Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Dark Virginia Cavendish Unscented

Gawith Hoggarth - DVC Un-Scented.

I must admit that upon opening what greeted me was far lighter than I expected seeing that DVC stands for Dark Virginia Cavendish. It's not golden or anything but more of a medium brown. The mix isn't only ribbons, there are a few small pieces in there that resemble tiny broken flakes. I can fill and light without airing it and once lit it really is one hell of a mild smoke! It isn't as sweet as say a Black Cavendish, it only has an underlying sweetness. The main flavour is like a very subdued Virginia, slightly bright, slightly citrusy, slightly grassy and slightly sweet. I can't say I notice much nicotine from this, even if I inhale (which I don't make a habit of doing) I only get a minute dose. The smoke is fairly cool, it has to be stressed to become uncomfortable. This is quite a surprisingly enjoyable smoke on its own but I think an area where this would do a brilliant job would be calming down a harsh blend by giving its chilled out character to the blend.

As I said, this has surprised me a little, I was expecting a bland, boring and mundane blend but this is the epitome of relaxation! Recommended.

The dark Virginia cavendish provides a lot of tart and tangy citrus, tangy stewed dark fruit, vegetative grass, toast, sugar, some hay, wood, earth, spice, and a touch of acidity. The strength and nic-hit are just past the center of mild to medium. The taste is a notch past that mark. No chance of bite or harshness. Has a few small rough edges. A mildly moist mixed cut blend, it burns cool, and slightly slow with a very consistent flavor. Has a moderately lingering, pleasant after taste. The room note is a slot stronger. Leaves little dampness in the bowl. Requires a couple more than an average number of relights. Can be an all day smoke and a mixer, too. Three stars.

-JimInks

Package note of tart and tangy fruit, spices and toast. Tobacco is a ready rub of dark brown, brown and a little light brown. Moisture content is great. Larger chunks may need a little attention. Burns slow with a few relights. The strength is mild and nic is mild. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium and very consistent, with notes of sugar, spices, sweet grass, zesty, floral hay, wood, rich earthy, tangy ripe dark fruit, very savory, mild tart citrus, a sweet bready background note, and a mildly spicy mostly smooth retro. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is great.

This blend does not have a high profile. The fact that it is all dark Cavendish is likely not as appealing to some people as the more signature English production of Lakelands and so on. However, there is something in DVC that can be very satisfying if you give it a chance.

Before lightening the tobacco I get an aroma of Chocolate chip cookies. This is fairly strong despite DVC not being an aromatic.

I find this blend very relaxing because of how mild and straightforward it is. The Cavendishing process tones down everything, leaving you with a muted sweetness and nothing much more. You might want to puff harder and faster to look for some flavor, but this forces you to appreciate what's already there. I mostly get a hint of caramelized sugar but again, very faint.

This is very mild and many people will see it as "smoking hot air". However, appreciating this blend means paying attention closely to each puff, even when you're on the go. Its subtleties show in the retrohale and the smaller and infrequent puffs. Test it with different pipe shapes and sizes and find the one perfect for it. For me, it was a small-medium Canadian-shaped pipe.

A bit of airing time helps the flavors to open up. The moisture level is already good but once it dries up just a bit more, it tastes better and easier to smoke. Smoking pace also becomes a little faster. Won't typically bite unless you puff too harsh.

I often don't know what the room note is but, one day coming back home after smoking this, there was a very pleasant cookie aroma which can't be explained aside from coming out of my pipe an hour earlier. So, I'll go with that.

Mild in body and strength, not complex, and very balanced due to the rounding up of the Cavendish process.

As I smoke my last bowl of this blend, I have a strong feeling that I will miss it and go to get more. I can't give it a perfect rating because it's not something that I can rave about, but three stars are definitely suitable. This blend doesn't show itself easily. You have to find your way into it.