PIPE TOBACCO

How we produce our mixtures and flakes & plugs

Ribbon Cut & Shag

The majority of leaf used in Gawith tobacco blends comes from India and Brazil.

To produce ribbon cut or shag tobaccos, the dried leaf is first 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.

​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 flavored, the scents are added in the cooling cylinder. The tobacco must then sit and rest of 24 hours, before being packed by hand.

For a more detailed look at how we make our mixtures please see here. 

Plugs & Flake

For Gawith Hoggarth flake and plugs, the 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 either left as large pieces to sell as plug or 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 Gawith's for many years. However, we feel this is what gives our Flakes their superior quality and unique tastes. You can see more about the traditional equipment we use and the processes here. 

Samuel Gawith Plugs and Flake are made following the same process as Gawith Hoggarth 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.

You can read more about how flakes are made here.