Tobaccos John Middleton, Inc - Carter Hall

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3046)	2012-09-14		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

In 1976, I tried this blend and hated it. I wasn't ready for burley blends. Except for my occasional SWRA forays, my reluctance for smoking OTCs since then was hard to break. In 2012, I decided to try it again. The burleys are nutty, woody, earthy, and bready with a touch of cocoa. They are the lead components. The grassy, tart and tangy citrusy Virginia is in the background. The toppings are mild chocolate, a little molasses, and light bourbon, and mildly tone down the tobaccos. The toppings do weaken a tad around the last quarter of the experience, and the natural tobacco flavors become more obvious. The one drawback is that with the lessening of the topping, you can experience a cigarette note or two if you puff fast. The strength, taste and nic-hit levels are mild. Won't bite or get harsh, though it does sport a few small rough edges. It burns at a moderate pace, cool and evenly. Packs very easily, with a short lived, pleasant after taste and room note. Leaves just a little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. It's easily an all day smoke. It goes well with any drink you choose. Three stars.

UPDATE 6-2022: This blend is currently made in the Dominican Republic and there are some differences between it and the old Carter Hall. The chocolate and bourbon are a little stronger now, so you won’t notice the expected nutty quality of the burleys quite as much. The effect of the molasses is lighter as a result even though the chocolate isn’t as rich in flavor as the earlier production. However, the toppings do lightly weaken after the half way point, and the familiar, though mildly rougher and savory nutty, earthy, woody burley notes light rise to your taste buds. So does a slight sourness. The Virginia is reduced in status a mite. The toppings have a very small chemical note as they help create a smoother, mildly less tobacco forward version of the old CH. There’s still a chance of a cigarette note due to fast puffing after the half way mark. The strength and taste are a couple steps past the mild mark. The nic-hit is a notch behind them. All of the other aspects of the original that I noted in the first paragraph still apply. This manufacture is a two star blend, and my Tobacco Review site rating reflects Carter Hall’s latest version, and not the first one.

-JimInks

102 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2012-07-23		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Carter Hall smoked in a cob with a cup of strong black coffee is truly a gift from God, and I thank Him every time I am able to engage in a bowl and cup. For a drug store blend, I couldn't ask for anything better.

Soli Deo gloria!

84 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-12-22		Mild	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

My 90 year old pipesmoking mentor smokes this blend exclusively. He will accept tins of the high-dollar tobacco that I sometimes bring him, and smoke them, but a few months later when I stop by for a visit, there's a can of Carter Hall sitting beside his easy chair, open and ready for the next fill of the pipe.

My friend is a pipesmoker like the old men I remember from my youth. He gets his pipes from Wal Mart and smokes them till they "wear out," and then buys some more. No fancy tobacco jars, no special packing technique, just a dip, a push of the thumb and light 'er up, tamp once and relax.

And so I like this blend. Not only because my pipesmoking friend smokes it, but I like the way CH packs, lights, burns steady and without too much fuss. I inhale occasionally and the draw feels good. This blend is just steady and unpretentious, like my friend, and I know I'll always have a tub of this on hand. Whenever I leave after a visit, the old pipesmoker says, "Load up a bowl before you go." That's the way I think of Carter Hall, easy-going and always ready with a kind offer of a good smoke.

69 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2007-02-18		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I am often asked if I have a favorite "Drug Store" type blend. I always answer quickly that "yes, I do and it's Carter Hall." In fact, Carter Hall is a blend I smoke at least twice a day and is a wonderful tobacco to smoke late in the evening before calling it quits. Carter Hall is probably the most impressive of all the "drug store" blends I have tried because it tastes like tobacco without fruity casing, and has some strength to it. The Burley is top-shelf and provides a no-nonsense tobacco taste.

This tobacco is bite free and I doubt that even Thomas the Tank Engine could puff this stuff up into the hot zone. It also has some kind of component that makes the ash adhere to the walls of your pipe, thus, aids the caking process in new pipes.

59 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-05-25		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Let me start off by saying that when I first started smoking a pipe when I was 18 I tried to get things that 'smelled good'. You know the stuff, cherries, vanilla, etc. Later, I found my way to more tobacco-tasting tobaccos and by the time I was 19 I was working in the local tobacconist/pipeshop and dismissed the 'drugstore' blends from which I had graduated as cheap stuff, not worthy of my pipes.

Well, I'm older now and I hope that I am more mature. I am willing to confess my errors. Coming back to the pipe after 20 years of cigarettes, I just couldn't find my way back to an English type, tobacco tasting, all day, every day kinda smoke. Then I read the reviews here for Carter Hall. My smoking life has changed and I have learned something in the process.

Carter Hall is not fancy. It is about as 'plain-Jane' as you can get. It is just burley with a sprinkling of virginia flake. It is monochromatic; doesn't change much as you smoke it. But it burns to the bottom of the bowl without too much fuss and it burns to a fine white ash with no bits of charcoal left in the bottom of the pipe. It provides enough nicotine for this one to kick the cigs. And, while not an aromatic, no one seems to run away screaming because of the malodorous fumes emanating from the general direction of my smoldering Peterson. By itself, this is a good quality 'baccy' and its simplicity and straightforwardness are to be appreciated as such.

It is, as has been mentioned, probably the best pipeweed for breaking in a new pipe. Even smoking 1/2 pipes full initially, I have always had a difficult time caking up the bottom of the bowl. Not with Carter Hall. A good 4-6 smokes at half full and you are on your way to a nice cake down there.

Because of its rather neutral character, it is wonderful for taming down a blend that just isn't right, somehow. The addition of a little CH doesn't change the tast much and tones down strong flavors and bitey-ness. It is also great for working the ghosts of other blends out of your pipes.

Having said that this blend is great on its own, and it is, I have also experiemted using it as a base for some blending. Because of its nice easy, gentle burning qualities, it proves a good base for other things so as to give me a bit of variety. Variety is necessary in some things. (You don't eat the same thing for dinner every night do you?)

I can't say enough good things about this tobacco. If you haven't tried it, you should. It's plain and simple, true. But, there is value in the plain and simple. Give it a go.

**

45 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Nathaniel (38)	2017-01-25		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Ahhh. Carter Hall. 

I think the romanticizing of old classic blends gets a little tedious. I'm of the opinion that the present day is just fine to be a pipe smoker, with houses like G.L. Pease and McClelland and Cornell & Diehl doing their thing, let alone the golden oldies still around, like Sam Gawith et al. Pipe smokers, I think, evolve with the times, and there will always be quality blenders making quality blends as long as people don't get too attached to the bygones.

But... Carter Hall.  It's still here. You don't scour eBay for a vintage tin and plunk down 150 dollars for 50 grams. You don't set up an alert on your preferred site in hopes of scoring the one tin that 2,000 other people are also waiting for (cough Penzance cough).  You don't stockpile a stash and wait 5 years for it to age properly.  You throw in a tub with your order (I'm developing a fondness for these 14-oz tubs) and you smoke it right away, if you want.   The tin art is like everything else about this- utilitarian and plain. The sticker label on my can was lopsidedly adhered, which I found charming.  You pry open the homely tan canister, remove the cheap round of paper laid carelessly on top and take a long whiff of the tobacco. No wine, no figs, no dark fruit, no campfires; no alluring scent of pine or spice. The smell is only exactly what you'd expect from the components and the topping. Cocoa from the burley-- not dark chocolate, but a sweet mild chocolate powder. Nutty, but a good plain nut: hazelnut, not almond. Some ripe banana, and a very slight chemical tone in the sweetness. A bit saccharine, but in a good way. The banana reminds me of the classic southern banana pudding, the kind with Nilla wafer cookies on top. The smell isn't strong or room-filling, but, boy, it's good. 

Don't bother drying it out, it's good to go. You don't fuss with packing technique, either. Not that I mind fussing; it's the fiddliness of the hobby that I enjoy so much. But you don't have to fiddle. You use the three-layer method, maybe. Even that seemed unnecessary with this tobacco. This is the first blend that I've ever successfully, workably packed by scooping with the pipe and twist-tamping with my finger. 

The burn is second to none.  Those smokes where you don't know the bowl is done until the draw is too loose-- that's this. White powdered ash, zero dottle. My Jobey Stromboli canadian, a good 7 inches in length, smoked like a champ. A bit hot in the bowl, but that's because of over-enthusiastic pulling. The long shank cooled everything down. When I slowed down like I should, a good hour and forty-five minute smoke ensued. Good, thick smoke. 

The flavor is all the best parts of a really good bourbon, without the bite of alcohol. Caramel, syrup, a bit of white sugar, some ripe banana. Milk chocolate from the burley, exactly what you expect from the tin note. Every puff brings the same thing, there's no development or narrative. The topping doesn't burn off (an admirable feat in itself); what you taste in the charring light is what you get on the last draw. And the sweetness lingers wonderfully in the mouth; an echo of smoke and white sugar. I hope all this verbiage doesn't impress upon you that this is a complex smoke. There's not a lot going on here in the smoking. Flavors don't weave in and out. It's just good, plain tobacco. I think this might make the perfect lawnmower smoke. It's not so complex that you have to sit down to contemplate it; it's a smoke you can enjoy with half a mind, if you've a mind to. On the other hand, it's a good smoke for lounging as well, because the flavors are just that good. It's not an "after-dinner smoke" in the vein of Nightcap, where you want to have something solid in your stomach to bolster you against the tobacco's strength, but it's an after-dinner smoke in the sense that it's sweet as a good dessert and not so complex that your palate will be fatigued by the smoke and the meal. The strength for me was a little higher than I expected; no headspin, but a little twinge in the stomach.  The mechanics are great; the cut, moisture and consistency combine to make this one of the few stuff-and-smoke blends I've ever tried. This does tend to leave my pipe a bit goopy, but pipe cleaners are cheap. 

Despite the bourbon flavors in the tobacco, I think a bourbon's complexities would be clouded by Carter Hall's sweetness. I paired it on several occasions with coffee (black for a bitter counterpoint or with a bit of almondmilk and sugar for sweet indulgence) or beer (a simple brown ale worked nicely), and I liked it just fine. 

Not every simple smoke is good and not every complex one is bad. And vice versa. The simplicity of a smoke (and pretty much anything else) isn't the measure of its quality. But this tobacco, for me, defines "good simplicity" the way Blackwoods Flake defines "good complexity". 

It's nice, as a new pipe smoker, (are you still "new" after 4 years of pretty occasional smoking?) to have a blend you can call a go-to. While I'm not that kind of smoker (I smoke only occasionally, as I said, and I always switch up my choice of leaf), if someone asked for a blend to call their regular, I'd recommend Carter Hall. If I were to become a daily smoker, Carter Hall would be on the shortlist for "my daily smoke". I can see why so many older smokers liked this; who knows, if I live to be an old codger myself, maybe this will become my blend of choice. 

Pipe Used: Jobey Stromboli

35 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Clarkus (36)	2013-09-16		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I've put off reviewing CH while I delve deeper into what American classic burley blends are left. After 40 years of smoking mostly tobacco shop fare, I've come to the conclusion that what I'm looking for in a smoke is best found among these venerable old blends.

I didn't care for CH on my first attempt. My second was better than the first but I still found it lacking something but I kept picking up a pouch here and there and now I seem to be smoking it regularly. Actually, I seem to be loving it. It may not be a complex blend but it isn't a completely simple one either. I finally hit the "lovely" spot. I'm not buying any more pouches; I'm buying a tub. My Middleton collection is now comprised of Walnut, Sugar Barrel and Cherry Blend and will soon include Carter Hall. These blends are not good cheap smokes, they are good smokes. CH really is a beautiful smoke.

If Middleton increased the price 150% and put it in a small tin, they probably couldn't produce enough to satisfy the market.

35 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-06-08		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is an affordable gem. Carter Hall has a slighty nutty, faintly sweet taste that stays consistent throughout the bowl. There is nothing complex about this tobacco, which is a good thing. Sometimes simple is good. A bowl of CH in a cob is one of life's simple treasures.

30 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	oldcodger (74)	2014-04-17		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

In terms of the price to quality ration, Carter Hall is the clear winner. Understand, this is not a gourmet tobacco. In the food analogy, it is hamburger steak, not prime rib or snow crab legs. But as a serviceable everyday smoke without danger to your wallet, it is hard to beat.

Carter Hall is a cross cut burley with just a sprinkling of snowflake shaped Virginia. There is a slight flavoring (plum? plum/rum?) which renders it a semi aromatic, but less that a light aromatic. The taste is mild, mostly natural tobacco, with just that hint of underlying flavoring.

The room note is natural tobacco, and most folk find it pleasant.

Over the decades of my pipe smoking, I have found Cater Hall to be the best tobacco for putting a cake on a new pipe. For me, no other tobacco has come close in this regard.

I do not give Carter Hall the fourth star for it comes short of the "wow, this stuff is really good" accolade. But as a more than decent smoke at a very fair price, it is certainly recommended.

23 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrumsAndBeer (217)	2014-07-08		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

This is a super simple easy-smoking mixture that I have truly come to appreciate. It smokes wonderfully in cob, not quite as well in a briar. Often times, pipers will refer to burley as tasting nutty. I had never experienced that flavor sensation in a burley tobacco until I tried Carter Hall. Now I get it. A subtle sweetness appears through most of the bowl, adding just a bit of complexity. But altogether this is a very enjoyable & tasty smoke that’s perfect for those moments when I want something mild and mindless or when I am having trouble deciding what to smoke. Carter Hall is also very affordable and great for adding a little flavor punch to some of those boring aromatic blends that I regretfully purchased in a fit of TAD. My favorite drug store blend by far, and it leaves my garage smelling quite nice.

Pipe Used: various cobs & briar

22 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2015-03-11		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I wasn't sure if I would like this or not, but if you're gonna smoke a pipe you have to, at least, try this once. I not only like it, I like it a lot. There's more flavor than I was expecting and the flavor is good. Burley nuttiness, a slight touch of Virginia, and a very mild topping that I find to be a bit special. It's smooth, no bite, no harshness, and burns cool as long as you don't push it. I seem to like it more and more with each bowl I smoke. When I want something uncomplicated I find myself reaching for this.

Mild in body. Mild to medium in flavor. Moisture out of the pouch is just right for immediate enjoyment. Burns well. Price is hard to beat and factors into the score here.

Pipe Used: MM Country Gentleman, MM Mark Twain, MM Patriot

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

20 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Percy Dovetussel (7)	2009-07-25		Mild	Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

I must admit that I generally looked upon Drug Store brands with disdain in the old days. Most of them were terrible. Only a few tolerable but one more heavily advertised brand stood out by a mile and that was Carter Hall. I recall the commercial that was more of a cartoon where a veteran pipe smoker made remarks about other blends that burn or bite or have smoke that disturbs the room. In retrospect, I should have paid more attention. A recent experience with this blend proved to be most rewarding. A lot of reviews testify to the excellence of this inexpensive tobacco and the testimony of smokers who speak of it's qualities remaining the same from top to bottom are true. Therefore, I join the many in saying this blend is more than meets the nose.

19 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2080)	2016-08-07		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

John Middleton Carter Hall.

It seems to me that this blend's almost taken for granted in the States, here in the U.K. one of our biggest O.T.C. blends is Clan, so that's maybe why I'm more impressed with this as an Over The Counter blend!

This is a good smoke, nothing remarkable, but a wholesome blend. The mixture's a little more rugged than I expected, it's not like a broken flake, but there are a few bigger leaves and fat ribbons. Moisture content makes it ready to smoke from the pouch (inside the cardboard box the tobacco's contained in a yellow pouch).

As I said, it's a wholesome smoke: the added flavouring is very mild, I can't detect any bourbon, but the taste I do get is Burley dominant (one of the nuttiest I've had), smoothed by chocolate, with a tiny amount of grass. The chocolate is mild at first, but I can easily identify that's what it is, and then after halfway the strength of the chocolate increases: it makes the smoke very creamy. The burn's good, albeit slightly quick if I puff with too much vigour. I'll put the nicotine as mild to medium, but it requires a big gulp of smoke to become medium in strength.

This is getting four stars, and also showing me how good an O.T.C. blend can be in the States!

Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Peterson Donegal Rocky #03

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

18 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	beaupipe (102)	2009-01-30		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Very Mild	Tolerable

Ahhh, remember when the poet said, "It's possible to feel homesick for a place you've never been"??? I suppose it's also possible to miss a time you've never witnessed.

And so we have Renaissance Fairs, Star Trek, Modern Burlesque, and Codger Envy.

Like many, it seems, I've been investigating the old standards like the Prince, the Sir, and the Carter. Of the three, the Prince is, to my mind, by far the best, but the Carter is a serviceable little blend. After a dozen or so mostly uninspired bowls of CH on its own, I have (again, like many) found it to be a decent base Burley for a faux-Revelation or Country Doctor type blend. A dollop of Latakia, a pinch of Perique, a smattering of Virginia and a wee drizzle of a fruity aromatic such as Devil's Holiday and naked, homely Carter is ready for the prom.

On its own, though, Carter Hall is little more than a house fire waiting to happen. It puts me to sleep when I smoke it.

16 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Olcodger90 (1)	2017-10-16		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

A while back I was taking a trip down memory lane and I recalled the enjoyment that I got out of smoking a pipe when I was in college (70 years ago). The more I thought of it, the more I wanted to try it again. I got a new mm cob and went through the unpleasant task of breaking it in with pa. After it was broken in, I got a pouch of Carter Hall. I had intended to get Edgeworth, but it was not available. Lucky me! I was pleasantly surprised by the Carter Hall in all respects: The way it burns, mild nutty taste, room note (my wife likes it, and that is the ultimate test), no bite. After 2 pouches and testing around, I got a tub of ch. Even better than the pouches. It is an outstanding sipping smoke and I enjoy it particularly in the evening with a small glass of port to sip along with it. If I could give it more than 4 stars, I would. This is a rel winner for those who like a fine blend of burleys

Pipe Used: mmcob

Age When Smoked: fresh

14 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	fr_tom (393)	2013-06-28		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is just a great tobacco when you want a basic burley blend. It packs well, and it has a solid tobacco flavor. It stays lit. I smoke this in a cob when I am driving, and it is a simple and satisfying smoke. About half way through the bowl, the flavor seems to intensify. I smoke Prince Albert from time to time as well, and while Carter Hall is slightly milder, I prefer Carter Hall. There is a slight bitter in the flavor profile.

While I understand not everyone is a burley fan, you owe it to yourself to give Carter Hall a try. It is cheap and easy to find. It is a good smoke that is one of those "standards" almost everyone knows.

14 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipe4ever (204)	2009-01-23		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a great burley smoke with morning coffee or while busy, it taste as good as Prince Albert, a bit sweeter, a bit fruitier, however less nutty and it has less chemical after taste than the prince. Overall this is an excellent mild drugstore tobacco for serious burley smokers.

14 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	A. Morley (97)	2006-04-23		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Carter Hall will always be a pleasure to smoke. There comes a time wherein all of the disputatiousness of connoisseurship begins to wear on one and you just want to sit back and have a pipe and forget about all of that for a while. To this end, good Old Carter Hall is perfect.

This may initially seem like a clone of the sainted Prince Albert from the same company, but there are subtle and delightful differences. The cut is even shorter than that of Prince Albert, making for the easiest pipe charging in all of pipedom. It lights and stays lit like a dream. There is also added some sort of mild top dressing that serves to bring about more of a woodsy flavor in the Burley than is found in many other Drugstore Burley blends.

I think of my Granddad, the stony faced road crew boss recognized throughout the state of Oregon for his constant supply of one liners and his beat up, disgusting Grabow always clenched in the centre of his teeth. In the evenings I would sit on his knee and he would give me his package of Carter Hall to look at and tell me funny stories about the people that lived in that big red house. I shall always find a home in Carter Hall.

Regards,

A. Morley Jaques

14 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-12-13		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

This tobacco was once given as an answer to the following question: "If you found yourself away from home with a pipe and no tobacco, would you wait until you got home, or would you duck into a drugstore? And once in the drugstore, which blend would you get?"

Well it so happens I ducked into a drugstore and noticed several boxes on the shelf. For $1.19, what did I have to lose, right?

It ain't bad. In my stash there are "sit-down" tobaccos and there are "road tobaccos". Sit-downs are those pricey tins (MacBaren, Dunhill, Peterson) that I prefer to smoke when I can relax in my big comfy chair and fully experience the pleasure of a premium smoke. "Road tobaccos" are for puttering around in the house or the yard, driving, lunch-break smokes, etc. Carter Hall is a solid choice as a road tobacco, and if you're into smoking a brand for sentimentality, I understand this one has been around a long while. It's an honest blend free of any hideous casing and delivers a nice (if bland) tobacco taste. Won't replace Navy Flake or 3 Year VA, but I'm sure to visit and re-visit Carter Hall in the future.

14 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-01-01		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I like my various English blends and smoke mostly those. Unfortunately, I smoke outside and down around San Antone, It gets too hot early in the year and stays that way until late in the year. Smokey Latakias just don't do it for me in the heat. I can't do the modern type aromatics at all. I've been venturing into the world of VA & VA/mixed flakes. However, there are times, more times than not actually, I would like to have a tasty, easy to smoke blend that works year round.

Where a fine English/Balkan blend, or a fine VA fits the contemplative, meaning of life, philosophical mode, there are times ya just want to kick back and reflect, or just enjoy a moment without having to be tuned in to every subtle, changing nuance. Carter Hall is that fishing hole, sitting by the barn, faded overalls and work boots kind of smoke.

I grew up on a farm in Southern Ohio and we raised Burley. I drove tractors without cabs, A/C and stereos. Growing tobacco is hard work and a gamble. But, I have some fond memories of farmers pitching in to help plant, harvest/hang, and later strip the tobacco crop, as well as cooperating on getting other crops planted and harvested. Recreation was country too. Not too many fellows there who smoked Dunhills stuffed with imported, tinned tobaccos. American Burley blends in the various working man's pipes were what those who smoked a pipe carried around.

