Samuel Gawith RB Plug

This is an exquisite tobacco!

The batch I received was subtly aromatized, nothing overwhelming - much more toned down than Kendal Cream for example. The smell of the plug is exquisite! It reminds me the aroma of the Bison Grass that is used to flavor the Polish Vodka Zubrowka. I checked on the internet and found that Bison Grass (Hierochloe Odorata which means Aromatic Holy Grass) is also known as vanilla grass and contains coumarin, as does the tonka bean which is used to flavour the 1792 flake. So I may not be completely off the mark.

The plug is dense but it's not very difficult with a sharp knife to cut out a flake and prepare it for smoking. It is moist but not very much, can be smoked as is without any drying.

The flavouring is subtle and it tastes like vanilla grass, that is it tastes of green grass with a vanilla twist. There's also a delicate florality throughout which could possibly be from the tobacco itself and not from any Lakeland essence. The underlying tobacco is of the usual high standard of the Samuel Gawith Virginias and it resembles more BBF than FVF - it's not as cooked as FVF and rubs out much more easily. (The Plug seems to consist of whole leafs pressed together which have not lost their consistency and can be peeled off)

The smoke is sweet and it gains strength as the smoke progresses with the flavouring receding a bit. It's not a strong tobacco but definitely past medium in strength and nicotine.

Smokes to a fine ash without leaving any dottle. It leaves me intoxicated! Could be an all day smoke but it's better used less often as a delicacy. As for room note I presume it's nice for smokers, though my wife complained with it...

Excellent tobacco.

I have always thought that when it comes to 'lakeland florals' the SG line doesn't actually have anything outstanding to offer. 1792 is good, but not really floral. Bracken Flake I don't care for. Grousemoor, though excellent, is a ribbon cut rather than a flake and lacks the nicotine punch that, for me, characterises the lakeland experience as much as the added flavours and 'soap'. So, for me GH&Co has always been the sole purveyor of archetypal lakeland baccys.

Discovering these Samuel Gawith plugs I am having to completely change my opinion! RB is an absolute powerhouse in terms of added scent. The gingerbread comparison is right on, but there is a complex blend of floral additives and 'other stuff' there too, helping to create a completely unique scented tobacco experience.

The underlying tobacco is 1st class, and apparently is the same cake that goes on to become Full Virginia Flake. Flavoursome, much better manners than I would expect having smoked FVF and with sufficient vitamin N to make it feel like a proper, stout lakeland blend, although without the dark fired or air cured that is usually found in GH&Co blends of similar strength. Again, this helps to make RB Plug stand out.

Preparation is easier than a lot of plugs (McQuaid, 3Ps) and the moisture level is just right (many complain about excess moisture in other SG blends).

I seem to give four stars to almost everything I review nowadays, but what the heck! If you are a fan of proper scented tobaccos from the north of England then you must try RB Plug!

Samuel Gawith - RB Plug.

The note from the pouch is quite spicy with a hint of fruity sweetness, I can't identify anything floral so am unsure if anything floral has been included. The plug itself is a stubborn little so and so to prepare, even if you have arms like Schwarzenegger I think you will still struggle to cut it! As expected from Sam G' it's far too moist, practically sticky so it has to be aired.

The smoke itself has quite a complex flavour, complex to the point of being too messy for some folks I would guess. There is a light floral addition but I wouldn't for one minute describe it as a floral aromatic. The most prominent flavour I get is a bready one with the zing of ginger too. I find the smoke to taste quite savoury, there is a subtle fruitiness to it but think of it in the way they use fruit as an ingredient in a savoury curry. I don't think the nicotine amount is offensive, I find it to be medium in strength at a push. The room note sits well with me, it has a spiciness to it which I find most warming. As mine was a little tricky to prepare I had left it in quite large chunks which I suspected wouldn't burn too well so I was surprised by the superb, consistent burn it delivered. The smoke remains bite free and cool for the whole duration of the bowl, a properly relaxing smoke.

I don't usually smoke plug blends and when I read the reviews on RB I wasn't at all sure what to expect but after a few bowls I can safely say I love it! Highly recommended.

