Samuel Gawith Pure Black Cavendish

Pure Black Cavendish is the Kendal-based Samuel Gawith house's unflavored cavendish product. The leaf is pressed into a thick cake, heated with steam, and left to ferment; this process caramelizes the sugars, darkening the leaf and giving a natural sweetness. While most cavendishes on the market are flavored afterward, this product contains no casing, so the sweetness comes from the tobacco itself. Its nicotine is low, the smoke cool; smoked alone it offers a plain, straightforward profile. Its main use is as a blending component: it is added in measured proportions to reduce the fullness of an overly harsh mixture and add mildness and volume to the body.