Manufacturer Description:
The "Bothy Flake" is a thanksgiving to the small huts that serve in the Scottish Highlands as a shelter for hikers. Consisting of a full Virginia tobacco with a small proportion of Latakia from Cyprus. The flake obtained by the addition of a typical Highland malt whiskey essence its smoky peaty undertones accented refined by the Latakia. Medium strong and aromatic with a full room touch. A real Highlander!
Characterisation:
The Bothy Flake surprised when opening with a – for Samuel Gawith - very accurate production. Among the older flake products the eyes where on the quality of the tobacco more than to its appearance. Here it seems to have had two things in mind. The clean cut slices are medium to dark brown with bright speckles. The aroma is smoky-sweet and actually resembles a mild Highland whiskey, but for experienced noses also contained Latakia: wet leaves, which smolders in an autumn fire. The flakes are resilient and do not tend to crumble, as this is to a certain basic moisture of the tobacco, you should leave it in the open box or before the smoking a half to one hour to dry.
Plugging:
The Bothy Flake can be filled in various ways. Depending on your taste rubbed as a Mixture or bent and folded. Due to its moisture content you should be careful not to stuff it too tight as the compact tobacco straightens under the heat of lighting and needs space in the pipe. Also, one should remember that leftover dry crumbs of tobacco pass the flame rapidly down.
Light up:
The relatively high moisture content of the Bothy flake can make the light up difficult. It is important to create a uniform glow on the surface, to which you gently smoothen the surface after the first flame - not too tight! - with the tamper, and then giving fire again. Only when the whole surface is glowing, the tobacco will be burning evenly down until the end.
Smoking properties:
The smoke of the Bothy Flake is lush and with a certain peppery sharpness on the palate, tempered by the sweet malty whiskey, which harmoniously supports the natural sweetness of used Virginia without slaining the tobacco. The used Latakia provides for a very interesting component. This ensures with its ethereal, never intrusive incense touch both a special flavor, as well as for a certain lightness in taste. If you smoke but too greedy to experience this taste more intense, the tobacco tends to gargle. Yet hardly condensate remains in the pipe and the light to medium gray ash is little work in cleaning.
Redolency:
The room note of Bothy Flake is genuine tobacco and the content of Latakia is perceptible to for sensitive noses what makes this tobacco not really suitable for non-smokers societies.
Conclusion:
The Bothy Flake is a brown marbled Flake with golden speckles, which cut is very accurately, but it is a bit damp. Its aroma is smoky-sweet and so produces a taste of the smoke. This is also sweet, with smoky and peppery notes, which can actually think of the whiskey used as a flavoring, but acts quite natural and rather supportive for the used Virginia. The Latakia hovers in the background, but is a delightful lighter flavoring ingredient that makes this tobacco into something special. Due to the somewhat tedious kindling (and this gets better while storing in the open can and the resultant drying) and the slight sharpness the Bothy Flake is not aimed necessarily at beginners, but for those who want to "sniff a whiff Orient", but recoil for a pure English, this tobacco is highly recommended.
Copyright © 2015 by TECON GmbH
with friendly support of Dennis Hübel