Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Bosun Cut Plug Unscented

It starts with a medium strength combo of Lakeland floral and cloves. It's quite pleasant. This fades fairly quickly to extremely mild and reveals a very nice, somewhat stout, Virginia smoke. I can't really tell that there are bright Virginias in the mix. As usual with GH Virginias I get just a pleasing "generic" tobacco flavor. It's nothing terribly special, but it is rich and satisfying. All in all a pretty nice smoke.

Medium in body. Medium to full in taste. Flavoring starts medium and quickly fades to extremely mild. Burns very well.

This is a very nice tobacco. I much prefer the scented version only because that is where my tastes take me. You can definately taste a really great virginia, in fact if one can put the clove scents aside, this leaf smacks a good resemblence to Peace's Union Square for me at least. That being said, this could be a great bridging tobacco for those of you who wish to try your hand with the Kendle variety.

Good tobacco. If not for a previous reviewer however, I would have thought they mis- shipped and sent me the scented version! Quite a scent here, and I have a strong preference for no scents or casings. But this one (of cloves) and the Lakeland scent, is not sweet or candy-ish, or cute, no vanilla or chocolate or any of that ilk. No, no sweetness at all. Perhaps the unscented version leaves out the Geranium stuff, which is fine by me.

It is a full, satisfying smoke, with highest quality tobacco (as expected from the Gawith family). The overall impression is spicy, something I have not hitherto encountered. Because of the spiciness one couldn't call it smooth, but harsh it is not. Broken flake, available in the U.S. (as far as I know) in bulk only. Which means it arrived too dry for me, but (despite my many rants) will likely please many. Probably has the best room note of any tobacco that I enjoy, what with the clove scent and all. If you enjoy fuller tobaccos, this is worth exploring. The Lakeland flavor has been around for a couple of hundred years, so I've little doubt that it grows on one. There is a lot of it here.

Beyond the scent(s)/flavoring my only real issue with this is the name. I have trouble with the mental image of a tough and grizzled Bosun smoking anything clove scented...

No, I think the Bosun in question would smoke (or chew) Brown Rope.

I ordered a couple ounces of this awhile back, and could not stomach it initially. So I vacuum sealed it, and put it in my "for later" box. Tonight, for some strange reason, I decided it was time to give this stuff another go.

First of all folks, do not attempt this blend as your first foray into the lakeland tobaccos. Even though it says that it is "unscented", BCP unscented is full of lakeland scent and flavor. I have three lakeland flakes currently in my lineup, and this one about tore out the little dangly thing in the back of my throat with its raw soapiness.

The tobacco comes as basically a broken flake, but is easily rubbed out to fine strands. However, you do not want to fully rub it out, as this will intensify the astringent quality of the flavor. Just kind of break it up and stuff it into the bowl, gently messaging it in. A few fine crumbles on top to aid in lighting, and thankfully this is accomplished in short order.

On first light, the intense floral/soapy taste and aroma invades your senses. And it is intense. It settles down fairly quickly, though, so I only had to hold my breath for a few seconds. The tobacco very soon developed a slightly spicy/meaty taste, almost like McClelland's Dominican Glory Maduro without the trademark McClelland vinegar aroma. The clove essense did not come through as a clove flavor, simply a nice spiciness.

About midway through the bowl, the floral bouqet was still flirting with my taste buds, and the astringent smell was still hanging over my head. But, the overall sensation of the tobacco was settling into something wonderful. It was meaty, spicy, creamy, sweet, zesty. A lot of intricate interplay of flavors going on here. I was pleased. A little nauseated from the nicotine wallop, but pleased nonetheless.

It finished fairly dry, and down to a nice ash. The taste lingered on my palate for quite awhile, but not in a really invasive manner; just kind of the afterthought of the smoke. The aroma, however, lingered on my coat for quite awhile. This is a strong tobacco, very stout in character, strength, and flavor. Not for the timid. This is what Popeye would have smoked (both the cartoon character and Doyle).

This may be unscented, but boy is it ever scented! I contacted my etailer just to be sure I ordered the right stuff. I was told, and I agree, that the Lakeland folks' idea of unscented may be just a little different than ours. (read: 'ours'= the rest of the world).

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At any rate, this is some tastey flake. My bulk 1/2 pound (a brave first sample, I think) came as a slightly broken flake. Through the sack it smells very floral; a bit like Bob's Square Cut, though less tangy and much richer. That means it doesn't smell (or taste) anything like Bob's Choc. There's no clove aroma to my nose, either.

The flowers spring up under fire, but die away pretty quickly. A quarter of the way in, I can really taste the dark-fired. It's sweet, too, and not from flavorings. At the halfway point a nice nicotine (and maybe clove) spice kicks in and, strangely, it gets very creamy. Stays this way to the bottom of the bowl without gurgle or heat. This is nice! A very homogenous and evolving smoke.

Recommended+ (If you like the Lakelands consider it highly recommended. If you're new to the Land, even this 'unscented' variety might be a stiff kick between the peepers)

Anyone with experience in the G&H portfolio should know that "unscented" is a misnomer. This is very much scented. Not as much as others in the line, but don't think you are getting straight virginias.

I am a fan of the G&H blends, and while this one is not my favorite of their concoctions, I do enjoy it. If they did not list clove as a flavor, I doubt I would have been able to identify it. It is a "lakelandy-ish" blend. Not full on lakeland, but definitely in the category.

I find you have to be careful with this one to get the full effect. Low and slow brings out the best flavors. While just chugging away at it, I get a nice basic tobacco taste (the lakeland essence fades after the first quarter of the bowl for me), but if I slow down and focus I can find much more. This is not a hugely powerful blend nicotine wise (like 1792 flake), but it is there for sure.

Pleasant. Give it a go.

Bosun cut plug has a very distinct smell directly from the bag. There’s a pretty noticeable floral smell with some baking spice and old lady perfume. The tobacco required quite a bit of prep work as well both in drying for around an hour and needing to be rubbed out.

The flavor is pretty unique as well. The floral note is most dominant as well as orange zest and a little baking spice. As the bowl progresses, the floral note mellows out but is still dominant and some wooziness and earth come through.

Bosun cut plug is definitely an acquired taste that may not appeal to the average pipe smoker. The cut makes the tobacco burn slow and require numerous relights and the quite strong room note may turn off the more self conscious smoker.

I was able to try a sample of 5 year aged bosun cut plug from a friend as well. I noticed that most of the stronger smells and flavors mellowed out into a much more enjoyable smoke. So if you are patient enough to wait several years, you may want to pick up a few ounces for your cellar.

I must admit something about my professed love of Lakelands: i am probably not up to the task of most scented flakes. Though i love my Erinmores, and my Grasmere flake, let me say right now that when it comes to GH products, if there is an unscented variety, i am always opting for it. And with good reason. If this is an unscented flake by their estimation, i would hate to try the scented one. I mean no disrespect. I utterly love their offerings. Something about the pedigree, the old presses, the spectacular quality leaf and bargain bulk prices make me a lifelong supporter. But the preceeding notwithstanding, these unscented flakes carry a stiff scent. Bosun cut is a delicious blend of tip top shelf stoved va for the discerning palate, with a fairly strong clove floral scent. One sniff of the bag should be sufficient to determine whether you will love or hate the stuff. I love it. I smoke it exclusively from cobs, as its easy and cheap to dedicate a few to each different scent, which is a good idea if you plan to smoke much of them. Like most gh offerings it is smooth, nicotine potent, well married to the scent, and utterly without bite. Probably in my top 3 scented GH flakes. Wonderful stuff.