Tobaccos Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. - Kendal Gold

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SteelCowboy (685)	2014-03-29		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

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.

Pipe Used: mainly straight bulldogs

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

14 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3047)	2017-01-23		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

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

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DeathMetal.org (231)	2021-04-15		Mild	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

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.

Similar Blends: Mac Baren - Capstan Original Navy Cut, Dunhill - Ready Rubbed (re-release), W.D. & H.O. Wills - The Three Castles Tobacco, Peterson - Flake.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2081)	2015-03-02		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

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.

Pipe Used: Falcon

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: G.Q Tobaccos

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrDyson (148)	2014-09-16		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

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.

Pipe Used: Large Ropp billiard

Age When Smoked: Fresh from the shop

Purchased From: Durham Pipes and Tobacco

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Smoke_Ring (158)	2013-07-25		Very Mild	Very Mild	Full	Pleasant

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.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	LtCdrStabbington (11)	2019-06-14		Mild	Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Tolerable

What can I say about this blend that others haven't already said?

It's an exceedingly average tobacco, notes of citrus and hay overlaid with tobacco greet the nostrils upon opening the pouch, upon lighting you get a very light taste of sweetness, like a speck of brown sugar. It burns well and didn't need a lot of relights. I maid a RYO cigarette with it and it proved to be very effective in this role.

But.... I mixed this 50/50 with a pouch of Borkum Riff Ruby and left it a few days, upon opening the Mason jar I was greeted with a more subdued, refined cherry smell than one gets from straight Borkum Riff, the moisture level was superb and upon lighting the taste was that of fresh, almost over ripe cherries and a hay like lightness with a aftertaste of sweet cherry. As such I would highly recommend this a mixer tobacco, on its own it makes an excellent RYO tobacco, however as a pipe tobacco its just average, even as a relatively new pipe smoker I've smoked far better blends.

Pipe Used: Golden Pipe #68

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Cigs n Papers, Exchange Street, Norwich

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipesmoking101 (63)	2015-01-13		Mild	None Detected	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

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.

Pipe Used: Peterson Standard System 317 (smooth), Stonehaven

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Smokewise Eastbourne

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	LV9 (85)	2020-02-15		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Here is my take on this tobacco, it is straight virginia and it is a shag cut, which is something that history has told us that it was made to either be rolled into a cigarette or stuff in a pipe I do believe that the formula has changed from when I originally smoked this 10 years ago, back then the virginias were more nicotine heavy not so much now, it was dryer not so much now it was shaggier not so much now, it’s an all day blend for the pipe smoker that’s in it for the nicotine but if you are one of the pipe smokers that is expecting to hear a symphony every time you light up a pipe keep on moving and save your money, I personally like it but your mileage may vary, I don’t think this one improves with age but smokes better almost completely dry.

Pipe Used: Peterson meerschaum and cherrywood ropp

Age When Smoked: 2 years

Purchased From: 4 noggins

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TallPuffO'Burley (633)	2016-11-28		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

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.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2016-07-22		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

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.

Pipe Used: MM Little Devil Cutty, Little Devil Acorn

Age When Smoked: fresh bulk

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	OsborneCox (4)	2016-03-23		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

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.

Pipe Used: MM Huck Finn

Age When Smoked: fresh from shipping box

Purchased From: SmokingPipes.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Knightsmoker (218)	2015-01-21		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild	Tolerable to Strong

This is just an OK blend. I really like most of the G&H's offerings I have tried so far but this one just missed for me. The VA's are gold and it might be topped with something very lightly, perhaps sugar water? As it seems sweeter than a natural VA could be but only slightly. There is also a brown sugar like taste to it. Not that it is brown sugar that has been added just reminds me of it a little but that is not it. No hay/grass notes really, but a zesty spicy note that reminds me of cinnamon. Again, not suggesting it was added but the spicy note reminds me of similarities of it. Outside of these notes, the blend is rather one dimensional. It never bites would be a good all day blend if you are into it, might mix well but it is not marketed as a blender so I base the rating on its stand alone points. While not bad there are many other mild golden VA blends that are better Dan's HV, for example comes to mind. I doubt it will age as mild as it is. I see no reason to revisit this one personally.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	marper (8)	2014-10-14		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is really one of the finest tobacco's I have ever had in a cigarette. Its shag cut perfect for RYO. It comes moist so if your using for cigs will need some dry time. Its pricey but worth it if your a connoisseur of good cig tobacco. Just has a great pure Virginia taste to it. Its a very naturally sweet Virginia no toppings on this one its not needed.

