Kendal Rum and Maple

Rum and Maple is a dark-colored broken flake produced at Gawith, Hoggarth & Co.'s factory in Kendal, England. Naturally sweet sun-cured leaves and Virginias are slowly cooked under pressure into a cake alongside maple sugar and some rum; the cake is then sliced and coarsely rubbed. In recent years, due to naming restrictions, the product has been offered in some markets under the abbreviation "R & M." The casing is applied at a noticeable but not leaf-overwhelming level; it therefore sits closer to the English tradition of bowl-forward pressed flakes than to syrupy American aromatics. In the smoke, maple's dark sugar sweetness and rum's dry, alcoholic spice sit over Virginia's bready, fruity base; body is medium and, due to pressing, it burns cool. The broken-flake texture is also convenient for packing without rubbing.