Rope/Twist Tobacco

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 format.

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 Gawith's for 20 or more years, training up new generations of Twist spinners.