Samuel Gawith Grousemoor

I'm always reticent to buy a new tin as there is no way to know what the tobacco is like before you open it. I was intrigued by the polarized reviews here and decided to try it for myself. The tin note was surprising, it smells more like lemon zest tea than tobacco. It is packed a little on the moist side but still smokeable straight from the tin. The tobacco has a light color, like untreated burley and a velvety texture. It packed easily and lit successfully after a charring light. The flavor begins as a mixture of nutty sweetness and slight hints of lemon. As the bowl progresses, the tobacco flavor takes a backseat to the lemon topping. This is where the magic begins. By the time I was five minutes into the bowl the flavor was a light and slightly bitter lemon, reminiscent of hot tea with lemon zest in it. The flavors are pronounced enough to be detectable and identifiable but not overwhelming or cloying. This begs to smoked with a cup of tea and some ginger snaps. I've been smoking it comfortably all day (and maintaining a healthy nicotine buzz too!). I could see smoking this first thing in the morning, after a meal, or while out and about. This will go into my daily rotation and will be a staple for pheasant hunting expeditions. It is a rare day that I know I will finish a tin of tobacco after the first bowl, this was such a day. Give it a go with an open mind and you'll be pleasantly surprised!

I cannot and will not attempt to duplicate several other excellent and detailed reviews of Grousemoor..... Suffice it to say I was intrigued by the love it or hate it nature of this blend and decided to take a flier on a tin....... Now let me state categorically....I am NOT an aromatic smoker.....no, not me. So now I have this guilty pleasure of sneaking into my tin of this stuff and neglecting my usual rotation of Da Vinci and AJ's VaPer.....all because of this bloody addicting Grousemoor! I opened my pouch tonight after lodge to load up the pipe and the other pipe smokers all ooh-ed and aah-ed over the fragrance and loved the room note. I honestly think this might be my desert island tobacco........and now, I have truly become a heathen. Curse you Grousemoor!! Update: The only problem is finding this deliciously addicting blend......everyone seems to be out of the bulk.....

I originally tried Grousemoor because I was intrigued by a blend that has survived throughout so many generations of pipe smokers. While that by itself doesn't mean it's a great blend, I hoped that anything that's been around this long must have something special. At least for my particular taste, that turned out to be true. I've cellared quite a bit of this and continue to replenish as it has become part of my regular rotation.

As pretty much every reviewer has said, Grousemoor is a very unique blend. While I have tried other Lakelands since, I really haven't found another like it. It is subtle and strange, with both perfume and grass flavors that do remind me of Spring. To me, the taste is a somewhat acidic (perhaps what other reviewers have better described as citrus) and has very little to no sweetness. It's a fairly light smoke and finishes dry in the bowl.

While I highly recommend this blend, it really is one of those you either love or hate. There doesn't seem to be much of a middle ground here.

This is a complex aromatic, although it's not an especially sweet aromatic. The acid sharpness is evocative of citrus and moorland, but it's quite delicate too.

This the type of tobacco that only Samuel Gawith could blend.

I'm really liking this one. I bought it on a whim when I found some of the less popular Samuel Gawith blends on a pipe site for the old-school price of $6.95 a tin. I have to admit I've been on a Lakeland kick lately. I like unflavored, pure Virginias as well. Those who are turned off by the stronger scents found in certain SG and especially GH offerings should avoid this blend!

I am now "ghosting" a classic Yello-Bole from 1933-1936 that I went through a lot of trouble to clean up and have decided to dedicate to Lakelands exclusively. The topping, believe me, is rather strongly present, and reminds me most of that of SG Cannon Plug. Lemon Grass, my ass! Maybe it's in there, I don't know, but the toppings of Grousemoor and Cannon Plug both remind me of Patchouli incense. My dear brother (who is a RYO smoker but interested in my pipe hobby) gets figs from it, and I can sort of see it. Doubt there is any fig in there though.

I'm not good enough to distinguish the exact type of Virginia used beneath all that scent, but probably light African Virginia from Zimbabwe just like they said. Perhaps it is the same for the Cannon Plug I compared the topping with. All I know is that I'm smoking the hell out of it. Goes well with a nice hoppy...beer.

Burns well, smokes well, no fuss. I really should have bought more than two tins, and will be on the lookout for more. The first tin is going fast...

Not sure I should be reviewing this now as I am still not sure what to make of it, even after smoking a full tin. I was wide-eyed with anticipation upon first opening the packet and getting a waft of lemongrass that, at first, made me think of cola cubes. Such a pleasantly sweet aroma promised more treats within, perhaps giving me the anticipation of a more lemony, sweeter version of SG's fantastic Squadron Leader.

Continuing bravely on, I found the packing very easy, as it usually is with a good ribbon such as this, as was the lighting. I could not, with both the first puff and every smoke since, decide exactly what I was getting from this. The room note was pleasantly unmemorable and the taste in the mouth, well, what was it? Hints of a less sweet lemongrass? Maybe, can't really put my finger on it. All the way through the tin, I don't remember a single pipeful that really made me sit back and go "Ah!", even with tonguebite, which it seems to be completely lacking. Maybe a dash of it might have actually made me sit up and pay attention in class.

I am going to have to buy another tin because I need to find out what this tobacco is really like, maybe I'll have to buy two to be sure. Until then, I guess three stars will have to do. It's not ball-breakingly bad, it's not even bland. It does, however, lack that punch of flavour that I have come to expect of SG.

Update 29/02/2012: Just finished another tin and, oh may I say, I think I missed out first time round. This tin was a little damper than my first, which I think makes all the difference. What was a good tobacco has become a fine one. That taste of lemon sponge cake is just fantastic, that fruit flavour comes through so much better. It does take a few relights however, but it is worth it. This is a good tobacco dry, and a great one damp, hence the extra star.

Grousemoor ?? I've bog-hopped enough grousemoors to recognise the aura of one ... that is when I had two legs. The memory is more poignant perhaps since I won't be doing it again in this life.

I got no citrus scent or flavour, but what I did get was the faint acid tang of the peat, sweetness of moorland grasses and heather, and the tang of bruised bracken from under my feet.

Nostalgic ? Perhaps, but the underlying consistently good tobacco combined with my memories "Does" it for me.

How could I not want a regular rendez-vous with this one ?

I love it, just when you think know what an 'lakeland' or an 'aromatic' is then you smoke this stuf...simply wonderful, the harmony of floral flavor and sweetness is superb. This is like a gentler Condor, much more sophisticated and better quality leaf me thinks. I think this is one for lakeland lovers and haters...it will please one and convert the other...top stuff.

I am trying this blend from an old rusty tin that came to me in a box pass. I had to try it, so I got out a small meerschaum and gave it a go. The Zimbabwe VA is excellent, has some real tobacco taste that transcends through the bizarre casing. The tobacco was fairly moist but was not clogging in the pipe. I am pleases with this aromatic, but wish that I could put my finger on the taste. It has some fruity and earthy quality but not sure what it is. Overall I am pleased to have tried this blend, am glad that I did not buy it, but would have some again if offered. By the way, the doggy on the front of the tin is beautiful.