Tobaccos Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. - Brown Twist Sliced

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2009-04-28		Very Strong	None Detected	Very Full	Very Pleasant

Dark, a little bit sweet and full of strength. This one will water your eyes and give you a tingly feeling all over. It looked quite foreboding, but rubbed out into an almost shag like cut helps the burn. Despite the moisture content (a little on the high tide side), it burned cool and easily stayed lit.

G&H makes a lot of fine Virginia dominant tobaccos but this one may be the best of a great bunch. Thoroughly enjoyablel and I will certainly order more.

23 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3047)	2012-11-05		Very Strong	None Detected	Full	Strong

This rope turned to coin cut has a few cigar notes, but it doesn't overwhelm the rest of the flavors. The citrus and dark fruity sweetness of the Virginia is somewhat present, but is sublimated by the strength of the tobacco. Its earthiness is more obvious. Won't bite, but has a mild rough edge. It burns decently if you dry it a little, but expect some relights, and a little moisture in the bowl. Not very complex, but has a bare hint of spice at various points, and almost has a "roast" taste to it. It gives a strong nic-hit to your senses which is filling more than overpowering. The after taste lingers a bit as does the room note. I doubt you'd want this for a regular smoke unless you like your tobacco strong. You may want a nice hot tea or coffee to round out the experience.

-JimInks

19 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SteelCowboy (685)	2014-01-02		Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Tolerable

I have been busy with a yearend cleaning out of my pipe room and coming across a lot of blends that needed a revisit. Brown Twist Sliced is one of those blends. This powerhouse tobacco won’t be for everyone and it isn’t an everyday smoke for me. With that said, BTS is a mixture of pure tobacco taste with some mild Lakeland style topping. It has a bit of a medicinal taste but it is offset by an underlying sweetness that outweighs the essence for me. I am not sure if it is a topping or the addition of the dark Indian leaf that gives BTS its unique flavor. I don’t find very much complexity with BTS, but just a full flavored strong blend. I think that most people with a tolerance for “Lady N” and a love for strong, smooth, cool burning tobaccos will be attracted to BTS. If you’re not, then you may want to pass on this one.

Age When Smoked: 2 years

13 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	incognitopoet (37)	2014-11-18		Extremely Strong	None Detected	Very Full	Tolerable to Strong

This reminds me of really good natural chewing tobacco. The flavor is a pure, unadulterated tobacco flavor. The primordial ancient essence of tobacco is right here. There are plenty of occasions when I want a sweet natural Virginia like SG Medium Virginia Flake, or smokey goodness of Squadron Leader, or the polished elegance of Cornell & Diehl Opening Night. Sometimes, though, I am looking for a direct encounter with the leaf, booming with nicotine and filling my mouth with tobacco flavor. I keep this stuff around for those times.

As I am writing this I am slowly working my way through a bowl in freezing winter cold on my balcony. It works well in this weather, especially when I have rum in my English tea. The well-seasoned bowl of my Peterson 303 rustic is just about perfect for this rope.

The nicotine level is stout, but don't let that scare you away. That just means that I can read a chapter of a book while slowly sipping the rich smoke. A small bowl can last quite a while when sipped, so I don't have to stop reading to load another pipe. By the time the bowl contains only a pinch of fine ash I am satisfied and relaxed.

Update: March 14, 2016 Sometimes my perception of a blend changes over time. This is not one of those times. Right now I am sitting on the beach smoking Brown Twist Sliced in a Peterson 303 smooth. The wind is very strong, but this stuff is staying lit without getting hot. In my previous review I had allowed the tobacco to dry. Since then I have been smoking it right out of the pouch. For some reason it never steams my tongue even when with a fresh bag. This is one of those blends that I could be happy with, even if it was the only tobacco I could get. My guess is that about 80% of pipe smokers would not enjoy this stuff, because it is so strong and so primitive. For me, though, it is close to perfection.

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2081)	2014-07-21		Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Gawith Hoggarth - Sliced Brown Twist.

The first thing I think upon opening this is "wow, what a strong smell"! Granted it's not a false aromatic smell, only a VERY strong Virginia smell, an area where this ones score abates a little is that it is a touch damp so some airing time would avail this one well, but being impetuous (as ever), I decide to just employ a little extra hard work with the flame and to be impartial it lights relatively well.

Once lit I find the burn to be not at all intemperate in speed, pretty steady. The ash left by this one is pure white, possibly the whitest I have seen. Now, the smoke ... the temperature of it's a good one, it doesn't really bite me and it is of a thick construction. I don't get any underlying flavours of any kind, all I get is a very pure Virginia taste, which to be fair becomes a little tedious after a while, but that is more subjective! Room note, again it is pure Virginia but not particularly heavy as you would expect. To be succinct, if you like Virginia then why in hell haven't you tried this?!

