Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Sweet Rum Twist

This is one of my favourite late night tobaccos. As an ex-cigarette smoker I like tobaccos with a bit of a nicotine kick and this one really hits the spot.

Flavour-wise it's pretty much pure tobacco with a nice spicyness and a hint of sweetness from the rum topping which prevents it from becoming too harsh. Inhaling the smoke with the "French inhale" method reveals a very pleasant aroma (although as an outdoor smoker I have no idea what the room note would be like in an enclosed space).

To prepare this one for smoking I cut off a couple of thin discs with a cigar cutter and then rub out fully, breaking up any over-large strands. I usually let it stand for a few minutes prior to packing as the centre of the rope can be a little moist. I then pack it in a nice small prince basket pipe.

If you're not into nicotine-heavy tobaccos then I'd recommend steering clear of this one as I can imagine the hit would leave your head spinning heavily. For those who like a nice kick then I highly recommend this one.

I believe this is the same as the other listing, Rum Twist Unsliced, which is linked in the Similar To section of the review.

I'm kind of torn on this one. I've given 3/4 considering how I've found it relative to other ropes, but all in all, it would be more of a 2 from me. In general this reminded me much of a cigar, and maybe with a bit of the rum flavoring. For a cigar, I can make a passage for air and light it and am good to go, so for the prep work necessary for ropes, I'd really want it to differ more from that.

You can view my video review of this blend here:

https://youtu.be/TB5SUZMijlA

Solid nic punch.Prep is very hit or miss as well. I love the aroma but the rum is just a whisper. A small bowl is indicated yet a large may last allday. Old woman read that this was an aromatic Maybe in a crowded public bathroom!(This suggested a compromise. Perhaps I could smoke in the one you never use? She reminded me that an old toilet resides in the garage. I may leave something unspeakable in that one just to piss her off.But I would pay dearly so .....) Good strong smoke.

Aside from the obvious thought of "who left this 'surprise' in the bag", you effectively have a cigar to saw off discs from. Cutting the rope apart was one of my biggest gripes, as the leaves would tend to unroll into very large sheet which made packing a pain. You also need to wait awhile for the inside of the rope to dry out as the inside was damp. This stuff was a bugger to get lit even after drying it out.

I didn't detect any booze or rum currents, just a faint aroma I imagined to be powdered sugar dusted inside an old wood drawer. It was light, sweet, and mixed with an antique cabinet scent. Once lit however; the taste was just flat. Certainly there wasn't anything rum or tasty here, just a mouthful of that bitter 'cigar' taste and a lot of spittle that gurgled in the stem. It wasn't even overly nicotine heavy, so I have no clue who would appreciate this one.

I suppose the tactile feel of sawing up a rope could be a draw for some, but for me, I just wanted to forget the whole affair and quest for an actual tasty aromatic (stick with East India Trading Co.'s Royal Challenge for your rum fix).

I was lucky to get ahold of a sample of this from a UK pipe friend, as G&H is unavailable here in Germany!

Neat little rope tobacco, rich brown in color and inconspicuous in scent. The rum is very faintly present, sports a sour-sweet rum aroma on top of the earthy tobaccos. The scent already hints towards it: This is a hearty, bold smoke!

Cut some coins, rubbed them out and let it dry for a few hours, as it comes quite moist. Packed my clay, and fired this weed up.

First puffs gave me a honey-sweet, slightly rum-ish aroma, before the tobaccos started to kick in. Rich in earth with some woodsy dimension to it. The sweetness takes a step back, as the tobacco aroma is unfolding and takes its comfty seat in the backrow, but is always present. A decent nuttiness builds up and joins the hearty melange, that also has some decent spice to it. After the first quarter, the rum aroma got a bit more noticeable and gained a slightly alcohol-ish touch it. Even tho I don't drink, nor like alcohol I found it quite pleasant and not distracting from the tobaccos.

