Samuel Gawith Black XX Twist (Rope)

OK. here's the deal. Yeah it looks like something a Greyhound dog left on the esplanade in Barcelona, Spain. However, if you give it a chance, it'll give you a good smoke.

Start by finding one end of the,,,,er...rope (?) and slicing off a couple of dimes worth. I use a fish filet knife for this step. Next, pick your favorite mild tobacco and pack half a pipe and then drop in a couple of the dimes worth of Black XX and pack as per normal with your mild stuff. Lite and puff and wait for the explosion. Wait for a day or two, repeat.

Over time,ease off on the mild stuff and now your ready! Unless you chew heavy duty tobacco and snort snuff I suggest that you do not try Black XX straight out of the bag, it might be a bit much.

NOTE: 11/18/08 I just received a new half pound from Smokingpipes and it's labeled "Black XX Finest". (?) Is this an improvement? I don't have any of the old stuff around to compare it to (I haven't attempted to cellar and age this tobacco) but it appears to be just as ugly and repulsive as regular old Black XX. If I use my imagination it might be a tad milder. But maybe I'm just toughening up to it.

This tastes like barbequed ribs! I want tobacco to taste like tobacco! I like strong blends, but this is ridiculous! At this expense, I could buy a pack of DeNobli or Parodi Toscano style cigars, break them up and smoke them in my pipe, and only pay about $3.00 ! The sight of this tobacco is unappetising, it looks like a turd! I could do Irish Flake, I could do 1792 even, but this blend is absolutely putrid!

I was gifted a sample of this by a friend (221b) and was pleasantly surprised. It was one of those situations whereby the realization was much more pleasant than the anticipation. Not for the novice, this black beauty is meant to be sipped, not smoked. The first 1/4 bowl was a little strange as I searched my house to see if some electrical wiring was on fire...By mid-bowl it had settled down to a slightly sweet virginia taste. There's not an abundance of taste, rather subtle really, but it has plenty vitamin N and my senses were hyperactive for 30 minutes after the bowl was finished. Not an everyday affair for me, but certainly several times a week. Just don't drop it on the floor, someone might think the dog had an accident. Recommended..

After reading the reviews contained here I decided to give this rope a try. This blend is so different than anything I have tried before, I have no reference point for comparison. This one stands on it's own. Black rope sums it up. Aroma is strong,earthy, cigar like, pure tobacc. I use a cigar cutter to shave off thin slices from this rope. I then rub out this oily leaf (much like a quality cigar) Lighting this rope is a several match affair. Keeping it lit is also a little bit troubleing. If I had reviewed this blend early on I would have given it 1 star. Some reviewers have said it is a love it, or hate it blend. At first I was closer to the hate end of the spectrum. Now after several tries, I am somewhere in between. My taste at this time craves the sweet fermented flavor of other Va. blends, but I am beginning to like the change that this blend offers. Most likely in time this blend will move up a notch or two. For now I give it * *

5/31/08 UPDATE.....As stated above this weed has moved up to a solid * * *

Cut it into quarters, unwound it, and let it dry for 20 min. Smoked it out of a Group 4 LB S. Musty, somewhat sweet and sour, somewhat salty, and not very bitter. Very strong tobacco taste not much else. Enjoyable for what it is, a super sonic kick in the ass. I like smoking it with my morning coffee when I come in for work. Nice jump start for the day.

"A cigar smokers pipe tobacco."

I'm not sure I understand all the fuss about this tobacco. It's sounds extremely imposing and reading the reviews would lead one to believe smoking this could possibly change the way you approach smoking a pipe.

The presentation reminds me of chewing tobacco twists I had seen in my travels through Kentucky. The smell was mildly reminiscent of your basic chaw, Redman, Levi Garrett, etc... mild smelling with a nice pure tobacco scent. I began by cutting 4 coin sized pieces off the twist. They were easy to rub out into ribbon. I expected more moisture, but this was ready to go, so I packed my corn cob (as a precaution). It lit easily and stayed lit. Right away the flavor reminded me of a medium to strong cigar. Very nice. I was waiting for the nicotine punch experienced by many, but found it no more powerful then your average cigar.

I believe this is an excellent smoke, full bodied with no flavoring. The more I smoked this blend the more I liked it. Caution should be taken to smoke this slowly and not get it too hot. If you are a cigar smoker, you will be very pleased with this blend as it taste very much like a medium bodied cigar.

