Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Best Brown #2

My review is about the bulk version. Best Brown # 2 is a tasty semi – aromatic mixture. Certainly in this blend there is flavoring, and you can notice the particular seasoning typical of Gawith, Hoggarth & Co, a sort of identification mark. Really I don’t know if it is “floral essences” but it is good. Ultimately this tobacco is an interesting Virginia Burley mixture slightly flavored. In my personal system rating (from 1 to 10) my score is 9 and three stars.

An interesting flake, this offering! Sadly, at first, the tin was unsealed - I verify each tin individually upon receiving my tobacco orders - but it was not dry. So I believe my impressions will be accurate. BB # 2 reminds me a bit of the Drum RYO in terms of aroma, but with the sweetness much more up front and the spiciness very faint. I detect no Lakeland aroma whatsoever (probably beacuse the tin was unsealed?), this tobacco does not seem to have even a mini topping. This is confirmed at the lighting up, combustion and characteristics of the ashes stages. The burning is even, the tobacco slightly sweet with a definitive tobacco flavour. BB # 2 is not complex, but it is still a good tobacco. The nicotine level is lower than Ennerdale Flake.

If you're in the mood for a nice pure tobacco flavour moment, this one could be for you.

Lakeland in BB#2 ? I think not my friend, or so very little as to be undetected by me. Nope, all I get is a pleasant Burley Virginia smoke of medium strength. no bite

This is a fine Virginia burley flake with a subtle hint of Lakeland flavouring. I cannot understand the people who give this wonderful tobacco a one star review simply because they don't like Lakeland flavouring – Which in this is so subtle as to make it scarcely noticeable. Simply saying I don't like it is only a review of your personal proclivities not the tobacco itself. This is a solid three star blend which smokes cool and without bite, steamtrain puffing not withstanding. The Virginia base is rounded out nicely by the burley and the medium nicotine level combined with the luxurious texture of the smoke never fails to satisfy. If VABUR's are your thing and you aren't prejudiced against the merest hint of Lakeland flavouring, like some of the Pavlovian one star reviewers here, you will love this stuff.

I bought this and some Ennerdale Flake at the same time. Someone please tell me where I'm going wrong. I just cannot get into them. This one I like the best of the two. My local tobacconist stocks G&H and not a lot else but I couldn't find any of the ones on this site that get good reviews, they only seem to stock a weird bunch of horrible looking/sounding ones (Peaches and Cream?!). I'm not into aromatics, so I eventually persuaded them to get in some Best Brown #2 and I was the first into the 500g box (and it said Best Brown #2 on the box in the same kind of design as the tin shown above). It took a week to dry this out to acceptable levels. Fresh out of the box it is sooo pungent!! Like a bottle of HP sauce or something. And that didn't even begin to quieten down until at least 10 days of being in a tin on a radiator and even then it was still a strong smell and I just cannot believe that there is not casing involved here (hence Strong Flavouring). And again it seems just a little contrived or artificial to me. This was doubly so when I actually tried to smoke the stuff, especially without any drying, the wet runoff from the pipe which I inadvertently tasted (a lot of moisture) tasted so chemically and ridiculously sweet that I just cannot believe it is just from tobacco. Maybe I'm wrong. And as for no tongue bite?! I couldn't get it to stop biting no matter how slowly I took it. At the very end of my packet after 2 weeks I got a couple of decent smokes out of it, so I guess that it really needs some cellaring and drying to get the best out of it, but then it loses a lot of it's weight - I noticed that it didn't last very long; a lot less time than my Samual Gawiths FVF. Kept leaving me with a soured and ruined pallete every time. I didn't get on with it. However I may try again, maybe when the tub is nearly empty at the tobacconists and the stuff has had time to sit a bit.

UPDATE: 1st May 2010 So, I bought some more from the same batch that I tried first, after it had been sat on the shelf for 5 months and I am glad I did, as now the flake is much drier and the casing much more in the background. Smokes very well, no bite anymore and a good flavour.

I smoked this for the first time from a bulk package over a year old. Moisture level was perfect, it rubbed out nicely. The soapy taste is present especially at first, not in a bad way. Midbowl that is reduced. I usually smoke unflavored virginias but found this a very nice change without getting into aromatics. I can see where this could be an all day smoke for people who like a medium bodied Va. The tobacco flavor is predominant throughout making it a good change of pace or crossover for aromatic smokers.

Back to my "Gawith" run. After taking a short break from all the Gawith blends I have smoking and trying over the past several months, I decided to start back with this particular blend as a first time try.

Well, I was delighted. I grabbed a tin of this to try on a three-hour car ride to Connecticut to visit family over the weekend. What a nice trip down and back!

Easy pack in a old Charatan favorite, a couple of false-lights and tamps and I was off to some excellent, mesmerizing downtime.

The taste runs consistent the length of the bowl. It is a wonderful sweet, (throughout the background), smoke, creamy in texture and it burns to a coarse grey-white ash.

If I have any complaints, it is a tad moist when first opened. Next time I will air it out a little bit before smoking.

A very satisfying experience, highly recommend.

I tried a tin of this at the encouragement of Solar Pons, with whom I have shared a fondness for Lake District tobacco.

Upon opening the tin, I was greeted by an aroma that I can only describe as a combination of leather, florals and spice. The flake strip are medium brown in color with some darker veins and a smattering of birds-eye. The strips are fairly this and need little rubbing out.

When first lit, I was a little put off by the presence of florals (often used in European style tobaccos). I have never liked the taste of florals (read - soap) but in BB#2, these soon give way to a rich and almost creamy smoke. Mind you that the florals never go away, they just seem to dance along in the background of high quality VA and Rich Burley.

I would not consider this a "sweet/sugary" smoking experience, but BB#2 does have a good sugar content that comes from top notch VA. The Burley is dense and satisfying. I would recommend this. I WILL be buying more.

There is an earthy musty funk upon opening the tin. After rubbing out the long irregularly cut flakes, a sweet and somewhat sour aroma emerges. With further airing, the tin note takes on almost an Apple cider vinegar like smell. The acetic nature of the aroma brings back memories of McClelland’s Virginias. These flakes are fairly dark in color, and loaded with sugar crystals. There are notes of brown sugar and freshly baked bread. The smoke is thick, toasty, nutty, only vaguely grassy. At its best, this is reminiscent of hot buttered cinnamon raisin toast. There is a smooth mouth feel, and the smoke never gets bitter, even at the heel. This flake smokes wet even with prolonged dry time, yet refuses to bite, even when freight trained. A classic natural VABur. As good as this is, I don’t find myself getting particularly excited about smoking it. No Lakeland bleed over whatsoever.