Samuel Gawith Cob Plug

Many years ago I wrote a damning review of 1792 flake, describing it as an abomination. Times change. Having smoked and enjoyed a tin the other month I decided to try it in its plug form, aka Cob Plug.

To my mind the plug version has the flake beat in almost every respect. A common complaint about the SG flakes is their irregular thickness, but preparing plug tobacco for yourself (assuming you have the patience) removes this problem. Another bonus is that, unlike the flake form, the plug isn't so moist you have to set it dry for an hour or two, during which the flavour can dissipate too.

The result is that Cob Plug is actually easier to deal with than the flake version, at least for me. It delivers all the strength for which 1792 is famed but seems considerably smoother and more well rounded, with no trace of the harshness that I sometimes found with 1792. I also found that the tonquin topping, which once you develop a taste for it, is something you begin to crave, lasted much better throughout the smoke.

In short, Cob Plug is a winner and anyone who enjoys 1792 should get onto it immediately. For my money, it is certainly the better of the two tobaccos and really hits the spot as an after dinner smoke. In the past I had pretty much decided that the products of GH&Co were more to my taste than many of the (often excellent) SG offerings. If the other SG plugs I have on order prove to be as good as this one I might have to reconsider!

Okay This tobacco is stellar after some years I cut the flakes very thin of the plug, let it dry for 20 minutes, rubbed it up and stuffed it right in to an old, shardy, experienced balleby. Nothing more to say. Puff on and be happy!!!

Very tasteful tobacco and most unique in its flavor. I like the plug presentation, a dark block, whose scent you can already perceive through the plastic bag it came in. For minutes I kept sniffing the tonquin, which almost hypnotized me!

I prefer cube-cutting it into small cubes, so you can fill it right after cutting it from the somewhat moist (but for Samuel Gawith terms quite dry!) plug. Lighting is easy, some relights are needed if you don't dry it out. But if you dry it out too much, you'll loose some of the flavorings, especially the whiskey I feel!

The very earthy and pleasantly smoky tobacco base has little sweetness, but that's just perfect, as the tonquin gives a mild, creamy sweetness with a hint of "vanilla-ish". The whiskey gives a slight sour and alcohol-ish touch to the smoke, which I really(!) enjoy about this blend. Sipping is a must, or I don't get any of the flavorings and the dark fired leaf can turn acrid. But the very full and creamy mouthfeel makes sippin' easy, as every small puff gives plenty of aroma. Earthy, herbal, slightly floarl and a pleasant spiciness.. paired with a slight sweet touch and an interesting tonquin note, rounded by the sour-tasting Whiskey.... I love it!

.... I love it, but only on occasion! This is a "holiday tobacco" for me, or after a good meal.. I really have to be in the mood for this tobacco... on some days it can't even tease me to open the jar and bag it's stored in... on some days I feel "mhm.. COB Plug is what I NEED now!!".. today was a day like this and whilst im puffing it in my Old Dominion Cob, I'm jotting down my thoughts.

Easily 4 stars, this is a treat and very special to me! And albeit I'm aware that "Cob" refers to the honey-cob-like look of the plug, I somehow prefer smoking this in a Cob! Preferably an Old Dominion Cob with a small diametered billard shape bowl. 30-40mins of stout tobacco goodness leave me pleased and relaxed and I feel the tonquin aroma makes this an extra-soothing smoke! It could be imagination, but it's very calming and at the same time stimulating. The potent nicotine does the rest to make this a very contemplative smoke!

Room note is described by my better half as: "spicy...pleasantly spicy!"

|| Personal rating: 4-stars | Attempt of an 'objective rating' : 4-stars ||

Please forgive the long review but I think you'll understand.

I have tried CP on a few different occassions over the past several years and never really "got it" as far as this blend was concerned. That is not to say that I didn't like it I just didn't really ENJOY it as I would 1792 or several other VAs. It always had a menthol/medicinal taste and mouth-feel that prevented me from experiencing this plug as the fine Virginia that it is touted to be. Last time I bought CP was about 3 years ago. Shortly thereafter I put it away (sealed in Mason jars) after trying it prepared every way possible.

