Samuel Gawith Grousemoor

I am not a big fan of the so called Lakeland tobaccos, but I find Grousemoor (the tin reads GROUSE-MOOR) to be a nice change of pace smoke. Lakeland tobaccos take their name from the Lake District in northwestern England, home of Samuel Gawith and Gawith,Hoggarth tobacco companies. The term Lakeland generally refers to the aromatic versions there produced, marked by a flowery, perfumy note. Not all of the tobaccos produced by these manufacturers have the aromatic essence. In addition, some refer to tobaccos not produced in that district but which have a similar flowery note, Condor and St. Bruno in particular, as Lakeland tobaccos.

Grousemoor is supposedly a secret recipe in excess of two hundred years old. Among the flavoring essences is something called Lemon Grass. The flavoring oil derived out of Lemon Grass has a distinct citrus note, similar to lemon, but not as sour. A subspecies of Lemon Grass is the basis for citronella, often used for adding aroma to soaps and perfumes.

This tobacco is steamed and stoved, although the color is not especially dark. It is in the form of a fairly broad ribbon. This is Virginia, and straight from the tin fairly moist. It does not take an easy light without overpuffing, Overpuffing invites tongue bite. Take your time getting a light, and use a sipping cadence. With the relaxed puffing, tongue bite will not be a problem except for those particularly sensitive. The nicotine level is not high.

The flavor of Grousemoor is flowery, but unlike any other tobacco I have smoked. It is a taste strength somewhere between mild and medium, and it does not entirely obscure the tobacco flavor.

The room note is also mild to medium, not at all unpleasant, but distinctly less heavy than many aromatics.

This is not a tobacco I wish to smoke regularly, but as a change of pace it does very well for me. Lakeland tobaccos (the flavored varieties) will ghost a pipe. I restrict this to cobs, meerschaums, and cheap briars such as Dr. Grabows, which is what I favor for aromatics.

Smokers who enjoy the aromatic Lakeland blends are probably already familiar with Grousemoor. If not, they should give it a try. Although I am giving this only two stars, I really do suggest that pipesters who like variety in their smokes should also give this a try. If you do not like it, try cutting it with about one third of a cheap burley such as Prince Albert or a pure Virginia such as McClellan 5100. That reduces the aromatic nature of the blend significantly, and puts it a a level which very few would find obnoxious.

Grousemoor is also available in a plug form, a variation which I have not tried.

This stuff tastes just awful to me. The topping is way over the top. It just seemed to gag me every time and as if that wasn't enough, it left a ghost on my pallet that made everything I ate, drank or smoke less pleasurable. I gave it about six bowls before passing it on to a forum buddy who likes it.

It is for him and Sam Gawith I give this 2 stars. For me it is not recommendable.

First, I am new to pipe smoking....around a year but what I lack in experience I make up for in enthusiasm for my new hobby. I have made it my mission to sample all manner and style of pipe tobaccos on offer.

That being said, in my short pipe smoking career I have attempted to try each tobacco with an open and unbiased approach giving each one its own due course before developing my opinion.

So this brings me to Grousemoor. I was excited to try my first "Lakeland style" tobacco. Admittedly, I was unsure what this meant but I still wanted to give it a go.

I opened the tin with same excitement that I have opened every tin....expecting to find a new and interesting experience within. I certainly did. The tin note of Grousemoor can best be explained as eccentric I think. I have not encountered another tobacco quite like it yet. I could smell the tobacco components but it was the other aromas within the tobacco that took over at my first whiff immediately. I describe that aroma as follows; pungent old lady perfume, flowery and herbal and a touch citrusy. Mostly however, it smells like of the flowery perfume. I wasn't put off by the tin note but I have to honest and say that I wasn't encouraged. It was a bit off putting to this old sniffer.

I packed a bowl and proceeded to light. I puffed away. I am glad to say that it smoked and tasted different than the tin would have suggested. However, this is not to say that I necessarily enjoyed it. If you remember "Thrills" gum (not sure if its made anymore......little pinkish-purple Chiclet type gum) this is how I would describe the flavour of Grousemoor. Admittedly, I hated that gum. It tasted floral and soapy with a bit of white sugary sweetness. Grousemoor also tastes like this to me. I finished the bowl and was happy it was done. I tucked the tin away in my tobacco drawer never to be seen again. No not really, im sure I will give it another go but not for a while. It is certainly a different experience for me as a pipe smoker.

