Samuel Gawith Cob Plug

Much of what I wrote regarding 1792 applies here. The tonquin bean is strong and buries the whisky (if it is there), but it won't matter to you if you like tonquin. As strong as this tobacco is, there is a light mellowness in the flavor that one may find rather pleasing, which is well contrasted by the varietals. Heavily topped, but I can still taste some nutty, woody, mildly floral, dry, earthy, herbal, spicy dark fired Kentucky burley, though the grassy, earthy, tart and tangy citrusy, floral, woody and fermented tangy dark fruity Virginias are mostly subdued. The strength is strong (sorry, that reads badly) with a very full taste. Has a strong nicotine hit to satisfy anybody's craving. Won't bite, but has a few rough edges. You may prefer to dry it a little as it is very moist. It burns very slow, clean and cool with a fairly smooth, very consistent, mildly sweet, more savory, richly deep floral flavor from start to finish. It does require some relights. Leaves a little moisture in the bowl, but not enough to spoil the experience. Has a very pleasantly long lingering after taste and room note. Made for the veteran smoker, it's more of a love/hate product than your average flake, and is not an all day smoke. Will ghost a briar, and a meerschaum, too. Three and a half stars.

In fact, I taste the burley and Virginia a little more in the plug form than I do in 1792. The plug version is less harsh, a little less stronger, smoother and a little sweeter. It does require a few more relights than the flake version does. Has a very pleasant long lingering room note, and is a more relaxing smoke than the flake version. If you find 1792 is too much for your senses, but you still like the flavor, this will be more to your liking. I'd rate it half a star above 1792.

Update 1-13-2023: The latest version of Cob Plug is pretty close to the different productions I have smoked in the past. The toppings are just a little more perfumy, and a tad less like the tounquin I have experienced before. The fermentation that generally comes from plug pressing is lightly less obvious. Otherwise, it’s consistent with what I previous wrote.

-JimInks

I've never smoked the Flake version and it's been quite awhile since I smoked 1792, but I found this milder in tonquin flavor than I remember 1792 being. This is a darker plug but is pretty well-behaved, with a nose of good VA beneath the rather stinky tonquin. Smoked from a new sample, about an ounce.

I cut this into small cubes for smoking and it burned just fine, much better than when I simply rubbed it out. The cool thing is that the mellow tonquin lasted throughout the entire smoke, much the way G&H florals do. It wasn't overpowering and didn't overwhelm the virginias the way I recall 1792 doing (even though it's been awhile!). This one had a creamy undertaste as well, which never faltered. I found very little complexity with this one but that was fine since the flavoring remained throughout the bowl. Good nic punch here, but not enough to make me faint. This is a good blend for those that enjoy the preparation and for whom 1792 is a welcome, if heavy-bodied, joy.

I am now in my 60th year and have been smoking the pipe since I was (let's say an illegal age).

I have tried many tobaccos over the years. Throughout my experience I finaly settled with Erinmore Plug which sadly my tobacconist told me was no longer available.

So, what now. Having searched the web I happened upon Samuel Gawith. I decided to try several of their wonderful tobaccos until finally settling on Cob Plug. I found it to be a very satisfying smoke with a full satisfying flavour and a lovely room note (according to my wife).

I find the COB Plug particularly suitable to my Palette. I find it to be a full bodied smoke with plenty of flavour. I has a steady burn right to the end.

Two weeks ago we were away for a weekend break in Clifden outside Galway (Ireland) and during the sojourn my Peterson pipe clogged up. I was unable to clear it. As luck would have it, we were passing an antique shop in Clifden town and in the window were some new original clay pipes which came from an old tobacconist which had closed down in the 60's. I bought one and enjoyed my smoke of COB very much.

I would recommend COB, but let's face it everyone's palette is different. One man's tobacco ...... etc. But, for me COB is a very enjoyable smoke.

I'll give this one a pretty decent rating because it is cool, does not bite, has a decent dose of nicotine and acts gentlemanly while burning.

It is very black in appearance and stinks in the tin. It is also difficult to keep lit.

