Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Kendal Mixed

Kendal Mixed is sometimes billed as a shag-cut tobacco, though I'd argue extremely fine is more accurate. When I think shag, I think Three Castles or Dark Birdseye ... even Drum. You know, strings and threads. In any case, it's a lovely smoke.

You'll see some bright in there, some honey-colored/light-brown stuff, and some very dark leaf (fire cured). The smell is out of this world. The fire-cured weed is a nice contrast in appearance and scent to the other components and offers the spicy, woody, and very slightly herbal notes you may detect in other fire-cured Lakeland tobaccos. The flavor is all natural. This is tobacco, tobacco, and tobacco.

As with a majority of Lakeland offerings, you get a savory sweetness rather than the tangy, aggressive zing of some mixtures (particularly VAs from McClelland). The brights and browns offer rustic flavors and smells -- very tasty without becoming too grassy or like cilantro. The dark portion is the leaf you'd find in Dark Birdseye or Dark Flake. It's there both to the nose and palate, but certainly not in the majority. There is, however, plenty to satisfy without sacrificing the harmony of the blend or distracting the smoker with blasts of nicotine.

I packed this stuff in with some pressure, and I believe the key is to produce a log of sorts that fills the bowl snugly from heel to rim in one packing. Going in thirds or packing too lightly -- in other words, leaving gaps of any measure in the bowl -- can interrupt the continuity of the blend's flavor or cause the tobacco to burn too quickly. I can smoke an entire bowl on one match. I also suggest dumping some ash as the tobacco burns down. Tamping down too much fine ash can choke the ember, though you may want to leave a slightly layer to keep the burn rate steady.

In summary, you get all-natural tobacco of the highest quality, an easy burning smoke, enough depth of flavor (complexity) to be very interesting and inviting from start to finish, good mouthfeel and stout body, and a generous taste of all the best tobaccos Gawith Hoggarth & Co. has to offer in a single mixture.

Gawith Hoggarth - Kendal's Mixed.

This really is a very straight forward tobacco. The taste is simple, I don't get any subtle undertones or extra flavours. I get a full Virginia/Burley taste and that's all. From the pouch I get the first sign of the simplicity that's about to follow. A basic Va-Bur aroma. The blend has a good water amount. I never really know what to expect with G'H' blends as in my experience they all vary, right from sodden to bone dry. At least we know what to expect with Sam G' blends as they're all soaked to the core! It takes to the flame with the utmost ease and once lit it gives me a simple treat! I know a few people compere this to cigarette tobacco but to my palate it tastes quite a bit more nutty than one of those does. A similarity I do notice in comparison to a cigarette is the speed of the burn, it is the consummate 'quick smoke break' blend. It gives me no bite whatsoever, not even a nibble! I find the nicotine to be mild to medium, not too mild but a true nicotine lover would maybe need to take a big puff. The room note sits well with me. It isn't too much but it has a good nuttiness to it and doesn't swamp the room with smoke. As I mentioned earlier it burns fast however a better point with the burn is that it does so effectively. There is no dottle at the end of my pipe!

I think that this would make a perfect blend to begin our hobby with. It really is so simple and for that reason I doubt it could offend hardly anyone! Four stars.

Kendal Mixture;

Star Rating = 3.85;

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

Pouch Note = 10;

Room Note = 10;

Flavor = 10;

Bite = 10;

Burn = 10;

After Taste = 9;

Raw Score = 59;

Rated Percentage = 98%;

Comment = Very Smooth, Very Mild, Mellow, nice Full Body Flavor, faint After Taste on Finish.

GH&C Kendal Mixture is an excellent VaBur. The burleys are the star but the Virginias play an important role, balancing the nuttiness and earthiness of the former with sweetness and grassiness. It's a fairly strong tobacco but easily handled as long as it is smoked slowly. The aroma of the unlit tobacco is of dark fired leaf, though this does not translate to the smoke. The moisture level as delivered is perfect.

Being a shag, it lights easily but does require frequent relights (I pack shags fairly tightly to slow down the burn rate). As the smoke progresses, the burleys become increasingly earthy in flavor. The sweetness of the Virginias is more noticeable toward the end of the smoke. I did not detect any Lakeland essence, however, toward the end of the bowl, I was reminded of the floralness of orientals (although it apparently contains none).

Smoked slowly, KM is intriguingly complex tobacco and one that burley lovers should enjoy.

UPDATE: After two years of cellaring, this tobacco has become a great deal better. It is much sweeter, presumably due to the maturing of the Virginias. So I've upped my. rating to "highly recommended."

This is a really top-notch smoke. It reminds me a bit of the ready-rubbed version of Capstan that you can get in the UK, but it has an extra bite added to the Virginia sweetness by the Burley. It's even more reminiscent of a long-gone UK tobacco called St Julien (I wonder if anyone remembers that?). It's tasty, full-bodied, mild, consistent and (I think) completely uncased, or as completely as it's possible for a tobacco to be. For such a fine-cut, it burns remarkably slowly, and it doesn’t bite at all, as long as you don’t rush it. Pack it tight and smoke it slow and you’re in for a treat. My brother-in-law uses it to make roll-ups, but it's just about perfect in a pipe. The room note isn’t anything to rejoice about, but, apart from that, I can’t recommend it highly enough. It would make the ideal all-day smoke if you're an all-day smoker. It would also be a good introduction to pipe smoking for anyone wanting to make the change from cigarettes.

Before i start this is also known as kendal northstar, sold in 12.5, 25, and 50g packets from a local newsagent in my town.

This was originally sold to me as a ryo, opening the packet not so, this is a shag cut pipe tobacco.

Opening the packet one can be forgiven that there is no scent at all coming from the pouch, but once you dig deep there is delicate aromas coming up from the pouch a fresh virginia and burley scent, this is a pure straight up unscented uncased virginia burley mixture. quite moist out of the pouch, this does need some drying time, as packing straight out the pouch can just leave a plug of tobacco that is impossible to get lit and stay lit. If drying isnt your thing this needs to be packed looser than normal. It does take a bit of a certain knack to pack it correctly, i find it smokes best, slightly dried in a falcon pipe with billiard bowl. Lighting up and progressing through the smoke, the tastes are delicate but enjoyable, nice lemony citrus tastes, along with a slight spice and nuttyness from the burley. Again a certain knack is needed as to regards with smoking pace, if you try to rush this it will bite hard, but with the right smoking pace (i found slow, gentle sips of my pipe got the best from this mixture) this can be a very enjoyable experience for someone who is looking for a straight up unscented unflavoured mixture. Although this isnt my normal go to type of blend, i do enjoy this mixture from time to time, and the price is very reasonable as well. I have had bad experiences with shag cuts before but this has turned my oppinion, a good qaulity shag cut tobacco can be just as enjoyable as any other good pipe tobacco. A solid three star rating from me.

Update 31st may 2015 Hello all im upping my rating for this tobacco too four stars for a few reasons. I bought a pack today and the cut looks to be a touch wider and also there seems to be a more substantial amount of darker leaf. Moisture in pack is also reduced which gives it big plus points as you can pack in your pipe straight. This is quite a complex smoke and one id recommend highly for more established smokers and virginia lovers. The flavours are subtle but delicious zesty freshness of virginia with a little bite and then a more nutty flavour from the darker leaf. Its not something id recommend for new smokers as the flavours are subtle and this will bite big time if you rush this type of blend. But for a leisurely and surprisingly strong smoke for those who can appreciate a good tobacco this is a must.