Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Happy (Brown) Bogie Unsliced

The fermented, savory, rugged dark fired and dark air cured Virginias provide a ton of earth, wood, tangy ripe and dried dark fruits, plenty of smoky barbecue, spice, vegetation, floralness, leather, some tangy stewed fruits, herbs, grass, bread, light tart and and tangy citrus, and a few sugar, tea, cigar and sour notes as the lead components. Very strong and extra full in flavor, the nicotine level is very potent. It won’t bite, but it has hints of harshness and plenty of rough edges, even though the creamy quality of the Virginias does tame them a mite. It needs some dry time, and a sharp knife to cut it. Well balanced, it burns cool and clean at a plodding pace with a very consistent, boldly deep and rich, mildly complex sweet and savory flavor that translates to the long lingering after taste, and pungent room note. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and requires a fair number of relights. Not an all day smoke by any means, and I suggest a small bowl for this one. Three and a half stars.

-JimInks

Gawith Hoggarth - Happy/Brown Bogie.

Strong, strong, strong! This tobacco has a lot of power, possibly too much for some however I think it's a good smoke! The twist itself is robust in stature, it's not as as much as something like Deluxe Twist but it is a good c.m thick. The aroma from the twist imminently makes me think "this is going to be a hearty smoke", its quite a strong aroma that becomes more available when sliced into coins and rubbed out. Mine is of a good moistness, that said though, it's been in a baggie for about a month so it may have been a bit damp to begin and the water has diminished but sadly I can't comment!

Happy Bogie lights up with incredible ease, and if the bowl has been loaded correctly it burns steadily leaving a white ash as it goes. The tobacco flavour from this is very full and to me it tastes a little fire cured. Did I mention that this is strong?!! I think, basically, if you don't like nicotine then KEEP AWAY! The smoke is of a good temperature and doesn't bite any, so if you like to 'chug' hard this will suit you! A less positive attribute is the room note, it has a slightly acrid/burnt tone to it, one of the few low factors. Sadly, when the pipe is finished another negative exudes itself, my mouth has quite a heavy coating of goo in it but if it's smoked for a quick 10 minute nicotine fix I don't get the mouth coating.

I think, considering all the different qualities, this is a great 'short break' smoke but if you require something to sit and relax with all evening then this won't suit!

A tin note of raisins with very subtle sweetness. This is a tobacco that demands respect. The rope form it comes in is a nice change from other forms. I use an Inuit ulu knife to shave 1/8" slices then lightly rub out. TW from an earlier review stated that these types of tobaccos are from a time where small bowled pipes were the norm. As such, I tried deep briars and cobs and found that my Peterson 407 loves this tobacco because of its small bowl. I've smoked several bowls of this and find that it is getting nicer each time. I store all of my tobaccos in mason jars and believe that this aids in aging immensely. The smoke is strong, but at the same time smooth and has a wonderful flavour. When exhaled out the nose, there is a tingle at the end that reminds you that it has power. I find that the "N" factor is quite manageable if sipped and savoured.

Also, I found that this goes well with a bottle of coca cola, (old timey glass bottle not the new plastic bottles). Reminiscint of fine cigars this one is not a tobacco to smoke as a fledgling, but it is different from the norm and a joy to smoke.

Need a short blast of pure VA power with strong N? Smoke this. The twist cuts easily with scissors and rubs out fairly well afterwards. Pack it fairly loosely to start. A little peppery. Yes, it's strong, so try it the first time or two in your smallest pipe (I favor a little rosewood pipe). It smokes fairly cool, but if you rub it out a lot it does burn a tad on the fast side.

I do love this stuff, it is ideal in a small bowl on a cold night and for a quick smoke. It does not bite and just keeps delivering the nicotine! I will keep trying different varieties but I've got a feeling I will come back to my bogie for more!

This, as many of the Gawith & Hoggarth's go, is the everclear of tobacco. The trashcan punch. The rough "woman of negotiable affection" at the Texas border down on the Mexican side.

A great pipe tobacco if you enjoy movies full of violence, action morbid horror. I do.

Also great if you are an ex-cigarette smoker trying to stave off nicotine cravings. Be satisfied in spades.

Images evoked include a zombie crawling through murky swamps with sliced hamstrings and a penchant for alligator brains.

Last Saturday a friend of mine gave me a nice section of this rope. This one is slightly smaller than a dime and cut easily with my cigar cutter. Dark brown, all-natural Virginia it says. When I unraveled my small cut off plug, I was greeted with leaf tobacco somewhat like a cigar wrapper. This stuff is probably the moistest tobacco I have had and was a BEE to keep lit. I have had about six bowls of this in my Poker Meerschaum and find it fairly potent in the nicotine department. This has a really nice strong natural tobacco taste. Like others have said probably one for a little more experienced pipe smokers aka as nicotine junkies. Other than the problem of keeping lit and I am not exaggerating on that point, I found it really good. In my limited patience I even let this dry out some. Maybe my problem was I was stuffing the whole leaves into my bowl. Maybe I should have torn it up more but I digress. This apparently is hard to get as I searched 3 popular online sites and they were all out of stock. I signed up for an email notification on one site and was number 788. Good luck getting that one.

This is my favorite of the G&H ropes. It has a smooth, full bodied all tobacco taste and a heavy dose of vitamin N. I find it doesn't taste as good as Petersons Irish Flake but it makes a good substitute. It costs less and is easier to find than IF, so this stuffs a keeper and I'll always have a pound at hand.

I am always asked by cigar smokers who are switching to the pipe what would be a good blend to try that would replace the flavor of their cigars. I always recommended blends containing cigar leaf but after smoking a good bit of this blend this week, I will now suggest it to them from now on. This blend really does have the flavor and strenth of a good cigar. It packs a nicotine whallup, it flat out hits you and it will smoke from a nice mild beginning at first light and as it smokes down the bowl, it picks up strenth very quickly. It comes in a roll of rope that is thinner than most being it's only about less than a half an inch in diameter and it is a dark and rich brown. It's rolled very tight and must be dried out awhile to be able to crumble it up and smoke. The smoke is very creamy and heavy with a very sweet VA taste with the boldness of a cigar. The room note is heavy but tolerable, still has the aroma of pipe tobacco and not cigar like but it is very strong smelling.

The nice thing I like about this blend is that it has such a strong taste profile and "N" hit but it is at the same time gentle on the pallette and unless pushed to hard, it does not bite. It smokes at a nice slow pace, and burns clean down to the botttom of the pipe without much dottle left and it leaves a gritty grey ash. The aroma of the rasw rope in the pouch is very VA sweet and clean. I really enjoy this blend when I feel like a cigar and it's terrific with a good stout beer. Not for the faint of heart as it is a strong blend, but for more experinced smokers it is a must try blend.