Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Coniston Cut Plug

It's a Lakeland, yes, but just barely. I think of Lakeland as being all Virginia with a strong, pungent, soap and floral note, which is a combo I've always loved and will continue to love. With Coniston Cut Plug that floral essence is slight almost to the point of seeming like an afterthought. What I taste is the coffee and wood notes from the strong, African burley and the raspy, metallic, bittersweet of the dark fired leaf. Anyone who likes the dark, strong flavored ropes and plugs that the Gawith contingency do so well will probably be satisfied with Coniston since I note many of the same dark, dank flavors.

The floral top dressing puts me in mind of rose, lavender, and a sort of baby powder essence, which is strange when paired with the leathery, dirty flavor of the underlying tobacco, but not so strange as to be unpleasant.

If you're one of those dark and broody types who like the dark and broody flavors of such tobaccos as Black XX Twist or Kendal Dark, this'll be an interesting little change of pace. Also, if you still think that any Lakeland blend equals "oil of old lady," and unworthy of a diehard tobaccophile, well, chances are Coniston has more than enough real tobacco strength and flavor to change your mind.

A bit stronger yet smoother than the Floral Bosun Cut Plug and quite subdued with the Tonquin scent/flavoring compared to Dark Flake Scented. Not quite the overall strength of DFS, but a strong, full bodied, rich flavored plug. While the dark fired leaf dominates, the Burley and Virginia do add to the overall natural flavors and full bodiedness. Mostly tobacco flavor for me in this one as the scenting is light, just enough to compliment the aroma, without interfering with the natural rich tobacco flavors. Another winner from G&H IMHO and happily in my weekly rotation year round.

Nice strong lakeland flake tobacco, its got some of the characteristics of the ropes, but isn't so harsh, or so strong. Perhaps the diferent process involved on pressing plugs tames it a little, I find it much more approachable.

In the bag it smells faintly smokey (dark fired leaf isn't the same as Latakia, its not so heavily smoked), earthy, tobaccoey, like a rope tobacco in fact. It's quite dark, and pressed quite densely. The cut is quite thick, thicker than the Samuel Gawith flakes, which makes it burn quite cool. I could'nt smell any topping scent in the pouch.

Offers a lot in the way of flavour development. It burns well, and the flavour at first is very faintly sweet. The aroma of the smoke at this stage is decidedly sweet, faintly nutty and a little like vanilla. Maybe this is Tonka bean? Its certainly not sickly smelling like a danish aromatic. I assume that the scenting in this soaks well into the leaf, because the taste is definitely of a scented tobacco. As the smoke progresses, the taste of the topping recedes, and the earthy, very faintly smokey taste of the tobacco comes through, and builds steadily in intensity. The aroma also becomes less sweet, and more like rich tobacco at this stage. It does leave a faintly soapy aftertaste, which some may not enjoy, I find it quite pleasant.

It does not bite unless provoked, and tends to burn fairly cool, with little harshness (unlike the ropes). Drying it out a little may be a good idea, as it does gurgle sometimes. It burns really slow, and will last well even in a small pipe. It is quite strong, so a smaller pipe is good unless you really like nicotine. Smoke it out of doors, on rainy days, it makes it all seem alright.

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UPDATE

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Got some more of this, as the weather in Preston is back to it's usual grim, Northern rainyness, and I'm surprised I didn't buy more sooner. Delicious stuff, and perfect on a cloudy, blustery day like today- it never overheats, never bites, you can turn your clay upside down to keep the rain out and it still smokes just fine. Very leathery, strong tasting tobacco- I notice the topping more now, right from the start slightly soapy, but in no way overwhelming the flavour of the tobacco- very nice. I started smiling as soon as I lit the first bowl!

I am a smoker who usually avoids Lakeland like an anthrax milkshake, but I tried Coniston and I like it. Strange. It does not have the yukkiness of an over-topped Gawith at all.

Gawith Hoggarth Coinston cut plug - The 75% Dark Fired Virginias run the show here . A little nuttiness from the burley . There is a light fruity taste coming from the lighter Virginia i think . The Lakeland essense is moderatly applied and goes well with the strong blend . I think I detect some tonquin . Full flavored true tobacco flavor with thick dense smoke . Strong nic hit . When i ordered I was thinking this was in line with Bosun Cut but it is obviously stronger . Stronger than ODF . I can finish a small bowl with no problems . Good quality tobacco . Not really my thing but I score it a 3 .

Coniston Cut Plug offers a bit of best worlds. The flavor mainly comes from the Dark Fired as it makes up the majority of the blend. At the same time, there is enough Lakeland style added flavors to make those seeking some added flavor happy too. But with that said, the tobacco flavor dominates. CCP starts off medium to strong and by mid bowl it is strong to very strong. Many of the Gawith Hoggarth blends offer a visit from Lady N and CCP invites her to move in for a long stay! I enjoy this blend more than similar GH blends as it burns cool without any hint of a bite. CCP is a full flavored blend made from high quality tobaccos and recommended for the experienced pipe smoker. Proceed with caution.

I will preface this review by stating up front that I am a relative new-comer to "soapy" English virginia flakes in general and GH blends of this type in specific.

I recently obtained several GH samples. I liked Rum Flake, but after Sliced Black Twist Aromatic, I was not sure I was up to GH "natural" flakes. I was therefore pleasantly surprised with Conniston Cut Plug, a stringy dark brown broken flake with just a few lighter streaks.

On arrival the tobacco seemed a bit moist, so I let it sit out in a dish to dry out, while I fired up a bowl, "as is", i.e., stuffed some moist broken flakes in a kind-of-everything no-name bulldog. Before lighting up, I stuck my nose in the bowl to sense the pouch aroma. Just a hint of floral bouquet, but nothing overwhelming considering the flavor to come.

Immediately upon initial combustion, I was struck with the strong tastes of floral room freshener, kind of like those little christmas tree automobile air-fresheners. While this sounds unappetising, in combination with the sweetness of the virginias it was a great flavor. The balance of flavor was also almost consistent throughout the bowl, gathering in sweetness towards the end. I never did get a sense of a smoky taste mentioned by others, at least in the latakia-smoky way. I am also not sure that this needed to be dried out as that first bowl burned well. It did go out on occasion, perhaps due to neglect, but it is strong enough that this is a good thing.

CCP is a "love it or leave it" kind of tobacco. I could not see smoking it all day (though I have just smoked 3 "demi-tasse" bowls in a row!). This is a strong tobacco, and is best appreciated in small doses and does DGT quite well. Also, the room note is rather overwhelming, especially in confined spaces like my home office.

I look forward to exploring more GH soap flakes.

Sweet aroma like some baby powder balancing the heavy taste of the tobaccos. Nice volume of smoke and body I could almost chew on the smoke. Burns nicely best enjoyed in a smaller bowl. Smokes cool and would not bite even if pushed. Some may not like it or may gag at this tobacco but it's a must try tobacco for sure. May not be enjoyable if the smoker is nicotine sensitive or very used to the typical vanilla aro. Will leave a nice ghost that I find rather enjoyable specially with lat blends.

This packs a punch alright! Best suited for later day smoking IMO. I would put this in the Black XX, Irish Twist strength catergory. But the "other flavoring" adds a whole different dimension. Its a very well behaved smoke right out of the bag. I would certainly buy more.