Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Brown Twist Sliced

Undoubtfully, this is high quality tobacco with almost no added flavoring (not your regular Lakeland) and a dominance of Kentucky leaf (or some very similar cousin). The problem for me is that the end result is a taste that comes very close to Panter cigars (at least to Panter Mignon, the only one that I've tried). Not a bad thing, since they are nice to smoke now and then, but for such taste I'd rather go for the tiny cigars which are easier to carry around and keep my pipe for flavors I can't achieve otherwise.

Sliced Brown Twist:

Another four star rating for the Kendal Brothers. Strong stuff but oh so tasty! Not a all day smoke to be sure but unsurpassed for that smoke with "a little something extra" that is called for when the craving for just such a blend comes over the smoker.I read a comment or two that said that it has no complexity and I have to respectfully disagree with that evaluation.This is one of the primary reasons for smoking this particular tobacco in my opinion.The nicotine is,of course, the other reason. Very satisfying in this regard. I do reccomend that a small to medium bowl be used for this reason though and a very respectful puffing rate as well. If it proves to be a bit much as far as flavor and nicotine content goes I do as well recommend its tamer sibling Sliced Black to alleviate the headiness of this type of tobacco. Sliced Brown burns very well and packs with little or no problem. The batch I got from Pipes and Cigars had the perfect moisture level and burned down to a fine grey ash with no relights at all.This moisture level could vary,I suppose, and some judicious drying out would alleviate that problem if it arises. The room note is not something I worry about since I have a very tolerant wife and as I have stated repeatedly I don't believe most smokers can really smell the burning aroma since olfactory overload occurs rapidly-especially with the more robust blends such as this one.Being rather lazy I don't take the trouble to go outside for nostril rejuvenation and an assesment of the aromatics of the tobbco I am smoking at the time. I am also too busy enjoying the experience of smoking it in the first place to put it own for that amount of time. All in all another fine Kendal tobacco if a somewhat pricey smoke. But then again most superb things including tobacco are that way and I refuse to compromise on quality for economic reasons. The taste of the tobacco is therefore as high a quality as Gawaith and Hoggarth tobacco(excluding the heavy aromatics)are reliably and consistently expected to be. For what it is and does Sliced Brown Twist is one I can heartily reccomend and will keep around as part of my inventory of decadent indulgent luxuries.

The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.

20230308 edit: Leaving a bit in a small container with what must not have been a completely air-tight lid, did wonders for the smoking qualities. The moisture levels dissipated and equalized, leaving none of the ribbons crispy, and yet quite dry and still pliable. There was no compacting upon tamping, and no ice-like layer on top which doesn't tamp well with a larger nail-style tamper (acts like a snowshoe, whereas a smaller tamper will punch through). Still have to do more relights than with better-burning tobaccos, but usually just a touch of flame will do it. The nicotine from this bowl is really hitting me, even though I'm smoking it immediately after having breakfast. I don't enjoy the flavors quite as much as from the bowls where the tobacco had more moisture, but the difference is relatively minor, and the ease of smoking more than makes up for it. This would be an ideal pre-nap or pre-bedtime smoke.

Getting the negatives out of the way first: it's a nightmare to work with. From the bag it's sopping wet, and only a fool would smoke it in that state. I've tried. Somehow though, drying it nearly to a crisp doesn't make it burn well either.

