Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Kendal Black Cherry

I have realized that I no longer like "Cherry" flavor anymore, but for those of you who do, this blend may be your "Holy Grail"

Appearance: Black Cavendish, with an exquisite cherry topping.

Packing: Easy due to the almost shag cut.

Lighting: Even though moist, lights easily.

Initial Flavor: High quality Cherry.

Mid-bowl: Still Cherry, but the cavendish in this blend is of very high quality. I keep getting nice hints of the leaf and wish the topping were not as strong.

Bottom of bowl: Slight build up of strength and it is over.

Overall: This is a smooth high quality blend that rarely is prone to giving tongue-bite. The casing is more "natural" tasting than most of this type. My problem is that the casing is too heavy for me and I just don't care for this type of flavor anymore.

Rating: 4 out of 5 points for an aromatic.

I was disappointed in this offering from GH. I was expecting a much heavier presence of something, cherry-ish. It just doesn't cut the mustard if you are really looking for a cherry bomb. Monochromatic, dull, very little real tobacco taste and certainly no where near the presence of cherries. 4noggins Lord Methley's has more of a cherry/berry presence than this. Two stars.

This is the first of the Gawith blends that I have tried that I would have second thoughts about buying again, (and I have tried many, many, of their blends). With the other blends that I have tried, the flavoring(s), have always intermingled with the high quality base tobacco that has been used. I have smoked this blend at least a half-a-dozen and have come to the same conclusion everytime; namely, I am reminded of the aftertaste of cough medicaine on my taste buds. Yes, it does burn beautifully, the scent to the people around me is more than acceptable, yet, I do not feel this warrents this blend to become a main stay in my celler. Next time I have a cold is probably when I will select this blend again.

Smoking as I write from a Missouri Meerschaum Legend. . From the tin, very rich dark cherry. Large shag cut. Might have to relight or use your smoking skills on this one but it’s worth it. I always seem to have to relight this several times. Pleasurable smoke with a cherry flavor you can taste. Not the smoothest cavendish but good cherry flavor compared to others . This and Blood Red Moon are my favorite cherry flavored mixed so far.

**update**

12/12/20

Let dry, this is moist. This is a challenge to keep lit. Wonderful dark cherry notes that is evident throughout the first half of the bowl. Sweet dark sugar notes. No tongue bite or mouth tingle. A decent cherry aromatic.

Gawith Hoggarth Black Cherry offers a satisfying and aromatic smoking experience. I purchased it in a 25g pouch, and as soon as the pouch opened, a very strong aroma of cherry flavouring was evident. The fragrance was not what I would call a genuine cherry aroma, but a sugary sweet one, akin to confectionary.

The tobacco seemed to consist totally of rubbed cavendish, black in colour, and moist. It was stringy, and spongy to the touch. It almost felt goopy. On handling the cavendish, it felt as if I was touching a rich fruit cake in the tin.

For the first few bowls, Black Cherry was difficult to light and keep lit. This was due to the moisture content present. The burn created 'chars' instead of fine dottle, but this improved as I cellared the tobacco for a few days.

The taste is mild to medium, and - like the pouch and burn aroma - is not genuinely a cherry flavour. It is pleasant, sweet and almost syroupy, but it is not a truthful cherry taste. Towards the end of the bowl, the aroma and taste get a little darker.

I credit this tobacco with its lack of tongue bite. However enthusiastically I puff, it just does not bite. It is a cool burning tobacco. It leaves an intense cherry smell in the pipe after smoking, and has a pleasant room note that will prove enjoyable with innocent bystanders!

Somewhat recommended for those with a sweet tooth.