Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Dark Bird's Eye

Dark Bird's Eye is a strong, flavorful tobacco. Mostly Kentucky- spicy, earthy, wood and smokiness, with a rough edge. The nicotine packs quite a punch and a smaller bowl, perhaps a small cob, is what I'd recommend. I cannot stress how much I dislike this tobacco. Even when sipped you have to be careful because the nic kick will sneak up on you out of nowhere, and the rough edge is off-putting. I give it two stars instead of one because it's a quality product from a historic brand, and it's certainly a favorite of many.

Deep brown, almost black, shag. Very moist when I pulled it out of the bag, so I let it dry for 15 minutes. Like others (JimInks, chaplikc, Camerade, and Hemlock) I noticed a strong burley presence. I usually don't respond well to burley, which always bites and gives me a strong impression of a burning grocery sack. This was much smoother and my hostile reaction to burley was only growling and not straining the leash. Still, my overall experience was that this is a harsh tobacco. That shouldn't be the case with everyone (or even most people), but the burley (if it's there) really sandpapered my tongue.

Leaving that aside, the other strong impression I had was that this HG blend is SG's 1792 Flake without the tonkin essence. It's almost as strong as 1792, and has a lot of the flavor of that blend, but it lacks the *je ne sais quoi* of tonkin. Tastes are overwhelmingly savory, especially in the last half. Woodsmoke, mushrooms, butter, hints of Worcestershire and anchovy sauce. Lakeland scent peeps out at you every once in a while and then disappears before reappearing again at random intervals. Thick white-grey smoke, too, if you like that sort of thing.

On the whole, I didn't enjoy this. But I really appreciate its quality, and if you like very strong tobacco, or tried 1792 and hated the tonkin, then be sure to give this one a go.

Just checking to see I’ve got the right packet....Yep, it’s Dark Birds Eye all right. Moving on from Bothy flake....most enjoyable to this Gawith Hoggarth offering, I feel like I’m in Lakeland country. No, I’ve not just swallowed a bunch of geraniums, nor have I imbibed a bottle of Fairy liquid, but I’m getting Lakeland, Lakeland, when there oughtn’t to be any. My pipe isn’t ghosting, so it’s just me, I guess . Boy, is this tobacco strong. I smoke Cuban Bolivars and this holds up in punch any day of the week. Yes, I get that sweet Virginia flavour with masses of complex spice. I can see how this would be a connoisseur smoke. If you’re a beginner please do not try this, not even after or during a large alcoholic imbibation. The nicotine level is so off the scale that any recommendation from me would put you in for a session of Chemotherapy. All said and done, this tobacco would amply suit an experienced piper, but only after a hearty meal and definitely no inhaling, so four stars to those who have the stomach. One star, if that, for me, alas.

This is a tobacco i dont cant regulary smoke. Best smoking time for me from March - May.

Tast is very full. Reminds me on to long roasted, speak to very dark brown roasted hazelnuts.

Nicotine too, special the last third of a bowl. Last time i bought it was round about 8 years ago. And it isnt gone. Every year 3 oz or so is my maximum.

Its hardly to recommand gerneral.

Belongs very much to the smoker. Because the Nic-tolerance

2-3 Stars.

Not a bad tobacco, but not something I will smoke regularly. will gracefully finish my bag over the winter. By the way this will cake up your bowl lickety split!

Wow! Light up a bowl of this and you'll be well on your way to vomit city— it's a damned strong tobacco. Many say that this is high in nicotine content, but I'm not so sure. I know that the tobacco itself is extremely harsh— inhaling this will lead to intense coughing.

I couldn't smoke this stuff in a pipe, so I put it aside (I don't know where I put it, and frankly I'd rather not find it). A few months later, someone rolled me a cigarette with, I think it was 'Drum' tobacco, and that was it— Dark Birdseye for a fraction of the price. I can't say that it's cigaretteish, because Drum tobacco tastes nothing like the pre-packaged cigarettes, but it is certainly very similar to Drum. This tobacco would probably be better off in small quantities, in cigarettes or in a filtered pipe (I don't own any), because in a regular pipe this will knock you out.

This tobacco is a breeze to smoke once rubbed out, but it is a powerhouse. I think that this one is best left to the seasoned professional. It made me a bit dizzy but it has a great taste. I do wish that it was a bit downed down. Who knew that too much of a good thing was not so good.

I just finished my first bowl (in a small clay) of Dark Birdseye, or, Devil's Birdseye, if you prefer. I see it's been compared to a double espresso. I'd make that a triple, with a shot of nitroglycerin. Whew! I had to rope and hogtie this one in order to smoke it. Consequently, I'm writing this while my head's still spinning with the buzz.

I appreciate this tobacco for its strength. I can see how a bowlful or two of this would help one stay awake on a mid-watch. It does have a unique character.

This is one of the heaviest punchers in it's weight class. It's like inviting George Foreman to use your tonsils as a punching bag. It's not a beginner's smoke, and for someone taking up a pipe again after several years, like I am, it's a lesson in stretching limits. It is good, though.

I'll recommend it as a tobacco that gets your attention with a 2 x 4, but manages to keep me challenged once it settles down. This won't make my regular rotation, still, I'll enjoy it in moderation, and on occasion.

Hobbits must be made of much sterner stuff than I am, if this was, as previously mentioned, their "Longbottom Leaf!"

Update: july 14th 2006: Folks here at Tobaccoreviews sure are in good spirits this summer. Out fo 81 new reviews today, they are only 7 'not recommended' tobaccos. (Of course one of them was mine;-} Anyway, I have to remove a star for this one. As much as I want to like this tobacco, it is just too rough on my throat. Also, it's not quite as strong as I first thought. 2 sterne.

Previously. . . Actually, I like this quite a bit. It is rather rope-like in flavor. Not sweet, a little spicey, a little dry(the flavor, not the tobacco) and strong. I like this more than the ropes I've tried and, since I think of them as similar, will adjust my rope review accordingly. This is very easy to over-pack. Not so much so as Penzance, but tricky anyway, so go light. It also smokes very fast, as others have said, so go slow if you're not used to a nic kick. The flavor doesn't migrate too much, but gets stronger through the smoke. I find bigger bowls better. I smoke this two or three times a week straight and mix it up too, sometimes. Goes well with cannon plug, or other lakelands. . . . There's a reccomendation that's not gonna make to many friends.