Samuel Gawith Black XX Twist (Rope)

I have always liked to experiment with the extremes of aesthetic experience, so when I heard of this tobacco, and read the reviews, it was only a matter of time until I had to try it.

I don't know what to make of this one. Clearly it's a top-quality leaf that provides a unique and fascinating smoke. There's something primeval about this one, something of the excremental -- no, sorry -- elemental terra. It's easy for me to see how one can either fall in love with it or detest it; conversely I don't see how anyone can be neutral or indifferent to it.

Make no mistake -- this is an in-your-face tobacco. It's got strength all right, as everyone here attests. And it's got flavor, that's for sure, but it's one that I can't quite put my finger on; it's a flavor that is, weirdly, simultaneously alluring and repellent, much like scotch to the unacclimated. It smokes very strong, warm, and bone-dry, with an odd smoky dark sweetness hovering in the foreground, though the smokiness is very unlike the smooth full smokiness of latakia: this smokiness is raw and rough around the edges and sulfitic, like burning flowers with a hint of coal cased licorice, or maybe it's licorice cased coal.

I do have a problem keeping this lit, even though I cut off coins with a cigar slicer and rub them out into shaggy ribbons. But when it eventually burns to the bottom it leaves a fine white ash like talcum powder.

Black XX Rope is the tobacco equivalent of the blackest porter you can imagine, or the muddy sediment of turkish coffee, or grain alcohol with a touch of ouzo in it. If you like the smell of freshly laid asphalt -- which I do -- you'll probably like this.

I expect I'll be getting to know this strange, intense tobacco more intimately since it's such an intriguing flavor, one I find difficult to resist, like a vamp I'm drawn to against my better judgment. Indeed I find myself reaching for it on an almost daily basis. I wouldn't be surprised if I increase my rating of this to four stars in the future, as this smoke just gets better and better the more I get to know it.

Recommended for those who aren't afraid to peer into the abyss.

UPDATE 10/16/10: I've been smoking this now for almost two years, and I still find it hard to keep lit. But it's worth the effort. I don't smoke it regularly, but every once in a while I just need to have it. It's flavor is like none-other. I think the most accurate description I came across recently was "burnt machine oil," which apparently is a flavor I like. (Though I still say it tastes to me like burning soapy flowers with a hint of ouzo.) It's one of those unique flavors I find to straddle the line between repellent and enticing, and it's uniquely satisfying when I crave it. It's not in my rotation, but I always keep some around when I need to satisfy some masochistic itch.

UPDATE 04/13/15: A few years later, and I still feel the need to scratch an itch only Black XX satisfies, moreso now that some villain at SG removed my beloved Bracken Flake from their inventory. And I still find it both alluring & repellant, though now more the former than the latter. And I finally found a way to keep it lit quite nicely, even right out of the tin (I definitely prefer it moist -- the flavors are really alive when it has some moisture to it): I cut the coins very thin, rub and tear them apart into a loose shag, pack lightly, and tamp until it's a bit springy. Yes, I've grown very fond of this strong, vile, yet delicious turd. The more I get to know it, the more impressed I am by its remarkable depth, nuance, and unique, sulphitic sweetness.

UPDATE 04/16/16: I seem to have smoked more tins of this than any other since SG has decommissioned my beloved Bracken Flake, even though I still have an ambivalent relationship with Black XX: it's still both repellent and alluring to me. Every so often I smoke a bowl of this that is perfect, but it requires a very slow rhythm and real concentration. But more than anything, I've discovered that the moisture level needs to be just right to make the bowl successful: it requires some moisture for the flavors to come through, but too moist and it's impossible to keep lit; too dry, and the taste becomes too harsh. (Indeed getting the moisture level right seems as difficult as cutting fugu safely...) But every once in a while, when the moisture level is just right, it's an immensely satisfying smoke: it stays lit easily, and the flavor is a thing of dark and dangerous beauty... which I suppose is the reason I keep coming back to it, I want to hit that elusive bullseye which just hurts so good when I do...