Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Revor Plug

(3.74)
A blend of flue and fire cured tobaccos pressed and baked into a glossy black bar. Favoured by experienced pipesmokers who demand a strong cool satisfying smoke.
Notes: Revor Plug was originally an own label product made in the SCWS (Scottish Cooperative Wholesale Society ) factory in Glasgow, and sold only through Scottish Cooperative stores. Production was moved to the CWS (Cooperative Wholesale Society) factory in Manchester, and when the CWS stopped tobacco manufacture it was taken over by Manchester Tobacco. MT was taken over in it's turn by Japan Tobacco who eventually closed their manufacturing operations in the UK in the 2000s. Before this happened though production of Revor had been moved to GH in Kendal.

Details

Brand Gawith, Hoggarth & Co.
Blended By Gawith, Hoggarth & Co.
Manufactured By Gawith, Hoggarth & Co.
Blend Type Virginia/Burley
Contents Kentucky, Virginia
Flavoring Other / Misc
Cut Plug
Packaging 50 grams pouch
Country United Kingdom
Production Currently available

Profile

Strength
Strong
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Mild
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Tolerable
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Full
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming

Average Rating

3.74 / 4
53

16

1

0

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 70 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jun 15, 2014 Strong Mild Very Full Pleasant to Tolerable
There’s a little floral Lakeland essence that never detracts from the heavy richness of smokey, woodsy, dark sweet flavors. There’s hints of dark cocoa, and molasses from the earthy, woody, nutty, moderately spicy, floral Kentucky. It is the lead component. The Virginias have some fermented tangy dried dark fruit, earth, wood, light floralness and tart and tangy citrus, grass, and vegetation as an important supporting player. Won't bite or get harsh no matter how fast you go at it. It does sport a few rough edges. A lot of strength and nicotine here, but not enough to make you dizzy. Has a very full taste level. The tobaccos are deeply rich in flavor and well balanced so that you notice all the nuances in virtually every puff. The flavor is very consistent from start to finish. The plug itself breaks apart with little effort, and burns cool, dry, slow and smooth from start to finish, though as is often the case with plug tobaccos, it’ll require a little dry time, and some relights. Leaves just a little moisture in the bowl, and you may have to stir up the last quarter just a little to burn it to ash. Has a pleasantly lingering after taste, and slightly stronger room note. Will ghost a briar, and in time, a meer, too. Not an all day smoke.

-JimInks
50 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 30, 2011 Very Strong Medium Full Strong
Here's a tobacco that deserves just about every accolade I can give it. What a treat! It has been a while since I last had any and I had forgotten just how darned good it is.

The presentation is enticing if somewhat intimidating - a large, black bar that is actually quite loosely pressed and thus easy to prepare, although it does have a tendency to crumble and produce too many useless crumbs if it is allowed to dry out too much, which can happen if you cellar it in its cellophane packaging instead of transfering it into something more robust (this is about the only criticism I have and I guess it was my fault for not thinking about it). Still, yet another good reason to start smoking it as soon as you get your hands on it!

Once it is burning in the pipe you are greeted by a powerful and surprisingly sweet smoke. My dear old mother commented that it 'smelled lovely'! I get a hint of barbecue, a hint of salt, a hint of spice and lots of powerful tobacco. It is also slightly floral, but there is nothing of the detergent about this one. The flavours tend to deepen and take on more 'bass' as you progress down the bowl, with the sweetness calming down a little. It sounds silly, but once I am about 2/3 of the way down I could almost believe that there was the tiniest dusting of latakia in there - it certainly has all the presence of a stout English blend.

Burning qualities are superb. Although it can require a few relights, it is one of the coolest and easiest smoking blends I have ever encountered. You probably could get it to bite if you tried really hard, but it would take some doing. Yesterday I finished a bowl, ran a pipe cleaner through and not only was it clean, it wasn't even moist. That is how cleanly this blend smokes.

What more can I say? I would give this fella 5 stars if I could. It is genuinely excellent and surely deserves a place in the tobaccoreviews Hall of Fame as one of the tastiest and most archetypal smokes ever to come out of the North of England, and one of the most impressive offerings to come out of the GH&Co stable (I have requested that the blend details be changed to reflect the fact that they are the blender - I have checked the pack I am currently smoking and there is no mention of Manchester Tobacco anywhere).