Pipe Used: RYO

Age When Smoked: Unknown

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: 3 Castles, Golden Virginia, 3 Sails, 3C.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Smokedinacob (10)	2014-06-29		Mild	Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant

I really wanted to like Kendal Gold. I am a huge G&H fan. I have liked the handful of straight light Virginia flakes that I have smoked. I tried to like it. It is so amazingly nondescript that I wonder if it meant to be used as a blender only, except that it is more filler than blender, as it has virtually no taste. It makes an ok cigarette, except for the trace of Lakeland baby powder (which I like in thier other blends, by the way).

I would describe the cut as an ultra-fine ribbon, just this side of a shag. It is the same as the Dark Birdseye and Kendal Kentucky, and is a great uniform cut.

I'm letting mine rest in the hopes that it will improve with age.

Pipe Used: cob

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: smoking pipes

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TMacpherson (3)	2014-03-30		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

I was expecting to enjoy this as much as I did. Easy to light, easy to keep lit, the shag cut makes this a dream to smoke. A very mild smoke with some nicotine. I enjoyed this while hiking through the Pemi Wilderness during a perfect winter 5 days.

Pipe Used: Zenz Apple

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	UncleSquinty (27)	2018-01-31		Mild	None Detected	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Is it a pipe tobacco? Is it a cigarette rolling tobacco? It's two <click), two (click) two weeds in one! (Apologies to the creators of the 1960s Certs commercial).

When England went barmy with its cigarette taxes, numerous "pipe tobaccos" emerged on the market...alkaline balanced and shag cut, excellent for RYO but not so great to put in a pipe.

Gawith & Hoggarth's 'Kendall Gold' appears to be one of these...at least from appearance. I rolled a thin-guage cigarette from it, and it was the mildest, most pleasant cigarette you can imagine...even without a filter. Beautiful.

I was ready to write it off as being suitable only for rolling your own. Then the thought occurred: "Boy, this ain't Route 66...it's from G&H! Try it in a pipe." And I did so, in a small bowl corncob.

Wow! Soft, sweet Virginias dominate with just the slightest whiff of Lakeland essence. And I mean the slightest whiff. The tobacco burned quickly, but stayed quite cool in the bowl. No second match was required after the "false light;" the tobacco burned coolly, cleanly and completely to the heel of my pipe without needing relighting, although frequent gentle tamping was required. Shag tobaccos can quickly expand upward and above the crown of one's pipe if not tamped a few times.

Will I smoke it in a pipe again. No, probably not. Will I roll the rest by hand into cigarettes? Yes, as this tobacco is more amenable to either hand-rolling or use of a Rizla-type two cylinder manual roller. The "tube injector" type of cigarette maker will probably not handle this tobacco well; the strands are long for a shag, while still being a shag cut. Some further rubbing or clipping of the tobacco might be required for some rollers.

Room note is pure cigrette. Non-smokers will not be pleased, even if you sing Gawith & Hoggarth's praises while polluting the air of the smokaphobics in your circle. 2 stars. This is the highest quality RYO tobacco I've ever encountered...but it's still RYO IMHO. See what I did there? <laughing>

Pipe Used: Cobbs and briars, rolled into cigarettes

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Online

Similar Blends: Smoker's Pride Gold, but much higher quality..

