Traditional Tobacco Pt 1 Black XXX (Umami)

Pipes on the ships of old were nothing new. Tobacco and rum made their appearance in short order with tobacco inherited from American Indians and rum from the Caribbean. Smoking aboard ship was allowed by limited to a safe area and at safe times, ergo the "smoking lamp". Where? Usually near the Galley, as it is here. A huge thanks to the amazing da'rum - a man of high ideals and many talents. This is just one of them.
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da'rum
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Traditional Tobacco Pt 1 Black XXX (Umami)

Post by da'rum »

Traditional and historical tobacco forms that I'm talking about today are Twists and plugs. When I first started smoking pipe tobacco I read about traditional forms of production, these production methods and resulting forms of tobacco piqued my curiosity. Unfortunately here in Germany plugs and twists are rare to non existent and I was only able to pick up a couple of brands of plug. Those that I could get here were great quality but I still sought the authentic twists.

Gawith and Hoggarth as well as Samuel Gawith are both companies that make authentic old school tobaccos. I recently bought a handful of different types from Gawith and Hoggarth.

The first one I want to talk about is Black Irish XXX

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A thick twist that is intimidating to behold and a fabulous experience to smoke. The natural reaction to this twist is 'Whoah! That's gonna be strong!' and it is, but deceptively not as strong as the Brown Twist which is lighter in colour. I'll let the product descriptions fill you in..

“The steamed, Black Kendal twists look dark, rich and above all strong. While this is mainly true compared to many other pipes tobaccos, it not when it comes to twist. What start off as the all so powerful Brown Twist, the Black twist on the other hand is pressed and steamed. This not only darkens the tobaccos, it also reduces the nicotine and removes some of the spicier side of the blend. We do have to say, even though this is lighter than Brown Twist, it is still a strong tobacco in the grand scheme of things. Thanks to the small addition of fire cured leaf, this tobacco has a complex array of flavours; Smoky, Spicy, Woody, Earthy, Leathery and all the while very smooth and cool to smoke”
Glynn Quelch GQ Tobaccos

Or from Gawith and Hoggarth themselves
"All our twist tobacco varieties are manufactured by the same spinning process using dark fired wrapper leaves. The filler is again, predominantly dark fired leaf with the addition of a small percentage of dark air cured Indian leaf. They are therefore strong tobaccos. Black Twist, because the cooking process removes some of the stronger tar and nicotine elements, provides a milder smoke than the brown twist." - Gawith Hoggarth


So, not as strong as Brown twist but still a powerhouse of nicotine. In that regard this tobacco needs to be approached carefully and with a full stomach or suffer the consequences.

Now to the taste, savory. This is nothing like anything I've ever smoked, a lot has been said on http://www.tobaccoreviews.com/ and in the reviews burnt meat is often mentioned http://www.tobaccoreviews.com/blend/918 ... -irish-xxx . This is a love or hate tobacco and I think that is because of people wanting sweeter easier tastes rather than unique and challenging tastes that take their palates outside the comfort zone.

When I first light up my cautiously packed half bowl of this I was immediately struck by the truth of the BBQ descriptions but it was by no means unpleasant. A beautiful and uncompromising array of savory flavours roll over the palate. I couldn't help but agree with one TR reviewer that this is stimulating the Umami receptors. There is nothing in this tobacco except Virginias, no flavouring, nothing. So I am lead to believe that this is a Umami phenomenon. Another hint is that any beverage that you choose to accompany this tobacco tastes a little better, from Tea to Bourbon and it is said of Umami eliciting products that it is akin to MSG therefore a flavour enhancer. Although this Tobacco is not very complex it is complex enough to keep you engaged through the whole smoke, differing aromas of sweet virginia and savory bbq ebb and flow. The nasal exhale is spicy and sweet. A thoroughly enjoyable smoke that conjures images of miners and sailors of yesteryear.

This is a mans smoke make no bones about it, if you feel the nicotine creep then stop smoking straight away otherwise you'll pay. I did notice that I became accustomed to the strength in about two bowls and could steadily pack larger portions.

Preparation is time consuming because this comes to you wet. So wet that when you squeeze the twist together tobacco juice is visible. That, for me, is fine as I take my time with pipe smoking anyway and am never or seldom in a rush to have a pipe.

Lastly I'll add that this is also a great tobacco to add to a sweet aro or dull virginia as it will give it a backbone that these things often lack.

Give it a try.

Next up Pigtail Twists

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Capn Jimbo
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Post by Capn Jimbo »

So nice to see da'rum again, and the wait was worth it!


A tour de force about a rare tobacco prepared in classic historical fashion. I can imagine sailors and travellers with a treasured leather pouch of this. They say a good cigar smells like barnyard dropping; well this one looks like what gets captured in plastic bags at dog parks, lol.

Am I intrigued? Absolutely. Great, great post - terrific pics, descriptions, history, reviews, the whole magilla. Thanks to the d-man, much missed...
da'rum
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Post by da'rum »

The good news is that these Tobaccos are available in the USA.

http://m.smokingpipes.com/tobacco/by-ma ... /index.cfm

http://www.4noggins.com/gawith-hoggarth ... twist.aspx

Give it a go...... I double dare ya
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Capn Jimbo
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Post by Capn Jimbo »

I will...


Here Fido.....
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Dai
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Post by Dai »

Sounds interesting may have to dip my toe in the water one day.
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