Sam Gawith Burnt Ends

Log in

SmokingPipes.com Updates

Watch for Updates Twice a Week

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Mrs. Pickles

Starting to Get Obsessed
May 8, 2022
261
1,206
AZ, USA
I spoke with a reputable retailer this morning who told me he was directly informed by a Gawith representative that this blend is simply FVF scraps. FWIW.

Maybe @gawithhoggarth can confirm or deny?


Per Gawith Hoggarth on another forum:


They are not scraps as such. Due to the very old presses we use and the old cutting machines we use, the cakes (large blocks of pressed tobacco before they are cut into flakes) are not all a completely square uniform flat shape when formed. The four "sides" cannot go in the normal flake cutter and so have to be trimmed off. Some of this used to be broken down to be re-used and re-pressed again into another cake, some would go into our pensioner's mix......however, this all takes man power and time. As FVF is so popular and demand so high, after some research and testing, we decided to do these "side ends" as a stand alone product, hence "Burnt Ends".
 

alaskanpiper

Enabler in Chief
May 23, 2019
9,431
43,844
Alaska
I think the Laudisi Facebook post description might be what is throwing people off. They claim the burnt ends are slightly charred as compared to the rest of the cake after heat pressing, resulting in caramelization of the sugars and a marrying of flavors in a "profoundly extraordinary format", resulting in "deeper notes" and more "well-aged characteristics"

@gawithhoggarth is there some truth to this? Do the ends that get snipped off actually get more charred during pressing, thus providing more caramelization of natural sugars, additional marrying of flavors, deeper notes, more well-aged characteristics, and a profoundly extraordinary format vs the regular FVF?
 
Apr 26, 2012
3,596
8,226
Washington State
I would imagine it's similar to the cigar industry when they do quality control for cigars going into a box. They want all the cigars in the box to look the same, so if one of the cigars looks off compared to the others it gets set aside to go in a second's bundle or something similar.

Or think of Cheez-Its. They now have the toasted Cheez-Its, so when the Cheez-Its are baked some get burnt, so during quality control they remove the darker (burnt ones), so all the Cheez-Its in the box are the same. Cheez-Its decided they can take these "bad" crackers and package them and sell them in a separate box full of burnt crackers instead of just throwing them out. My wife loves the Toasted Cheez-Its, and it's a very smart business decision.

So my guess for Full Virginia Flake Burnt Ends, it's the tobacco flakes that came out darker from the heat press and didn't match up well with the rest of the flakes in the tin. Instead of tossing out that charred tobacco, they're re-packaging it as "Burnt Ends." Great marketing and you're not tossing out tobacco that people will still enjoy.
 
Aug 11, 2022
2,643
20,782
Cedar Rapids, IA
i have a bunch of the original pensioners (FVF and best brown edition). Sounds similar to this. I prefer it to both fvf and the plug. I’m not referring to the current pensioners which I think is now an actual blend.
I didn't realize until after my post(s) that both SG and GH&Co had a "Pensioners Mixture", and of course they're not the same thing, so some wires got crossed. 😅
 
  • Like
Reactions: gawithhoggarth
Aug 11, 2022
2,643
20,782
Cedar Rapids, IA
I think the Laudisi Facebook post description might be what is throwing people off. They claim the burnt ends are slightly charred as compared to the rest of the cake after heat pressing, resulting in caramelization of the sugars and a marrying of flavors in a "profoundly extraordinary format", resulting in "deeper notes" and more "well-aged characteristics"

@gawithhoggarth is there some truth to this? Do the ends that get snipped off actually get more charred during pressing, thus providing more caramelization of natural sugars, additional marrying of flavors, deeper notes, more well-aged characteristics, and a profoundly extraordinary format vs the regular FVF?
I figured it was just like what happens to the apple pie filling that leaks out and gets dark and crispy during baking... nothing special needed to make that happen and it's a tasty treat!
 

Ahi Ka

Lurker
Feb 25, 2020
6,711
32,099
Aotearoa (New Zealand)
I didn't realize until after my post(s) that both SG and GH&Co had a "Pensioners Mixture", and of course they're not the same thing, so some wires got crossed. 😅
When I got mine from Paul (Larrysons) he said it was “pluggy bits of yummy stuff”. That’s all I needed to hear. It has just over a decade on it now and I’ll occasionally grab some out of the jars. Yummy stuff indeed
 

swilford

Starting to Get Obsessed
May 30, 2010
209
747
Longs, SC
corporate.laudisi.com
I think the Laudisi Facebook post description might be what is throwing people off. They claim the burnt ends are slightly charred as compared to the rest of the cake after heat pressing, resulting in caramelization of the sugars and a marrying of flavors in a "profoundly extraordinary format", resulting in "deeper notes" and more "well-aged characteristics"

@gawithhoggarth is there some truth to this? Do the ends that get snipped off actually get more charred during pressing, thus providing more caramelization of natural sugars, additional marrying of flavors, deeper notes, more well-aged characteristics, and a profoundly extraordinary format vs the regular FVF?

Shane and I did a pretty deep dive on this in this video:

It's literally the edges of the block cut off from heat pressing. It hasn't gone through further processing, but being on the edges means that it's been processed differently from the rest of the block because it's where the tobacco is touching the hot metal. And it is distinctly different, and we think it's rather good.

But, like back meat on a turkey or (yes) burnt ends, it's the sort of thing that the guy (me in my house) in the kitchen doesn't plate nicely, but does eat with his fingers when his wife isn't looking. It's legitimately more of a project to smoke, even compared to a plug, but but it's also really tasty.
 

alaskanpiper

Enabler in Chief
May 23, 2019
9,431
43,844
Alaska
Shane and I did a pretty deep dive on this in this video:

It's literally the edges of the block cut off from heat pressing. It hasn't gone through further processing, but being on the edges means that it's been processed differently from the rest of the block because it's where the tobacco is touching the hot metal. And it is distinctly different, and we think it's rather good.

But, like back meat on a turkey or (yes) burnt ends, it's the sort of thing that the guy (me in my house) in the kitchen doesn't plate nicely, but does eat with his fingers when his wife isn't looking. It's legitimately more of a project to smoke, even compared to a plug, but but it's also really tasty.
Good to know! Thanks for the clarity, Sykes! I’ll check out the video.
 
  • Like
Reactions: SBC and Tate
Aug 11, 2022
2,643
20,782
Cedar Rapids, IA
Also, hnnng!

SGBurnt-Ends-2.jpg
 

gawithhoggarth

Can't Leave
Dec 26, 2019
364
2,476
47
Kendal, UK
www.gawithhoggarth.co.uk
I think the Laudisi Facebook post description might be what is throwing people off. They claim the burnt ends are slightly charred as compared to the rest of the cake after heat pressing, resulting in caramelization of the sugars and a marrying of flavors in a "profoundly extraordinary format", resulting in "deeper notes" and more "well-aged characteristics"

@gawithhoggarth is there some truth to this? Do the ends that get snipped off actually get more charred during pressing, thus providing more caramelization of natural sugars, additional marrying of flavors, deeper notes, more well-aged characteristics, and a profoundly extraordinary format vs the regular FVF?
Yes I guess so as the ends kind of squelch out of the forming plate. As for the rest well I guess that will be for the individual smoker to decide on how they decide it smokes and what characteristics it has.