On a nostalgic note I tried to find one of those basic, still to be found in a drug or grocery store blends. The Prince and Granger just did not cut it. Sir Walter Raleigh Aromtaic is decent, but taste ashey towards the end and can bite in a breeze or if you smoke it too quick.

I came back and gave Carter Hall a real try. I found a downright pleasant smoke. As others have mentioned, a cob is the ultimate place for this simple mix. But any decent briar works just fine.

You can turn it spicey and a wee bitter if you smoke it too fast. It's tasty enough with a nice creamy smoke you just want to puff away on it. Slow down to keep that flavor to the bottom. It doesn't bite much and smokes pretty cool overall.

Will it replace my tinned tobaccos? No. However, it may relegate them to times when they can be savored and thoroughly enjoyed. Instead of tiring my palate by smoking many pipefulls of English and VA types and reducing my appreciation of them, Carter Hall gives me a tasty, pleasant, enjoyable smoke throughout the day or when I just want to amble about. Then when the time comes to really indulge in a fine tobacco, I get the most out of that tobacco. Oh yeah, and it quickly brings back the memories of hardwoods in the fall, the smell of hay and curing tobacco in the barn.

I give it three stars that it can stand on alone regardless of class. If comparing it to others in its class, DS the like, it should be considered a four star.

When simple pleasure is on the menu, this is it.

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Eulenburg (193)	2002-06-18		Extremely Mild	Medium	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Unnoticeable

The secret component that makes this rustic delight cling to the walls of your pipe has been known, I'm sure, to come out of the wrong end of a sow.

Mutatis mutandis, a horse's detritus might be considered a step up from this thing. Refinement being relative, don't you know.

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	GabrielCRT (115)	2022-04-09		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This will be the 397th review of this tobacco. That speaks volumes to the brilliance of this legendary OTC Virginia/Burley.

If I had appreciated Carter Hall more when I began smoking a pipe I may not have accumulated so much variety in the cellar. This is simply a perfect choice to smoke anytime of day. It treats beginners equally well as seasoned smokers. Give it a loose pack and smoke away. I cant think of an easier burning tobacco. You’ll taste the nutty Burley a bit more than the sweet Virginia. The tasty chocolate, bourbon, and molasses topping is applied gently and makes for a pleasant room note. It’s easy on the tongue and palate and can be smoked to nothing but ash. Hopefully this will remain in production until the end of times.

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PuffPuffLive (32)	2018-01-17		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable

I purchased an estate pipe online that was reamed back to bare wood and had a heavy vanilla ghost. I hoped to dedicate this pipe to Virginia blends, but I knew I had to exercise the ghost first.

I read many reviews saying Carter Hall was great for building cake and smoking out old ghosts. After smoking a 1.5oz pouch, I’m happy to say it worked as expected. What I didn’t expect, was how much I would enjoy smoking Carter Hall.

This OTC killed the tobacco snob in me. It is simply a smooth nutty burley blend with a sprinkling of Virginia’s, and a very light (chocolate, whiskey maybe?) topping. It’s one dimensional, but enjoyable from start to finish.

I now feel foolish for being such a tobacco elitist. I plan on checking out some other OTC classics to see if there are any other hidden gems I’ve been overlooking.

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pipes_and_whisky (2)	2016-01-07		Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I had heard so much about this stuff for so many years. Mostly positive. So I finally got my hands on some. (Had to order online since its not available here in Japan).

I've been a pipe smoker for around 5 years and tried around 40 different blends. Just to give you an idea of my taste here are some of my favourites: Frog Morton on the town, 7 seas regular, macbaren Vanilla...)

So...first 2 bowls were a little disappointing. I thought I might end up throwing the stuff out. There really wasn't anything special there. (Sorry...I am not good at describing all the various flavours and room notes).

3rd bowl was not bad. Smooth. Easy to smoke. And...something about the simplicity of it...that grows on you.

By the 4th...I was won over. Even 7 seas regular I can't smoke all day long. Becomes a little too much for me. But this stuff I can smoke 2 or 3 bowls a day (usually one is enough for me).

Now...it's my daily smoke. Occasionally I feel like something more exciting...but this is my meat and potatoes (or daily rice in Japan).

Great stuff.

I recommend it. But give it a chance...it will grow on you.

Pipe Used: Corn cob, briar churchwarden

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TwelveAMnTX (28)	2015-07-21		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I have not been smoking a pipe very long & got many recommendations to try this tobacco. I have to say I enjoy the taste of Carter Hall! It is a non-aromatic OTC brand with flavor which works for me & many others as well.

It's got a sweet, subtle bourbon smell with hints of other flavors when you open the package. It's not a grab you by the nostrils aromatic by any means, but it entices you to taste what lingers inside.

It's easy to load, burns well in a cob & stays lit with few relights which helps you to savor all the flavors without distraction. I can taste throughout the bowl a sweet mixture of bourbon & cocoa tobacco goodness. I get some nutty flavor here & there, but only slight. It was one of the 1st tobaccos that I actual knew what I tasted when I tasted it, besides vanilla or chocolate aromatics.

I am a new pipe smoker & haven't sampled a lot of tobaccos in this category. I hear a lot say there are better tobaccos out there. This is a good OTC tobacco, that can be found easily around most towns. It's a good smoke & if that's what you're looking for you found it!

Pipe Used: MM Legend

Age When Smoked: fresh to few weeks old

Purchased From: local B & M

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Wibblefishofdoom (139)	2013-10-22		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I got this one as a result of a recent trade via PSF.com as it's unavailable here in the UK. I have been wanting to get my hands on it for a long time as it seems to be a much talked blend. I did some reading up on it, mainly the reviews on here, so had a rough idea what to expect and, it turns out, it didn't disappoint.

The initial packaging of the 1.5 ounce packets I had, for me, were a pleasant novelty, to come in a nicely presented foil wrapper in a nice box was certainly pleasantly different. The aroma, too, was something a little different, something akin to confectionery, perhaps a mildly flavoured bubblegum. Packing was very easy due to the finely cut ribbons as was lighting. The smoke carried on much the same as the aroma from the packet, a nice mild and sweet flavour. This flavour and the aroma, however, developed into something a little nutty, though maintaining the sweetness. As for tonguebite, I got a little to begin with but after four of five smokes it disappeared.

I can understand why this is so widely and highly regarded. No, it's not a fantastic tobacco, it's not the same standard as, say, RDF or FVF, but then it doesn't pretend to be. It is a good, cheap and easily affordable (for the US anyway). Yes, it is quite obviously cased, but is done so expertly. Comparing this to "better" tobaccos is like comparing bubblegum with steak, there is no comparison. Sadly, it's not so cheap to get in the UK, what with international shipping charges and all, and even if it were on general sale over it would probably still cost the same as most OTC blends over here, somewhere in the region of £10 or £11 for 50g, saying that I would probably still buy it, even at those prices, though perhaps not so often as I'd like. Saying that though, I can see why it's so well regarded, it's designed to be cheap, not designed and then made cheaply.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SteelCowboy (685)	2013-10-13		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Whenever posting a few thoughts on a drugstore, over the counter blend, I often struggle with whether or not it should be rated on what it is intended to be (OTC) or lump it together with the more boutique blends. When it comes to Carter Hall, for me, it doesn't make any difference because either way it is a pretty nice, lightly aromatic blend. After taking a fair amount of time drying CH out, it packs with ease, and burns smoothly. There is a slight undertone of nuttiness, but less than I expected. There is no complexity here so if that's what you seek don't look here. CH is sweet, but not sickly sweet. My only real negative is the slight, but only slight, chemical taste. I experienced no bite whatsoever although if you have a sweet tooth, there may be a temptation to over puff it so I can see how it might be a possible biter. I find CH a great tobacco for those seeking a decent, affordable tobacco at a budget price.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	LivingFreeinTN (24)	2013-09-11		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Tried Carter Hall mainly for the $2.49 price tag on the pouch and in somewhat of an emergency(long car trip, no tobacco).The taste was initially sweet, then faded away and reappeared periodically throughout. It wasn't harsh although no matter how I smoked it, it always seemed to smoke hot. Anyway, if you're in a pinch, you could do a whole lot worse than Carter Hall. Recommend.

UPDATE: There's something about Carter Hall,the more I smoke it the better I like it. Very pleasant. I think I'm going for the big tin and cellar it. Nothing wrong with this price or taste. Just a good mild tobacco.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	The Right Reverend (36)	2013-08-23		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Taking my tour of OTC classic tobaccos I found Carter Hall to be a pleasant surprise. While very mild in taste it did have a light nutty flavor here and there as I smoked a bowl, mixed in with the slight burley flavor. The flavor is so mild I hesitate to call it an aromatic as the packaging says. Like most of the OTC's it lit well, burned consistently down to the bottom of the bowl. This is certainly something you could smoke daily and your tongue won't fall off or have a ashtray in your mouth the next morning. The room note was very light and neutral. I would say this is the best, for me, of the OTC tobaccos I have tried. A solid unpretentious blend that is worth a try.

Update 5/30/14: Upped to four stars because this has become my everyday smoke.

Pipe Used: Cob

Age When Smoked: New

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Perique (163)	2013-01-28		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Among the best of the "OTC" blends. A decent mixer for aromatics that lack smokability. Pleasant enough when smoked slowly to avoid the chemical bite so common with OTCs (the pipe versions of sheet tobacco). I'll call this one the best of the worst. But honestly- there are so many better choices. However, if you must smoke OTC tobacco, and there are times when I've had to, smoke this one.

I'll agree with previous reviews though: it does somehow smoke better in a cob. Over time, this blend has grown on me. And I'll reach for it from time to time. But I can't give it more than two stars given the far more high quality burley blends available from Uhle, Peretti, Mac Baren, Hearth & Home, etc.

Similar Blends: John Middleton, Inc - Sugar Barrel.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-05-23		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Carter Hall is hands down the best OTC blend I have tried to date. It tastes like tobacco, is nutty, doesn't bite, and leaves a nice aftertaste. There isn't much nicotine in it, but enough to notice. It lites well, but doesn't produce tongue burn. Whereas PA tends to get bitter towards the bottom of the bowl, CH doesn't.

CH has replaced PA as my OTC burley of choice for breaking in pipes. 5-10 pleasant half-bowls and you have a nice cake. I will return to this blend again when I run out. For what it is, an OTC plain burley, it is definitely 4 stars! Buy a pouch, it's inexpensive and it won't disappoint!

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	USVI sailor (16)	2019-01-05		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

The first time I ever smoked Carter Hall I was the ripe old age of 12 - now I'm 64. You see my uncle had a big collection of pipes and jars of Carter Hall tobacco placed at strategic locations around his home - he was never more than 6 feet away from his CH anywhere in his house. When I went to visit and as soon as he was busy in his office reviewing some legal brief or working on a new trial I'd sneak into the den and take one of his pipes, fill it with CH, grab a cane pole and haul ass down to the creek. I'd spend darn near an entire morning sitting on the bank and puffing on my uncles pipe and CH. I can also remember getting incredibly sick several times from the nicotiene - especially in the hot summer months of South Texas.

So now it is 52 years later, I'm sitting on my front porch of my country house watching the deer graze by the creek smoking a Missourri Meerscaum filled with Carter Hall and a nice amount of Wild Turkey in a coffee mug thinking how fortunate I've been and how good life is.

I don't smoke CH all the time - I became "educated" in the way of pipes and tobacco in college and mostly smoke VA/Per or Balkan style blends. But when I'm here, in the country, back to my roots - it is always Carter Hall.

As soon as I open that "luxury" pouch, take a whiff, pack my pipe - I'm transported back to a simpler time where things were just 'right'.

So Carter Hall isn't a complex tobacco that undergoes several itterations as you smoke it, you don't need to have a roundtable about what is in it, what it smells like (i laugh my ass off at these guys who attempt to disect tobacco as if it is some fine French wine - if they only knew what they think they know). CH is what it is meant to be - just a simple blend of burley and virginias that is meant to satisfy and relax your soul, as all tobacco should be. It tastes good, smells good, burns cool and dry - all the characteristics of a good smoking tobacco.

Try it - you'll like it.

Pipe Used: missourri meerschaum

Age When Smoked: 1 month

Purchased From: pipe & cigars

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Athansor (3)	2018-10-28		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

The essence of this tobacco is its mildness. It is a 1950s Ford Fairlane doing 35 mph on the two-lane highway, and that's its jam.

Not strong, not weak, not soft, not heavy, it stays in the middle of the road. You light it once, it stays lit, and remains an unobtrusive partner in whatever you're doing.

I'm not a fan of mild; I like powerful, complex flavors, interacting and changing as you go through the bowl.

But you know what? Sometimes I'm fixing a Broken Thing or cleaning or mowing a lawn, and I don't want to spend my time chatting with a beautiful, but attention-demanding tobacco. I want a silent companion.

That's what Carter Hall is about. I can see why it's been an American success story in pipe tobacco. And, by gum, when you smoke it for what it is, you cannot be less than pleased. 4 stars, because its true to its aims.

Age When Smoked: 1 month

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jorge Soler (202)	2018-07-02		Medium	Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

This is an American style light aromatic tobacco very similar to Half & Half. The casing is not as pronounced, but the quality of the leaf they use seems to be pretty similar. It has sort of a cocoa or nutty flavour difficult to miss and it evolves quite nicely throughout without loosing its profile. If you are a beginner searching for his first tobacco, Carter Hall could be one of the best options you can cut your teeth on. It is very soft on the palate, forgiving and easy to approach. OTC though it might be, it is a good performer and can be smoked all day.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Assassin1999 (3)	2018-04-16		Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

One of my favs! This should be in every pipe smoker's cabinet, humidor, sock drawer, or whatever. It packs and lights easily, and takes minimal effort to keep it lit. Burns all day long without being hot. I never get tongue bite with this. It's a simple blend. Lightly aromatic, not too flavorful, but very pleasant all the way around. Daily smoker.

Pipe Used: Briar, Meerschaum

Age When Smoked: New from pouch

Purchased From: local tobacconist

Similar Blends: Just try it!.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	J.R. Patton (106)	2017-11-26		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This tobacco is already well-reviewed, so i don't have much to add. Out of all the so-called drugstore tobaccos, this is far and away my favorite. It never gets harsh, requires no dry time, burns cleanly, and never bites. I can smoke bowl after bowl of this. It's simplistic and requires no thought. The topping is sparingly applied and allows the wonderful burley flavor to shine. On top of all that, its very affordable to boot. I always keep a big tub of CH handy and often binge on it for several consecutive days

Pipe Used: Meerschaum

Age When Smoked: Fresh tub

Purchased From: Local B&M

Similar Blends: John Patton - Storm Front.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pilot Lon (19)	2017-08-25		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

Ditto what others have said. Very satisfying smoke....cool and mild, nice tobacco flavor, without hitting you over the head. Just an honest, unadulterated flavor that went extremely well with the first cup of coffee for the day. Sometimes it just pays to go back to basics, and avoid chasing rainbows and unicorns.

While I do love my Old Glory, my BCA, my 1Q, RLP-6, and various mixes of those. the CH struck me as simplicity in itself, not trying to be something else, but just the pipe tobacco I recall smelling as a kid. I ordered a tub, while P&C was having their appreciation week. This will most definitely be part of my rotation.

Try it mixed with a bit of 1Q for a flavor that is very remindful of the taste of a sweet-salty mixture of roasted nuts.

Lovin it!

EDIT: 9/11/2017. I purchased a tub of CH, based on how good the pouch was. The cut and unsmoked aroma seemed to be the same, but the tub contents was more moist, and smoked with a very harsh, very bitter taste. A second pouch seems to smoke as well as the first, however. I'm not sure what makes the tub contents so different. They certainly look the same. However, it may have to dry for 6 months (or more) until it begins to smoke like the pouch contents. I'd still recommend the pouch, but approach the tub with some caution.

EDIT 9-27-2017. I'm changing my rating to 4-stars. The tub finally dried nicely, and I discovered that my aromatic chugging technique is not appropriate for this. Sipping brings out an astounding sweetness, nuttiness, cocoa that is well worth discovering. I'm quickly finding that I go to my aromatics less and less, and gravitate to CH and LRR at almost any time of the day.

Pipe Used: cob

Age When Smoked: Fresh from the pouch

Purchased From: P&C

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CherchezLaghost (52)	2017-07-09		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Carter Hall. Cross cut burley with a smattering of virginia. Its simplicity is a thing of beauty. Objectively it is one smoke that has probably contributed more pleasure to my years of piping than any other blend. Its that good. Not "a good otc" or a good "in a pinch" smoke. A good smoke, no qualifier needed. Straightforward soft, round, nutty and cocoa ey burley flavor with a very slight extra sweetness from the virginia. It isnt complex. It will not bite. It will reward slow puffing. The topping is mild, and hard for me to characterize except to say i very much enjoy it. Said topping is fairly conservatively applied and not overly strong. Definitely best in a cob. If we can be honest with ourselves for a moment, what isn't best in a cob? I have several cobs and briars dedicated to this humble blend, and i nearly always have some on hand. If you enjoy prince albert, half and half, or swr, i cant imagine not enjoying the hell out of carter hall, and in my opinion it surpasses all of these by a good margin. Don't be too proud to pick up a beige and orange pouch of Carter Hall. You'd be depriving yourself of one of the simple true pleasures in life.

Pipe Used: Cobs, meerschaums, briar

Age When Smoked: New to 1 year

Similar Blends: Half and half, PA.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	dbl-bbl (45)	2017-04-22		Very Mild	Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

I bought this CH several months ago along with a couple other codger blends (Prince Albert & Sir Walter Raleigh). I immediately opened the CH and after performing the sniff test I loaded up a pipe for the first smoke. Not bad stuff, monochromatic and cool smoking as others have duly noted. With plenty of other blends available, I then socked away the remainder of the pouch into a mason jar.

I've been holding off smoking a new Castello Old Antiquary Briar Stack that I picked up a few weeks ago as I've been undecided whether to use it for Flakes or English / Balkan blends. Although I'm still unsure of which direction to go I figured it was high time to begin the break in process ... so I opted for some good old Burley (with just a tinge of Virginia). To my surprise, the CH that I had trialed just a few months ago and jarred away ... now presents with slightly more "nut and molasses" smooth flavoring. Did just 3 months of cellaring turn this so-so blend into a tasty treat? Me thinks so. Heck I like CH ... nothing complex ... just good old nutty tasting Burley that delivers a cool smoke ... can be used for an all day smoke if one desires. Guess I'll just continue breaking in that Castello with CH until I figure what else to use it for ... and if I can't ... well heck I'll just stick with the CH.

Pipe Used: Briars, Meerschaums & Cobs

Age When Smoked: Fresh & Aged Several Months

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	The Cardinal (4)	2016-01-19		Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Unnoticeable

Lighter? Please...

I'm certain coarse language or simmering glances will probably light up this classic. And keep it lit, and lit, and lit, and lit...

My first, and what I thought would be my last experience with Burleys was Prince Albert (That I had to buy, because "...in a can..."). Carter Hall brought me back. It is perfect marriage with your black morning Joe as others have attested.

If I were to make a whiskey comparison - It's the Old Grand Dad BiB of 'baccy, There's a reason it's still around. Reliable, agreeable, and no fuss.

In my opinion thus far it's the trinity of starter tobacco - Captain Black, Carter Hall, and Balkan Sasieni. Then go from there into further aromatics, burleys or English blends.

Pipe Used: Cobs

Age When Smoked: None

Purchased From: PipesAndCigars.com

Similar Blends: Prince Albert.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mark O (6)	2014-07-20		Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

Carter Hall is my favorite codger burley. It's the only tobacco I'll buy in a tub. If you want to just sit and relax without having to constantly nurture and coax your tobacco to burn; if you don't want to smoke a bouquet of flowers or a fruity salad; if you like the smell of bread baking and a sweet, mild, burley flavor with a nutty topping then this tobacco is for you. It has a sweeter taste that PA and non of the chemical or cough syrup overtones that I get with Half and Half. CH burns clean and fine with no relights or residue. Nothing complex here. It's just simple, wholesome goodness.....Extra wholesome with a nice cup of coffee.

Pipe Used: Good in a cob, good in an expensive briar.....

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	chgo.piper (37)	2013-10-22		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I've been smoking a lot of burley lately and I've been really enjoying Carter Hall with the morning coffee. after about three mugs of high-quality beans, I'm ready to draw deep on a tasty, smooth and slight chocolaty burley, and Carter Hall allows me to do just that. Carter Hall is a damn good OTC blend that I enjoy smoking in both a corn cob or a briar and works best and also taste best when packing my pipe using the air-pocket method... Keep Smoking.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gr8tefuldawg (87)	2020-04-09		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Carter Hall

With over 400 reviews, what else is left to say, if you like burley, with a slight cocoa/molasses flavor and a little bourbon on top, you’ll probably like this.

I prefer to smoke this early in the morning with a cup of coffee, I like to imagine my grandfather doing the same. This is probably the best OTC for beginners, never burns hot for me, tastes great.

Easy to pack, if you are having difficulties but enjoy the cocoa flavor I would recommend hearth and home classic burley kake.

Pipe Used: Cobs, bones etc

Age When Smoked: 3-5 weeks

Purchased From: Tobaccopipes.com

Similar Blends: Hearth & Home - Classic Burley Kake (Signature Series).

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BingCrosby (162)	2018-07-15		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

A pleasant if somewhat uneventful smoke.. nevertheless a classic.. and it is natural tasting enough.. the flavoring is gentle.. not overdone.. simple burly blend.. perfect when you want something good but not complex

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CarterFan125 (1)	2017-06-23		Mild to Medium	Medium	Full	Very Pleasant

I have been on a long trek, as many of us have been, to find the tobacco of our father/grandfather that was so pleasant to our youth. Grandpa Rahn smoked a brand that entranced my siblings and I and, being the only pipe smoking one, I I took up the search. I remember being on the walking post of my patrol in about 1989 and smelling the familiar fragrance of grandpa's tobacco. (He, a retired Milwaukee PD Sgt. and me a Binghamton PD cop.) I still remembered that smell, though he died when I was 5 years old. I think grandpa smoked Sir Walter Raleigh, which smells great, but have found myself attracted with Carter Hall. So for my siblings, I will revive grandpa in their presence with Sir Walter, and for selfish pleasures at home, smoke Carter Hall.

