Out of the pouch, the rope has a rather tame aroma; cutting discs is easy, stuffing and lighting also. Unfortunately, when smoked, this stuff tastes like a cheap cigar. Not a quality cigar. Cheap. Flat. Bitter.

Going by that impression, I tried out a bit of the rope as a cigar. Not hard at all. Unfortunately, that way it also tasted like a cheap cigar, with no sweetness at all. Not even smoky, like I would have expected from the advertised Dark Fired tobacco.

To cut a long story short, I have gone through about half of my pouch by now trying just about everything possible to get some joy out of this blend; I have failed. The nicotine content is quite high, but I wish they'd boiled this 'baccy, like with the black varieties. And I wonder what I am going to do with what I have left of this stuff. Can't foist it on my friends -- I don't want to lose my friends. Can't smoke it myself -- don't want to lose my lunch.

== this review was originally posted in a different section because the name of the blend had been changed just before; since the naming has been cleared up in the meantime I am re-posting here and have deleted my original post from 2011-06-26 ==

I love it. Not every day, but once or twice a month.

Recieved an ounce of this along with another GH twist. Have tried and liked SG Black XXX twist, so I had to try a brown twist. Yes, it looks like a turd.

Sliced into 1/16 inch disks and rubbed out. Really pissed off my wife by using a "good" cutting board and one of the Henkels knives. Let dry on table overnight until dry but not crunchy. I expected it to be potent, so I packed it into my smallest bowl- a small filtered prince.

Nice, true tobacco flavor from first light. Even, clean burn. Substantial bluish smoke. Smooth and biteless. Wonderful nose notes- almost maduro cigar scent. Reminds me a bit of a Parodi or DeNobili dark italian style stogie. Then the nicotine hits after about 5 minutes (and I'm not a nicotine lightweight), wow! Cottonmouth, throat tightens and a bit of heartburn. Put the bowl down! Sipped on a pint of iced tea and watched the rest of the Bigfoot show. Lit it up again- this time the flavor is SO much nicer and even delicately fragrant. Once again about 5 minutes into it- cottonmouth and a little N rush that I haven't really felt since chuffing down Lucky Strike Unfilterds in the boys room between classes in high school...

I like this stuff. Drug tobacco for the masses. Probably would be great for a night of drinking hard spirits or dark and bitter beers.

Even this little bowl is a bit to big for this stuff-just too much drug delivery- will try it in a corncob pony or maybe one of my small clay pipes that get too hot. Or perhaps I'll dig out thos chunks of pipe shaped cherry branches that I've been hiding in the garage and actually fashion a 1/2 inch diameter deep bowl pipe that I'll use just for this stuff...

I'll definately be ordering more of this. Definately a primo choice for those doing the cigarette to pipe thing. Jeeze, this might me the only tobacco that I hide in my marsh shack next to that bottle of bourbon for end of the world use...why not.

Certainly recommended...

As for flavour, the Indian air-cured component adds a nice tangy/savoury edge similar to G&H's (unscented) Dark Flake but in an overall less harsh package (Indian cheroots are something else - more power than the strongest Havana). As for the Malawi fire-cured part of the blend, "smooth and deep" are the words that come to mind. The start is a dry taste that gathers some savoury sweetness as the bowl burns down, but without the over-load of sugar that some (e.g. Sam Gawith) flakes have.

Everyone should try this at least once. Not as a "rite of passage" but to experience and, hopefully, get to understand a truly fine tobacco that's been made pretty much the same way for a very long time.

If the hassle of preparing it puts you off, or if you've never tried to prepare a rope tobacco before, I suggest buying the ready-sliced version, at least to begin with. It's exactly the same tobacco, with the assurance that it's correctly prepared for optimum smoking.

I've been told by many people (including non-smokers) that the smell is pleasant. Some even use the word "nice".

I can't recommend it enough.

Anyway, I love this stuff. It is for the experienced smoker. See my review for Brown Irish Twist, and you'll have my review for this super little twist.

If is so strong that i had to dump the contents at our Pipe Club Meeting last night after about 10 puffs.

The gentleman across the table from me Inhaled a puff and thought his lung was gonna collape. Not a good idea with any pipe tobacco, ESPECIALLY this one.

The taste is extremely Full, there is just no other way to describle it. While i was puffing i could feel a tingling on my tongue similar to tongue bite. The difference was that it was the sheer strenght of this tobacco and not bite at all.

Be carefull when smoking this.

Mo, South Africa

Not an everyday smoke this one but as an ex-cigarette smoker I get the nicotine hit I need with this stuff. Sadly I only get the nicotine; no flavour. It's just (for lack of another word) harsh as others have said before.

Preparing this stuff can be tiresome at times; cut into coins, cut some more into cubes, rub it out or just load it as kind of cubes into the pipe of your choice. Don't forget to dry it a bit as it will be difficult to smoke as it is. Even cutting this stuff is difficult; your knife will be covered by oily stuff.

Recommended to those who needs a quick nicotine fix not to those who wants flavour.

"Bogie," my fellow Americans, is not (just) a golf term, it is the British version of our word "booger." That's right, a tobacco named after something you'd find in your nose. But one look at it, and you'll see why that's by no means the worst thing you could compare it to. Looks to me more like something your dog leaves in the grass. But I digress. My method of preparation: Slice it into thin coins and then dry the coins out, then partially rub it out and it's ready to smoke.

The smoke will knock your socks off. Strong, bitter, and often harsh. But that is mostly only in the initial light-up. Then it settles down, smooths out, and is nice and coffee/cigar-like. To be enjoyed in small doses. Not an all-day or even every-day smoke, just a once in a while, or once in a lifetime smoke to teach you not to fear lesser tobaccos.