Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Dark Bird's Eye

lay back and enjoy,,its a plain dark virginia and nothing else that i start my day and finish it with! truly a fisher man friend as the damn thing wont go out when dried briefly,,easily packed easily lit and burn into very fine ash with an after taste that will last for quite some time,,not a social tobacco though as the room note is kinda over powering! p.s(although it is a virginia blend however it kinda reminds me of 5 brothers blend, taste and consistency wise, weird i know)

After whipping through a generous sample of this at the speed of smoke (many thanks Pipestud), I decided to store my new 500 gram package in the toe of a Persian slipper and attach it to my mantle piece with a dagger. Due to the size of the package I was forced to compromise and use a pair of Tony Llamas and a couple Bowie knives. How I managed to miss this combustible wonder in 36 years of pipe smoking escapes me.

I like to give it to beginners, then sit back and watch their reactions. This would make another suitable substitute for waterboarding at Club Gitmo.

I like it best in a smaller bowl and have dedicated two Stanwell Cuttys to this perfect shag. This is most likely what McClelland had in mind for 221b Baker St. "Missed it by that much."

Great stuff!

Dark Birdseye is now part of a steady morning routine, I smoke a bowl with some coffee.

Easy to pack and light, some tamping might be needed during the smoke.

Taste is dark sweet all the way down the bowl, musty and satisfying.

Smokes dry and cool.

Highly recommended!!

Really a pleasant, flavorful blend despite its "chest hair" strength. For a Virginia mixture, this burns cool and smokes with little or no dottle. I have enjoyed it "straight-up" and mixed with some mild aromatic blends with equal pleasure.

Good stuff,great outdoor smoke,never harsh,wont bite,good tobacco taste.Can burn a little hot sometimes.Not as full bodied as Dark flake and Dark plug and nic-wise not as strong as either,but still very potent. The cut makes for a nice change of pace.

Birdseye is a perfect smoke for those outdoor activities - personally not even I would smoke it inside the house. Almost as strong as S.G. Black XX it packs a punch but not so much that you need to be sitting down when you smoke it - I am usually fishing or leaf raking etc.

What surprised me was how cool it smoked in the bowl even in high winds. Some here say they shorten the cut before packing their pipe but I find this is not necessary and it packs easily from the beginning.

Birdseye smokes dry leaving a fine gray ash in the pipe. I have smoked this tobacco in heavy snow and rain and it is the lowest maintenance smoke I have had. Stays lit no matter what.

I usually smoke medium to large bowled Petersons.

Tim

I have been smoking DBE for only about two weeks and find it very pleasant. My tobacconist www.TheItalianPipe.com recommended it to me with warnings on its strength. Taking his advice I smoked only 1/2 pipefull in a Dunhill #2. The ribbon cut was very easy to load and just the right moisture level. It stays lit from the top of the bowl to the bottom leaving a fine white ash. There is no wet dottle as with flavored tobaccos. It is a full strtength Virginia, and much stronger then the SG 1792 and Full Virginia tobacco I usually smoke. The flavor of the natural Virginia carries through from the top of the bowl to the bottom, with a strong nicotine bang towards the end of the bowl. This is not a tobacco for the novice but anyone who enjoys full unflavored Virginias should enjoy it. I have now increased from a full bowl in a Group 2 to a Group3 pipe, but feel that is the maximum load one should smoke due to its strength. I generally smoke it as an apertif after dinner, but in the last few days have been smoking it in the afternoon as well. It won't replace my old standbys but certainly joins my rotation. 9/3/07 I have graduated to a Group 4 but still prefer it in a Group 2 or 3. I have now stared it as my exclusive blend for all day use. Occasionally I run through a bowl of St. Bruno, but tend to stick to the Dark Birdseye. I suspect a Group 4 is a little too large, but very good in the evening after dinner. This is the ONLY tobacco which does not give me tongue bite and that is why I have switched to it as my all day smoke. I cannot recommend it to the novice as I reported in my first posting.

A friend recently sent me a sample of this fine blend, which is fragrant without being an aromatic. Flavor is very consistent throughout the bowl. Easy to light and keep lit. A very nice tobacco for outdoor walks in cold weather. I had to avoid smoking it too quickly because of its strength. Being a very thin, ribbon cut it is easy to burn too fast if one does not pay attention. I would not recommend this blend for a novice pipe smoker as it would likely become overpowering.

GawHogg, you've done well. I really like it because in all conditions it stays lit very easily. It esp. works well PW'ing the dogs out in the cold and wind. Snow doesn't phase it. Lovely tasting shag VA, with no tongue bite, aromatic burn, just a great tobacco straight out of the container. Love it!