Pipe Used: Briar wood HS pipe

Age When Smoked: 56

Purchased From: Bernaci.com

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Callebaut (3)	2016-11-26		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Every now and then I achieve a monumental smoke. Not earth shattering, but just perfect. Maybe the stars are aligned just right, or all of the other variables might just be in sync. Although I have 90+ tobaccos in my cellar, Carter Hall has given me moments like these. It’s not complicated and I don’t have to over think it. It has a very satisfying flavor and mouth feel with no bite whatsoever. Just the right amount of sweetness and nuttiness with wisps of chocolate that remain constant throughout the bowl. It has a pleasant room note that does not linger. Tin note is warm and delicious and sometimes open the tub just to take a whiff. It blends with other tobaccos very nicely and has given some redemption to tobaccos that were in my opinion unsatisfactory. As far as it being an OTC, I remain unbiased. I have aged unopened tins of some of the most coveted tobaccos in my collection, but there will always be room for Carter Hall. As has been said many times before, for a stand-alone smoke, it does best in a cob with hot black coffee. It is also good for breaking in new pipes. I take this fishing with me, and when that Striper hits, Carter Hall always saves my seat.

Pipe Used: MM

Age When Smoked: 1 month

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: PA.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	halpuff (11)	2016-06-09		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I had always related Burley to cigarettes' so I was hesitant to give anything containing Burley's a try because I didn't want anything near that would make me smell like or taste like a stinking cigarette. A friend put me on to Carter Hall and suggested I give it a try. After my first bowl I was in heaven. Moisture content right out of the package was just right. It packs and lights well with a fraction of the fuss that many more expensive pipe tobaccos offer. Two matches was all it took to start and finish a bowl. The burn was even and consistent and required minimal relights. The aroma off the pipe and residual room note fragrance was very pleasant, catching hints of sweet baked goods or cherry pie. Carter leaves a very nice after taste follow through. A sweetness at the back of the tongue and on the lips. This is not a goopy syrupy aromatic that is laden with glycol. In fact there is not even a hint of that at all. If there is a topping at all it is very light and well into the background. I have smoked many of the expensive top grade tinned blends over the years and have discovered I like them less than I do Carter Hall. Carter Hall is a very nice, simple pleasant experience that requires little fuss to enjoy. I have discovered that there is a reason Carter Hall has been around for such a long time. The pipe snobs will look down their noses at this, but this is one OTC tobacco that can hold its own with the B&M best. Many reviewers have simply described this as a simple one sided pure Burly tobacco, however I would have to disagree. Yes, it is Burly based, but the maker states that it has some added Virginia and Cavendish. The Cavendish could consist of a pressure or heat treated Virginia or Cavendish to bring out the sweetness, or Virginia or Burly with a topping of some kind. Point being that it is much more than just a plain-jane Burly. The combination of these three components gives this blend a greater degree of complexity and interest over just a straight Burly, which can be detected as this blend is explored. I tried this in a billiard with a 3/4" wide chamber and my large bowled full bent with a 7/8" wide chamber. It seemed to burn too fast and hot in the narrow chamber and much slower and cooler in the larger 7/8" chamber.

Pipe Used: GBD billiard and a large bowled full bent.

Age When Smoked: New

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	wvlunting (1)	2015-10-30		Very Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

It's a good, steady burley, with light casing, making for a pleasant smoke. It burns light and stays lit nicely. It doesn't give you tongue bite. It's not a very remarkable blend otherwise, but a fine smoke with a decent room note.

Pipe Used: H.I.S. bent apple

Age When Smoked: Brand New

Purchased From: Smoker Friendly, Morgantown, WV

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WillBrown (137)	2015-09-28		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This is one of the first pipe tobaccos I ever smoked (way back in 1971!). I didn't like it then, I thought the baccy was too strong and didn't like the taste (at all). The only thing I enjoyed was smoking it in a corn cob pipe (the novelty of doing this at the time intrigued me). Well, I just revisited CH over this last weekend, and, just for nostalgia's sake I used a cob. Unfortunately, nothing about my original experience changed. I find the Burley in CH to be "dirty"—I don't believe this is a high quality leaf, nor is the Virginia. For an OTC it's not bad but really, you'd be lying to yourself if you say this is a great Burley; it's not. I don't regret trying it again after all these years, but, honestly, I can think of about 90 other tobaccos I'd rather be smoking.

Keep on Pipin'

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	buroak (16)	2015-06-05		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Carter Hall really is the standard against which all other OTC/codger blends are judged. This is a no-fuss, easy burning tobacco with just the right moisture level right out of the pouch. The easy smoking nature of Carter Hall combined with its legendary cake-building properties make this an excellent blend with which to break in a briar pipe.

Due to the fact that I use Carter Hall as my standard break-in tobacco for a new or new-to-me briar pipe, I have smoked this blend in bowls of all dimensions. No matter the dimensions of the bowl in which you smoke Carter Hall, you will get the pleasant, nutty taste of Burley. Unless you smoke far too fast, the taste stays true from first to last draw. I have noticed that the tastes of this very uncomplicated blend become a bit more complex in a large diameter bowl. In a bigger bore bowl I more clearly detect the molasses and mild chocolate/cocoa tastes other reviewers note. A narrow bowl gives me a smoke dominated by Burley nuttiness.

My rating of the room note is based solely on my wife's reaction to how I smell after coming in from smoking a bowl of Carter Hall.

EDIT: I am downgrading this to three stars. The nice things I have to say about the blend are still true, but my recent explorations into the wider world of old-timey Burley blends have shown me better offerings. I would especially recommend that those who enjoy Carter Hall explore L.J. Peretti's many Burley offerings.

Pipe Used: Variety of cobs and briars

Age When Smoked: Fresh and some of 6 months' aging

Purchased From: Local B&M

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Perdurabo (26)	2015-04-10		Mild	Mild	Mild	Tolerable

I must retract a statement I made on an earlier review, concerning Burley's. I said to skip ALL OTC BURLEY's and go with GL Pease Barbary Coast. I made that statement because I felt at the time that the flavor to be found in OTC Burley blends was a waste of pipe smoking time. Not so fast Perdurabo! Not so fast!

I picked up some Carter Hall at the grocery store because I had this great idea of using it to take out the funky antique smell from a pipe stand that I purchased. Vinegar and coffee grounds as well as furniture polish wasn't doing the trick. I knew that burley held casings for aromatics well. Why wouldn't it take the funk out of the pipe stand? So I thought, What the Hell! Carter Hall is straight burley with Virginia with no crazy sauces added. Gave it a try and It worked well.

Since I had the tobacco hanging around the house in a jar,I figure I'd give it a try. First impressions, not too impressed, but wasn't bad.

Flash forward- Falling in love with GL Pease Barbary Coast and Cornell & Diehl's Old Joe Krantz... I gave Carter Hall another go.

Taking my time and having more experience with the flavor profile of burley. This stuff is a winner. Mild flavors of cocoa and earthy walnut that are not complex but would be enjoyed with hot or iced tea on summer mornings. Slightly cased with anisette? I can't quite put my finger on it. The tobacco seems to be of good quality, nothing like The blends mentioned above. The price and the quality of tobacco makes Carter Hall a pretty decent smoke.

Pipe Used: Rob Roy Cobb

Purchased From: Kroger ??

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	OomPaul Guy (7)	2014-10-24		Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

Love Carter Hall! All the high and mighty pipe snobs can go kick rocks! CH is a good old fashioned American classic. High quality Burley with just a sprinkle of Va to sweeten the pot. This is my go to blend because it is really good. Nice solid, tasty smoke that's been around since the Civil War. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!! Nothing wrong with being fancy pants sometimes, but you also have to bear in mind that sometimes the more you overthink the plumbing the easier it is to stop up the drain. Sometimes simple is better. OTC?...Maybe. But, here is some brutal honesty for everyone that's "too good" for OTC.....ALL tobacco is OTC no matter who "blends" it. To my knowledge the Baccy Nazis in Washington haven't made it "prescription required" yet....Not yet. If you haven't tried it yet, get some. Pack yer pipe and enjoy something that your grandad and his dad smoked for a very long time. You don't have to like it, if it's not your cup of tea, but if it is and you don't try it....You will miss out on one of the finer and simpler things in life.

Pipe Used: Savinelli "Porto Cervo" 614 Oom Paul

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jevverrett (106)	2014-09-06		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

As I was reviewing the prince, it dawned on me I had missed this one as well. It's not a bad blend at all for what it is. I also want to go on the record as stating I have never, to my knowledge, found a piece of broken va flake in carter hall.

It's a cheap OTC blend that is rich on burley. Like some others have pointed out, it is an excellent blending base for home concoctions. It can mellow out an over the top blend like a dream. I smoked a big heap of this blend some years ago largely due to its simplicity, and price. It is tasty though. And it packs and burns well enough that you barely need to think about what your doing. Good tobacco for working in the yard or at your desk. Good for reading too. I have moved on to more complex things over the years, but I do still grab a packet of this and a cob at the drug store some times when I'm out on the road and didn't bring anything with me.

Having written this, I suddenly have the hankering to get some. May do that tomorrow while I'm out. Might be a good smoke while I watch my little boy playing at the park. I hope you will give it a try. Millions of old pipe guys can't be wrong.

Pipe Used: Various Grabows, MM cobs

Age When Smoked: Fresh pouches

Purchased From: Almost any shop with tobacco

Similar Blends: Prince Albert.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Young Piper (304)	2014-06-18		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is just a great burley from Middleton. Light and airy, easy in a cob, perfect for breaking in a pipe. 12 ounces is $23 to $25, that's the cheapest I've seen a tub and it is a great value. I just love the luxury pouch (a vinyl covered foil) as it carries well in the pocket and is just so nostalgic! Four stars for quality to price ratio and for the fact that CH is just so damn versatile and beginner friendly. It does make a fantastic blender.

A great putzing around the house blend is Half Carter Hall, Half Captain Black Dark which does make an amazing Black and Tan blend

Pipe Used: Cob, Briar, Meerschaum

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: From WV Smokeshop

Similar Blends: Hearth & Home - Chatham Manor (Mid-Town Series).

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TallPuffO'Burley (633)	2013-07-29		Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

How to review an American classic that is cheaper yet superior to many of its OTC competition. I had toyed with the idea of giving it four stars just upon this alone, but when compared to other burley virginia mixes available out there, I can't, in good conscience give it four stars. All that said I really did enjoy my time with Carter Hall. All 14 oz in the giant plastic tub that I bought nearly two years ago at the grocery store.

I usually cannot stand a chemical taste to tobacco, but somehow it doesn't bother me as much with CH. How do I know that this is chemically cased? Well, one look at the plastic tub reveals its less than ideal storage capability. Just the slightest grab at the sides will cause the top to pop off. Yet for nearly two years, this tobacco never changed in moisture level or taste. And even with all of this going on, I still enjoyed this more than some pricier burleys from boutique blenders. That is saying a lot when I enjoy a humectant laden tobacco more than a more natural rendition of the same.

This smokes best out of a cob. I started smoking it that way as the cob was the only pipe I had when I bought the tub. As I purchased some briar pipes, I found CH still enjoyable; however, I tended to reach for the cob more often than not when I wanted a bowl of this. There are many people who have smoked a pipe longer than I have been alive who smoke this blend almost exclusively, so that is saying something about how good this blend is.

Needless to say at this point, I do recommend this blend. It is good and it is cheap. If you are not crazy about it, you will not be out of much cash and it can be used to tone down some other blends as it makes a great blending element. It can easily be enjoyed all day long and it has a decent nicotine boost. I have since smoked Five Brothers and Sir Walter Raleigh and put those two up close to CH, but IMO CH still rules the roost for drugstore American blends.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-04-16		Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Tolerable

I smoke all the so called cheap drugstore burley's and like most all of them. This is a another dependable mild smoke that like Velvet is mild and hard to burn too hot. I think everybody should find one of these easy to find brands that they like as a fall back tobacco when your not able to get to a good tobacco store. Of Middleton's selections, Kentucky Club has more flavor and the Prince is more funky having a more distinct room note and taste. A decent pack of Pinkerton's Velvet is even more smooth then Carter Hall. The nice thing about the simple blends, with the exception of Half and Half, is that you can mix them with other tobacco without really ruining the taste of the stronger flavored tobacco. This of course depends on not over doing it, but hey you can always find a use for these tobaccos. I am very fussy about aromatics but this sort of simple burley smoke is as dependable as vanilla ice cream.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Legion (27)	2020-08-13		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Even before plain packaging was introduced here in Nanny State Australia, range of tobacco was slim unless one went to a specialist tobacconist in the city. [The new laws all but spelt the death of most of those since]

So one does not develop a prejudice for what many antipodeans take for granted as "OTC" brands.

Before it became illegal to import tobacco in July 2019, I bought as much tobacco as my limited income allowed. On one occasion my account was low where I could only afford five boxes of Carter Hall.

I'm glad that I did. Moisture level was just right. The cut allows for easy packing. A touch closer to mild than mild-medium, even my unrefined palate can detect the nuttiness from the Burley and a hint of cocoa/chocolate from the topping. Nicotine is a couple of steps past mild.

Very good in an MM cob. Nothing fancy about Carter Hall but it is a pleasant all day smoke. It's easy to see why some smoke nothing but CH.

What a shame that I didn't buy a tub as this also works well as a blending tobacco.

A solid 3 star blend.

Pipe Used: MM cobs.

Age When Smoked: One year old.

Purchased From: www.tobaccopipes.com

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Michael D (33)	2020-07-01		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

One of the blends I could smoke everyday. Opening the pouch reminds me of dark chocolate covered raisins. not that milky chocolate, but dark.. with Burley presence and the Virginia taking the aroma to a brighter level. No dry time, no packing method. Just drag that pipe thru the pouch and finger twist it. I am now ready to light it up. Easily lit, a little tamp and it stays that way. My mouth is covered in that light tasting chocolate raisin flavor, with just a slight tingle from the Virginia. The burley keeps it all in check for a very nice mild smoke that doesn't bite. This is comfort smoking, no surprises. like a lifelong friend, always around and always welcomed.

Sidenote: Carter Hall Pipe Tobacco also makes as a pretty good chew to be honest. And if you ever have a toothache.. this is the chew to remove it. Honest!

Pipe Used: Dr Grabow, MM CornCob, Savinelli Cherrywood

Age When Smoked: NEW

Purchased From: P&C

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	crapgame1967 (61)	2020-05-23		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

I have always enjoyed Carter Hall and found it to be an easy smoke to enjoy while doing anything from fishing to reading a book. The taste is very enjoyable and the flavoring does not overpower the tobacco. The chocolate and molasses are combined in unison as to not overpower each other. There is something else there that I really cant figure out but whatever if is is REALLY nice. A great all day smoke! 3stars all day long!

A week ago I came across an unopened tin from the 1970's and I must say this was like finding a pot of gold! The tin aroma was close to a freshly opened pouch but the aroma was... deeper and richer. It did not come out and get me, I was drawn to it and spent several minutes with my face in the tin just enjoying how good it smelled. The tobacco itself took on a darker color and felt different to the touch than the tobacco of a new pouch that I really cant explain. The tobacco was very easy to pack and lighting was very easy. The first puff was AMAZING, it was smooth and mellow from the start and I did not get that first puff " squint and wince" that I get from some fresh tobaccos when I first light them and before everything comes together after a few puffs. The tobacco smooth and mellow, sweet and savory and just a joy to smoke. The flavors melded together so well that to me there was just one perfect flavor and not a combination of flavorings. The tobacco burned very well and only required three relights, the fourth time I tried to relight it I found that the bowl was empty and there was just a bit of ash in the bottom. That is how good the tobacco was, it needed no time to fully develop and smoked consistently from first puff to last puff. There was really no room note that I can describe because I only smoke outside but I will say the smoke smelled as good as the tobacco smelled in the tin. I will enjoy this find for a very long time. Four stars out of four!

Pipe Used: All MM cobs

Age When Smoked: between 40 and 50 years old

Purchased From: A Fleatique

Similar Blends: Nothing I have ever had!.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BurleyBhuddist860 (6)	2020-04-08		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Simply the best OTC there is. It must be smoked slow to cultivate the delicious cocoa/molasses burley goodness. I've only smoked it in my cobs and it's a great smoke every time. Just ordered my second tub today.

Pipe Used: Various cobs

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: Prince Albert.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Docrameous (1)	2020-02-04		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

What could a relatively new pipe smoker add to the reviews about Carter Hall that has not been already written? Also, do I dare write a review for such a cliché tobacco? The good thing about being new, is that you don't know enough to stay out of trouble, so here we go...! 😜

The main thing I can say is that I wished I had started with Carter Hall when I took up the pipe. I shied away from Prince Albert, Carter Hall and the other 'over the counter (OTC) codger blends' because of some level of disdain that I picked up on about them. (btw, OTCs are very hard to find in the stores in my area and I have had to get them online anyhow!)

With gusto and bravado that I was going to 'go big or go home', I went all in on some 'better blends', particularly aromatics. This was not fatal, but I think at least for me and perhaps some new smokers, it might not be the best way to start. Here's my reasons...

1. As a new smoker of any kind, I had no clue what I was looking for and so I had no palette to judge from. It was just all hot smoke to me and so I had no baseline of what to judge by in terms of what I did or did not prefer. I didn't spend hundreds, but the ‘better blends’ were really not money well spent.

2. I had no clue coming into the pipe that technique was so important. In fact, bad technique just turns out to be torture and a big dread. It was certainly not relaxing, pleasurable, or fun. Aside from money not well spent, there was real risk of me giving up.

3. Similarly, there are so many things you are getting accustomed to (different blend characteristics, cuts, moisture levels, nic hits, avoiding tongue bite, pipe goop, anti-social room note, breaking in a new bowl, etc) that I needed a tobacco that 'just worked' in all categories and got out of the way as I got a bunch bowls under my belt.

In summary, Carter Hall is no 'premium blend' for sure. However, for what it is, it is four out of four stars... an easy, mild, refreshing, bread and butter burley/virginia smoke that packs, lights and burns easy. The nic hit and strength is mild to set a baseline in smoking, the room note won't kill those you live with who have started to wonder if you have gone mad with this new hobby and it will almost smoke itself.

I'm not crazy enough to say this is the way that all new smokers should start, but it is one perspective to consider. At least for me it was a fast track to start enjoying the pipe AND it is good enough for what it is that if I got stuck on a deserted island with a 55 gallon drum of it I would certainly be plenty happy!

Pipe Used: All Types

Age When Smoked: 1 to 6 months

Purchased From: Various Places

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tomcat (221)	2019-08-04		Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Unnoticeable

When i first picked up the pipe I was fortunate to go to tobacconist and get natural type blends . I was caught off guard a couple times and ran low and had to go to local tobacco vaper cigar type store . I first tried carter hall and really liked it but not as much as English and Virginia blends . Another time i ran low and picked up prince albert and middleton cherry and vowed never to smoke drugstore baccy again !! Carter Hall is only one i would smoke if i ran low again ! Probably not an issue now since i have a closet full of tins and bulk now aging . Carter Hall is great like other folks say for building cake and de-ghosting an estate pipe . Not bad nutty cocoa cool burning baccy but can get a little cigaretty at times .

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jaylotw (16)	2018-11-08		Very Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

This is what started it all for me. Carter Hall, in a plastic tub. A forever four-star blend in my mind.

My friends and I started smoking at an early age...maybe 12 or 13, and we’d steal cigarettes from our parents. When my friend’s dad quit cigarettes for a pipe, this is what he smoked and we would swipe it by the handful and smoke it in whatever cob or briar or cherrywood was laying about the house. We were bad kids. He knew, of course, but never really said much about it.

The aroma of this stuff is classic codger drug store Chevrolet fireworks cheeseburger flag waving America goodness. Timeless and authentic as it gets.

Carter Hall takes me back to my younger days, hearing old time fiddle tunes coming from the kitchen at 2am, claw hammer banjo, upright bass, a battle tested D-28 keeping rythym, and stomping and dancing so hard that the beer bottles are rattling off the kitchen table. Copping a swig of whiskey when the adults aren’t looking and squeezing out an upstairs window with a chewed up corncob pipe to smoke Carter Hall on the rooftop. Watching traffic slow down on the street below us, the drivers rolling down their windows in the night air to hear the music. Smelling that sweet, sugary and nutty smoke and knowing that there was something to this whole pipe thing. Hearing laughter downstairs as the tune ends and someone asks, “where are the boys, are they up on the damn roof again?” Someone shouts out a tune and the music fills the air. Everything is perfect.

I bought a pouch of Carter Hall not too long ago and smoked a bowl. I was transported to that time again, and the nostalgia brought a tear to my eye. Who am I kidding, I wept like a baby for those carefree times.

But like life, my tastes had become more complex, I found the smoke to be a one-note wonder, but not unpleasant in any conceivable way. Nutty and straightforward as a tobacco can be. The flood of memories made it one of the most memorable smokes I’ve ever had, though. Something I may only repeat a few more times in my life.

They say that olfactory memories are some of the strongest memories there are, and Carter Hall is the smell of my most formative years.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Paul S. (10)	2018-08-09		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Chocolaty, peppery, earthy—not a sweet blend. The bottom of the bowl gives some liquorice and rum. Burns well at any moisture level, albeit quickly. Very nice.

Similar Blends: Prince Albert, Classic Burley Kake.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	OhioTony76 (59)	2018-06-04		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Upon opening my 1.5 oz bag, the moisture level is almost perfect. I dry it for about 10 min. Easy to pack and light. Gives off lots of smoke. Topping flavor to my palette is vanilla and chocolate. With a bit of something else sweet. Very light though. Burns fast and pretty cool. Stays lit great. Flavors are one note after topping mellows out. But still nice. Smooth mild burley flavors. I thought I could pick out the Virginia notes once or twice maybe. Burned to the bottom with no dottle. Med/low nic hit. I could see noobies and veterans liking this blend. No fuss tobacco.