I have wanted to try Gawith’s RB Plug for a very long time as it isn’t available in the US (why do manufacturers do that with certain blends in their lineup??). I wasn’t disappointed. The pouch scent has somewhat of “an old timey” smell that I remember from my father’s pipe as a young lad. There is also a "sweet "cinnamon like" smell to it. He often smoked Mixture 79 (which I hate BTW) and some call that, (I don’t) an American Lakeland so maybe that’s the reason for the comparison? Being fairly firm, it really takes some time to get this prepared for the pipe. In the end, I preferred cutting a bunch of very small pieces and rubbing a tad out rather than shaving it with the knife. This was done after considerable dry time. In the pipe, I found RB to be very, very smooth. I smoke a lot of Lakeland blends and like others, it often comes down to whether or not you like the added flavoring, regardless of the quality of the underlying tobacco. Of course, given the blender, the tobacco is of high quality, but the flavoring makes it difficult to actually taste it. I’m not going to speculate on the components of the added flavors, as there are already a lot of opinions being bandied about. I will say that it is strong and lightly sweet, kind of like a velvet hammer. The opinions on the room note of this blend appear to be really wide ranging, for me, I rather enjoyed it. I will say that if you enjoy tobaccos from the Lake District, this should be on your “must try” list. Personally, I found it to be excellent!

A Dream ...simply a dream ... Try it after dinner, in winter, in front of the fire place !

I love it for ever

Samuel Gawith's RB Plug is in a class by itself. This stuff has been pressed and steamed to the point that it is homogeneous in texture. It comes in a solid block. Unlike Cob plug, which is clearly pressed leaves that can be pealed off the plug, you would not guess that RBP is made from leaves. It is like a block of black hashish.

I should note that this tobacco has a VERY distinct and unique plug aroma, hard to define, but IMHO more fruity than floral, though the floral is there for sure.

The plug is very moist and sticky. I cut some very thin slices and dried them for about an hour before trying them. Still too moist, so more drying was necessary. As noted by above reviewers, even after it seems to have dried out, this stuff still crumbles in a moist manner. Since I like to smoke flakes broken (roughly rubbed out),I decided to try- against my better judgement- these damp flakes in a narrow, tall meer dedicated to floral-type Lakeland tobaccos.

While hard to get lit, this did ultimately smoke surprisingly well for feeling so moist. The flavor was fruity and complex, hints of soap and fruit, and yes, ginger bread. RBP is more spicy than floral. The strength is considerably less than 1792/Cob Plug, but the flavor is much more intense. Sweet too, even sweeter than Rum Flake. Even a small bowl of RBP lasts a deliciously long time, probably due to the density of the product. The flavor is there throughout the bowl, getting darker and richer (can a flavor be "darker"?) near the end. Curiously, given the moisture content, this RBP does not smoke especially hot.

I would emphatically NOT recommend this blend to anyone who is not a fan of scented tobaccos. The moisture problem can of course be remedied with a little patience. I have taken to slicing and drying about 5 bowls of tobac at once, and drying for several hours. (I hate to dry longer since I do not want the flavoring to volatilize.) This seems to be a good compromise in my dry climate. It is easy to slice in its moist form, and is kind of fun, if you like to play with your tobacco...

I just can't seem to leave this blend alone. It is not an all-day tobacco, as it is too intense. After dinner though, it is a great digestive. If this type of smoke fits your particular tastes, by all means give it a try. I am ordering more today.

This fine tobacco has received in my opinion, a profoundly bad rap. When I first had it, it was in a pipe that had Old Ironsides, and Balkan Sobranie regularly smoked in it. Those tobaccos proved to be just as jealous as this one.

The topping is fantastic. This is a classic, century old recipe that proves the Gawith greatness. It is elegant, refined, and a bite-free, cool smoke. The flavor is rich, as is the aroma. I cannot compare it to any other tobacco insofar, but a lychee scent is prevalent. The tobaccos are obviously virginias, and the taste is as sweet and aromatic as the room note. I might not smoke this indoors, but eventually the aroma dissipates, and you get much more of the tobacco taste towards the end of the bowl. It does not goop like so many aromatics do, and you're left with a fine, white, DRY ash. This tobacco has become a staple in my collection. My bride enjoys the smell, and unlike all the others I enjoy, this one doesn't turn her off.

This is a classic, brilliantly made tobacco, and it is worth every penny. God bless Gawith.

If you are willing to take the time with a plug, this is a great one to try. Opening the package, I got a strong smell of gingerbread. The plug was easily cut to thin slices using a sharp knife. Rubbing out the slices took some patience though - the tobacco seemed somewhat sticky. I must say that once this tobacco is lit, it stays that way! The smoke was thick and seemed to sitck to things. This is a strong tobacco with a high nicotine content. It has a very sweet flavor, and is one of the few tobaccos I feel as though I could smell while I smoked it. Flavors ranged from sweet to spicy to nothing throughout the bowl. THis is one of my evening favorites.

A great aromatic, in a british way. Full taste & strenght. Aroma: musk, green underbrush, genuine old soap. (NOT recommend to anyone who is not a fan of scented tobaccos)