Having smoked Brown Twist, Whiskey Twist and this, I'd go with: No.1 Brown Twist; No.2 Rum Twist; No.3 Whiskey Twist. I prefer unflavored ones, so Brown is the lead. Yet I find the Rum Twist a tad better than the Whiskey Twist, but they are both very good! Whilst Whiskey Twist is more malty in aroma, this one really has some rum-flavor to it, but a pleasant, unobtrusive and gently sweet one!

Presentation is rope - brown, between nickel and quarter diameter. Looks and feels dry, but oozes oils when prepped. To prep, one must slice thin coins with a sharp blade and then rub out the coins. Needs some drying time.

The rum flavor in my latest batch seems somewhat lightly applied. The rum flavor is quite accurate - it doesn't taste like "rum flavoring" at all, it really does taste like rum. The topping is a bit sweet, certainly sweeter than the whiskey twist. The underlying tobacco is the same in these twists.

This is brown rope...if you don't know what that means, here's what you need to know - prep is a bit of a pain, it takes a while to get it lit and it needs a higher than normal number of relights, and (most importantly) it is very very strong in nicotine. I'm not exaggerating - this is some of the strongest stuff out there.

Highly recommended.

Not sure who set up this blend, but it's made of dark-fired Virginia like the rest of the GH twists. It's a brown twist, uncooked and powerful. The rum adds a little (imo necessary) sweetness to the mix.

As with all the GH twists, I slice into coins, break them up lightly, and gravity fill.

Of the twists, this is my favorite, I think the rum adds a needed bit of complexity to otherwise very pure, clean tobacco flavor. But don't buy this expecting Burley or Kentucky tobacco, it has neither.

Oof! This is one that'll make you wanna sit down! I've said it before; I love Gawith, Hoggarth tobaccos and this is definitely one that I enjoyed. Way too strong to enjoy it everyday, Rum Twist is a tobacco that has huge flavor, definite body, and is a bit overbearing in nicotine.

A lot of reviewers have said that it is too cigar-like and I can see where they would get such an idea, but to me it's just a strong tobacco in the old style. It was a little moist when I received it, so I sliced out a few "coins" and let them sit out for about 15 minutes before puffing. I usually don't let tobacco dry out before smoking, but when it comes as wet as if it was from Samuel Gawith, I have no choice. When it's ready, it's an experience, though. The Rum topping is more of an afterthought than an actual topping and after a few puffs I can't even detect it anymore.

I had trouble deciding what rating to give this one. I really like it, but there's no way I could smoke it every day, much less back to back. I've been working on a 4 oz rope that I bought from smokingpipes.com almost a year ago and I still have almost an ounce left of it. Right now, I'll give it three stars, but I always reserve the right to change that after further experience. I do highly recommend buying some, even if it's just for the novelty of it and the experience of smoking a rope. I found Rum Twist to be fun and rewarding. Just not an everyday smoke.

Rum Twist Unsliced;

Star Rating = 3.5;

Rating Scores - 10 is the Best and 0 is the Worst;

Pouch Note = 9;

Room Note = 9;

Flavor = 9;

Bite = 9;

Burn = 9;

After Taste = 9;

Raw Score = 54;

Rated Percentage = 90%;

Comment = Smooth, Strong Strength, Full Body Tobacco Flavor, has a slight After Taste, White Ash Burn.

If you are one who likes to “play” with your tobacco, by all means get this “Twist” form of tobacco, you can spend countless hours “Slicing, Dicing and Drying” this “Twist” tobacco before it is ready to smoke. I admit I am a lazy pipe smoker so I didn't find this necessary extra preparation exercise to be of any value to heighten my pipe smoking enjoyment. You had better have a sizable ignition source on hand because you are going to need a lot of BTU's to get this “Twist” tobacco to light. Once you achieve the first ignition you will need to have your best “Tamping Tool” at the ready to handle the endless re-packings and re-lights that this “Twist” form of tobacco requires. Perhaps you have detected that the “Twist” form of tobacco is not my “cup of tea”.