Pipe Used: Cob and Briar

Age When Smoked: 3 months

Purchased From: Local tobacco shop

Similar Blends: Cornell & Diehl - Briar Fox, Hearth & Home - Anniversary Kake (Signature Series).

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Garlisk (1)	2016-12-09		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I'm choosing Carter Hall as my first review because it was the first tobacco that I felt I thoroughly enjoyed. When I was a new pipe smoker, I wasn't ready for heavier smokes or complexities that I didn't even know how to appreciate. Among the "drug store" blends, CH was my favorite.

Carter Hall satisfied because... 1: It is easy to smoke. This might be the easiest smoke I've ever had. Packing a pipe can be difficult, but I found CH to be like using training wheels. 2: It is forgiving. No bite. 3: It is mild in all respects. Everything about this blend is mild. 4: It is useful. Once I was ready to move on to bigger, better blends, I found I still wanted CH around to mix into other blends to improve their burn or mellow them out. I still like mixing CH and flake VA's.

All that said, Carter Hall is not astounding or exceptional in any area, which I feel is the requirement to earn 4 stars.

Verdict: A good, easy smoking tobacco that continues to be useful in the smoker's arsenal.

Similar Blends: John Middleton, Inc - Prince Albert.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Chefreiss@gmail.com (1)	2016-09-02		Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

My grandfather began smoking a pipe in 1917 when he joined the navy during WWI. He smoked Carter Hall then and did so until his death in 1973. Carter Hall to me is like the feeling you get when you are six years old and it is December 23rd, you know the warm feeling you get in your stomach as you sit in front of the lit up Christmas tree with the room lights out. To me it brings back fond memories of my Grandfather. Just mentioning the name, Carter Hall or smelling a fresh open pack causes fond memories to rush into my head. It will always be my favorite, not only for the memories, but also for the comfort it gives me like "comfort food" does for most people. Sure there are many tobaccos with much more complex flavors and taste, but there are few like Carter Hall and the likes of such tabacos as Prince Albert that have that long embedded history with smokers of the past 100 years or more.

Pipe Used: WO Larsen Briar w/ Brandy Bowls

Age When Smoked: 57

Purchased From: Walmart

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DeathMetal.org (231)	2016-06-02		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Summary: an intensely mild smoke that binds a balance of Burley and Virginia flavors with a light top note.

The nutty Burley and sweeter Virginia leaf combine into a warm natural flavor, onto which a light top note of liquor and cocoa/vanilla is applied. The mild Burley flavor gets partially absorbed into the Virginia, and vice-versa, creating a balance which is enhanced by the topping. As a result, "Carter Hall" makes a good all-day smoke with mild Nicotine and a pleasant lingering smell.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Black Sheep (25)	2016-04-10		Very Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Carter Hall is pleasant, easy to smoke, and burns quite well. As far as mild, easy on the tongue Burley blends are concerned, this is a good one. The 1.5 oz pouch I recently bought is the first Carter Hall I tried, and I am not disappointed in the purchase. The one drawback is that it is not terribly flavorful, so if your an English blend smoker, but want something fairly robust, this is probably not it. However, for those occasions when a soft and light smoke is called for, I think Carter Hall will do nicely.

Pipe Used: Billiard

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Prado1200 (5)	2016-02-11		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I tried a few of the "drug store" brands and didn't really care for any of them. Then I tried Carter Hall. I was very surprised. I actually did a double take and smoked another bowl right after the first. It didn't bite, it smoke well, stayed lit. It was nice. You can find it anywhere and it's priced well. I would recommend this to anyone starting out.

Pipe Used: MM Cob, Peterson.

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Grocery store

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mos6502 (4)	2015-12-24		Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I have to judge Carter Hall relative to its OTC brethren.

I have not much to commend it, not much fault to find in it either. It is simple, the taste is light, it won't bite - although it can get very bitter if you puff too hard. It is a little sweeter than Prince Albert, but the flavor overall is lighter too. Sir Walter Raleigh and Captain Black are both more flavorful, although each is distinctly different from the other. I would hazard a guess though that the person who likes Carter Hall is more likely to enjoy Sir Walter Raleigh than they are to enjoy Captain Black.

Pipe Used: CC

Age When Smoked: right out of the pouch

Purchased From: Rite Aid

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2015-08-14		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Unnoticeable

Ok. I've smoked for almost 40 years and have never before tried Carter Hall. This is a really pleasant smoke. No frills, good American tobacco, moist but easy to keep lit. Inexpensive. What's not to like? I smoke everything: English, Virginia (my favorite), aromatics, but I'd smoke this anywhere, anytime. Very pleasant for study or reading. If you smoke a pipe to impress others, CH isn't for you. If you want the experience of simple communing with the humble practitioners of our ancient art, you should really try this. I mark the room note "unnoticeable" but it was smoked outside.

Pipe Used: Ben Wade freehand, large, deep bowl

Age When Smoked: Just purchased

Purchased From: Sleazy, local tobacco den full of cheap cigarettes and Hav-a-Tampas

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ronchoponcho (1)	2015-02-18		Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Very Pleasant

I agree with some of the previous reviews. A well used corn cob with a bowl full of Carter Hall pipe tobacco, a glass scotch and a good book ... Now that's heaven! Easy to smoke, no bite, smokes right down to the bottom of the bowl with no relighting, and just the right aroma, very mild, not overpowering. My wife even likes it, though she hates my cigars.

Pipe Used: Corn Cob

Age When Smoked: 5 years

Purchased From: Tobacco store in Plymouth, Mass

Similar Blends: Have not found one close to the mildness. Great for beginners, won't scare them off. Best thing about Carter Hall is they are right ...... No bite!.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kyrob (41)	2015-01-27		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Opening a 15 month old pouch of Carter Hall I was greeted with light brown finely cut ribbons in various shades and lengths. It was a little dry, but not too dry, what I consider perfect. It smelled of a Hershey’s chocolate bar with a light nuttiness, maybe more like a candy bar wrapper. An unlit sip was oily and nutty, and the charring light brought a fragrant sweetness. Overall this is a very consistent blend. There are no frills, just nutty burley and sweet Virginia. This pouch had the burley front and center with the Virginia playing backup and pretty much tasted like a fresh pouch. The sweetness of the Virginia reminded me of cane sugar, sweet, natural, and clean. The finish was short and left an oily mouth feel. The room note is pleasant, it reminds me of my grandparent’s home, and it left the room smelling clean and fragrant. I use this blend to break in pipes all the time, it seems to build a nice cake and there is no noticeable ghosting. I’d recommend Carter Hall to anyone wanting a straightforward, no frills codger blend or looking for a good blend to break in pipes.

Age When Smoked: 1 Year 3 Months

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NHPro (4)	2014-09-18		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Well I must say, this blend surprised me the most so far of all the OTC tobaccos I've tried. Very mild and mellow tasting with chocolate overtones? In the pouch it has a bit of a wine scent, but I didn't taste it during my smoke. Instead I enjoyed an overall easy smoking and rewarding mixture of Burley that is easy to pack and stays lit with no bite. This is a simple man's pipe tobacco, I like that. Carter Hall is a must try and will probably be agreeable to most.

Update: It's been 1 year and I still feel Carter Hall is a great tobacco. I no longer smell a wine scent, but the chocolate overtones come through strongest to me. Enjoy!

Pipe Used: Corn Cob Classic

Age When Smoked: Shelf 1 year?

Purchased From: Smoking Joe's

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	teaandpipe (3)	2014-08-01		Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Pleasant

The first real burley blend I've had. Didn't like it at first, but it's really grown on me and I like it quite a bit now. A blend every pipe smoker should try. Also is very pleasant with some Latakia blended in.

Pipe Used: MM Cob

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Backwoods Piper (70)	2014-07-03		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

As mentioned in Pipe Stud's review this is an excellent blend for breaking in a new pipe. This is a premium burly that is a perfect smoke anytime. CH burns bite free and somewhat fast as most burly's do and as previously mentioned in other reviews has a great no nonsense tobacco flavor. CH is cased with a small amount of vanilla and gives it a sweet nutty flavor. I Have been smoking CH for years I love the aroma too, takes me back to a simpler time.

Pipe Used: Cobs and Briars

Purchased From: pipesandncigars.com and otc

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Shoog (13)	2013-03-13		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This has been my go to blend since I have started pipe smoking. Carter Hall is one of those tobaccos the never disappoints. Very pleasant raisin like smell from the tub. Tons of cool creamy smoke. It is one of the few blends that has never bit me despite how I abuse it. It does burn a tad on the fast side but for the price and availability I'm ok with that. (Just load up another bowl if you feel the need, it's cheap enough). It is the ONLY tobacco I can smoke all day with no negative effects or it wearing on my taste buds. Carter Hall may lack the snob appeal but that's just another positive in my opinion.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	zulujerk (146)	2011-08-04		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.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HabaneroHardy (401)	2010-10-24		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I purchased some drug store pipe tobacco in 1.5 oz boxes back in 1997 that were in the discount bin for 10 cents a piece. I opened up a box of Carter Hall in 2010 some 13 years later and found it moist and with a pleasant aroma. I proceeded to smoke it in a pipe I had given my father as a gift back in 1968 when I was 8 years old. It was a nice mild smoke and with a lot of nostalgia behind it. The year is 2016 and just opened another box of Carter Hall making this box 19 years old and it still is moist and tastes great.

Pipe Used: Corn Cob

Age When Smoked: 19

Purchased From: Drug Store

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-04-26		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I've been working on a tub of this for some time now, off and on. This is your proto-typical OTC burley blend. It's far from my favorite OTC, but it's your basic non-offensive pure burley tobacco. Not overly flavorful, this was obviously designed to be an all-day smoke, probably for those who smoke a lot all day! There is a mild topping that becomes an irritant from time to time but it comes and goes - it's mostly "gone". It's predominantly a straight tobacco taste, nothing to throw the taste buds into a rapturous tizzy, but nice and steady. It's hard to imagine anyone hating this but I can certainly see how some smokers would long for a bit more pizzaz.

If you're into OTC's, you've obviously tried this already. If you're not and you're wondering what the fuss is all about, this might be a good place to start. My experience tells me that as cute and handy as those little packages are, the tub is much more consistent.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sailorjack (57)	2010-03-20		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

I don't smoke burley blends much anymore but if you like old codger burleys than I don't see how one wouldn't enjoy CH. I have smoked a good deal of Middleton's Sugar Barrel and enjoy it more but this is a tasty, relaxing smoke. Only negative is a fast burn.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-07-02		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

My first pipe tobacco experience and opening the "luxury" pouch will always bring a whiff of that time. Recommended from me for nostalgia alone. Dependable drugstore tobacco.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Xeneize (275)	2008-11-13		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Better than Granger and way better than Half & Half, this is "high quality" drugstore tobacco, with very little tongue bite and chemical taste.

That said, there are tons of burley blends way better than this one. Even when they are more expensive, we have only one life to try hundreds of tobaccos. Aim for the good ones, and if you're willing to try the rest and you haven't died yet, consider giving drugstore blends a try, and start with Prince Albert, SWR Aromatic and Walnut.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tantric (321)	2005-12-12		Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable

This is something in between Prince Albert and Half&Half. A very conventional burley, with a hint of Virginias (at least in the aroma), and a rather sharp, acidic note. Mild and virtually flavorless, it is prepared with the same industrial care of many a drug store blend, hence it packs easily, it lights quickly and it burns trouble free. Again, not a bad choice if stuck in the middle of nowhere, or if just wanting to have a few puffs when in public. Personally, I prefer Half& Half or the Prince, but I recently smoked this one in a shopping mall, just before going to a movie theater, and it served its purpose perfectly well.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Benjamin Meyer (25)	2021-01-22		Mild	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I won't go into introducing Carter Hall as everyone reading this probably knows about it already. I type this as I smoke my last bowl of the sample gifted by an internet friend.

Out of the bag, the color is very homogeneously brown. A medium sort of leather brown. The cut is a rough flaky cut. Not as a tobacco flake but more like loose petals. There are very different sizes in there, from the smallest specs to to larger chunks that first worried me a bit. The smell is quite sweet. I can already guess the chocolate like taste I get as I smoke it. Appart from that, nothing really stands out really. Just simple tobacco.

The sample I have is pretty much ready to smoke but I still tried drying it a little but didn't notice much change. Packing is extremely easy. Those larger pieces get jammed in there with ease and I light up. A charring light, a tue light, and off I go! No need for excessive charring or babying. Unless I don't pay attention, it will stay lit like that for the whole bowl. As a matter of fact, last week, I had to dump the end of a bowl in the ash tray, and that little ball of dead leaves kept smoldering endlessly! That's how easy this smokes.

The taste is innocuous. I don't see anyone disliking it, really. This is clearly burley in it's nutty form. I'd say somewhere in the hazelnut realm. It's quite obvious there is a topping here. It's hard to say what it is but I'd guess a light chocolate. The hazelnut goes well with it. The milky sweetness makes me think of those english chocolates I normally don't like too much. Something boozy too? The topping, while present, is nothing to worry about and the blend should by no means be qualified as an aromatic. There is a slight tangy feel to it. Are there virginias in here? There are a couple of things I don't appreciate here though. I can feel a slight chemical, medicinal taste. Is that the excessive humectants? The second, but that's just from the way I usually smoke, is I find it lacks depth, excitement, and evolution.

This is such a simple smoke! I can now see why this is often advised as a good beginner tobacco as everything is easy about it., from the lack of drying, to the packing, down to the actual smoking. All through going down this sample, I was torn between boredom and plain satisfaction. I'd smoke it again but won't look for it either.

Pipe Used: various briars and that beloved meer

Age When Smoked: 3 year old sample

Purchased From: Sample from a friend

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Boatdock (38)	2020-09-29		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Of the few drug store blends that are still available, this is the only one I would buy. It tastes good, behaves well and makes for a decent all day smoke.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Wally Frank Collector (46)	2020-05-24		Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

UPDATED at BOTTOM with a smoke of 1970's vintage Carter Hall

Upon opening the humidor I smelled rich tobacco, a touch of bourbon and a light fragrance of cocoa. The tobacco was absolutely perfect in its dryness and I let it sit out for about a half hour on a paper towel.

Nice cut tobacco that seemed to burn at a moderate rate. It burned down to a good gray ash and while it did not bite it showed a tendency to burn a bit hot at times even as I sipped slowly. The smoke was billowy and thick and at times touched upon creamy. A nice smooth smoke overall that required the average amount of re-lights. No moisture.

Upon lighting I experienced a rich tobacco with light nuttiness, a earthiness, lightly grassy with a pleasant light tang and a slight citrus background. A very pleasant and very light cocoa appeared and about a quarter of the way into the bowl a light molasses appeared. There was a wonderful sweet aftertaste and I had to look again as the label for the aftertaste reminded me very much of Field & Stream match. I enjoyed immensely the sweet slightly chocolate aftertaste. At about a third of the way down the bowl the cocoa switched into a light chocolate which lasted until just past halfway down the bowl. At that point the various light flavors began to slowly fade until only a tobacco flavor remained the last few sips.

This was a very pleasant smoke and I absolutely enjoyed my time touring Carter Hall in this smoke. The pleasant aftertaste lasted around a half hour after finishing the bowl. The only downside I could find with Carter Hall is that during the relights in the last half of the bowl I did find a slight cigarette taste during the re-lights. All in all a wonderful experience and this tobacco is definitely in my rotation of favorites. Again, the aftertaste and sweetness reminded me of F&S match but in a lighter and very pleasant way. A favorite blend for sure that is presently #2 on my rotation. Bought in a pouch

==UPDATED== CARTER HALL from the 1970's-A Blast from the Past!

Today I received a wonderful package in the mail from a friend and it is Carter Hall from the 1970's. Now I went to high school in the 1970's so this is a blast from the past for me.

Upon opening the bag I smelled the flavors of a mild chocolate, rich tobacco and a light touch of bourbon. This was perfect in moisture content and the cut seemed to be more coarse than the present ribbon. This burned at a consistent moderate rate. Upon lighting a profusion of smoke came forth and the smoke was mild to thick and creamy. Once lit there were no re-lights. There was no moisture in the bowl. This burned to a dark gray ash. There was no bite and no rough edges for this was rich and mellow.

Upon lighting I taste a mild chocolate, a very smooth nutty flavor, a mild earthiness and a very, very mild grassy flavor and as the smoke progressed to ab out half way down the bowl this became a wonderful rich mild chocolate that had a bit of light raisin pop in and out occasionally. This left a nice chocolate aftertaste both during and after the smoke. Not as sweet as the new blend,, but in a deeper richer mellower flavor than the newer version of the blend. The aftertaste after the smoke lasted about 20 minutes.

I really enjoyed this vintage Carter Hall. Thank you Mike! The aging made this more mild, mellow and deeper in flavor. I enjoyed this very, very much. I give it a 5 our of 4 stars!!!

Pipe used; Wally Frank Pipe of the Month Rhodesian

Age When Smoked; 40 plus years

Gift from friend

Strength Mild

Flavoring-mild

Taste-Mild

Room Note-very pleasant

Pipe Used: 70 year old MM Diamond shank bent cob

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: P&C

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	jdb67 (3)	2020-05-21		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Take this for what it is. Carter Hall is a solid tobacco but is not exciting in any way. The number one reason I smoke CH is that it is like training wheels for a pipe. It will not punish you for doing everything wrong in your smoking technique. I highly recommend CH for any new smoker and just smoke this for a while until you can smoke it reasonably cool (bowl is not getting hot), not relight a ton, and start to actually taste the burley. What you will find is that even after you experiment with other tobaccos, it is still easy to pick up CH when you don't want complicated or contemplative and enjoy a simple smoke.

Pipe Used: lots of briar pipes

Age When Smoked: New

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Rich Weinkauf (7)	2020-05-15		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I can't add anything to all these conscientious reviews of Carter Hall that hasn't already been said- so this review recounts my experiences with CH matches, and where I think Carter Hall stands with regard to them.

Hearth & Home Chatham Manor: A very good tobacco, but I experience a little mid-palette tingle that I don't get with Carter Hall. The flavoring seems less chocolate-ty than Carter Hall. Where I get a wonderful nuttiness and cocoa on the tin note of Carter Hall, the Chatham Manor seems to have a more minerally tin note, like you get on the aroma of a flinty Chablis, or the hard-water edge of an English Bitter ale. There also is a hint of acetic/sherry vinegar in the pouch.

pipesandcigars Match Carter Hall: Again, I get just a touch of mid-palette tingle with this match that doesn't show up in Carter Hall. It is also a very good, high-quality tobacco, but the tin note is slightly more carmelly than Carter Hall.

I find Carter Hall to be smooth, and soothing. I smoke it as a "palette cleanser" after a bold tobacco, and it often cools any tongue bite I may have experienced from a previous bowl of some other tobacco. As others have said- I don't have to think too much about it. I get a wonderful, smooth, mellow chocolate flavor until about halfway through the bowl, followed by a gradual transition to a perfectly pH-balanced creamy smoke.

Carter Hall goes with medium roast Dominican coffee, as well as dark roasted Sulawesi, or even some wild Yemens. It goes with English beers nicely, like Bitters, Milds, and Porters, but also Cream Ales and Wheats. I love it with an Old Fashioned made with Rye. There is a place in the world for simple things- they add-to and enhance an experience, rather than demand center stage.

You absolutely can't go wrong with H&H Chatham Manor, or the P&C Match- they are both excellent, and you won't regret buying them, but I find Carter Hall to be the nicest of the three, and will always have some in the house.

Pipe Used: Savinelli Regimental, Butz-Choquin Private Label

Age When Smoked: Fresh from pouch

Purchased From: tobaccopipes.com, bnbtobacco.com

Similar Blends: Hearth & Home Chatham Manor, P&C Match Carter Hall.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kokinhenik (93)	2020-04-30		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

The variety of all things pipe, from the tobacco blends to the lighters, drive my pipe enthusiasm. I find my self collecting all of it, pipes, tins, tampers, lighters, ashtrays, pouches and everything related. There's a process of maturity in the research and historical revelation discovered as a collector. You learn to respect and adore the old brands and old codgers. Carter Hall is one of those discoverys. That drugstore pouch is a venerable old blend, in production since 1950, while its current blender, John Middleton, Inc. Has been around since 1895. Generations of pipe smokers have loved and enjoyed the blend. In the pouch it's a rough cut mixture of burley with a little bit of Virginia. The tobacco looks and feels natural, its not goopy, its organic to the touch and its actually the perfect moisture level, its dry enough to smoke when you open it. The pouch note is nutty, almond and sweet. You can smell a flavoring but make no mistake, this is an old school American burley. In the bowl it lights easily and rewards you with rich notes of toasted pine tips, earth, wood and espresso. The burley melds effortlessly with the grassy citrusy and sweet Virginia for a very natural tobacco taste. The Bourbon topping tingles my tongue occasionally and the Cocoa / Chocolate flavor is very subtle. It's delicious and an easy choice for an all day smoke. Quality and value.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	mr.cadavis (1)	2019-08-06		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

When I know it's a "pipe zone" moment...when the nose and tongue are at optimum...and the day/evening has presented an opportunity to load a pipe, I invariably reach for Carter Hall. It's true that CH is in prime form in the morning paired with coffee. It's true that CH is a low maintenance, straight forward smoke. It's true that, for many, it is "comfort" tobacco. Dependable, consistent, and satisfying. It ebbs and flows with nutty, buttery, cocoa, molasses, and pepper peeking in now n then. CH will set about a familiar and agreeable room note too. All that, and more, from a "budget" OTC "codger". I have a respectable assortment of many popular and obscure premium blends, as well as a couple in the CH category. They all have their place and I am blessed to enjoy them. Carter Hall, however, is my "stranded on an island with a lifetime supply of just one blend" tobacco.

