Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Curly Cut

I was very surprised when I saw the small little discs this tobacco has been cut into. It seems like this is some kind of rope tobacco which has been sliced for comfort and easy packing. The cut is somewhat coarse and will require some rubbing, but it burns quite cool in your bowl. I cannot detect any casing or any other tobaccos apart from the Virginia itself. I am finding this tobacco quite different from the usual GH range as I cannot detect any floral essence or soapy flavours. Because of its ribbon cut presentation, this tobacco seems to be more suited for bigger bowls to release all its flavour. The taste is kind of sweet, creamy and Virginia like, and it evolves quite nicely as you progress with your smoke. Also, it is very gentle on the palate and I cannot detect any tongue bite. Because of this, it might feel somewhat unidimensional or lacking taste, but any Virginia lover will probably appreciate it. I cannot see any mayor drawbacks or faults, so I will give it 4 stars.

Edit1: If you think this tobacco is boring or too unidimensional or monochromatic, just add a little bit of perique to it and the outcome might surprise you.

Curly Cut Regular Sliced;

Star Rating = 3.75;

Rating Scores - 10 is the Best and 0 is the Worst;

Pouch Note = 10;

Room Note = 10;

Flavor = 10;

Bite = 8;

Burn = 10;

After Taste = 9;

Raw Score = 57;

Rated Percentage = 95%;

Comment = Smooth, Mild, Natural Tobacco Flavor, Burns a little Hot, Slight Bit of a Bite, White Ash Burn

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!

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.

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.

When I saw that no one has reviewed this tobacco I couldn't waite to review it. It is superb. Yes, people will compare it with Three Nuns and I will add Peter Heinrich's Special Curly Cut for comparison as well. The G+H Curly tastes like TN without the perique, but I don't think it tastes like something is missing at all. I like TN, but less nicotene is welcomed. The G+H is not as unique, but I like very much and prefer it because it is available in bulk and it stays fresher without drying out so quickly as does TN. Peter Heinrich's is good, but just not as good. The G+H smokes cooler, has better flavor, and is even better priced. If I could only have one Virginia to smoke this would be a selection I could live with. I'll take the Scottish Cruble Cake first, this one second, remove myself to a desert island and smoke to my heart's content.

Broken coins, needing rubbing out. Smooth, medium strength, fruity, spicy - I was sure at first that this was a VaPer, and was surprised, on visiting this page, to discover that it's a straight VA. Be that as it may, it's excellent stuff.

If you like Three Nuns, you're going to enjoy this. The perique in this blend doesn't come out so much, though, and if it's the SPICINESS you're hankering for, and not the nutty/tangy taste of the virginias, then maybe you should look for something like Escudo, or Astleys 109.

This satisfies nicely, but the room note is... Well, very bad. Let me take you back in time...

Loomis, California, Summer, July 13th,1998, my mom's cat JENNA ate SOMETHING that she shouldn't have, and desperately relieved herself of the noxious, burning substance within her bowels, causing an unspeakable olfactory holocaust for the homo sapiens sharing the domicile. This incident roused the entire family, and the evidence of the incident permeated the whole house for an entire day. The room note, whilst not nearly as severe, reminded me of this occasion, and I do not exaggerate.