Opening the pouch you find a broken flake of what is a blend of Burley and Virginia in a broken flake.

I got a 8 year old pouch and this stuff was still moist when i broke the seal. Packs nice and burns just as well it gets down to a nice grey ash. I can't tell what the room note is as im smoking outside but considering its not an aromatic i will have a fairly neutral room note.

Now to the meat and potatoes...the taste. Its mainly a slightly strong nutty flavor from the Burley and with a slight natural sweetness from the Virginia. A simple all day smoke for the inner codger that lies in all of us that fret over classic OTC's.

I don't know about you guys but my next tobacco pickup will include a pouch or three of this stuff.

I am taken back everytime I smoke this. While certainly not an aromatic, the room note is classic. No complaints from family or friends.

Nice flavor and good nicotene strength. Easy to smoke all day, several days in a row... or everyday like Papa Jim did! Works great blending with other tobacco as well.

Awesome OTC, codger blend. Takes me back. A real time machine!

I forgot to mention the chemical flavor and smell. It is there but not at all unpleasant to me at least. Another thing if you open up this pouch, can or whatever and cannot tell that this has a casing or topping then maybe tobacco is not your thing and you should move on to something else.

Update...I won't smoke it as an everyday smoke, the liquor casing tends to be disturbing after some bowls. anyway too much burley in it, I wish it was 30&70 or something :)!

First off, *I* don't detect any anise flavoring or topping or casing in this in any way. Maybe that is just my body chemistry.

The topping is what I would describe as "warm spice" (think cinnamon, allspice, brown sugar).

The tobacco is a bit rough...it is not aged. It can jump up and bite if not petted nicely.

I like the nuances of the tobacco, enjoy the topping and like the stronger strenghth this blend has as compared to CH or PA.

That said, it does get boring and it can get "hot". I have found that if I mix 4 parts H&H with 1 part Captain Black regular and let that dry overnight and then jar it, that it becomes a much better, dare I say, zen-like blend.

I recommend that blend in a big way if you are stuck with a 14OZ tub of H&H.

Overall, H&H is as American as hot dogs, but while I like hot dogs, I would not want to eat them everyday. Cheers.

The tobacco itself seems fine. Decent ribbon cut, pretty similar to PA, slightly darker in color. The moisture isn't too bad right out of the package, but could use a little drying. But certainly the most defining characteristic of this blend in its unique flavor.

All-in-all, the quality seemed decent, but the casing is just too strong and not of a flavor I enjoy. I do recommend it somewhat (as I always advocate trying new things, including tobaccos!) because it is a classic smoke and a decent cheap OTC, and the flavoring will either be something you like or something you don't. So at least try it once!

Additionally, after two bowls I couldn't stand it anymore, but my friend thought it was not that bad and had been smoking it as a daily. 3 days later and half the package smoked, he was also sick of the flavor and thinks PA is much better flavor-wise. And for the record, he DOES like licorice and anise (I don't). Like I said, it's a unique flavor and it's either your thing or not.

I encountered that nostalgia on a recent trek to the Philippines where I had an unquenchable yen for a good old Kentucky burley after my special vacation stash was mislaid at my hotel; started to panic. I headed for the nearest mall knowing that you can't readily find native pipe tobacco in the Phils - maybe some pretty good cigar leaf here and there but no such thing as a great rhum soaked aromatic lying around in a tobac emporium somewhere.

Thankfully the tobacco kiosk had a few choices...several Borkum Riff varieties, some Leonard Dingler 1904 blends from South Africa and the reliable green and red H&H box with the trusty aluminium foil pouch tucked inside. Never mind that all these tobacco products, including H&H manufactured by the Pinkerton Tobacco Co. of Owensboro, KY, are actually owned today by a huge Scandanavian tobacco conglomerate known as "Swedish Match." I was just glad to get by hands on a few ounces of this stuff in a place so far away. It still pretty much tastes like the H&H I knew as a teenager. Back when we used to smoke it in the farm yard tree house along with the corn silk, Model, Old Briar and an occasional pack of Chesterfields.

Truth be told in these days of the Great Recession H&H remains a resilent, reliable and ready companion to provide that proverbial "cargo of contentment" Burley and mild aro lovers crave. Just a mild, sweet, steady and enjoyable draw as long as you sip it slowly and don't overheat the chamber - even in the 90+ degree humidity of the Pearl of the Orient.

Good riddance, from my personal point of view.

It's supposedly VA and Burley. It may be, but it's hard for me to make out the tobaccos used. It's somewhat sweet-ish in the pouch, with a soapish note with some spice. Once lit, that vanishes. What is left over after the first minute or two of smoking this is a tarry, perfumey taste on the tongue that tends to put me off dinner; I am reminded of VonEicken's Three Stars, which is a complete desaster for me.

There is a bit more sweetness and at least a little tobacco taste in this, so it is possible IMHO that people can enjoy this; hence 2 stars; also please keep in mind that I have not tasted the latest incarnations of this 'baccy; the blend seems to have changed ownership a few times lately.