Four stars.

Pipe Used: Peterson

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Smoke King

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DeathMetal.org (231)	2017-08-10		Very Strong	Mild	Full	Tolerable

Over time, this has become one of my go-to tobaccos for an all-day smoke. It seems designed to be carried in a pouch, partially rubbed out and stuffed into a pipe, and then to burn for a long time in a cool, smooth delivery of a sweet Virginia flavor with a hint of dark fired spice and the faintest of incense-like combinations of topping. It is very strong in the nicotine department, but if you let it burn naturally, it delivers a constant stream of thin smoke, so the effect is not disastrous but rather sustaining, especially if outside. When you first open the jar, since this is only sold in bulk, the scent of peat and crushed vegetation will reach your nose. Rub out a few of these tiny coins, then mash that mass together in your hands and hold it for a few moments as the extra moisture and ammonia drift away. Then gravity fill the pipe and push down very lightly, extra lightly even, before doing your char-tamp-light. At this point, you want to breath-smoke the bowl, drawing not at all, and letting the natural capillary pressure of your mouth closed around the stem pull the smoke into your mouth, breathing it out when you inhale through your nose about every two breaths, which is roughly seven seconds as is normal for someone concentrating on a task. An average-sized bowl lasts well over an hour, and a large bowl could go for almost two. If you have trouble getting it to light, wait a few moments; you may have seen how old school pipe smokers tend to pack a bowl, then hold the pipe in the hand while looking over whatever task is before them, then light when they know how to make it work. Once you get through the top layer of the bowl, the leaf will start to caramelize, and the flavor becomes sweeter but loses none of its depth. Expect a faint essence of leather, malt and hay. You can smoke this all day in 3-4 bowls and be perfectly content. If you want to give it some body, mix with some dark Burley and a sweet Virginia like you would find in a Va/Per, which really brings out the "voices" of each blend and melds them together into a lovely spectrum of flavors. For leaf quality and preparation, this may be one of the best values on the tobacco market today.

Similar Blends: Dunhill - Royal Yacht.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dr. Scott (82)	2011-02-16		Very Strong	None Detected	Very Full	Very Strong

Smoke it slowly, or the nicotine will overwhelm and you will miss out on the flavors, which can be subtle. The flavors are varied, rich, not really sweet, but not bitter or astringent. Very satisfying. And a little goes a long way.

This has joined the ranks of my absolute favorites, ideal for a nightcap with a good red wine. I will always have a large jar of this on the shelf.

Unfortunately, I must deduct a point for the room note and the wife factor. My lovely bride detests the smell of the smoke, and the smell on my breath, after this weed. I dearly love SBT, but only when my wife is not around.

Update, 25 March 2013: I'm raising this to 4 stars. After a couple of years in a jar, BTS has smoothed out. It is less harsh. It tastes a bit sweeter, if you take it slow enough. Time to put some more away into the cellar!

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2010-01-13		Overwhelming	None Detected	Overwhelming	Overwhelming

Note: This review was based on a 4 bowl sample rather than the usual 1 oz minimum I usually adhere to. Consequently, my review might be pointless, and I'm not sure why I'm even writing it. :)

This tobacco tells me that it's not the effort required with ropes that make them unsmokable to me. The concept of a "rubbed out" rope was intriguing and a friend gave me 4 bowls worth to try. Unfortunately, it affected me as the black ropes have. The tobacco just tasted like dirt to me. No depth or complexity, simply a strong tobacco for the sake of strength.

A lot of folks seem to like this and perhaps it requires some time to get used to. For me, there are too many tobaccos that I find wonderful right off the bat to worry much about those that I have to work my way up to even being able to tolerate safely. Go for it - it's all yours! :)

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stan27 (4)	2017-12-06		Very Strong	None Detected	Very Full	Very Pleasant

After smoking this tobacco I turned my preference towards Virginia tobaccos again. Very strong, with earthy (turfy) sweet flavour, no problems with it, no tongue bite, etc. From tin it has high moisture content.

This tobacco for me is enligthment. First I liked light tobaccos, tried Burley and Virginia, and found that I liked Burley more because of "nutty solid flavour" and light Virginia tobaccos were like smoking hay for me. But this one is as "solid" and full as any Burley I tried.

Smoked Dark Birds Eye from G&H and didn't like it, so was skeptical towards Brown Twist, but it is my favorite now (second tin is empty, few more on the way).

