Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Bosun Cut Plug

This is a full-bodied Virginia cut plug from G & H. I tried an ounce of it on a friend's recommendation: with some trepidation, I have to admit, fearing that it might be a bit too much like G & H's Ennerdale Flake. In the event, I was pleasantly surprised. I'm not wild about it, but it's an honest and worthwhile smoke, and well worth the money. There is a typical enough ‘lakeland' casing here, but it's not in-your-face in the way that Ennerdale's is. The pouch aroma leads you to expect something more scented than it actually is when you light up. Also, the initial aroma calms down a lot after even only a couple of days in the jar.

BCP isn't a sophisticated or complex tobacco. The flavour is pleasant enough without being outstanding; the smoke is cool and fragrant, and the burn is very slow. This last property is very much a plus point for me. There's a nice room note too; none of the domestic critics (Klio, SWMBO or Dr Dyson Jnr.) had anything adverse to say. I have to say that I didn't notice the ‘cigar type notes.'

Putting it generally, Bosun Cut Plug reminds me to some extent of St Bruno Flake. One could say also that it's a little bit like Ennerdale Flake but with the volume turned right down. I don't find it at all soapy and cloying; 'fruity' and 'woody' are the (overworked) words that come most readily to mind. In terms of nicotine content, BCP is strong, but not uncomfortably so. I've been smoking it in a biggish bowl (Peterson 312), and haven't suffered. Not for the beginner, though, and it mustn't be rushed.

This is a tobacco that is better stuffed straight into the bowl than rubbed out, I think; but it will rub out easily enough if that's what you prefer. At first sight it seemed to me rather moist; I expected to have to relight quite a few times. Somewhat to my surprise it lit easily and burnt well all the way down, perhaps getting a tad hot and bitter towards the bottom of the bowl but otherwise behaving nicely throughout. It's the sort of heavy, tasty, old-fashioned smoke that is pleasant to have on a cold morning, and it goes nicely with hot black coffee. At the end, you're left with a fine, pale ash and no goo.

I wouldn't smoke this tobacco all the year round, and I think one could get bored with it fairly quickly. It doesn't, to be frank, have enough character and complexity to retain interest over a long stretch, but it'll stay in my list of welcome changes. It's a good choice when you're in the right sort of mood. Definitely recommended.

Update, June 2011: I've smoked quite a lot more of BCP since I first reviewed, and I've come to like it more than I did at first. I'd give it another half star if that were possible. I would emphasise to people who might like to try it that letting it breathe and dry in a jar for a couple of days really does make a big difference.

After trying Ennerdale flake and enjoying it, I decided to try my pouch of Bosun Cut Plug. This is a slightly stronger and meatier tobacco than Ennerdale, and that is probably why I liked it even better. The dark fired gives this a nice taste range from the darker, smokier spectrum to the higher virginias enhanced with cloves and rose geranium. I found this to be gentle on the palate, with a nice full flavor. This will probably become a staple tobacco for me.

Update: I'm knocking this down a notch. The more I smoke this, the more I get incredible tongue bite from it. I just can't say a blend with so much tongue bite four stars.

Quite a robust and interesting tobacco this is. It arrived in broken flakes that turned into a sort of shag with very little rubbing. While the description on the website specified it as the unscented version, I strongly believe it is in fact the scented variety. The leaf aroma is something akin to laundry detergent but luckily isn't as apparent in the actual flavor. The geranium oil provides a sort of perfumey sweetness while the clove oil adds spice and a briskness somewhat reminiscent of menthol cigarettes. There isnt much actual clove flavor that I can discern. Either way, Bosun Cut Plug is one of my favorite "pick me up" tobaccos as it packs a fairly significant nicotine punch. I couldnt smoke it all the time but I do enjoy it for an occasional change of pace. Such an interesting tobacco, definitely worth a try.

I like and keep on hand a number of the Lake District scented flakes and plugs, and this is one of them. BCP is a dark, scented flake. The smoke begins with the pronounced flavor of cloves and an unmistakable floral element. In time these flavors and scents cease to dominate, and the taste of very good, dark English flake tobacco emerges, enhanced and complemented by the top dressing. The experience is pretty straight forward. You will either enjoy it or you won't. BCP is not among my four or five favorites in this genre, but it is unique, and for that reason I keep it on hand. If you are a scented flake fan, I recommend giving this one a try. Well recommended. Paddy

Yes, it's a traditional English scented flake with a nice pouch aroma. I would describe my sample as a broken flake. I'm smoking it in a small Cavicchi prince dedicated to scented flakes, so I may be getting some residual flavors. I don't find the scenting over-the-top, but it's surely present. The scenting seems to complement the Virginias well. I like scented flakes, but I have a hard time identifying the specific flavorings. Rose and cloves? I guess it could be. Whatever it is, it's very nice. The tobacco is full-bodied, very satisfying, and slightly sweet like a high quality Virginia should be. It burns slow and evenly. Bosun Cut Plug may be a little high in nicotine to be an all-day tobacco, but maybe not; surely it's one that could be enjoyed regularly. I get no tongue bite at all. Probably not a blend that will be appreciated by everyone, but scented flake smokers will really like this, I think. If you like scented flakes, give this blend a try.

Bosun Cut Plug is clearly one of the Gawith "soap" flakes. This one comes in long, shredded flakes of dark brown, and at a moisture level that is about right. I prefer to smoke this in a small bowl, folding the shreds in and packing gently.

The scent ingredients, "special Virginia casings ... including oil of cloves and rose geranium", produce an intriguing flavor on top of the GH trademark soapiness. I find this blend to be a bit gentler than other scented GH flakes (e.g., Ennerdale Flake, though the description above suggests otherwise) but still a strong tobacco. The strength of BCP's flavoring is midway between Bob's Chocolate and Glengarry Flake, and recedes in the second half of the bowl, leaving the taste of virginias to dominate.

If you are into the soap flakes, this is certainly one to try, though you will want to smoke it in a pipe that is more-or-less dedicated to such tobaccos.

A very traditional English flake, in that it is cased with with flavors that some may refer to as Soapy. This tobacco is well pressed and thinly sliced, making the rubbing out process easy, quite simply it is made like most flakes from the UK. Lighting and keeping lit after the charring process is normal, nothing unusual in this flake. The flavors are tolerable, and the room aroma from this commands compliments, this is a medium to strong tobacco, and it surpasses it's conterpart, CCP. Overall, I will give it a 7, a well made tobacco, and one that has a large following.

Bosun es otro clásico Lakeland y como tal puede generar desde el enamoramiento al más rotundo rechazo. En cualquiera de los dos casos debemos saber que estamos ante una casa bicentenaria que sigue facturando sus labores de la misma manera que lo hacía a finales del 1800. Bosun es una base de virginias y burley con los aromas tipicos de los Lakeland. En este caso no muy aromatizado, se pueden percibir los herbáceos y florales virginias, lo terroso del burley, algo de picor, algo de humedad de frutas pasas. Cómo todos sus parientes no es un tabaco para todo el día pero si muy adecuado para determinados momentos en que le podemos prestar la atención que se merece. Viene con buena humedad, presentado en cut plug. Se fuma muy lento y fresco y casi seguro habrá que reencenderlo varias veces. Es una mezcla fuerte, de sabor pleno y una nota de habitación que no pasa desapercibida.

3rdguy

Not a big fan of the Lakeland perfume but I really enjoyed this one. Good strength to it, no bite, no relights after I finally got it going. The Lakeland really disappeared for me after the 1st quarter of the bowl. I smoked this daily until I ran out and now want to try the unscented version to see how that compares.