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

A true classic of it's kind. Old fashioned tobacco as it used to be. Sure, there's a lot of nicotine, but smoked slowly it's a very gentle nicotine, if you see what I mean. Go at it too fast though and it's headache territory. Pipe bowls were relatively small when tobaccos like this were first created.

As for flavour, the Indian air-cured component adds a nice tangy/savoury edge similar to G&H's (unscented) Dark Flake but in an overall less harsh package (Indian cheroots are something else - more power than the strongest Havana). As for the Malawi fire-cured part of the blend, "smooth and deep" are the words that come to mind. The start is a dry taste that gathers some savoury sweetness as the bowl burns down, but without the over-load of sugar that some (e.g. Sam Gawith) flakes have.

Everyone should try this at least once. Not as a "rite of passage" but to experience and, hopefully, get to understand a truly fine tobacco that's been made pretty much the same way for a very long time.

If the hassle of preparing it puts you off, or if you've never tried to prepare a rope tobacco before, I suggest buying the ready-sliced version, at least to begin with. It's exactly the same tobacco, with the assurance that it's correctly prepared for optimum smoking.

I've been told by many people (including non-smokers) that the smell is pleasant. Some even use the word "nice".

I can't recommend it enough.

Quaint, these twists. There is a rich and robust pure tobacco aroma in the bulk form. I use a utility knife and a small wooden box as a cutting board to slice what I need to fill a cob bowl. The slices rub out with little effort. It is moist, but I don't dry it, and it burns just fine. It fires right up and burns cool and dry. Delicious. I think Dark Flake carries more tobacco strength, but the nicotine may be more evident here. Excellent African tobacco taste. No need to fear this tobacco. Puff away, there is no tongue bite. Bold yes, harsh no. I find this more enjoyable than the highly acclaimed flue-cured VAs.

Starts with just a touch of florals which rapidly dissipate leaving just the natural flavors of the Virginias. Deep, bold and earthy. Very, very satisfying. Basically no complexity here, just a rich, stout Virginia smoke. Burns slow and cool even when very dry. I can find no faults with this rope. I find it to be very pleasing. One of GH's best.

Medium in body. Medium to full in taste. Not enough floral scent to rate. Burns perfectly.

Happy Bogie has been around for many years but was much more easily obtained in the USA in the late 1990s and early 2000s. I never saw one of those 8oz bags of this one but it was offered frequently at shops that carry G&H tobaccos in two ounce packages. My rope was about 10-years old when I obtained it, and quite dry, which made cutting easier. I used a hair pin to punch holes in the little discs once sliced, and then packed them one on top of the other in my pipe for smoking. The leaf burned very well in this manner but still very slowly. I was swooning at mid bowl, and the quality leaf within made me very.... well, happy!

This is a smoke for working men. In flat caps.

It's honest, straightforward, genuine.

It's a rough diamond.

It's salt and pepper. Musty and bold.

I absolutely love it!

Ah, truly a grandpa tobacco.  Grandpa was the sort of fellow who would buy a cigar, break off a 1" bit and park it in his jowl.  He was a braver man than I, as I only smoke them.

I would describe the taste of Brown Bogie as dark, sweet and powerful.  The "lakeland essence" mainly burns off by mid bowl.  The room note is a mixture of cigarish and perfumey and lingers a good while.  I would wonder about the reasoning behind adding such a perfumey scent to an otherwise manly tobacco but the idea of using this as a chew explains it all.  I've never tried chewing it and probably won't, but I'll bet it's tasty.

It seems like a few of my fellow reviewers mention smoking this in a small bowl.  That's understandable due to it's strength.  It's reputed nicotine strength is what attracted me to Brown Bogie initially, and it's the only tobacco I currently smoke capable of inducing hiccups.  But I'd like to mention that it seems like when I smoke it in a larger bowl, the power seems somewhat reduced and more virginia flavor seems to come out.

This one is a keeper for me...

Are you the kind of person who takes the words "all you can eat" as a challenge? Do you order the hottest hot wings or vindaloo just to see if you can take it? If so, this might be for you. More of a rite of passage than a pipe-tobacco, Brown/Happy Bogie will test your limits. I could feel the nicotene burning my nose as I smelled it in the tin; an indication of things to come.

"Bogie," my fellow Americans, is not (just) a golf term, it is the British version of our word "booger." That's right, a tobacco named after something you'd find in your nose. But one look at it, and you'll see why that's by no means the worst thing you could compare it to. Looks to me more like something your dog leaves in the grass. But I digress. My method of preparation: Slice it into thin coins and then dry the coins out, then partially rub it out and it's ready to smoke.

The smoke will knock your socks off. Strong, bitter, and often harsh. But that is mostly only in the initial light-up. Then it settles down, smooths out, and is nice and coffee/cigar-like. To be enjoyed in small doses. Not an all-day or even every-day smoke, just a once in a while, or once in a lifetime smoke to teach you not to fear lesser tobaccos.

Who would have thought that such a tiny rope could have such strong and bold flavors. This stuff took me be surprise! It has a very distinct dark roasted flavor that I've never experienced before I was schooled on the GH&Co. blends. I'm a big fan of the Indian leaf they use and this is indeed a very strong blend, I do not recommend this one for beginners. I don't detect any flavorings added and there's nothing but good natural tobacco flavors here. Simply essential.

Rope and plug tobbaco are my favorites. Always brings back memories of my childhood and watching my grandfather and great grandfather smoke with the family. It seems to special the extra care that is given here. It is raining this am and I pulled out...Happy Bogie. This is a very strong tobacco. When fixing for a smoke you can smell the wood, smokiness and spices. If not rubbed correctly tends to go out. Slice very thin and rub out to small flakes. Lights easy and needs to be smoked slow. I would say a seasoned pipester tobacco