Pipe Used: The lot

Age When Smoked: New to up to 5 year aged.

Purchased From: Smokersoutletinline, SP, P&C, 4Noggins, BnB, Local

Similar Blends: John Middleton, Inc - Prince Albert, Hearth & Home - Chatham Manor (Mid-Town Series).

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WickedJeeper83 (1)	2019-07-06		Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Pleasant

Pardon my newbie ignorance first and foremost. This is one of the first tobaccos that I’ve tried outside of Lane 1Q, so my experience with other blends compared to this will be one sided.

Firstly, the Tin note reminds me of raisins and plums which for some like myself who may be new to the hobby can be a little misleading but nonetheless smells great. Room note I’ve had some say it’s a sweet smell to a hint of a cotton candy note. As far as the flavoring I’m still trying to sip through the Smokey, ashy taste but the more I smoke this I find it gives a very nutty, earthy taste with some ever so slight sweet taste.

I’ve noticed that I don’t get much of the flavor until I’m about half way through the bowl. Best way I’ve found to dig out flavoring of Carter Hall is three decent puffs or sips followed by a slight wisp of smoke when pulling the pipe from my mouth.

I suggest you take this review as you will because of the newness. I haven’t developed into a smoker to pick up some of the flavors many have described such as tangy. Comes with time I guess.

Pipe Used: MM Corn Cob (mini)

Age When Smoked: Fresh from the pouch

Purchased From: Tobacco outlet

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tjbjr18 (4)	2018-04-18		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Has a nice smell right out of the pouch stays lit pretty good not harsh does not bite as a nice kind of molasses sweetness to it and a nice nutty after taste like a good Burley find this to be my second favorite Burley to Sir Walter Raleigh but a very highly recommended smoke for a first-time pipe smoker will be buying this and keeping it in my stock

Pipe Used: Stillwell. Natural cob Savinelli

Purchased From: Gas station

Similar Blends: Sir Walter Raleigh Prince Albert.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	renwardhoop (177)	2018-01-22		Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

Not available in the UK. My son brought some back from the States.

I have only a couple of bowls-worth therefore to base this review on.

As an OTC in the US this does compare favourably with equivalent blends in this country, but then it doesn't have much competition.

This is a soft mixture, mild on the palate and easy burning. There is a friendly malty fragrance so unlike anything I have tried before. It doesn't have much in the way of taste, but I would certainly be dragging this out on a regular basis if I had a whole pouch to play with.

Pipe Used: All

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Gifted

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CnS Pipes (40)	2018-01-10		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

CARTER HALL V2.0 of 2018

Carter Hall one of America's old school pipe tobaccos been around for a coon's age l'll tell you what, this brand is part of American smoking culture and the history is rich. Mostly made of burley and a dash of Virginia this lightly topped blend keeps it simple but smooth with a over all nice sweet taste that just goes great with a black cup of coffee. The only thing I ponder on is what Carter Hall once tasted like in the good old days before it was mass produced? I was really thinking about this when I purchased a pouch and pulled out a uncut press sheet of tobacco which as a tobacconist tells me a whole bunch of things. Tobacco is processed into a sheet much like cigarette tobacco is because the companies use fillers and additives to keep up with supply and demand especially if they do not out source there tobaccos and mostly stick with American grown tobacco. I found out that Carter Hall through what I found does the very same, I'm not surprised by any means but this was the first time I ever pulled out a piece of press sheet because I'm sure they work hard to make sure all there pipe tobaccos are shredded very well. From the company that brings you Black n Milds there pipe tobacco products are just as processed so your not getting 100% pure natural shredded tobacco, with that being said who really knows what your smoking and what they truly put in this pipe tobacco, I am sure that in the old days this was not a common practice because there was no need to do this to tobacco unlike today. Carter Hall is still a nice good quality pipe tobacco and will deliver a mellow smoke with a mild nicotine dose and a neutral room note that is not bad at all. It can be a all day smoke but I personally would stick with a more pure form of pipe tobacco for that and not because Carter Hall is bad but because I do not care to smoke unknowns which is why I quit smoking cigarettes so keep that in my if your new to pipe smoking. All and all this is a good old fashion style pipe tobacco that I would recommend because it taste pretty dang good and does not bite and goes great with coffee. Carter Hall is also great for blending and adding to other pipe tobaccos for whatever reason you can think up. If your a burley fan and I am a burley fan then Carter Hall is a good choice and still delivers a nice burley taste, its very neutral and does well in just about any pipe and does not leave a after effect in taste in a bowl and is good for even breaking in a new pipe for that very reason. There is not much more to say about this pipe tobacco blend because its really not that complex its just smooth and sweet. I give it a thumbs up, thanks for reading my review God bless all you fellow pipe smokers and God bless America, stand up for your right to smoke and support your American tobacco growers.

Pipe Used: MM Corn Cob and BPK

Age When Smoked: 39

Purchased From: Barneys in Pinehurst Idaho

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Prof. Lewis (7)	2018-01-02		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Nice flavour and room note, I am sure there is topping in here but it seems light. When I was younger I had smoked some of Middleton's cigars, this sort of reminds me of those cigars, not quite as aromatic. Only drawback to this blend is that I found it burned a little fast.

Age When Smoked: 2 oz sample smoked fresh

Purchased From: 4noggins.com

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Virginia lover (218)	2017-09-12		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

A fuller version of Prince Albert, a stronger topping and the Virginias give it more character. Nuttier, earthier with a stronger chocolate and bourbon topping. Has better burning qualities and the topping recedes towards the end. Another OTC winner.

Virginia lover

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	1979 (62)	2017-04-15		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

John H Middleton - Carter Hall

"No-name products could compromise these tough standards and that would reduce your smoking pleasure."  Fortunately Carter Hall refuses to allow this to happen to you, and puts it in writing right on the box.

When i got into this pipe smoking thing back in the late 90s Carter Hall was the second tobacco I went to after figuring that there must surely be something better than The Captain.  Unlike The Captain it's one that I've returned to time and again since. 

A nutty burley with a nutty cut, sweetened and enhanced with possibly honey or molasses, produces a hint of what I interpret as cinnamon.  Won't bite and doesn't even taste so bad when you puff away like crazy.  Very forgiving.  Not sticky and moisture is great right from the pouch.  Can turn somewhat bitter at the bottom of the bowl just like you'd expect.  A very inoffensive blend, I can't think of anything bad to say about it.  I'm a little hard pressed to give Carter Hall a four star rating (although I really should) just because it doesn't quite take me to the upper echelons of tobacco nirvana.  But it is a dependable old standby and the best OTC blend on the market today in my opinion.

Readily available anywhere in the US at reasonable cost, I'd very much recommend this to every beginning piper, or anyone looking for a blend that's simple and easy to get along with.

Carter Hall -- it's not a place, it's a state of mind.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jason h. (51)	2016-12-24		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This has become my favorite Codger tobacco. All of the "tobacco snobs" will tell you it is not "worthy", and I say to this........"Bull!!!!" This is the mildest most biteless tobaccos you will ever smoke. Its good, and sweet. And best of all, it contains no "Latakia," the stuff alot of pipe tobacco (snobs) folks like? Latakia smells and tastes so offensive.......how can anybody smoke that crap!?

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jacinto Cupboard (209)	2016-06-03		Mild	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

A mild Burley-Virginia blend with the sparest of flavouring. The top note is, after numerous rethinks, some kind of berry or plum. Maybe. Perhaps.

Burns a treat without need for attention.

Easy to see why this is one of the great surviving American codger blends. It tastes good. it smells nice. It burns right. You can't ask much more of a tobacco.

Edit. After a few kilos of this stuff I've amended my rating down to three. I still think it's a good tobacco, but I find it does burn a tad too fast, and this takes away from the value of the product. Additionally, I keep coming across un natural looking pieces of tobacco which I think might be tobacco laminate. And, for whatever reason, my palate seems to developed an irritation from this baccy. Not deal breakers, but caveat emptor.

Pipe Used: Lepeltier

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	W. Carter (6)	2016-05-05		Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

Nice everyday workhorse. If you are looking for a good burley with just a little toppings this is for you. Mild nutty taste with no tongue bite and nice nicotene hit. It leaves a nice taste in your mouth. It comes in a big 14 oz. tin and the price is low, around $26.00. If your an ex cig smoker (like me) and inhale occasionally it is very enjoyable. You might find yourself loading your bowl more often than usual, not because it burns too fast, it's that good. For me it's the best OTC blend and a every day smoke. Highly recommended!

Pipe Used: grabow grand duke with filter

Age When Smoked: 14 oz can

Purchased From: smokers outlet online

Similar Blends: Similar to Captain Black White but less nutty..

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Theosprey247 (73)	2016-03-24		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Carter Hall is one of the classics along with PA and SWR. Like those two packs easily (no fancy fold twist and stuff here folks), lights easy and doesn't require many relights (if any). My primitive taste buds were able to pick up hint of chocolate. It doesn't cost much and you get way more than you pay with this blend. Is it an all day everyday smoke? No 'cause that would get boring! Highly Recommended.

Pipe Used: Briars

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Down the street

Similar Blends: Prince Albert (sort of).

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Geronimo Von Klaus (76)	2016-01-22		Mild	Medium to Strong	Mild	Pleasant

What is there to say that hasn't been said before?

The best drugstore blend that I have tried. More depth than SWR and H&H, no bite like Sail, Troost and the others have.

Surprisingly rich and deep. Decent quality burley, very nice aroma and the casing is added with a light hand. The concoction is distinct. It's sweet, mellow and very distinguishable from other blends with a characteristic scent that most of us will know from being around old-timers who smoke this exclusively.

No bite, but it does get a touch dirty and bitter if you push it. I have tried a lunchtime smoke with this more than once and found the aftertaste alters drastically if you powersmoke it. It's best early in the day, outdoors with some sweet tea or coffee.

No huge Nic hit, all in all very easy and nice.

Every piper should have a drum of this on hand!

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	mayor91 (3)	2016-01-14		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Excellent OTC. Probably the best, and certainly my favorite. I never find it running hot, even with my habit of overpuffing. Good burley and virginia taste. Smells like it has a deep fruit casing, but that does not come through in the smoke. Fairly mild, but excellent with a bit of good quality, higher proof bourbon. They really play off each other.

Pipe Used: Wessex Bristol (Dublin Shape)

Age When Smoked: 6 mo.

Purchased From: Local Grocery

Similar Blends: Pinkerton Tobacco Co. - Granger, Brown & Williamson - Sir Walter Raleigh, The Country Squire Tobacconist - Cherokee .

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ASmithee (20)	2016-01-01		Very Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I can confirm that Carter Hall quickly builds a nice, even cake. CH is great for breaking in a new briar as people claim. It requires no re-lights but the burn and overall experience is more like a cigarette smoking than pipe smoking.

As a newbie pipe smoker, I am still acclimating to the various blends, tastes, and sensations of pipe tobacco and their variations in different types of pipes. I'm still struggling with experiencing the sensations others describe such as "smokey", "dry", "spicy", "full bodied", "creamy", etc. I'm just not there yet until I smoked CH.

I now understand what is meant by a "smooth" smoke. CH is consistent from beginning to end. There's only one note here -- it's the burley and light-sweet virginia that come through. The smoke is indeed smooth -- each draw delivers a consistent, mild flavor. No bite, no relighting, just a no-nonsense, simple smoke.

CH can be a let down for those "expecting" something, as it was for me at first. But it has grown on me and I now understand why this is a go-to blend for any occasion. The one negative I found is the similarity between this blend and cigarette tobacco.

Pipe Used: Rossi

Age When Smoked: pouch fresh

Purchased From: smoking pipes

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Der Pfeifenraucher (71)	2014-12-06		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Tolerable

I picked up a pouch of Carter Hall a while ago on a whim on the way out of the gas station. I had a recent go with Prince Albert that pleasantly surprised so I decided to spend three weeks worth of pipes on Carter Hall. The handling properties of CH are just what I like. just smash a wad of weed in the bowl, light, and go. Stays lit and allows your mind to pursue other endeavors if you want to. Flavor of the stuff, though, does fall short of acceptable. I considered tossing the pouch halfway through but stuck it out if only for a fair review. I found it to burn a little hot, and it tasted a lot like cigarettes after the first third. Life is too short and there are too many other tobaccos to try, I won't be getting this one again. Especially when Prince Albert is sitting right next to it on the shelf.

Pipe Used: crusty old cob

Age When Smoked: new?

Purchased From: gas station

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Uban (60)	2014-11-20		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

All my favorites cost ten times what this stuff does, but it has its place. If you are looking for a nice, easy, break-in tobacco, this can be it. If you want something for the car, likewise. To burn the unpleasant taste of of a ghost out of a used pipe, go for it. Not great, but definitely good; just a bit sweet, just a bit aromatic, just a bit cased, just a bit moist, just a bit nutty, etc. For the price, a winner.

Pipe Used: Cob, clay

Age When Smoked: Who knows?

Purchased From: Walmart

Similar Blends: Walnut, a little, PA, a little, SWR, a little, but better..

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bonneville (52)	2014-08-30		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Odd that after reviewing a dozen or so "premium" blends I choose to review this one- a drug store blend that everybody's grandpa smoked. It is this reason that I decided to pick up a pouch and try it- for historic insight.

Frankly, I was surprised by this stuff. I actually enjoy smoking it. Some pluses are that it packs easily and burns extremely well. The taste is pretty mono but smooth and creamy. For these reasons, it would make a great starter baccy for those just starting to smoke a pipe. It will help train you in proper packing technique.

2 stars for you experienced smokers who like English and Virginia blends but are either feeling adventurous or can't find anything else.

4 stars for those who are beginners, or those who like simple straightforward and readily available tobacco

3 stars average

Pipe Used: Eriksen Keystone

Purchased From: Beehive Cigars

Similar Blends: Prince Albert, Kentucky Club.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mark Andrew (4)	2014-08-07		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I am new to pipe smoking, but I think this tobacco is quite pleasant for an OTC. It's definitely a mild smoke all around, but it's not so mild that you feel like you're smoking steam. The smoke it gives off is thick and creamy, with a hint of sweetness and no nasty chemical after taste. It definitely could have some more "pizazz" but by no means is this blend unpleasant to me. Good buy at a great price!

Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum Corn Cob, "The Legend"

Age When Smoked: Just opened

Purchased From: Smoke shop

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	UncleGar (110)	2014-07-28		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I purchased a pouch simply for nostalgia and due to its low price. I hadn't smoked this since the early 1970's. Unfortunately, the taste hasn't changed much: strangely topped low grade burley. The company used to seal the pouch, they no longer do that, leaving it free to breathe through the box and loose cellophane overwrap. I'm guessing it's to finish the insufficient curing, judging by bitter ammonia notes. Maybe my pouch needed another year of offfgassing.

Wherever this is found for sale in the US, Prince Albert will be located within 18 inches of it. Do yourself a favor and select that instead.

3/2015 update: 8 months in the back of my car apparently finished curing it, no more ammonia or greenness. Several tobaccos have this property, I usually find them among C&D tinned blends, including Pease's. Unlike them, I buy OTC's for immediate consumption. I'll enjoy the rest of the pouch because it is a good smoke once cured, and even add a star, but I wouldn't buy it again.

Pipe Used: cob

Age When Smoked: fresh, 8 months later

Purchased From: state line cigarette/beer store

Similar Blends: Prince Albert.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Palermo09 (23)	2014-06-03		Very Mild	Mild	Very Mild	Tolerable

Not a fan of this tobacco. Very one dimensional in that it has no flavor. No nicotine kick for me which would at least give it something. I tried using it to blend with other blends, but even then it brought nothing to the table.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: 2 years

Purchased From: Pharmacy

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TnRooster (15)	2014-04-13		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I bought a pouch after hearing good things about it. Smoked it a couple of times, put it in a drawer and forgot about it. About 6-7 months later, I stumbled across it in the drawer. I pulled it out, not wanting to waste it and was pleasantly surprised at how smooth and nutty it had become. It was really tasty. Now I stock up on it( only $2.50 a pouch in my area) and eagerly await it getting some age to it. I can't get over how good the flavor had become. Hope it wasn't a fluke and the others come out just as nice!

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Talltree (31)	2014-03-13		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I like mild virginia and burley tobaccos but frankly they all seem on the dull side. Carter Hall is the mildest tobacco I have ever smoked and it has a surprisingly good flavor. No nicotine dizziness and no mouth bite - just pleasant through the end of the bowl. I keep trying other custom tobaccos and always find this is the best. I buy it by the tub.

It doesn't really seem like an aromatic. Carter Hall's tin note is like those orange jelly candies coated with chocolate. There is certainly something added which keeps it moist in the tub. This doesn't seem to hurt its flavor. Solid, consistent, and a tasty mild smoke. A solid 4 stars and the foundation of my rotation.

Pipe Used: best in a corn cob, or dry in a briar

Age When Smoked: fresh out the tub

Purchased From: 4 noggins

Similar Blends: whichever retailer has the best online price, including shipping.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	gibsonisbetter (1)	2014-02-25		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

took me a couple occasional bowls to get used to this one but it is very pleasant . i live in a dorm so i have to go out to my car to enjoy smoking the pipe but the next day i love the note this blend leaves in the car, however im still a diehard latakia blend fan haha

Pipe Used: MY pipe

Purchased From: liberty tobacco, california

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Steden (100)	2014-01-26		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I was gifted of CH by Clarkus (Steve, thanks again) and I’m glad he did. Review number 300! Everything has been wrote about CH, so no surprise: a mild and comfortable blend, nutty and chocolatey but not too sweet, there's even a bit of sapidity (expecially in a meer) and others subtleties, it doesn’t bites at all and doesn’t get bitter toward the end as some Burleys do. My only complain is the topping, not bad but it doesn’t fit my preferences, luckily it’s a mild touch and disappears after a few puffs.

Pipe Used: cob, meer, briars

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CTS (138)	2014-01-09		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

An excellent basic blend and value. Pleasant change-up when you are partaking of blends intended to be more complex. Particularly when sipped, CH delivers complexity and depth, that you don't have to search for. The nutty burley and Virginia component complement each other quite well. Burns clean and easy. I also use GH in a blend with equal parts Granger and Sunset Breeze, as a break-in blend. 4 stars.

Pipe Used: MM

Age When Smoked: Purchased 3 months ago

Purchased From: Corona Smoke Shop, Battle Creek, MI

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Hunter (54)	2013-12-04		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Your basic burley blend. Slightly nutty, smokes easily without having to think about it much. Works well in a cob. Burns clean and is nice to the people around you. I buy CH occasionally for a nice car-smoke.

Pipe Used: Cob, briar

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tleek (51)	2013-08-20		Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This blend definitely has its place. It is a simple burly blend with enough virginias to take away the bitterness burly can develop and add a level of sweetness.

This tobacco tastes the way hay or fresh cut grass smells, with a layers of nuttiness and sweetness.

A simple smoke that works well with your morning coffee,in between smokes, or when you have something to do.

For example, I am a college student and am currently enrolled in an online class. I just went through a bowl while I worked through some of my assignments. I enjoyed every puff and packed up another pipe to smoke while I finish.

Its that kind of smoke. The kind you do not need to concentrate on, but is nonetheless incredibly satisfying. It burns to nothing on one or two lights, smokes cool, and requires little to no maintenance.

I am a tobacco snob, and have smoked and reviewed many blends. dont turn your nose up to this tobacco, or an of the other american classics for that matter just because you can get them at walgreens for four dollars.

They have there place, just as coca-cola and bud light do.

Of the drugstore blends I have tried, this is by far the best!

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Corncob3 (77)	2013-08-17		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

It's been forever since I visited Tobacco Reviews. Glad to be back. So to celebrate my return to one of my favorite discussion platforms, I wanted to do a new review on Carter Hall. It seems there are more reviews about the blend rather than reviews about the smoking experience that makes Carter Hall legendary. Akin to seeing the Mona Lisa in a book but never seeing it in person. Call it being bitten by the nostalgia bug, but I was clicking on images of old John Middleton tins. Never realized how many mixtures this blending house cranked out: Old Mariner, Hickory, Club Mixture, Sugar Barrel, Kentucky Club, Walnut and a blend I never remember seeing Selbur. Not to mention PA and CH. What struck me is how the logo for Carter Hall hadn't changed. Even the older tins have a contemporary feel to them. And that is the beauty of smoking this OTC. It's reliable and stands out for its reliability. A simple, honest smoke that keeps on giving It's the way pipe smoking should be. Like all OTC burleys, the leaf should be aired out and sipped when smoking. I got a much sweeter smoke by placing the pipe weed on a plastic plate and letting it wilt. Resulted Iin a much richer taste, silky clouds of white smoke and an aroma that's just heavenly. Upon first puff you get that nutty burley note. Midway down the bowl had a cherry-like sweetness. Think of a toned down version of Velvet or Burley&Black. She didn't bite or scold my pipe. Had a creamy finish and burned down to a fine white ash. The aroma: hints of mocha, cherry, anise and some other hidden secrets. Very good. Now if I can get up the gumption to buy the can...

Pipe Used: Corncob and Briar

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2012-12-12		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Tolerable

I'm the kind of guy that will try anything once. There aren't to many OTC brands out there I haven't given a go. Most all of them have disappointed me. Prince Albert was the best I could find in the OTC world. Well, move over sweet prince.

Carter Hall is slightly better than PA. It has an untheatening flavor that is true tobacco while not biting at all. Bite is my biggest issue with OTC pouch tobaccos. Carter Hall is mellow and smooth from start to finish. I bought my little pouch while out of town and wanting a pipe smoke badly. I didn't have any pipes or tobacco with me so I stopped by a tobacco store and purchased the Carter Hall and a decent Dr.Grabow all for under $25. It did the trick.

Now that I'm home my little pouch of Carter Hall isn't getting smoked. But I know it is there for me when I need it and that when that time comes it will be a decent smoke. For the money, you can't go wrong. Its inexpensive tobacco and a far cry better than just about all the other OTC brands out there. It will never be my go-to smoke. But it will be one of the few OTC brands I'll respect.