If you are a fan of rope tobaccos, lakeland flakes and strong weed in general then Revor Plug is almost guaranteed to put a big grin on your face. Even if you're not then you should still give it a shot, it might very well be the start of your conversion!

Very highly recommended!
32 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
May 02, 2014 Medium Mild to Medium Medium to Full Very Pleasant
Dark licorice coloured block. I sliced, diced and rubbed, and a small amount turns into a substantial pile in my hands.

The pouch note is of leather, linoleum and wood. I am instantly transported to the shoe stores of half a century ago.

Takes a few attempts to get a good burn going. Even rubbed out this is still a dense, damp tobacco. Once lit there are some floral notes underneath a prominent smokiness. The Kentuckys here are almost latakia like. Better, to my tastes. The fragrance is beautiful. Sweet, smoky, slightly floral, bready; this is a full spectrum tobacco.

Once underway this tobacco burns steady and cool. It has a lovely creamy mouthfeel. The smoke is an odd brown colour in certain lights. Floral notes drift in and out.

A beautifully layered tobacco that has a pretty fragrance sitting on top of some densely structured quality tobacco flavours. A classic.

Edit 2018. I am now convinced this has Latakia. The interplay between the Lat and the Afircan fired leaf is complex, but if Lat isn't here then I am a Dutchman.
23 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jun 06, 2010 Strong Mild Full Very Pleasant
After reading all the rave reviews regarding Revor Plug over the years I was finally able to obtain a bar in a swap with a fellow tobaccoreviews.com reviewer. I only wish now that I had swapped for more. One of the easier plugs to work with and exceptional taste with a bit of sweetness in this powerhouse.

Not at all like a McQuad plug, this one is more natural in tobacco flavor with the topping toned way down. The Virginia flavor is deep, dark, sweet and STRONG!

My great grandfather was a notorious pipe smoker and I can just see him working himself into a frenzy of delight if he were around to puff on this bad boy!
23 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 12, 2012 Strong Extremely Mild Full Tolerable
Acquired a pouch in a trade with a UK forum buddy. This comes in a long, narrow bar of black tobacco, but it's easily crumbled for pipe loading. I liked it best dried a bit from pouch moisture level which made breaking off pieces slightly more difficult. But not overmuch.

This is one tobacco that I would recommend to folks who want simply the taste of tobacco. The Lakeland scent was barely noticeable in the pouch and barely noticeable in the taste/room note. No pipe ghosting, at least not my meerschaums. It is a rich and robust taste and the nicotine is a velvet hammer... it snuck up on me towards the end. The flavor never altered from beginning to end... a nice full-flavored. leathery "meaty" smoke. Very nuance-free, and that is what keeps it from a 4th star for me. I enjoy a lot of monodimensional tobaccos for their flavor, and this is one of them, but complexity is often the key to that 4th star. This is one fine tasting natural tobacco and if I can get my hands on more, I certainly will. Recommended for those who don't need Grandma's spice rack or citrus flavors, but only want a beautifully heavy tobacco taste.
15 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Oct 31, 2014 Strong Mild Full Pleasant to Tolerable
This was a very good smoke. The flavor is full, heavy, sweet and dark. There is a mild floral , but it works very well, and it is not going to overpower you with Lakeland. The pressed bar is almost oily looking, and I sliced thin pieces off the end and rubbed them out. Moisture worked well for me and I did not dry it.

The smoking experience is flavorful, cool and smooth. The DFK provided a little spice, but the blend is mellow and not edgy. The processing has melded the flavors together in a wonderful way.

This one is a solid 4. I am not going to pay a king's ransom to smoke it all the time, but given the opportunity, I think every pipe smoker should try this.
14 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Nov 07, 2016 Extremely Strong None Detected Full Very Pleasant
Where to start....?

Don't be under the impression, (as I was), that this is a classic "Lakeland" tobacco; there is nothing I noticed that is remotely floral about it, so don't be put off by the association of it being described as one. Also, I would strongly advocate not being put off, (as I first was), by the innumerable reviews which talk of the almost legendary strength of this tobacco. It is indeed very strong in nicotine, and definitely not one to have for breakfast, (which was how I first tried it!), but with a full stomach and as an evening smoke, it is absolutely sublime beyond description.

