John Middleton, Inc Carter Hall

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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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 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.