The nice thing I like about this blend is that it has such a strong taste profile and "N" hit but it is at the same time gentle on the pallette and unless pushed to hard, it does not bite. It smokes at a nice slow pace, and burns clean down to the botttom of the pipe without much dottle left and it leaves a gritty grey ash. The aroma of the rasw rope in the pouch is very VA sweet and clean. I really enjoy this blend when I feel like a cigar and it's terrific with a good stout beer. Not for the faint of heart as it is a strong blend, but for more experinced smokers it is a must try blend.

A full rounded flavour and strength, much like the rest of the brown ropes from G&H and SG...they all share a family resemblance as you would expect. Much the same as Dark Birdseye..in fact the same baccy but in rope form. Bogie is a full on tobacco for those who love Lady N...I'm one of them.

Highly recommended. Dry it out a bit before you smoke it.

I shaved off a few coins and pulled them apart into a pseudo-shag, and just stuffed it into a small freehand. It took just a little greater than average effort to catch fire, and required a few two-second relights during the smoke, but nothing extensive or inconvenient. It starts off almost too mild, requiring some concentration and coaxing to get the flavors to reveal themselves. After ten minutes it becomes richer and settles into a mild, rich, toasty smoke with not even a hint of the oiliness inherent in Black XX.

Plenty of white smoke, no bite at all, smooth and tasty, a wonderful way to start the day while soaking in the morning sun. The room note is surprisingly nice, again nothing like its XX cousin. I wouldn't want to blend this with other weeds because I think the delicate flavors would be lost. I can tell this is going to become a favorite when I'm the mood for a simple, classic smoking experience based on a very long historical tradition.

The ropes come Brown or Black (well, they also come flavored with cherry, rum, and such, but I dislike such flavorings and will thus ignore them). Brown is light, clean, crisp and very strong. Black is rich, oily, tarry, and not as strong, but still strong.

Both can be purchased pre-sliced, which can be a nice convenience, particularily with the Black. The Brown slices up nice as you please, but the black not so much. All the tar tends to gum up the cutting implement, and the process can become tedious. I plan in the future to buy my Black pre-sliced.

It's great fun to buy this stuff a pound (500g) at a time. The large coil of rope you receive is wonderful to contemplate, complete with a 4 penny nail hammered in to hold it together. Conversely, buying these tinned makes for a rather poor first impression. These tobaccos are quite dense, so 50g is only a few inches of rope. Thus, upon opening the tin, the first impression is that it is half empty, and the other is that it resembles (well, you know...).

For how these taste and smoke, see my Black and Brown reviews under Samuel Gawith, and happy smoking!

I do have to admit that even though I'm growing fond of the stuff, it looks and smells disgusting in it's natural state, but if you can get past that, it's a bracing and unusual treat.

I cut it into coins with a cigar cutter, then rub it out. I kind of like the fact that you can control the thickness of the cut. I cut it thin and use a light hand when packing it, and it fires right up, almost without needing a second light.

The flavor when it's burning is fairly unusual, a bit like a cigar, a bit "meaty," with an elusive salty and sour taste that's hard to identify. Although I quite enjoy the room note, I don't imagine that it would be too popular with non-smokers. It has a lot in common with 1792, but without the tonquin.

All in all, a very satisfying smoke.

---------Update September 3, 2008-------------

I've gone through more of this and I'm going to bump it up to four stars. The more I smoke of it, the more I like it. I've taken to slicing off a week's supply of coins at one time using a utility knife.

Once sliced, rubbed and dried a bit, it lights easily and produces clouds of white smoke and a good nicotine hit. It just doesn't seem to taste like much.

It does make a fine chew, and I think I may grind some into nasal snuff.

My main reason for not smoking it a little more often is that I can't be arsed to cut up the rope. Too much of a hassle. I like my flakes but plugs and ropes are too much of a bother most of the time. So maybe this should be two stars, but I'm not basing this on ease of packing, just flavor qualities and smokability.

A great pipe tobacco if you enjoy movies full of violence, action morbid horror. I do.

Also great if you are an ex-cigarette smoker trying to stave off nicotine cravings. Be satisfied in spades.

Images evoked include a zombie crawling through murky swamps with sliced hamstrings and a penchant for alligator brains.

I've heard of this style of tobacco that miners would chew while in the mines, then put the chewed quid in their pockets. Later, when it was a bit drier, they would smoke it, and kept some of the ash for their wives to blend with their snuff. Perhaps by chewing it first it gets milder. I'm not too enthusiastic to find out, but in the interests of historical research I suppose I should. Ill save it for a rainy day, but will report my findings when I do.