Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Kendal Gold

I must admit right up front that I am generally not a fan of straight bright Virginias. Add to that that this Kendal Gold is a shag cut which is OK, but with a straight bright Virginia, maybe not so much. My first thought was that this is cigarette tobacco. In the pouch, there is almost no distinguishable scent of hay or grass or anything else for that matter. But since I’m smoking it, not much of the other stuff matters right? In the pipe, when packed just right, I must admit that I enjoy the flavor of KG. There is a definite difference with the Virginias that come out of Gawith Hoggarth than other Virginias I have smoked. The distinct flavor reminds me of the old time English tobaccos that come out of the Lake District. It never bites and unless really pushed or not packed correctly. I don’t believe that the flavor is a result of a topping, but rather the stain of leaf used. As with the pouch scent, there isn’t really any hay flavor, but a cool burning, slightly sweet tobacco. I don’t get any floral or soap flavor often associated with the GH blends either. My only real negative is that this is pretty monochromatic. It is kind of a “set it and forget it” blend that I find satisfying. There is also a bit of a nic hit with KG too, although not strong. I prefer something like Bright CR Flake from GH to this, but KG is a worthy smoke for those that enjoy bright Virginias from GH.

This light Virginia tobacco offers light tart and tangy citrus, a small pinch of sugar, some grass and hay and a hint of floralness. The strength is medium, while the taste is a step below that level. The nic-hit is a slot behind the taste threshold. Won't bite, but can get a tad harsh if puffed like a steam engine. You'll encounter cigarette notes regardless of how you smoke it. Burns clean and a little fast with a moderately consistent flavor that lacks body and depth. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires few relights. Has a short lived after taste and room note. An all day work and play, monochromatic smoke that may work better as a mixer.

-JimInks

Summary: bright Virginia flavor without the acidity or heat, this blend presents a sweet and light smoke.

Ever since the corporate stooges replaced the old "Three Castles" with some shag-cut back-shelf leaf, many of us have sought a replacement for that storied tobacco blend. "Kendal Gold" addresses that need with a pressed bright Virginia that has partially fermented enough to lose the acidity and excessive sugar that makes it flame, giving us instead a thin ribbon cut that burns smoothly and delivers the classic bright Virginia flavor of lemon honey on toasted French bread. Stuff it in a pipe, poke a thumb in the top, and then light it for a slow-smoldering blend that delivers the best Virginia flavor available today with the least complexity. The leaf caramelizes further as the bowl progresses, deepening the flavor, and ends with nothing but fine powdery ash.

Gawith Hoggarth - Kendal Gold.

When I take a whiff of the tobacco at the beginning there really isn't anything to report, a very very slight Virginia smell but it's subdued in the up-most fashion. This one arrived at a satisfactory amount of hydration and just like I have heard, one could be forgiven for thinking it's cigarette tobacco!

It lights easily and once lit I find the same character within the taste as I noted in the appearance... it tastes just like a cigarette! By no means does it taste bad, to do so it would require character of which it has none! I will raise some more positive points now, the first is tongue bite, it feels similar to a cigarette with the fact it's a comfortable smoke on the palate. Another similarity is temperature, it's a cool smoke that doesn't become hot even when under strain. Nicotine, again it's cigarette quantity, is this truly a pipe tobacco?!! After a few bowls I have come to the conclusion that this would be a great tobacco for someone looking to switch from ciggies to the pipe but it will bore the socks off any seasoned smoker!!

Two stars.

Kendal Gold;

Star Rating = 3.75;

Rating Scores - 10 is the Best and 0 is the Worst;

Pouch Note = 10;

Room Note = 9;

Flavor = 10;

Bite = 9;

Burn = 10;

After Taste = 9;

Raw Score = 57;

Rated Percentage = 95%;

Comment = Very Smooth, Very Mild, Nice Full Body Natural Tobacco Flavor, White Ash Burn.