Three stars out of four. If you're in a pinch and need a smoke, you'll be satisfied with this stuff as opposed to the other offerings in your typical tobacco store.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PastorPipe (21)	2011-06-08		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.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Demetri (113)	2009-09-05		Extremely Mild	Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

I guess I was lured by these glowing reports of CH. I am pretty much an English blend smoker and of those mostly those by Cornell & Diehl and McClelland, but I do on occasion enjoy several Lane bulk aromatics (I know, weird) in a cob. Thus, when I saw a 1.5 oz pouch yesterday at grocery store for only $2.79 I figured to give this a try. Going slightly against the consensus here, I did not really enjoy this. It did not offend me outright, but did not satisfy either. Added to this was the amazing effect of giving my tongue a rasping after two bowls spaced 5 hours apart. As I smoke up to 8 bowls of C&D's Engine99 (which is like their Pirate Kake on steroids) I was surprised. Hey, I gave it a try...the remainder of pouch will go to longterm storage in my stash against the coming tobacco prohibition days ahead, unless I find a fellow Tobacco Review member in Pittsburgh to gift him this.

I find it incredible that Middleton would discontinue a fine blend such as London Dock and keep making this. I guess the bottom line rules- no surprise.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	krg1000 (183)	2009-07-17		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I had ordered a 2 ounce sample of this online. I am very surprised as to how good this tastes. Of the OTC weeds on the market, this is one of the best I have smoked. It packs and lights very easily and really does not need much tending to after the first light. I really can't add anything more positive than what has already been said below, except that I wholeheartedly concur. I have a couple more stops on my OTC trip to make, but as I say this is one of the best of the OTC blends I have had thus far. Definitely recommended for the starting pipe smoker and for those wanting a change of pace from their regular weed.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-02-05		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I would like you to meet Prince Albert's cross dressing cousin, Carter.

This is not an entirely unpleasant tobacco and is said by many to make a great mixer, but for the guy that just wants a good burley smoke on the cheap, this isn't it because it is too sweet, the result of whatever it is topped with.

That being said, it is still a smokable tobacco. Just not one I would purchase regularly. It lacks the natural, unadulterated goodness of burley and has a "cigarette tobacco" element to it's flavor. I far more prefer the more straight forward burley taste of PA to this.

=UPDATE=

Someone suggested that I mix half Carter Hall and half Prince Albert. I did, and what I found was that I wasted a perfectly good bowl of Prince Albert.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	strongirish (249)	2009-01-03		Very Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I used to smoke this exclusively for about ten years until I discovered all the great private tobaccos I now smoke. It is mild, just a touch sweet, burns well and stays lit to the bottom. It has a slightly sweet smell in the pouch and a pleasant room note that has never brought a complaint (except to smoke police). It is a good basic blend that acts as a good mixer, is fairly easy to find and if mixed with Borkum Riff Bourbon blend is great. I am on to better things now but a great starter tobacco and at a very good price.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Henry Mars (21)	2008-12-31		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

This is probably the first pipe tobacco I ever smoked .... (45 years ago?) It has been around forever and I don't think that it is going away any time soon. What you have here is a basic burly concoction augmented with a mild flavoring agent and a mild casing, which is typical of tobaccos in this class. When smoked slowly it produces a mild nutty tasting smoke that doesn't change much. This is my "yard work tobacco" because you don't have to worry about your technique short of not puffing to fast because if you do it will leave you mouth crying and your head spinning as will most burly tobacco mixtures.

If you are expecting some kind of epiphany forget it. There are far better burly mixtures out there. On the other hand, this stuff is cheap and it isn't quite mulch. 2.5 stars.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-04-24		Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

UPDATE: Ah, the memories, this stuff is what started the codger burley revolution for me. I would place this in the semi-aromatic burley category and must admit that it still does it better than most of its contemporaries. Very tasty and very smokable but given all the other burlies I have smoked since, I can't really give this one four stars. It's really good tobacco, just a little light in the hip pockets for me, a little too mild. But I really should recommend this tobacco for the unjaded especially the beginner. It's much more suitable than the typical over the top aromatics pursued my most newcomers. It really is a well done tobacco but is just too mild to fit into my rotation on a regular basis. Now kick it up a notch by mixing 1:1 with Prince Albert, then you got something to talk about. I must admit to not keeping this blend on hand at all times or even most but I can't imagine that I won't pick it up one day again when the mood strikes.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: Let's face it, everyone who has been a pipe smoker for more than a month has their fair share of horror stories about the so called drugstore blends. You know, Palladin Black Cherry so sweet that you and everyone within a five mile radius of you nearly tossed lunch or the infamous Blend 79 which (IMHO) is the rough equivalent of smoking the hair off a dead goat's backside. For these reasons, I was at first hesitant to try a drugstore blend but as I read the reviews of this blend last evening. It seemed to me after reading the reviews that it is truly one of those love it or hate it tobaccos. I talked myself into it as I have smoked predominately English blends for most of the last two months. So off I went in search of Carter Hall. It took a couple stops but I did find it available in tub as well as pouch form within 5 blocks of my house. Not knowing what the outcome would be, I opted for the pouch, with the option to later purchase a tub if the bacci was to my liking. My experience can be summarized by three words THIS STUFF ROCKS! A hint of fruitiness is almost overshadowed by the nutty taste of burley. Definitely not the most sophisticated blend I've ever smoked but truly one of the tastiest (at any price). Unlike most of its drugstore bretheren, it's not goopy, hot, or bitter (even at the bottom of the bowl),totally smooth, tasty and enjoyable. I'm so there for a tub on Friday. This will be a staple in my rotation and probably something I will always keep a little of on hand. Unbeatable tobacco for the price and convenience not to mention a remarkable value and smokability. Thanks so much for convincing me to suspend disbelief and give this drugstore blend a try. For my next trick, I mix it 50/50 with Prince Albert. Stand by for an update

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Satc001 (67)	2008-04-21		Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

For a "drug store" burley blend, this is actually pretty decent. It lights and packs easily. It delivers a one-dimentional taste of bark, that traditional burley taste. It doesn't bite too much and has a nice aroma. Having said that, I wouldn't be against picking up some of this when I can't get to any better blends or if getting high quality tobaccos becomes very tough. However, I probably won't return to this one as it is nothing to write home about, but it really isn't all that bad either.

UPDATE: Bought another pouch. I detected a strong astringent odor in the pouch. Is that Scotch I smell? The flavor reminds me of a cheap, sweet beer. It isn't bad, but I just don't care for it. Try MacBaren's London Blend Burley or Lane's Burley Mild for a better and still reasonably priced burley.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SopwithCamel (255)	2007-11-09		Very Mild	Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

The first tobacco I ever tried, and I still smoke it from time to time.

My dad smoked this, sometimes mixing it with Middleton's Cherry.

It is a very mild, inexpensive,burley/bright mixture with a slight prune/ plum top-flavor. I find it to be good for the summer in Florida.

It is one of the few non- aromatic blends available in stores where I live.

Like most Middleton blends, a pleasant and unassuming smoke, at a very affordable price.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-06-25		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Tolerable

If you're out of tobacco , having nicotine withdrawal and your only source of relief is at a drug/grocery/convenience store, you could certainly do worse than this one.

Carter Hall is one of the better drugstore blends in that it burns cool, with no bite and doesn't leave a horrible taste in your mouth or pipe.

That's as far as I can go with recommending it.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-06-10		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

A great burley. Delicious, light, pleasing in any situation. If this were the only blend available I would still smoke a pipe. Could potentially beat out PA in the #1 OTC / hands down mild burley department. Though Edgeworth is about as good as it gets as far as OTC goes if you want a kick.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2006-11-10		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Tolerable

A very mild burley tobacco, sold everywhere. No real distinguishing characteristics. A tobacco to be enjoyed while driving, playing golf, or other activity.

Enjoy in a cob for best flavor.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Relapse (18)	2006-08-09		Very Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

From time to time I find myself needing to give my taste buds a rest from the rather strong English/Balkan blends I regularly smoke. When that happens, Carter Hall is a perfect medium.

Never minding the derogatory "drugstore blend" moniker and the liters of PG it is drenched on, Carter Hall is just fine All American Burley, mild tasting, cool and stubborn burning and it burns all the way down to the pipe heel even in the worst plumbed pieces. What's not to like about it?

I don't eat fried chicken daily, but once every few weeks I truly enjoy it. Same with Carter Hall. After all, you cannot go eating Beluga Caviar daily, or can you? :-)

A solid three star.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2006-07-30		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Mild is the word. Nice taste, but mild. Nicotine was unsatisfing- But is was inexpensive and found everywhere. The one interesting note is it makes a great 50/ 50 blend with Prince Albert. That I would recomend. With about an 8% perique addition- Your having a great time.....But on its own? OK in a pinch.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2006-05-28		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Tolerable

Carter Hall is what it is. Drugstore burley. It doesn't pretend to be something it isn't. It's cheap, burns well and tastes ok. That's about all that can be said for it. I carry a pouch in my car and I don't regret it.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Philo Beddoe (221)	2006-03-12		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Nice middle of the road burley, as previous reviewers have said. It was not offensive in the least and it produced no bite. If I were out of tobacco and found this at the store I would not be disappointed. My second favorite drugstore burley after Kentucky Club.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-05-10		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Here where I live Carter Hall is the juvinile detention center, so when I first saw a pouch of this I was a little curious. I find it to be a mild and a relativly enjoyable smoke, something that is good to cleanse the palate after smoking something more heavy such as 1-Q. I have noticed other reviewers saying that when smoked in a corncob it develops a fruity-nutty taste and I would generally agree with that statement. Although I find the taste from the corncob to be much better than that from a briar, from which all I can seem to taste is hay & horse manure. I think I would recomend this if nothing else can be found or if you are on limited funds. For the price, its worth buying.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-03-27		Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I tried Carter Hall for the first time in a Missouri Meerschaum "General" that has about a 1/4 bent stem. It has a large bowl (3/4" diameter X 1 7/8" depth. I can load it up for the trip home from work and it will last all the way to the driveway, about 35 miles. It is also light on my jaw, smokes like a dream once I remove the filter and my tobaccos smoke well and taste good in it. It has become my favorite pipe and I keep several around. Easy to do for $7.29 a pop plus shipping.

But this is about Carter Hall. When I opened the pouch, I was greeted by a fruity odor, kind of like apples when they begin to decay or ferment. Not a bad odor. Given the cut, it fills and packs easily. The moisture level was fine.

With the first (and only) match Carter Hall took off and burned well. At first, I thought I was in for tongue burn, as the first draws scraped across my offended tongue like a coarse file. After that, the tobacco settled down and my tongue was not further assaulted. I had to "sip" it slowly to accomplish that end.

I will probably finish this pouch, but I have no plans to buy more. Carter Hall is just too mild, both in flavor and nicotine level for me. I was hoping for more of a tobacco taste and scent and I did not get it. Among the drugstore burleys, I much prefer Hickory, which, once the strong hickory scent subsides, provides a smoke with more nicotine punch and more tobacco flavor.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pkloop (53)	2004-12-18		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I occasionaly smoke this blend in the summer heat. Tastes along the same lines as Prince Albert with what I feel is a slight fruity taste. You can do better and much worse. Will do in a pinch. But not something I keep around for cellaring. Hey its a cheap and readily available pipe tobacco which is becoming increasingly rare..at least in these parts.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Exiled Michigander (26)	2022-01-12		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Tolerable

This is totally adequate for what it is, but just isn't very interesting. I don't ever see myself driving home from work and looking forward to a bowl of Carter Hall.

Granted, I only smoke a handful of bowls of tobacco each week, so my preferences are likely quite different from the 8-bowl-a-day pipe smoker. But I like to be able to get excited about the tobacco I'm going to smoke, and when I'm smoking I like to be transported to an exotic location or to an old memory. Carter Hall is simply too pedestrian for me to keep a can round, especially with the variety of pipe tobacco out there.

Edit (2-17-2022): I've spent a week comparing Carter Hall to Sir Walter Raleigh. Carter Hall is noticeably harsher and lacks the flavor of SWR. See my review of Sir Walter Raleigh for more details.

All in all I find Carter Hall relatively harsh on the throat for a codger blend, lacking in flavor, and generally unsatisfying.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	F4phantomdriver (8)	2021-06-26		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Carter Hall is another American classic pipe tobacco. Even though it was introduced to the pipe smoking community in 1958 it is still a classic. When I think of old men sitting in front of country stores or at Farmers Markets hanging around with their buddies smoking their pipes, the aroma of Carter Hall and Prince Albert comes to mind. Carter Hall has a basic pipe room note. Nothing really special with taste or aroma. It is the simplicity, and the consistency that makes this tobacco a great comfort and a terrific companion to so many. This is a blend where you scoop your pipe in the tub, pack it and fire it up. Light it and forget it. The taste is mild. You get the cocoa and the nutty flavors from the beautiful light brown burleys and a boozy tang from the Middleton famous virginia specks they use. The flavor is light chocolate and bourbon with a little sweetness in the background. This is a good blend, solid and dependable. If I had to make a choice between Carter Hall and Prince Albert, I would pick the Prince. The latter has a better nicotine punch and a more deeper, cocoay and molasses flavor which I prefer. Update: This tobacco is still in production. It is being made in the Dominican Republic.

Pipe Used: Dr. Grabow Westbrook billiard

Age When Smoked: Fresh to a year

Purchased From: Pipesandcigars

Similar Blends: Prince Albert, Kentucky Club.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PipeMaker (2)	2021-05-19		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

MADE IN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC! So much for an American iconic blend. This was a good tobacco, too bad John Middleton's sold us out. I'm very disappointed in their decision to move production over seas. I enjoyed CH very much, one of the best OTC tobacco available. I do not believe I can support them any longer.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TotoPipeDreams (44)	2020-11-28		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

An American classic (so they say)! Also my first OTC blend. A no nonsense, lightly aromatic, burley-forward blend. I’d recommend CH to those who are new to non-aros or want to dive into Burley blends. A bittersweet chocolate, rum raisin note on the nose and a muted burley, nutty, sweetness on the palate. A reliable classic for pipe smokers here in the US as it’s almost always available in a grocery store and dirt cheap.

All in all, Carter Hall most certainly deserves its place in Pipe Smoking Lore. It serves a varied and often needed purpose. A “gateway”tobacco if you will!

Happy Smokes, - Toto

Pipe Used: MM Country Gentleman

Age When Smoked: New

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DakotaHale43 (47)	2020-07-03		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild	Tolerable

You have to appreciate it for what it is - a basic blend of burley from your local gas station or drug store. But despite it's humble origin, it surprisingly holds a candle to pricier, highly-rated blends out there. Every pipe smoker should try Carter Hall at least once.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	The Harbor Seal (12)	2020-03-05		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

As opposed to Sir Walter Raleigh, this one comes in a sealed pouch inside a cardboard box. The "tin" note is very similar, maybe slightly stronger with a definitely noticeable cocoa smell.

To keep things short in comparison to Sir Walter Raleigh: the cocoa aroma seems stronger as you smoke, the taste is less sweet, I don't really get much of the Virginias but there is something lingering in the background that makes this blend different. All in all the differences are very minor, the two blends taste very simialar, both very burley forward and simple. Not exciting, but nothing wrong with either of the two blends. Nevertheless, every pipe smoker should at least have tried one of these OTCs at least once in their career.

Pipe Used: Stanwell Zebrano w/ 9 mm charcoal filter

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) - Sir Walter Raleigh.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TheGCDoc (8)	2019-02-15		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

My Carter Hall experience started after reading somewhere among the interwebs about using the tobacco to break in a new pipe. Many had recommended it for it's ability in leaving a nice layer of carbon inside a fresh bowl. Since I had recently picked up a few Missouri Meerschaums I thought the price was too nice not to give it a try. To my surprise, I was blown away that a cheap tobacco could have such a cool, balanced yet flavorful smoke! The pouch note was giving me subtle notes of cocoa, prune, and a touch of raisin/rum. It packed and lit well and the first initial taste was a biscuit, dry hay with a background of a nut I couldn't quite define (hazelnut maybe?). It burned well and cool, but did require a relight which produced new notes of stale graham cracker with a toasted marshmallow-like background. The notes of cocoa are there, but a little more sparse than the pouch note and room note suggest. Coining this as my "smores" smoke with all flavors making an appearance throughout the bowl. A definite thumbs up for this blend with a rating of 3.5 from me!

Pipe Used: Molina Bent Billiard; Missouri Meerschaums

Age When Smoked: 6 months

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Novaki (41)	2019-02-04		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Buttery, creamy and fruity throughout most of the bowl. Very pleasant and mild in strength and flavor. Low to mild nicotine content. One of the most enjoyable things about this blend is the pleasant surprise that the Virginia’s bring to the mix. I smoke for a good while on the tastefully topped burly and then the Virginia’s sneak in and it’s a true joy. The Virginia is surprisingly good for an OTC and imo drives this otherwise decent smoke up quite a few points for me.

Pipe Used: Cob

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Local Tobacco World

Similar Blends: John Middleton, Inc - Prince Albert.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pipelicidad (26)	2018-08-27		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

Very similar to PA. Nutty and roasted burley, but whit a different casing and/or topping. While PA comes along with coffee-chocolate smell and taste, this one has a more chocolate-fruity profile. As many reviewers have noticed, these blends have a slight “chemical” or “plastic” taste, that could be described as something close to the taste you get when inflating a plastic ball. It is perfectly possible that the cause of the latter is a humectant like Propylene glycol. In any case, both flavors (casing/topping and PG) are not that noticeable. It is an austere and simple burley blend, very easy to keep lit. Two and a half stars.

Pipe Used: Cobs and briar pipes

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Similar Blends: Prince Albert, Kentucky Club.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	gunner525 (66)	2018-08-26		Very Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

When I had this blend I got a really good idea as to why people use it to cut blends, it's very bland. It's a mundane smoke. Not a whole lot going on flavor wise. Yeah it burns fine, but I get better flavor from the water I'm sipping on than I do the tobacco in this blend. If you're looking for a good Burley blend try Mac Baren's HH Burley or Solani's Aged Burley Flake or C&D's Burley No-5. Don't waste your time or palate on this archaic blend.

Pipe Used: Peterson Dalkey 106

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: B&M

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Adam Z (18)	2018-07-06		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Original review (7/6/18) The pouch I had required no drying time - it was pretty much perfect from the bag, but YMMV. The taste isn't all that bad, but neither is it extremely appealing to me. I definitely get the nutty burley flavor, and the room note is indeed very pleasant, but I also get this odd chalky mouthfeel that just makes me want to rinse my mouth after every few puffs so as to avoid cake buildup in places where it is not desired. Speaking of cake, it does have a reputation for being good for building cake - if it can build cake in your mouth, then it's sure to do so in your pipe, so it has that going for it. If it wasn't for the chalky mouth that it leaves me with I probably would enjoy it more.

UPDATE 7/25/18: Well, I've tried this some more, and I'm going to have to upgrade my review to 3 stars. IDK what was going on with my mouth when I smoked that first bowl, but I've smoked another half-dozen bowls of CH now with no chalky mouth whatsoever. In fact, I had smoked CH and neglected to scrub out the bowl with the same vigor as I usually would (because, cake-building), and then for my next smoke in the same pipe about 6 days later, I smoked some Nightcap, and it was AMAZING. So good, that I've had thoughts of committing heresy and blending a bit of CH into my Nightcap. It doesn't sound like it should be tasty, but tasting the remnants of the CH previously smoked in that pipe as I smoked the bowl of Nightcap was a pleasant surprise.

Another nice use for CH - those times when I'm wanting to smoke a bowl, but I'm not sure if I'm going to have time to finish it. I hate to dump half a bowl of some boutique tobacco (because some blends are ok to come back to hours later, and others not so much), so for those maybe pressed-for-time smokes I'm loading Carter Hall. If I don't get to finish the bowl, I don't feel bad about dumping it, because I only spent $3.39 on the 1.5 oz pouch, and the supply is plentiful.

Pipe Used: Savinelli 601 bent billiard

Purchased From: JR Cigar (Burlington, NC), Food Lion (grocery store)

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DenizBeck (323)	2018-04-07		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

An interesting OTC blend this is! I was lucky to get ahold of some 20grams of Carther Hall and to be honest: When I dipped my nose into the baggie I wasn't sure whether I'd like it or not. The topping is somewhat chemical, not really Bourbon-ish, but fruity, nutty and somewhat alcohol-ish. Easy to handle cut.

I smoked Carter Hall in Clays, Briars and Cobs and it sings to me in Corn Cobs! The taste profile isn't immensely complex, nor too refined, but solid and tasty when I'm looking for an easy smoke in the morning hours or inbetween. Delicate nuttiness, some chocolate-notes, decent, yet rather mild spiciness, but some neat tartness. The topping is mildly perceptible and again is more fruity-alcohol-ish with some nut and cocoa to it, rather than being Bourbon-ish. The topping is somewhat chemical but walks the thin line of soulless and charming artificial flavorings and I somehow like it for what it is! The burleys set a great base for this blend.

Yup.. I quite like it and can imagine of buying a few packs of this should I get the chance of doing so. It's an easy man's smoke. Sit down on the front porch, sip your drink, play some good music, and let the thoughts ramble. It burns quick, but not hot, so it makes for a satisfying "inbetween-smoke" and I can see why the ol' folks used to dip in a tub of Carter Hall all day. It's satisfying! Along with the wonderful storys this blend brought up it makes for a 3,5-stars blend for me. SWR f.e. is a tad more refined, but sometimes you just want that "Old time feeling" Guy Clark used to sing about.

