Hearth & Home Chestnut

(3.45)
Chestnut -- part of Hearth & Home's lively and popular Mid-Town Series -- is made of mellow burleys, sweet Virginias, silky Maryland, robust Kentucky, exotic Turkish and smoky latakias, a traditional American English blend. Though mild in flavor, Chestnut is nonetheless delightfully complex. Like all of the Mid-Town Series blends, Chestnut uses fine quality (costly) tobaccos, yet is modest in price.
Notes: Chestnut is a match for the venerable, but now discontinued Middleton Walnut blend.

Details

Brand Hearth & Home
Series Mid-Town Series
Blended By Russ Ouellette
Manufactured By Sutliff Tobacco Company
Blend Type American
Contents Burley, Kentucky, Latakia, Maryland, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia
Flavoring Other / Misc
Cut Ribbon
Packaging 14 oz. tub
Country United States
Production Currently available

Profile

Strength
Mild to Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Mild to Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming

Average Rating

3.45 / 4
13

7

1

1

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 22 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 05, 2015 Mild to Medium Extremely Mild Mild to Medium Very Pleasant
As many smokers know, Chestnut is a Match for the discontinued Walnut, and both are comprised of seven different varieties of varietals. In it, I get a light taste of woody, earthy, nutty sweet Kentucky with some grassy, tart and tangy citrusy Virginia (it forms the base of the blend is a support role), some nuts, earth, wood and molasses from the burley (which takes a very small lead), a touch of honey and citrus from the Virginia cavendish, and slight dry, woody, earthy, floral, vegetative, spice notes from the Oriental/Turkish. The Cyprian Latakia is a minor addition, but offers a very mild smoky, woody, earthy, leathery, sweet push to the other components. I know Maryland is in here, but I can’t taste it. The topping (rum?) is mildly sweet. Overall, it has nice subtlety, nuanced complexity of tobaccos that meld well together. The strength is just shy of the center of mild to medium, while the taste is a step past that center. The nic-hit is a slot past the mild mark. No chance of bite or harshness. Burns clean, cool and dry at a moderate pace with a very consistent flavor. Barely leaves any dampness in the bowl, and requires few relights. Has a lightly short lived, pleasant after taste and room note. It's an all day smoke.

What’s the difference between Chestnut and the original? The original sometimes has a slight chemical note from the topping that Chestnut does not, and it could get a slight bitter hit near the end, which Chestnut does not do. The original is a shade sweeter, and a tiny bit nuttier, while Chestnut has just a smidgen more Latakia. Otherwise, I can’t tell the difference. My description of Chestnut mirrors anything I would say about Walnut, except the noted differences. And if I hadn't spent all that time comparing the two blends (14 bowls each, often back to back), I doubt I'd have noticed any differences, which are very minor at best. I rated Chestnut at four stars, even though I rated Walnut at three, for how close it is to the original, and for being a little better smoke.

-JimInks
56 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Apr 13, 2015 Mild to Medium Very Mild Mild to Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
I got a 2 oz sample from P&C and have been smoking it in a variety of briars. I have never smoked Walnut, so I am basing the review only on my experience with the match.

This has been a great smoke. I get a burley-forward VaBur with some Kentucky for muscle. The burley is nutty and a "heavier" sweet. The Virginias are there and grassy but a little subdued. The orientals and latakia are a very light touch and add just a whiff of smokey and spice. What very little topping there is seems to add to a sweet. I am not getting honey and there may be a little fruit, but it is very mild.

I can imagine Walnut was very popular back in the day, and I regret never trying it when it was in production. This is a solid 3 on the scale. If I end up buying it by the tub, I will bump it up to a 3.5. This is very good and worth trying.
19 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Apr 08, 2015 Mild to Medium Mild Mild to Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
Have not had the original Walnut. This is a fine blend with many nuances of flavor. Every tobacco used is readily tasted with one exception and that would be the Maryland. This got me curious and after some searching I found the answer from Russ himself. At P&C you can find a page titled Ouellette's Tobacco Types/Descriptions and under Maryland you can find this description; "Maryland- Another rather neutral tobacco used in a number of American blends, it is extremely mild, which explains its broad use in cigarette tobacco. It is very useful in Burley blends when one wishes to reduce the sometimes heavy nuttiness." That explains why I haven't been able to detect it in two different Walnut match blends.

This blend is very tasty and I highly recommend it. Mild to medium in body and flavor. Burns perfectly and is very smooth. The very definition of an all day blend.
Pipe Used: MM Country Gentleman, MM Diplomat Apple
PurchasedFrom: pipesandcigars.com
Age When Smoked: fresh
18 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 15, 2016 Mild to Medium Extremely Mild Mild to Medium Pleasant
Another sample from an internet friend. Nice to have friends! I haven't smoked Walnut in awhile but for some reason this strikes me as overall darker in color. Nice little wisp of latakia on the bag aroma. Seems like more latakia than the original.