Pipe Used: Peterson Rocky X220

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stinkypipe (155)	2017-01-13		Very Strong	None Detected	Very Full	Strong

warning not for newbies!! This blend will kick your azz if you start puffing away like a madman. You will barf your breakfast, lunch and dinner! Yes it has a healthy dose on the nicotine bug. However if you respect this blend sip the pipe don't get in a hurry smoke in a smaller bowl first couple of times you will find a rather delightful cigar type smoke. There is a real mixture of flavors that float through you oral cavity. I get earth, leather, a little wood smoke, burnt raisins and even a hint of musk from time to time. It's a real treat but you do not smoke on an empty stomach and you respect the nicotine level a all times. Some folks tolerate this blend better than others. My friend smoked a half a bowl and promptly threw up and went to bed with a migraine. This is not to scare you but just to let you know to be careful on your first bowl. You start feeling light headed you stop smoking. You can actually just smoke a quarter bowl in the beginning to see your tolerant level. For those of us used to the nicotine hit you will love the thick mellow smoke the outstanding room note the low heat and cool burn and such a nice white ash at the bottom of the bowl. I don't smoke this often, no more then once or twice a week at the most. When I do you can bet I have let it breath for at least a couple of hours. Just a darn good smoke from the true genus tobacconist at G&W.

Pipe Used: Alberto Bonfiglioli freehand

Age When Smoked: Month

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Blackhorse (96)	2010-12-17		Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

In terms of Gawith 'browns' this is one of my favorites...maybe one of my favorites of any blend or brand, etc. A great tobacco flavor and aroma. This one has it all...just needs a little drying prior to use as what I've been sent has typically been pretty moist. Others have gone into sufficient detail to describe this one well, I'll just add that you can let it sit a bit and come back to it...and you might need to to control the ration of Vit. N. A real heavy hitter, which is not bad thing.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Xeneize (275)	2010-10-12		Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Undoubtfully, this is high quality tobacco with almost no added flavoring (not your regular Lakeland) and a dominance of Kentucky leaf (or some very similar cousin). The problem for me is that the end result is a taste that comes very close to Panter cigars (at least to Panter Mignon, the only one that I've tried). Not a bad thing, since they are nice to smoke now and then, but for such taste I'd rather go for the tiny cigars which are easier to carry around and keep my pipe for flavors I can't achieve otherwise.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2010-04-20		Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Full	Tolerable

Sliced Brown Twist:

Another four star rating for the Kendal Brothers. Strong stuff but oh so tasty! Not a all day smoke to be sure but unsurpassed for that smoke with "a little something extra" that is called for when the craving for just such a blend comes over the smoker.I read a comment or two that said that it has no complexity and I have to respectfully disagree with that evaluation.This is one of the primary reasons for smoking this particular tobacco in my opinion.The nicotine is,of course, the other reason. Very satisfying in this regard. I do reccomend that a small to medium bowl be used for this reason though and a very respectful puffing rate as well. If it proves to be a bit much as far as flavor and nicotine content goes I do as well recommend its tamer sibling Sliced Black to alleviate the headiness of this type of tobacco. Sliced Brown burns very well and packs with little or no problem. The batch I got from Pipes and Cigars had the perfect moisture level and burned down to a fine grey ash with no relights at all.This moisture level could vary,I suppose, and some judicious drying out would alleviate that problem if it arises. The room note is not something I worry about since I have a very tolerant wife and as I have stated repeatedly I don't believe most smokers can really smell the burning aroma since olfactory overload occurs rapidly-especially with the more robust blends such as this one.Being rather lazy I don't take the trouble to go outside for nostril rejuvenation and an assesment of the aromatics of the tobbco I am smoking at the time. I am also too busy enjoying the experience of smoking it in the first place to put it own for that amount of time. All in all another fine Kendal tobacco if a somewhat pricey smoke. But then again most superb things including tobacco are that way and I refuse to compromise on quality for economic reasons. The taste of the tobacco is therefore as high a quality as Gawaith and Hoggarth tobacco(excluding the heavy aromatics)are reliably and consistently expected to be. For what it is and does Sliced Brown Twist is one I can heartily reccomend and will keep around as part of my inventory of decadent indulgent luxuries.

