Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Kendal No.7 Shag Chocolate

The pouch scent of Kendals Shag No. 7 Chocolate offers up mainly the typical Lakeland Virginia smell with only a hint of chocolate. It does arrive moist and needed a few minutes of dry time. In the pipe the mainly brown Virginia takes the lead with the chocolate consistently in the background. Being a shag, I have had the best results with this blend by packing it on the firm side. I also found it better in a cob than in a briar. The flavor is constant without any real variation. On the strength side, it does build to a notch just below medium although those that are sensitive to Lady N may find it a tad stronger than that. It is only lightly sweet and if you prefer a Cavendish based chocolate aromatic, you will likely be disappointed. The small amount of dark fired really meshes well with the chocolate but it does lack the depth of Kendal Dark Vanilla. There is no bite, but given the cut, it can burn a little warm if pushed. This is a simple, but enjoyable blend that can be enjoyed more than once a day.

Gawith Hoggarth - Kendals No7 Aromatic-Chocolate.

The smell from the mix is unmistakably chocolate, it isn't as strong as say Bobs Chocolate Flake but there is no denying the fact that there is a presence of chocolate. The blend itself contains medium brown Virginia tobacco at a perfect quantity of moisture.

Once lit the taste is just like the smell. It gives a good steady Virginia flavour with a pleasing delicate chocolate note too. The chocolate, again, is nowhere near as potent as in Bobs Choc' Flake but nonetheless it is easily recognizable in the mix. This gives a mild to medium nicotine dose, it's neither too strong nor weak. Another good area is bite, this is a very laid back, comfortable smoke. I don't find the room note overly formidable, there is a slight chocolate scent but it mostly involves a tobacco aroma.

After a few bowls of this I feel quite sure that this warrants three stars.