Samuel Gawith Kendal Plug

(3.40)
A Plug which starts as the Best Brown, blended and pressed Virginias and nothing else. Medium strength. Firm favourite for the pipe smoker looking for a medium strength, gentle and slow burning tobacco. Manufactured using hand-stripped flue cured Virginias with no flavours added, Kendal Plug will reward with a cool, sweet smoke with a delectable aroma and good sidestream.

Details

Brand Samuel Gawith
Blended By Samuel Gawith
Manufactured By Samuel Gawith
Blend Type Straight Virginia
Contents Virginia
Flavoring
Cut Plug
Packaging Bulk
Country United Kingdom
Production Currently available

Profile

Strength
Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming

Average Rating

3.40 / 4
31

14

6

2

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 53 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Sep 08, 2015 Mild to Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
Like Best Brown, this is mildly creamy mellow straight Virginia flake with a fair amount of tart and tangy citrus, tangy ripe dark fruit, earth, wood, a little grass/hay, vegetation, floralness, bread, and a touch of spice and vinegar. Unlike Best Brown, the sweetness has a deeper fermented taste that comes from being pressed in plug form, which I find slightly tangier than BB. I get a hint of sour that I never noticed in BB. The strength is a step shy of medium, while the taste is medium. Won't bite or get harsh, but it does have a few very minutes rough edges. The nic-hit is a slot below the strength level. Not much complexity or nicotine which makes it a no-nonsense all day smoke, though maybe a touch more complex than BB. Needs a little dry time, but it’s easy to break apart and burns slow, cool and clean. The very consistent flavor never weakens, and is fairly smooth. Leaves little moisture, and requires a fair amount of relights. Has a slightly lingering, pleasant after taste. The room note is a tad stronger. Three and a half stars.

-JimInks
25 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 21, 2003 Mild to Medium None Detected Medium Tolerable
Kendal Plug is one of the best tobaccos I've ever smoked. It's sweet and tasty with just the right amount of everything. The burn is slow and consistent. Once sliced from the plug, it needs little attention. Just light-up and sit back and enjoy a perfect blend of Virginia tobaccos that taste like they have been aged for decades. Kendal Plug has all the good qualities of a rope, without the cigar taste and overwhelming nicotine content. Sadly, it burns to a fine gray ash, but just slice off some more and stuff it into another pipe. An all-day smoke or an occasional special treat, this could be the best tobacco product ever made.

I suspect its composed of African and Brazilian Virginias. I don't taste any burley or perique, but it's still wonderfully complex due to the Virginias. It can be sharp upon lighting, but settles in so quickly it doesn't matter. I have a leather tongue from slow smoking McClelland Virginias for years, but I don't believe this one will bite you sensitive tongued smokers either.

Highly recommended for Virginia smokers looking for the "Holy Grail". Kendal Plug is to tobacco, what espresso is to coffee.
21 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
TLW
Feb 03, 2014 Medium None Detected Medium to Full Pleasant to Tolerable
Kendal plug is Gawith's Best Brown Flake only not yet sliced into flakes. This means you have to slice it up for yourself. In exchange for this slight inconvenience you get a tobacco that is more consistent than BBF. It's also denser-pressed than BBF and supplied much less moist.

Personally I slice it, rub it out and let it dry a bit, which is the traditional English way to smoke plugs (or flakes - roll and stuff or cubing are new-fangled concepts, plugs were invented so you could store/carry a lot of tobacco in a small space and it would keep well).

Kendal Plug, like BBF is completely unflavoured apart from a slight sugar/water casing like almost every tobacco on the market. People complaining of toppings and perfumes need to speak to their tobacconist because they were either supplied the wrong thing, it was stored next to something strongly flavoured or in a ghosted jar.

Flavour and strength is medium for Commonwealth (African) Virginias, this being possibly the classic example of the genre. If you like unscented Virginias with a bit of depth to them but also with the higher notes missing from the longer-stoved tobaccos such as FVF you really should try this. With aging it just gets better and better. Personally I rate it higher than FVF or Orlik.

Overall an excellent all-day tobacco.
17 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 16, 2014 Medium None Detected Medium to Full Pleasant
I love Best Brown Flake, so I expected to like this, and wasn't disappointed. Like all plugs, it takes a fair bit of preparation, slicing and then rubbing, and it needs to be fully rubbed out to give a satisfactory smoke. The trick is to slice it as thinly as possible. It comes as a mid-brown, rectangular bar, which smells of leather. The taste is BBF, but a bit more so: all BBF's characteristics, but slightly intensified. It has BBF's slight earthiness, and is medium-bodied and slightly spicy, with a hint of treacle (although it isn't particularly sweet). Very good indeed.
Pipe Used: Northern Briars Lovat, Blakemar Rhodesian.
PurchasedFrom: S.G. stall at meeting of Pipe Club of London
Age When Smoked: New
13 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Oct 15, 2014 Medium to Strong None Detected Full Pleasant
Sam Gawith - Kendal Plug.

