Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Gawith Red

Created as a replacement blend for Amphora Red? Well, when I got mine from smokingpipes.com, I just so happened to have an old 1970s unopened barrel style tin of Amphora Red and could not wait to conduct my own side by side comparison. Gawith Red's leaf is much thicker, the taste is much fuller, there is no sweetness and the feeling after smoking a bowl was a bit overwhelming. With Amphora red, I got the sweet read and lighter flavor with much less nicotine. I really didn't think there was much similarity.

Pipestud

That's the best what Gawith&Hoggarth can propose you as a summertime pipe tobacco. Naturally sweetness, quite strong, reminds me a better version of Captain Black Regular. Little bit soapy, but not as much like in others G&H tobaccos. One of my favourite aromatic blends for vacation.

Experimenting with some of G&H's version of Amphora red; called Gawith Red.

As a visual comparison they are very similar but Red is more of a ribbon cut with broken flake elements as opposed to a pouch of Amphora, which is a light crumble cake with bits of broken flake.

Pouch note is dull compared to Amphora, which shines with its fruity chocolate undertones. Some nutty ripe fruit notes but nothing screams when you open the pouch, unlike some aromatics.

Smoking, This is where the surprise lay.GH Red is a fuller, thicker and creamier smoke than the original, it is not as complex and lacks the chocolate/cocoa notes that develops towards the end of your Amphora experience. BUT The tobacco used in GH Red is of superior quality with a higher nic content and far less bite than of Amphora. The fruit/floral/caramel topping almost identical, coming through in the smoke perfectly. Apparently the blend is Va/Bur,with a slight scattering of Oriental and this is true, sweet,light,earthy virginas construct a backbone where nutty, fruit topped burleys sing with slight sour notes of the orientals creeping in as the bowl intensifies.

I approached this tobacco as a replacement for my dwindling supply of the original but may have found something much more preferable. If you have ever smoked the original, or enjoy sweet fruity Va/Bur mixtures I heartily recommend.

This blend does not look, taste or smell anything like Amphora Red. Amphora was a crumkle cake and this stuff is shag cut. It tastes ok but it isn't nearly as complex as Amphora. Judging it under it's own merit, it is satisfactory. It does have a slight bite but it burns to a dry white ash. It has a mild, subtle taste and although it likely won't find its way into my regular rotation I don't regret trying it.

Gawith Red is said to be the G&H attempt at a replacement for Amphora Red in the UK. I have never smoked Amphora, therefore my review is based on Gawith Red for what it is.

Light to medium brown in color, thin ribbon cut, with some birds eye and the occasional chunk of flake, like it may be pressed then rubbed back out. The scenting is very light and lakeland, staying in the background, yet present throughout the entire bowl, adding what I can best describe as a mildly sweet and tart "Cranberry'esque" taste and aroma to the the natural tobacco flavors of fire cured Kentucky, nutty Burley and mildly sweet Virginia. It's on the lighter side of medium bodied with a nice amount of vitamin "N". The combination is very pleaseant and develops into a fairly rich taste by bowls end.

What makes this one special, is its richness comes from a combination of toasted Danish style Golden Cavendish, the body of American Kentucky and Burley, with a very complimentary light Lakeland scent. G&H has created a uniquely refined blend with Red that is light, yet full, smokey and spicy, rich and tasty! All this, with no bite and burns cleanly and completely into a light gray ash.

Red seems to be one of the overlooked tobacco's in the wide range of offerings from GH. I have not yet smoked Amphora So I don't have a point of reference and that's a good thing. Red arrives a bit too moist for my taste and it surprised me in that the pouch scent was that of a much heavier cased aromatic verses what comes through in the smoke. The light brown, thin ribbons smoked evenly and to my delight the tobacco flavor shines through. This is a Lakeland tobacco for sure and offers the typical Lakeland flavors but it wasn't overpowering in casing or nicotine. Red has a nice semi sweet floral taste that won't be in my regular rotation, but will always be around for a nice change of pace. Red won't win over those put off by Lakeland flavors, but for those those like other Lakeland style blends, it's recommended

Update: Just opened some Red that was more than 5 years old and it ages quite well!

I've never had Amphora Red so I really have no point of reference for this blend which may help being objective in my review. There's a slightly sweet smell that hints at very mild aromatic qualities in the bag and the tobaccos are a uniform medium brown in color. The cut is a narrow ribbon cut that borders on shag. Typical G&H cut if you've tried any of their other offerings such as Kendal Kentucky or Dark Birdseye.

While loading my pipe the tobacco seems only slightly moist which, usually, is the right level for my tastes. I have noticed these thinner ribbon cuts can have the tendency to pack quite easily and restrict the draw so a light hand is a must. You can always tamp more if needed during smoking. The first light reveals a slightly nutty burley along with semi-sweet Virginia and a very light aromatic topping. The topping is quite well done and sits in the background enhancing the burley and Virginias instead of overpowering them. When smoked very slowly I can detect the slightest smidgeon of berry but you really have to search for it. There is also the slightest hint of baby powder freshness. As the bowl progresses there's not a whole lot of change except for the flavors of the tobacco becoming more full. All in all a nice tobacco for the summer time if you're looking for something on the lighter end of the spectrum. I wouldn't really call this an aromatic but it does have slightly aromatic properties.

All in all a decent blend that I will buy some more of to supplement my usual suspects in my rotation. On those hot days when you want something lighter and refreshing this will be a perfect companion to smoke slowly and just enjoy the sunny day.

This blend came as a sample with my last order. I've been sampling various red Virginias recently so was happy when this came to me unbidden. Sweet, but not in a heavily cased way, aromatic but subtly so. This is a good, solid blend in its own right and recommended as a bridge for a smoker who wanted to either move toward an aromatic or toward a less aromatic.