Fast foward 3 years and I'm looking around my stash for something different. Lo and behold I find a jar of Cob Plug. I decide to give it a try. I noticed immediately upon opening the jar that this tobacco had changed. It just smelled different, more rounded and sweeter. After smoking various other plugs during the last few years I have found that I (and my pipes) prefer a cube cut. I pull out a few of the last few flakes that I had cut and slice them into cubes with my pocket knife and load them into a lowly Dr. Grabow sans filter(I LOVE Grabows!). WOW WHAT A DIFFEFENCE A LITTLE AGING MAKES!!!. I'm surprised noone has commented on the aging of this blend. It has become a totally different tobacco. It was no more difficult to get lit than any other flake, plug, rope, or cube cut and much easier than some. What really caught my attention was the taste. It was sweet and creamy with none of the menthol/medicinal taste of 3 years prior. I certainly would not call this a plug version of 1792 but rather a smoother, sweeter cousin. I find it to have much more complexity than 1792. Sure you can taste the tonquin but nowhere near as strong as 1792. Instead the tonquin interplays nicely with the sweetness of the Virginias with a hint of earthiness that I attribute to the fire curing process. I'm a pretty constant puffer and CP refuses to get acrid or ashy tasting or bite. It does require several relights but I don't consider this to be a detriment and may or may not be required with more careful and attentive technique. It burns to a fine gray ash just like its "cousin".

All said I find Cob Plug to be a very exceptional blend and may even be superior to 1792, though I will reserve that final judgement until I have a chance to compare them side by side. I only give it 4 stars AFTER a few years of aging. Aging longer may improve it even more. I just hope SG gets their supply issues sorted out before I run out of CP.

Contrasting most views here, I find Cob Plug to be less sweet than 1792, and I seem to prefer 1792 over Cob Plug. Nevertheless, I love them both.

I'm about a quarter of the way through my first pound of Cob Plug, so I'm hardly an expert. It's a wonderful tobacco that is fun to prepare different ways. One bowl I will slice thin and rub out a lot, and the next I'll slice thicker and fill the bowl with unrubbed thick slices. Each preparation seems to yield a different smoke. I enjoy the tonka flavor and effect, but Cob Plug seems to have less tonka than 1792. I don't feel as compelled to dedicate pipes to Cob Plug, as the tonka is subdued. Cob Plug seems to have more of a medicinal flavor, IMO.

I wonder if the differences we find between 1792 and Cob Plug are variations in batches or true differences between the blends? Anyway it's fun to contemplate and talk about. The bottom line is that I love both Cob Plug and 1792, and I hope to always have both around. They are great tobaccos, and we are lucky to have the folks at Samual Gawith still dedicated to producing their fine products.

I agree with the review above. Cob Plug (CP) is much more than a plug version of 1792. There is a sweetness in CP that just is not there in 1792. (Maybe they start out the same, but the flaking process and subsequent aging allow for the loss of the more volatile components retained in the plug form.)

My sample was at a great moisture level for consumption (especially compared to S. G. RB plug) . I peel a thin layer of leaves off the plug and crumble them to make a "chunky-flake" consistency. I then load a small but tall meerschaum bowl specifically reserved for English scented tobaccos. The burn is much cooler than 1792, and much more flavorful. The taste is hard to define, but Islay single malt scotch comes to mind, in terms of complexity and layering of flavors.

Anyone that is a fan of 1792 owes it to themselves to try the plug form: CP, the 1792+.

Note" I gave this 4 stars, but could not smoke something this intense on a frequent basis. A few bowls a week is my limit.

This is a splendid little brick of compacted might, bound to appeal to the lovers of strong dark tobacco and to those who enjoy cutting their own plugs.

Aromas wafting from the plug include leather, cocoa, wood, earth, tonquin, whiskey and a subtle smokiness. It's a little moist, rather oily and fairly dense. Use a sharp penknife to take shavings across the grain for best effect: I like to make the shavings thin and then minimise rubbing out.

It lights with moderate ease, and tends to stay lit quite well, especially outside which is this tobaccos natural environment. The flavour is rich and the tobacco strong, and it will provide a robust, leathery flavour with savoury chocolatey, wood and a background smokiness. A Falcon is a good pipe to use, with even a Bantam bowl if you're not used to strong tobacco. Smoke it in the autumn and winter, it's a perfect companion for hikes in the Lake District where it comes from and will provide much satisfaction.

Highly recommended.

Men This is really perfect tobacco , I Love smoke it any time, slow burning, great smell and lovely tobacco, for smokers who love natural tobaccos aroma

I give Cob Plug 4* simply because I believe all serious pipe smokers should experience the prep, feel. taste and smoke this fine plug provides. When it's way past my bedtime I often decide to read another chapter or two just so I can have another pipefull. (It's gong to be a long night, Watson.) Everything about this plug is easy. Easy to pack, easy to light, easy to smoke, easy on the tongue. No rough edges in the smoke. OK, it's not so easy to slice but by the time you finish your first plug you'll have your method down to fit your (and your pipe's) preference. This tobacco is not fussy about prep. As someone said, even the chunks are welcome. Don't try to make it look or act like an almost rubbed. Someone else said fold it lengthwise or sideways and to that I'll add...just scrunch it up! I have to wonder, however, if theres a quality control problem with Cob Plug. While I've had no unpleasant experiences it seems that some had a totally different tobacco. (?) If you've never tried a plug, start with this one.