Like all plug tobaccos, if you don't like to spend time on preparation then this won't be for you! But if you are not fussed about dedicating a little while to the prep' then this will be a satisfying choice. The actual plug of tobacco is mainly a medium brown with a few lighter/yellow layers as well. The aroma is a straight forward Virginia one, a touch grassy/hay like. To be fair, it is just a smidgen on the damper side, it won't need lots of airing, just a couple of hours or so. As I mentioned earlier, plugs require some pertinacious prep', this is no different but the prep' is no where near as difficult as some plugs can be. The plug is extremely non-demanding at first, it is very easy to peel the Tobacco off in thin sheets and then it just takes a little time to cut/rip them into smokeable pieces.

Providing that it has been prepared to a good consistency it is relatively easy to ignite, I always use my jet lighter for plugs and this one isn't to bad. O.K, it needs a few good blasts to begin but once it is burning it is quite consistent once it has been tamped correctly. The flavour really is a remuneration for the hard prep' time, I get no underlying tastes, what I get is 100% Virginia. The smoke temperature is pretty much as medium as I have had but sadly if I draw a little too hard I get a small bite from it, not massive but more of a nip as if to keep my attention! Vitamin N? Absolutely great: not strong, not weak but just enough to satiate. The room-note is (again) a standard Virginia one but what I find a plus is this, yes it is a very full Virginia one but the consistency isn't overly thick.

I am not a huge fan of plug tobaccos, I admit that I am too lazy but the flavour of Kendal Plug more than justifies the hard work, it's just a shame it doesn't prepare itself!

Four stars.
Pipe Used: Peterson
PurchasedFrom: G.Q Tobaccos
Age When Smoked: New
12 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 17, 2012 Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
It doesn't get too cold here in Louisiana, but last night was close to freezing. This morning the air was cool and crisp, and I was able to enjoy a morning smoke on the back porch, a rare event with my insane schedule. Accompanying my pipe was a mug of Indonesian bean from Stumptown coffee roasters from Portland, Oregon (highly recommended).

The Kendal Plug I recently received from Byron Oost's store had already been transformed into a cube cut the night before so I was ready. I filled my favorite little Virginia pipe, compressed it a bit, and gave it three or four char lights to get an ember glowing. I was surprised by how mild this blend is. Maybe that's why BBF (Kendal Plug after getting sliced into flakes) was never in my top rotation. I never smoked it in the morning!

This tobacco seems to do best with a clean morning palate (not an evening mouth that has been corrupted by garlic or pork roast) and time to contemplate. Sweet, mild, slightly toasty at times, consistent all the way to the bottom, a totally pleasing, wonderful experience. Can't believe it took me this long to try Kendal Plug! By all means, grab some if you can.
12 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 31, 2004 Medium Very Mild Medium to Full Pleasant
Kendal Plug is the touted as the plug version of Best Brown Flake. However, as with most plug vs. flaked vs. ready rubbed versions of the same recipe, there are differences. KP has a more round flavor than BBF and is a little ness nippy on the tongue. It's deeper and more "mature", but lacks the bright grassy notes I enjoy. I recommend KP and BBF to any virgina smoker. Thank you Samuel Gawith for KP, BBF, FVF, 1792, and Brown Rope #4, the best tobaccos in the world!
9 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
May 28, 2012 Mild Extremely Mild Mild Pleasant to Tolerable
Description says that it starts as BBF - I wonder if that means it's supposed to be the same thing, but in plug form? As BBF is a firm favorite, I found this one less so. Lighter colored plug with a nice bag aroma of virginia. Smoked from a new one ounce sample.

I cut this into cubes for smoking, as it didn't seem to work well for me any other way. I found it mildly tangy with a complex sweetness, but not the equal of BBF. Curious. It seemed to have the same depth, but something was missing. Naturally, I'm out of BBF so I couldn't do a comparison, and memory becomes habitually faulty over time. But this seemed more grassy as opposed to the lightly sweet oatmeal of BBF. But for all I know this is the same stuff and I'm imagining things! This is a very worthy blend that possesses a light natural sweetness, good complexity and an easy burn when cubed. Definitely deserving of a try.
8 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 13, 2013 Medium to Strong None Detected Very Full Pleasant
I think its the masterexample how good a pure Virginia can taste. IMO even better than FVF.

round about 10 years ago there were a little problems for the supply of Zimbawe Virginie - but not for long time.

I smoke it fresh and aged. Fresh is very good in hot summer. And aged always. It needs no aging. Its a masterpiece at it is.

Pipe Used: many
PurchasedFrom: bulk
Age When Smoked: 1 - 10
6 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
May 26, 2017 Mild to Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant
Delicious: pure old fashioned Virginia taste with no detectable additions or gimmicks -tobacco as it should be. This is a cool, slow burning, tasty smoke, fairly easy (as plugs go) to prepare, and consistent, fragrant and full flavoured when lit. It won't ghost your pipe unacceptably or leave behind any unpleasant goo. Assuming you don't mind all the fuss and foreplay of preparing plug tobacco I can't think of anything negative to say about it; apart, perhaps, from the fact that, like SG tobaccos generally, it comes from the shop very moist. Let it have ample drying time before you try to smoke it or you won't get the best of the flavours and you'll be constantly re-lighting it. In all important respects, however, an absolutely first rate tobacco.
Pipe Used: Dr Plumb bulldog; Peterson billiard
PurchasedFrom: My Smoking Shop UK
5 people found this review helpful.
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