Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Black Irish X Unsliced

I wanted to give something strong a try and think I may have over stepped the mark when I asked the tobacconist for something as far away from Dunhills Early morning pipe as possible.

As a reasonably heavy cig smoker I wanted a late night or possibly whisky evening smoke that could finish the night off with a bit of kick but this blend took it too far for me.

The light is not as difficult as some would make you think if you give this bacci 20 minutes to breathe but may need a few relights during the smoke as its hard to keep puffing away on this monster.

The initial taste and room note are of burnt meat or the opening light of a coal fire, hard to imagine until you taste but take your time and you find the mid bowl is very smooth.

Leaves a strong ghost in the pipe.

Hardly bites despite strength.

Would avoid unless you are after something different or a challenge.

Still, despite my review and the others this is a quality tobbaco if not all that enjoyable.

Winston Churchill once said of Russia,"I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia. It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma; but perhaps there is a key..."

Replace the name Russia with Black Irish Twist (or X) and you have a good description. I don't love it. I don't hate it. Yet, I don't feel it's neutral or boring. It is very different. Not your grab it anytime smoke. I can't really find words to describe this tobacco or even how I feel about it. I'm usually pretty wordy.

I suggest taking a small, clay pipe and working your way slowly through an ounce of this stuff under various conditions and environments, moods, and other variables and see where you come out on the other end. Then decide. I'm working on it myself.

If nothing else, this is one tobacco every exploratory pipe smoker should at least try, and preferably observe in the wild over time. Dedicate a clay to it and let it be a walk away from the regular world for awhile. Not something I will reach for often, but when in the mood for something a little surreal perhaps.

Update 10/04/10: (A one star downgrade) Well, I've been playing with this a little more and the intrigue wears thin. I actually got a bit nauseous from it one day. Not a Nic Mulekick kind of bleh. Just bleh. It still has a tiny moment now and then of "interesting." It has just grown into a relationship much like with our grown daughter. Nice to see her for a few days once or twice a year, then happy to see the plane leave with her on it, knowing it will be at least another six months or more before we see her again. Anything else is just too taxing.

A friend shared some of his rope stock so I could try this style of tobacco - Thanks James!

This was quite a departure from the blends I usually smoke. And that is an understatement. I will never again think that drying and rubbing out flakes is a tedious procedure. This stuff actually requires tools to get it ready to smoke.

I tried cutting it into slices, but found that shredding it was quicker. End result is the same. Then it had to dry.

The taste reminded me of a backyard barbeque - not altogether unpleasant, but unexpected. Actually quite smooth, not the harsh horrible beast I expected. The room note was more potent than the taste. Nicotine content was fairly high. I smoked back-to-back bowls without ill-effect, though there was some effect.

I'll probably re-visit this one, but it's nothing I will want on a regular basis. Just too 'plain-Jane'.

I had to try this tobacco just because of all of the hype. Although the novelty of cutting your own tobacco off of a rope is a must for all pipe smokers at least once, I found this to be a boring smoke. The tobacco had poor burning qualities and very little flavor. Although the nicotene content is high, it is still not near as much so as Royal Yacht. The tobac burned nice and cool, and I will have no problem finishing the sample. It just wasn't enough to get me hooked. The Lakeland Perfume is just barely noticeable if you really look. I have to kind of wonder if it isn't there just because it is made in the same factory and absorbs it somewhat from the air!

I had high hopes for this tobacco as some well regarded pipe smokers gave it high recommendations. I will not say it is bad tobacco because I realize the vast differences of taste is the determining factor. So for I, it didn't satisfy my curiosity as I had imagined it would have. I had hoped to describe it differently than the "meat" most everyone speaks of but I just can't. It was very hard for me to keep lit which is the first disappointment. Again, possibly it was the way I packed it and I was using a filtered pipe for the first time. I am willing to try it again in a different pipe but I will not be purchasing it again. Hope those who will try will enjoy.