Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Kendal Gold Spearmint

Gawith Hoggarth - Kendal Gold Spearmint.

Aside from the topping, this is your basic Kendal Gold; quite a fine shag cut, arrives with a nice level of hydration as it's loosely packaged, the nicotine's about medium, and for a shag it doesn't burn too quick. It's the topping that makes this a little different:

I expected it to come over in the way menthol can, but it doesn't, there's more flavour; surprise, surprise, it's a minty flavour! I find that menthol blends can seem cold on the palate, but this lacks that attribute.

Apart from the mint addition, there's not really much more to say!

Somewhat recommended.

In a word - horrifying! I was afraid the spearmint was going to translate into a menthol cigarette. This quickly became a non issue however, as the real problem was a product drier than grandpa's bones. To be fair, the dryness may of been a result of buying the last of Pipesandcigars stock in bulk (it was 1 of the 2oz left). This stuff was so brittle it crumbled while packing and was dry enough to start a forest fire.

Whatever flavor used to exist was replaced with a nasty mouth biting smoke. Any strength was from being bitter (like smoking from a dirty pipe), not from a particularly heavy nicotine presence. Once the bowl was finished, I guess I could detect the remnants of old mint gum in my mouth, but dang, who chews gum to taste it after it's spit out?

The shag cut is curious. It takes many pinches to fill the bowl and tends to expand once packed, then burns down with very little evidence. I can't help but wonder if it has a place in a pipe, or simply exists for smokers rolling their own cigarettes.

I was disappointed, since I associate Gawith with good quality products, but his stuff could of come out of any cheap 1lb bag at a gas station.