Lakeland Style

Lakeland style is the name given to a flavoring tradition rooted in the town of Kendal in northwestern England. The term describes not a single blend but a style: a pronounced layer of essence drawn from the world of flowers and perfume is laid over the tobacco's own taste. Kendal's proximity to the Lake District is the source of this naming.

The Origin of the Kendal Tradition

Snuff production in the town is dated to 1792. According to the records, Thomas Harrison brought the snuff-making knowledge he had learned in Glasgow, along with secondhand machinery, to Kendal. The business passed by marriage to Samuel Gawith in the following generation, and on his death in 1865 to his sons. In later years the business split in two: one branch carries the name Samuel Gawith today, while Gawith Hoggarth & Co. emerged from the partnership the family's youngest son, William Henry Gawith, formed with Henry Hoggarth in 1887. Both firms still carry on production in Kendal.

That this tradition comes from snuff is no coincidence. The scenting knowledge used in snuff production was applied in the same workshops to pipe tobacco as well. Some Lakeland recipes are believed to have carried on since the 19th century with only minor changes.

Essence and Flavoring

Lakeland character comes largely from top-flavoring (topping): once the blend is pressed and before it is tinned, it is either soaked in or dipped into an essence. This process sits more on the surface, with a sharper scent, than the casing applied while the tobacco leaf itself is being processed; the details are covered in the entry on casing and flavoring.

Commonly cited essences include rose, rose geranium, lavender, vanilla, musk, heliotrope, and tonquin. The description smokers call "soapy" comes from here too; the scent is close to a floral composition reminiscent of classic cologne and soap formulas. In place of the sweetness that stands out in most aromatic tobaccos, a dry, sharp floral trace takes over here; for this reason Lakeland blends are treated as a separate cluster at the edge of the aromatic blends category.

The name tonquin is sometimes a point of debate. The term is used to describe the scent sourced from the tonka bean (Dipteryx odorata); the main compound in that bean, coumarin, has been banned as a food additive in the United States since 1954. The ban pertains to food; the composition of the tonquin essence used in today's blends varies by producer and is not disclosed in detail by the firms.

Format and Use

Lakeland blends are mostly presented as pressed tobacco, in flake or plug form; the details of these formats are covered in the entry on pressed tobaccos and the flake pipe concept. Burley is frequently preferred as the carrier leaf, since its porous structure holds the essence well.

The essence has a strong tendency to cling to the pipe and the storage container; keeping a separate pipe for Lakeland blends is a widely known habit in the community.