Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. - Bob's Square Cut pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Showing reviews 1 through 11 of 11 reviews of this tobacco
JimInks	04/23/2013	Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I'm not the biggest Lakeland fan there is, but this mixture's virtues cannot be ignored, least not by me. There are tobaccos with more Lakeland essence than this, though it is a dominant player here. The latakia must be slight because I only notice a slight smokiness from it. The burley seems a little more prominent than the Virginia. I enjoy the very slight nut and chocolate notes, neither of which is present in every puff. For some reason, it reminds me of being in a pine tree grove. If you're looking for a dry floral taste with hardly any sweetness, you've come to the right place. Burns well and evenly for a broken flake, though I do have to relight a couple of times, which is no big deal for a good tasting blend like this. Smokes great in a cob, briar, or meer. Morning, noon, or night, it's good any time. I could smoke it more than once a day.
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Ehrling	01/26/2012	Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I have maintained a long-term relationship with this blend, but I am just getting around to submitting a review. My 4-star rating may be just a bit generous. Is it GREAT and WONDERFUL? Well, not quite. Is it unique, unusual and complex? You better believe it! The aroma is enticing and the flavor is rich and delicious. This blend definitely merits a rating higher than just a simple 3-stars. This may not be a Top 5 favorite blend for me, but I can certainly find room in my Top 10. I'm going to try to focus on the flavor. (Many other reviewers have already done a more than credible job of describing how it appears physically.) First, this IS NOT one of the highly scented varieties of Lakeland tobacco. There is most certainly a botanical essence, but it is by no means domineering. Chocolate--yes there's a bit in the taste and the aroma of the smoke. And licorice--I distinctly taste licorice. And the smoke displays a very pleasant musty/dusty characteristic that I believe is imparted to the tobacco in the steaming process. (I've noted this characteristic before in many other G&H offerings.) But these flavors are merely seasonings that contribute to the overall complexity of the rich tobacco smoke. There is a lot happening here and this is a completely unique smoking experience. (This is a tobacco that I believe benefits from a Meerschaum pipe.) I have smoked Bob's Chocolate Flake (in the tin) and while I would agree that it is different than Bob's Square Cut, these two blends definitely sprout from the same branch of the family tree. It's a matter of tastes, but I tend to prefer the bulk version over the tin. NOTE: If you're looking for something different in a Latakia blend, this isn't it. Even though this blend contains a Latakia element, it's a minor element representing only a "spice". I've taken a little extra time to go through the reviews and compare profiles. It seems to me that those who adhere to a strict orthodoxy or display a marked preference for unadultereated tobaccos (in particular, conventional English and Balkan blends) seem to be almost universally repulsed, to one degree or another, by the Lakeland variety of tobaccos. If these comments reflect your tastes you might want to steer clear of "Bob's" in either form and most assuredly any of the "scented" G&H varieties containing botanicals.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
SteelCowboy	08/28/2011	Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant
In reading the prior reviews there seems to be quite a difference of opinion on this one and sadly I think I'll be adding to the confusion. I DO think BSC has some similarities to GH's Bob's Chocolate Flake, but it is NOT the same blend. There is also confusion because I am told that it is called BSC "Unscented" from GH, but I don't this there is a scented version, at least not in the US. The "Unscented" IS actually quite cased. clear as mud? I am huge fan of Bob's Chocolate Flake when it's well aged. I find Bob's Square Cut to be heavier cased than BCF with less chocolate and other added flavors, at least one of which tastes like florals. I smoke BCF in the same pipe as other GH scented blends, but I find the casing so intense with this blend that for me, it mainly stays in a cob. It's a full on aromatic for sure, Lakeland style. It does smoke best with some dry time and smoked in a small bowl. I will cellar a small amount to see if age treats this as well as BCF, but given the choice, I will reach for Bob's Chocolate Flake and the other GH scented flakes before reaching for Bob's Square Cut. Lovers of Lakeland aromatics should have this on their "must try" list.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
