I was wondering whether anyone has any suggestions for toasts for me to try. I am a huge devotee of Wilson’s Irish High Toast #22. I have tried Gawith’s Irish D Light but am a bit meh about it. Never tried F&T HDT as I assumed it was identical to Wilson’s 22 - am I wrong?
Dholakia Sparrow is a kind of toast I guess. I’ve never tried anything besides this one. Can anyone confirm if Sparrow is near to a toast? Very earthy. Fine. Dry. Good nic.
Both Toque Whiks(e)y and Honeys are good and quit different from one another. Toast & Marmalade and Lime Toast are outstanding. HDT is very good, but not my favorite. That distinction goes to UK Whisky & Honey.
@newbiesnuffer Sparrow isn’t a toast but if you like toasts it’s certainly a very close relative of the toast. The scent is more natural and not so toasted. It’s a pretty incredible snuff either way.
Irish #22 get a vote from me. Lime Toast is great as well if you need something a little different. If you need a good nic hit, Sir Walter Scott St James is simply a toasted perique. It
For scent and snuffability, I would say SWS Lundy Foot. It seems quite gentle on the nose for a toast. The grind is not quite as fine as some other toasts, so it has less of a tendency to race toward the lungs.
F&T HDT all the way for me, it’s my all day every day staple. That said I do enjoy other toasts. I tried my first tin of Toques Almond Toast recently and it’s VERY good, better than their Lime Toast to me. I gave up buying #22 or Irish D because, while they’re similar to HDT, they’re just not as good Toques Natural Toast is very good also, as above though I just prefer HDT. I need to try a couple of the SWS’s one of these days. I’ve only ever had the Field of Junipers, which is a work of art.
I’ve not branched too far out in the toast department, but what I’ve found so far is that each has its own place. HDT is very delicate and subtle with a bit of leather… but can sometimes be a bit too subtle, and I have to focus in order to detect the fragrance at all. Easily the “classiest” of those I’ve tried, particularly in the grind.
Irish No. 22 comes full force with less complexity and feels more obviously food-like: pastries, breads, graham crackers. I like to use this one to unwind and treat myself, lol.
SG Irish D (not D Lite) is perhaps even stronger and simpler in scent than the No. 22, to my nose. But the scent itself is very clean, creamy, and light – for some reason it makes me think of sweet wood shavings. This one is my general purpose toast, and I never seem to get tired of it.
I second @IgotWood that SWS St. James Parish Blend might qualify as a toast. It’s not described as such, but I do get a lot of the same toasty feeling from it, even if it’s not actually toasted. Dry, fine, smoky and strong - highly recommended! Initially both St. James PB and Lundy seemed to me quite similar to the current SG Irish D, but soon I distinguished their own characters. The sour notes of St. James PB reminds me of the discontinued GH Irish D, the sourest of all toasts. To my nose St. James is earthy and Lundy - nutty/leathery, both bearing subtle ferral, somewhat animalistic undertones. Just like with any other toast, I would recommend the boxcar intake for full flavour experience.
I haven’t had a bad toast. They’re all worth trying. I have favorites but they’re all different enough to be worth trying. I’ve never thrown a toast out or had to trade one.