Gawith's Best Brown Flake Pipe Tobacco Reviews

This comes in long, wide slices, dark in colour with light speckles. It doesn't break up easily at all; it tends to crumble rather than flake apart. Lighting up is a slow process, perhaps I don't crumble it finely enough. My very first impression is that this is hot and not all that flavourful. I persevere. A mellow, earthy, almost burley-like taste is what I am receiving, with a pale sweetness blended in.

 

I make a point of puffing as gently as possible. It's still a little hot, but I'm noticing it less now. The flavour seems infinitesimally richer with each small puff. Better yet, I'm picking up a little of its subtle, unique aroma, which reminds me of fresh whole-wheat toast with honey on it.

 

I suddenly realize that the musty aroma has more sweetness than what I am actually tasting and that the heat of the smoke has just transformed into a slightly spicy seasoning. Out of the blue, the smoke has developed a nice body to it and I can tell that it's still slowly increasinging its flavour density. I'm feeling nicely relaxed too... this is proving to be medium-strength, though I was expecting less.

 

This reminds me of a strong brew of orange pekoe tea (without cream or sugar)... somehow rich, yet always a bit watery and light at the same time - never as full-bodied as a cup of coffee. It even leaves a dryness on the palate that mimics the effect of several cups of black tea.

 

The flavour doesn't evolve much in the lower half of the bowl, but the occasional puff is now suggesting more sweetness than ever. Also, the sidestream smoke, when I catch a whiff of it, seems far stronger than it was earlier. I haven't had a tobacco quite like this one before, where the earthiness is so pronounced (and one-dimensional, really) and yet so delicate at the same time.

 

The puffs at the bottom of the bowl are quite tasty and its finish leaves me feeling that I just smoked a big, rich tobacco. Puffing on the pipe is still sweet even after all the tobacco has burned. The room aroma is nice and sweet in an earthy, leafy way, like autumn foliage. I'd never call this an exciting smoke, but it sure is an interesting and contemplative one.

 

It took several bowls of this before I really started to appreciate it at all. Burns with no moisture build-up whatsoever.