Detergent taste

[Emperor Zurg]

LMAO! That awful flavor is called the 'Lakeland Essence'. Some people actually like it - albeit probably folks who were not disciplined as kids by having their mouth washed out with soap for saying a bad word. I've resolved to research any SG or GH&Co tobacco I'm thinking of buying to make sure it's not considered a Lakeland blend because if it is, I ain't going to like it.

The good news is I've found it diminishes greatly with neglect... er... 'aging'. I had a tin of Bob's Chocolate Flake that had that nasty flavor and I couldn't stand the stuff. I chucked it in the back of a drawer for about a year, never bothering to seal it up or anything. It dried out to resemble brittle slices of tree bark. For some reason I decided to re-hydrate it with a little rum a couple months back and gave it another try. Lo and behold, the Lakeland soap taste was virtually gone.

I just picked up some GH&Co Rum Flake too (@Branzig is to blame for this) and I can't stand it either. I plan to give it the same treatment and see how it is in a year or so since the BCF isn't bad at all now.

[mooster]

The good news is I've found it diminishes greatly with neglect... er... 'aging'. I had a tin of Bob's Chocolate Flake that had that nasty flavor and I couldn't stand the stuff. I chucked it in the back of a drawer for about a year, never bothering to seal it up or anything. It dried out to resemble brittle slices of tree bark. For some reason I decided to re-hydrate it with a little rum a couple months back and gave it another try. Lo and behold, the Lakeland soap taste was virtually gone.

Key point: not sealed! I opened a jar of Bright CR Flake that had been sealed for three years, and the essence was much stronger than when it was fresh. Completely unsmokable for me.

[NeverBend]

Key point: not sealed! I opened a jar of Bright CR Flake that had been sealed for three years, and the essence was much stronger than when it was fresh. Completely unsmokable for me.

@mooster makes a good point.

Sensitivity to the lakeland essence appears to be individual and changes with blend and even which Gawith made it. Some smokers say that they detect the 'essence' in anything that the Gawiths (Samuel and Hoggarth) make at all.

I don't detect the 'essence' in Bright CR Flake (but I heed Mark's warning that it may intensify) or Louisiana Flake, just little in Glengarry and Scotch Flake Aro but as soon as it passes a threshold of intensity I find it almost overwhelming as in Ennerdale, SG 1792 Flake or #7 Broken Flake.

I smell the essence more in Gawith Hoggarth but taste it more in Samuel Gawith. What they all have in common is that they're well made tobaccos and I find the essence to be less intense with a more loose pack.

[Branzig]

I just picked up some GH&Co Rum Flake too (@Branzig is to blame for this) and I can't stand it either. I plan to give it the same treatment and see how it is in a year or so since the BCF isn't bad at all now.

You guys are all haterz!!!

You love some Rum Flake Zerg!

To be fair, my sample had a lot of rest on it, so the essence probably had leaked away leaving only great rum and Va flavor behind.

But if it had a little soap to it, I would be OK with that...nothing wrong with a little lavender with your rum kids....