Samuel Gawith Grousemoor

This blend has a very unique tin note that translates slightly into the bowl note. It smells exactly like lemongrass. I did not get any notes of lemon, lime, or citrus. It is very much "one note lemongrass" with Virginia. That being said it is by no means flat. Very rich and complex flavour and aroma of the tobacco. It will ghost any and every pipe it comes into contact with. In fact, if you even utter the word "grousemoor" any pipe within a 10 kilometer radius will get ghosted. You will either hate it or love it. I hate it.

I got to try a bowl of this. It wasn't for me really, but I thought I share some thoughts anyways. This is a full-grown aromatic! Almost no tobacco to be found in here. The added flavoring isn't per se "Lemongrass-ish", but has some Lemon and Citrus to it, as well as some perfumy, slightly soapy aroma. The tin note is intriguing, but in the pipe I didn't like this too much.

Half a bowl was enough for me, but I can see that this may appeal to Aromatic and Lakeland lovers! It's not a bad tobacco, but just not my style of pipe tobacco blends. The flavouring is what I perceive most, very rarely I got some bready, little spicy Virginia aroma. It's not obtrusive, but very special in its flavour and flavouring. Definetly worth trying for those, who like a strongly aromatized tobacco!

Only 2-stars, "somewhat recommended", because this is really something special, that I think will appeal to not too many pipe smokers.

Grousemoor. You can barely finish your morning hygiene without feeling the urge to nibble your wife’s hand cream? I’m not judging, but then this blend is for you.

Underneath the intense floral-soapy flavoring, there is actually a really good basis of extraordinary bright Virginias. Medium to full taste at medium strength. Every time I pop the tin I’m not sure anymore if I want to smoke it, but once I’ve made it past the first couple of draws it’s actually not so bad and this blend might even grow on you. Past half the bowl the tobaccos come through nicely making Grousemoor quite enjoyable. I’m told the room note smells like fruit tea.

Not at all my type of casing, but I give it credit for high quality. What’s here is executed really well.

It's a good tobacco but still don't meet my flavor standard. Still worth a try if you like the soapy flavor. As for every Samuel you should open the tin and wait a day before smoke it

The lightest Lakeland tobacco. This sits at the other end of the spectrum from Condor. As such one might recommend it as an introduction to British "scented" tobaccos, but I wouldn't. To light, too easy to get it burning hot, not enough taste to keep you interested. Try something a bit richer like St Bruno first of all. It's not really my cup of tea, I prefer my virginias pressed and cooked into flake. Perhaps I'll try the Grousemoor Plug next time.

Appearance - bright virginia shag, medium cut, pale yellow to amber

Aroma in the tin - delicious - sweet, apricots, honey, liquer. Promising.

The smoke - lights easily, but the taste while lighting isn't so nice, quite ashy and thin. Once it gets going it's alright, a very mild flavour with a slightly soapy taste coming through, doesn't bite although it probably could if tempted. Smoke it gently so it doesn't become too hot. The flavour doesn't really develop, indeed it doesn't have much flavour to speak of. It's just there in the background. People enjoy the aroma - it's not vanilla or fruit like a Dutch aromatic, it smells like tobacco but sweeter and more pleasant to non smokers.

Aftertaste - soapy, slightly ashy.

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It's perhaps worth mentioning that this tobacco is not unlike the Erinmore mixture. A bright Virginia ribbon with a generous ammount of a sweet scent applied. Those who enjoy the Erinmore mixture will no doubt enjoy this, and vice versa, however if you find the scents overwhelming when applied to very mild ribbon cut tobaccos, perhaps best give this one a miss.

What a strange tobacco! While not as strongly flavored as some might lead you to think, and certainly not in a disgusting/intrusive way like some other classic Lakeland/English Virginia blends, it sure is quizzical!

It's a mixture of fine golden Virginias (rather moist in the tin), flavored with a blend of aromas which escape definition. It's NOT soapy, not exactly flowery, but rather sweet/citrusy. Lemon, bergamot (Earl Grey tea!), pineapple, a hint of roses, honey, licorice... and more. Hey, even a slight hint of what reminds me of fresh perspiration from the skin of a lovely scented beautiful girl! The flavoring, in the tin, is not subtle but neither it is overwhelming: it's very appealing, and beautifully integrated with the natural smell of Virginia. Certainly not as strongly flavored as Erinmore, St Bruno or some weird soapy/talcum flavored stuff I've had in the past from Gawith & Hoggarth and which luckily I have almost forgotten.

