Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Rich Dark Honeydew

This is a nice tobacco, fine cut shag, can burn hot if not careful. The flavor is lovely, dark, sweet, fruity, but goes away fairly quickly, probably due to the flavors being added by casing. I like it, but prefer other G&H tobacco such as Kendal Kentucky which has a more straightforward flavor but it stays throughout the smoke.

Jack Hargreaves - the television presenter from yesteryear used to smoke the old Gallaher’s version of this but that blend has long gone - I see that old tins (empty) are still for sale on EBay though. I couldn’t tell you if this GH blend resembles the Gallaher’s version at all but I really rate this stuff. The smell in the pouch is absolutely gorgeous and it it sings like a siren, tempting you to have a smoke. It has a rich, honey voice that says “smoke me,” so it’s best not to refuse. The opening few pulls reminds me of the old Condor my Grandad used to smoke; very full but kind on the tongue. It has that old taste - some call it floral, some call it soapy but I think it is sublime. I’ve raised this question on my Condor review: was the Lakeland soapy, flower arrangement of Condor, honey? I don’t know, I could be well off the mark but it certainly reminds me of some tobaccos of another era. I could be completely wrong about this memory but, after the first bowl, I was whisked back to an armchair in West Yorkshire when all was right with the world. The blend isn’t too moist straight from the pouch; I do find that the none tinned tobaccos seem to be more ready to smoke than the tinned versions which, presumably, have more moisture to keep them fresh when they languish on a tobacconists shelf for a few months. It isn’t too strong for my tastes but it will ghost a pipe - as most aromatics will. It comes as a ready rubbed which packs easily into the bowl but it does smoke fairly quickly, especially when compared to some of the Titans: St Bruno, Condor etc. This makes it very good for a quick smoke between jobs; even in my larger bowled pipes it goes quickly. I’ve bought several ounces of this so far - an ounce comes in between £7 - 8 which seems to be the norm these days. The room note is pleasant enough and the smell doesn’t hang around too much when you’ve finished smoking.

All in all - one to try and see if it tempts your palate like it does mine.

This could prove an agreeable gateway, if you will, into the realm of Lakeland aromatics. It's nicely behaved and none too eccentric. The Virginias are nice and grassy, but they are of the brown variety, so not even they bite that much. The darkish burley, that I imagine comes from Africa, keeps things cool and mellow, if not a little bitter.

The aromatic dressing has a honey sweet tang that lacks the aggressive florals of the typical Lakeland. I happen to like aggressive florals, but Rich Dark Honeydew is just a tad closer to some typical American aromatics, so I think that those inexperienced with some of the the various tobaccos from the various Gawiths might start to dip their toe in with this mixture. It's not bad tobacco, even for the experienced pipe man who has gone through some of G & H's headier offerings.

This is a very nice tobacco from G&H, as with most G&H blends, it's made with some quality leaf. It's nutty from the burley, rich and sweet from the honey. The maple really comes through in the pouch note but it's a kind of in the background of the actual smoke, which I like, so it doesn't mask the natural tobacco flavor and that makes this a tasty blend. The Lakeland essence is there as with many G&H blends, but it imparts a nice floral note to the flavor profile that I find refreshing. Once it's packed and lit, it burns effortlessly and with very few relights and won't bite even if pushed. It also has a pretty decent hit of vitamin N to it, so I would have a little something on the stomach prior to smoking.

I bought 2 oz of this one off the strength of the reviews here plus my enjoyment of nearly everything GH. I can't say I was disappointed at all with it. I found the topping to be different, but couldn't say for sure what it actually was. It is always hard to tell the toppings of GH blends as they all have that little touch of Lakeland essence. Even Top Black Cherry tastes nothing like Cherry to me and that is probably why it is my favorite Cherry aromatic.

Back to this one. It is a solid VaBur that underlies the topping. Had I been forced to guess the topping I would have said that it was molasses. That is similar to the effect the honey and Lakeland essence had on me. It is good. When I first got the bag I smoked through a lot of it, but then slowed up a little as the topping started to get to me.

This leads me to believe this could not really be an all day smoke for someone rather a great change up for the occasional Lakeland smoker. Like all GH blends, this refuses to bite and it packs a pretty good nicotine hit as well. A very good smoke IMO. I put this above three stars really, but I can't hang a fourth on it as it is not my top GH aro. And I do consider this an aro even though you can actually taste the Virginia and burley under it.

I was also surprised...that I like this so much. The cut is quite fine, sorta shaggy. That sure does help the burn cause this one just takes off and goes all the way to the bottom with ease. If smoked slowly it has quite a good flavor...rather like some of the other 'brown & twisty' Gawith's, but with that light aroma of honey-whatever. I don't get honeydew, as in the melon...but maybe others on the opposite end of the pipe do. One of my favorites? No. A nice agreeable change of pace? Certainly!

I'm not sure why it took me a while to try this one. Possibly because it is listed as an 'aromatic' (it really isn't), possibly because it sounded a little too sweet (no again). In the end, it was wanting to at least have a proximation of what the late broadcaster, Jack Hargreaves, smoked as his regular pipe tobacco when it was produced by Gallahers. Not having tried the Gallahers original I don't know how close this is, but if it is half as good then old Jack like with most things knew what was what.

It wears whatever casing it has very lightly. You will struggle to detect any floral lakeland, although a hint may be there. This is a wonderful even smoker, not too strong in flavour but with a nicotine kick that can catch you out of you have enjoyed it too quickly. Once it is away no relights are needed, and it burns right to the bottom of the bowl but with no bite at all. This will probably not mean much to a lot of people, but if you are a UK cask ale drinker and loved the taste of Jennings Bitter when it was still brewed in Cockermouth, Cumbria, then this for me is the tobacco twin, with a natural sweetness that lightly dances around a wonderfully dry and long flavour finish. A fantastic English blend!

Jubilant! I've just finished a bowl of one of the finest offerings by G&H that I have had to date! Perfect from the pouch, with a slight honey and maple aroma caressing a very good Virginia /Burley blend. Came in a broken flake that packed like a dream and smoked with one relight to a white ash at the end. I smoked this on an empty stomach with a black coffee for breakfast and enjoyed every puff! Gawith and Hoggarth seem to do V/Bur blends extremely well and it's rare that I get one that I dislike. The honey is never overpowering and is there if you take it very slowly and the room note is probably the best ever with a honey/vanilla breeze that wafts in the air. Nicotine level for me is a light to medium and put me in deep contemplation for a decent hour. I totally recommend this to all, although novice pipers may miss the subtle nuances in the flavour if the cadence isn't as gentle as a stream trickling over pebbles in a trout stream.

This gets a single thumbs up from me. Mostly because, although it's a flavorful blend, it's not flavorful enough for me. The notes of floral, honey, some sweetness, and fruitiness are there...just not enough for me to give it two thumbs up. That being said, this blend is well constructed, burns like a dream down to white flaky ash and packs easily. Room note is not cloying at all. Very slight perfume and toasted pecan, Pleasant enough that I'm allowed to smoke it in the house. :0)

I can recommend it, just not highly recommended.