The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Quiggifur (99)	2023-03-07		Strong	None Detected	Full	Strong

20230308 edit: Leaving a bit in a small container with what must not have been a completely air-tight lid, did wonders for the smoking qualities. The moisture levels dissipated and equalized, leaving none of the ribbons crispy, and yet quite dry and still pliable. There was no compacting upon tamping, and no ice-like layer on top which doesn't tamp well with a larger nail-style tamper (acts like a snowshoe, whereas a smaller tamper will punch through). Still have to do more relights than with better-burning tobaccos, but usually just a touch of flame will do it. The nicotine from this bowl is really hitting me, even though I'm smoking it immediately after having breakfast. I don't enjoy the flavors quite as much as from the bowls where the tobacco had more moisture, but the difference is relatively minor, and the ease of smoking more than makes up for it. This would be an ideal pre-nap or pre-bedtime smoke.

Getting the negatives out of the way first: it's a nightmare to work with. From the bag it's sopping wet, and only a fool would smoke it in that state. I've tried. Somehow though, drying it nearly to a crisp doesn't make it burn well either.

Otherwise, it's dreamy. Reminds me a lot of dark fired Kentucky in its smokiness, but in little else. Not really reminiscent of any other Virginias either. I agree with another reviewer in that there's almost a roast, meaty quality to it, definitely registers as savory. During my first smoke, I got a sort of Fernet quality, sort of sweet and bitter herbal, but I'm not getting it much if at all during this second smoke. The nicotine is powerful, but it isn't bowling me over yet, probably at least in part because it's difficult to keep lit, as well as a biting quality it has if smoked too fast. The overall character is well worth the fight though, I think. I could see smoking this exclusively, intermittently smoking bowls with a long wait to dry the tobacco for the next one in between. I think the room note of just about every tobacco I've smoked is pleasant, but I'd bet this one probably is less pleasant on that scale to a lot of people. I called my wife in to tell me what she thought, and she used some descriptors that were so out there, I question whether she was imagining things or being spiteful. Suffice it to say she hated it. At least one person mentioned Lakeland topping, but I don't get that at all. The Fernet notes I got originally were nowhere near any Lakeland I've tried, and so mild and absent from the second bowl I'm wondering if they weren't imagined. I would expect a Lakeland hater not to hate this one for any comparison to Lakeland essence.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HabaneroHardy (403)	2018-09-02		Extremely Strong	None Detected	Extra Full	Unnoticeable

Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. - Brown Twist Sliced was bought at my local pipe store circa 2017. I decided over the Labor Day weekend to inventory my pipe tobacco collection from the past 20 years and came across this one. And no, I could not open my own tobacco store but I do have a nice collection that has accumulated over the years. I pulled the bag out of the jar and could smell this through the bag, that is how strong this one was. I guess the experts would say take it out of the bag before jarring which I usually do unless I am lazy or out of jars. The first few puffs I felt Nicotine Nirvana and kind of got light headed but it soon passed, darn. For such a strong smell this really smokes cool and pure. I had a few coughs along the way but sip this one slow if you know what I mean and you will have a blast.

Pipe Used: Nording 2nd

Age When Smoked: 1 year old maybe.

Purchased From: Liberty Tobacco

Similar Blends: Irish Flake, HH Bold Kentucky.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	riobrew (80)	2018-06-24		Extremely Strong	None Detected	Very Full	Strong

BOOM! Straight in you face Virginia. Both Virginia and Dark Fired Virginia twisted aged and then slice. It is a powerhouse blend. Small bowl And take your time and enjoy. Easy to pack. Easy to light.

Pipe Used: Cob, Peterson Sherlock Silver Apple

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Smokingpipes

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WillardFan (90)	2018-04-16		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I happen to like maduro cigars, though it's not really mentioned on this blend, I taste cigar leaf in this. This is very smooth, but strong tasting in a good way. Will need some drying time, as the batch I got is very moist. It'll burn, but not too well, when fresh out of the bag. I like this one alot. Gonna definitely get me some more of this one...

Pipe Used: Captain Black Yeoman

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ducksbreath (125)	2017-05-15		Extremely Strong	None Detected	Extra Full	Strong

Everyone who likes full bodied tobaccos seems to like this but me. Main problem I have: this has to be smoked so slowly to coax out some of the good flavors and avoid the bad ones that I don't get much N, and it becomes a chore to finish a bowl. I have not tried aging it, but then none of the other GH tobaccos need aging (although of course they do benefit). In rope form, there's even more work to do. So I pass.

Similar Blends: Other dark fired rope (twist) tobaccos, including the American ones you can't find, which are sold as chewing tobacco (twists)..

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TallPuffO'Burley (633)	2014-12-29		Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This blend didn't really do it for me. Ironically, the sweet coconut Twist is my favorite aromatic and a blend I love to smoke, but when the topping is gone as it is here, it falls flat to me and leaves me with that same taste I get from DFU of which I am not a big fan.

