I'm very curious about getting into smoking rope tobaccos. I'd like some suggestions on which of the GH ropes I should be trying first? I am a Virginia or VaPer smoker predominately and not afraid of a little nic hit.
Getting Into Ropes
- Thread starter blueeyedogre
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Both Black and Brown Irish Twists will give you an idea of what our forebearers smoked. Strong and full tasting ropes for sure. Those are the only two I have smoked. I am thinking about getting some of the Happy Brown Bogie because of the burley in it.
Good luck choosing.
Good luck choosing.
I love the ropes I've had so far, which are all varieties of the G&H Brown twist. I think my favorite so far is the rum twist. I have a sample of coconut that I am going to try, and the maple I had was quite good. In fact, these are my favorite tobaccos that I have.
The brown bogie is quite good as well, and may be stronger than the Irish X (see reasons below) (though I'm not sure I could tell a difference), but all of them are high on the nicotine scale. The black twists are said to be a bit less strong because of the stoving they go through, but I haven't yet tried them. It looks like the SG Black XX is just now back in stock at P&C and SmokingPipes, so I may have to avail myself of that sometime soon.
The flavored twists are flavored VERY mildly. The topping only imparts a slight sweetness to the rope, which I enjoy. The rum flavoring gives the twist a bit richer feel, which I really like. But ultimately, the flavored twists aren't so different from unflavored ones, except for a hint of sweetness.
If you're referencing tobaccoreviews and other sites, I'd caution you: these seem to be wrong. I made a thread about it a while ago:
http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/gamph-twists-made-of-va-or-burleyky
It seems both the S&G the G&H ropes are the dark African & Indian Virginia leafs, if we take their descriptions as truth. Other sites list a wild variety of ingredients: dark fired Kentucky, cavendish, burley, etc.
The brown bogie is the exact same twist as the brown Irish twist, but it is just a smaller diameter rope. Glynn Quelch of GQTobacco suggests that this produces a slightly stronger smoke due to more wrapper content.
That said, these don't taste like your typical Virginia leaf by a long shot!
The brown bogie is quite good as well, and may be stronger than the Irish X (see reasons below) (though I'm not sure I could tell a difference), but all of them are high on the nicotine scale. The black twists are said to be a bit less strong because of the stoving they go through, but I haven't yet tried them. It looks like the SG Black XX is just now back in stock at P&C and SmokingPipes, so I may have to avail myself of that sometime soon.
The flavored twists are flavored VERY mildly. The topping only imparts a slight sweetness to the rope, which I enjoy. The rum flavoring gives the twist a bit richer feel, which I really like. But ultimately, the flavored twists aren't so different from unflavored ones, except for a hint of sweetness.
If you're referencing tobaccoreviews and other sites, I'd caution you: these seem to be wrong. I made a thread about it a while ago:
http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/gamph-twists-made-of-va-or-burleyky
It seems both the S&G the G&H ropes are the dark African & Indian Virginia leafs, if we take their descriptions as truth. Other sites list a wild variety of ingredients: dark fired Kentucky, cavendish, burley, etc.
The brown bogie is the exact same twist as the brown Irish twist, but it is just a smaller diameter rope. Glynn Quelch of GQTobacco suggests that this produces a slightly stronger smoke due to more wrapper content.
That said, these don't taste like your typical Virginia leaf by a long shot!
One thing I would add is that ropes are almost like a separate variety of tobacco by leaf, since they feature the Indian and African Virginia leaf so prominently. It's a bit like some of the SG / GH flakes (1792 flake is comprised of Tanzanian leaf), or in ribbon blend like DH Royal Yacht, but it just presents differently in a rope than in a flake.
Well I'm a fan of both SG and GH flakes and am halfway through a tin of Royal Yacht that I am enjoying greatly so I'm sure I'll enjoy the rope.
One thing I forgot to add was that you do have to fiddle with the preparation with ropes to get the drying time and slicing down. At least it was a bit of trial and error for me as a newbie, but after a while I've gotten the hang of it.
I haven't, but I have considered buying some of the smaller pigtails (made more for chewing) to smoke--they come in something like 30-40 flavors!
I have yet to find a rope that I didn't like. Just grab one and hang on.
I only smoke them at night, but they have a special place in the rotation. Cotton Boll Twist for the win!
I only smoke them at night, but they have a special place in the rotation. Cotton Boll Twist for the win!
Yeah, they are one of the most relaxing smokes there is.
How was the Cotton Boll Twist strength-wise?
Cotton Boll is the strongest blend that I've ever smoked. Almost pure rustica tobacco. But, a deep rich flavor the fullest. Makes me sleep like a baby. After a few nights of Cotton Boll, the other ropes just... eh. I always have to skip a night after smoking CBT to keep from becoming a junkie, haha.
Interesting--I wasn't aware of this variety. I looked it up and it seems Mapacho is the traditional South American name for the pure Nicotiana rustica leaf.
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