Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Revor Plug

Oh, my goodness, this plug is clothed in rectitude. Tastewise, a medley of Black Irish X, Stonehaven, Brown Bogie, and St. Bruno. There is a BIXish grilled meat taste upon lighting (maybe not as meaty as the SG Black XX). A fourth of the way down I swear I am smoking Stonehaven as the meaty flavor turns vaguely cocoa, and the tobacco turns nutty. The background is Brown Bogie (without the salt), but sometimes the VA background becomes the foreground. I do not taste the 1792 tonquin, but at times I feel it, sort of. Toward the bottom of the bowl it resembles St. Bruno. The flavors do shift back and forth as Warwick puts it. The finish I liken to undercooked brussel sprouts, not in taste, but texture.

This plug seems huge compared to a Warrior, Yachtsman or McQaid plug. An illusion, of course, but a 50g Revor seems heavier than a 50g Warrior plug (enough of that nonsense). I would not describe it as glossy, but it is very dark, a matte near-black bar, about 1.5 x 2.5 x 13 cm. I slice it thin and smoke it immediately with no drying. I like it in a small, bent egg Ardor that I originally reserved for straight Virginias.

RP burns cool and steady with a wallop less than that of Brown Bogie (more like St. Bruno flake). Yes, we have no bite, gurgle, or dottle. It barely warms the pipe bowl, and just when I am sure it has gone out, I find it hasn't. Righteous burning characteristics, to be certain.

07/27/09 UPDATE: I am revising some of my reviews. I have given out more 4 star ratings than anything else. That practice is probably not helping. So, I am reducing RP to 3 stars, not because I like it less than I did before, but because I am limiting 4 stars to fewer than 25% of all my reviews. One day I may use the 4 star rating to designate my top five.

My only previous experience of this strength of tobacco has been Peterson's Irish Flake, which I quite liked, but found too strong at the time. This was about a year ago, and I've once again started looking for a full Va to make a more robust, personal blend with. I was intrigued both by plugs and by the reviews of Revor and quite unexpectedly found it in a local newsagent/tobacconist last night. I couldn't wait to try it. It's quite clear as soon as you open the pack that this is a very different product from most other tobaccos. Jet-black, solid plug, smells divine, mysterious and just a bit dangerous. I was very sensible with my first taste of this...a half-bowl in the Falcon I keep for trying new blends. First things first, no soap- thank God! To get things somewhat back to front, I have to say the most distinctive thing about this blend is the wonderful aftertaste, which is quite different from the actual smoking. Rich, "fermented toffee" flavour, bourbon-like and extremely satisfying. It lasts for hours, but this might be because my taste-buds are still in shock. To me, this tastes both darker and more natural than the Irish FLake, which might have some kind of casing to it, in retrospect. The "stickiness" of Irish Flake is missing here, leaving an extremely powerful, yet manageable smoke. It stays lit easily and has no problems with wetness. I did get that alkali-burn, but given the power of the tobacco, I knew this was going to happen and it wasn't bad enough to mar the experience. Lets be honest, the room-note would have you believe I was a 70yr old horse trainer, but I can handle that. The nicotine-hit got me stoned and my friends had to tell me to stop shouting and calm down (seriously). To blending:- I used a 65%/35% mix of Scottish Flake/Revor and had a full-sized briar a couple of hours after my first tiny taste. In these proportions, it probably overwhelms the Flake a little, but this is still in the "normal" range of strength, tho still I think, officially strong. I had been puffing heavily all last week, in an effort to tease out more flavour from the Sc Flake, but with this mix, I settled down, drew very slowly and kind of melted into the smoke, the way you're meant to. This lasted an hour of contemplative, easy richness. A very successful experiment, still dark, but not some kind of "test of manhood", as the pure Revor had been. This would be Highly Recommended if it wasn't such a specialist product, and I wasn't keenly aware that my palate is so unaccustomed to this style of smoke- perhaps a little one-dimensional compared to some other blends? It has introduced me to a new paradigm in tobacco and i suppose the most telling thing is, I plan to stroll down to that shop on my way home and get some more in.

The plug itself is dark?darker than Dark Plug...almost entirely black. It is a somewhat loose brick, with layers more easily pulled apart than DP. The aroma is slightly sweet, but a little odd - not quite a VA sweetness. After some time thinking about it, I think I am -perhaps- detecting a slight tonquin aroma a la 1792.

It cuts easily with a pocketknife, allowing small shavings to be had with little effort. Only a slight drying time was required (in the dry New England winter air). Like many of these plugs, I find they need to dry until almost brittle for good burning properties.

On first light (and most relights) I can detect what seems to be a slight Lakeland floral note. This fades almost immediately.

Room note is...strong and interesting...something like a mix of Brown#4, 1792 and Black XX. Its pretty strong at the bowl (in a good way, if you like the aforementioned blends!), but it doesn't linger or infest the room as badly I thought it might. This one sure won't attract the ladies, though!!

The smoke is smooth, cool, with absolutely no bite. The flavor is, again, something like a mix of Brown Bogie, Black XX, Dark Plug, and Brown#4. The flavors shift back and forth between these various aspects - I would not consider it monochromatic. All strong flavors, but I do not feel they compete; rather, they seem to trade off to each other throughout the bowl. There is also a slightly sweet undertone which increases toward the bottom of the bowl. As a result, this blend doesn't tend to dry the mouth or irritate the throat. Despite the Black XX aspects in room note and flavor, it (thankfully!) does not have any "burnt machine oil" flavor like Black XX. If there are added toppings/casings (such as the tonquin I think I smell in the pouch aroma), I cannot detect them.