I would put DFU ahead of this one slightly, but the two taste very similar. ON the positive side. It is strong, it doesn't bite and it is made with great leaf. If you like this industrial petroleum type of taste, this may be for you.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	A.E. (22)	2013-12-06		Very Strong	None Detected	Extra Full	Very Strong

I'd read about the strength of this tobacco and decided to try it. I enjoy full tobacco flavors, though have grown to prefer elegant and complex blends rather than simple "cowboy" tobacco. Upon receiving the 4 ozs I ordered, I smelled the pouch and sampled a bowl. Sure enough, it smelled and tasted strongly of pure unadulterated natural tobacco. No elegance here. The first puffs rang my head, raced my heart, and constricted my pupils, but tasted of first rate tobacco and made for rich satisfying smoke. I decided to age it. My experience with similarly strong new cigars has been that the stronger blends tend to age and mellow nicely over a year or 3. The same should be true with pipe tobacco. The ammonia and nicotine withdraw and the flavors emerge, marrying with each other. This is especially true when the tobaccos are top shelf, as they seem to be in the Brown Twist Sliced.
Patience is a virtue, well practiced here if not seeking to court respiratory or cardiac arrest. After a year or two in the jar, I may add a little rum for an additional dimension. We'll see.

Pipe Used: Meerschaum Churchwarden

Age When Smoked: Not yet aged enough

Purchased From: Pipesandcigars.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrDyson (148)	2012-01-11		Very Strong	None Detected	Medium	Strong

This is a very strong tobacco with a completely natural, uncased flavour; cool, slow burning and uniform all the way down the bowl. There's too much cigar-like flavour for my taste, but this is certainly a tobacco to go to if you want a strong nicotine kick and a smoke with nothing added. Too strong - too strong for me, at any rate - to be an all-day smoke, but a good one to visit now and again. G & H also do a sliced black twist that no one has reviewed yet; it's not quite as strong as the sliced brown. I'll do a review of it when I've smoked enough of it to form an opinion.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2008-11-30		Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

I have smoked this tobacco in several pipes, and from the first bowl of it it was a love affair.

strong? Yes. Overwhelming? No.

A dark sweetness is found here, more bass notes than in a mild VA, I would not call it cigarr taste though, Nothing like the sour notes of some milder lighter VA's, and nothing like the zestiness of dark star.

Smoking it slow and steady, gently tamping down the ashes as the bowl progresses is the best way. I would NOT recommend smoking this in a pipe with a small bowl diameter, an ordinary pipe with a bowl diameter of at least 20 mm and a depth of approx 40 mm is probably the best.

The smoke gets sweeter and stouter in the last 1/3 of the bowl, this is also where it is the most rewarding.

Due to the strength, a glass of water or a cup of tea at hand is recommended.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Effluvinator (60)	2007-09-06		Extremely Strong	None Detected	Extra Full	Extra Strong

I came upon this tobacco in a rather unusual way. An on-line retailer mistakenly put it in a bag marked as (believe it or not)Best Brown Flake, which I had never before tried. Upon looking at it I was taken aback as it did not seem to resemble the appearance or characteristics of Best Brown according to pictures on the retailers site. It arrived quite dry and so burned rapidly. I had to just sort of sip at it to avoid bite. Needless to say I was quickly aware of the overall strength of this, especially never before having tried any other ropes, twists, etc. Going back to the retailers website I looked at pictures until I figured out what they had actually sent to me. I was a little bit annoyed but by that time also intrigued with the stuff. When smoked slowly it has a slight sweetness with some cigar-like characteristics. It's actually quite good. It doesn't make me ill or cause untoward nicotine overdose affects, but it certainly makes just about anything else seem rather meek by comparison. I use a cob or other pipe with similar small capacity and smoke slowly. All-in-all a serendipitous discovery!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2003-01-26		Very Strong	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

This is one of my staples. Few tobaccos give me as much pleasure as Sliced Brown. You can see the bits of rope left over from the slicing process. The smoke is very full and creamy. This is not as dry as the Gawith ropes, but a filling. My favorite pipe for this is a Peterson XL02 which really seems to allow the wonderful, full tobacco-flavored smoke to dance around my face. Lots and lots of nicotine which gives a nice spicy tone when blown through the nose; not for newcomers.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cajomu (80)	2023-02-09		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I purchased four ounces of G H & Co.'s Brown Twist Sliced two years ago and, after smoking a few bowls, cellared it for a year before smoking it again. Big improvement. BTS comes in the form of coins that are fairly moist, so best to rub some out and let dry a bit before lighting up.

