Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Rich Dark Honeydew

This one was a surprise to me. I'm very sensitive to the taste of "Lakeland florals", preferring to refer to them as "soap" since that's what it tastes like to me. There was some of that flavor in this blend and, for some reason, it absolutely worked for me! It did burn off relatively quickly, as other reviewers have noted, but it stayed long enough to perhaps mellow the tobacco through the whole bowl. Just speculation on my part, but this brought to mind what might be accomplished by layering strong tobaccos with lighter ones. Interesting!

As mentioned, this produced a bit of a fruity, grassy flavor that segued into a combo of light and heavy - but never TOO heavy. In a sense, this is a confounding tobacco to review. All I can really say is that whatever G&H did to it, they did it "right" to my taste buds. It doesn't quite merit 4 stars but it's very close. If you can find some, try an oz or so. I'm going to pick up more of this.

The Lakeland scent and honey make an interesting mix of toppings because you taste them both, and they work well together. They do sublimate the citrus sweet, grassy Virginia and toasty, nutty earthy burley a little, but you will get a decent amount of the inherent qualities of those tobaccos. There are a few dark fruity notes here and there, too. The Lakeland scent is minor, and diminishes some as you reach the half way point, but it never totally vanishes. Burns at a moderate pace, cool and clean with some smoothness. The very rich flavor has a light inconsistency. Leaves a little dampness in the bowl, and needs a few relights. Has a very pleasant after taste. While it's not quite an all day smoke, it's repeatable during your smoking day. Three and a half stars.

-JimInks

The thought of honeydew and tobacco in the same sentence I thought was not possible for most of my pipe smoking life, but Gawith Hoggarth has that great way with scents. Yes, its a bit soapy in the pouch and arrives a bit moist. But for the most part its a fairly strong tobacco (which I like!) with a nice background sweetness and scent of honeydew that works. Other than the name, RDH is nothing like a typical aromatic. I was also able to try some well aged RDH and the tobacco had grown very dark and rich so not only does this taste well new, but it is an excellent blend for the cellar! Recommended.

Is this supposed to be a clone of Gallaher's long defunct Rich Dark Honeydew? I remember the Gallaher original only vaguely, from years back, but I thought this a very successful blend in its own right: slow burning and with a distinctive flavour that isn't soapy or gimmicky. It's not a mild tobacco in terms of Vitamin N, but it isn't unduly strong either. The room note is pleasant in a traditional sort of way, and it doesn't leave any messy goop behind in the bottom of the bowl. There's a slight bitter aftertaste, I found, but, on the whole, I liked this a lot. I've bought it several times now, and it's establishing itself as one of my regulars. I recommend it warmly to people who value what I think of as old-fashioned blends. To my mind, it's a good smoke for a long winter walk in the country. Don't rush it, though, or it'll get hot and bitter. Not one of my all-time favourites, but I'm happy to recommend it. Incidentally, despite what it says in the blurb, this is a shag cut, not a broken flake.

Update, 2018: thanks to a change in the EU regulations governing the description of tobaccos, this is now called 'Rich Dark Spring Dew'. Heaven knows why.

In the bag, Rich Dark Honeydew has the strong soapy smell that comes with many Lakeland style blends. I get no flavor of Honeydew at all. I find it a little bitter without much sweetness. Even though there is no Latakia in it, I get a bit of smokiness. I enjoy a lot of Lakeland style blends, but I find this one is too soapy and leaves a taste of stale perfume in my mouth. The strength of RDH isn’t too strong for me, but it is on the strong side. I don’t get any bite from this blend but that is my only positive. RDH isn’t a blend I will be smoking again anytime soon.

gnossos is a fellow SF member and his review of G&H Rich Dark Honeydew is spot on with my impressions (other than the fact I could taste Virginia leaf in this blend). Almost a "campfire" effect when smoking, particularly near the bottom of the bowl, I found this to be a tasty choice without much added (if any) flavoring or Lakeland scent.

It's a little hard to find, by the way.

Gawith Hoggarth - Rich Dark Honeydew.

As you can see in the picture it isn't that coarse a broken flake. The scent from the pouch is mildly floral and sweet. Mine had good hydration to it.

The smoke's quite pleasant. I get more sweetness than floral/Lakeland. The tobaccos have a nicely balanced flavour, nutty, rugged, Burley and a hay note from the Virginia. It doesn't bite and burns well.

Nicotine: quite healthy. Room-note: quite strong.

A decent smoke that just lacks the quality needed for four stars, so I give it three!

Recommended.

Well most of the reviewers here seem to be of one mind and I concur!

Not a typical Lakeland by any means, which for me is good. Some Va/Bur blends can be heavy going, but here the flavouring works beautifully to just add some sweetness which takes the edge off and provides a very pleasant smoke. Beware though, it is so easy-going that you can find yourself smoking it quickly and, if you do, it will kick you in the pants!

Recommended.

Very, very smooth. A touch of scent, but not of the ordinary "lakeland" (read: Ennerdale) sort. This does have a touch of perfume, but more earthy and gives way to full bodied dark tobacco flavor. My guess is that it's mainly a fired burley shag with the scent. It is less "perfumey" than Coniston Cut Plug or Bosun Cut Plug.

Will never bite. Enough nicotine to keep it interesting. Perfect for a stormy day. Even if you are wary of "scented" blends, give this one a go - it's different and very, very good.

Just had a bowl of this (I've had a few) in a Yello-Bole I just found out is probably from the early to mid 30s. This to me is a sign from above that it's time to review. True, I have not had all that many smokes of this recently aquired weed, but it's pretty straightforward. Nice thin ribbon, almost a shag. They really did mean that about a "small amount of broken flake;" I just noticed it while breaking out this last bowl, and until I got in here and read that description, thought the literally one piece I found had just made it in by accident!

Not a Lakeland floral topping. Almost a MacBaren-type topping, but it smokes differently than a MacBaren. I can tell it's GH. A little sweeter, perhaps. Honeydew, not just honey! Burns consistently throughout the bowl, tastes about the same all the way, no matter what the smoking rate, though best sipped, like most things. I do get the urge to puff a bit with tobaccos like this, though. No harm results to my tongue with Rich Dark Honeydew. The name isn't quite right: it's mainly light brown, with some darker flecks. Rich, but not strong or all that complex. No problem; nice smoke I will enjoy going to quite often.