Two Lakelands Reviewed - One I love & one not so much....

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DrumsAndBeer

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1792 Flake

1792 is a dividing tobacco blend that’s for sure. Personally I love the stuff. Despite its reputation, when handled with care it’s quite satisfying and smokes soft, sweet, creamy, flavorful and cool. I recommend dedicating a cob to it. I smoke it in a MM Country Gentleman that I rarely fill more than 3/4ths of the way full.

Tin note? Let’s just skip that part (I’ll call it “unique”), and get right to how it smokes….

Once lit, the flavor is deeply sweet and I find the room note surprisingly pleasant. The scent is ambrosia of dark spices, vanilla and talc powder which balances nicely with the earthy smoked tobacco tones. The flavors do intensify as the bowl develops, but the casing keeps the smoke quite mellow at a slow puff.

Speaking of which, technique plays a very important role with this one. I smoke it slow and keep the ember barely burning. Like most strong predominantly dark fired flake you’ll be treated to a challenging affair and spoil the subtleties if you stoke it up past a slow crawl.

Tin vs. Bulk - Infrequently I will notice larger or less subtle differences between a tinned and bulk version of a tobacco. 1792 Flake is one of those blends. An extended stay in a sealed mason jar does wonders for the bulk variety. Right off the bat the tinned version really does smoke sweeter, softer and altogether more balanced.

While no where near an everyday smoke for me, I do feel that every admirer of traditional tobacco blends should try this flake at least once.
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Ennerdale Flake

Ennerdale Flake is a perfect example of too much of a good thing.

I admire Gawith & Hoggarth’s scented flakes. I find several of them to be quite outstanding. Moreover, every piper who has an affinity for these offerings has at one point in time thought the same thing – “I wonder what it would be like to smoke a “REALLY scented” G&H tobacco?" If you’ve ever asked yourself that question while in the midst of a nice balanced bowl of Glengarry, Bob’s Chocolate, Rum Flake or my personal favorite Grasmere Flake, look no further than this tobacco.

Altogether it burns nicely and as usual the tobacco is beautifully presented. The flavor is 100 percent, unequivocally driven by its heady, palate numbing topping. Ennerdale’s flavor also has a serious half-life. I have smoked it in the middle of the day, only to find myself still tasting it the next day before lunch after two brushings, breakfast and several cups of coffee or strong tea.

I once read that often whether or not you enjoy a particular scented Lakeland comes right down to whether or not you admire the topping. This very much applies here.

As far as the flavor goes, I can’t pick out the almond or citrus flavoring. Almond and citrus blossom, maybe. Vanilla?, perhaps. Ennerdale is sweet and it is very, very floral. I have heard the “after shave” descriptor thrown around a few times and I think I tend to agree.

I am going to see what Father Time does for my 4oz stash, (I should note that I have yet to try the tinned version). This works out perfectly, as I am not too keen on trying it again any time soon.

:afro:
 
I haven't tried 1792, but I have tried Ennerdale. Initially I thought it was tasty. After 36 hours I wondered if I'd ever taste anything else.

I too have some set aside to try down the road.
 
Try the G&H "Bob's Chocolate Flake"...It is a very light aromatic with some Latakia. I am not normally an aromatic smoker, but it is one I enjoy!
 
I think it was Carlos who correctly identified 1792's tin aroma as dead mouse in a tin. It is tasty though, and hardly tastes of dead mouse at all. :) 

Ennerdale is a bit over the top, as is Grousemoor. In fact, GH & co's unscented Lakelands are scented enough. Still, 1792 is a worthy smoke. I've smoked a good deal of it over the years.
 
Really good reviews. I've never tried the 1792 Flake but your review of the Ennerdale is spot on. A friend of mine sent me a small sample of 5 yr. old Ennerdale and there's a world of difference. So much a difference I ordered 500g and jarred it up to let it age. I keep a couple tins around to encourage me to wait the 5 long yrs. Like you I prefer Grasmere but I think Bosun Cut Plug is even better than that. JMO

AJ
 
ajn27511":9u5ru5cc said:
Really good reviews. I've never tried the 1792 Flake but your review of the Ennerdale is spot on. A friend of mine sent me a small sample of 5 yr. old Ennerdale and there's a world of difference. So much a difference I ordered 500g and jarred it up to let it age. I keep a couple tins around to encourage me to wait the 5 long yrs. Like you I prefer Grasmere but I think Bosun Cut Plug is even better than that. JMO

AJ
Thanks AJ. Good to hear that Ennerdale improves with age. My plan is to leave it alone for a long time and try it again much, much later.

