John Middleton, Inc - Carter Hall pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
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zulujerk	08/04/2011	Mild to Medium	None detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable
I have been gradually easing myself into exploring some of the Burleys out there, having initially avoided them after some early bad experiences with Prince Albert and Half & Half. Carter Hall affords a great deal of respect both here and on the various tobacco forums, so at the local drug store I figured, "Why not?", and picked out a pouch, including another helping of Prince Albert, to see if my tastes had changed. The smell emanating from the pouch was delicious, like fresh chocolate, warm and sweet. The cut is rough, not exactly a ribbon, nor anything else I might describe, though it has an almost pellet like look. I puffed away my first time around fully expecting to be grossed out. I wasn't. That familiar "nutty" description blasted my receptors. Not bad! People criticize these drug store blends for the inclusion of chemicals that allow the tobacco to keep, and those that aid in controlling burn. I must say, I can't recall a tobacco firing this quick--it lit with barely a flame and immediately took off. To that end, I sense somewhat of a metallic, synthetic taste that I don't detect with some of the higher quality Burleys like Solani's Aged Burley Flake, my standard for the leaf. I must be honest here and divulge that my long standing and early negative impressions of Half & Half and Prince Albert have bred a seeming distaste for the average Codger Burley that encompasses more than a fair share of fans. Consistent with that opinion, subsequent smokes of Carter Hall proved less appealing, as that nutty flavor fell deeper into the background and that metallic note grew increasingly evident. I haven't given up on the blend yet, however, though I admit that it will be difficult to finish this pouch. At this point I'm not certain whether tastes change or even where I stand with these drug store Burleys. I can tell you with absolute certainty that my reunion with Prince Albert didn't go well. I'm going to throw that bastard out of my house.
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Ozark Nick	08/03/2011	Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant
I just plain love this tobacco. I've tried many other much fancier (read: expensive) baccys but this is what I come back to. It packs easy, it lights easy, it stays lit. I've never yet been bitten by it. It has a simple, pleasing taste and aroma. I've spent a lot of time trying to nail down exactly what the taste is, but I can't figure it out. So now I don't worry about it and just enjoy! Living in the boondocks I can get this locally for about $3 a pouch. Combine with a good corn cob and I don't think it gets any better. But I have to admit my tastes have always tended towards the simpler things!
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DrT999	07/21/2011	Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant
While somewhat fast burning, and therefore leaning toward hot, it is otherwise a nice, mild, basic tobacco. It lit easily and stayed lit, and left just a trace of gunk at the bottom. Good for beginners looking at non-aro tobacco, and nice for a mild all-day smoke or for breaking in a new pipe, but nothing special about it for me. Worth keeping around, that's for sure.
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Capt	07/19/2011	Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable
What can I say that is great about this blend that others haven't? A smooth smoking, wonderful burley/fig flavor. Never hints at biting. A great burley flavor down to the bottom of the bowl. Great for both indoor and outdoor enjoyment. This has always been my go to blend for breaking in pipes. Forms a great cake in rapid time. Pairs well with just about any beverage, even root beer.
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Majike44	07/13/2011	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
This is the first pipe tobacco I tried. On the transition from Rocky Patels to this simple blend I noticed, I can easily say this is a magnificent smoke. A simple, pleasant taste, and not too odiriferous to the room make this blend a wise investment to the frugile smoker. There may be better blends out there, but this is extremely convenient and worth the price!
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James	07/07/2011	Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Unnoticeable
Well, here's my first review, after returning to the pipe about a year ago. I chose this to start off with due to the favorable reviews I found here. With 200 + 3 star reviews, there is little I can add. I have smoked it continuously for the past 12 months and have found it to be predictably pleasant in taste. It always lights easily and needs few relights, and is very easy on the tongue. I don't know about the room note as I always smoke outdoors; I rarely get a comment on it, pro or con. It can get bitter at the bottom of the bowl, but that's just burley. I am not experienced enough to detect the Virginia, but I suspect it is very light in content. If you like burley and /or are a beginner, this is a "must try" blend. Also makes a good 50/50 mix with Smoker's Pride Black Cavendish. (Side note to "Pokey Nipple", below : Obama went to Harvard, and we are likewise all very impressed.)
