Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Kendal No.7 Unscented

There are some things in life we never forget. For pipe smokers, specific to pipe smoking itself, I believe our desire to start smoking a pipe begins at a very young age. I know most if not all of you often reflect on those joyous and perhaps distant memories of our fathers, grandfathers, uncles, family friends ‘et al'.....smoking their briars intently, methodically, peacefully and without any form of prejudice whatsoever. The fragrant and pungent odors from pipe tobacco has no memory jolting-olfactory equal, save perhaps mom's apple pie or the baking of bread in a wood stove oven on a cold winters morning. I started smoking a pipe some twenty-two years ago and of course, like all those before me, began the hunt for that magical tobacco. My transition from aromatics to English was rather swift where I eventually settled very comfortably in the world of English Virginia blends. My absolute favorites were St. Bruno, Condor and Three Nuns but I would sometimes try another blend in the same genre.

Getting to the point of never forgetting some things in life, I will never forget the absolute pleasure I experienced with my first pouch of Gallaher's Rich Dark Honey Dew. Simply, for me, one of the best Virginia tobaccos I had ever had the pleasure of smoking. I was so impressed I returned to my tobacconist following my first bowl and bought the last three pouches he had in stock. Little did I know at the time, those would be the last packets of RDH he would ever carry. I would never forget that deep, naturally sweet, powerful and sophisticated taste. RDH simply elevated my taste buds to another level and left me with a deeply seeded memory I thought would remain as a memory only

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until I opened the bag of No. 7 Mixture.

No. 7 offers an exceedingly close resemblance to Gallaher's RDH in all categories. It's dark brown shaggy cut and faintly restrained Kendal casing along with it's soft velvet texture smacks of RDH's long lost twin. While smoking No. 7 it's medium-to-strong strength and billowing white spicy smoke with that underlying sweetness of rich deep flavor adds yet further dimensions to the overall cloning effect to RDH that I am getting. No. 7 does not evolve significantly during the smoke and I am thankful for that as I truly enjoy the experience of its' original flavor right from the charring light. No. 7 has, for me, brought back those wonderful elated memories over two decades ago when most of the UK's tobacco offerings filled the shelves of Canadian tobacconists. God bless the internet and thank goodness for the plethora of e-tailer tobacconists. No. 7 is most highly recommended!

Summary: smoked molasses and honey, with a touch of lemon, comes from this mixture of dark-fired and flue-cured Virginia.

Half of this blend seems similar to "Dark Shag" or "Kendal Dark," and the other half seems to be something like "Kendal Gold." The smoked Virginias are slightly outnumbered by the flue-cured variety, and this gives this blend a warm sweet Virginia flavor with an undertone of the smoky, tangy dark-fired leaf. The shag cut burns easily and caramelizes quickly, turning the bright hay and floral flavor of the flue-cured Virginia into a fall honey flavor, while the dark-fired influence gives this a touch of molasses. Any toppings meld right into this and guide it rather than dominating it, giving it a slight richness. It loads easily at its default moisture level, especially with the Hana method, and burns down to a powder of grey ash but smokes slowly. It is stronger than medium in nicotine, especially in the latter half of the bowl, but this works well if you are engaged in strenuous activity. For me, this could be an all-day smoke, since it rewards smoking slowly enough that the nicotine is not overwhelming and its varied tastes spread out and meld, sending my tongue seeking the internal variations of their texture. An instant favorite!

The descriptive says Cocoa and Chocolate flavoring have been added to this blend. I tasted neither. I got a rich, deep Virginia flavor and a fairly quick burn from the shag cut. The strength and flavor combination was delightful. A deep dark sweetness enhances the already strong tobacco presence. This stuff is just flat wonderful!

This was originally purchased by mistake. I meant to order some Broken Flake #7. I smoked a bowl, but was so angry with myself that I really didn't get a good feel for it. However, something in the back of my mind told me not to return it - cellar it, and see what happens. That was 1/10/14, or so the date label on my mason jar says. I'm really glad that I did.

This is a wonderful blend. Nothing here is gonna blow your socks off, and the shag cut is a bit of a PITA when it comes to loading. It burns a bit faster than I prefer, and the room note isn't gonna earn you any fans. (Angry mobs won't run you off, but you're not gonna get hit with heaps of praise either). The color is a nice medium to dark hue, and it has a decent enough nicotine hit. However, due to fast burn and depth of smoke, I suggest that you smoke this in a larger-sized pipe (say, something along the lines of a Pete #408) and sip on it. This will allow the blend to really open up.

