Samuel Gawith Brown No. 4

While 1792 is my Holy Grail of tobaccos, Brown Rope #4 is an old standby. I love the straightforward earthy flavors. Brown #4 is a no-nonsense tobacco; beginners...beware. However, if you love a strong earthy cigar and a fine scotch whiskey, give this rope a try.

UPDATE: October 2004. After a couple more years smoking this wonderful tobacco, it seems to have reached beyond the "One of my favorites..." category; it's one of the best tobaccos out there. Now, be careful comparing Brown Rope #4's aroma to other tobaccos with a more standard "pipe-like" aroma. Keep an open mind; this rope's aroma doesn't fool around with any artificial flavorings or fruit extracts, etc. but just give's one an honest to goodness strong natural smoke. It provides another aspect to consider when defining the wonderful art of pipe smoking.

Samuel Gawith has done a wonderful job with this tobacco.

Overpowering? Perhaps for some. Flavorless? Not true at all, unless the potency of this excellent tobacco has rendered the faculties of some of the above reviewers inoperative.

There is a refreshingly woody taste to this tobacco that intrigues me and keeps me coming back for more. It reminds me of the smell of freshly stripped Cedar bark in its incense-like qualities. I've found that some of the best tobacco is subtle in flavor, and SG Brown Rope #4 is a great example of this. While it may not be as obvious or multifaceted as some more accessible blends, there is an immense depth to this tobacco, with many layers of smokiness, spiciness and woodiness present or absent at any given time. I attribute this to the interplay between the wrapper and the varieties of Virginia leaf present in the rope.

I've never been one to agree with the critics of "empire" leaf, I find that they have a unique, if subdued, character that makes them just as rewarding to the smoker as their esteemed American cousins. This 'Finest Kendal Twist' is a most enjoyable composition of these dark-fired Virginas; one that will amply reward those with the patience and constitution to sit back and examine this noble weed's less obvious treasures, which are indeed many.

Rating: 8.5/10

Brown No. 4 is definitely good stuff, rich tobacco flavor and powerful nicotine, through here you can get an idea of how far away from aro, it is recommended to use after meals.

To please others, I bring a little aro with me when I am outdoors, which is free of tobacco smell and nicotine, especially for people who like the aroma of Turkish hookah.

In addition to satisfying my nicotine needs, I still habitually rotate other mixtures.

Tin note of smoky barbeque, mildly sour, and mild tart fruit. The sticky, three shades of brown, 25/32-inch (20 mm) fat rope needs slicing into thin coins (with a razor or thin sharp knife) and rubbed out to get the fastest drying time. Burn is slow and requires numerous relights. The strength is medium to strong and nic is medium to strong. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium to full and mostly consistent, with complex notes of smoky wood, very earthy, lemon grass, slightly bitter cigar, floral, moderately spicy, a sweet roasted nut background note, and very peppery retro. It's like Dark fired Virginia is wrapped around more Dark fired Virginia and a small amount of dark air cured Indian burley spun into a rope. Room note is tolerable, and aftertaste is outstanding.

You must know how to smoke this stuff. I don't say there is a right way to smoke it, but you have to find the technique that makes you enjoy this blend and not to burn out your mouth. For me, when I do it well and calm, is one of the most enjoyable smokes I've ever had. So natural tobacco taste, so deep and so cool.

My creamy sweet!! I realy like this blend because sweetness and bitterness are very balanced and this tobacco has a caramel and an oily taste that is very delicious. Its smell is very strong and nicotine is heavy. At the beginning of smoke a sweet and caramel taste is felt and then kentucky effect becomes stronger and the bitter taste becomes more. I suggest you smoke this tobacco very relaxed and slow so that you understand its taste correctly. Dont forget to drink a sweet coffe while smoking!! Overall brown no4 is very good and its one of the best tobacco that i've ever smoked.

This is a really good pipe tobacco. It is nice and smooth. One of the easiest tobacco's for me to smoke. Sliced off some thin pieces and broke it up into nice ribbons. I only smoke this in the evenings when the weather is nice outside. I can see why some people might not like it though. Didn't need very many relights, no moisture in the bottom of the bowl that I could see and smoked all the way to very last piece with no issues. Smoked in my Trypis pipe that is dedicated to tobacco like this. Very good. Going to get some black xx after this is gone.

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.

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.