Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Dark Bird's Eye

I tried some Dark Birseye rather on a whim. I was making myself a nuisance, as usual, at Perettis when I came across a glass jar full on the counter. I purchased a few ounces and packed a bowl upon arrival at home.

At the match, the flavor is full a little sweet. There are some deep bass notes along with the sweetness. If you are familiar with Kendall Dark, then you will know what those deep notes are like. Those around me tell me there is a faint aroma of burning sweaty socks in there somwhere.

The flavors remain pronounced all the way through the bowl. The effect on the palate is clean and clear. I rather like this stuff. The pipe I smoked it in was an Ashton panelled Old Church that prior smoking Dark Birdseye had been smoking a little bitter. Dark Birdseye cured that problem. The bowl now smells clean and sweet! Go figure.

I see more of this in my future.

Not for the faint-hearted but not nearly as strong as the G&W twists or plugs. It's so fine and long cut you'll have to pay attention to packing and smoke it really slow. Smoked slowly it can give the same smoky and tasteful feel usually associated to the Lake District dark stoved Virginias and can be the perfect starting point to explore that world.

Very similar to Drum RYO in appearance. Very strong in flavor and satisfaction. Would have gone four stars but too rich for frequent use. If you have problems with high levels of nicotene steer clear of this weed.

An excellent African fine cut Va., just as advertised. A very full bodied and smooth smoke, never biting or hot. I find it best smoked in group 4 pipes, owing to the big nicotine hit. If there is a topping, I don't detect it. Good smoke for reformed cigarette smokers, as the fullness and nicotine satisfies. A good all day smoke, if you can tolerate the high nicotine level.

The first time I tried this, a couple of years ago, I didn't like it, it didn't seem that strong and I found the taste boring.

Second time around I have a different impression. This shag cut Lakeland tobacco is kind of the UK's version of Five Brother's dark shag. Except this is much better tasting, spicy and suprisingly soft, not even comparable except in cut and strength.

DB needs to have its strands broken up and packed carefully (not too tight, it's very easy to pack it too tightly). And of course, it has to be at the proper humidity. Then it is rich, creamy, smooth and strong. And builds from there. On the palate, the sensation is similar to FVF, but the strength is greater, the taste less interesting and less sweet perhaps, yet still, to my mind, the taste of a mostly straight VA of the Lakeland variety. There is none of the burning rubber, smokey motor oil type of aftertaste found in the darker ropes. Yet this seems to be almost as strong as xx rope. GLP once did say wonderful things about GH Va's and this in particular, though he called DB a "death rattle". For anything stronger, one could cross over to the cigar world and try a Joya De Nicaragua Antano. Whew.

12-27-2004 Another Fine Entry from G&H

Apearance and Aroma: Fine shag cut, very long ribbons. Light browns with an occaisonal "birdseye" from the cut stems. Smells earthy and rich.

Packing and lighting: Can be a little fussy due to the long ribbons, but is at perfect moisture. Lights up easily 2-3 lights max.

Initial Flavor: Rich! This is definitely a strong tobacco, but it is not overpowering. Reminds me alot of "Stonehaven", but without the wine notes of that blend. Burns cool from the get go.

Mid-Bowl: the richness mellows somewhat, nice round flavor in the mid to low taste spectrum with an occaisional spiciness popping in and out (maybe the stems burning). There is a light Lakeland style "perfume" flavor noticable.

Bottom of Bowl: A good increase of strength and its over with nothing but fine grey ash left over.

Overall: This is a rich earthy VA/Burley blend that I smoke occaisonally. It does have a high nicotine content, so I generally use group 2-3 size pipes when smoking it. Due to its richness, you can puff gently and get plenty of flavor and keep tongue bite at bay and be left satiated. I would not recommend this to a beginner as this will make you green quick if you are not used to it. I believe that this is the "Longbottom Leaf" blend that the Hobbits and Gandalf smoked and loved. Definitely a "Middle-Earth Blend"

Rating 4 out of 5 points.

I must say that this is another creation from Gawith and Hoggarth that I have found to be a true pleaser. I really have an affinity for their natural tobaccos. As most say, these full bodied blends are for the confirmed pipe smoker but, I believe that they can be enjoyed by all. The flavor is much like Gawith's Kentucky yet embodies a mellow texture that makes this tobacco a full-bodied smoke that I can puff away on all day. The bird's eye cut is much like drum shag from holland, yet the width of the ribbon is about twice that of the forementioned. The smoke does light with ease and stays lit, rarely riquiring a relight. Overall moisture content is what I would view as perfect, in that there is no need for a pre-pack drying phase. Although this tobacco is natural in nature, I do detect a similar vanilla-caramel scent in the nose. The scent dissapates throughout the burning of the bowl, allthough never vanishes. Just as I stated in my review of G and H's Kentucky, I smoke this stuff both straight-up or use it as a base for blending. I love using these tobaccos as a base in blending because their robust flavor is never dimished by the presence of either latakia, perique, or dark cavendish. Give this blend a chance and you'll be swept away to the pipe smoking days of old. A true treat.

Another Gawith for me to try! Well, this blend is fairly close to one of my regular blends from this company, namely, Kendal Dark, (which is the shag version of Dark Flake).

Peppery, spicey, almost with a maduro-like note in the background. A very, very, subtle sweetness that pervades the run of the bowl.

I found the packing to be easy, (but then again, I have quite a bit of experience with this type of cut being a regular Kendal Dark smoker).

It burns to an interesting, almost textured, white-grey ash.

I find this type of smoke to be a stout one. You are always aware of it's presence. Slow puffing is recommended IMHO.

A Really Nice Experince.

Appearance: This is a finely cut tobacco that snarled such that it looks like a bird?s nest. The color is medium to dark brown, with light brown stems intermixed. There appear to be no humidifying agents in this, as it dries out quickly if left out.

My sample was received from a friend was a couple of years old. I resealed it and let it sit for about a year before I smoked it.

Initial light reveals that this is clearly a scented tobacco. The scented nature retreats quickly to the background, although it remains for the entire bowl. The flavor is very full from the beginning, without any hint of high citrus notes. This is the closest that I have ever come to a cigar flavor in a tobacco; note that I have never knowingly smoked a tobacco that actually contains cigar leaf. Update: Having smoked this more, I cannot find the scented note that I originally noticed here. Odd to go from something that seemed so ?clearly scented? to not being able to find it at all. The best that I can suggest is that the range of flavor that I associate with natural tobacco has changed.

The nicotine level in this is high, and it packs a punch even in a fairly small bowl (group 3). I found it to be a slightly rough on the mouth, and would characterize it as an occasional smoke. It is a flavorful and unique smoke that requires some attention. It has a tendency to go a bit ashy on me.

Flavor 90/100. Smoking characteristics 65/100. Overall 80/100.

December 2003, Updated March 2004