Is Gawith the Only Blending House Making Dark Fired Virginia Blends?

[Skippy B. Coyote]

It's been a matter of curiosity for me lately as I've been smoking my way through Gawith Hoggarth and Samuel Gawith's dark fired Virginia blends: Coniston Cut Plug, Kendal Dark / Dark Bird's Eye, Bosun Cut Plug, Dark Flake Unscented and Aromatic, and 1792 Flake (let me know if I missed any).

They're all good strong dark fired blends that employ dark fired Virginias instead of the typical dark fired Kentucky, which gives the blends a smooth non-abrasive character and creates a very different flavor experience in that they're not hickory or barbeque pit flavored but instead more neutrally woody and earthy like charred oak; which is a flavor profile I've found I enjoy very much. It has made me curious though, are there any other blending houses producing blends with dark fired Virginias or is Gawith really the only one? I'd sure like to find more blends of this style to try if there are any!

 

[woodsroad]

Mix something up yourself! There isn’t anything mysterious or complicated about it.

There are two distinct varieties of dark fired: American and African. Gawith uses African (Malawi). One osn’t better than the other, they use a slightly different Burly and different wood to smoke it.

Tobacco blending is like cooking, only easier. It’s exceedingly difficult to f@ck it up.

When I get home, I’ll post a simple blend that you can try.

 

[fireground_piper]

https://www.smokingpipes.com/pipe-tobacco/hu/indaba-100g/product_id/630118

 

[BingBong]

Mix something up yourself! There isn’t anything mysterious or complicated about it.

There are two distinct varieties of dark fired: American and African. Gawith uses African (Malawi). One osn’t better than the other, they use a slightly different Burly and different wood to smoke it.

Tobacco blending is like cooking, only easier. It’s exceedingly difficult to f@ck it up.

When I get home, I’ll post a simple blend that you can try.

Burley or Virginia? I'm confuserated.

 

[woodsroad]

Dark Fired is traditionally Burly.

 

[woodsroad]

Here you go: I'm going to call this one Bud's Bark Fired, in honor of my late dog, Bud, who used to love sitting with me while I had a pipe.

*********************************
Bud's Bark Fired


(that little girl is 26 now!)

Item Weight

Red Virginia	40
Turkish Blended Ribbon	30
Latakia	20
Dark Fired Kentucky Burley	20
Total weight	110gr

• Use any Virginia that suits your sensibilities.
• You can drop the Latakia, if you wish.
• Adjust Dark Fired quotient to taste

*********************************

At one time, you could buy several types of Dark Fired (including African Dark Fired from Gawith), now it looks like we're down to just one? I sourced some very good Dark Fired from a farmer in Kentucky. If you live or travel anywhere near Dark Fired Country, just knock on some doors, you'll find friendly folks willing to help you out.

This is a simplified variant on my blend "Plan B", which originally used McClelland tobaccos, and was topped with Cognac. The cognac was overpowering at first, but after a few years, I dried it out and the blend is really quite wonderful. You can try this with maybe 10ml of Cognac, or just drop it altogether.

*********************************
Plan B
12-03-2013

Item Wt. (gr)

McClelland Latakia P&C BGM0028		37.5​
McClelland Turkish Blended Ribbon BGB0028		50​
McClelland 5100 Red Cake P&C M420028		25​
Dark Fired Kentucky Burley BGH0028		12.5​
Stoved Black Virginia McClelland 5105		12.5​
Total weight		137.5gr​
		​
Cognac- St. Remy VSOP		37.5ml​

Combine tobaccos in a 1 gallon Ziploc
Slowly add Cognac, inflate bag and shake until evenly distributed
Pack in to an 8oz. Ball jar.
*********************************

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Am I missing something? I thought he wanted Malawi, dark fired African Virginias?

 

[woodsroad]

Am I missing something? I thought he wanted Malawi, dark fired African Virginias?

Is all Malawi Dark Fired a Virginia variant? I know that I've bought Malawi Dark Fired burley in the past.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Is all Malawi Dark Fired a Virginia variant? I know that I've bought Malawi Dark Fired burly in the past.

Actually, all of the "dark" Virginias grown in Africa and in that region, are not akin to the Virginias we know of at all. They are more along the lines of an oriental, but their leaves set more like a burley.
Unless fire cured, they don't have a very appealing taste. I grew them for a couple of years, and really just didn't care for them, especially since I wasn't sure what wood they were cured with. It definitely was hickory or applewood.

 

[woodsroad]

I don't think that Hickory is grown in Africa.

