Samuel Gawith Brown Pigtail

I bought some of this after first trying the black pigtail, & my overall impression is that this is the superior of the two. I dried out this tobacco after slicing it into thin disks & smoked it in my fireside briar chrurchwarden, I found it was ideal to smoke with the disks stacked intermittently in the chamber with some of it rubbed out & mixed in, this ensures an even steady burn. The smoke is much cooler & more pleasant than the black pigtail. The flavour is a dark, rich, velvety smokiness. The flavour is a bit one-note, but as I like it, this is not a massive problem. I found that this tobacco doesn't smell as bad as the black pigtail, either when being smoked or in the packet. I would recommend that this is smoked alone or in accomodating company as the missus is unlikely to share the appreciation of the room note as much as those of us 'in the know'. the burn is very reliable & no dottle was left, the whole thing reduced to a lovely dusty grey ash. Like all ropes/twists, great fun to prepare & nice to look at it, & like all ropes/twists is powerfull in the nicotine dept - the problem with this one is that as it such a smooth (although still very tasty) smoke, it can be overpuffed, so recommended that it is smoked when sitting. Goes well with either tea or a cool lager, I was surprised to find it doesn't complement a whisky or brandy very well. In terms of pigtails, highly recommended, in terms of tobaccos overall, recommended. This is the twist (or is that rope?) that has convinced me to continue in my adventure into these unique tobaccos. Only 3 out of 4 though, as does need drying out, does not have a flavour that evolves a great deal, & the room note is not a friend winner. I noticed no great similarity to cigars as others have done. Recommend to smoke this in a churchwarden or other suitably long pipe, otherwise I reckon that this may punish the throat.

The description says it all, for those with a weak stomach, be wary. A smaller version of a rope, from other information the pigtails were made for miners so they could chew this in the mines, and smoke it when they came up. Well, I tried both and either way, it's strong. I cut this up the same as I would #4 rope, but as would be the case, I had to cut more to fill the bowl. I tried the stacking of discs and found for me to rub them out works the best. Upon lighting, the smell of a strong, aged Virginia comes to the forefront, slow smoking is the rule, whether with this or any rope. A smooth, very strong flavor that does not overwhelm, but does let you know who's in charge. The flavor remains pretty much the same down the bowl, until the bottom, and watch out, you better be sitting. A great tobacco, processed in a way which brings back thoughts of days passed.

On an old and dusty shelf, resting quietly between Brother Merchant's Deus Ex Machina: Rock music in Miracle Play and Stovold's Complete Rules of Mornington Crescent, lies a truly remarkable tome - The Ingenious Noble Lord Pigtail-Brown.

In this intriguing volume is the tale of a remarkable quest. One of a man, one who fought all his life to create a tobacco that would taste of crispy bacon when first smoked and, by stange magic and insidious design, transform it's flavour to that of grilled sausage and creamy egg.

Most laughed when they heard him, thinking it madness, or sorcery, to try such a feat. But with the power of gravity, time, and the twisting of implausible machinations, he found the panacea he sought.

Does it still exist today? Few know, for only a small number that sought to find the fruits that bears his name. But then, it's a tale that makes few frown: that of his tobacco and Lord Pigtail-Brown.

A while ago I was given a sample of the black pigtail, and whilst I could tolerate it the smoke was just too overpowering and harsh for me.

So, like any sensible individual, hearing that the brown is supposed to be stronger than the black (when rating equivalent ropes) I went out and brought some to try.

I found the brown pigtail to be more moist than the black, but far easier to cut and rub out. Half an hour left out to dry and voila - just right to smoke.

So I load up my Peterson baby-calabash (nice small bowl for trying strong tobaccos in) and add flame.

I'm not convinced the nicotine content of this is stronger than the black, but I am convinced it's a far better smoke.

Whilst still a strong tobacco and with only a limited range of flavours present, I found the smoke to be enjoyable - in a slow and careful way (slow smoking really is the key to the ropes). The flavour was pleasant, although no element of cigar as others have mentioned to my taste. Just simple, strong, unadulterated virginias - if that's what you like (and it's the strong, full end of the spectrum, not the light sweet end) then this is worth a visit.