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PastorPipe	06/08/2011	Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
Many of the best things in life don't cost a lot of money; Carter Hall is one of them. I bought the 1.5 oz "luxury pouch." Upon opening the pouch I get the beautiful aroma of a Cadbury Fruit and Nut Bar--chocolate with raisins and hazelnuts. The tobacco burned evenly and consistently and required no relighting until about the last quarter of the bowl where it was a little 'wet.' However, I think a little drying would cure this. I got just the slightest bit of gurgle. The flavor is mild and sweet, but not too sweet. I sipped it slowly and gently and there is was no tongue bite. About half-way down it got a little stronger, but not harsh. To smoke the last quarter of the bowl, I tapped the ash out and then re-lit, and it was very nice. This is just a straight forward "old timey" pipe tobacco that's really nostalgic and nice. I'm now a CH fan.
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mel51us	05/19/2011	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
Carter Hall has been around for many years. I remember my Grandfather smoking it in his cobs. I don't smoke burleys very often, but this is growing on me. A little moist straight from the pouch, but an hour of exposure renders it very delicious. The flavor makes me wonter what they added to the Burley. It is a wonderful smoke, especially when fishing. Carter Hall is one of those "Drug Store" blends that doesn't leave others scrambling for the doors. Even non-smokers usually comment on the room note, remembering being around some who smoked this and enjoying the smell. As a Latakia lover, I almost passed on the opportunity to try this. I am surely glad I didn't.
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ivycap	05/08/2011	Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable
A straight forward burley tobacco. Mild, sweet, and nutty. I'd say just a notch below price Albert in quality as far as taste goes. As far as the roomnote goes, your non-smoking friends will not be pleased. Who cares, right?
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Davie Jones	04/29/2011	Mild	Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant
This tobacco came by as a total, complete and unexpected surprise. I was in a "I don't want to pay a lot of money for my tobacco" kind of mood and ordered a tub of CH. I smoke Samuel Gawith, C & D, Erinmore, MacBaren, Dunhill, Peterson, Rattray's, Escudo, etc. etc. so I know about high quality leaves. But I must say I have been extremely impressed with this delicious, no nonsense kind of burley/VA mixture. The tub aroma was delicious and, as with Prince Albert, seems to be a topping more than a casing. Once approprietaly dried, this proves a very pleasurable smoking experience if you smopke it slowly and don't push it - otherwise, It will have tendency to bite. Non complex and subtle taste consisting of nuts, something close to bourboun, vanilla and of course, tobacco. Behaves very well, stays lit, is less bitter than PA towards the end and does not disappoint. Highly recommended!
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chetking	04/20/2011	Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant
Previous reviewer Pokey Nipple has the correct drop on this long standing, U.S. American burley and Virginia standard. For the price and consumate mild flavour you'd be hard-pressed to find a rival. Not as riveting or memorable as those other time-tested Plebian staples - Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic, Prince Albert or Half and Half - but this is very close. Notwithstanding the pyrotechnics from the proponderance of elitists or "would bees" reviewing on this website, straightaway CH is a just a solid, enjoyable and thankfully affordable pipe smoking encounter. Happy hunting!
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Pokey Nipple	04/18/2011	Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
This is excellent stuff and I'm glad it has been reviewed well here. I've only been a member here a week or so and already I'm tired of the tired phrase "drugstore tobacco." What this is, is a classic. It has a fruity, figgy thing going on--subtle, mind you. Tasty stuff. Perfect as an all-day. Go easy on it, but if you're a pipe smoker you know that already about every bowl no matter what's in it. Or at least you should. Many, of course, are reluctant to like it as much as they do because it is a "drugstore blend," and that's ok. We're human and judge much by reputation. You can get just as good an education at the University of Minnesota as you can at Yale, but no one will ever admit it, especially those who went to Yale. George W. Bush went to Yale and we're all very impressed.
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Eonwe	03/15/2011	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
This blend was a pleasant surprise. Opening the pouch, I smelled what reminded me of H&H, and so I assumed that it would smoke like H&H. It did not. This appears to be fairly straight tobacco here, with a floral tatse that reminds me of a tuned-down version of HoW's Field and Stream. It packed easy, takes a match like dream, and handles the smoulder down to the bottom. I agree that this blend doesnt alter its taste as you work your way down, but thats cool with me since this tastes so great. I must admit that my burly pallet isnt as refined as smokers who smoke mainly burly, but I know what I like, and I do like this blend. 2 and a half stars, says I... I'd go with Field and Stream if I had to smoke a burly blend (which Im praying comes back into production) but I'll reach for Carter Hall as a runner anytime...darn good smoke!
