G&H scented and unscented dark flake?

[the rev]

Ok, so the obvious difference is one is scented the other not. But what is your experience with the two? Why do you prefer one over the other?

rev

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Whatcha mean, Rev? Give two specific examples, see-voo-play.

 

[the rev]

Sorry, thought I was being specific.

G&H Dark Flake has scented and unscented. I have only smoked the scented, which is my favorite smoke at the present time

rev

 

[Carlos]

Be wary. Unscented does not mean that it has not had some Lakeland flavouring added. Just means it was done with a light hand. Probably.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Okay, so it was just referring to Granny Panties scent. ale: Not my realm, except to avoid.

 

[alfredo_buscatti]

I've never smoked the scented; I avoid cased tobacco. The unscented does have a tad of Lakeland scent, however, a little perfume hanging around the edges. Wouldn't be a Lakeland without it. I find the tin note intoxicating: heavy earth, spice and that all too lovely Lakeland funk.

 

[Slide]

Sorry, thought I was being specific.

G&H Dark Flake has scented and unscented. I have only smoked the scented, which is my favorite smoke at the present time

rev

I think I sent you some dark flake. If I did it was actually unscented. Which is not quite accurate because I think it has a little tonquin or something.

 

[DrumsAndBeer]

Slide sent me some Dark Flake unscented. Loved it. Top notch tobacco. There is some scent there, but I think it's very minimal especially compared to stronger dark G&H baccy's like Coniston or Bosun Cut Plug

"Don't let the fool taste smooth ya."

 

[sisyphus]

If you don't smoke scented tobaccos, even the unscented GH's are going to seem insane at first.

My vote is for unscented. You still get plenty of the scenting, and more of the tobacco comes through. If I want my strong after dinner flake hosed down with something that isn't tobacco I'm reaching for 1792. My $.02

 

[Smoker99]

One of my favorites is Dark Flake Unscented. Unscented is just cased, the scented is cased and topped. Both have signiificant floral.

 

[jj1015]

As smoker99 pointed out, "Dark Flake Unscented" is, well, unscented. It's merely cased, as are virtually all tobaccos (including "straight" Vas). It's just that GH apparently cases it with a slightly floral concoction instead of the sugar water used in other VAs, such as GH FVF and others. But the scented version, like all aromatics, is also "topped" with a heavy floral sauce.

Personally, I greatly prefer the scented version. Why? Because the unscented version isn't at all sweet to me. It's almost like smoking a very dark cigar, which isn't a taste profile I enjoy. The scented version, however, is a classic "Lakeland" tobacco and I have come to love the Lakeland style.

That being said, I think Kendal Flake and Bosun Cut Plug are superior products.

 

[alfredo_buscatti]

If I may, topped refers to a light application of sauce, by spraying whereas cased refers to a heavy application, through soaking. 1792 is cased; Dark Flake is topped.

 

[jj1015]

Dark Flake is cased as well. All tobaccos are cased as part of the processing required to make them smokeable. That doesn't mean they are FLAVORED -- it usually means just adding sugar water, which adds sweetness but no real flavor. Additional flavors are added later on, and I suppose a second heavy "casing" type application could be applied. But my understanding is that "topped" is used very flexibly, and can be done in a very light manner or in a very heavy one.

 

[s.ireland]

I have never smoked the scented. A while back I picked up about a half-pound of the unscented from Mike. Wonderful dark flake! I agree that it has a similar profile to a dark cigar. And that funk in the jar is heavenly! I believe my small stash is from 2004

 

[alfredo_buscatti]

This may seem a picky point, but I don't call the initial workup of tobacco, the sugar, etc., casing, although I grant that the method is the same. When I hear "topped" or "cased" I think of overt flavoring, like tonquin. And that is what matters to me, as the first casing is uniform across all tobacco. I expect tobacco to taste as it does, with the first casing. What gets my attention is what flavors it beyond that point; that is idiosyncratic and constitutes either type of flavoring application, topping or casing.

 

[Smoker99]

Casing is how most tobacco flavorings are applied. The topping just adds an extra heavy dose of what is already there.

 

[alfredo_buscatti]

glpease said:

A: There are two things of interest here, namely "casing" and "top flavouring." They are two distinctly different approaches to altering a blend's flavor. Some tobaccos employ both.

Casing requires that the tobacco be soaked in or sprayed with a "sauce" that may contain sugar, molasses, liquorice, alcohols like rum or whiskey, and various flavourings, natural or otherwise, depending on the manufacturer. Once the tobacco "drinks" the sauce, it's conditioned in large cylinders that dry it back to the desired moisture level, generally between 12% (on the dry side) and 22% (very moist). Optimal moisture for smoking depends on the smoker, but it's generally in the 13-16% range. The aromas and flavours imparted by casing will remain in the tobacco pretty tenaciously, and will affect the smoke throughout the bowl.

Top-flavouring is added by spraying the finished blend with scents and flavourings. This is usually a much lighter application, and doesn't alter the moisture content of the leaf dramatically. Sometimes called "top-notes," this can be quite ephemeral. Because of the volatile nature of many of the commonly used components, a tobacco left to "air out" may lose a lot of the perfume that's applied this way.

topping = sprayed, a light application
casing = soaked or sprayed, a heavy application

http://www.glpease.com/FAQ.html

 

[Slartibartfast]

Personally I love the topping on their scented Dark Flake. It and Coniston are absolute favourites. The Dark flake is excellent as well but I prefer the Dark Plug. Honestly though, you can't go wrong with any of them IMO. Enjoy!

 

[alfredo_buscatti]

Rich is sending me the 12 pounds of Dark Flake I ordered, and a tin of the infamous Grousemoor. I hope to pluck the perfume from the pig! I don't smoke any aromatics, except 1792, aromatic in the sense of the tonquin. Wouldn't it be crazy if I really like it and opt for a pound?

 

[juanmedusa]

Dark flake scented over the unscented but I like both. Kendal flake is the gh flake I smoke the most though.