This is, truly, one of the tobacs out there that fall into the "love it or hate it" category. It comes in an oily rope...strong and, at times, even a bit overwhelming..even for the experienced smoker. This is a tobac that brokes no argument. It is strong, full bodied and ready to satisfy even the most base nicotine desire of any smoker. Yet, unlike it's cousin, the brown rope, Black XX has a lot to recomend it. It is smooth, burning down to a fine, gray/white ash without even a hint of a bite, even if puffed with a heavy hand. Upon first lighting, it gives a hint of the Lakeland soap which quickly burns off leaving the smoker alone with nothing but the deep flavors of the stoved tobacco itself. This flavor matures throughout the bowl, burning clean and dry all the way down with ocassional hints of Lakeland flavor showing through, though never overpowering the pure, tobacco taste. The finish is long, the pipe is cool, and the overall experience is thoughtfull and to be relished long after the last ember has died. I truly find that Black XX is NOT the one dementional monster that many portray it as, but a strong, not-so-subtle, and flavorfull example of dark, stoved weed at its finest. Not a smoke for the neophite or the faint hearted, Black XX is a true treat for the studied smoker searching for a full and rich tobac that stands apart from the established ranks of the smoky, latika greats. ~Monk~

Sorry this is so long but here goes...Well I must first say that after smoking a pipe for only about nine months now I still consider myself to be neophyte. That being said I had heard my friend Rafe mention this tobacco and so began the research. I read all of the reviews that you nice people have written about seeing fruit rats, drooling, swooning and was quite frankly impressed! It is not every day that you hear a genuine leather tongue say he was wooped!

Now the time came...a couple of nights ago I was at the Tinder Box in ATL and they were having a big fire sale (got the last tin of Murry's blended Royal Yacht they had for $6!) and as I walked around looking I spied this tin that said Black XX on it. Now you know what they say about curiosity. So for $6.00 I figured that if I didn't like it I could give it away or toss it.

After I got home I could not wait to open it up and see what I had invested in. Dog poop...but not just any dog poop. This dog poop was covered, and I mean COVERED in white crystels! Only recently have I learned what this means so I was even more excited!

So, this morning I took it out and cut off a couple of pieces of it and chopped them up with a butcher knife the same way I would celery, onions or whatever, diced them up real fine and then rubbed them out. Took about 30 seconds. Then I stuffed my Vintage Peterson 307 full and sat down with trash can nearby just in case...

Now mind you I was smoking on a FULL stomach. But here is my review, I know, FINALLY! LOL!

The first third of the bowl was very "full in taste". In otherwords it tasted totally like tobacco and very thick and heavy but there was no evidence of the nicotene. About a third of the way down the bowl my tongue started tingling and it got what I would call "spicy". It was about now that I got a tad light headed and could tell the nic was taking effect. Not overpowering by any means. Rather a nice simple buzz. Finally the last third of the bowl was a big surprise. It was almost as if someone had stuffed a piece of candy in my mouth. Kind of hard to describe really but it was absolutly plesant. It was simply sweet tasting to the end from this point and left a taste in my mouth that was sweet for about 2 hours after.

My roommate commented that he really liked the room note and that it smelled like one of those cheap cigars, swisher sweets or some such thing...the room note was very nice! And if you like big white billows of smoke this is definatly for you...I mean BIG SMOKE!

Now, I smoke U Flake pretty often and can tell you this, I get more buzzed off UF than I did today off of XX. That being said, perhaps it was because of the age of the XX that made it so good. I can tell you this. I am going to buy more and let it sit! I like it. Also it was fun to have a friend of mine over and see that he had the same experiance smoking it that I did. Very Plesant. Will write more about this after a couple of more smokes...

Joey

Ahh.. My current favorite. The mean looking black rope. This tobacco is great. I love the "work" to get it smokeable and as other reviewer's have said every pipester should at least try a rope for that reason alone. But if they try Black XX they may fall in love with it. This is indeed a no-holds barred tobacco that doesn't play around with fruity flavorings and room notes. BUT as far as its room note I personally love it. As does my wife. In fact as I've said I think it is indeed "very pleasant". I can only describe room note as rich/earthy smelling which is also exactly how the rope tastes. True, this may not be for those new to tobaccos as it could overwhelm them. To those non-rookies however, your making a mistake by not trying this out. I find that a large bowl of this combined with a Jack Daniels on the rocks is the perfect close to a hectic day. So for those who enjoy there whiskey straight and their tobacco as well, would do well to stock up on this classic. reviewed 11/10/04

**UPDATE 11/18/06** Still a favorite for me. This rope, with its earthy, rich taste just hits the spot for me everytime. I strongly encourage all pipesters to give this a shot...and if you dislike it I'll gladly take it off your hands! Yummy! Oh..1 more thing, this is about as bite free a tobacco as I've ever burned. You can puff this one up without fear. Zero Bite.