BTS is not a typical straight VA. If I didn't know better, I would have taken it for a VABur. As for its taste, I agree with incognitopoet that it is reminiscent of chewing tobacco (although not nearly as sweet). However, I disagree with most here about it being a nicotine bomb. The batch I got was medium strong at best. What I received also had no Lakeland flavors, as supposedly unscented G H &Co. tobaccos often do. I would also point out that it bears some resemblance both in appearance and in taste to MaBaren Dark Twist Roll Cake, although without the bite.

I'm finally running low on my purchase and would like to buy again but G H & Co. tobacco prices have really sky-rocketed. Smoking Pipes now wants nearly $100 for a pound of the stuff and, despite being an excellent tobacco, I don't think I can justify spending that much on it. So, I'll enjoy what I have left and move on to something else. The price is also the reason I'm awarding it three stars. If it were $65/# as when I purchased it, it would be a four star tobacco,

Pipe Used: Various briars

Age When Smoked: 1-2 years when smoked

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

Similar Blends: MacBaren Dark Twist Roll Cake.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Knightsmoker (218)	2022-11-15		Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

Brown Twist Sliced has a jar note that is earthy, smokey, and sweet. The smoke is full and there is lots of it. It is very earthy and woodsy, almost a campfire-like smokiness but different from lat for sure. Despite being a big full smoke, there is some sweetness to it as well. I get dark fruit notes, and some roasted grains, but not citrus or any grass or hay. There are some cigarish notes and in places a little spice as well. The nic is strong in this one and the smoke is dense almost chewy for lack of a better way to describe it. The sliced coin is cut fine almost a proper shag and rubs out easily. It is a little moist but no need to dry it it smokes fine as it is. The room note will not win friends. This is a 3.5 out of 4 rounded up as I will likely reorder.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BrokenRecord (124)	2021-09-08		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Brown Twist is a pleasant change of pace for this predominantly Virginia and English smoker. The varietals of Virginia seem to differ from those in most of G&H and SG’s offerings. They are very earthy and tangy with only some sweetness and even less grassy notes. There is also a subtly smokiness underlying the flavor profile. There is a very mild top note that is similar to Grousemoor, though it could be the result of being made on the same machines. Overall, Brown Twist smokes quite smoothly even when sopping wet.

Everything seems to meld nicely, but Brown Twist is not a flake I see myself stocking up in my cellar.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Calamiti (86)	2020-11-27		Very Strong	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

The Brown and Black ropes by GH are so closely related to its mirror counterparts made by SG, I couldn't build my impressions on them in other way but comparing them.

Black or Brown, ropes by Gawith Hoggarth look like a nobler, more refined versions of similar products by Samuel Gawith. The Sam's versions are definitely richer and bolder, each of them putting forward a distinctive leading flavour note which manifests sustainably throughout the full length of the smoke: the famous "grilled oil" note in Black and "autumn leaves bonfire" note in Brown.

Ropes by Gawith Hoggarth are more complex flavourwise and give more nuanced aromas which subtly change as the smoking progresses. While Black rope from GH is noticeably sweeter than that from SG, the Brown rope is definitely drier, less pungent and more fragrant than its SG doppelganger. "Autumn leaves" are surely present, but also are cedar wood, dark chocolate, coffee and earthy notes. In regard of strength, there's a tie between GH and SG, brown ropes being slightly stronger than black in both cases.

If I had to make a choise between GH and SG versions under condition that whichever I choose the other one won't be accessible to me anymore, I would have a hard time to make my decision. I like both, though for different reasons. Still, most probably, I would finally have chosen SG Brown Nr4 for its boldness. And I would sorely miss GH Brown Twist as I value it highly for its refinedness. As much similar they are, they aren't directly substitutable to each other.

Thankfully I can't imagine a scenario in which I might happen to be forced to make such a hard choise so I enjoy them both.

