the third Va/Bur flake from GH I try and it is so far my 2nd favourite (I still have the Kendal Flake to try, and Ennerdale Flake is my favourite so far).

The smell of the flake is a bit odd, too rosy I felt. But from the first puff, the Virginias and Burleys blend superbly with the rosy/geraniumy taste.

Honestly, who needs black cavendish aromatics when you have GH and SG offering the best Lakeland tobaccos.

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