Gawith Hoggarth Curly Cut deLuxe Sliced

Gawith Hoggarth Curly Cut deLuxe Sliced (June 10th, 2015)

I like the Gawith (Sam and Hoggarth) ropes but they don’t like me. As I’ve gotten older my tolerance for nicotine is reduced and I need to use care in selecting tobaccos that sport a good dose of vitamin K.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/l4...UAV0JOeLnyNIpY

This is the description on PipeTobaco.Com
Gawith Hoggarth Curly Cut Deluxe Sliced is a thicker twist than the Curly Cut and is cooked before slicing. The cooking process gives it a milder smoke.

...and less nicotine so I bought a 500 gram bag on sale based on the description alone. I’ve smoked perhaps 20 bowls of the Curly Cut and the latest (as I write) is in a 1940s Barling’s Make, Ye Olde Wood EL saddle billiard that’s a consistent, if not spectacular, Virginia smoker in modest (for me) size.

Ropes and pigtails are made with a lot of pressure that force the tobacco to marry and, effectively, age, quickly and that moderate the strong individual flavors. Slicing them makes the tobacco ready to smoke but it slows the marrying process. I haven’t aged any of this mixture yet but I will.

The bag note is raisins and figs with a little leather (edge) and a nice deep tobacco note. The cut curlies remain mostly intact with some ribbons extending off of them. I like the cut for packing and I don’t break up the curlies except to fit the bowl. If there’s any Lakeland essence I don’t detect it but when that topping is mild I often miss it entirely (but not on Ennerdale :) ).

I rough the tobacco on the top of the bowl and generally need two charring lights but once lit Curly Cut deLuxe is well behaved and burns with a white ash. I always use wooden stick matches (occasionally paper matches) and I always smoke outside. There’s no bite or any mouth discomfort. Most of the time I don't need a relight until I'm near the end but that depends on my interruptions.

There’s an initial sweetness accompanied by toast. Other reviewers have said that it’s not complex but I feel that it is and one person remarked that there’s the taste of cashews and that’s very observant. Toast with raw cashews modulating towards toasted cashews. Underneath is a broad leathery sweetness that’s unlike any other Virginia that you’re likely to try, rich tobacco but with a bigger reach than most flakes. The flavors are deep and present and you don’t have to work for them and there’s ample smoke. I’m focused on this bowl but normally I can get into a rhythm quickly.

I’ve stated before that I don’t find good tobacco to change flavors as I smoke and that’s the case with Curly Cut deLuxe. The leather note comes through at times and the cashew flavor softens into more toast but it’s consistent right through the dottle, rich flavors with good complexity if not a lot of nuance.

Curly Cut deLuxe is stronger than most Virginia mixtures but lacking the nicotine that are normally the hallmark of the Gawith ropes and pigtails and is a very satisfying and different Virginia that I highly recommend. My only complaint is that I bought too little when it was on sale.