Samuel Gawith Brown No. 4

I purchased a few inches of "The Devil's Umbilical Cord" almost ten years ago. Back then, it had a slight incense-like scent of floral casing, and smoking it brought it out even more. Not unpleasant, but it wasn't what I was looking for.

My first attempts at smoking it resulted in an unpleasantly strong nicotine rush. I was only able to get through about a quarter bowl in my smallest Dunhill before the room began to sway. A friend who was brave enough to tackle it turned positively green and has sworn never to touch it again.

The rope sat untouched for years until I finally worked up my courage and decided to see if age had tamed it. I filled my pipe with partially rubbed out slices. I found that the first few puffs brought to mind a strong cigar such as the Opus X. My mouth was soon tingling with a peppery flavor, and so far I'm liking it. About a quarter of the way down, the nicotine starts to kick in. The tobacco burns well, resulting in a fine gray ash. The flavor is dark, spicy, and the incense smell and taste is noticeably and thankfully absent. Tongue bite is also nonexistent. Smoke is copious and resembles a full bodied cigar more than any pipe tobacco. I'm a fast puffer and I had to make a conscious effort to pace myself.

I made it halfway through the pipe before I ran out of time. I think I could have finished the bowl without ill effects if I smoked it slowly enough.

I believe it would be no problem for a tobacco chewer or cigarette smoker, but for an occasional smoker like me, it is strong medicine. It's a tobacco that I'd love to explore more, but its strength is a detriment and gets in the way of enjoying it.

I expected this to be stronger than the black rope form SG. I surmised that the extra cooking the black rope went through would drive off more nicotine and harshness, too.

Nope, Brown Rope #4 is milder to my taste, though it is not mild at all. Still, it is tolerable if you like nicotine in large doses. The good tobacco flavor makes this worth a go.

I get the taste of Lapsang Souchong tea smoking this, probably from fire-cured leaf. Whatever the curing method, it is smokey, full of flavor, and no where as harsh on the mouth and throat as the black rope I previously reviewed once medical assitance was provided.

I let the moisture reduce almost entirely, but still leaving pliable strands after cutting off chunks with a cigar cutter. Crumbled and loaded into a Missouri Meerschaum.

Two stars because I can realistically give others only a mild nudge to try it. If Dunhill tobaccos give you a buzz or make you whoosey, pass on rope tobaccos altogether. Interesting, but unworthy of poetry or limmericks.

Ok. let me try to be orderly about this.. . . . . First, Strength. Full Virginia Flake gives me a much bigger bang of nicotine. So does Dunhill 965, at least recently. To my grey matter, this is equal in strength to Balkan Sobranie, maybe a little less.

Flavoring, this is the unscented, the U/S.

Room Note. Not too sure. I don't smell it while I smoke it and it doesn't stain the room. My wife says it's not so good.

Taste is cigar-like. It does not taste like a cigar, but has the body and range of flavor of a good cigar. Not a great cigar, but a good one. And that is, in a pipe, a very Full flavor.

I recommend this because it is a good smoke. And, to speak well of the dead again, Brown rope reminds me of Balkan Sobranie. Doesn't taste a bit like it, but the two do share a campfire storytelling sort of soul. Tastes like smoke and a head full of night sky. Gotta go feed the kids, now. Smoke it if you got it.

Brown Rope is a very unique smoke. I'm not discounting the wonderful reviews good and bad, but this of course is a very subjective endeavor and very personal indeed.

I don't find the strength objectionable since I smoke it in a small pipe when I want a very strong smoke. Perhaps with a great Port wine or after a big meal. A little goes a long way. I smoke it slowly with small puffs and find it to be a bit more complex than the majority have indicated. It's not something that I would ever load into a big pipe though nor do I ever smoke the real strong stuff that way for both taste bud preservation and the nicotine.

The only way I smoke it is by slicing the rope into thin coins and then gently rubbing them out coarsely, which is quite easy. I pack it gently with a firm final tamp. My experience is that it requires some relighting even with light rhythmic puffing. Nonetheless, it never lets me down. I always know exactly when to reach for it; and more importantly, when not to reach for it.

Cheers, VC

Brutal, or even stronger than that. If you want to challenge your senses to an arm-wrestling contest, that's what you should choose. It's very tricky to prepare and very difficult to keep it going, be careful to smoke it in a small pipe and smoke it with a good amount of food in your belly, unless you want to collapse within the first third of the bowl.

I like to think of this rope as an after dinner affair. Yes, it is strong in the nicotine department, hence, slooow puffing is recommended,(IMHO). I find it easy to keep going after a false-light and a tamp. It does have a cigar-like note, although not in the way a Macunudo might, more, like a Te-Amo, (a little rough around the edges that is).

I cut this rope into thin slices then rub several out to assist in the lighting. As an ending note, this is not a tobacco I would puff on an empty stomach.

I love this tobacco! This is a tobacco that I smoke by itself infrequently. when I need a good shot of something strong after a long day and/or big meal this is extremely satisfying. It is rather strong however, and may be an acquired taste for some.

I mostly smoke this layered in with other blends. I just smoked this with Cornell and Diehl "Winchester" and it hit the spot. It can overwhelm the blend rather than enhance it so I use it sparingly when blending. I've also blended this with some aromatics to kick them up and I haven't been disappointed! It's taste isn't as interesting as 1792 Flake (which is great too!) but I actually prefer it as a blend enhancer.

I find the Gawith tobaccos to be more difficult to smoke than C&D and other more traditional blends, but it is very much worth it. I have matured as a smoker a great deal by trying these blends. If you are looking for something strong and a bit different than the norm, give these a try. Be warned though; it is a rich smoke in nearly every sense of the word.

I stray into ropes when my patate has tired of "ordinary" flakes or mixtures. Brown Rope #4 is a wakeup call for the tastebuds and the respiratory system. I find it a touch more agressive than the darker ropes, but entirely enjoyable if given proper care. However, unlike the black ropes, this one has no sweetish room note, rather it tends to cause a mass exodus, not entirely a bad thing as I enjoy solitude at times. If nothing alse, it is neat to experience yesteryear with a pipe tobacco. As Sarge says, "smoke it slow".

Very strong, but complex. For somebody with a mouth made of iron, this blend would reward repeated smoking. That person is not me. I think I'm going to cut and crumble up my rope, combine it 1:2 with McClelland #5100 Red Cake and let it age a few months. That should smoothen it out.