Samuel Gawith Brown No. 4

My second rope tobacco. Spicy, aggressive, harsh even. Yet I love it! Smells dreadful unlit and only slightly better while combusting. I prefer Black XX slightly.

I don't find this blend an extra strong one. Really good dose of nicotine, yes. But nothing close to "overwhelming" or "curling hairs on my chest". I inhale it occasionally and never have had any side effects.

It's a good quality old-fashioned rope, I like it a lot. It seems to be made of different set of tobaccos than SG Black XX. It's noticeably less flavorful and sweet than Black XX. I find it best when dried up in the unsealed tin for several months. Gonna buy a pound more of it.

Four stars for the impeccable quality of tobaccos in this blend.

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.

My experience with Brown No.4? Well, imagine you wear a straitjacket and have to fight against an apoplectic Mike Tyson...

Jokes apart, this tobacco is by far the strongest stuff I ever had in my pipe. You think Peterson Irish Flake is strong? Not at all if you compare it with S.G.-B.No.4. Actually I like the taste very much but I can´t smoke this stuff. I tried it a few times with different pipes and in different occasions and had always the same result: Brown No.4 gave me the count!

An excellent example of what virginias are capable of. A strong yet mellow, slow burning, bold virginia blend. Taste and aroma of high end cigar tobacco somehow from a virginia. If I wasn't aware of the tobacco content of Brown Rope 4 i would have guessed to was a maduro/conneticut cigar blend. Absolutely amazing what Gawith is capable of doing with virginias. Yet another outstanding Virginia from Samuel Gawith.

Lets start with the tin. I was expecting the twist, so that weirdness didn't surprise me, however the tin note did. Very fowl, in a good way. It smelt like a fine cigar. Very intriguing.

Now to pack it, I first cut medallions with a cigar cutter and put some of the looser stuff on top to light. I found that just stuffing the medallions in and lighting that works better. It did light well and smoke fair the entire time. Which was a long time with this blend.

The flavor was incredible. A lot like a cigar. Nothing like I have had before. I could see how it could be a bit much for someone who smoke just aromatics and such. The room note was reminiscent of the tin. Very cigar like, with a strong Virginia sweetness.

The strength was pretty high and I enjoyed it. It's not something I could smoke all day. But I sure would. Four stars, would like to try the other ropes they have,

Adventures in pipe-smoking 101! As of this writing, I've only been smoking a pipe for 2 months. I skipped right over the aromatics (Had tried them 30 years ago as a teen, and they put me off pipe-smoking for decades!) and started out with a few English blends. My next order was of some "strong" tobaccos- including Irish Flake; 1792, and of course, Brown Rope #4. First impressions: The tin note was quite pleasant and interesting- it didn't smell like figs or chocolate, etc.- it smelled like what tobacco should smell like: Tobacco! I chopped some up with a knife and packed it lightly in my Calibresi- it was a bear to light. Those first few puffs were memorable- Whoa! I felt as if I had swallowed tobacco juice! I started hiccuping- and really didn't detect anything too pleasant. I had to put a flame to the pipe with just about every puff I took. I was thinking of just putting the pipe down and trying again later....but I couldn't! I said to myelf "I'll take a few more puffs and then quit". But after every "last puff", I felt compelled to have more! The hiccuping stopped, and after just a few puffs, the tobacco seemed to settle down and mellow out quite nicely. I smoked the whole load (which, IIRC, was about 3/4's of a bowl)....and I still wanted more! The next night, I tried another bowl. Still hiccuping at first...but didn't experience the tobacco juice thing. It didn't seem to have much flavor- but again, I was compelled to keep smoking it. By my third or fourth time smoking this, I was used to it. No hiccups...and I was starting to experience some of it's subtleties and flavor. Brown Rope is still growing on me- having only smoked half a tin, so far. All I can say, is that everyone should give this 'baccy a try- and don't judge it by your first few puffs, or first bowl-full. As other reviewers have stated, persistence pays off with this one, wioth handsome rewards- one just must give it a chance and get acclimated to it. The smoke is rich and full; The taste seems to vary with each bowl-full- but I do get some "cigar taste" (which I like). It did not seem complex or flavorful at first, but the more I smoke it, the more I get from it- you truly must acclimate your palate to it. A very interesting smoke which pays dividends to those who are willing to put a little time and effort into it. I'm now to the point where I can keep most other 'baccies lit for at least half a bowl...but this one still requires a lot of relights- but that's O-K, because when I smoke this, it's not just "something to smoke", but an activity unto itself. As for nicotine content: It definitely has a lot- but quite frankly, I find Irish Flake to have more. Not an everyday smoke, but for when you want something special. I'll definitely be keeping some of this on-hand, always. Can't wait for a cold winter's day...as this will be just the ticket! It just gets better as you go along. After these "strong" tobaccos, I am no longer satisfied with my English blends. This is the real deal! Try it!

UPDATE: Unfortunately, after you get used to this tobacco (which happens very quickly) it kinda loses it's appeal and becomes a little boring. I wish every time I smoked it, it could be like the first few bowls.....but now....now that my tin has aged and I have grown used to #4, it is just a rather flat, bland tobacco 🙁

Love or hate it, this is Thor's Hammer. There's four times more nicotine in this to the nearest competitor (ok, i made that up, but i might be right). Needs some drying out,but dont dry it right out. You'll lose the flavour and just get a roastingly harsh smoke instead.

Up until a year ago i smoked 2-3 packs a day (have finally got away from the evil nails) and have never been able to get enough nicotine, let alone go green in the gills from it. That was of course until it tried this. Like using a sledge hammer on a thumb tack.

Great stuff for the ocassional blast or to scare away annoying people or pets with the caustic smoke. Irish Flake doesnt even come close to this in strength.

I smoke this daily now.

I'm using a cigar cutter to slice them thick and cut them in the middle , that's the way i think brings the best out of the rope. Lakeland aftertaste. Sure not for beginners .