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1pfr2go	02/27/2011	Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant
Carter Hall is a very old friend to me. I've had pouches on me from bunkers in Vietnam to the ice cap in Greenland. A very nice burley that lights well, stays lit, and burns to the bottom. As with most burleys, the taste can get harsh towards the end, but shake off the ash and the remainder will be tolerable. CH is my all day/every day smoke, and always my first of the day. Cob, briar, toilet paper roll and tinfoil....the stuff is great. I've introduced many people to the pleasures of pipe smoking by passing off a Missouri Meerschaum Scout and CH. I remember a "How to" article in a pipe magazine that said you should puff 10 times to get a "proper light", and if you tried that with CH, you just emptied your bowl! In case you feel that I am "uninformed" of good tobaccos, at my last inventory I had 52 blends cellared, ranging from Penzance to Half and Half. The best advice I could offer to a new pipe smoker is don't believe everything your local tobacconist tells you, and experiment with pipes and tobacco with an open mind. And try a tin of Carter Hall with a MM Diplomat! ;)
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Blacksmith	02/07/2011	Mild	Mild	Mild	Tolerable
This is my go to tobacco. It is one that can be smoked all day.
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pipe row19	01/22/2011	Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I had to do it its a classic. I was in my local tobacco shop buying a new pipe saw it and said way not everyone has smoked it. My uncle loved this stuff as well as prince albert, captain black, half and half you know the blend your grandfather liked. So i bought it, lit up my pipe and was suprised. Its not bad very plesant. Theres a slight chemical flavor but nothing to harsh. The flavor was simple very nutty burley taste, very relaxing, no bite, and very mild. Everyone should try it atleast once
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Buster Bluth	01/21/2011	Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant
Pretty much a no frills reliable burley. Classic pipe smell room note and will get the "reminds me of my father/grandfather" from bystanders if smoked in public. Has become my favorite over the others like the Prince and Granger as it seems to be the most consistent and doesnt sour towards bottom of bowl. Good as a blender. Sometimes use it to break in pipes. It packs and burns with ease as it is a fine cut. Very neutral and inoffensive. Great with the morning coffee, and as a lighter smoke for the warmer months.
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T. Collin Francis	01/15/2011	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable
Not a bad burley blend at all,I like it. The Virginia sweetens it up a bit, and is quite nice. Nice ribbon cut, easy to pack and light, and it stays lit! The tin note is sweet and nutty, and it does have just a hint of bourbon, I was suprized. The room note's decent, nothing to write home about, I dumped the still burning dottle out into the ashtray and the smoldering smoke was intoxicating. When I smoke this I can't help but think of my wifes uncle, an old working cowboy who rolled his own cigarettes for 70 years,...this must have been what he smoked. Carter Hall ain't a Porche and it ain't no BMW,...but it'll get you there like an old '65 Chevy.
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Thwarp	01/12/2011	Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable
When getting your first wiff you'll notice a very pleasant Vanilla/bourbon air too it. Its quite a pleasant old fashioned aroma back from the days when This was a highend blend. I remember smelling the room note when I was a kid and that it was a very friendly room note to it. You can't compare the room note to an aromatic. Apples and oranges. But this room note has a lot of nostalgia behind it. It just smells of a Normal Rockwell Drawing when times were more simple This is an excellent everyday smoke if you're looking for an inexpensive, tasty everyday smoke. Its also a great smoke to try your first puffs on. Don't even think to advise someone that Capt Black Blends are good for a first smoke cuz it just aint so. I have a good dog. Smart and very loving. Protective of family and smart enough to know who's a friend or foe! But she's not a AKC registered anything. I'd still give her 4 stars. Same thing with Carter hall. It's just good old fashioned good tasting tobacco worthy of being in anyones home.
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Kilmarnock Piper	01/07/2011	Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable
Tried this when just starting out, and threw it in the garden. Seemed at the time that it had an off-taste, but now that I have on a whim given it another chance, it just tastes like a good old fashioned codger burley, with even less topping than PA or H&H. I just smoked my first bowl in three years, and will not throw the rest out. Instead, I will keep it in a jar and smoke it occasionally, use it for blending, or just keep it in reserve. For $3 (used to be 1.99 in my little town not too long ago) you could do worse. You could do worse for $10. I still notice a slight off taste, but it is not too off-putting.
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