Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Curly Cut

I guess this must be GH&Co's answer to Sam Gawith's Full Virginia Flake - not that they are really that comparable, except that they both fall into the category of a being a medium/strong, straight VA blend. I see the difference between them like this - if FVF were a suave London gentleman relaxing into a leather armchair at his Piccadilly club, Curly Cut would be his rough East End cousin, kicking someone's teeth in because they haven't coughed up their protection money.

This one doesn't have the complexity of the SG offering. Sweetness is muted but it does have some depth thanks to the dark leaf. The bright VAs are to the forefront, and if you don't pay respect, they'll hurt you. This is the sharpness that other reviewers have noted and it can be a bit much. The way to tame it is to make sure that the tobacco is properly dry (it comes very moist), and of course, to smoke at a sensible pace. I am sure aging would help a lot too.

From the above it sounds like this blend ain't all that, but in fact it has quite a bit going for it. Once you have tamed the bite using the methods above it is actually pretty forgiving and easy to smoke. Unlike some straight VA blends it isn't really that fussy about pipe or preparation (moisture level excepted), it doesn't need a lot of relights and I don't find it lacking in flavour. Of course, being GH&Co, the quality of the leaf goes without question and N satisfaction comes easily.

In summary, the lack of complexity and rough edges mean that it isn't going to make the 4 star mark, but it is definitely a solid tobacco. It would very interesting to see how it responds to a couple of years in a jar - and since I can buy it at a new found tobacconist near my office, this is an experiment I am planning to conduct.

Edit: I'm currently smoking a bowl that had a tiny pinch (and I do mean tiny) of blending perique added before setting it out to dry. It's very nice - still rough and ready, but not the disaster it could have been. Splendid.

Gawith Hoggarth - Curly Cut.

My first impressions of Curly Cut are "it has a good Virginia aroma with a subtle smokiness to it but this will need a small amount of airing". Most of the blend comprises chunky curly cuttings that need a rub which is fairly straight forward once it has been aired.

This one takes to lighting relatively easily, again though, this depends on airing it correctly (I left mine out for the morning). The flavour from this isn't as smoky as I expected it to be from the aroma, there is a really slight smokiness however the rest of the taste is a solid Virginia one. The smoke from Curly Cut is a medium temperature one but there is a small negative in the fact that as it burns down it leaves behind a pure white ash that can impinge on any attempt to re-light it if the puffing is neglected a bit and it becomes extinguished. I find it great in the nicotine department, it's not too much nor too little. Curly Cut doesn't give me any tongue bite, very forgiving in that area! I don't find the room note to have much character to it really, it's not great, not bad but conjures up the feeling of indifference.

There seems to be a fairly mixed reaction to this one, but after all tobacco tastes are subjective and I score it three stars.

A nice Virginia, a good start to get used to stronger rope tobacco. It packs very well and burns to a white ash. There is an extremely mild floral note that comes and goes and it could bite if your tongue is not used to Virginias or if you puff too fast. That said, the taste is consistent and monochromatic as it should be with pure Virginias. I get a very tangy taste with brioche accents, a creamy smoke indeed.

Virginia lover

This was recommended to me by the proprietor of a wonderful shop in Durham City indoor market, County Durham England. I was dubious as he knows me and always shows me something that I haven't tried yet! It looks and smells unremarkable and was far too wet to smoke, so I let it dry out a little. Result a very pleasant fairly strong smoke.(no hiccups or hiccups is my naive comment on strength!) (None so far) Not sure what to compare it with yet, but will be trying more of this one. To give you my favourites of the moment may help, I like Petersons Irish Oak and Gawith Hogarth's Best Brown Number 2. My first attempt at a review, I have waited five years before daring to submit anything...

I don't know how this blend got such strong average reviews? It seemed to me to be medium at best. Although there were lots of very, very good flavours here they never seemed to assert themselves enough for me which I found slightly frustrating. Pipestud's review below is very much along the lines of my experiences.

I tried mixing with a small amount of blending perique which gave good results but the Curly Cut was easily overpowered.

This blend has none of the floral aromas which are usually associated with lakeland tobaccos but it does have a subtle richness (is that an oxymoron?) and an underlying natural sweetness which makes for an enjoyable overall experience.

I'll give it a recommended because it is of such high quality and if your palette is light enough you may never want to smoke anything else. As for me, I'll probably buy it once in a while when I'm in the mood but I imagine I'll always be slight disappointed.

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.

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.