Then there's this:

"Not an expert, but ...
"Dark Fired" is neither Virginia nor Burley. It is "Dark Fired". It is it's whole own type of tobacco plant, similar to burley but not the same thing. I believe that there are 6 unique strains of "Dark Fired" here in Kentucky, each with slightly different characteristics.
My ASSUMPTION would be that "Malawi Dark Fired" would be "Dark Fired" tobacco that is grown in Malawi, as opposed to being grown in Kentucky. It's probably the same exact strains of tobacco grown in Kentucky (or very close) but they come out much different because of the differences in climate, soil conditions, and curing. Dark Fired tobaccos grown in Africa are cured with the fires of burning local hardwoods. In Ky, this would be white oak and hickory. Not sure what it would be in Africa.
If you like blends with Malawi Dark Fired, you should try some blends with Ky Dark Fired. My palette leans towards the Ky stuff, but I am admittedly biased. I can't say where every blender sources their "Dark Fired" tobacco from, but I do have it on good authority that G.L. Pease makes his blends with Dark Fired grown right here in Western Ky. And his blends sure are tasty
Fair warning, the curing process used here in Ky with Oak and Hickory might make the tobacco smell a little like barbcue in the tin. :D"

 

[cosmicfolklore]

The KDF and ADF (African Dark Fire) may have started off as the same seed stock, but have developed into separate strains. I could see that.

Maybe I should have burned some ivory to fire cure mine.

 

[woodsroad]

What I garnered form reading the Malawi trade regulations is that tobacco cultivation and commerce is strictly controlled by the government. No farmer can grow tobacco from seed other than that which is provided to them by the government. I'm still exploring, but I've only seen Burley and Virginia varieties mentioned.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Sansepolcro is one that has been used in many blends, and it's kinda close.

 

[woodsroad]

The KDF and ADF (African Dark Fire) may have started off as the same seed stock, but have developed into separate strains. I could see that.

Maybe I should have burned some ivory to fire cure mine.

Top 20 Most Common Trees in Malawi

Top 20 Most Common Trees in Malawi

Malawi's climate and soil conditions are conducive to the growth of a variety of indigenous trees. Three emblematic trees found in the region include Yellow oleander, Tropical almond, and Corn plant. These trees hold great significance both culturally and ecologically. They provide habitats for...

www.picturethisai.com

Malawi Tobacco Types

Universal Corporation - OurCompany > Africa > Tobacco Types

www.universalcorp.com

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Oleander is very poisonous, so strike that one.
I grow Guavas in my front yard. I wouldn't have thought those to be in Africa. But, they don't produce a lot of significant branches.

 

[Skippy B. Coyote]

So what I'm gathering here is that the dark fired Virginias that Gawith uses in their dark range of blends are African or Indian grown and may be in some ways more similar to Burley than the Virginias we're familiar with in the US, grown and cured using particular methods likely known only to Gawith and the farmers who grow them; since it's not a tobacco varietal you see other blenders using.

In any case, I sure wish more blenders would use them! There's a really remarkable gentle smoothness to the smoke they produce that you just don't get from dark fired American Burleys, which can tear up my throat something fierce, but Gawith's African and Indian varietals smoke easy and gentle as a stoved red Virginia. It's pretty astounding stuff, and I'd love to see what G.L. Pease could do with them if he got ahold of batch. Union Square with a healthy dose of Gawith's African dark fired Virginias mixed in would really be something special!

 

[karam]

It's been a matter of curiosity for me lately as I've been smoking my way through Gawith Hoggarth and Samuel Gawith's dark fired Virginia blends: Coniston Cut Plug, Kendal Dark / Dark Bird's Eye, Bosun Cut Plug, Dark Flake Unscented and Aromatic, and 1792 Flake (let me know if I missed any).

They're all good strong dark fired blends that employ dark fired Virginias instead of the typical dark fired Kentucky, which gives the blends a smooth non-abrasive character and creates a very different flavor experience in that they're not hickory or barbeque pit flavored but instead more neutrally woody and earthy like charred oak; which is a flavor profile I've found I enjoy very much. It has made me curious though, are there any other blending houses producing blends with dark fired Virginias or is Gawith really the only one? I'd sure like to find more blends of this style to try if there are any!

I don't remember their components but I do know the taste of these blends. I'd say:

• Dark Bird's Eye and 1792 Flake (and Lakeland Dark) use Dark Fired Kentucky
• the other's don't as far I could taste.

For me the typical taste of these Dark Fired Virginias is found in the brown ropes (except Brown No4 which tasted strongly of DFK as I remember), and it's an oily and not particularly woody or smokey taste.

Several of HU blends have Dark Fired Viginias (e.g., Khoisaan).

 

[cosmicfolklore]

the dark fired Virginias that Gawith uses in their dark range of blends are African or Indian grown and may be in some ways more similar to Burley than the Virginias we're familiar with in the US

Absolutely. Those are in no way related or similar to Flue Cured varietals that pipe smokers call Virginias.

You don't see US companies using them at all. My guess would be that importing tobaccos from Africa is just not feasible. You don't see much of anything imported to the US from Africa besides minerals, gems, coffee and cocoa. This would be a good question for Jeremy Reeves.

 

[Skippy B. Coyote]

You don't see US companies using them at all. My guess would be that importing tobaccos from Africa is just not feasible.

Either that or they just taste and smoke like hot garbage until they go through Gawith's prehistoric steam press thingamabobber to smooth them out. If it's a tobacco varietal that exists you'd think more than one company would be blending with it, barring some kind of exclusivity contract with the farmers or distributors over in Africa. I think I will shoot Mr. Reeves and email about it!

 

[woodsroad]

Gawith likely does some kind of mojo on the dark fired. They used to steam their Latakia, I think. May still?