Samuel Gawith Black XX Twist (Rope)

Upon opening this tin, the thought came to me, how do I know this is tobacco and not mummified road-kill? The odor is like tobacco, but how do I know a mummified snake doesn't have a tobacco odor? Really. Well, it doesn't smell bad, so I picked up a small piece (the head?) that had broken free from the main body of the rope or twist. Momentarily forgetting everything I know about rope tobacco, this half-inch chunk, I teased it apart, tried to rub it, cut it up with scissors, tried to rub it, stuffed it into a cob, and lit it.

My wife marinates a thinly sliced pork meat that she threads on long, narrow gage wooden sticks. We grill it outdoors over charcoal. Black XX has a similar aroma. Grilled meat, lemon grass, garlic, soy sauce, charcoal. I am anxious to smoke this after eating that meat.

[I wonder if people who do Civil War reenactments include this for historical accuracy? I should go to one and ask. Maybe I should join in? How did it come to be, this rope form of tobacco? What was that first twister thinking? What other permutations were tried before settling on the rope? Are my teeth black now? My wife knows some old ladies that either smoke or chew tobacco until their teeth turn black. Its what they do. Would a 18th Century rope smoker think a modern filtered cigarette odd?]

By the way, this isn't something you need to tamp. You break off or chip away the top layer of the lava rock. Half way down I encounter a fleeting laundry note. Bleach? Oxydol? A long-used essence? Ah, Lakeland.

I am assigning four stars. It tastes good to this carnivore. It satisfies. An entire evening's worth of entertainment. It is fun to smoke, if somewhat funny. I haven't laughed so hard since the pigs ate my little brother.

07/27/09 UPDATE: I am revising some of my reviews. I have given out more 4 star ratings than anything else. That practice is probably not helping. So, I am reducing Black XX to 3 stars, not because I like it less than I did before, but because I am limiting 4 stars to fewer than 25% of all my reviews. One day I may use the 4 star rating to designate my top five.

Black XX is a very nice smoke, it was full and strong but it didn't completely knock me on my ass. The rope cut and rubbed well; filling and lighting was effortless and it hardly needed a relight. I wish more companies would make ropes because when done right like Black XX it can be extremely rewarding. There was some nice sweetness and spice through out the smoke. Spice in a cinnamon or nutmeg sort of way not the perique sort. Having tried a couple other ropes I think Black XX is a nice one for someone curious about ropes who hasn't ever had one yet.

It lacks the edge to give it 4 stars but i think it could deserve three. Black XX is a great change of pace smoke.

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.

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.

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

Why didn't I figure out that this stuff has got to be either made for blending with other tobacco, made to be chewing tobacco, or made to be used as an indian vision-quest hallucinogenic BEFORE I loaded my pipe with it?

So, yes it's got rocket-to-the-moon nicotine content, but it is absolutely worth trying as it is full of rich and complex flavors that I have not experienced elsewhere.

But be aware that you're essentially handling a variant of the white lightning moonshine of pipe tobaccos. If the two "X's" are an indication of nicotine strength/content, I think I would be tempting fate to try SG's 3X ("xxx") version.

Cutting the stuff up is a bit of a chore but necessary, and while it's potent, it doesn't seem to leave any unpleasant traces in the briar, and it does burn quite well with some drying.

Former (or current) cigar smokers should like this quite a bit.

An interesting experience to say the least. I was thrilled to finally try a rope tobacco. Though my sample was only a small chunk, and quite dry - I still had to cut and rub it into stringy flakes.

Others have said it - so I won't go over the same ground. Powerful and rich in texture, nicotine, taste and aroma. I found it to be one of those extremely potent experiences I'd probably only undertake once in a while. But as has been said - it definitely is worth trying and likely repeating.

The taste is even less floral than 1792 - and quite unlike any other topping I've experienced. It melds so nicely with the potent taste of tobacco that it virtually integrates. There is a latent and murky spice that simmers beneath the cool exterior of this leaf. It didn't bite or sour at all and remained fairly consistent through out the bowl.

One bowl lasts a good long time, and perfectly compliments a dark beer as others have stated.