Lakeland Blends

thebadgerpiper

Is anyone else here a fan of Lakeland blends? When pipe smokers talk about tobacco, Lakeland blends are rarely mentioned, which is a shame. Part of the issue is that Lakelands are a love it or hate it type of tobacco. Lakelands have a floral aroma, which differs from the usual aromatic aromas and flavors associated with pipe tobacco. I imagine some pipe smokers hate the idea of smoking a floral/soapy blend due to bad childhood memories from having a bar of soap in their mouth after saying a bad word at the dinner table. Lakelands also are notorious for ghosting pipe bowls. If you decide to try a Lakeland blend, start with a cob. If you end up enjoying it, I suggest setting a pipe aside and devoting it to Lakeland blends.

The majority of Lakeland blends are produced by Gawith Hoggarth & Co, with notable blends like Ennerdale Flake, Glengarry Flake, Kendal #7, and others. Of these, Ennerdale Flake tends to be the one most recommended for pipers interested in trying a more "British" pipe tobacco.

In 2015 I bought a few ounces of Ennerdale flake, as I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. So I filled up a cob and tried it out. Turns out, it was a great smoke, and I thoroughly enjoyed the floral notes from the tobacco. I left my garage afterwards to grab something from the house, and when I came back, the garage was filled with this wonderful aroma. Normally I can't smell the lingering aroma from a pipe I've smoked, but not this time. It won me over that very moment, and I immediately went to ebay to pick up an estate pipe to devote to a newfound favorite.

If you're newer to pipe smoking, and you're interested in trying out a different kind of pipe tobacco; or if you've been smoking for a few years and have the itch to try something new, you should try picking up an ounce of Ennerdale flake. I can assure you that it's worth a try, even if a floral scented tobacco doesn't sound appealing.

Woobie

Thanks for the recommendation. I have been curious about Lakeland blends, but haven't been down that road yet. Sounds like Ennerdale is the place to start.

PappyJoe

Back in my younger day I tried a OTC tobacco that left that aftertaste you called soapy. (I called it the old lady who put on a pound of bath powder followed by 16 ounces of cheap perfume instead of taking a bath smell.) I think it was a Middleton blend or else it may have been Mixture 79. Anyway it almost put me off pipe smoking for good and that was back in 1972.

I haven't smoked anything that godawful in the past 30 years, but I have tried a number of Lakeland blends - Ennerdale Flake, Rum Flake, Kendal Flake and some others made by Gawith or G&H. I enjoy them all now.

I read somewhere once that Lakeland Blends are basically England's version of an aromatic. Where aromatics made in the U.S. contains cavendish tobacco and are chemically cased and topped, England purity laws are that only natural substances can be used to flavor tobacco - almond oil, rose geraniums, rum or other floral essences. The combinations of the natural oils are what gives it the possible soapy aftertaste. Or, as an acquaintance from England once said, "You Americans taste soap because your palate hasn't developed enough to recognize fine flavors." 

motie2

@thebadgerpiper and @PappyJoe -- Thanks to the two of you for your thoughtful comments on Lakeland blends.

piperdave

I have never tried a Lakeland blend, heard good and bad about them. I hope to get a sample (I know samples are not allowed) to give it a try maybe someone at one of our pipe clubs will have it someday. I know our local B&M doesn't have any. Maybe I will try to throw in an ounce on my next online order.

@thebadgerpiper Which blend / blender would you suggest 1st for someone who has never tried a Lakeland? The Ennerdale flake or one of the others you mentioned?

motie2

Here's an analogy: Lakeland blends are to pipe tobacco what Sen-Sen is to Tic-Tacs.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sen-Sen

Oh, there I go being judgmental again.

motie2

SWMBO tells me that instead of Sen-Sen in the analogy, I should have offered, "Violet pastilles." Yes, violet flavored breath fresheners. Ick.

thebadgerpiper

Thanks for the additional info @PappyJoe . I had heard Mixture 79 had a soapy aftertaste, but everything I've read about it has never been positive.

@piperdave My recommendation is that you go with an ounce of Ennerdale flake on your next online order. Its what I started with, and it opened my world to Lakelands. Bob's Chocolate Flake might be another good one (also by Gawith), though I've never detected any hints of chocolate in that blend. You can't go wrong with an ounce, just remember to smoke it in a cob first.

ghostsofpompeii

Mixture 79 does have the soapy aftertaste of a floral Lakeland blend. My impressions of Lakeland blends would be the equivalent of smoking my wife's Potpourri or Granny's perfume. I've tried Mixture 79 several times and I still have the same pouch which doesn't seem to get any smaller after smoking a bowl. I hate wasting tobacco so I'll continue to give it another try from time-to-time. But I fully expect that one pouch to last me the remainder of my life. 

motie2

Allegedly, the flavorings of Mixture 79 are vanilla and anisette. (Think mild licorice.)

ghostsofpompeii

@motie2 When I fist learned the flavoring was licorice or anisette I went out and bought a pouch, because both flavors sounded great to me. As an Italian, we tend to make a lot of Christmas cookies with anisette, so the thought of a pipe tobacco with that taste was right up my alley. Upon opening the pouch I do get a little of that licorice scent - but the taste was altogether different and kind of off-putting. Didn't get a bit of anisette, licorice, or vanilla ... only flavor I detected was flowers. On the occasion when we've run out of bar soap and I've been forced to use one of those heavily perfumed flower pedal shaped clumps of soap in a pink sea shell soap dish my wife uses to decorate our bathroom vanity counter top - and if by chance soap suds find their way into my mouth - well that's exactly what Mixture 79 tastes like.   

motie2

I've lost my mind: I've ordered a tin of one of Sutliff's oldest blends: Edward G. Robinson Blend; an aromatic with a touch of rum, plum, and cinnamon. Also, a smidge of Latakia. 

I'll give ya a report.

The times, they are a changing.

PappyJoe

@motie2 - EGR is a pretty good blend. You may not like it. 

motie2

@PappyJoe -- I smoked only Lats and VaPers back in the day, mid sixties to mid eighties. EGR should be interesting: Only a touch of Latakia. It was EGR or EA Carey's Revolution blend

motie2

https://www.smokingpipes.com/smokingpipesblog/single.cfm/post/love-for-lakelands

motie2

A Love for Lakelands

January 26, 2018 by Kaz C. Walters
https://www.smokingpipes.com/smokingpipesblog/single.cfm/post/love-for-lakelands

Montecristo