Samuel Gawith Black XX Twist (Rope)

Finally I got one of this. I think every pipe smoker should have one of this. I open the tin and it wasn't very.....hum...nice. It smelled like rubber. Then after I left it alone for a few days and re-open it again, the smell got a bit better. It kind of smell like very dark cigars except a lot more murky. I know this is going to be strong so I slice it up in real thin and let it dry a bit. This stuff is very oily. Pack it and let the flame do the work. It smoke suprisingly dry. It taste like real tobacco but it kind of falls away from the pipe tobaco genre. A litte bit like the chewing kind but totally without any sweetness. It is a slow moving powerful dark monster in terms of flavoring but I detect zero nicotine content. From the top of the bowl to the bottom, the taste remains firmly dark and rich and again I must mention, no sweetness. But it is very strange.....very very strange...yet it remind me of something I had tasted. I think and think and think and then it hit me. Perique!!! Damn this is Perique's cousin. So the next day, I mix this stuff up with some very light orange virginias, half and half. Load it up and bang!!!! I got a mixture 90% tasting like my fav, Peterson's old version of Irish Oak (Murry's version)!!! And then it all made sense. Perique is more peppery this is more murky. I am so glad I got this. So treat it like a spice and it would serve you well. But if you like to take this straight up, then maybe you are missing the point.

I actually enjoy this blend, but I do not recommend it overall. It has a great "mesquite" flavor, is very strong, and very pure. It has a kick that will last you but does not punch in the stomach so much as mellow you out. I have smoked a few bowls of it and like it.

On the downside, though, it requires more care and dedication than its worth to light it. Slicing, drying it, and then finely chopping it works nicely, but takes a good couple of days. You can also go for the relight every three minute method.

It also flavored my pipe very strongly, though some have said that it does not happen. And its kick is a little more than I want. It seems to be more a once in awhile tobacco. Its always worth having some around to share with friends if they are looking for something new, though.

Hey if you are up for a challenge and have smoked the strongest flakes without a whimper, this may be your smoke. I have tried to find a reason to try this again but I will have to wait until I forget what happened the first and second time this was attempted. There are just too few pleasurable moments involving this product. That being said, if you are a real man (puff-strut-flex, etc.) then go for it! I recommend you try to sample it before you buy more than you can smoke in a lifetime. (one tin!)

Maybe something happened to my piece of Black XX at the factory before it made its way into the tin, but I did not find the flavor primarily tobacco-like. Instead, the flavor and room note are reminiscent of burnt machine-oil.

This is in contrast to its counterpart, SG Brown Rope #4. The Brown Rope has a wonderfully strong, unapologetic, all-tobacco flavor.

Neither Black nor Brown tend to bite. The Black XX smokes smoother than Brown, and it doesn't have the nicotine peppering the tongue as much, although it is certainly almost as strong. (It took me quite a few bowls of each kind of rope to acclimate to the point where the nicotine no longer prevented me being able to walk around as I smoked them!)

Unfortunately, the Black XX simply has a foulness to it - this burnt oil, burning plastic kind of ambience - which is downright nasty and which lingers in my mouth afterwards.

This could all be personal chemistry at work, which is unfortunate, since I much enjoy Brown#4 and would like a smoother version of it.

Wrth trying just to say you have tried them all. This was my first rope tobacco. I am an experienced smoker and I am pleased I have tried it, not least to know I have done so. 🙂

This is freaking strong, I smoke big bowls of it as I am a risk taker. HUGE vitamin N hit! The biggest I have ever had.

Need to brush teeth straight after and drink lots of fluids.

I recommend you try if your experienced, its worth a shot, who knows you might love it.

The reason I write this review, is that while browsing some tobaccos, i suddenly get nauseated. Then I remembered that this is how I felt when I smoked this tobacco. It's so strong, that after only a 1/4 of the bowl, you start sweating like a horse, you feel dizzy, and feel like you'll vomit all of your intestines. I have tolerance for the nicotine as much as a heavy smoking person would have, but right now, I feel sick, and that is far more bearable than when I smoked Black XX Twist. So, to begin with, the appearance resembles dog poop, not exactly the most pleasant look I would say. That apart, it takes a bit until the tobacco gets into your pipe. Cutting is not that much of a problem, since plugs are like that, they require a little bit of a preparation before you lit. Smell out of the tin. Not pleasant at all, not that bad either. But certainly different from every other tobacco that we're used to. I guess that's because of the olive oil used in the preparation of the ropes. Now the smoke. It smells literally like barbecue. If you chase citrus notes, earthy, tangy, smoky, leathery, campfire, nutty, sweet notes usual for other types of blends, here you can discern burgers, chicken fillets, steaks, meatballs, bacon, veal, pork chops, and so on. It's literally like that. Fried chicken also and similar stuff. I don't relate this to any tobacco taste at all. There simply isn't any. In all, it's a manly smoke. Not in the way latakia is, but still a smoke for tough men. For the Nic hit, see the beginning of this review. As a 240 lb (120 kg) and 190 cm 6 ft 3 inch guy, only half a bowl was enough to put me down. And because of being such a badass mothe@#ucker, I'll give it 2 stars. It will knock you off of your shoes.

Wow. This is strong stuff. I had to try it though I knew it would be robust. Not my cup of tea, harsh, but pure tobacco taste, which I respect. Pretty easy to prepare with a very sharp, thin blade. Nice amount of smoke. One cannot help but think this was how it used to be done many years ago and feel a very nostalgic effect. JS

I have smoked this on and off for the past three years whenever I feel like punishing myself. When sliced into coins with a cigar cutter and rubbed out, an easily packable ribbon is obtained. The greasy, heavy, earthy pre smoke aroma translates exactly to the taste of the smoke. The smoke is remarkably smooth on the retrohale, and even gives some vague suggestion of sweetness. Most smokable when paired with a sweet beverage to overcome the nic hit and to balance such heavy, dark flavors.

Tried something new with this stuff. Try mixing this with some Best Brown Flake. Not too bad. Still knocks the poop out of you though...

Well this one is unbelievable. Wow! Strong is an understatement. Not for the faint of heart. Kicks like a mule. At first the taste is something akin to burning cardboard, but then you get a subtle sweetness. No bite, but after about a minute, it brought back some memories of a Santana concert I went to in the seventies, where I smoked something that made my head swim. I wouldn't recommend this on a daily basis, but if you want a major change of pace, that kicks you in the butt, this oughta do it. If only it didn't look so much like a big dookie...

I've been mixing this with a bit of Prince Albert. Makes it a whole lot easier to light and to keep it lit as well...