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Wilbah73 (3)	2016-03-08		Very Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

Kendal Gold is labeled a shag cut tobacco, i don't think so! This is a Ribbon cut plain and simple. Shag's are the preferred cut of the Hand rolling enthusiasts. I tried and it was not that easy with a single wide wrap. This ribbon cut would be well suited for the RollYourOwn machine/TubeInjector crowd. GawithHoggarth Does make this blend in a shag cut known as Auld Kendal Golden and it's no longer available in the US market. That being said, if you like mild English bright Virgina's this is one of the finest examples available today.

Pipe Used: Molina Burl

Age When Smoked: fresh bulk

Similar Blends: In cut its like all the great European hand rolling shag's that are only available in the US now in ribbon cuts. Is that because there is more money to be made off the TubeInjector/MachineRollYourOwn market....? I as a pipe smoker have always enjoyed these as shags & who is really being served by this Shag migration? Pipe smokers are like Hand rollers just trying to find some of the best tobacco's that can be had. Whereas Cigarette, injector, MachineRYO'rs smokers are just in it to save a buck!.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sir John Moore (29)	2023-04-11		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

A light bright Virginia blend with a fairly uninspiring tin note this thin ribbon borderline shag cut packs easily with plenty of " bounce" in the cut thanks to the perfect moisture content. The charring light is easy to over do thanks to the cut and the true light takes easily . The first two thirds are on the citrus side of the Virginia profile with the mellower ones taking the fore in the final third. This particular purchase was as fresh as possibly could be with the tobacconist opening the 1kg bag on the counter to weigh up my pouch. This means the blend is on the more rambunctious rougher side and best sipped. A good no nonsense smoke with plenty of aging and home blending potential.

Pipe Used: Cob

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Segar and Snuff Parlour Covent Garden

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Quiggifur (99)	2023-02-28		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Slightly sweet, raisins, grassy. Flavor isn't powerful and seems to wane as i smoke through the bowl, and the smoke is pretty harsh on my mouth. If you're into straight Virginias, you may like this quite a bit, but it's not my thing.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	FreeJazzPipes (9)	2023-02-21		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I purchased 2 bulk ounces of Gawith, Hoggarth & Co.'s Kendal Gold from a local tobacconist. Kendal Gold is a shag cut with an ideal amount of moisture, comprised of only golden, bright leaf Virginias. The pouch aroma is very faint with a light hay note followed by an unobtrusive sourdough in the background. Upon initial light, the flavor is rich, extremely mild, and recalls citrus and honey with a slightly yeasty, fermented note. The topping is applied with significant restraint, to the point that I'm not sure there is one; there's a near-imperceptible Lakeland floral note that comes and goes that I don't recognize in other brand's bright leaf Virginia blends. The shag cut burns cool and even and has little to no bite. Nicotine strength falls somewhere between mild and medium with a taste that neither lingers on tongue, nor in nose. The room note has a somewhat pleasant, creamy odor that does not remind me of cigarettes. Kendal Gold is a not a complex tobacco. It's a highly unproblematic blend that's just as mellow and satisfying as it is uncomplicated and straightforward — highly recommended.

Purchased From: Allegheny Smokeworks

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	hrhf (38)	2021-03-08		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I must take issue with all the people damning this blend to the fiery pits of RYO hades. I’ve smoked two cigarettes tops in my life. Both were during the Clinton administration, and I was too altered to know better or remember.

But anyway, speaking purely as a pipe smoker, this is something I may very well purchase again once my meager (compared to my staples) stash of this is gone.

As a Virginia lover, surely there’s a place for an easy-smoking blend that doesn’t require a lot of attention. Even though I’m an apartment dweller, I have been a homeowner in my time. And this is the perfect Virginia for outdoor chores. I can practically see myself mowing the hilly lawn of the little place in Louisville where some of my fondest memories reside.

Is this blend one that requires—or deserves—a lot of attention? No.

But there’s definitely a place for it in my tobacco arsenal. I’m fairly certain I prefer this over any of the codger blends I have tried recently.

So that’s the bottom line, I suppose. This Kendal Gold basically fills the niche usually occupied by the old OTC standbys.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

Nobody has rated this review yet.