Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Kendal Kentucky

Back in April of this year, I bought three pint canning jars with 2 oz of the seller's bulk stash in each one. One of them turned out to be Gawith, Hoggarth Kendal Kentucky. When I first examined it I was taken aback at the very fine ribbon cut of this blend and it reminded me of cigarette rolling blends I have handled over the years. I showed this blend to other experienced and long-term pipe smokers and they had the same reaction as I did - It looks like a cigarette rolling blend. The jar aroma was wonderful and I felt I was sniffing a quality Burley forward tobacco. Interestingly, I detected no Lakeland essence in the jar aroma. Then I lit it and all became clear. The floral perfume of the Lakeland essence hit and that was that. This G H & Co blend has this perfume at a moderately strong level and it persisted from beginning to the end of the bowl. I also was able to detect a rich Burly dominated aroma that I constantly wanted more of all through the smoke. Unfortunately, the Lakeland essence masked this wonderful aroma at all stages. I wanted very much to smoke that Burley forward tobacco, but, was thwarted at all times by the unnecessary and unpleasant perfume. This very sentiment is stated as a "clash" in the review of Emeritus Account 2011-07-30 and I concur with his statement completely - two stars.

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!

I just finished a two-month stint of smoking a quantity of Dark Birdseye, Kendal Dark, and Kendal Kentucky in rotation at various moisture levels, times-of-day, etc. in an effort to decide which one to start buying in bulk. In the end, although they seem quite different when smoked back to back, I can honestly say that if only any one of the three were available, I would lay in a large stock of it and be thankful.

The middle part applies to all three:

The cut is what I would call an "ultra-fine ribbon." Just wider than a true shag, but handles like a shag. I like how it dries out. I like packing it into the pipe. I like how it burns. It can burn really really fast if you truly pay no attention at all, and with tobaccos of this strength it can be unpleasant, but I am lazy and like how easy it is to get these ribbons to smolder compared to larger stuff. Just let it dry until nearly breakable, squeeze it, light it, and puff easy.

Nicotine. There's a lot in here. It awakens the senses, calms the mind, and coats the mouth.

The flavor of these is decidedly dark and strong. Meaty, tangy, oily, a little sweet, fermented, a little smoky. Smoking these is not a multi-dimensional experience like a symphony. More like Sacred Harp sing--4 notes, wild and good and loud. Full on dark tobacco taste. For real. Rough around the edges, raw, old-timey. I have nothing to compare it to, really. I can only say that I really like it and will keep something like this around at all times.

Dark Birdseye is my favorite. Kendal Kentucky is the only one of the three in which I can detect zero non-tobacco flavorants, but it is still tastier than Kendal Dark. It has a raw woody taste (absent in the others) that reminds my of Burley, which is very pleasant. It is decidedly the old-timey-est of the three.

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.

Kendal Kentucky has a lot of positive attributes, and very few negatives. I like the shag cut, which makes packing a bowl very easy. It lights and burns effortlessly. The shag cut makes it burn almost too quickly, and as a result, a bowl won't last too long. I liked the straight Virginia taste, which yielded some delicious nutty flavors. It smoked cool. Zero tongue bite. I did not find this tobacco to be overpowering in the nicotene component, it did put me in the bathroom once, but it did not bother me otherwise. Kendal Kentucky burns to a fine white ash, and leaves the bowl clean of dottle. A pleasant, no nonsense, smoke - recommended for those moving up from aromatics and those desiring a change from English blends. Recommended.

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!

Dr. Scott's review nailed it. The only thing I might add is that I find the Lakeland essence a bit obnoxious here, in the sense that I think it tends to clash with the natural taste of this tobacco. The shag cut and massive nicotine hit come together to make this a great quickie smoke when you need one. This blend definitely has it's place, which for me will be at the back of the shelf, to be broken out on rare occasion rather than regular.

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.