Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Happy Brown Bogie Twist

[beastinview]

An update to the original post: Keeping Twists Lit
I have been smoking the rum version of this twist, which I believe is my favorite.
Since it's difficult to keep the twists lit, and I've finally found a way to do that, I thought I'd post it here.
The key seems to be to pack loosely to get the bowl lit, and then tightly to keep it lit. This is perhaps true of all blends, but it's just more dramatic with the twists.
1. I load the tobacco loosely. If I pack the bowl tightly, I cannot get a good light to begin with.

2. I do two generous chars. The first is standard, and the second involves tamping down just a little.

3. Once it is lit, I then tamp quite aggressively, so the tobacco is compressed almost to just half a bowl.

4. A final light, and then it stays lit wonderfully.
"Loosely" and "tightly" are relative terms, and I've noticed some smokers standard packing is about twice as tight a pack as mine, while others pack even more loosely than I do.
Anyway, the only drawback to this blend was the difficulty keeping it lit, and I'm excited that I've finally found a way to overcome that.
One more note: for my tongue this is one of the most forgiving blends I've ever tried. I did not used to notice tongue bite from even aromatics, as I was a reserved, occasional smoker. After smoking these twists, and returning to aros on occasion, the tongue bite is intense! I can puff at the GH twist as hard as I like without really any heat or bite, which is nice.

 

[ltstone]

Yep, you are right Beasty, I just dry the baccy crispy and gravity fill and tamp, burns just fine. And yep , its a very forgiving tobacco on the tongue! As far as flavour I find the plain brown rope has the most flavor for me.

 

[andrew]

Have some of this coming, excited to try it after good experiences with black irish twist. I'm hoping it makes a good chew as I want something to chew at work incognito.

 

[beastinview]

Andy, it's quite different from the black twists I've tried (SG XX), but it's even better in my opinion.

 

[Chasing Embers]

One more thing on the to buy list! :P

 

[mawnansmiff]

I keep meaning to try out a plug/rope/twist blend but am slightly put off as I have never had any experience in preparing the stuff. Perhaps a visit to Youtube is where I should find out.
Regards,
Jay.

 

[beastinview]

Jay--
No worries--Gawith and Hoggarth sells a pre-sliced version called "Brown Twist Sliced." The description says it is just Happy Brown Bogie that has already been sliced.
If you do buy the twist, it is fairly easy to prepare. I just take a cigar cutter and slice coins off (about like what you'd see in Cabbie's Mixture) and then rub out the coins. As with most Gawith blends, you may need to let it dry a little. I actually slice up and rub out about an ounce, let it dry as desired, and then put it in a small jar. It fits easily in my work bag, and saves me prep time later. Next time I'll just buy the Brown Twist Sliced, though.

 

[mawnansmiff]

Beast, there you go costing me money yet again :wink:
Just read up on it and I like it already so on my list it goes ::
As for SG and G&H blends being sodden upon delivery yes I know, I have several here
Regards,
Jay.

 

[mawnansmiff]

Beast, today I looked at my preferred online supplier for G&H Brown Twist Sliced but it isn't listed. They do however have G&H Sliced Brown which they describe as sliced Brown/Happy Bogie. Is this the same blend you refer to?
Regards,
Jay.

 

[mawnansmiff]

Sorry, I just re-read your last post, yes it is the same.
Regards,
Jay.

 

[andrew]

This is damn good stuff, not nearly as strong as I thought it would be. I enjoyed the black irish twist when it was really dry but then putting a bit of moisture in it, it became pretty gross tasting. I tried chewing the brown bogie once so far but it became a mess in my mouth, anyone have any pointers for chewing it? It's definitely the best twist I've tried so far, coconut twist is really good too, cotton ball twist is a bit too strong for my liking, but it was also on the dry side which I think made it kind of harsh tasting. Happy brown bogie though is great, I just cut off some slices and then kind of cube cut those and it seems to work great for me.

 

[mawnansmiff]

"I tried chewing the brown bogie once..."
You're a braver man than I Andy!
Regards,
Jay.
PS:That statement is so funny/disgusting to us on this side of the pond.

 

[deathmetal]

Brown Bogie is quite a bit stronger than Royal Yacht.

I concur in this assessment, although nothing is cooler than Royal Yacht.

 

[saltedplug]

When I picked up the pipe my mentor said that McClellands caused tongue-bite, so for a few years I didn't smoke any, which was a shame as they make many fine tobaccos. And there was nothing to his claim. In the end the practiced smoker who can regulate his smoking technique can accommodate any tobacco without bite.
Similarly claiming that GH tobaccos won't burn properly is false, probably a generalization from a few bad experiences than anything else. There are probably 100 different tobaccos made by GH. Do you really claim that you have smoked all of them and found burn problems across the board?
In the beginning there are so many challenges in smoking the pipe that it's easy to become confused: tobacco choice amidst the dizzying number of tobaccos available; the major classes and the tobaccos that constitute that class; pipes from the different schools, what appeals and what doesn't, and why; drilling and the needed draw; packing; and finally, the Big Kahuna, smoking technique, that is managing the draw so as to minimize relights/keep the pipe lit and a puff sufficient for taste that avoids tongue-bite.
Within this it's easy to become confused and make statement that are untrue.

 

[andrew]

Never had a problem with G&H but I've only had the bulk, Samual Gawaith I find to be the really wet stuff, even then I haven't really had a problem with either

 

[beastinview]

saltedplug-- I'm unsure to whom your post was directed. (Generally when someone posts in a thread without replying specifically the the poster above them, or naming someone, that means they are responding to the OP, which would be me.)
But anyway, I'm in total agreement with you. I don't believe I ever said all Gawith blends wouldn't stay lit, and if fact my recent posts in the thread say quite the opposite. One posted did mention their flakes as being difficult. But yes--as far as keeping the tobacco lit, I've found if one experiments, one can generally find something that will work.