While not the strongest tobacco I've ever smoked, it is no weakling and leaves a heavy aftertaste hours after smoking.

If offered another bowl on down the trail (as in way down the trail), I'll accept.

I purchased 50 grams of this as I was reasonably happy with 1792 flake, but felt that the flavour in that smoke was overly dominant, but had read that this plug has the flavour toned down somewhat. It also has the advantage that I can slice it myself and remove the bane of all SG flakes, that being that the flakes don't come in a uniform size.

Straight from the pouch, a similar note of 1792 emerges, but it is noticeably less overpowering. Also, in the scent of this one, the whisky is much more pronounced than in 1792, where the tonquin overpowers it. The farmyard/old barn smell is also there, very pleasant.

The plug itself is less than an inch thick, and consists of a fairly even mixture of dark & gold leaf. The top of the plug is somewhat knobbly, but the bottom is flat.

Slicing flakes off this plug is very easy - the plug is very firm and dense, but has a quality which allows the knife to pass through it with ease. Due to the ease with which I could cut it I was able to use several different prep methods. Thin flakes were folded & stuffed, slightly thicker ones rubbed out, and thicker still cube cut. With the exception of the cube cut, all burned with ease. It is also worth noting that - presumably as it's not vacuum-packed inside a tin, so is exposed to air allowing evaporation - this plug comes at a good moisture level, and - for me, at least - needed no drying time.

The taste is, again, similar to 1792 flake, but more subdued. I definitely get the whisky this time, and the tonquin & good tobacco work well together. I do like this flake, the flavour (as with most prominently cased blends) dies off towards the end of the bowl, leaving the quality tobaccos to take the fore, with no bitterness or unpleasant flavours. If you have smoked 1792 flake, just imagine a tobacco with about two-thirds of the flavour, and which you can cut to your own preference. Didn't bite at all.

The tobacco burned well (although I was using a gauze), and left no dottle.

The nicotine strength is medium-strong.

The room note is fine, inoffensive, but it can hang around a bit more than the 1792 flake, I find.

I liked this the more I smoked it, I think the tonquin is probably an acquired taste, but once developed, it becomes incredibly moreish. This is a good smoke, and I like it more than 1792 flake. I gave 1792 a 3-star rating, but as I said at the time, it could easily have been 2. I give this a 3 star rating & feel that it is a solid 3-star tobacco. I enjoyed it, and whilst it will never be an all-day/everyday smoke for me, it's a nice change of pace now and then. If you liked 1792 flake, you'll probably really like this. Pairs well, like the flake, with darker teas & ales.

Sam Gawith - Cob Plug.

The plug itself is almost like a book in the construction, it's superbly simple to peel of very thin sheets of tobacco, like turning the pages in a book. Whats good with the tobacco sheets too is that they are thin in their entirety, there isn't many un-even lumps and bumps that need disregarding. With my Plug, I don't see anything indecorous with the moisture amount, it's of a great level and can be enjoyed immediately! To be fair, I think the aroma from the un-lit plug is a very basic Virginia/Burley one, I can't really detect any additives in there. Once I process mine into thin pieces about 5 mm square (by hand) I load my pipe and can begin.

I am a little surprised by how well it lights and burns, as in my experience plugs have usually required tenacity in that area, but I suppose the easy preparation aids this! The burn is also even, giving cool smoke, leaving behind a pure white ash. The flavour now: a very no-frills taste, yes there are some additions that can be noticed easily, albeit not that overpowering for me. I find the additives to be well balanced, a sweet vanilla-esc taste from the tonquin with a slightly sour note from the whiskey. At another good balance are the two tobaccos, a very well shared stage! The nicotine with Cob Plug is not for the faint of heart, if you don't like N then avoid this bad boy! Cob Plug is very good in the tongue-bite department, even if really drawn hard it still eludes me. Room-note is a little heavy, but that isn't a problem if, like me, you appreciate tobacco! I really feel that due to the simplicity in preparation Cob Plug would make the perfect entry into the plug field!!

Three stars.

Many years ago I wrote a damning review of 1792 flake, describing it as an abomination. Times change. Having smoked and enjoyed a tin the other month I decided to try it in its plug form, aka Cob Plug.