Similar Blends: Samuel Gawith Brown No4.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Christrom (34)	2018-04-21		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Full	Pleasant

Awesome stuff. The cut is fine and tangled together, making it easy to pack in big clumps. Plenty of earthy cigar tones, and I don't think it is ridiculous in strength. Burns cool and steady and is incredibly satisfying.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SCPipe (2)	2014-02-04		Very Strong	None Detected	Extra Full	Tolerable

Probably my favorite non-aromatic to date. I love the flavor and power that this tobacco delivers. It is a little harder to light than some but, once lit, it burns amazingly well and cool. Just make sure you eat a good meal before lighting up because this one packs quite a punch!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Smoke_Ring (158)	2013-07-24		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Brown Twist Sliced;

Star Rating = 4.0;

Rating Scores - 10 is the Best and 0 is the Worst;

Pouch Note = 10;

Room Note = 10;

Flavor = 9;

Bite = 10;

Burn = 10;

After Taste = 10;

Raw Score = 59;

Rated Percentage = 98%;

Comment = Very Smooth, Medium Strength, Nice Rich Natural Tobacco Flavor, No Bite, White Ash Burn.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2011-06-12		Very Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

Not quite as strong as some make out. But plenty of kick. Its like smoking a bowl full of spices. Cigar like qualities of pepper and chillies. Certainly will try again, but I prefer just a touch more tobacco flavour in my smokes and this comes up a bit short in my book.

Maybe a good blend to mix with something you want to crank up a notch.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2011-04-11		Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Not much in the way of sent in the bag it comes in (bulk) In fact I smell more zip-lock plastic than tobacco, but load it into your fave pipe and flick the ignition switch and you will be fast swept into tobacco nirvana. Starts off with light earthy tastes and builds from there. Gaining strength in comes the sweetness, your now coasting with nice savory tastes and a relaxing buzz.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	bentontool (6)	2010-05-12		Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Wonderful aroma in bag. Complex flavor... strong, a little sweetness, delicious. A bit wet initially, but after a short period of drying, it lit and burned very well to a fine grey ash. Absolutely no bite whatsoever. One of my favorites. Just purchased a second pound for cellaring.

Addendum: after four years of cellaring it has become sweeter, milder, more earthy, overall better if that is even possible...

Agree with Xeneize below: this indeed has the flavour of a Kentucky.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-12-20		Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

A full bodied and full stength tobacco, not for the faint of heart. It will give you the hiccups if you puff too fast. It smells pretty rugged and intimidating when you open the bag, but it is a smooth smoker with no bite, and plenty of flavor. One of my favorite smokes.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-08-28		Very Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Wonderful stuff. Equivalent to Samuel Gawith's Brown Rope No. 4 (see my review there for more info). It is, truly, addicting!

Some notes on Brown Twist Vs Brown Rope:

1.) From what I can see, Brown Rope has the better price point.

2.) This version of Twist is already sliced, but it is sliced into a long shag so that if you wish to blend it in with your other favorite tobacco, you will still have some work to do. You'll need a razor to get at Brown Rope, but I much prefer the resulting flakes and leaves than the Shag-cut of Twist.

3.) Twist appears to be available in the U.S. in bulk only (although you can get as little as 2 oz) which means the moisture level you get might be a crap-shoot (where did that expression come from anyway?). Brown Rope comes in a tin so proper moisture (and cellaring if you're into it) are assured.

Given all that, I'd give the nod to Brown Rope.

These are don't miss tobaccos unless you are just starting out. Go slow at first & blend.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-04-22		Very Strong	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Phwoaaar! This is the stuff! A nicely moist, gently fragrant brown tobacco in the bag; packs with ease; lights and smokes nicely; the faintest wisps of bacon on a campfire in the woods, peat, jet-black chocolate and burnt toffee - and it knocks your head off a treat.

Five stars and straight in to a place alongside my head-whomping favourites, Peterson's Irish Flake and Revor.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-02-02		Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Pleasant

02/02/09 This is still one of the best inmo. Please try a blend that I love...1 part sliced brown & 1 part prince albert. I like to bring the sliced brown up to a moisture content not by a certain percentage but rather by feel, prior to blending. I use a sponge rinsed thoroughly with distilled water. I squeeze the rinsed sponge until no water drips from the hand. Next I take 1 oz of Brown sliced and deposite the sponge 2x2 inches square into a bowl w/ the tobacco. I the cover the bowl w/ plastic wrap. I toss the tobacco once per hour until the brown sliced has a nice spring to it. I then remove and cut with scissors until the consistency, where easily mixed with an equal part of prince albert. Please try, it is heavenly.

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// I really smoke alot of this, and other blends from G&H. This is just brown twist sliced into thin wheels, with some sporadic ribbon amongst the other. I love this tobacco and its light floral essence it exudes. This tobacco burns clean and smokes very fast. I'm not bothered by the nicotine in this blend, as others have stated. Try this blend for yourself and experience what I call "the heroin of pipe tobacco." This smoke is truly intoxicating.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-01-06		Extremely Strong	Extremely Mild	Extra Full	Tolerable to Strong

I love the African fire cured leaf found in a number of GH&Co tobacs.

