Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Coffee Caramel

I have a confession to make. I have an exceedingly sweet tooth. And that is why I am invariably drawn to pipe tobacco with labels like Strawberry Sherbet or Sweet Coconut ?n? Rum. Or Coffee Caramel.

This syrupy black cavendish is sold loose in many UK tobacconists, including my local. It is exceedingly moist, to the point of actually being sticky to the touch, due to the very heavy caramel topping. It was allowed to dry in its pouch for about a fortnight, which went some way to helping the moisture levels (or at least eliminating the stickiness). The colour is almost exclusively black, with occasional dark brown flecks.

The pouch aroma is incredibly sweet. The scent of the caramel topping is extremely pungent, the coffee taking a back seat. The aroma is reminiscent of soft caramel chocolates. It is very appealing, but pervasive ? I can smell the pouch, which rests on the coffee table, from across the room.

The tobacco is easily packed into a small, cheap pipe I reserve for aromatics. Lighting is easy. However, keeping the pipe lit can be awkward (due, I think, to the moisture level) ? this was resolved with careful puffing.

Upon lighting the initial flavour was, unsurprisingly, sweet. However, the taste was more of lightly toasted sugar than the heavy caramel topping would?ve lead one to believe ? I expected sweetness, but was surprised to find that a sticky caramel taste (as per the pouch aroma) was not really evident and that any coffee flavouring was undetectable. The sheer forcefulness with which the topping has been applied lead me to give a high flavoring rating, even if it is not as overpowering in smoking as one might expect from the unsmoked aroma.

The sweetness soon fades to a mild, tobaccoey flavour. It is fairly bland, but the smoke is thick, creamy and plentiful and there is just enough taste to maintain one?s interest. The nicotine levels are low and hints of the sweet topping occasionally burst forth during the smoke. At this early stage the pipe required frequent relights.

Perhaps due to the lack of flavour, my technique went a little awry and I puffed too vigorously. This tobacco does not bite excessively, but will do so if provoked by over-eager puffing. As the bowl progressed it began to take on a slightly sour edge. The sweetness was still occasionally present, but its influence had waned. The sourness was not, to my mind, entirely unpleasant. In paying more attention, I also cured the relight problem. As the smoke went on a little more strength was apparent in the tobacco.

As I finished the bowl, all sweetness had gone, the weed was stronger and more bitter and there was a slight (and pleasant) tickle to the back of my throat. My pipe was a tad juicy in the final stages (but only a tad) and it smoked right down, leaving no dottle, just a small clump of dry, black-grey ash. The room note was of warm, sweet caramel ? true to the pouch aroma, but without being overpowering. It fades rapidly.

Do I like this tobacco? In some ways, no. It is powerfully cased, a little dull and some work for the net result. However, I can also see its merits. The topping is very appealing and, since it is not as brutal when smoked as when sniffed pre-combustion, you get a sweet, mild, fine-smelling smoke, which, for me, is why I might choose to smoke an aromatic tobacco in the first place. Would I recommend this tobacco? Yes, but the smoker must take it for what it is and not expect too much.

This is an aromatic that delivers. What I mean by that is, the pouch aroma *does* come through in the smoke, if not exactly the same. Don't expect coffee, expect sweetness, expect the caramel. It's like smoking a dessert. The coffee may be in there, but it's too light for me to taste.

This tobacco is very moist, a very gooey aromatic. Be careful of the tobacco juice if you're not using a filter. I wouldn't recommend this in a large bowl, because it becomes quickly very sickly, as if you're smoking a bowl of sugar. I suppose that's what you're after, though. Take this one slow, as tasty as it is. I did get a little light headed once, puffing away on this like a demon, as the strength of the flavouring is very deceptive of the nicotine content, despite how mild it may be, it caught me out!

It's a tobacco that, once packed and puffed properly, will deliver and meet expectation for you sweettooths out there. I did not experience any bite, but it does burn quite hot. The cavendish quality itself is fantastic, giving this tobacco a pure black appearance, and you'll end up with slightly sticking fingers when packing. Fantastic room note. A perfect combination of the tobacco and flavouring delivers a full aromatic experience, and perhaps a little too overwhelming for some with the amount of sweetness here.

A highly recommended aromatic to anyone looking for something this sweet, for a more neutral audience, however, consider whether you want something so gooey and sweet to smoke.

As a beginner to pipe smoking I bought this within an 8 different blends sample. Having only tried 3 blends and all were aromatics this one is on my top 3 haha. I enjoyed the subtle coffee taste although it was most noticeable at the first few draws. I would like to try this blend again in the future when my palette is more developed.

I really wanted to like this blend because I have a craving for Caramel and true Coffee tasting blends. Yes, I tasted both in this one, but the strength that I enjoy just was not there. I mixed in some Five Brothers (powerful shag cut burley that adds strength without adding much flavor) in the hopes it would perk up the blend. It did, and that was fine, except it diluted the Caramel Coffee taste. Oh well...

Very moist , nice tin note , very sweet, almost a sickly sweet Carmel smell. Once in the pipe and lit , after a few attempts, there was very little taste of anything to be honest, flat, tasteless and very mild. One I won't be buying again.

ready rubbed jet black mixture. moist out of the pouch but not overly..packs well and could make use sime drying to get a perfect light however i lit directly and had few relights (not a tiersome tobacco at all). the casing is brilliant and i can taste the caramel and coffe by sipping on the pipe before and after lighting it! the strength is more than i usually encounter with aromatic but wont knock your socks off. the room note is sweet and acceptable to many. i guess gwaith and hogarth stand for its reputation one more time.

Gawith Hoggarth - Coffee Caramel.

Simple: lots of caramel, lots of coffee, and a very mild flavour of Cavendish. In all fairness, the coffee requires retro-haling to make it clearer, otherwise the caramel rules the roost! Tongue bite? None, plus, the temperature's icy cold, making for an exceptionally comfortable smoke! Just the room-note makes it worth smoking!

A brilliant aro'.

Four stars.

Without a doubt, my favourite pipe tobacco. As with snuff, I find the name of a tobacco is just that, so don't expect this to be particularly 'coffee' or 'caramel'. It is, however, a wonderfully easy smoke that leaves me satisfied. There is a sweet bitterness to the taste that I find most agreeable. I buy this stuff loose from my local tobacconist, the excellent 'West Cornwall Cigar Co.' in Penzance, Cornwall. And at the current price of £5.00 for 25g, I can't think of a better way to spend a fiver!! I smoke this stuff all day, everyday. Yum, yum...

Same as cherry and vanilla, just a different flavour. The tobacco quality is the same, and as I said in my review for C & V an average aromatic that isn't bad in all fairness.

I mixed it with C & V and created quite a pleasant aromatic concoction.

Coffee, caramel, cherry and vanilla......Mmmmm!

It certainly turns a few heads...

Very nice caramel tasting tobacco, i definitely get the coffee with a retro hale. You can get some sweetness along with some bitterness from the coffee which goes great together with the caramel. The room note on this is one of my favorites, very comforting and relaxing. Also a great tobbacco to combine with others.