There are very definite wood and leather tones, which reminded me of the pipe tobacco equivalent of Fribourg and Treyer's classic snuff, "Old Paris".. Indeed, everything about it transports you to an oak-panelled study, brimming with old leather tomes, and complete with a resplendent leather armchair. Fittingly, it is a smoke which commands your respect, and one to have while contemplating the deeper things in life. The smoke is dense and thick, but also soft and comforting, like a velvet blanket. It smokes incredibly cool and burns down to the finest white ash I have yet found, with absolutely no dottle. The beard note is full and manly, and it almost upsets me to wash my face before retiring to bed with the good lady.

Respect, and a smaller bowl, are the key words here. Yes, the nicotine will knock you sideways if you treat it as you would other tobaccos, but you wouldn't drink a Remy Martin XO out of a pint glass, would you? It's much the same thing.

After my initial reservations, it has become my favourite late evening smoke, and one I will now be squirrelling away in large quantities for posterity.
Pipe Used: Savinelli Oscar, Blakemar Polo
PurchasedFrom: Various
Age When Smoked: New and 1 year
13 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Apr 11, 2014 Very Strong Medium Full Pleasant to Tolerable
Relatively easy to prepare, something like GH black rope combined with dark plug but with all the motor oil taste and cigarish overtones gone, all hints of harshness gone, with a very pleasing topping which is similar to SG Bracken Flake, yet more subdued and natural. Almost refreshing and not overbearing if smoked correctly.

Really a top notch smoke that also reminds me slightly of 1792, but rounder, less intrusive topping, total absence of bite or "edges".

Slightly better than Condor, which God smokes, similar in strength and mouthfeel, but with less floral and clingy qualities than Condor L/C, and better underlying tobacco taste. Less likely to put a ghost in your pipe relative to Condor too. Perhaps the best of its kind.
Pipe Used: small bowl
11 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
May 30, 2010 Very Strong Very Mild Very Full Tolerable to Strong
I don't know if it's just because this is something of a rarity but Revor Plug seems quite a special tobacco. It's simplicity belies a deep and engaging smoke and one that will knock your socks off. Not a beginners choice I wouldn't say.

A long chunky bar in a packet that is quite crumbly once cut into with a knife and breaks down into little chips and chunks with very little effort. Which is perhaps it's one glaring shortcoming - not too easy to make your own flakes to fold with this one I imagine. But let that not put you off.

The Virginias have been cured in a way that makes them very dark and reminds me a bit of some of the black ropes/twists except that here they are beautifully sweet and sugary, not even slightly sour or astringent. But it's not just sweet, there is something else there; a very distinctive aroma, like a resinous wood. I'm guessing that this is something to do with what's been used in the flue/fire curing and as such I'm really not sure if this has flavouring added. Knowing G&H (and this is them, they seem to have dropped the Manchester Tobacco from the packaging) it probably isn't too hazardous to say that there has, but if so it doesn't linger much. I've been rubbing it between my fingers and trying to place the smell and there's a lot of depth too it.

It takes the light great and the woody flavour comes through in a powerful sensuous smoke. This isn't a new fangled aromatic at all, it is proper Old Skool; the sort of tobacco that would not be at all out of place in a low beamed tavern from yesteryear and there's very little gurgle, no cloying residue, dry and no bite at all. I can't write a review of a Lakeland tobacco without mentioning the 'S' word (can I?) other than to say that it isn't here.

I can't see this being an all day smoke for anyone, too strong, but I don't think that anyone with a penchant for the products of quality craftsmanship will want to pass this by should they get chance to procure a modest quantity.

A very characterful tobacco full of personality that will not fail to impress you and at a good price too.
8 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 18, 2017 Strong Medium to Strong Full Tolerable to Strong
A sublime tobacco, a dark rich plug/crumble cake which loads and burns easily. absolutely no tongue bite, with a good nicotine hit, (not one to be smoked on an empty stomach). The smoke is thick and rich with some great notes, I got leather and a hint of molasses. A perfect balance between the Virginia's and burley. A great smoke in the evening with a fine brandy. overall a truly wonderful smoke.
Pipe Used: Big Ben bulldog, meerschaum
PurchasedFrom: my smokig shop, Preston, UK
Age When Smoked: new and aged 1 yr
7 people found this review helpful.
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