Mixtures – Ribbon Tobacco
The majority of leaf used in Gawith tobacco blends comes from India and Brazil.
First the dried leaf is conditioned through a steaming process and then left to rest overnight. Different amounts of leaf varieties are blended together depending on the particular tobacco blend being produced.
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The next step is to cut the leaf to either become pipe tobacco or hand-rolling tobacco. The ribbon tobacco is then roasted in a hot steam cylinder over gas burners and then cooled. If the tobacco is to be flavoured, the scents are added in the cooling cylinder. The tobacco must then sit and rest of 24 hours, before being packed by hand.
Gawith Hoggarth Flake Production
Leaf is steamed and blended and any scent is carefully added by hand at this stage, mixed according to the same very old recipes we have been using for centuries. The tobacco leaf is then left overnight to rest. The next day it is placed into the former, which is one of the original pieces of machinery to come from the old factory. Two 3kg cakes are placed in the former at any one time, with metal plates between each. Manual pressure is then applied by cranking the metal wheel on top down as far as possible.
Once cakes are formed are they then held under pressure in traditional very old presses overnight.
The next day the cakes are cooked under pressure and then allowed to cool over night in the presses.
The cakes are then cut to size and then sliced into thin flakes using very old guillotine type cutters, before being carefully packed by hand.
The whole process is very time consuming and manual and is limited by the traditional machinery that has been used by Gawiths for many years. However, we feel this is what gives our Flakes their superior quality and unique tastes.
Samuel Gawith Plugs & Flakes
Our Samuel Gawith Plugs and Flakes are made following the same process as Gawith Hoggarth flakes (and plugs) but any topping is added after the cake has been formed, towards the end of the production. Again the process is all done by hand, using very old machinery and the leaf and cakes must rest overnight between each stage. In order to produce the unique flakes that Samuel Gawith is known for, the process cannot be rushed.
American Blends & Exclusive Range
The American Blend range was developed after John Gawith, father of Chris and Rachel, visited another tobacco manufacturer and saw the range of sweeter, more heavily scented tobaccos they offered. On returning to England, he disappeared down into the cellar of the old factory at Lowther Street and proceeded to mix different scents and blend different flavours.
Initially a few small batches were made and sent out to the sales team to trial with customers. These distinctive flavours were an instant hit and popular even with non-smokers for the fragrant room note they leave behind. The American Blend Cherry Vanilla became a customer favourite and was John Gawith’s go to blend for his pipe. This blend still evokes memories of their Dad for Chris and Rachel and reminds them of him sitting in his armchair in the corner of the room, quietly smoking his pipe each evening after dinner.
The American range of tobaccos tend to hold a lot more moisture than traditional English blends so they are a slower smoke.
Over the years we have introduced more flavours to the range so that there are now 11 flavours in the American Blend range and 4 in the Exclusiv range.
The mixing of the scents to put on these blends is an art in itself, with some flavours having 3 or 4 different scents carefully measured and mixed together. The staff carefully making these blends have been doing so for over 25 years.
Kendal Twists
Gawith Hoggarth & Co have been producing Twist tobacco since the 1800’s. Twist was once one of the most common forms of tobacco and consumers would cut off as much tobacco as they needed to either smoke in their pipe or chew.
The Twist is formed by spinning the tobacco leaves into a rope and in the past, the ropes would then be soaked in alcohol, often rum, to keep the tobacco moist during transit across the oceans. Twist tobacco was often chewed during these journeys as smoking on a wooden ship was not a sensible idea.
In the UK, Twist was particularly popular amongst miners. Unable to smoke down the mines, due to obvious fire risks, miners would instead chew 'twist' tobacco. Chewing tobacco also prevented the miners mouths from drying out from breathing in the dusty air of the mine. From the 1950’s hundreds of collieries were closed across the UK and few remain today.
Twist has once again gained popularity as a strong pipe tobacco.
The tobacco leaf used in Twist is specially selected, each leaf opened and shaped. The leaf is then spun with filler leaf inside and an outer wrapper leaf, using a spinning machine which guides it onto a large wheel. Once complete, the wheel is removed and rolled around a cord to form smaller reels. These are either plain or scented or oiled to be pressed or cooked.
Gawith Hoggarth & Co still use the same Twist spinning machines that were used at the old Lowther Street factory. These machines are around 150 years old. The processes used today are the same traditional spinning techniques used for hundreds of years and the skills have been passed down through staff members that have worked for Gawiths for 20 or more years, training up new generations of Twist spinners.