The original Walnut captured my heart for a short while and then turned on me and became bitter. Whether that was me or the tobacco, I don't know. This one smoked very nicely, with the latakia being soft and in the background but still a bit of a driver. Burley was the main player with the rest of the components mildly noticeable but very submissive. What I enjoyed about this one is the depth of flavor, something the original did not possess for me. I would not call this complex (and that wouldn't be the point anyway) but it did subtly ask for my attention while I was smoking. The flavors were mellow but leaning towards rich, particularly in the finish. No cigarette notes or wimpy finish as I found in the original. And this stayed tasty all the way down the bowl instead of growing bitter. I won't smoke this a lot but I may pick up a tub just for certain occasions. If any Walnut smoker bemoans the absence of his favorite blend, I urge them to try this. Russ really seems to understand how to make a match blend.
13 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Apr 01, 2017 Medium None Detected Medium to Full Pleasant
What a super interesting blend. The open aroma is a bit smoky from the Latakia. It reminds you of many English blends out there. The multiple mixture is a real taste cornucopia of flavors. Lights fine and burns pretty cool. I get sweet hay, a bit sour, nutty and a little smoky that come and go all through the smoke. The nutty flavor is most predominant but the sweet, sour and smoky never go away. This is for sure an all day smoke that frankly should satisfy almost any pipe smoker. The room aroma is pretty mild and pleasant. This is certainly a five star smoke!
Pipe Used: Boswell freehand
Age When Smoked: Fresh
8 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 11, 2015 Mild to Medium Mild Mild Very Pleasant
I usually smoke Burley or Light English mixtures. Chestnut was a very rewarding departure from the run of the mill English types. Slightly sweet (Virginias very noticeable) and smoky with a faint floral note. Surprisingly mild for a blend that contains all those exotic tobaccos. Good body and very pleasant room note that isn't overwhelming. The Kentucky, Turkish and Maryland keep things in check. The Latakia is definitely there but has a nice interplay with the Virginias so it doesn't overpower. Highly recommended. Nice to see P&C bringing back these old time favorites. Did I mention the price? It's very affordable. Tin notes mention Chestnut as an all day smoke, but you might prefer with morning paper and coffee, after dinner or during a leisurely walk.
Pipe Used: Corncob and Briar
8 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 08, 2015 Medium to Strong Medium Medium Tolerable
Chestnut is a smooth blend match for Middleton Walnut. Great flavor, the Latakia does not take over the American blend. The smoke is stout, but not to the extent of a full Latakia blend, and it has a good flavor/scent through the nose. This could easily be an all day blend for a piper looking for something with some body.
7 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 01, 2017 Very Mild Extremely Mild Mild Tolerable
Honeysuckle like sweetness, the burley is the main attraction. I assume it is tamed by the Maryland as the varietals harsher attributes are not there. The oriental and Virginia play off the Kentucky and Latakia in a back and forth manner that keeps the blend interesting. It does create a sort of floral quality at times like elderflower or lilac, but quickly moves to honeyed nutty burley and Virginia, almost bready with smokiness evident. This sort of happens in waves with the sweetness. It's a very easy blend to recommend, all day smoking or in my case early morning. Burley, Latakia, orientals, Kentucky, virginia, Maryland... in order of prominence.
Pipe Used: MM country gent
5 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 17, 2016 Mild Mild to Medium Mild to Medium Very Pleasant
When Chesnut was first released I smoked through a 2 ounce sample very quickly. A few months went by and I noticed that I kept thinking of this blend. The itch got great enough and I decided to grab the full tub. This is the quintessential all day blend. It is a mild American style English blend with a complex, rich flavor profile. The Burley is smooth and nutty, the Virginia is bright and sweet, the Latakia adds a subtle but always present smoky/wood component, and the Turkish leaf adds a spice note. The Kentucky is here to add some body and the Maryland helps round out the blend. The topping is a great addition. I can't identify exactly what it is but its mildly sweet and occasionally tart. The room note is very pleasant.
Pipe Used: Briars, Meerschaums, Cobs
5 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jun 26, 2015 Mild to Medium None Detected Mild to Medium Tolerable
From the moment I learned of this tobacco, and the Mid-Town Series, I was intrigued. Being a great consumer of other light latakia blends from H&H, such as Daybreak, Sunjammer and American Heritage, it was incumbent on me to try Chestnut.

While, it wasn't love at first sip, the stuff has grown on me in a big way. The Burley persuasion is still novel to me for the first part. I took the chance right off on a 14 oz. tub, and initially thought I'd been brash... Did I tell you that the price was right on this, particularly when I purchased it?

While the latakia is there, I can't really call this a latakia blend- not for those who dearly love it and are hoping for that experience. Such folks might do with a sample first, but if that's what they're wanting in full, they'd do best to stay away in the first place. There, I've said it. The latakia is an accent, but not the meal. I think this burns a little quicker than most things I smoke, so a larger bowl is sometimes in order. That might well be due to the high presence of burley.

That said, imbibers-to-be are in for a wholesome smoke that works well in the summer. A grassiness prevails, along with nuts and/or woodiness. I'm not super aware of the Kentucky, but the Turkish is playing its part along with the Virginia, which is where the sweetness come in. This stuff is mellow and finishes well. I find that a cob seems to show it off to its best effect, although different pipes do seem to bring out different elements in it.

If this was going to be a cigar, it'd come in the neglected wrapper of yore- the candela. I do wish I'd been able to try the original Walnut, but for all we know, this might be better.

Pipe Used: MM Morgan and many others
PurchasedFrom: Pipes & Cigars
Age When Smoked: new
5 people found this review helpful.
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