I'm a big fan of the Gawith brown twists, so I was excited to give the renowned Black XX a try. I'd heard quite a bit about it, and as is usually the case, it was the polarizing nature of this blend that piqued my interest. Those who like it say it's like eating a steak. Those who don't say it's like imbibing a tire fire.
Tin Note and Preparation:
It has a strong tin note that is hard to describe. Honestly, the closest thing I could relate it to was blending perique--a sort of rich, fermented aroma.
It is, like most Gawith blends, too moist as it comes. I was so eager to smoke it that I did smoke it straight out of the tin with some relights, so it's certainly possible to smoke straight out of the tin, but several hours of drying helped it a lot. I ended up slicing and rubbing out about 70% of the twist, since just drying the uncut twist doesn't seem like it would work well or be a good idea.
Flavor:
When I first began reading tobacco reviews, I noticed the buzzwords for certain blends: Virginia leaf is often "grassy," while Burley is "nutty". I quickly caught on that these are not quite literal descriptors--they are close approximations, and certainly appropriate, but Burley doesn't literally taste exactly like any nut I can bring to mind.
With the Black XX I was very surprised by how literal the comparison to grilling meat was. When I lit up my pipe in the back yard, I took a few puffs and thought I was smelling the next door neighbors grilling. I did a double take and thought, "Wait--was that actually my pipe?" I let the pipe go out sniffed the air, relighted the pipe, and realized it was actually the tobacco itself. The flavor is quite like the smell of a barbecue grill, and many of my friends remarked on the similarity as well. Whether or not that's a good thing depends on the smoker. My father, who is a fan of full-bodied blends, remarked that it was "not his cup of tea," but another friend who has similar tastes raved over it. He is a connoisseur of wine, fine food, and cigars, and has just recently come to pipes, and he insists there is a distinct aroma of black truffles in this blend. I can't confirm since I'm not familiar with black truffles.
It's quite a departure from the brown twist. I expected there to be a bit more similarity between the two. That said, I do enjoy the Black XX, and it is one of the most unique blends I've tried. There's nothing even remotely like it in my line up, which is something I like. I suppose the closest thing to it is smoking straight perique, with the deep, rich flavor, but without any of the extreme pepper-iness that is so distinctive to perique.
Nicotine:
Not quite on the level of Brown Twist, but not as tame as I expected. There is certainly some kick to it, though I feel it more in the niccup department and not so much in the overall relaxation department.
In Summary:
This is the most unique tobacco I've smoked. I'd say everyone should try a tin at some point, but it doesn't surprise me that many don't like it. I've actually been reaching for it quite a bit since I received the tin.
Tin Note and Preparation:
It has a strong tin note that is hard to describe. Honestly, the closest thing I could relate it to was blending perique--a sort of rich, fermented aroma.
It is, like most Gawith blends, too moist as it comes. I was so eager to smoke it that I did smoke it straight out of the tin with some relights, so it's certainly possible to smoke straight out of the tin, but several hours of drying helped it a lot. I ended up slicing and rubbing out about 70% of the twist, since just drying the uncut twist doesn't seem like it would work well or be a good idea.
Flavor:
When I first began reading tobacco reviews, I noticed the buzzwords for certain blends: Virginia leaf is often "grassy," while Burley is "nutty". I quickly caught on that these are not quite literal descriptors--they are close approximations, and certainly appropriate, but Burley doesn't literally taste exactly like any nut I can bring to mind.
With the Black XX I was very surprised by how literal the comparison to grilling meat was. When I lit up my pipe in the back yard, I took a few puffs and thought I was smelling the next door neighbors grilling. I did a double take and thought, "Wait--was that actually my pipe?" I let the pipe go out sniffed the air, relighted the pipe, and realized it was actually the tobacco itself. The flavor is quite like the smell of a barbecue grill, and many of my friends remarked on the similarity as well. Whether or not that's a good thing depends on the smoker. My father, who is a fan of full-bodied blends, remarked that it was "not his cup of tea," but another friend who has similar tastes raved over it. He is a connoisseur of wine, fine food, and cigars, and has just recently come to pipes, and he insists there is a distinct aroma of black truffles in this blend. I can't confirm since I'm not familiar with black truffles.
It's quite a departure from the brown twist. I expected there to be a bit more similarity between the two. That said, I do enjoy the Black XX, and it is one of the most unique blends I've tried. There's nothing even remotely like it in my line up, which is something I like. I suppose the closest thing to it is smoking straight perique, with the deep, rich flavor, but without any of the extreme pepper-iness that is so distinctive to perique.
Nicotine:
Not quite on the level of Brown Twist, but not as tame as I expected. There is certainly some kick to it, though I feel it more in the niccup department and not so much in the overall relaxation department.
In Summary:
This is the most unique tobacco I've smoked. I'd say everyone should try a tin at some point, but it doesn't surprise me that many don't like it. I've actually been reaching for it quite a bit since I received the tin.
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