Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Curly Cut

If somebody wishes to get the rope experience without the need of cutting and slicing this should be your choice. The bright virginias burn very well opposed to the dark leaves so common to SG ropes(twists). The taste evolves to the end and gives a nice, tasty smoke. I think it smokes better dryer in larger bowls.

06/28/05 GH Curly Cut is a mixture of dark brown, brown, and golden tobaccos. My sample is a combination of spun discs and loose ribbon, dominated by the latter. The pouch aroma is subtle, yet wonderful: slightly fruity and tart, but with a grassy base. It could be the most pleasing pouch aroma of any blend I smoke. I love to stick my nose in the jar and enjoy the aroma before packing my pipe.

Curly Cut packs and lights effortlessly, however the inconsistency of the cut (see below) can affect the burn. The smoke envelopes the tongue with body and flavor. It has a no-nonsense, natural tobacco flavor that is slightly sweet in the mid-range, but with enough depth to be satisfying. I may taste a slight tartness as well. The flavor remains consistent throughout the bowl. Based on the flavor and what I?ve read over the years, I would imagine the composition is dark-fired Virginias with possibly a little burley (which I believe I taste), and bright Virginias from South America. The nicotine level is full, but not overwhelming at all. It could be easily smoked before breakfast or after a meal late in the day. The room note is of a natural tobacco that would probably not be a party pleaser.

I don?t smoke Curly Cut everyday, but like Stonehaven, every time I smoke it I wonder why this isn?t my everyday tobacco. I have no explanation for my behavior; I just seem to migrate to a McClelland Virginias more often, perhaps due to McClelland?s high notes which are missing here. I do not mean to compare blends; I am just thinking aloud, so to speak, about my smoking habits.

Curly Cut is an outstanding blend that I recommend highly to lovers of natural tobaccos. My only complaint is the inconsistency of the cut. I wish all the ribbons were spun into discs. I don?t believe the loose ribbons are all unraveled discs; I believe some are added to keep costs down. All in all, this is a minor complaint.

Update 12/24/06: I just purchased a 500g bag of Curly Cut and all of the tobacco is in disc form. It appears that in my previous sample the discs had just come unraveled. Now I don't even have a small complaint about this wonderful tobacco. I sealed that 500g in a Mason jar for aging. I'll report back in about 5 years. I'm expecting great things!

High quality, unadulterated Virginia cut twist. I thought from my first couple of pipes, that this might be a tongue-burner, but this never happened. A delightful tobacco in lots of ways, which will appeal to many Virginia lovers. My only citicism, perhaps an unfair one, is that I found it a tiny bit bland. The truth is, that I prefer flakes to twists. I may have another crack at it.

A most satisfying smoke, made from dark and golden Virginia Tobacco. It bites like hell and tastes really good. "GO SLOW WITH THIS GAL,OR SHE'LL SLAP YOU'RE FACE",- it should read on the package. This is A+ quality Virginia rope,that is stout and sutle at the same time. Treat it tenderly and you are rewarded with straight but not too sweet Virginia. One said "brittle flavour" and I agree whole heartedly with that statement.

I tried this in several pipes,and it tends to be better in a small bowl. Nicotene happy,stout,heady,natural with no sweetners. It's like a pretty woman thats swears like a sailor.

Someone compared this to Three Nuns without the Perique. I disagree, but I understand the comment. As noted, this blend is mostly dark-fired leaf, with the exception of the bright VA wrapper. That exception makes it a pretty good smoke, probably a VERY good smoke for the lover of rope tobaccos. If you don't like ropes, though, you probably won't add this to your regular rotation.

This doesn't have the richness and variation of 3N. The flavor is thinner, more brittle (appreciators might use the term "focused"). This blend doesn't do it for me, but I can tell it is a quality tobacco. So, while I will never smoke it again, I will give it a three stars for those who might.

I recieved my first bag of G&H Curly Cut last week and I have to say that I have been only smoking this wonderful blend of virginias. My first bowl was alittle off but since then I find it a great smoke with a sour side to it. It has been compared to Three Nuns and I agree and see the similarities in presentation and flavor but I have to say that I prefer this blend to the current version of Three Nuns. Although I do love perique. I don't think this blend has any. Slightly moist on arrival but takes two to lights to get going.4 stars.

So many Gawith blends, so little time. Actually, I am just taking my time, enjoying my forey into this company's various blends. Curley Cut, another winner as far as I am concerned. Others have reviewed this tobacco with comparisons to other blends. Well, I feel these disc's of delight stand rather well on their own.

Just a delight. I pack the disc's into an old favored Charatan and it is off to some quality "downtime". As with this type of tobacco, I rubbed out several for the final topping of the bowl to assist in the lighting and it did not need a re-light. The taste was smooth and consistent throughout the run of the bowl. A very satisfying, medium smoke.

I finally tried this blend and found it an improvement over their 'deluxe' model. The rope discs are smaller and about the size of quarter. Most have a nice birdseye present but there is quite a variation in make-up from disc to disc. Some are predominantly darker, reddish brown while others are a lighter, golden color. Due to the tobaccos and manufacturing process, all have the birdseye contrast that I find visually appealing and I think adds to the taste. However, from bowl to bowl I thought this had no impact on the smoke. As with other bulk blends of this type, the discs also have a tendency to unravel in transit or due to handling. In that rubbed out form, I think it smokes slightly hot. The taste was toned down from their 'deluxe' and milder overall. An enjoyable, satisfying but not a great smoke.

I love Three Nuns and so was intrigued to see what this was like as I believe it was intended as a replacement for Three Nuns. Well I love it. It is very much like the Nuns and the lack of Perique is not a problem at all. It has a delicious ... Three Nuns flavour. It looks a bit more broken up and not as much like cake but this is fine as it makes it easier to stuff into a bowl. From first light the flavour is full and rounded and very satisfying. It also has no detectable bite.

Just out of interest I added some blending Perique to a small amount but didn't leave it to meld or age at all. It was not an improvement. It might work better if aged a month or two. But it really doesn't need it at all. The tobaccos used are of first class quality.