Samuel Gawith Brown No. 4

Brown Rope No, 4 is:

1. murderously strong;

2. cool, but full-flavoured to the point of coarseness; has a pronounced cigar taste (which I don't care for);

3. – like twists and ropes generally – tiresome to prepare for the pipe unless you like a lot of foreplay.

There really isn't much more to say. If you enjoy the kind of tobacco that'll blow your head off, this'll do nicely; if you don't, it'll make you fall over and pray for death. I found it rather an ordeal, but I can see that it has sterling qualities. It's a very good example – a classic – of its type, but certainly not for everybody.

Brown Rope No. 4 is the sort of baccy that I always think of as a winter and outdoor smoke (the room note will cost you friends, by the way). It comes quite moist and for that reason doesn't burn without a fair amount of fuss; but for Pete's sake don't dry it, or it'll cremate your tongue and associated parts.

A lot too strong for me, and I really don't go for pipe tobaccos that taste like a cigar; but I recommend it to those who like a fight.

I keep having conversations with Mr Kendal Brown. On some days he is willing to listen and converse with you in a congenial manner. Other days, he jumps down your throat and berates you, leaving you scared like a child. Either way this is interesting stuff. You know you are smoking tobacco. A MAN'S tobacco. There are no vanilla, caramel, fruit, or flowers to be found in this...at least not by way of added flavoring. I can smoke this in any shape pipe. First I slice a couple coins off the rope, then I dice them rather than rubbing into strands...it seems to help maintain the light. Despite its sometime heavy handed manner, there is great depth to this rope, and everyone finds something different when they smoke it. The only way to know if you like it, is to try it. I rate it at 4 stars, not for its mass appeal, but for its classic, true to history nature. Every pipe smoker needs to try this at some point.

I think the pal below me sumed this pretty well. But I dont like this turd. If I didnt keep puffin this it seemd to go out rather quickly and this is not something you want to puff n puff n puff so re-lights were plenty and painful. The taste is cigar like but has that taint smell thats in the tin. Over fermented, for me it's like smoking shoe leather. however I did like the smell in my smoke room but Ilike the smell of tobacco.

Good God! I won't be buying any more ropes, or if I do, will do so only out of curiosity. They are cool, one must admit. Coconut Twist sounds interesting, but could anyone sense any flavoring over the overwhelming stench of this weed? I just can't do it-just as strong as 1792 if not stronger, and much fouler. I will save the rest as a curio and maybe bring it out if anyone I know who smokes a pipe thinks they've had strong tobacco. Don't go correcting me-I realize there are stronger ones out there, but I won't be sampling them. Actually, I think I could smoke this on a camping trip by the fire. The wood smoke would deaden my senses a bit, the tobacco has a most pronounced "rustic" nature, and I'm sure it would repel (or kill) mosquitoes.

Update: 12-20-09. Smoked a bowl of this for my last pipe of the day. The rope is pretty dry in the tin now. I started the day with Irish Flake, so maybe I was better prepared. This is not so bad if you take it slow. I love the reviewer who thinks this is not as strong as FVF-I do not take issue with him, but rather glory in the plethora of different tastes and opinions found on this website! I can inhale FVF, something I would not try with this weed. This makes a great nightcap, as the nicotine hit gets me ready for bed and satisfies me to the point that I will want no more tobacco until the morning.

1-09-10 I have cased the rest of the tin with dark rum and put it in a mason jar. God knows how it will turn out.

1-20-11 A year later, and I am smoking my cased #4. Can't taste the rum over the overwhelming body of this tobacco, but I like it more now. I may be able to smoke a couple bowls a year of this...

7-27-11 Smoked some in a Jobey Stromboli. This was harsh, I thought, when I bought the tin two years ago. I cased it in rum and put it in a jar more than a year ago, and it has really mellowed. Still, strong stuff, and I have no designs on finishing this one tin anytime soon, but rather will smoke the occasional bowl in this Jobey (my smallest-bowled pipe) to see how time treats it! I can't taste my rum topping at this point, but suspect it had something to do with taming the rough taste out of the tin. Now, it reminds me more of Dark Birdseye.

If I ever wanted to cut down on my tobacco consumption in general, and needed a tobacco that would give me all the nicotine I could possibly want from a couple of thin shavings off of the twist, this would be just the thing. I bet I could get 40 bowls like this out of a tin! Maybe more...

I get nausea (not serious, but nausea nonetheless) from tobaccos like this. They remind me of my limitations as a pipe smoker, but I love the occasional bowl anyway. Brown #4, Coconut Twist, GH Kendal Kentucky and Dark Birdseye, Irish Flake...

I'm pretty high right now...

Love it or hate it, I do not believe in the middle of the road on this tobacco. My frist small group 2 bowl from my 1lb. bag, strong, WOW what have I got myself into. Second bowl group 5 and I find that for me this tobacco has many different taste going on as the bowl size grows larger. Sweet, salty, cigarish, earthy. I love this tobacco. Get a tin and try it, smoke a few, 3, 4 bowls.

This is something not everyone will like, however, the way I find it - it is smooth and rich; but one must be patient - as time consuming as it is to prepare this tobacco - you mustn't lose your patience until you finish the bowl because although this one doesn't need to be re-lit constantly, it seems the flavour will change quite a bit if you don't tamp out and start over every few puffs. It burns to a very fine ash. The room note is like a breakfast of bacon. I taste a very rich citrus flavour as I smoke it. I recommend this for experienced smokers.

I was gifted a tin of this with a pipe I bought. After everything I had read about Brown Rope Number 4, I was prepared to be knocked for a loop by the nicotene. I don't know if it is because I have dipped Copenhagen fine cut moist snuff for years or if I have a naturally high tolerance to nicotene, but the nicotene whallop didn't happen. In fact, I've never gotten it from a pipe tobacco at all.

I prepared Brown rope Number 4 by using a razor blade to slice off thin "coins" from the rope, then rubbed them out and let them sit on a paper plate under a ceiling fan for about thirty minutes to dry. I noticed a peppery mouth feel upon lighting, which may have been the tobacco or may have been the nicotene. Either way, it was not unpleasant. The taste was a full pure tobacco taste, and it did remind me somewhat of smoking a cigar. I smoked most of the tin, but still have a couple of pipefulls of tobacco left. It was a good tobacco, and I would recommend it for someone seeking a strong tobacco with pure taste. However, I won't purchase it again (or any rope tobacco for that matter). There is just too much preparation involved in smoking a bowl for me, I would rather choose another good tobacco that I can just load and light my pipe.

good for blending a weaker tobacco and thats about it for me!

Take note...a friend of mine who has smoked illegal types of substances for years tried this one evening while we were out at a local hang out and said he was swearing off that stuff because of the way this bacca made him feel! LOL!

There is only one way to describe this...even with a very full stomach, it will knock your d#%K right in the dirt. The first time I tried it was in a smallish pipe because I had at that time recently tried the 1792 and was expecting to be toasted. Boy was I right. To me it has a great sweet taste of the Virginias that SG uses in all the blends I have tried by them and everyone that has been around me says it smells good. It leaves only a fine ash in the bottom of the bowl and burns very dry. However, I can not express to you enough how STRONG this is. And this is coming to you from someone that likes XX Black Rope!

I obtained this in an already sliced configuration so I don't know how it is fresh sliced off the rope. However, I have tried Irish flake and can say that this is much stronger for sure. One night after a long hard day I smoked two bowls in a row...as I fell softly asleep I had to wonder what I was thinking...I was surprised I woke up the next day...

So, if you are wanting something STRONG this is for you, but do be wise and go with a small pipe...