To my mind the plug version has the flake beat in almost every respect. A common complaint about the SG flakes is their irregular thickness, but preparing plug tobacco for yourself (assuming you have the patience) removes this problem. Another bonus is that, unlike the flake form, the plug isn't so moist you have to set it dry for an hour or two, during which the flavour can dissipate too.

The result is that Cob Plug is actually easier to deal with than the flake version, at least for me. It delivers all the strength for which 1792 is famed but seems considerably smoother and more well rounded, with no trace of the harshness that I sometimes found with 1792. I also found that the tonquin topping, which once you develop a taste for it, is something you begin to crave, lasted much better throughout the smoke.

In short, Cob Plug is a winner and anyone who enjoys 1792 should get onto it immediately. For my money, it is certainly the better of the two tobaccos and really hits the spot as an after dinner smoke. In the past I had pretty much decided that the products of GH&Co were more to my taste than many of the (often excellent) SG offerings. If the other SG plugs I have on order prove to be as good as this one I might have to reconsider!

Okay This tobacco is stellar after some years I cut the flakes very thin of the plug, let it dry for 20 minutes, rubbed it up and stuffed it right in to an old, shardy, experienced balleby. Nothing more to say. Puff on and be happy!!!

Very tasteful tobacco and most unique in its flavor. I like the plug presentation, a dark block, whose scent you can already perceive through the plastic bag it came in. For minutes I kept sniffing the tonquin, which almost hypnotized me!

I prefer cube-cutting it into small cubes, so you can fill it right after cutting it from the somewhat moist (but for Samuel Gawith terms quite dry!) plug. Lighting is easy, some relights are needed if you don't dry it out. But if you dry it out too much, you'll loose some of the flavorings, especially the whiskey I feel!

The very earthy and pleasantly smoky tobacco base has little sweetness, but that's just perfect, as the tonquin gives a mild, creamy sweetness with a hint of "vanilla-ish". The whiskey gives a slight sour and alcohol-ish touch to the smoke, which I really(!) enjoy about this blend. Sipping is a must, or I don't get any of the flavorings and the dark fired leaf can turn acrid. But the very full and creamy mouthfeel makes sippin' easy, as every small puff gives plenty of aroma. Earthy, herbal, slightly floarl and a pleasant spiciness.. paired with a slight sweet touch and an interesting tonquin note, rounded by the sour-tasting Whiskey.... I love it!

.... I love it, but only on occasion! This is a "holiday tobacco" for me, or after a good meal.. I really have to be in the mood for this tobacco... on some days it can't even tease me to open the jar and bag it's stored in... on some days I feel "mhm.. COB Plug is what I NEED now!!".. today was a day like this and whilst im puffing it in my Old Dominion Cob, I'm jotting down my thoughts.

Easily 4 stars, this is a treat and very special to me! And albeit I'm aware that "Cob" refers to the honey-cob-like look of the plug, I somehow prefer smoking this in a Cob! Preferably an Old Dominion Cob with a small diametered billard shape bowl. 30-40mins of stout tobacco goodness leave me pleased and relaxed and I feel the tonquin aroma makes this an extra-soothing smoke! It could be imagination, but it's very calming and at the same time stimulating. The potent nicotine does the rest to make this a very contemplative smoke!

Room note is described by my better half as: "spicy...pleasantly spicy!"

|| Personal rating: 4-stars | Attempt of an 'objective rating' : 4-stars ||

A dark plug that breaks up easily. The tin note is strongly tonquin, a scent that seems to defy agreement. Vanilla and sweaty socks is the best I can do. Oddly, I quite like it.

I tried different methods of preparing this. Every way it produced the most difficult to burn tobacco I have ever smoked. I resorted to using philtpads several times to soak up some of the wetness. This tobacco reduced them to paste. The least worst was to cube cut it and leave it for a few weeks. Still a difficult burn.

The tonquin aroma follows the whole smoke. There is also a peppery smokiness presumably from the Kentucky.

Well balanced with some harsh notes, there are nonetheless other tobaccos that offer more and are better behaved.