Does this translate to the smoking experience? Actually not very much. There IS a hint of freshness and of the same aroma, but rather in a subtle way. The smoke is not the sweetest or fruitiest I have ever had from a Virginia, actually it tastes rather dry and neautral. A bit bland, too. This blandness can lead you to overpuffing, making it even blander and less sweet, and making it seem stronger nicotine-wise than it actually is. Be careful, because the high moisture and stringy ribbon cut can lead to packing the bowl a bit too tight resulting in a bad draw.

This scenario does actually change a bit after a couple of weeks from opening the tin. While it doesn't get dry too easily, some airing removes part of the flavoring, and a buttery sweetness like brioches/croissants comes out both in the unlit tobacco aroma and in the smoking experience.

Do I like it? Well, there's nothing to really be excited about. It's not spectacular, it doesn't give me the deep satisfaction of (to stay in the same brand) Best Brown Flake, but it's not offensive. In spite of the flavoring, almost no bothersome ghosts left in the pipe and certainly no "yuck" reaction. A honest smoke, subtle and elegant, quite different from anything else. While not particularly fond of this style, I can see myself having a bowl of it once in a while just for a change of pace.

Give it a try... even just for curiosity. You may fall in love with it: I didn't, it's a bit bland in taste for me (especially from a fresh tin), but I understand where its peculiar charm may lie and will probably revisit it once in a while.

2021 Update: Yes, I still like to smoke it once in a while. Over the years, I have come to appreciate the subtleties of this blend much more. It's actually very delicate, refined, summery. And after smoking Ennerdale, you can feel that this is someway related in terms of flavoring... although of course this is MUCH less intense. Ennerdale is breezy, and this refinement is at the same time its major quality (fragrant, delicate, with a sweet but fresh bright Virginia base)... and its major fault (it lacks quite a bit of oomph and body). And I still think that the very stringy fine cut of this blend is a curse: a bit too wet (as it always comes out of the tin) and it clogs the pipe, a bit too dry, and it burns too fast and loses its delicate hayish/flowery aroma. So it's really difficult to find the "right middle". I would have preferred a thicker cut, or a flake like Ennerdale. Anyway, for me this is very close to three stars after getting used to it. It's just a couple of quibbles that make me stick to the lower score.

This is one of the few aromatics that I can enjoy.It reminds me of Earl Grey tea. I smoke this only occasionally. Its an ok change of pace tobacco. Hit it too hard and it will bite. Sip it, and it will cure your sweet tooth, and its very light in the nicotine department. Give it a try.

A very grassy tobacco. If you like tea and herbs this is probably a wonderful choice for you. I drink black coffee. It has a wonderful aroma and a very unique taste. Similar to No 7 by Germain but better.This is definitely for the curious types. I'm not that curious anymore. 2.5 of 4 stars for surviving 2 centuries and not tasting like ERINMORE.

Grousemoor. I rate it two stars, but I feel it is for different reasons than many fellow reviewers here. First off, to me the lemongrass topping is not as surprising / horrifying / mindblowing as some would make it. Opening the tin, that topping is obvious, but it seems mixed with floral essences too. The tobacco is a uniform, pale golden color I had never seen before. The Virginia's in this blend are naturally VERY sweet and have great body, but do not seem to burn incredibly hot and fast, thus making a great base for the added flavors. I feel like the interplay between those sweet Virginias and the lemongrass taste almost works, but just barely misses the mark. The problem with grousemoor is that it is impossible to keep lit without puffing heavily, which in turn seems to affect the lemongrass topping, turning it's already sour notes into an unpleasant metallic taste, and completely destroying the floral notes which to me seem to be the key to bridging the sweet and the citrusy aspects of the blend. I will try what one reviewer said, that is, take a portion off the jar and leave it to dry to frightening levels. I want to like Grousemoor so bad, but the way it behaves keeps me from scoring it higher.