DK	05/02/2011	Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant
Virginia and Burley in a square cut - hence the name. The first mixture to claim the inclusion of latakia where I could not taste it. Sometimes I even taste it when it's purportedly not there! Not even sure it did anything to this blend. There was a bit of Lakeland essence but it didn't bring chocolate to mind. No, this is not a version of Bob's Chocolate Flake. The flavor reminded me of spices, like a light clove. Someone else mentions bergamot. Perhaps. There's something there but it was light in my batch but remained throughout the bowl. The scent was proto-typical G&H. If you enjoy Lakelands, this one can't miss for you. It's a medium-bodied tobacco with a fairly good nicotine hit, yet it's easy on the tongue. Even puffed rapidly, this one didn't bite. Furthermore, the flavor continued - a mix of light sweetness and warm spices. Also had kind of a bready quality with some toastiness. This tobacco is an unqualified success. I just bought 2 more 500 gram boxes. One of the 2 or 3 best G&H tobaccos I've ever smoked and possibly one of the 10 best overall. If you're a Lakeland fan, this is not to be missed! UPDATE 10/27/11 Ok, without trying to add to the confusion but merely attempting to clear it up for myself - all I can say is that I've been smoking a lot of this since my last review. It's in my Top 10 of tobaccos. I recently smoked a tin of Bob's Chocolate Flake. Based on my own taste buds, the only thing similar about the two blends is the name "Bob". They may have the same tobacco proportions but the flavors are totally different. Bob's Square Cut is a 4 star blend and I can barely muster 2 stars for Bob's Chocolate Flake. So if you're going into this blend with the expectations that it's some slightly different version of BCF, you may be sadly disappointed. Then again, you may be richly rewarded, whether it smokes like an amped-up BCF to you or not. ;)
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
SMOKETSES	01/28/2011	Medium	Very Strong	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable to Strong
Those who will read this review should send me an email thanking me, as I am saving you from the unpleasant experience to try this awful flake mixture, containing Burley, Virginia and Latakia. Dreadful soapiness is very intense in this blend and it is combined with a terrible smell of cheap cologne. This mixture destroys the tongue no matter how you smoke it, unless you are lucky enough and you don’t light it up. Somewhere, somehow it promises a taste of chocolate but you will not find it anywhere, this I promise.
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BriarChef	08/13/2008	Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
Definitely NOT Bob's Chocolate Flake in different format. I have the "unscented" Square Cut...God help us if the "scented" version is stronger than this. Tin aroma is a strong reminder of Wilson's Tom Buck and F&T's Seville Snuffs and Earl Grey Tea...I think it's Bergamot. A good airing out and drying help diminish the strength of this topping. Rubs out easily, and I recommend this over the fold and stuff method. It does burn faster but the scenting makes a more rapid exit. On initial light I am hit with a strong pine/cedar scent. Surprising, but not unpleasant. This settles down quickly to a spicy, sharp flavor with hints of citrus and lavendar. Mid-bowl the sweetness asserts itself from the Virginias, and a more natural tobacco flavor comes through with the burley barely showing up. Not bad, not good. An occasional smoke. I may toast some of this in a low oven to see if that helps eliminate some of the questionable flavors and aromas.
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raadman	04/05/2007	Medium to Strong	Strong	Overwhelming	Strong
Warning This is Windex in the form of pipe tobacco.
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sasha	04/04/2007	Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant
I admit it: I'm partial to traditional English soapy blends. I'm half British and that can be a reason, but I really love Lakeland flakes, St.Bruno, Condor and the like. If you like them too, I suggest you to dedicate a couple of pipes just to this kind of blends, because they leave an almost indelible mark. And make sure those pipes are little, because they usually deliver a serious nicotine punch. Like this one. From the beginning it provides a strong smoke, both in flavour and in nicotine amount. At half bowl the flavour has tapered (but never disappears)and you start tasting the tobacco, which is good for sure (but where's the latakia? I couldn't detect it). Be careful and smoke it slow, otherwise it becomes bitter. The packing and lighting are easy, but it's better to rub it and leave it on the air for 10/15 minutes. No need to relight a lot. Another great job from G&H.
