I am not a tobacco, or any other kind of reviewer, but I do enjoy the written word.
So a couple of weeks back I was in my beloved UK and picked up my latest order of UK tobaccos which included a couple of sections of G&H's sweet rum twist. I had to open it immediately to touch and smell, and man what a smell.
The presentation:
two shiny bits of rope, pliable but firm and uniform, overall fascinating to look at.
The smell:
It is spicy, very spicy, spicier than any perique I've ever smelled. There's also some sweet and savoury undertone which I can't place my finger on but I know I've smelled before. Maybe similar to an Asian spice, or, and it'll sound odd, maybe a tannery? I appreciate most people won't have ever smelled that, but it's really not as bad as the internet would have you think. My wife who has the nose of a bloodhound said it smells a bit like stale Christmas pudding. That would include the alcohol which this has - but I can't smell.
I cut a few coins as thin as I could, unraveled them and let them dry for about an hour. The smell developed into a much sweeter smell of fruits, possibly figs or raising, altogether not exactly instantly pleasant, but somehow mouthwatering. I should have said here that on my travel back from the UK I'd pull the pouch out every once in a while and get a good sniff, really couldn't get that smell out of my mind!
The smoke
Caught fine, and burnt fine after the char, didn't need but a single relight towards the end, and burned all the way down to a few crispy bits which I threw away. The taste is the spicy, sweet and savoury that it smells of, followed by tobacco. Supposedly Virginia and Burley but it's unlike any VA, Bur or VaBur I've ever smoked. In fact it's unlike anything I've ever smoked period. The taste stays consistent to the end, the first half of the bowl gives more of the spice while the second half gives a lot of tobacco. I know these are supposed to be nicotine monsters but I didn't have any adverse events, didn't get soft around the knees or green around the gills, but I did salivate and need to spit a lot, thankfully I was walking my dog in a wooded park so could do that. I haven't had that with anything else I've ever smoke so that's telling.
This is really filling, it's now more than two hours since I smoked that bowl and the taste is still coating my mouth. It's almost as if I am still smoking it, I get whiffs of that spice and the tobacco firing some taste receptors. I want to smoke it again but I know it won't be today, or tomorrow. Maybe in a few days.
The summary.
This is a GLORIOUS tobacco. It is a brute in terms of strength judging by its lasting effect, but it is quite civilised to smoke. No bite, the pipe didn't get past warm either. Its taste is unique and lasting, and it makes me want to come back for more. I'll definitely be buying more of it, and will try the black rope soon.
P.S. I've never chewed tobacco, but did try snus for some time. I find the taste of tobacco in my mouth revolting, but I did try a tiny piece of this rope. My mouth was on fire pretty fast, this thing packs the N!
Thanks for reading!
So a couple of weeks back I was in my beloved UK and picked up my latest order of UK tobaccos which included a couple of sections of G&H's sweet rum twist. I had to open it immediately to touch and smell, and man what a smell.
The presentation:
two shiny bits of rope, pliable but firm and uniform, overall fascinating to look at.
The smell:
It is spicy, very spicy, spicier than any perique I've ever smelled. There's also some sweet and savoury undertone which I can't place my finger on but I know I've smelled before. Maybe similar to an Asian spice, or, and it'll sound odd, maybe a tannery? I appreciate most people won't have ever smelled that, but it's really not as bad as the internet would have you think. My wife who has the nose of a bloodhound said it smells a bit like stale Christmas pudding. That would include the alcohol which this has - but I can't smell.
I cut a few coins as thin as I could, unraveled them and let them dry for about an hour. The smell developed into a much sweeter smell of fruits, possibly figs or raising, altogether not exactly instantly pleasant, but somehow mouthwatering. I should have said here that on my travel back from the UK I'd pull the pouch out every once in a while and get a good sniff, really couldn't get that smell out of my mind!
The smoke
Caught fine, and burnt fine after the char, didn't need but a single relight towards the end, and burned all the way down to a few crispy bits which I threw away. The taste is the spicy, sweet and savoury that it smells of, followed by tobacco. Supposedly Virginia and Burley but it's unlike any VA, Bur or VaBur I've ever smoked. In fact it's unlike anything I've ever smoked period. The taste stays consistent to the end, the first half of the bowl gives more of the spice while the second half gives a lot of tobacco. I know these are supposed to be nicotine monsters but I didn't have any adverse events, didn't get soft around the knees or green around the gills, but I did salivate and need to spit a lot, thankfully I was walking my dog in a wooded park so could do that. I haven't had that with anything else I've ever smoke so that's telling.
This is really filling, it's now more than two hours since I smoked that bowl and the taste is still coating my mouth. It's almost as if I am still smoking it, I get whiffs of that spice and the tobacco firing some taste receptors. I want to smoke it again but I know it won't be today, or tomorrow. Maybe in a few days.
The summary.
This is a GLORIOUS tobacco. It is a brute in terms of strength judging by its lasting effect, but it is quite civilised to smoke. No bite, the pipe didn't get past warm either. Its taste is unique and lasting, and it makes me want to come back for more. I'll definitely be buying more of it, and will try the black rope soon.
P.S. I've never chewed tobacco, but did try snus for some time. I find the taste of tobacco in my mouth revolting, but I did try a tiny piece of this rope. My mouth was on fire pretty fast, this thing packs the N!
Thanks for reading!
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