Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Black Irish X Unsliced

G/H Black Irish X … Sold in bulk, a black rope like Virginia plug tobacco about 5/8 inch in diameter. Looks like something Abe Lincoln would have smoked. Its bag aroma is a mild nondescript tobacco odor, with a after smoke room note that only a pipe smoker could enjoy.

I cut several 1/8 thick disc from the rope, and tried to smoke them without any drying time, mistake. First of all I could not keep them lit, they were too moist, and what smoke/steam I did get was NOT very good, to say the least, nothing like any Virginia I ever tasted before, yuk. So I did the obvious, I crumbled up a disk, and let it dry out, until almost breakable. Now things got interesting. To start with, light up and burn went without a problem, the initial smoke was mild, with a faint taste of something anise like, tasty, but very unique for a almost pure Virginia blend. As the bowl burned down the strength increased to what I would call medium strong, producing a mouth feel ((not taste)) of a stronger Honduran cigar. The taste seems to improve as the bowl burned, providing a faint sweetness and some interesting, if not unusual Virginia flavors. Really quite expectable.

I never encountered any tongue bite or harshness, but be ready for some vitamin “N”, in my case not a big problem, because I used a very small bowled cob pipe, dedicated to crazy tobaccos like this one. Overall, not nearly the monster I imagined, just a basic somewhat strong tobacco, not too different from many other old time plugs. Actually with a little experience and patience it's a respectable smoke. I would recommend to anyone that would enjoy stepping back in time, preparing his own smoke from a basic shoved plug. For THAT person, 3 stars. But If you tend to be a little on the anal side about details, forget this one, and move on.

Black as Hell and strong as the Devil, but if you approach it slowly and with a good measure of respect, it can provide a unique and interesting experience. It is very important not to rush through a bowl of this tobacco. Sip it gently, as if you were determined to be the last man standing in a smoking contest. This is a meaty tobacco, and it is the polar opposite of an aromatic blend.

Black Irish X presents itself as a dark, dense rope of tobacco, a bit thicker than an index finger, comprised of a stout solid core of tobacco wrapped in a few leaves that are thin as onionskin.

To smoke this tobacco, it is best to either cut it into coins or shave it into curls with a sharp knife. It is my understanding that tobacco in rope or twist form was usually chewed first, and then left to dry before smoking it.

This tobacco is best enjoyed outdoors, early in the morning, on an autumn evening, or on the porch during a summer storm. I would recommend it not be smoked indoors, unless you want your house to smell like a burning chicken coop for several days. The room note is very strong, and far from pleasant.

I recommend this tobacco because I feel it is an edifying and bracing experience to smoke. If you want to experience a bit of history, and test your mettle as well, give Black Irish X a try.

Even if it turns out not to be to your taste, having a twist of this black rope tobacco around the house makes a interesting subject for starting a conversation.

Pipes used in testing: Savinelli 606 KS, Saint-Claude basket pipe, Peterson Tankard

I was quite intrigued by this dark rope tobacco so decided to give it a go. I'm quite electic in my tobacco tastes leaning towards English blends but I found this a horrible smoking experience. The taste is dominated by the flavour of burning meat and that isn't something I want to taste in my pipe thank you very much.

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.

I am not sure what to say about this tobacco. Getting her going I swore that I was eating a steak, charred. I should preface this with I am still new at pipe smoking, but I have already gravitated to the “more experienced” tobaccos. Irish Flake, Kendal Twist, Happy Bogey, Condor Original, me likes them all. I have already decided that I have little use for anything subtle. With that said, I am not sure I can in good conscious recommend this tobacco. Instead, I dare you. I dare you to try the Black Irish X. It isn't the strongest out there, but it definitely stands out. I haven't tried the Brown Irish X, but I think that the Kendal and Bogey ropes might be about on par. This is an altogether interesting experience. I smoked this out of a giant meerschaum, and well I have the same feeling I did after finally feeling proficient with a straight edge razor – nothing can stop me now.