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DrDNA	03/24/2007	Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong
Notes: Recently opened a tin from 1998, and it does improve with age. My comments reflect this, as well as fresher vintages of Bob?s Square Cut. Tried this in a variety of pipes, and find it best in a small-bowled Ashton briar. Appearance: Firmly pressed squares a centimeter or two in size. Typical square cut, this one seems to be made of dark and steamed Virginias, reddish brown to dark brown in color, with some whitish dried topping essence applied lightly. It rubs out with extreme difficulty, and I succeeded only in making it sort of crumble a bit rather than rub out to a ribbon. Aroma: Walnuts, vinegar, smoke, dark Virginia tobacco, plums, bitter Baker?s chocolate. Taste: Austere. This reminds me of the renaissance in the German cinema of the 1980?s: Spartan, severe, smugly subdued hostility. A vaguely hollow smoke with occasional plum notes. Clear flavor of dark and steamed Virginia tobacco, unadulterated and naked to the palate. ?It must taste only of smoke!? I imagine the blender thinking, ?it must give no enjoyment, and it must bite ? but only a little, so that the smoker knows he is still alive!? Comparisons: Like Will?s Capstan Flake, but darker and drained of sweetness. Like Ogden?s St. Bruno?s without the mellow warmth and smoothness. Like Bell?s Three Nuns without the subtle complexity. Bottom Line: The naked smoke. Tired of flavor and sweetness getting in the way? Enjoy latakia monster blends, but your tongue can?t tolerate latakia? For those seeking a minimally flavored dark leaf nutty Virginia flake, try this one!
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
loosewatches	10/28/2006	Medium	Medium to Strong	Full	Pleasant
---Update--- First of all, I contacted Gawith and was told this is Not the same as Bob's Chocolate Flake, but that there is a Bob's Chocolate Ready Rubbed, and that may be leading to the confusion. Secondly, after going through another pound of this wonderful stuff, I don't think there's any menthol in it, but who knows since both Gawith companies use some strange additives and are pretty secretive. Lastly, this is another flake that I like to mix around with. It's nice mixed with about 25% Penzance or Pirate Kake. There may already be a (very) little latakia in this, but basically it's a good strong base of virginias, probably with a little dark-fired, and burley. At least that's my humble guess. Upgrade to 4 stars!! ______________________________________________________ In a previous episode. . . Four ounces later, this stuff is good. Is it Bob's Chocolate Flake? Don't know, never had it. Latakia? A little. Vanilla? Nahhhh. This is a sour thing, a sweet thing,an unaromatic this is. Good leaf and good funky English people flavorings. Where did they learn how to make pipe tobacco? I love it. One more pound ordered. Why only three stars? I do believe it's mentholated.. Smoke it if you've got it.
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Bobbior5907	04/30/2004	Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
This is exactly the same as "Bob's Chocolate" except the flakes are sliced again into small squares for easier packing. I do not find it sweet nor particularly aromatic (compare it to Cornell & Diehl's "Autumn Evening"), but it has great flavor and body all the way down the bowl without harshness or bitterness. It is adequately moist but there is little trouble lighting or keeping it lit. As said, it is not sweet but there is a chocolate undertaste. Remember that cocoa and coffee are related and, in their natural state, are quite bitter. Chocolate is only made sweet by the addition of sugar. "Bob's Square Cut" does not seem to have added sugar; it is not milk chocolate. Instead, it reminds me of dark, semi-sweet chocolate. It is like smoking a cup of espresso; to me, it is more like coffee than chocolate. I like it in the afternoon in a pipe with a good draw; e.g., an old Custombilt. Flakes and other moist tobaccos need a good draw and, in my opinion, do poorly in pipes with constricting filters; for example , a vintage Kaywoodie from the 1930s, '40s, or '50s with the metal "Drinkless" filter. Tobaccos generally lacking humidification, like the nostalgic retro tobaccos from House of Windsor which were popular when Kaywoodies and Dunhills cost the same and were equally prestigious, do very well in the old Kaywoodies. In fact, I believe the old-time tobaccos and the old-time Kaywoodies were interdependent; a symbiotic relationship. But I digress... "Bob's Square Cut" deserves a grade of "B+".
Showing reviews 1 through 11 of 11 reviews of this tobacco