Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Kendal Dark Vanilla

Now this is my kind of smoke. Has some strength to it, body-wise and nicotine-wise. The flavor is somewhat simple yet satisfying. Mildly smoky, mildly floral with a fairly strong taste of natural tobacco and a mild hit of vanilla. I love this stuff. My bulk bag came a bit wet and required some drying time. Burns perfectly, quite often requiring only one match. I'll be smoking a lot of this one.

Medium to full in body and taste. Flavoring is mild. This is a gem. Same results in briar, cob, or clay.

EDIT: I intended to say something about drying this, but forgot. Getting old sucks. Don't let this get bone-dry. It'll be a bit harsh. Let it get a dry feel, yet still be pliable. Then it's just right.

A decent smoke really, I find the dark fired Kentucky to be the dominant voice here. In fact, it's maybe 80% of the voice. I'm reminded of MacBaren Bold Kentucky, as I can barely detect the vanilla topping or Virginia. I like dark fired, so this is pretty enjoyable, but vanilla in the name kinda threw my expectations. It's a real stretch to call this aromatic.

Bulk fine shag cut, reasonable moisture when received (maybe even a touch damp), strong pouch note of dark fired. I thought I detected something gingerbread-spice-like in the pouch, but it doesn't come across in the smoke. Tobacco is very high quality, in line with all things Gawith.

There is just enough of the vanilla and dark Virginia present to tame the rough edges, but it's definitely subdued. I chuckle to myself thinking of an Englishman blender being asked to "add some vanilla" to Kendal Dark. Like a dry martini, he waved the bottle of vanilla over the tobacco and called it good.

In summary, I find this to be a stronger take on Old Dark Fired Ready Rubbed, more like a hypothetical bulk version of Bold Kentucky Ready Rubbed without the vinegar casing and slightly softer edges. For the quality, it's also a rather good bargain.

Kendal Dark Vanilla is still very recognizable as starting out as Kendal Dark. The tobacco has the dark fired's spice and earth, with a deep tartness from the Viriginia. Those are indeed the dominant flavors. I pick up a touch of Lakeland essence, too, and it nicely complements the Virginia. The vanilla is always noticeable, but it is light enough that I might have thought I was detecting a slight addition of tonquin were it not for "vanilla" being part of the blend's name.

This is precisely the vanilla blend I always wanted to find. I wanted to taste bold tobacco with just a bit of softening from the added vanilla flavoring. I also wanted a good belt of nicotine, which this has. The strength is strong in terms of taste and nicotine, but I do not find the nicotine overwhelming. Being a shag cut, the leaf lights and burns well. Figuring out just how tightly to pack the tobacco takes a little trial and error, but once one does perfect the packing relights are rare.

This is one of my favorites.Just enough vanilla to be noticed,which truly compliments the tobacco's used and just like other G&H blends it contains quality tobacco that definitely shines, especially when sipped.The shag cut is easy to pack and burns well but just like most shags you have to mind your cadence or it will get hot.With the right cadence it is a very rewarding smoke.I pick up the Virginia's first maybe from the light sweetness from the vanilla, I pick up the Burley second and it's definitely overwhelmed by the Virginia's,imo,but I still pick up a slight nutty smoothness from the Burley,it's just a little muted but present none the less. I give mine a little drying time but not much because the last two times I have gotten this it's almost been perfect moisture level. I get the 500g bags, that's how much I love this blend.Dont know how well it cellars yet but my other G&H blends have cellar'd very well so I am hoping this does the same.It burns down to literal white Ash with the occasional minor moisture/dottle left behind. I have and would recommend this to an aromatic smoker who wants to try something a little stronger and alot less cased than most aromatics but still topped, actual tobacco flavor, and a decent amount of nicotine (which I love).Do yourself a favor and pick some up because I don't think you will be disappointed.