Your reward? A deep and full blast of vaguely sweet Virginia goodness. I was tempted to say "greatness", but I wouldn't really classify this as "great." Just very -very, very - good. It's also got an ever so faint dash of GH&C's famous Kendal sauce, but so faint that unless you actually know what Kendal Sauce is you'd never guess it. Just something different and earthy way back in the background. Just enough of a whisper to let you know that it is there, but definitely not enough to ghost your pipe. Just enough to add a very nice touch to the Virginia sweetness.

As far as the sweetness goes, this isn't hay or alfalfa-like, or any other sweetness that I've encountered in any other Virginia blend. No freshly cut summer fields or English bog in spring thing going on here -- just a sweet earthiness that I cannot really describe. Tobacco, that's it... but not quite pipe-like or cigar-like... something in between. I'd like to think that this is the shag-cut tobacco that Sherlock Holmes kept in that ballet slipper, and pulled out when he had a particularly tough case to ponder.

Anyway, I'd highly recommend it. I'm definitely cellaring a couple more pounds worth. This is not something I'd want to smoke every day, but it makes a nice player to slip into my Virginia/Burley rotation every now and then. Besides, this is one of those blends that I want to keep as a special treat, since it costs over $50 a pound and offered in bulk only. But it's worth every damn penny of the asking price.

Just off the back deck after another bowl of this excellent blend. First things first. The constituent tobaccos are: Indian dark air-cured tobacco (35%), Combined with 27% dark-fired leaf and only 38% flue-cured Virginias. I get very little to nothing of anything Lakeland in terms of scenting. I detected the merest smidgen of cocoa. All reviewers thus far are pretty much spread across the board in these regards. In terms of cut...I disagree with most others. My recent bag is definitely not shag. In fact it is a fairly heavy ribbon. It came moist, very packable and eager to light and burn. No bite. My constant sipping didn’t overheat it or change the flavors which are rich and do indeed show cigar notes from time to time. This is touted as being the base blend for other GH items...no surprise. It’s rich enough that even by adding Lakeland scenting the base tobacco would shine through...a hallmark of GH scented Lakelands. Yes, this IS under the radar - but shouldn’t be. Less smoky than Dark Birds Eye it has significant flavor, good manners and a decent hit of N. It should be far more popular. Highly recommend to seasoned puffers of Brit blends especially.

What a great blend is here! Rich and tasty, full of zest and pure tobacco goodness. And, what's important, it contains a healthy dose of nicotine. I like it very much.

This tobacco is a wonderful surprise. I’ve enjoyed almost every Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. tobacco that I have smoked, but never ventured into their shag cut offerings. I enjoyed Peter Stokkebye’s Amsterdam pipe tobacco often, but with it being discontinued, I had to search for a replacement. Fortuitously, I was recommended this tobacco by a friend who is very knowledgeable above it tobaccos and I have been smoking it quite frequently since procuring some.

As for the tobacco, it does come just a bit moist, but is definitely smokable as received. It’s not even close to Amsterdam, but is fantastic in its own way. It’s close to a “halfzware” like Amsterdam is, but this is all Virginia. A dark-fired Virginia, but a Virginia nonetheless. The strength ticks the boxes as well as the flavor. There is a faint whiff of Lakeland floral at the beginning of the smoke, but it is well overpowered by the tobacco’s natural flavors.

Al in all, this tobacco is a winner. I’ll still miss Amsterdam when my small supply is gone, but I won’t weep too long and just reach for this of another one of GH shags that I’ve discovered and enjoy!

I agree very much with DK on this One, this is a tobacco that seems to be very much under the radar.

It's just a simple Virginia/burley/fire cured shag mixture. Even though it comes as a bulk it is moist but not moist enough that it requires any extra effort. Typical aromas abound slightly sweet Virginia, nutty burley and a helping of smokeyness.

Packing is easy, but do pack a touch tighter. Lighting is an effortless affair and it just rambles on it's merry way, its flavours are pure and natural no added flavours and when it comes to a tobacco like this, go needs added extras.

It's not an excessively quick burner, but when it is dry, as I prefer It, it can burn hot and bite the tongue if you over do It, but let it go at its own pace with gentle sips and it does reward.

The best way to smoke this tobacco, and any other shag tobacco on that matter, is to take it like you would like a fine single malt. You don't knock it back like a shot of jack or beam, gently sip, savour it's flavour, and enjoy the flavourful journey it takes you on. Room note is pleasant to me but to non smokers I doubt it will have them sniffing the air with delight.

A word of warning though.

I would not recommend this to new pipe smokers because A) it's subtle, the flavours are not big and in your face, it gently and subtley reveals itself over the course of the smoke. B) it does carry a good amount of strength, although not as much as the kendal dark offerings, it will still spin you out if you are new and take it fast.

But if you can enjoy it like described above it is a fine tobacco that is suitable for all day smoking and provides an enjoyable pure and natural flavour.

4 stars earned