Im sure there is a loyal and dedicated following of this type of tobacco out there but I shall not be including myself in that category.

Sam Gawith - Grousemoor.

This is a 'love it or hate it' blend.

The tobaccos, as ever with Sam G', are high quality. But I can't get along with the casing. The lemon causes an extreme bitterness, and the florals are way too perfume like. If you want to try it for heavens sake use a cob, it ghosts horrendously. Because I can't smoke more than half a bowl I won't do it the injustice of a long review.

Two stars.

Interesting blend. It took me the entire tin to decide if I even liked it, let alone to have any real thoughts about it. Light in color and citrusy in tin aroma with a wide ribbon cut, I'd say "lemon grass" is reasonably accurate. It definitely had a citrus flavor that was not intrusive. I suppose this is SG's take on the "floral" flavorings that G&H excels at. This one was far from the best that G&H offers, but it was a decent blend.

The flavoring was subdued and the tobaccos seemed muted as well. Very unassertive. G&H's florals often make better use of both the flavoring and the underlying tobaccos than this one does. I got the feeling that SG used tobacco of lesser quality for this blend, and may have felt that such leaf would be lost when flavored. By comparison, G&H uses top drawer tobaccos that are robust and flavorful on their own. Consequently, this one seemed more dull than it could have been. The concept was intriguing to me, as a huge fan of a lot of G&H tobaccos. Then again, each blend should be taken on its own merits. So on its own, this one seemed mild, a bit bland, unfulfilled and unfulfilling. However, it does have a nice pleasant flavor and can be recommended for someone who finds Lakeland flavorings too heavy and prefers a more subdued version.

Grousmoor seems to be a 'love it or hate it' blend for most pipers... I fall somewhere in the middle... it is indeed flowery and somewhat one dimensional- but it has an odd charm.. not much tobacco nuance to be found, but flavor in abundance... yes it's perfumey.. but in an intriguing old world sort of way. If I was an aromatic smoker this would be one of my go to blends. As a casual admirer of Lakeland tobacco I would tend to go more for ennerdale. Don't think that this is all Lakeland is about. It's pleasant but other Lakelands do showcase tobacco flavor more to the front. It is something to try. Definitely not boring.

My goodness... That's the first thing I thought of when I opened the tin. The smell is strong, pungent, one can smell it from metres away... Molasses, talc powder, flowers (mostly gardenia and jasmine), tangy and I don't know what else.

It scares, it baffles, it intrigues, and oh boy, we're still at simply smelling the product. Do I like the smell? Absolutely... But... for a tobacco... I am not sure.

Looking at the beautifully rubbed tobacco. Blondes and blondes everywhere. Beautiful colour!

Texture? Slightly wetter than I'd like it. So I wait, and dry the tobacco a tad.

First few puffs provide a very odd combination of a déjà-vu with Ennerdale flake (but not as good), and a sort of a throat tickle... Orgeat taste, granny perfume tasting, where are the virginias? This is a SOAPY smoke "par excellence" because it also seems to have a soapy TEXTURE. People have accused G&H flake of being soapy, but NO... This is soapy.

I HATE the soapiness... but I can appreciate the taste, what on earth is happening? Why oh why SG?

This is not for me... What to do with the rest of the tin? Mix it with some Semois for a "perfumy" kick?

2* because need I remind you my dear pipe smokers that nothing is as vile as a Borkum Riff tobacco

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.

EDIT: the second tin of Grousemoor I smoked was not nearly as exciting as the first impression. It was not as flavorful and quickly dried out to an almost unsmokable mess that demoted the rating to a 2.

I heard about how all the Lakeland brands will ghost a pipe with their overwhelming pungency. As an aromatic smoker I was intrigued by this warning as well as the secret flavor (known by 3 people in the world), so I got a fresh corncob and gave it a whirl.

Upon opening the tin you see, what for me, was the blondest tobacco ever. Then the smell hits you and to be fair I found it nauseating. A cross between rotting fruit (apricots maybe?) and those public bathrooms you find at the beach. With a lot of skepticism I packed the bowl. So far, so good. I like a moist light spongy leaf to pack, which this was.

The smoke then hits you and this is where the tastes did not match the original curtains... it became something new. It was light and fresh and undistinguishable. Mildly fruity perhaps?

It just tasted like Spring after a light rainfall, but without the smell of plants blooming if that makes any sense.

If you enjoy a mystery, don't be afraid to give it a try.