Samuel Gawith Grousemoor Plug Pipe Tobacco (Loose)

• Loose Packaged to order
• Pressed Plug Blocks
• Pipe Tobacco

Grousemoor Plug The Samuel Gawith Grousemoor Plug takes Virginia tobacco, presses it firmly into a dense block and gives it the distinctive sweet, floral and citrus character associated with the blend. It's very much from the traditional Lakeland school of tobacco making – a style that owes considerably more to an old Kendal tobacco works than to the modern vanilla-and-caramel idea of an aromatic.

The plug form also makes the Virginia itself particularly noticeable. Beneath the scent you'll find natural grassy sweetness, citrus tang, earth and darker fruit, while the characteristic floral flavour gradually settles as the bowl progresses. Preparation is part of the pleasure. Cut a couple of thin slices with a sharp knife, rub them out to the texture you fancy and give the tobacco a little drying time if necessary. Grousemoor Plug can arrive decidedly moist, and a little patience generally rewards you with a slower, steadier smoke.

Samuel Gawith's roots in Kendal stretch back to 1792, and tobacco like this makes considerably more sense when viewed in that context. Grousemoor belongs to an older British tradition of scented tobaccos, when floral essences, herbs and citrus flavours were familiar companions to good Virginia leaf. It's distinctive stuff and makes absolutely no apology for it.

Mind you, after more than two centuries making tobacco in Kendal, Samuel Gawith has probably earned the right to ignore suggestions from the rest of us.