I must say that I whole-heartedly agree with every review. I see how this could be a horrible experience to many. I can't actually say that it was a good experience, but I have just shy of 4 oz. left, and I promise you it will not go to waste. One comment on many of the other comments, the nicotine isn't THAT strong. The burning flesh taste and smell aside, which I somehow liken to the Lakeland soap taste (something that probably should have no business in a tobacco smoking experience, but I'm glad it does) this is a generally smooth smoke. But I still dare you…

Having loved both Brown Irish X and Brown Bogie I decided to try some of this and BIG MISTAKE!! This stuff is absolutely vile, the most disgusting thing I have ever smoked. It literally tastes like a completely burned steak and smells like a dozen burnt steaks, I couldn't even force myself to smoke even half the bowl before I dumped it in the garbage. I like my steak bloody and i like my smoke to taste like tobacco not burnt ass!

Gawith Hoggarth Black Irish Twist (or Black Irish X as it says on the label of the sealed plastic bag it came in) is my first ever twist or rope tobacco. Over 35 years of smoking flakes hadn't quite prepared me for this one. I expected it to be something like a Va flake but stronger, but no, this is a different beast altogether, and one that I am very glad I decided to try.

The smell of the tobacco in the pack is excellent. Deeply woody, almost earthy with quite a smoky, cigar-like overtone. The appearance is mildly off-putting, resembling a bent black cigar, but the aroma makes up for that.

Preparation was easy enough. I have an excellent French made Opinel knife which made short work of slicing up a portion into pieces the size and thickness of a penny (a UK one that is). Based on the reviews I have read I expected the tobacco to need some drying but no, not at all. It rubbed out very easily making packing the pipe a breeze.

I smoked it in a Peterson 317, which has a suitably small sized bowl (for those who aren't familiar with Petes). It lit very easily and required only one more light to finish off the bowl. It smoked good and clean all the the way leaving only grey ash and no dottle.

Now for the flavour. In a word, wow! Most impressive. It smokes dry so the flavour stayed pretty much the same all the way down. The flavour of the smoke mirrors that of the tobacco in the pack; earthy, woody, smoky and altogether just as a plain tobacco should be. I had expected it to be stronger tasting. In fact, based on those reviews I expected something like Irish Flake but more so (and I am not over keen on Irish Flake - it gives me heartburn!). While Black Irish is certainly strong in flavour is is exceptionally smooth and tasty, cool smoking and quite unique in my pipe smoking experience. I did make a point of going fairly slowly with it and I am sure that was the right approach. Nicotine level? Fairly high but not excessive, though I think smoking it in a larger pipe might be a bit over the top.

To sum up, this is one that I would recommend to anyone. Four stars all the way.

This tobacco is the most disgusting thing I've ever put into a pipe to smoke. Burnt rubber and chicken feathers would have tasted better had I smoked it instead! Absolutely repugnant! This crap should be renamed Satan's Excrement! I must seriously question the integrity and sanity of anyone who smokes more than one bowl of this junk! YUK! I nearly threw up from the nicotine poisoning I endured. It took me over two hours to regain my composure after this venture into the torture tobacco realm. Smoking this crap is the equivalent of straining Sterno to drink the juice to get drunk. If this was the only tobacco left in the world to smoke, I'd quit smoking my pipes.

This is a monochromatic and nicotine over-loaded blend, which contaminate your pipe with a weired flavor for ever. Smoking on empty stomach makes me sick!

Why 4 stars?

I can understand if you hate it, but I love it!

It's not a complex and elegant blend, but you get a mellow smoke with a lightly sour flavor (iron, blood, salty water, fishing boat) of natural tobacco.

Smoking this stuff is the best way for me to relax. After the first few puffs - accompanied by a bottle of Merlot - all problems are fading away at once! Something magic!

I'm satisfied with one bowl a week (nicotine content!), but I don't want to miss this stuff anymore.

A relict of the "good?" old times!

Thank you Gawith & Hoggarth!

By the way, smoking indoors, it' an excellent mokito repellant!