Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Best Brown #2

The more I smoke the tobaccos of G & H, the less I want to smoke anything else. As I write this review, I have a bowl filled with this wonderful flake. This blend has wondeful sweetness to it, I presume from the topping, in addition to the Virginias. If there is Lakeland used in this blend it does not stand out as much as some of the other blends that it is used on. The burley tobacco provides a pleasant nuttiness and very subtle hay note, the typical earthiness and natural sugar typical from high quality Virginia tobacco. Like all Gawith and Hoggarth blends, flakes or ropes, the tobacco is of the highest quality available. There is no bite, no harshness and could very easily be an all day smoke. To sum it up...this is a medium strength, middle of the road tobacco, with notes of brown sugar, overtones of earth and some hay; with nuances of chocolate, and dates. There is a very subtle floral note to this blend as well, that I am noticing mid bowl. Burns nicely, with a small amount of drying time needed, but not too much. This is not for the latakia lover as there is none here to rave about. This is a much different take on a VA/BUR blend because of the sweetness not typically found in such blends. This has become one of my favorites from G & H and I will be ordering more the next time around. A must try for those of you who are looking for something that will keep you satisfied at any time of the day or night. The tobacco will burn down to a fine white ash leaving no dottle in the bowl with very little moisture.

Long and thick flakes of differing hues of brown with quite a few crystals formed on them. The tobacco I receive was in a condition ready to smoke straight away.

Earthy and bready/yeasty Virginias cut with some nutty Burley and spiced with an almost imperceptible Lakeland aroma at first which adds a higher note. As the smoke progresses the more I realized the scenting. It has a mildly ‘sharp’, even grassy, overall taste and I do not mean this in a bad way. It tastes like natural tobacco and quite aged at that. Sweetness is there and it also feels natural. Smokes well and cool to a fine grey ash with no bite.

I find that Best Brown no.2 has more flavor than strength which I find only mild to medium. So I do not find it completely satisfying in the nicotine department – but some may like lighter tobaccos in strength. Room note is a little cigaretty.

The first 2 oz or so of this blend that i smoked, i was firmly in the "no lakeland essence added" camp. I would have said, with certainty, that only a very slight molasses/brown sugar flavor was added to this delicious virginia. However, after not touching anything but mb virginia no.1 for a few weeks, i return to it, and upon first light i can say that there is definitively an incredibly subtle floral note here...it may even be residual upon three machinery or presses used, but it is there. And it is lovely. Its so subtle as to be missed if one has been smoking any lakelands in the previous days.

Ok. Now to the blend. BB#2 is an absolutely 1st rate flake from GH. I am a fan of the house in general, and i must say that if one wants to try out a very natural offering in this style, you could do much worse than bb2. The flakes are moist, and benefit from drying time. I almost never have the patience, and it smokes well as is too. I prefer to fully rub this one out, contrary to my typical flake preparation, because the flakes are so dense that a full rubbing doesnt seem to change the burn or flavor much. The flavor is a rich, smooth, sweet aged virginia, with bready sweet notes. Think confectioners sugar. Very sweet, but balanced by deep tobacco flavor. The floral notes are most prominent upon initial lighting, and seem to recede quickly, or rather to soften into a vague herbal spice. I taste the Virginias most prominently, but the burley is present throughout and lends a nutty, earthy flavor and a depth of body to the smoke. A superbly well integrated flavor characterizes the entire bowl. Burns exceeding slowly with absolutely no chance of bite. Is right in the sweet spot for me where depth, flavor, and nicotine intersect for an all day smoke. I am finishing up my first purchase of this, 6 ozs, of which i smoked 2 upon purchase and the remainder up to just over a year from when i received it. I will be purchasing much more to cellar. I greatly enjoy it, and while i dont smoke it every day, i do reach gor it several times weekly. Medium level of nicotine. Highly recommended. I could see lovers of viginias or aromatics very much enjoying this vlend, though it is a very high quality blend that offers far more than a typical aromatic.

One for the Burley fan. This is a super solid Virginia/Burley mix, a little less strong than SG's Kendal Cream so it smokes better for me in the morning. The flakes are folded and packed in plastic in the tin, and they've got some early signs of bloom on them even though I haven't done any aging. They are also quite tightly pressed, so I don't even bother trying to rub the blend out, opting for a loose pack and light.

Early on, Best Brown #2 smokes almost a little too sweet for me, but by the middle of the bowl it's calmed down and at the end it is pure heaven. It smells like chocolate in the air, sometimes earning appreciative comments from the crowd.

Funny thing is this isn't my pick for G&H's best brown, that would be Brown Flake u/s. But I'm not primarily a Va/Bur smoker, someone who is might fall in love with this blend quick.

It's another one with classic reviews, too! All over the map, like a Rorschach test, with one gentleman even speculating about how often or not G&H cleans their gear!

One of only a few Lakeland blends that I like. This one seems to have an additional flavor that I can't quite identify. Almost like rum, maybe it is rum. The VaBur underlying these flavors is of high quality and I wouldn't mind smoking it by itself. It's pretty much about the added flavors though and I find them to be very sweet and tasty.

Medium in body. Medium to full in taste. Flavoring is medium. Needs a little drying time.

Some folks adore the Lakeland essence, I for one abhor it. And really I should've anticipated as much. Mind you the tin was a gift from a well intentioned gift/contribution from a newer member of our garage pipe/cigar/homebrew club. He's still apprenticing in the dark arts of briar lore.

Overall an okay smoke which occasionally peeps out from the casing, if you concentrate.

I don't care for the heavy ghost in the pipe for about 5 bowls or so, and the Sunlight detergent thing does not float my boat at all. Anyway, one of the other chaps liked it a tad more than the rest of us so he adopted the tin; thankfully.

Best Brown #2 [Lakeland Flavor];

Star Rating = 2.0;

Rating Scores - 10 is the Best and 0 is the Worst;

Pouch Note = 6;

Room Note = 6;

Flavor = 6;

Bite = 6;

Burn = 6;

After Taste = 6;

Raw Score = 36;

Rated Percentage = 60%;

Comment = Smooth, Very Strong, has the Famous Lakeland Floral Flavor, Wife complained about the nasty Aroma. You have heard the old saying “Go smell the roses”, well this is you chance to “Go smoke the roses”. Some people report that they actually like the Lakeland Floral Flavor, but my guess is most people are going to hate this Blend. I was very disappointed with this Gawith Hoggarth & Co. best seller.

i am currently smoking from a 500g bulk box of gh-bb2 which i sealed 2 yrs ago. it is quite wonderful. mild and gentle, smoothed out nicely by burley,nice fresh virginia taste, chocolate? a wee bit lakeland-floral but not excessive. i usually smoke sam gawith best brown, and this is more different than i had remembered---more floral certainly, maybe even smoother. it burns beautifully, cool right down to a fine white powder. i do not taste either perique or any latakia or that family.... no spice. it is remarkably consistent from the start right now to the dottle. ( eh- a little sharp at the dottle but what isn't?). this makes a fine tobacco when aged like this. i wish i had aged more of it.

I'm with my Engish friend who say's he's never found a soap that smells like tobacco. I too get tired of hearing "soapy taste".But I guess if that is what it tastes like to you...very well then. This is very fine tobacco that I think doesn't get enough respect. Do you like Stonehaven? Well here you are! Just with an almond and floral essence that makes it even more delectable. Smooth, mild, nutty,sweet and well rounded. This tobacco can be an all day smoke. Goes great with a coffee.