I agree that Bosun Cut Plug is quite excellent.
 
This is very helpful. A lot of the times I read here on BoB to just plain "stay away from Lakelands" etc., but without a very specific review beyond "too floral". The technique comments are also appreciated as otherwise who knows what woes would befall the uninitiated? Curiosity had gotten the better of me, of course, after seeing all these warnings.

Having said this, I can't decide whether to just hold off on the single 1792 tin I have and just let it age until I forget about it or just avoid it altogether. It's only from 2012 so it's not worth anything without time. If it is worth having, then I'd buy a couple more tins down the road. Now, how to get samples... :scratch:
 
There's a few of us that are completely disgusted by Old Lady Stink, but there's equally a number of fans. I won't tell anyone to stay away--in fact, I love pushing the stuff to people at the local Tinder Box just to see their reaction. A few light up, and well...light up in delight. <img class="emojione" alt="?" title=":shrug:" src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/emojione/assets/png/1f937.png?v=2.2.7"/> A worm for every bird, I suppose. :lol:

8)
 
Personally I admire the Old World sensibilities when it comes to the attempts at aromatic tobacco with oomph. The Gawith's really do try their best to make some seriously strong tobacco have a tolerable room note, and I emphasize the word tolerable.

"Excuse me Sir, your pipe smells tolerable, what are you smoking?" "It's called Cob Flake, try some it will rip your bloody head off." :p 
 
Every now and then I get the urge to try a heavily-scented Lakeland. It's reviews such as yours of Ennerdale that urge much caution. Thanks!
 
I think of Ennerdale as halfway to Condor, both of which please me greatly. In the distant past, I actually smoked Arabian Nights sometimes, so my tastes were forever perverted.

The secret to Ennerdale is Juicyfruit gum. You should see the pile of wrappers behind the shop there in Kendal.
 
Well done review!

Interestingly, I have the opposite reaction to each of these flakes. I dislike 1792 but consider Ennerdale to be ambrosial. I can't seem to get enough of the "Lakeland essence," although I really don't smoke many aromatics, preferring lots of perique or latakia.
 
My personal preference has always been for ketchup over Old Ladies Soap but everyone needs do as they enjoy! :twisted: 
 
monbla256":m5wbxe44 said:
My personal preference has always been for ketchup over Old Ladies Soap but everyone needs do as they enjoy! :twisted: 
I enjoy the Catsup too. Some more that other of course.
 
Andy Lowry":36dtb2u3 said:
I think of Ennerdale as halfway to Condor, both of which please me greatly. In the distant past, I actually smoked Arabian Nights sometimes, so my tastes were forever perverted.

The secret to Ennerdale is Juicyfruit gum. You should see the pile of wrappers behind the shop there in Kendal.
I haven't had Condor, but I have had St. Bruno Flake which I really enjoyed. Grasmere Flake is my favorite. It also has a lot to do with the scent. Grasmere's Rose flavoring is really nicely balanced with the tobacco flavor. Ennderdale I find to be way too aggressive and a bit harsh.  On a scent scale of 1-10, I would categorize Grasmere's scent as a level 5 and Ennerdale as a 7 or 8, leaving room of course for something more scenty.

Maybe Proraso makes a flake? :p
 
condor tastes like coppertone. had some at edwards pipes not too long ago. i enjoy lakeland a bit. haven't had either of the ones you've discussed but i'll remedy that soon enough. dark flake scented is probably my favorite so far, unless you count hyde park, that is. love that stuff
 
Jeb, speaking of Coppertone, well more like Hawaiian Tropic, I don't know what possessed me but on my most recent order I added an ounce of G&H Sweet Coconut Twist.:lol: 

I'll be sure to make a full report.;) 
 
DrumsAndBeer":io2hlgld said:
Jeb, speaking of Coppertone, well more like Hawaiian Tropic, I don't know what possessed me but on my most recent order I added an ounce of G&H Sweet Coconut Twist.:lol: 

I'll be sure to make a full report.;) 
i keep wanting to try the maple twist, if it makes you feel any better :D 
 
somedumbjerk":r11zs1s0 said:
i keep wanting to try the maple twist, if it makes you feel any better :D 
According to most of the rope fans Rum is awesome, maple is good, and coconut is "weird." Frankly they all sound interesting to me.
 
DrumsAndBeer":9qt0rtco said:
somedumbjerk":9qt0rtco said:
i keep wanting to try the maple twist, if it makes you feel any better :D 
According to most of the rope fans Rum is awesome, maple is good, and coconut is "weird." Frankly they all sound interesting to me.
well looks like make at mars is getting more of my money...
 
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