Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Scotch Mixture

I must confess that this was my first venture into the 'Land of Lakeland Essence' and I'm still trying to get my head around that...and this after being told that said essence is very light in this blend--Saints preserve--That being said, I was a little disappointed because this is NOT a traditional Scottish blend...Virginias, Burley, Cavendish...all well and good although the Burley is not absolutely necessary for a traditional blend...it the Latakia that I take exception to...In traditional Scottish blends, you would find Orientals and not Latakia...Seems like today the norm is 'When in doubt, dump in some Latakia'...the Orientals would not be as heavy as you would find in an old, traditional English blend...just enough to tickle the palate and make everything interesting...Strangely enough I would try this again to confirm my initial feelings...I know I'm a glutton...

This is a difficult review for me to write, as I absolutely love GH & Co.'s tobaccos. This blend, however, is the exception to the rule. I bought about 2 oz of this around a year ago and I just finished it a few weeks ago. I had been mulling over it for a while and I just don't feel that this one spoke to me.

Don't misunderstand me; there's positively nothing wrong with this blend at all. It burned well and still had the nice GH mouth-feel that the other blends offer. I think that it just isn't for me. I found this blend to be just too bland to catch my interest; which is stange, because I like a lot of other tobaccos that other pipers find bland. Oh, well... Even for GH, they can't all be winners.

I would find it very surprising if this actually is the best selling Latikia mixture in Europe as I think our brothers of the briar across the pond have better taste. I love many GH blends but this simply isn't that interesting. Yes, it packs well and burns well. Those that don't like the florals of GH will find this to be on the very light side in that department. It is cool smoking and those that enjoy a light English should give this one a try. I just think that given the number of tobaccos in this blend that it could have been much more interesting. Due to the high quality tobacco that GH produces, I'm sure there are some that will really enjoy this blend, but its not my cup of tea.

Good English tobacco, typical Lakeland flavor without much soapy after taste, very classic lakeland flavor without any spectacular performance, relaxing smoke, natural and wild flavor, no topping/casing but still require your Lakeland dedicated pipe.

I am smoking 1oz of this with other 8oz sample from G. & H., good change of pace, maybe I won?t buy more

08-10-04 This is another of the fine, exquisiste Lake District syle blends. For some of you that means "SOAP!" but weirdos like me, it means "delightful".

Appearance: Medium ribbon cut, mostly brown with occassional light and dark leaf.

Packing: easy, no fuss. Moisture is perfect.

Lightng:easy, two vestas

Initial Flavor: The floral flavor is there, but it is way in the background compared to most of the other GW blends, even less than their "Balkan" blend. The quality of the leaf used is also evident by the rich complexity of flavor.

Mid-bowl: This is where I like this blend best. This is a medium English blend, the latakia and turkish are there, but only as support. The VA in this can smoke a little hot so do sip this blend. The floral flavor comes out a little more.

Bottom of bowl: Slight build up of strength, The floral flavor recedes, the latakia and turkish give a slight "Tadum" and all you are left with is a grey fine ash.

Overall: This is a blend I like from time to time as a change of pace. I prefer to smoke it when I am not doing anything else so I can concentrate and enjoy its complexity. It does not have the fullness of a Balkan like I prefer, but is still a good smoke. I can see why it is so popular in the UK. Also, the nic content was fairly low compared to say, Dunhill. That is a plus for me!

Rating: 4 out of 5 points

This has a nice bit of everything. It's sweet, but not too much, it's spicy, but the latakia doesn't dominate, and the Virginias are fairly bright but not overwhelming. I do find that I get a teeny bit of tongue bite from this, but it's not bad, on a scale of 0 to 10 with 5 being something I'd likely never smoke again, and 10 being Coniston Cut Plug or MacBaren Virginia #1, this rates a 3. I have trouble with bright Virginias and I think the Cavendish in this really helps tame the edges. Good stuff.

UPDATE I don't find any Lakeland style toppings in this, it seems to have zero casing, other than the cavendish being rather sweet and possibly cased.

This tobacco burned very well, and behaved it self well but it just did not grab me. With all the different blended tobaccos in this mixture I think it would have been better left alone. The casing

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was just present enough to be annoying. It masked all the delicate flavors that enticed me to try the blend. I did not necessarily enjoy the way this tobacco kicked ether, I think it is a cruel trick to have a subtle tobacco that packs such a punch.

Bag note of campfire, sour and slightly sweet. Tobacco cut is mostly ribbon in colors of tan, light brown. there's a smaller amount of brown leaf and a tiny amount of black. Tobacco is moist but not wet, no drying/preparation needed. Burns is average with few relights. The strength is medium and nic is mild. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium and consistent, with notes smoky wood, light floral, earth, a spicy retro and a sporadic lightly sweet note. The various Viriginia's are leading, supported by burley and latakia, and the dark fired cavendish is playing hide and seek in the background. Room note is tolerable, and aftertaste is good.

Preparation & Burn: 7/10 Decent burn, a few relights more than desired.

Taste: 9/20 Does not really have it's own identity. Nothing special at all.

Mildness: 7/10 My idea of a good smoke is a relaxing, low nicotine session. Therefore, the milder the better. Not much nicotine!

Total: 19/40