Otherwise, it's dreamy. Reminds me a lot of dark fired Kentucky in its smokiness, but in little else. Not really reminiscent of any other Virginias either. I agree with another reviewer in that there's almost a roast, meaty quality to it, definitely registers as savory. During my first smoke, I got a sort of Fernet quality, sort of sweet and bitter herbal, but I'm not getting it much if at all during this second smoke. The nicotine is powerful, but it isn't bowling me over yet, probably at least in part because it's difficult to keep lit, as well as a biting quality it has if smoked too fast. The overall character is well worth the fight though, I think. I could see smoking this exclusively, intermittently smoking bowls with a long wait to dry the tobacco for the next one in between. I think the room note of just about every tobacco I've smoked is pleasant, but I'd bet this one probably is less pleasant on that scale to a lot of people. I called my wife in to tell me what she thought, and she used some descriptors that were so out there, I question whether she was imagining things or being spiteful. Suffice it to say she hated it. At least one person mentioned Lakeland topping, but I don't get that at all. The Fernet notes I got originally were nowhere near any Lakeland I've tried, and so mild and absent from the second bowl I'm wondering if they weren't imagined. I would expect a Lakeland hater not to hate this one for any comparison to Lakeland essence.

Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. - Brown Twist Sliced was bought at my local pipe store circa 2017. I decided over the Labor Day weekend to inventory my pipe tobacco collection from the past 20 years and came across this one. And no, I could not open my own tobacco store but I do have a nice collection that has accumulated over the years. I pulled the bag out of the jar and could smell this through the bag, that is how strong this one was. I guess the experts would say take it out of the bag before jarring which I usually do unless I am lazy or out of jars. The first few puffs I felt Nicotine Nirvana and kind of got light headed but it soon passed, darn. For such a strong smell this really smokes cool and pure. I had a few coughs along the way but sip this one slow if you know what I mean and you will have a blast.

I happen to like maduro cigars, though it's not really mentioned on this blend, I taste cigar leaf in this. This is very smooth, but strong tasting in a good way. Will need some drying time, as the batch I got is very moist. It'll burn, but not too well, when fresh out of the bag. I like this one alot. Gonna definitely get me some more of this one...

Everyone who likes full bodied tobaccos seems to like this but me. Main problem I have: this has to be smoked so slowly to coax out some of the good flavors and avoid the bad ones that I don't get much N, and it becomes a chore to finish a bowl. I have not tried aging it, but then none of the other GH tobaccos need aging (although of course they do benefit). In rope form, there's even more work to do. So I pass.

This blend didn't really do it for me. Ironically, the sweet coconut Twist is my favorite aromatic and a blend I love to smoke, but when the topping is gone as it is here, it falls flat to me and leaves me with that same taste I get from DFU of which I am not a big fan.

I would put DFU ahead of this one slightly, but the two taste very similar. ON the positive side. It is strong, it doesn't bite and it is made with great leaf. If you like this industrial petroleum type of taste, this may be for you.

I'd read about the strength of this tobacco and decided to try it. I enjoy full tobacco flavors, though have grown to prefer elegant and complex blends rather than simple "cowboy" tobacco. Upon receiving the 4 ozs I ordered, I smelled the pouch and sampled a bowl. Sure enough, it smelled and tasted strongly of pure unadulterated natural tobacco. No elegance here. The first puffs rang my head, raced my heart, and constricted my pupils, but tasted of first rate tobacco and made for rich satisfying smoke. I decided to age it. My experience with similarly strong new cigars has been that the stronger blends tend to age and mellow nicely over a year or 3. The same should be true with pipe tobacco. The ammonia and nicotine withdraw and the flavors emerge, marrying with each other. This is especially true when the tobaccos are top shelf, as they seem to be in the Brown Twist Sliced.
Patience is a virtue, well practiced here if not seeking to court respiratory or cardiac arrest. After a year or two in the jar, I may add a little rum for an additional dimension. We'll see.

This is a very strong tobacco with a completely natural, uncased flavour; cool, slow burning and uniform all the way down the bowl. There's too much cigar-like flavour for my taste, but this is certainly a tobacco to go to if you want a strong nicotine kick and a smoke with nothing added. Too strong - too strong for me, at any rate - to be an all-day smoke, but a good one to visit now and again. G & H also do a sliced black twist that no one has reviewed yet; it's not quite as strong as the sliced brown. I'll do a review of it when I've smoked enough of it to form an opinion.