Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Kendal Kentucky

Looking threw my cellar for something for xmas morning I discovered a 6 yr old gallon jar of this blend pop the lid and was greeted with a nice moist & sweet burley smell very unique, knowing shag cut I grabbed a fair amount for a couple of bowls , let it air dry on my tobacco bowl(paper plate) for 30 Min. stuffed my favorite chimney meerschaum & 2 charing lights& some steady puffing,was hit with a smooth & more mellow KK then when it was young very nutty ,sweet & much more mellow no tongue bite no matter how aggressive I smoked ,detected a sweetness that was not there before ,what can I say if you like 1 diminutional tobacco (not a bad thing in this case) with a little N kick in the pants this is a good blend for that but I would recommend put some in the cellar(office closet)for several years.

I recently picked up two ounces of Kentucky from my local shop. I love burley and, this variety will surely please those smokers who favor the natural essence of dark cured burley. Although there is no scent added to this variety, a wonderful aroma of charred vanilla and pepper are released during the first few pulls after the initial light. Following this initial phase, the robust characteristics of full-strength burley dominate the pallet the entire life of the bowl. This is one of my favorite's that I smoke straight or, use for my own blends that are burley based. When used as a base for blending, its shag-like consistency makes blending a bit difficult with cube and square cut tobaccos. Although most of the reviews that you made read for Gawith-Hoggarth tobaccos refelct an air of dominating strength and potency, I viewe them as a throw back to the old days of uncased, well cured, natural tobaccos that yeild pleasure for all pipe smokers.

A blend consisting of African grown Kentucky cured burley and nothing else. In the UK this tends to be sold in bulk form as “dark Kentucky shag”.

I can detect no additional flavouring at all in this blend, other than the smoke that was used to cure the tobacco. I detest some of the floral scents used by G&H and I can’t detect any in this tobacco.

I sometimes wonder if what people identify as “Lakeland soap” is actually the result of the wood and other plant materials used to make African dark fired tobacco. The process is very much the same as the way latakia is cured.

Anyway, on to the tobacco. It’s a shag cut, which means it’s not really a proper shag but more of a narrow ribbon - EU regulations mean any tobacco cut as fine as a traditional shag attracts a higher tax rate as a “cigarette tobacco”. I don’t think the narrow ribbon cut makes any difference to how it smokes in a pipe compared to a true shag cut other than slowing the burn rate a bit. It handles easily, packs easily and lights easily even straight from the pouch. Moisture level is fine as supplied.

Taste-wise this is a typical old-fashioned Kentucky tobacco. Elements of woody smokiness, a touch of spice, some herbal elements and the nutty burley itself blend really well together. It reminds me of the little Italian Toscanino cigars which are made from a similar tobacco. Only this is better. I smoke quite a lot of this and the Virginia based G&H Dark Birdseye, which it resembles except the Kentucky is less brash and assertive. It’s not much like the Dark shag/flake, which has a tang all of its’ own.

The flavour is definitely full - I’ve a serious cold at the moment, can’t taste anything - except this tobacco which has the worst the cold bugs can do beat. It’s a good outdoor tobacco as well, retaining its flavour in a way many tobaccos somehow don’t. Aging doesn’t add anything to the blend, but so long as it’s kept well sealed and moist doesn’t seem to harm it either.

It also packs quite a nicotine punch. Like a lot of traditional old-fashioned British tobacco blends it’s one for pipes with small bowls.

I can’t recommend this enough if you are looking for a straightforward, full flavour, full strength tobacco that you can just load into a pipe and light up.

A nice shag from fine ribbons, looks similar to Kendal Dark, but smells and taste very different. Whilst Kendal Dark is nutty and has some sweetness, Kendal Kentucky is a very hearty smoke.

The scent from the sample bag is smoky, earthy and little nutty. Dark brown in color.

Packed some of it into my Corn Cob and went on a journey to Kentucky...!

Already on first few puffs I got greeted by a decent smokiness, that intensified a bit more as I progressed. A nuty undertone joins in, as well as hint of sweetness, but really just a hint. Maybe some dark (70-80% cocoa) chocolate to it, too and a minor toasty quality. Earthy, woodsy and smoky with nutty, chocolaty undertone this is full-bodied and has quite some flavors to offer for a pure Kentucky blend... hearty and a top-notch Kentucky blend. The first pure (dark fired) Kentucky blend I came across, and I'm excited to get more of this!

Wonderful smoke, best to be enjoyed in small bowls, as it carries some "oomph"! As it has only one ingridient, it doesn't need wide bowls to develop imo, and is a neat, hearty filler for inbetween or as a night cap in bigger bowls.

4/4 stars, excellent blend!

A very good tobacco from GH.
It's TOBACCO!
A good nicotine hit, light very easily, no tongue bite. The taste is full.
It's a very interesting tobacco if you need to add a nic hit to another ribbon tobacco by blending it by yourself (it's the same for Dark Flake unscented to mix with other flake).
It's a need in my cellar.

Great straight VA/Burley? here. The flavor is unique at least to for me right now but I really like it. It has an oak and hay-like taste for me and is not sweet like other blends of this type. Something makes we want more of it. It is in my regular rotation now and I would like to see how it ages if I can keep it around long enough. The shag cut is also a plus as it burns quickly great for a mid-morning smoke before getting back to work.

I received this from a fellow forum-ite as a sizable and somewhat aged (over a year old) sample. Please bare with me as this is my first pipe review here.. and I've only been smoking pipe seriously for about 8 months now so my palette is still in training. GH Kendal Kentucky is in a single word.. STRONG.. It's flavorful, and packs a strong dose of nicotine. I prefer this blend in a smallish pipe, especially a cob or my smaller SMS Meer. There is only the slightest hint of lakeland-like essence to it.. It gave me no tongue bite and I smoked it slowly to make sure it didn't turn bitter as some burley based tobby's are want to do. I find its a great "After a big meal" or last smoke of the night blend.. Highly recommend this to those with strong nic tolerances who actually want great flavor too!

Its Christmas 2009 and one of my presents was a 4oz bag of KK. Smoking it right now in a custom made free form with a Dublin style bowl. This is everything that I hoped for and more. It brings back memories of walking through the woods of Northern Michigan. The smells of cedar, maple and oak filled the damp air with a touch of fern under foot. Smells of a log cabin with a fire roaring in the Franklin stove and a coffee pot brewing on top. What a great smell. This one may not please everyone but its a nice reminder of what pipe smoking can be. Happy Christmas to all and to all a good smoke !

EDIT: Two things that I have experienced that I think I should pass along. 1. Dont smoke on an empty stomach

2. This tobacco is strong enough to do a basement or garage run when in the company of non-smokers and still get your 'fix'.

Happy Smoking all !

Its now 2010 and I have a new shipment of KK. Surprisingly its a bit stronger than the batch that I had last year, but still delivers. Got some Dark Birds Eye this time too, I seem to like that a bit better than the KK. Going to jar up a few oz's of the KK and see what happens in a few months.

No nonsense full rich tobacco taste, if you like straight tobacco and some strength this could be for you. Only thing that may be a negative for me, it is a fast burn. I give it a full 4stars on its own merit and not comparing this to any other tobacco that I have had, as it is clearly unique in my opinion.