Given sufficient drying and rubbed out to smaller-than-usual pieces, it burns well, with a few relights, and leaves a fine grey ash with little or no dottle. As a regular smoker of Dark Flake/Plug and ropes, I find this to be in that same high-end range of nicotine hit.

Despite the strong flavors, there is little or no negative lingering aftertaste. Only a satisfyingly full reminder of the smoke that makes me want another bowl right away.

This is surely not an all-day smoke or one for the meek. This one, as they say, will put hair on your chest. A heady experience, in flavor, room note, and nico-hit. I think this blend is going to interest those who like the company of Brown Bogie, Brown#4, Black XX (again, no "burnt machine oil" flavor like Black XX), 1792, Dark Flake/Plug, and especially those who have sometimes wished some/all of those flavors could be combined in one blend for more interest.

I cannot understand why this isn't (as of this writing) distributed in the USA. It is a quality blend.

With spring seeming as though it will never return, and knowing that St.Bruno Flake will not come to these shores again, I have turned to our friends in Great Britain for the solace to be found in smoking strong, old fashioned tobacco.

Revor plug.

I was rather intimidated by the description. The reality has been quite pleasurable. The bar arrived fresh, but not too moist. A sharp knife makes quick work of preparation. Rubbing out the slices for indoor or calm-weather smoking is a doddle.

But what of the taste? Superb. Somewhat smokey, but rather less so than say G&H's Dark Bird's Eye, somewhat spicy, and just discernably sweet. As promised by the description it is remarkably cool to smoke; not just to the tongue, but also in touching the bowl. Strength is below the S.Gawith ropes, and the palate is to be pleased by tobacco taste, and lots of it. It strikes me as a smooth, flavourful treat.

6/2016: Should have done this long ago, upgrading this to four stars. Both because it's that good and because there's nothing else quite like it.

I like even more now than I did over a decade ago. Why isn't it available in North America!?

Latakia! As soon as I opened the pouch I could smell it. There is no mention of lat in the description and other reviewers think it may have lat or the kentucky seems to taste like lat but let me tell ya. Latakia! I have smoked straight latakia and enjoy straight dark fired kentucky, dark flake, lakeland dark, dark plug, brown ropes, 1792, condor and st bruno. This does not taste like 1792 or st bruno and certainly not condor! To me, this tastes like GH Dark Plug with a little lat and is a very pleasant smoke. Enjoy 🙂

I bought a pouch of this with a snuff order from Mr. Snuff about four and a half years ago. I tend to avoid plugs due to the extra effort that they require to prepare, but sometimes you have no choice if you want to try a blend. Such was the case with Revor Plug.

The plug was a pain in the ass to prep as I expected; and I will note, it was no more a pain in the ass than other plugs. Once I did get them sliced into uneven flakes and rubbed out enough to smoke, I was pleased with what I was experiencing. This is similar to other British OTCs such as Condor, Walnut Flake and St. Bruno, with some differences.

This has a slight floral twang which is nice. It is less floral than say Condor LC, but more than Walnut. It is a deep full smoking experience. It is in this way that it is closer to St. Bruno, but I much prefer the way Revor tastes over St. Bruno. The taste of the tobacco is smoky sweet from the interaction of the Virginia and the Kentucky. The topping is kind of brown sugar and molasses with some fruit and flowers. It is hard for me to put my finger on as it is with all these lakeland toppings. I like that is lightly enough applied that you are able to enjoy the taste of the tobacco.

It smokes very smooth, and like all GH blends that I have had the pleasure of trying, this one won't bite. It is a great blend and I wish I had more, ableit in ready rubbed form. This one is between three and four stars, I am giving it three stars because I prefer both Walnut and Condor LC to this, but I would much prefer this to St. Bruno.

I found a pouch of this in the back of my tobacco drawer, it had been sitting there for over 2 years and had been opened but wrapped in cling film before being replaced in the pouch, the years had made it a little harder to cut from what I remembered, but still relatively easy, I have a clay pipe filled with as I write, a good earthy tobacco, not as strong as some, but strong enough to let you know you have a smoke going on. Only the tiniest hint of florals which comes and goes, a slightly oily taste but the sweetness of the Virginia tames the Kentucky to give a full and pleasing smoke. Very smooth and absolutely no bite, not an all day smoke, but one to be enjoyed in the evening when one wants to reflect on the day and anything else that comes to mind. If you like the taste of a good no nonsense tobacco, this could be for you, well worth the effort of preparation. This is the only tobacco I smoke that meets with full wife approval.

I'm not the best at picking out flavours but this plug really impressed me. I found it easier to light than other plugs I've tried as it wasn't quite as wet and was easier to shred. I would agree with some here that I was sure it has some kind of Latakia in it now (as of August 2018) - even the leathery, creosote-like smell and black colour of it.

It may just be the way they cured the Kentucky leaves but it certainly reminded me more of Latakia blends I've smoked, or Toscano Antico cigars rolled with very dark fired kentucky. It even burned in a way that reminded me of a Latakia blend; quite nicely into light coloured ash, unlike other kentucky Lakeland blends such as St. Bruno flake. Not that they don't burn well, but if you smoke St. Bruno you'll know what I mean.

I would recommend this to anyone that likes flake, plug or twist tobacco, though I didn't find it anywhere near as strong as some of those I've smoked. Murray's Warrior Plug is the other plug OTC I can think of and that provides a totally different experience. Maybe Condor Long Cut would be a good comparison?

Like I said, highly recommended from me if you like this sort of thing. It's great stuff.

Revor Plug is dead easy to deal with. It's sumptuously smooth and creamy. It suits any old pipe.

All in all a good smoke for the summer.