John Middleton, Inc Carter Hall

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.