Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Kendal Kentucky

It's boldly earthy, woody, floral, herbal, vegetative, nutty, toasty, with a light brown sugar sweetness as well as a hint of cocoa, a lot of spice, and notable sourness without the sludge taste of a strong tobacco. Has a lot of strength and a very full taste level. The nic-hit is potent, and I recommend a small to medium bowl at best. It burns perfectly even, clean and cool, with a very consistent flavor from start to finish. Won't bite and only sports a slight harshness if you puff too fast. Has some roughness. Being a shag cut, it burns a bit fast, but clean with a very consistent, deeply rich and rugged flavor that translates to the long lingering, pleasant after taste, and pungent room note. Requires an average number of relights, and leaves very little moisture in the bowl. Not an all day smoke, but you can always have a bowl later on in the day or night. Also makes a good mixer for a blend that needs help.

-JimInks

For Burley lovers who prefer strength over topping. This one is a powerhouse and perhaps, no, without question, the strongest Burley I've smoked.

Kendal Kentucky, being a Burley, burns with no problem as you might imagine. It is also easy to pack. I usually smoke Burley crimp, ribbon or cube cuts in larger pipes because they burn so fast. With Kendal Kentucky, you may want to try a smaller bowl. If you are not used to blends that impart a powerful dose of nicotine, don't drive while smoking.

The standard by which all fire cured burleys may be judged. Kendal Kentucky is roasty, toasty, smokey, and strong. It manages to be all of these things without being harsh or biting. It doesn't seize you by uvula or make your head spin or your throat tighten. It just has good, tangy tobacco flavor, but with a wooded earthiness than makes it more than apparent that you are smoking burley and not Virginia.

Few burleys and few other tobaccos of this depth and weight manage to be so stout while still being complex and soft on the taste buds. Kendal Kentucky is like the male protagonist in many a Tennessee Williams play: hulking, broad-shouldered, and brooding, but with a definite depth, complexity, and more than a little personal darkness.

If you like Cornell & Diehl's Old Joe Krantz, you're likely going to like Kendal Kentucky. The fact that it manages to be all that it is while still consisting of a single tobacco is a testament to the artistry with which it was produced.

Being a shag, KK is fairly easy to pack and very easy to light. Usually, one charring light gets the ember going perfectly. I never bother to dry it at all. It just seems to taste and burn better straight out of the jar, and that taste is why I'm bothering with a review at all.

KK doesn't change much at all during the smoke. What you get at the light pretty much stays the same all the way down. The overall flavor may get a bit richer and fuller, but the profile doesn't change. The flavor, you ask? It's like describing the flavor of your favorite candy bar without being able to actually see the components. From KK, I get a sweet nuttiness like cashews. I get slightly bitter cocoa. There is a spiciness that tickles my tongue occasionally. If anything actually changes with this blend, it would be that the spiciness becomes more pronounced as the bowl progresses. And lingering in the background is that Gawith Hoggarth flavor that I can detect in almost every blend they make. In some it's pronounced, and in others, such as KK, it's very subdued. The overall effect is a beautiful taste that just makes me want to smoke bowl after bowl. Another thing worth mentioning is the sidestream on this one. The sweet chocolaty cigar-like notes that emanate from the smoldering bowl will make your eyes roll back in your head with ecstasy.

Lastly, the end of a bowl of KK will make you feel awfully good about your pipe smoking prowess. Even a novice such as myself can pretty easily smoke it down to the proverbial white ash. The only possible drawback to this blend is the amount of nicotine it imparts. To call it substantial would be a bit of an understatement. Just keep a glass of tea or soda next to you, and you'll be fine.

I've been smoking this now for over six months and it is a permanent part of my rotation. Rich, creamy mouthfeel that only Kentucky/Burley can give. Smoking this always makes me think of the 19th century, of dark oily locomotives, farm houses full of tools and old hay. It's like entering a time machine. I like it better than the more modern H&H Old Dark Fired which is so popular now, but this is mainly due to the fact that KK is less processed, and has more N, is more straightforward and...well old fashioned. Not a modern smoke at all. Not to knock Old Dark Fired, which may have greater taste depth.

