Samuel Gawith Kendal Plug

Even after six months in a jar, Kendal Plug remains fairly moist. Granted, this is the lot of SG offerings. However, this makes the plug, if not that hard to slice, rather difficult to light up and keep lit. This also makes the tobacco rather neutral in taste, because still too moist (despite drying time before packing), makes it bite and leaves my tongue and mouth rather sore afterwards. I will have to let dry further in the jar before trailing again, but, unfortunately, Kendal Plug does not get my approval so far. Pity, as I bought 250g of it.

I'm trying four ozs of this as I enjoyed cob plug so much, (ie, I like the form of true brick plugs). As mentioned by Talon below this is a brick...not a broken flake; and though many have lamented the knife ceremonies involved, I, being lazy, opted for a Black and Decker mini coffee grinder with pulse control, ($20 anywhere coffee grinders are sold). Rip off a chunk, shove her in and grind, grind, grind to your desired consistency. It's sweet to be sure but in a true Va sense. I'll be getting more. Three stars is due to cob plug being a little better, (albeit different), to my palate.

There's not much I can add to what's already been posted on this Tobak... I do recommend that you Cube Cut the Slices. Reasonably priced, it offers pre-smoke entertainment and a wonderful smoke that evolves quite nicely! What fun!

Meerschaum Man, smoking the Paul Fischer Rusticated Bent Bulldog Meerschaum.

Kendal Plug is one great tasting tobacco. There are wonderful subtleties to be discovered about this tobacco if one is patient in preparing and smokes slowly. Among the SG line its right there with FVF. In fact, this to me tastes more like FVF in the zone than BBF which the description says it starts as. I have found that cutting shavings length ways about one inch to an inch and a half long produces little thin curled flakes that pack nicely and produce the best flavor. Pack lightly, rub one out for the final pack and you are gtg. It takes a little time to do this but I find it worth the effort. Smoking KP works better in a larger bowl where the true flavors come through. This tobacco quickly settles upon lighting into a zone of sweetness. It?s quite remarkable because there is no wait for the zone on this one. It?s a pure bright virginia sweetness that has a toasty quality to it. I would equate it to ?honey baked? sweetness and it dominates the entire smoke. There is a background fruity tartness that occurs as well which mingles with the burley and keeps things interesting. It produces a very nice room note and the smoke itself is smooth, creamy and in high volume. The nicotine content I find to be on the low side of medium. As mentioned by others KP is a one dimensional smoke, to be sure, that does not develop much. To me that?s its advantage, its right in the pocket. It?s good from start to finish with no surprises?simple and very tasty. The only drawback to me is that KP can irritate my mouth (roof) if smoked too frequently. This tells me that it is in fact BBF because it does the same thing to me. Depending on moisture content it can nip on the tongue too (which really reminds me of BBF). I think Pipestud mentioned something about body chemistry and Lakeland flakes?he?s definitely on to something. Neither of these factors will keep KP out of my Lakeland rotation though. Disciplined moderation will be the ticket. I highly recommend KP to any lover of virginias and any serious pipe smoker, I consider myself to be both. Sharp knife...happy slicing?incredible smoke.

A one pound plug bought online. A bargain. Big, hard SOB. Dressed the edge on my sharpest chef's knife and went to work. Sliced off a 1" square stick about 6" long. Shaved the narrow end into shag. 15 minutes dry time. Gravity fed into my itty bitty Upshall Lovat. Two vesta char. Two vesta light up.

Bliss. A lot of relights...a little more drying may be needed. No adverse effects from relighting. Sweet Virginia with some very light caramel flavors mid-bowl, probably from some sugar applied as "adhesive" in the pressing process. Not too deep in the flavor department. "Medium" about sums it up. One (good) dimensional. Very light tamping.

Some work, but recommended for those willing to take ownership of the smoking experience. Two more pounds on the way. Would rate four stars, but the effort may not appeal to all smokers, and relights may be an issue.

I'm not usually fond of VAs, so please take my comments with a grain of salt. Bought the minimum size at Mars, 4oz. which seems to be more than what I believe I could smoke in a year. The first smoke was bitey. The second was the same in a similar briar. I then mixed it with some GawHogg Dark Plug and it was much milder to the back of the throat and tongue. The mixture was 2 parts KP to 1 part DP. Works for me!

This famed old plug I bought on a whim. I had never really smoked any plug tobacco and the fine gentleman at the shop recommended it. After he stommped on the cutter to produce my portion of tobacco I headed home to slice off some flakes. The preparation of this tobacco is such that one needs to be rather relaxed to begin with as it can lead to frustration if one is in a hurry. I personaly love to take my time with this one.

I shaved mine off the side of the plug so it was fairly well broken up and lit easily and burned well. The flavor is somewhat mild, mostly pure tobacco with only a light casing in the English manner. The room note was almost surprisingly pleasing and this is one of the very very few tobaccos that the wife enjoys the smell of. That alone will keep it around. It is an enjoyable, but not overly complex blend for an evening of relaxing. Definately not for the hasty.

This is about the mildest plug that Samuel Gawith makes. That's a little like saying it's the softest brick in the yard, but since the density of plug-tobacco usually makes for a powerful smoke, this is something of an accomplishment.

Kendal has a straight Virginia taste, and I would say its flavor is about the same intensity of Rattray's Hal O' the Wind. It is not nearly as complex or interesting as Hal (or many other VAs), but this is not to say that it isn't without features of interest. It has a plain beef stew kind of heartiness that can be refreshing in its simplicity. But be warned: this stuff delivers a deceptively strong blast of nicotine, especially if you smoke it on an empty stomach.

I would smoke this more often, but I hate dealing with plugs, and I am disinclined to invest in an antique plug-cutter or to subject my Cuisinart to a slab of tobacco. Like a lot of plugs, this stuff is difficult to keep lit, although I find it burns better if it has been allowed to dry out a bit.

Bottom line: If you have never tried a plug, Kendall would be a good place to start.

The reviews are, by and large, well biased towards the positive. This borne in mind I obtained 25g. Smell/odour/fragrance, absolutely nothing could be discerned, why you may well ask, well the plug came as rock-hard broken pieces, possibly around a 9 on the hardness scale. So it has been placed in a dampish Kilner Jar, with a mascotte stone to rehydrate. I was looking forward to trying this when it arrived, but find that I will have to curb my desire, not to mention my impatience while it re-hydrates to something that may be more readily rubbed out for the pipe. At present I guess it would take some P4/C4 or old-fashioned TNT to assist in preparation. I can only assume the tobacconist who supplied my sample had a kango or the aforementioned to hand. I shall update this review in, the hopefully, not-to-distant-future. UPDATE Upon re-hydration it became somewhat more amenable to being prepared for packing into a pipe. However I can say, "I've tried it". Notwithstanding I shall never purchase it again. The flavour teases, but never comes to the fore, leaving one feeling considerably unsatisfied. Still the quest for Nirvana will continue, no doubt there will be some more dead ends into which I shall be lured.