Pipe Used: Clays, Cobs, Briars

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Cherry picker 1779 (52)	2017-12-17		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Now here is a nice otc burley Virginia blend - it’s the best otc blend imho. . Mild and very nutty and perfect sweetness from a topped back for my tastes. Kind of like a cigarette with some added sweetness compared to the more heavy topped aros, however if you smoke non aromatics you will notice the topping of almost a maple syrup type flavor. This is a good tobacco in a cob for sure, and my first weekend smoking it was while camping deep in the woods of northwestern Pennsylvania. A leisurely cob slowly smoldering with carter hall was a good experience for me at the time. 4 stars in the otc world ! It’s not gonna blow your mind, not at all. But it’s gotta be many many smokers all day every day and only blend.not complex, mild, behaves nicely and the room note is nice. You gotta try it if you never have. I bet you will smoke the whole pouch!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JustPlainChris (12)	2017-09-12		Mild	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

Carter Hall! It's been around forever, and there's a good reason for that: it's tasty, inexpensive, readily available everywhere, and delivers a consistent smoke from box to box. (Or tub to tub.) So what's with the name?

Carter Hall pipe tobacco owes its namesake to an actual estate in Virginia bearing the same name; Stonewall Jackson once headquartered there during the American Civil War, and the property has also been home to a Secretary of State who served under President George Washington.

While these days of history have long since come and gone, the Carter Hall blend itself remains. There's a reason this blend has withstood the test of time, and it's a simple one:

It's relatively inexpensive, widely available, packs easily, burns easily, tastes good, and satisfies.

It's great for what it is, which is a Burley-based blend with a smattering of Virginia leaf and a cocoa/liquor casing. This "alcohol" pouch note fades quickly once lit, and that's a good thing, as the sweet cocoa and tobacco flavors are the stars of this show.

And while it is a cased blend, it's not your typical "aromatic"; the tobacco is not sticky or moist, and has a fairly perfect moisture content right out of the "luxury pouch".

The tobacco might even appear to be too dry, but don't worry, it's not. This pouch comes opened and unsealed (inside the box), but is nonetheless safe and sound within the cellophane-sealed box in which it is sold. (It's also available in a large tub.)

Edit Others have insisted that the pouch comes sealed when newly bought, but all five boxes of C.H. that I purchased and smoked contained open pouches inside.

It packs easily, lights easily, stays lit, and leaves just a bit of moisture and the occasional smallish lump of dottle in the bottom of the bowl.

Take it slow and steady with your puffing, and tongue bite shouldn't be an issue. And while Carter Hall is somewhat forgiving of the occasional absent-minded fast puffer, like any tobacco, it might get upset if you keep up your freight train cadence.

The room note probably won't win you any new friends, but isn't anywhere near as bad as many "top shelf" boutique blends.

The price is very, very reasonable, and I'm sure you will agree. It's usually sold next to the other "over the counter" pipe tobacco blends like Prince Albert, Half and Half, etc. I like Carter Hall much more than its royal cousin, Albert- "Prince" title notwithstanding.

And while I mentioned that Carter Hall is artificially cased with a sweet, chocolate topping, you can still taste the tobacco, and quite frankly, it tastes just fine.

As others have mentioned, this stuff absolutely sings when paired with a good cup of coffee! I usually smoke Carter Hall first thing in the morning with that first cup of black coffee.

The Burleys are nutty, mildly bitter, and slightly sweet to my palate, while the very light addition of Virginia leaf accentuates the Burley tones with a natural tobacco sweetness. The Virginia accent comes and goes throughout the smoke with hints of bright honey.

The added cocoa topping seems to ebb and flow throughout the smoke, and I find this to be a good thing, as I enjoy the natural counterpoint of the Virginia, which seems to hold the line until the chocolate flavoring reenters the room.

Others have mentioned the utilitarian uses of this legendary pipe tobacco, like its ability to remove pesky ghosts from stubborn pipes and a tendency to build cake rather quickly.

I put that last claim to the test, and can confirm it; I had a very nice little layer of carbon lining my new pipe's walls after only six or so smokes. (Half bowl, half bowl, three quarter bowl, three quarter bowl, etc.)

Carter Hall might not be a good candidate for seriously refined palates, but my own appreciates it for what it is:

Affordable, consistent, tasty, and easily and quickly aquired. A great "mowing the lawn" smoke, etc. A beauty when shaking off a night's sleep with a good cup of joe.

An admirable three stars.

Pipe Used: Cob, meer, five briars

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Local "discount tobacco outlet"

Similar Blends: Chatham Manor.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Joe O'Brien (4)	2017-09-12		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable

This has been reviewed to death, so I won't bother with the details but will instead try to offer a new piper's experience. This is only the 3rd blend I've smoked.

Carter Hall packs great, burns great, and delivers a consistent tobacco flavor. As someone who previously only ever smoked cigars, this is a little too cigarette-tasting for me, but I don't blame the tobacco. This was a really great introduction to a style, IMO. I smoked some Old Joe Krantz after this, and I'm glad I had the Carter first. I feel like I know what burley is now. It's not my cup of tea (I'm gravitating towards Latakia), but it's a great way to get your bearings and learn the landscape.

And in my experience it can save a lot of syrupy OTC blends. I got some French Vanilla aromatic in a bundle and did not like it much. Mixing it with the Carter Hall has saved the pouch for me, giving it a more respectable tobacco flavor that makes the cavendish and the topping more tolerable. I've done the same with my remaining stock of CBW.

Age When Smoked: Fresh from the luxury pouch.

Purchased From: Behind the bongs at my local garbage shop.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PhantomWolf (41)	2017-05-07		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I admittedly bought this as a novelty. It smelled pleasant enough, so I put the bag in my pocket for a night of drinking.

I dislike most aromatics and burley blends for that matter, but this is very pleasant. The topping is fairly mild and is reminiscent of bananas, sugar cookies, or maybe a pleasant envelope glue. The topping lasts for most of the smoke and accents the honest, nutty, no-frills tobacco flavour of the burley. Mild woody, grassy Virginia is just noticeable. Easy smoking, easy packing, perfectly dry, CHEAP blend with a generous nic-hit that you can chug without tongue-bite. This could be a new staple for me on nights such as these. Grab a bag and tell me your $2.50 was misspent. This is as good as it gets for the money. A great-all day smoke for any budget.

I'm rating this based on what it tries to achieve and how close it comes to achieving that. I'd say Carter Hall is dead on target. I'm giving this one 4 stars.

Pipe Used: MM Cob

Age When Smoked: Fresh Pouch

Purchased From: Smoke Shop Near Camp

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DC MacBean (32)	2017-05-04		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

A well behaved Burley that stays lit, burns cool; does not bite, and burns completely, leaving no moisture in the bowl. Carter Hall is much better than I expected it to be. Far better than Prince Albert in my opinion. I blend it with hot burning, bitey, aromatics to make them behave, and an 80/20 mixture of Carter Hall and Blending Perique is really a good combination.

Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum

Purchased From: United Grocery Store

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Raizel_234 (8)	2017-01-16		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

What can I say about this American classic that hasn't been said already? It's not complex by any means, but for me that's the appeal. It's mild, nutty and slightly sweet. Some folks claim its topped with cocoa and bourbon and it may well be. I do get occasional whifs of chocolate but none of the bourbon. What makes this blend really stand out for me is that it's very easy to smoke. Once you get it going it really doesn't need any future attention. Also almost bite free. You really have to be yanking on it to get it to bite, and even then the bite is mild. To be truly appreciated this needs to be smoked in a cob, it works well in a briar, but a cob really makes it shine. Pair it with a cup of coffee on a crisp autumn morning and you have a bit of heaven. Overall this is one the few blends I recommend everyone try.

Pipe Used: Cobs and one Edwards briar

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Ingles super market

Similar Blends: Prince Albert is the closest to this blend but not quite as sweet..

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	dixcreek (184)	2016-11-06		Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

Another review on my journey through the old America Burley Blends. Carter Hall is another classic. Yes, it's Burley. Yes it's available just about anywhere. Yes it is one of those that a lot of the older guys smoked. Yes it gets some bad reviews, but I will tell you it is a mighty fine smoke. Good Burley with a bourbon and cocoa top note. Packs well, burns good and tastes like a champ. This one is worth the price of admission in my book. Not a big nicotine kicker, just a good simple smoke. I guess this blend works because there are many blends that start with Carter Halls base formula. Oft copied but never duplicated. If you are a Burley guy or gal grab you a pouch and fire it up.

Pipe Used: Cobs and classic American Briars

Age When Smoked: New to many moons old

Purchased From: Various local stores

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SuccinctSimilarities (4)	2016-09-13		Mild	None Detected	Very Mild	Pleasant

One of my all time favorite tobaccos. Very creamy. Also very cheap at around 3-4$ an oz at P&C. Very mild taste yet highly recommended. Quality

Pipe Used: Brebbia Ninja

Age When Smoked: 2 months

Purchased From: Pipes&Cigars

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	The Pipe Sigh (2)	2016-09-08		Mild	Mild	Mild	Tolerable

This is a nice OTC burley blend. It's simple and pure. The Virginia is only there to keep the burley lively and flavorful, shifting away only slightly from a one-dimensional experience, and burning slow and even to a fine white ash. It's nutty and buttery, slightly creamy. That's really all there is to it. It only occasionally needs to be relit, is perfect for hot days, and is wonderful in the morning with coffee. I keep a tub for when I'm in the mood for something light but tasty.

Pipe Used: MM cob, Savinelli, Bjarne

Age When Smoked: Unknown

Purchased From: www.windycitycigars.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Nwpipesmker (27)	2016-03-04		Mild	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Overwhelming

Never thought of trying carter hall, read some reviews saw it at my local drugstore though meh? Five dollars why not? It has a great aroma kinda like spiced plum pudding. Very good taste light smoke very smooth. Will buy this more often. A follow up the last few pouches I bought are like smoking cigarettes and the flavor ends about half way through. I want to update this I tried it once more. And people asked me if I was smoking cigarettes that's the room note of this nasty rotten floor scrap tobacco.

Pipe Used: MM Cob

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Drugstore

Similar Blends: Lucky strikes cigarettes.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	EvetsNC (5)	2016-01-11		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I like this tobacco for its availability and its simplicity (IMHO). As an OTC, it rocks; if I am not able make it to the local-ish Tinder Box or JR Tobacco (both ~35 minutes from my house) and I desperately need to smoke my pipe, I turn to or would turn to Carter Hall. I think of this as a basic, pleasant, old school, mid-century American tobacco and take it for what it is. (I've only smoked the small pouch version, BTW.)

Age When Smoked: <1 year old

Purchased From: Rite Aid, Durham, NC

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	r (34)	2016-01-07		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Available in pouch or tub, this dark brown mixture comes in a very easy going ribbon cut, which feels perfectly moist. There is a nice nutty chocolate aroma as well.

It packs very easily and burns great. There is a sweet chocolate aroma that is sure to please your companions. Nuts dominate and occasionally a bright grassy note comes through. A sweet sugary bourbon flavor marries well with chocolate that is most noticeable in a retrohale. Very little moisture left.

This is a great value, classic blend. It is also great for exorcising ghosts out of pipes - if smoked too quickly, it tastes like Marlboro Reds.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	natibo (169)	2015-10-27		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a decent burley blend and will fit the bill if I'm out of tobacco and can only get to a drug store. (BTW this mixed 1/2 n 1/2 with captain black white is awesome). However, there are just better burley blends out there. 5 brothers is a better mixer. Prince Andrew is a better cheap burley blend.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2015-01-26		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I consider myself a well rounded pipe smoker. I enjoy aromatics as well as English blends and Va/pers. I am far from a tobacco snob. I don't know why I avoided the OTC blends for so long but a few months ago I ordered some Carter Hall and I have enjoyed it ever since. It is a mellow burley blend with a slight sweetness to it. It may not be the highest quality tobacco but it's not by accident it has been around as long as it has. Nutty cocoa nuances are quite noticeable in the big billowy clouds of smoke it produces. The aroma is pleasant and non smokers have commented positively on it. I find it very relaxing to smoke and the only hint of bite is at the very end of the bowl if I puff too hard, otherwise it is a really enjoyable smoke. Old codger blend? Maybe, but that doesn't make it a bad thing. It's also great for breaking in a new pipe. It does seem best suited for cobs however.

Pipe Used: Mostly cobs

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	slashes (16)	2014-12-10		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

This is a great all day smoke , easy to load and light and stays lit with minimal relights if any. The flavor is mostly nutty burley with a slight sweetness. Smokes great in a cob and is excellent with a cup of coffee.

Pipe Used: Cobs and Briars

Age When Smoked: Fresh off the shelf

Purchased From: Local store

Similar Blends: Prince Albert.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	guitar2mw (92)	2014-10-08		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

I smoked this years ago whenever I started pipe smoking. I tried it because so many people recommended it. I liked it somewhat, but I have never quite understood what the hype was all about. The pouch note is of burleys with a slight grassy VA behind them. It packs well and burns evenly (albeit very quickly like most burley blends). The initial taste, to me, seemed very nutty...more than what I really enjoy. I could not really taste the sweetness that I smelled in the pouch, but I seem to always detect a slight maple aroma in the smoke. It is VERY slight, but to me, it's definitely present.

It isn't a bad smoke to have with morning coffee. Honestly though, I'd much rather have Prince Albert or Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic instead.

Pipe Used: Cobs, Grabows

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Blue Ridge Smoke and Vapor, Wytheville, VA

Similar Blends: Prince Albert, Velvet, Sir Walter Raleigh.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	old biker (4)	2014-08-19		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

My dad smoked this by the tub when he made the switch from PA which he smoked for years also. I have tried it several times and just can't call it "my favorite" . There is just one topping they put on it that I don't like. It's mild, burns slow, no tongue bite, nice room note- I just prefer PA over this. I am not one on flavoring - I just want the tobacco taste. But if I can't find PA I will look for this as the only substitute.

Pipe Used: corn cob/ hardwood

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: smoker's outlet

Similar Blends: Prince Albert.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Big (321)	2014-04-25		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

This is a special review for me , it's my 50th brand (208 reviews) and it gets me my " Scholar Badge" so I had to find a memorable entry !!! Why not from the brand I smoked my first pipe , John Middleton ( cherry blend ) some 50 years ago. Well I decided I don't remember "Cherry Blend ", but I do remember that I don't want to remember Cherry blend, so I picked up a pouch of Carter Hall !!!

Why do all the OTC blends use that same topping ??? What is it ??? Whiskey/Vanilla ??? Doesn't Prince Albert use that also ??? It's always slathered over a Burley. Now "Mixture #79" used a different topping, wow ( funniest review I've ever read is "zulujerk 2006-02-10, on Mixture 79, go read it), do you mean to tell me they tried 78 others that weren't as good !!!!

Anyway, can you tell that I'm really not into bashing this blend or writing this review , sorry to waste your time but it's been an enjoyable 50 year ride. You really want to know about this blend .....read the other 300 reviews, someone likes it ( 26 favorites).

Pipe Used: cob

Age When Smoked: Brand spanking new

Purchased From: local

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2013-10-29		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

I was given Carter Hall as a gift recently so I could not wait to try it out. At first I was a little disappointed, but that shortly faded as I got further into my smoke. I enjoyed the nice flavor and aroma and I certainly enjoyed the burley, I will be buying this again.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tabaco (112)	2013-10-13		Medium to Strong	Medium	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I grabbed a some of this to try, since in the past I've enjoyed Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic from time to time.

This was not to my liking at all, the pH was out of control, feels like Wasps having a party on my tongue. Dumped the first bowl after a 8 or 9 puffs. Tried it again a few days later, same result. Tried it again about a week later in a different briar, same thing . . . dumped the reminder into the compost pile. Really glad I did not purchase the big tub.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2013-07-20		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Tolerable

A straightforward no frills smoke. Love the cut, easy packing and stays lit well.

edit Years later after revisiting this blend, I'm bumping it up to 4 stars. Its not a end-all smoke but hey, its good, basic, classic. I smoke this when I'm working around the yard or doing something with my hands and don't really want to think about what I'm smoking. I've come to consider it an old friend, and the king of the drugstore blends. Its also a very forgiving tobacco.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	onemangang (1)	2013-07-12		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

This is my first review! I've been reading this site for years. I've smoked a pipe since 1987. I normally smoke Va's/VaPers but after reading the many reviews for CH, I had to give it a go.

I was driving down the road enjoying my first bowl of this stuff in a Stanwell when the perfect description hit me.

I used to ride mountain bikes and enjoyed high-end equipment. For some reason, I sold my mountain bike and got a beach cruiser. When I ride my cruiser, I don't have to wear lycra shorts and other technical gear. I can ride my cruiser in my flip-flops and a floppy hat WHILE drinking a daiquiri if I so choose.

Carter Hall is the equivalent of a beach cruiser in a world of exotic bikes. I think I'll go put on my flip flops and floppy hat, make a daiquiri, fire up some more CH and hop on my cruiser. This stuff is eeeeeaaaaasy.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PhillyB (70)	2013-07-02		Very Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

I can honestly say that this tobacco is the one that made me absolutely sure that I loved pipe smoking. The first I tried was Lane's "Black Cherry", which was okay but nothing special. This blend may not exactly be mind blowing complicated but the simple flavors that it does have are very good. Smells of raisins and mild chocolate with walnuts. Taste predominantly nuts and chocolate with very little of the raisin coming through. Smell is just of mild and sweet tobacco and has become popular in my family of non-smokers. I keep plenty on hand because I go through it pretty quickly. Definitely recommend that everybody at least try it.

Also recommend it if you have a stinky pipe that you need to get back to neutral or are breaking in a new one. It has been through every pipe I own and smokes well in all of them.

Pipe Used: All

Similar Blends: Prince Albert.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2013-03-31		Very Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Very Pleasant

A classic. Smoked in a Missouri Meerschaum corn cobb pipe is one of life's "simple pleasures"! A great burley ....... smooth .... never bites. I smoke Prince Albert and Carter Hall almost exclusively. My first choice is Prince Albert but often enjoy Carter Hall for a nice change. I've tried alot of blends ...but Carter Hall has sustained the test of time. A great, great American classic tobacco. why Cater Hall isn't in the "Hall of Fame" is a mystery too me!!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	puddlepirate (11)	2013-03-05		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

More reveiws for this than most other blends. I can only say that this is not only a great old -time blend, but is actaully an American icon. fire-up that cob young man...

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2013-03-03		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

I'm an aromatic smoker and I wanted to try something different. Carter Hall was bland and tasted like cigarettes to me. I detected no sweet virginia tobacco. This also had a little bite and burned very fast. I would only recommend this tobacco if you just like straight burley tobacco taste without complexity.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CoreyR (36)	2013-02-20		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

CH may be an "OTC" and all of the "tobacco snobs" can look down their noses at it but after twenty years I still enjoy a bowl full. I find this to be my old baseline, against which all other tobaccos are measured. It usually smokes dry, burns all the way through with one light, has a very pleasant room note and very little, if any, bite. The flavor is what tobacco should be. TOBACCO. Short and simple. Over all, an excellent beginer tobacco as well as a fall back for "old hands." I always keep some in stock. Great for fishing from the canoe too.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TK Pipe (101)	2013-02-05		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Carter Hall… God only knows how many pounds of this stuff I must have smoked over the years, I just now figured I would pass along my opinion of this time proven classic tobacco. IMHO this is a tobacco lovers delight. I can think of no other blend that has fit so many occasions, or that I never seem to tire of over the long haul as this CH. Smoked with some basic technique I find this CH quite enjoyable, this blend and several others have been my "go-to" tobaccos for a long-long time.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	atomicbuster (79)	2013-01-08		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

First off, the reason I rate this tobacco at four stars is because it's the one I've had the least problems with. This means a lot when you've had problems with other, more expensive and renowned blends. I've read, possibly on this site, that smokers may react differently to a tobacco based on their body chemistry. I don't know if that's true, but I do know people have different tastes and preferences. Here's what this blend does well for me. 1) The price is more than fair. 2) The pouch is at least sealed. 3) The pouch aroma is great. To me it smelled like the cordial, chocolate-covered cherries. 4) It was not too moist in the pouch and it dried quickly and easily. 5) For me it does not bite at all unless I make an effort to make it happen, and it's only possible towards the end of the bowl. 6) The casing is so lite that you almost have to imagine the subtle, sweet flavoring. 7) Burns well and even with maybe one relight. 8) Nice room note. 9) Maintains quality for a long time. 10) Lastly, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, this blends leaves almost no aftertaste. Hahhhh-lleluyah! So far it's my favorite OTC blend. I will definitely buy this again.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2013-01-05		Mild	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

An American classic. You just can't go wrong with Carter Hall. A great 'utility' tobacco that can be smoked all day without any fuss. Nothing fancy; just a good, reliable smoke. Room note is pleasant and won't offend anyone. Can be mixed with other tobaccos to give them more of a fuller bodied smoke. I mix equal parts Carter Hall and Lane 1Q and the best qualities of both really come through. One note: Carter Hall is best smoked in a corn cob pipe. I don't know why but it just doesn't seem to 'shine' in a briar. Perhaps that explains some of the negative reviews.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	salopst (15)	2012-08-16		Extremely Mild	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

For a start, this is a no-nonsense tobacco in terms of packing and lighting. Stuff it 'n' puff it.

This is not a commonly found tobacco in England, but I had the pleasure of tobacco- swapping with someone from the US, and this CH amounted to really only my 2nd predominantly burley baccy, the first being Old Joe Krantz.

I find it nutty, a little bit mouldy smelling (which is not necessarily a bad thing), and overall nicely simple, if a touch boring.

Picking a recommendation for this is tricky. I'd really like to see along recommendation (which is intended for others), and a personal rating. So that's a three star for others, but for my personal tastes only a two. It is a good tobacco, just not quite my cup of tea.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Elwin (14)	2012-05-23		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Carter Hall is the standard by which I judge all other Drug Store blends. Minimal use of preservatives, clean tobacco that has little, if any, toppings/casings, and naturally sweet without overpowering. And while a pretty decent smoke on it's own, it also makes a great blender base for taming wilder, more bite prone blends.

Pipe Used: MM CG

3 people found this review helpful.

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	zwolanek (21)	2012-03-11		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Unnoticeable

Burley can bite. Evidently my body chemistry makes it impossible to smoke this.