If you're one that knows what a young, strong cigar with in your face tobacco flavor is like, this is similar. Just in your face flavors. Packing and burning is a snap as this is nearly shag-like in qualities once rubbed out fully. I can't compare the flavors to much of anything else other than similar GH&Co strong flakes/ropes (like Dark Flake unscented). A previous reviewer mentioned it was the "heroin of pipe tobacco", and I concur - once you've had it and found you enjoy it, you'll want more and more.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2005-06-17		Overwhelming	None Detected	Very Full	Tolerable to Strong

This tobacco consists of small dark brown coins of sliced rope. The pouch aroma smells like strong tobacco is all I can think. Mine seemed slightly dry, but it seems deceptive since this is a pressed product. It is quite easy to rub this out into long strands, so it is much simpler to prepare than many of the rope products from which it is derived.

It lights up easily burns well. It is very easy to get tongue and gum bite with this so approach smoking it like any bitey Virginia. The flavor is mainly bass notes, roasty, dark, bitter, strong tobacco. I can detect little in the way of citrus or sugary flavors. There is a lot of nicotine present, and niccups can easily strike if you smoke this too rapidly.

For what it is, a very strong natural tobacco, it is the best that I have tried so far. I like it immensely and will probably keep some of this one around just for the occasional raw punch in the gut of pure tobacco flavor that it is. If a strong latakia can be likened to an espresso, then this is like a shot of straight whiskey.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2004-01-25		Overwhelming	Mild	Extra Full	Tolerable to Strong

This is by far the strongest tobacco I have ever tried. This review is based upon fewer smoking experiences than I usually reserve, both due to my desire to get my thoughts down about it, and the infrequency with which I plan to smoke it. It is an interesting and unique smoke. It is challenging, and much stronger than I typically go it for.

The first bowl of this that I tried had to be put down part way through, in order to prevent the room from escaping stability on a rampaging carousel. The second time, I smoked this is a very small lattice meer prince, group 1 in size.

Appearance: The tobacco comes in small cut discs, about the size of a dime. These are a medium brown in color, with darker centers and light stems. Received almost bone dry and crumbly, I rehydrated this tobacco by lightly crumbling it, holding it in the palm of my closed hand, and blowing through my hand. This gave enough pliability to adequately pack the small group 1 bowl.

Initial light gives a quick floral scent and an insight into the very deep and rich flavor of this tobacco.

This is a tobacco that must be carefully sipped, both to avoid the nicotine punch that it can deliver quickly, as well as protect from bite. Even when not biting, this tobacco can roughen the palate quickly. Even in the small group 1 bowl, usually a 10-15 minute smoke, this blend took a solid 35 minutes. The side stream smoke is very cigar-like in quality. There is ample opportunity to notice this, as the tobacco burns very slowly, creating a long lasting bowl from event he smallest tobacco chambers. Ashy flavors are common from the high tar presence.

The aftertaste from this tobacco is lingering and sweet.

Whether due to poor packing of the dry tobacco, slow smoke, or small conical bowl, I found this to require a greater number of relights than usual.

Flavor 85/100 and very full. Smoking characteristics 50/100 with negative marks for relights ashy characteristics and impact on the mouth. Overall: 75/100 influenced positively by superb flavor and unique qualities.

January 2004

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2003-04-20		Extremely Strong	None Detected	Overwhelming	Tolerable

Another great smoke, from the House of Kendal l!!

A smooth and very very pleasent smoke of pure african virginias, a delightfull touch of heavenly tobacco.

A very special tobacco for special occasions, not an everyday smoke, unless you can stand a nicotine content enough to knock you out for a while...

Together with Black Irish Twist, two special treats, two smokes that can carry you to another dimension... say, the twilight zone !!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2002-12-16		Overwhelming	None Detected	Extra Full	Extra Strong

This is the sliced form of GH Brown Twist. The strongest tobacco I have ever tried. I don't like this style of tobak, which seems more like stuff you would try once on a dare. Nonetheless, I have had some success mixing a TINY portion of this in with a weak-flavored, good-smelling aromatic for a "crowd pleaser" with a bit of taste.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	GeorgeB (8)	2019-10-15		Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

Well I did what I normally say not to do, I experimented. I ordered Brown and Black twist Aromatic. Only because I was looking for a replacement for EA Carey’s sliced black twist. I actually ordered Aromatic by mistake and pleased I did. Great taste. Perfect tobacco. I ordered Gawith and Hoggarth snuff as well, and that was the best snuff ever. Best SP and Camphor & menthol.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: This year fresh

Purchased From: Mysmokingshop.com

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