Aging this a bit (and/or microwaving it for a short time in a mason jar) smooths out most of the edges for me.

The shag cut enhances this in ways I do not understand, as a shag cut can often make other tobaccos difficult, fast burning or harsh. Not this one, as long as it's packed correctly and not dried out too much. Wonderful stuff.

I am honored to have this blend be my first review and, tragically, be the first reviewer in a year!

Piping, what a wonderful hobby. Being relatively new to it, I feel as if I live in a constant rabbit hole; continously chasing extinct tobaccos and trying to identify subtle flavors from countless kitchen sink blends.

Not here. Not with Kendal Kentucky. This here is no frills, in your face perfection. The tasting notes are simple; a wonderfully "one-dimensional" tobacco. No guess work. No confusion. Just pure tobacco that asserts its presence and keeps a smile on your face.

All this craziness about being too strong. blah blah blah. Grow a set of balls and experience what our forefathers relied on to build the wonders of the world. Puff slowly, pack loosely and use a conservative bowl size and you will be well rewarded. This is what tobacco should be. Long live Kendal Kentucky!

Summary: A shag-cut dark fired tobacco that mediates the smoky flavor with some sweetness for a satisfying full-power all-day smoke.

Most dark fired blends overdo the "fired." This smoke-cured tobacco mediates the dominating flavor of the fire but keeps its fullness, sweetening it somewhat as a result and allowing for a melange of flavors instead of an oil-on-water separation. As a result, this makes for a good all-day smoke without becoming overwhelming in flavor like many dark fired blends. The shag cut -- while often associated with cheap tobacco in bags -- packs and lights easily and burns well, cooler than many of the other shags I have tried. What makes this blend stand out is its ability to balance the smoky flavor and as a result allow it to stand on its own in contrast to the underlying tobacco taste, creating the enveloping sensation of smoked tobacco instead of nearly burned tobacco.

This came in a ziploc baggie. Shag cut, pulls itself out of the bag if you grab a few strands. Umber with flecks of sienna and ochre. Smells like cloves, cinnamon, dark virginia and cigars. The shag cut made it feel more moist than it really is. I let it dry for 20 minutes, and it was crisp and crumbly. Took more out and let it dry about 15 minutes, much better. Smoked it in an MM Washington.

This is strong tobacco. For me it was water-sipping strong. Tasted cocoa, espresso, crushed red pepper, with light flowery notes throughout. This was wery enjoyable. I could easily see ordering a few pounds and cellaring them.

Smoking Kendall KY, for the first time, is like going to the senior prom with the bouffanted barmaid from the local taproom and she's driving her '72 Eldorado with the leopard skin seat covers. This is a serious experience, not to be taken lightly and not to be forgotten. It is life transforming rite-of-passage. KKY pushes the limit of the matured smoker. It is a mostly black fragrant shag cut tobacco blend of cosmic strength. I was fortunate enough to have ordered my staple 5Bros from Marscigars. Small samples of Kendall KY and the GH Dark shag were included, clearly for seduction purposes. 5Bros is legendary for strength and flavor, full-bodied and unpretentious shag cut for pipe or chew. Kendall KY is about halfstep above 5Bros in taste and burn, with the added charm of a roomnote like all-night smoking Parodis little cigars. Not unpleasant but real tobacco. After I smoked all of the sample, I bought another 8 oz, perfect with an apple meer of great reliability. Kendall KY doesn't burn clean or smooth, or handle relights well. But, it provides a thoroughly enjoyable experience to the bottom of the bowl, and a wonderful lingering aroma to your clothes. If this were a movie it would clearly be NC17. Good stuff for the experienced pipesmoker.