Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Dark Bird's Eye

Let me begin with saying I am an English smoker. Mainly because I love Latakia. The reason I don't enjoy straight Virginia tobaccos is the bite. No matter what pipe I use, loading method, etc., I always get severe bite and my pipe tends to get good and hot risking damage to the pipe.

This was a Christmas gift from a friend and came under high recommendation. Such high recommendation the friend offered to take it back and replace it with an English blend if I didn't like it.

Well, to my surprise I very much enjoyed this blend! While I can tell if abused this will still deliver the dreaded bite, with attention I had a very enjoyable smoke indeed! It's dark, full and smokey. Things I enjoy in my English blends! I kept catching a hint of cocoa and there seemed to be a spicy element on my tongue. Great aroma for me as well. Of course the wife wouldn't like it, but I am used to that. Very stringy cute and a very springy texture. Stayed ablaze after only the charring light. Nice white/grey ash. Pipe didnt over hear either. Overall, I would recommend this blend to anyone. Even fellow English smokers. I have been searching for a non-English tobacco to put into my rotation and now I have found it. Many thanks to my dear friend for the gift!

Alot of reviews say this is very strong to too strong. i didnt feel it was. however i like very strong snuff and cigars so i am not a good judge on strength. what a wonderful tobacco. that soapy perfume taste when you first light it up is heaven. also the nicotine hit is huge. This stuff is big and its full tobacco flavor. 5 Brothers is very,very similar, but DBE is far superior. IMO

Top notch stuff this. Very much in the pocket of the ropes, this is a dark, earthy, rather bitter shag cut tobacco. Strong but not overso and as others have said it's important not to have this too dry or it'll burn hot. That's its only drawback really, otherwise recommended unreservedly. Classic British quality, which is the best in the world from the world's best blender G & H.

Update 1/15/10

I'm going to have to drop this a star. Still a very good blend but a slight salsa like effect on my tongue has become distracting and unpleasant. If you can get past it, or enjoy it, then I heartily recommend this blend.

Original Review: I received a sample of DBE in a trade for some Kendal Kentucky and had been wanting to try it for some time but had been unable to locate any. The sample I received was a little dry but a tiny bit of distilled water moistened it right up. Due to the shag cut it soaked the tiny amount of distilled water right up. After this I took a deep breath of some of the most fragrant, wonderful smelling tobacco I have ever had the pleasure of sniffing. The aroma is reminiscent of figs, earthiness and pure tobacco. No top note or casing was detectable at all.

Since I've read the reviews on here as to the strength I chose a small pipe to begin my test. A Stanwell featherweight lovat to be exact. Since this shag cut can easily be packed too tightly then I decided to use a light hand in the packing. Once match touched the soft bed of shag I was in heaven. The taste was exactly like the aroma. As far as I can tell this is a virginia based blend. I don't detect any burley or kentucky in the taste. No bitterness or nuttiness here just a subdued sweetness and earthiness you find in the darker virginias like FVF. The taste didn't waiver at all and remained the same throughout the bowl. If you're looking for complexity then look elsewhere. If you're looking for a smooth, strong smoke with no tongue bite that is very easy to tend to then you're in the right place. Four stars all the way.

Dark Birdseye was one of the first GH tobaccos I tried. At first I just loved the full, dark and earthy taste of it but wasn't really aware of the nicotine content. But holy crap, that's some bloody potent smoke. Due to the fine cut it burns quite fast. If you are not mindful of this fact and start pushing it, it will knock you off. But if you give this one the time it needs it can be a true delight to nearly everyone who is into pure Virginia.

This is my all time favorite GH blend. It is very fine like angle hair and smells of ginger. This has vitamen "N" a plenty and smells great!! What more can a person ask for?

I gave this a three. Why? 'cause my wife says if I smoke this around her again thats it! (Almost tempted to take her on with that threat and buy a pound!). I digress. I really like this stuff but did not find it as easy to light as the "promo" reads regarding fishermen in gale force winds. I will say that the sweetness is accentuated when puffing it with a glass of lager 😉

Fantastic stuff if smokes slowly, can be nippy if your agitated. this stuff lights and burns very easily and is a great start to the day dark and chocolate like with a hint of soapiness. alot like dark flake i assume they are kissing cousins.

This is a very tasty smoke with dark spicy creamy and dark chocolate after taste, also it has the typical G&H topping but it is very natural raw Virginia tobacco with good dose of nicotine however not overwhelmed and Manageable, it tastes better with sweet black coffee, require small pipe, loose packing and soft puffing with slow smoking pace to be fully enjoyed, overall this is top quality stuff that I keep always some on hand,

Give it a try!