This straight, sweetish VA isn’t as good as the Kendal’s Mixed shag in the Gawith & Hoggarth range, because it lacks that bit of ‘bite’ that the Burley gives to the latter. It’s all right, though. Not for the connoisseur or the lover of strong flavours, but if you want an all-day easy smoke, this is a respectable choice; it’s also, as far as I can tell, a completely natural tobacco with nothing added, and I like that. It packs well, burns easily (and, for a shag cut, remarkably slowly), doesn’t bite unless you beg it to, and doesn’t make too many demands on the palate. Admittedly it lacks flavour and ‘body’, but sometimes that isn’t a bad thing. I find this kind of tobacco good in hot weather when one wants something light; it suits a large bowl, tight packing and slow smoking. I find also that it is much better indoors than out. I don't know why this is, but it seems to lose its flavour completely in any sort of breeze. Maybe it's just me, but that's how it seems.

My brother-in-law makes rollups with Kendal Gold, and it would, in fact, be a good transitional smoke for someone wanting to make the shift from cigarette to pipe smoking. As an earlier reviewer has said, it’s a good mixer; it goes well with St Bruno Ready Rubbed, I find. I wouldn’t queue in the rain for it, to be honest; but it’s a nice tobacco for what it is, and the beginner will not find it too challenging. BTW: It's not what you would call a strong tobacco, but Vitamin N is certainly present. The room note is no big treat, incidentally; it's like cigarette smoke in high concentrations. I put it down as 'tolerable', but SWMBO denounced it in no uncertain manner.

This is a pretty decent Virginia blend, but like others have said in the various reviews, it is a little cigarette like in appearance, taste and room note. It is a little light in body as well and I found the nicotine content to be a little light as well. It is a shag cut as well, which I pretty much despise.

So there are plenty of negatives to this blend before I even start my review, but some of the positives to this include the fact that is virtually biteless, it burns great from beginning to the end (maybe a bit fast) and has a nice sweetness that is kind of a dulled version of the haylike/bready sweetness one would expect from a Virginia.

Another thing I found odd with this blend is a complete lack of any Lakeland floral aroma. This is odd only because I have tasted it in every other GH blend I have ever tried. This one is pretty good, but I likely won't reorder as it is not good enough to break into my crowded Virginia rotation.

Sweet hay. If your name is Trigger, you'll love this one. Sweet hay is all I get from this. Can probably use this as a blender to good effect, but smoked by itself it offers very little. The burn is perfect, albeit a bit quick. It doesn't offend in any way, but is a real plain Jane. No Lakeland detected in a cob.

Mild to medium in body and taste.

A beautiful golden Virginia, extra fine shag cut, generous moisture content. 2oz filled a sanitized mason pint. After a few weeks jar time I still detected a tiny hint of Lakeland floral, but that could be bag drift from the half pound of Ennerdale that shipped in the same box. Otherwise, a classic fresh Virginia aroma.

I've been loving this out of my smallest cob for a quick 20 minute bowl if I'm on a tight schedule. It starts out with notes of fresh hay and mild sweetness, the sweetness grows, then at about half bowl a bready flavor comes in. By 3/4 bowl the breadiness and sweetness meld and remind me of Portuguese sweet bread. Burns very cool and dry when smoked slowly. Not a profound smoke, but not boring either, and very enjoyable.

I've also found it to be superior handrolling tobacco. Makes a very mild but flavorful smoke of the utmost quality. I've shared it with a number of friends who smoke "store boughts" and they all agree it's very special.

Will definitely be ordering more of this.

I found this tobacco to be fairly bland. The tobacco itself is not bad quality, and it has some flavour to it - it's not like smoking hot air, but it is very cigarette-like. That quality is great in cigarettes, but not what I really look for in a pipe tobacco. The tin note is likewise, fairly bland, not unpleasant, but doesn't rock my world, it's a sweet hay-like scent. The tobacco packs well & burns easily, so it was easy to smoke. I found it had no bite, either, which is somewhat surprising considering it is pure Virginia. The room note is fairly mild, again fairly cigarette-like. Due to the fact that it burned easily, was a simple smoke and didn't bite like a ravenous beast, I will give it 2 stars, as the tobacco itself was not bad as such, but I don't think I'll be queuing in the rain to buy more. I may purchase some in future for a quick smoke when I need something with reliable burn that I can smoke quickly, or to use as a blending base, but I don't think I will ever consider this as a 'go to' tobacco. May age well, due to it being all Virginia, so might get some for cellaring to see how that works out.