IF CARTER HALL BITES YOU, YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

Put simply, I finish the first quarter bowl and have to dump it. Carter Hall bites me more than any other tobacco. It may be a fine, even great tobacco, but not for me.

Russ Ouellette has a great article on Burley from January 2012. He explains why some of us have this problem. The majority of Aromatics bite me, too, and then there is the added heat from the toppings, but even then, not to the degree of Carter Hall.

Woe is me!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2012-02-25		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Let's be real here. I would love to smoke nothing but the finest tins bought at my local tobacconist, but unfortunately I am constrained by a few harsh realities: graduate school, two jobs, a failing economy, and monthly bills and gas prices taking a chunk out of my income.

Sure, I'm cellaring a few lovely tins, and I've got plenty of pouches of my favorite house blends from my favorite tobacconists. But I need an affordable all-day smoke to accompany my various activities and obligations. And Carter Hall is it.

The advantages are the same many reviewers have already attested to: nice dose of vitamin N, solid burley flavor, easy burning, and cool cool cool. My cob bowl gets blazing hot when I smoke this, but it has yet to bite me.

Carter Hall is perfect for when I want to smoke but don't have time to focus on maintaining the bowl, or the complex flavors. Driving in the car, grabbing a quick smoke with friends, or reading or doing research require a no-nonsense blend. Carter Hall is the best OTC blend that money can buy (and I pay 3.09 for it just the other side of the county line).

These drugstore blends aren't going to light the fire of pipe snobs, but they can be very satisfying for those who do not require complexity and concentration each time they smoke. I have a Master's degree, so I can get as pretentious as the next person, but sometimes I want a can of cheap beer, a good novel, and some Carter Hall in my corncob. That's my America.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Thbg (29)	2011-09-08		Very Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

This tobacco is a simple blend of burley and broken viginia flake with a light "fruit/liquor" topping. It is very mild, hard to make it bite. Leaves a smooth, nutty, creamy, faint sweetness on the palate. It is refreshing and has a "clean" taste to it that is perfect for hot summer weather.

The burley does the driving but VA can be detected and adds to the overall composition. Exhale through your nose and you will notice that VA zest.

Smells great while burning and has attracted more positive comments from bystandards than other burley blends, but will leave a cigarette-ish smell lurking if smoked inside that my wife hates. So watch out for that.

At just over $20 for 14OZ this is a steal and I find this blend to be very underated due to its drug store status.

I have found that a bowlful of CH in a Dr. Grabow Grand Duke is one of life's simple pleasures. Old Pop-Pop had it right.

3 people found this review helpful.

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	Capt (339)	2011-07-19		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.

3 people found this review helpful.

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	hockey01 (29)	2010-11-08		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Plain as a mud fence and totally inoffensive, this blend is just like an old friend: easy to have around, reliable, and you can spend all day with it. There's a reason your Grandpa liked his Carter Hall and wrinkled his nose whenever you lit up your "foo-foo" blend that cost four times the price.

A good 'ol American blend and long may it wave.

3 people found this review helpful.

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	kyrider54 (5)	2010-07-24		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Tried this upon reccomdations by other reviewers.Didnot like this one at all! It was very bitter throughout the smoke.I didnot finish the bowl because of that reason.It was easy to light and burned well but became very bitter with in seconds after the light.I would not rcommend this at all.

3 people found this review helpful.

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	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-04-28		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Carter Hall is another non complex smoke. Fairly cheap at $24 a tub where I live. Good for watching a movie or puttering about on the computer. I also find it pleasant smoking it sitting in the back yard watching the squirrels play. Burns well and stays lit. Doesn't bite.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-10-07		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

after reading some reviews of this tobacco on this site i decided to pick some up to break in my new Savinelli pipe. i must say that this tobacco is one of the best and most consistent ones i have ever smoked. the smell is a nutty vanilla smell unlike anything else and it does taste somewhat like it smells. i usually smoke this on my break between classes at my college and have had many people compliment me on the smell. i am both surprised and glad i found this cheap OTC tobacco. definitely a blend i'll keep on hand.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-09-28		Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The tub aroma of this crimp-cut mixture is of a slightly grassy tobacco with a very light top note suggesting apples, though it may very well be a touch of honey.

A blend of brown burleys with a smidgen of bright VA, the leaf used is innocuously mild and smooth. It is remarkably gentle on the tongue, burns evenly, and is as trouble-free a smoke as could be desired.

What Carter Hall lacks in dynamism and depth, it more than makes up in amiability and congeniality and, as such, would make an ideal introductory smoke. This went well in a chamber of any gauge.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-09-03		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

This is a very good burley for the price. Light and slightly sweet. You could easily smoke this all day long without complaint. It is truly at it's best when smoked in a cob. No bite and quite smooth. Will not hesitate to buy more. In fact I'm going to buy more to see how well it cellars.

Buy your tobacco now for a rainy day. Times are getting worse and more and more tobacco laws will restrict what you can get and how much it will cost.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-08-28		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Exquisite taste. No bite. Lights very easily. Perfect moistness. Can absoloutely smoke it all day. What more could you want in any tobacco? Get some.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-08-21		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I am only an occasional smoker. I smoke on hunting and fishing trips, tailgating, etc. Carter Hall is great tobacco for the occasional smoker or beginner. It has a good taste, doesn't bite, stays lit and burns for a long time. It also has a good aroma. Since I don't smoke a lot it is also important to me how well a tobacco ages. Carter Hall just gets better and better the longer you keep it. It is a great affordable tobacco.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-07-01		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

When I was a child, I used to go with my grandfather to visit a friend of his who smoked only Carter Hall in his vast collection of Medico and Grabow pipes. This gentleman was in his late eighties, and had been a pipe smoker all his life.

After spending 20 years smoking Pall Mall cigarettes, I finally decided to switch to the pipe. I went to my local tobacconist, and (following his suggestion) picked up several different aromatics to try and find one I liked. What I found was loads of tongue bite and a goopy, wet pipe. I had remembered my grandfathers friend smoked Carter Hall, but when I asked my tobacconist, he just told me that he did not carry drugstore brands because they were no good.

One day I stopped by a discount cigarette store to see if they carried any pipe tobacco, and I spotted the familiar Carter Hall pouch sitting on the shelf. I figured for $2.25 I didnt have much to loose by trying it out. Boy, am I glad I did.

Carter Hall is a simple burley tobacco&..simply GOOD, that is. It is the best behaving tobacco I have ever smoked, it stays lit and the taste is uniform from start to finish. As long as you dont puff like a freight train, it wont bite at all. Not only is the taste of Carter Hall simple, the art of smoking it is the essence of simplicity as you need not be too concerned with how you load it, tamp it, or light it.

I dont smoke CH exclusively, but it is always included heavily in my rotation. When you consider the price, taste, smokability, and availability of this most humble of blends, you will probably discover that you just cant beat Carter Hall.

My grandfathers friend smoked Carter Hall exclusively, and now I know why. Looks like the old codgers were a lot smarter than I gave them credit for.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Canicus (9)	2009-06-06		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Of the drugstore burly blends, this was a real surprise! I like English/Balkan blends - not a tobacco snob, but my go-to OTC blends were always PA and Half and half - with a nod to the Prince.

About a month ago, I bough a new pipe, went to a nearby Rite Aid to get some "break-in burly" - and this was all they had - so I bought a pouch.

I can't put my finger on it, but this tobacco has a smoother, more natural taste than either H&H (always the roughest of these) or PA - which surprised me. It's my new OTC favorite - and I'm gettin' me a tub......

Tried Granger long ago and may do so again - these blends are all close, but for breaking in a new pipe, a midday puff while gardening or with the orning coffee - CH has that nostalgic "patina" and just good taste that wins out.

My opinion anyway - don't think there's anything more subjective than tobacco selection!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dubinthedam (133)	2009-05-31		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

It's all been said. 4 stars. As someone from the Eurozone, it's a shame this stuff is very hard to find here. I've tried and love PA...this goes on the great American Burley list. I love my Samual Gawith and Gawith Hoggarts, I love my Navy Blends and mature VA flakes....but this is so nice for a change of pace. A must for Burley lovers...the price defies logic. Top Marks.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-05-29		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Went to the store and reluctantly bought this because it was the only thing they had in stock. Reluctantly opened the pouch and took a whiff...HMMM? Looked at the cut...HMMM? Not dry...HMMM? Not overly moist...HMMM? Packed my Briar and fired her up. WOW...WOW...WOW!!! What a fine smoke this is. This is not an aromatic and it is not a strong flavoured smoke but boy oh boy is it enjoyable. Just a nice and cool,even burning, biteless pleasure to smoke. There is just the right amount of flavour to this burley and it is not all covered up by some cheap chemical casing. Until smoking Carter Hall I liked some of the stronger cherry tobacco blends that are out there. This stuff has me seriously reconsidering having called myself a cherry smoker. I still have a pouch of Paladin lying around and I'm sure I'll still occassionally mix up my little blend of BRCC & LLCC(see my cherry reviews)but as far as ready to smoke OTC's go...I think I'll be smoking Carter Hall on a fairly regular basis. Also, at $2.00 a pouch(and don't be ignorant and stick your nose up at the CHEAP price) I doubt you'll find anything anywhere comparable to this for many times that price. NO BITE in your mouth and NO GOOP in your bowl. GO FOR IT!!!

EDIT 07/17/2009 I intentionally avoided CH for about a month and went back to Cherry Blends. NO MORE! I am now an official CARTER HALL smoker. This stuff is excellent...PERIOD!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-05-25		Mild	Medium	Mild	Tolerable

I did not find the topping of Carter Hall to be particularly pleasant. This is a decent smoke; however, I prefer Granger or Prince Albert.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DakotaPeacePipe (33)	2009-05-25		Mild	Mild	Mild	Tolerable

More that a few reviewers have likened this blend to a sweetened version of Prince Albert. I tend to agree. Nice burley blend, simple all day smoke. The sweetness I detect in this blend is of the same fermented nature I find in another Middleton blend - Sugar Barrel. However the sweetness in Cater Hall is much subdued as compared to its Sugar Barrel cousin, and I do not detect the ashiness found as the bowl progresses with SB. There is much to like with Carter Hall and little to fault, this would easily deserve 3 ½ stars if that were an option, I cant give it 4 stars as that would put it on equal footing with my beloved Prince Albert.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CornCob (94)	2009-04-23		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I have to say, im a little disappointed with this one. I love burley blends,and puff on them daily. I found the cut to be fairly inconsistant, as well as poor grade tobacco seemed to be used as filler(large chunks and sticks). Upon opening the pouch i found the smell pleasant, kinda nutty(pecans and cashews)and somewhat hoppy, almost malty.After doing the three finger pinch, i found this blend to be a little dry, but i understand some like it that way. It packed well, and stayed lit all the way through, it tasted of good stout or porter with mild accents of walnuts,but not too overpowering as to take away form the burley flavour(i dont think this blend is cased, the flavouring must just be the properties of this specific tobacco) Around mid-bowl i found it to get a little hot, although i tend to smoke a little fast.Towards the last half, the "burley bitters" showed their ugly head, and i opted to dump the bowl and re-pack.(typical of drugstore burleys)I did purchase several pouches, and my review may change after i finish them all. I also realize that buying the tub may offer a fresher, moister tabac, and more consistant baccy, as ive came to this conclusion with other blends as well. I prefer Half&Half and Prince albert, but i would buy this again as a change of pace. Its worth a try!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-04-13		Mild	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is my second review. I really enjoy putting my taste sensations into words. With Carter Hall it is simple! Straight forward burley period. Nutty, bite proof and tasty. I am smoking it while I am typing (excuse me- hen pecking) and I am quit distracted. I want to do nothing but enjoy the moment! So I will keep it short. Go down to the local pharmacy, walk in like you own the place and buy all they have, you wont regret it!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-02-16		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

Carter Hall doesn't pretend to be something it's not: It's got nothing in it except burley, burley, and more burley (and a little, but not overloaded with, Propylene Glycol). There is no flavouring apparent. It naturally tastes a bit like walnuts, and has a dry, cool smoking quality, unlike most other drugstore tobaccos. It doesn't try too hard, its taste and strength are very mild. It leaves only a tiny bit of dottle and burns into a fine, grey ash. However, the taste can be rather boring and dry, and like other John Middleton tobaccos, they seem to taste like dry nuts, and nothing else. If you'd like to try a classic, try this or Prince Albert (preferrably Prince Albert, as it's half a star better), but it's not all that fantastic except for tradition.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-08-13		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

This is a re-vamp of my original review. I went and bought a tub of Carter Hall also. This is like Prince Albert with a southern twist. A little stronger, a slightly heavier aroma, slightly sweeter instead of nutty like P.A., and a picture of a well known Southern Estate on the can. The aroma is that of Cream Soda! I love cream soda! I will keep this and P.A. on hand from now on as my staple smokes! I love the nostalgia of both and I find them both to be very satisfying. No complaints on the room note, it smells retro 1930's and 1940's. Pipey! There are some so-called drugstore blends out there that are good smokes and this is definitly one of them!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PeterD (91)	2008-06-17		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

While this is a typical "drug store" smoking mixture, it is perhaps one of the best. Introduced nationally in early 1957, it gained wide acceptance quickly. First and foremost, like many of the Middleton tobaccos, they have done a far better job at maintaining consistency than many of the other manufacturers for this type of pipe tobacco.

I am not a great fan of Burley tobaccos however, I do use them to build a cake and do cycle them in my regular rotation of matured Virginia plug tobaccos.

Room note is pleasant enough and I find I can smoke this in any pipe without any real worry of departing specific taste to the pipe. For a Burley it burns very clean and with the high sugar content it carbonizes well. I do tend to keep this tobacco moist which slows the burn rate down a notch or two.

It adapts well to any size pipe but I prefer a larger group 5 type bowl most often. Certainly cost is a factor and as many reviewers have noted this, it is a bargin. This is a higher quality Burley than most in this classification, and perhaps that is indeed the real bargin.

...a pipe is to be savored...

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-02-15		Mild	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant

Well, I read all the good reviews and hype and was really hoping I'd like Carter Hall. I do not. I agree with a previous reviewers recomendation to just take it for what it is. It is a simple, old fashioned, inexpensive tobacco, and it tastes just like what it is. From the moment I opened the pouch, the aroma was not to my liking. There was an odd smell that didn't set well with my palate or stomach. This mystery element also came through in the smoke. It's kind of a chemical odor. The leaf is obviously of a lesser grade than that found in the pricier brands, although it seems decent enough. It smokes cool and stays lit with little effort, but unfortunately it is completely one dimensional. If I hadn't been fortunate enough to smoke all the "designer" blends I have, then maybe I might like this more, but it just doesn't do anything for me. In its day it was the norm, but now it has to be compared to some really intricate and complex blends. It's like one man humming compared to a full symphony orchestra. Not that I want to compare it to anything else, but I can't help but notice how it just pales in comparison to the designer blends. So it is what it is. I'd give it one star, but I'll give it two because it's so inexpensive.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	htduck (28)	2008-01-28		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I tried Carter Hall because I found PA to be so fulfilling as a pleasant day's puff, and because another reviewer spoke about his 90+ year old pipe smoking mentor keeping a tub of CH as his main puff vegetable. Carter Hall is good. It's no high dollar tin of tobacco that keeps your tobacconist's shop in business, it's a puff that tastes like tobacco, smokes like tobacco and gives you the warm and fuzzy feeling that tobacco is grown to give. I love the Prince and I suppose he must live in Carter Hall because while they are in ways different, they deliver the same message, i.e. this is simple tobacco that satisfies. For now I can afford any tobacco I want when I want it, but one day I will get my priorities correct and the Carter Hall's of the tobacco world will satisfy my puffing just as well as any tobacco to be had. I guess I need to arrange a meeting with Sir Walter now.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-11-14		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

I am very impressed with Carter Hall. I lifted my nose on all drugstore type tobaccos. Generally, they have not impressed me. But I tried Carter Hall for two weeks on recommendations and the fact that many who have years of smoking experience recommend and continue to smoke this blend. Carter Hall is a very good blend for all day smoking.

Carter Hall smokes cool the heat does not reach my tongue. It can turn bitter, if smoked too hot. The smoke does not bite my tongue. The flavoring it very mild. I have smoked many high tinned english blends with more casing than Carter Hall. I am always worred, when a blend is cased or flavored with a compound that is precursor to a drug with pharmico-physiological effects. Not here, Carter seems to be just PPG and some flavoring.

I smoke Carter Hall all day long. At the end of the day, I have no tongue bite and no nicotine hangover. I have 14oz tub of this and I on my way to buy a few more.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SmokeKing David (134)	2007-10-29		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

This old-time drug store blend has its positive features: simple, uncomplicated, readily available, and burns well. But the fruit top-note just doesn't appeal to me that much. I really enjoy burleys, and there are better ones out there that are still straightforward and old-fashioned.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-10-26		Mild	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

you know, I don't know what I was thinking. I was trying to convince myself this was a super light aromatic, which it may be, but it doesn't matter to me, because I just can't deal with noticeable flavorings. Okay, I'm sure someone will say there's often some sugar or mollases in some blends I like (perhaps McClelland's?), but I can deal with that I guess as long as it mostly tastes like tobacco. My favorite tobaccos right now are the Cornell and Diehl varieties like Old Joe Krantz, Night Train and Three Friars. They claim they use only distilled water in their processing, so I guess it must be true I don't like additional flavorings. Anyway, it's amazing the flavors that are already in those types of blends, so I just honestly don't understand aromatics. I hate to be so confrontational here at the review site of America's most popular aromatic, if you don't count Lane 1-Q I suppose.

I will say this tobacco is made with some good burley, of a lighter color than I normally see, and there are probably some Virginia brights in there also. It's a shame as every once in a while very late in the bowl (well, starting around mid-bowl really) I get some great tobacco flavors. But all the time, and especially during the awful first half of the bowl, all I can taste is that terrible apple or orange liqueur flavor. Yuck. I just wanted to taste some tobacco. What can I say to stop whining about it? I like Prince Albert much better, maybe the flavoring there is a little more subtle I guess, and the tobacco probably undergoes a different process. All I can say is that I wish they made a "natural" version of Carter Hall, without the flavorings.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-10-21		Extremely Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I spent the fall testing out burley-based drugstore blends, partly because we don?t have this burley focus up here in Canada and partly because any decent wine cellar needs to be rounded out with everyday housewines. I have yet to find the tobacco equivalent of simple table wine, but Carter Hall comes close. Mostly my search has taught me that there must be something in classic American pipe tobacco that I?m missing. I don?t understand why so many people like Prince Albert, which is just as likely to be nutty and tasty as it is to be acrid and ashy. Edgeworth RR might do in a pinch, but why would you ever let yourself run so low that you had to smoke it? And Half and Half? Are you folks crazy? I?d rather smoke cardboard. But Carter Hall is actually, well quite good. It smells like decent tobacco in the bag, unlike a lot of tobaccos in this class, which smell somehow industrial. It packs like a dream and is easy to light and smoke all the way down without any fuss at all. In a work culture that allows only a five minute smoke, cigarette smokers often get their satisfaction before I?ve even got the pipe packed and working properly. Carter Hall provides instant gratification in this instance and has the added benefit that it is mild enough to inhale now and again without ripping out your throat. Finally, it works great for blending with other tobaccos. I don?t smoke it much on its own, but I do use it to lighten up favorite blends to provide more flavourful all-day smokes. Lately I?ve been breaking up 8 oz. bags of Stonehaven in a coffee grinder and mixing it with 2 oz of Carter Hall. You get all the magnificent flavour of the Stonehaven, with the superlative burning qualities of Carter Hall. I?ll continue looking for a mild blending tobacco that has purer flavour, but until I find it, Carter Hall will do just fine.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	churchwarden398 (19)	2007-10-08		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

If you are looking for a good smoke and are for some reason confined to buying drug store tobaccos, here is a good pick. That is, even if you are not a burleyphile. It smokes cool, has a nice flavor and a pleasant aroma. You would not be hard-pressed to do worse as you are shoving your buggy down the tobacco aisle or nowadays trying to gleen your way to a good smoke from the at times impenetrable cavern of space known as the tobacco center in grocery stores, drug stores or your local branch of The Walton's family empire. This blend lights well, packs easily and provides a decent and tasty smoke.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Glorfindel (86)	2007-10-04		Very Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

A nice nutty burley that is extremely mild with no bite. A light creaminess that produces and pleasant room note and a general crowd pleaser to passers by. I highly recommend all pipesters give this one a try whether they be Full English or primarily Aromatic smokers. It is a wonderful representation of what a classic burley should be. Likely has been the introduction of many a newbie to the world of pipe smoking.. 4 Stars!!! Carter Hall is otherwise a simple, satisfying, affordable, and readily available smoke. Love the stuff,,, hope you do too.

I can get this stuff for $5/pouch locally.

:) Cheers! Good Draw to you,

Glorfindel

Pipe Used: Any

Age When Smoked: New Pouch

Purchased From: Local Quick Stop

Similar Blends: Plain Burley.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-09-19		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I have smoked most of the DS tobaccos over the years but I never tried CH. I am a burley smoker and my favorite regular DS tobacco was Holiday, very hard to find now. I don't think Lane is blending it anymore. In my search for a great daily smoke I bought a tub of CH. To my taste it is the best when compared to other burley blends in this class. It burns very well and builds a nice cake and has great burley taste. I live in Mexico, a country where you can still smoke in resturants and night clubs. I have gotten compliments on the room note. For me, this will be my regular go to blend.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-07-02		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I just finished a bowl in a trusty corn cobb. The tobacco had been stored in its opened (but closed) foil pack for two years and tasted as fresh as the day the seal was broken open. Although this is a drug store brand, and not part of my regular rotation, it was burley nutty. There was NO bite at all. I enjoyed the past hour (am I just especially mellow on this beautiful early summer day), and will return to this brand. This time, I will not wait two more years!

3 people found this review helpful.