Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) Half & Half

Going to try and give this tobacco an honest review that it deserves. I see a lot of people saying that it's unsmokeable and absolutely disgusting, which it is not.

The pouch note is that of a nutri-grain bar. I want to say the word berry or the smell of blueberry but don't let it fool you. It is not a sticky goopy tobacco. It's actually pretty dry and at the right moisture level for smoking right out of the pouch.

It packs easily and burns very evenly. The smoke is pretty much mild on all fronts. Not too much Vitamin N, there is a hint of flavoring that I can't put my finger on, but it's there. PhillyB has a really good review of this and I pretty much agree with that poster's assesment of the baccy.

There isn't too much to rave about but to hear people say they would never smoke this if it was the last tobacco on earth kind of boggles my mind. It is not THAT bad and in a pinch, it could suffice (especially in a cob as it gets a little sweeter and nuttier)

It's a standard steak and potatoes burley pipe tobacco blend. If you want a tobacco to get a feel for a new pipe or to break it in/build a cake, this could be the one to leave in your cellar. If you're looking for a tobacco to refresh a bowl after a S/A treatment, this could be the one. If you're interested in tyring out a pipe and are afriad of Perique, not interested in Latakia, don't understand Orientals or are afraid of VAs, this could be the one. * If you're looking for a cheap tobacco that has a great flavor, this probably isn't the one*

I could see reviewers giving this a 3 but when compared to Prince Albert or Carter Hall and the other great OTC blends, I think this falls a little short. For that, it gets two stars.

I smoked H&H for many years and still do once in a while. I now prefer Riverboat Gambler by C&D. In my opinion, similar, but pleasingly stronger than H&H and contains no preservative.

H&H must be sipped, not gulped. It has one of the finest aroma's to ever be sniffed. Taste is excellent, as well.

I would never hesitate to recommend it to any pipe smoker. After all, it has stood the test of time and deserves respect for its enduring success. In my opinion, one of the finest tobacco's ever produced among others such as Prince Albert and Sir Walter Raleigh.

Smoke it slowly and savor the experience or it will get hot and goopy because it contains a preservative. Best enjoyed in bulk (tin) rather than the pouch.

Everyone should try Half and Half. It's a classic.

UPDATE: 08/01/2009

I must say I have reduced the recommendation to "Somewhat Recommended". I recently sampled some after a very long time. Simply put, it is not what it used to be. In my opinion the change is they have removed the herb deer-tongue from this blend. The herb is increasingly difficult to come by these days. It adds what I call a rich-vanilla or cinnamon-apple flavor depending on how much is used in a blend. If you are looking for a replacement, try a new blend by C&D called "Gentleman Callers". It picks up where H&H has left off!

This has to be the salt and vinegar chips of pipe tobacco. You either love it or hate it.

Me being a Va-VaPer and English smoker I don't have a soft spot for heavy casing. This stuff will gunk up your pipe like crazy after a bowl, even though it's not too heavily cased like lots of Aromatics (I'm looking at you molto dolce). Maybe the cube cut hides it. I'm also not a fan of burley tobacco.

Why do I have it in my rotation? Sometimes I crave different. Earthy smoke without Latakia/orientals and lack of fake sweetness. Pros: Full smoke, unique flavor and cheap price. I haven't tasted another blend like it.

Cons: Pipe raping topping Cigarette like tarry aftertaste like most burley blends

I'm mainly a Burley and Virginia lover, and I love thyem in whatever pecentage of mix. Now, where I live H&H it's not so easy to get, but 2 years ago I got some pouches and I started to smoke it fresh, but I also put 2 of them in a jar. I didn't like it so much when fresh, it was too bitey and kind of acrid to my mucoses. Now in these days I opened the jar and I'm smoking this old pipe weed... I can say it's better now. I don't find any anisette or staff here, nice tobacco taste, little Virginia and more of rude Burley, little sweetness too. It's still a little acrid but far less than before, and less bitey too now. Not bad really, but it's not in my ViBur mix Olimpo. I can say that its rudeness makes it a good Vir-Bur after dinner, where my best is usually a mix of 1792 and Park Lane 9, 50/50....

I think it smells great out of the pouch. Course cut, needs some dry time. Burns so so. Likes to go out with no warning. Not really an aromatic. Has a topping though. The topping is very mild and ambiguous. Doesn’t ‘bite’ me really, but it does have that prickly kinda mouth feel. One note. Kind of has a wet cardboard taste. Sounds bad, but it’s really not terrible. Nic hit is very mild. Builds good cake. Good blend to break in a new pipe. 1.5 stars.

The flavor of burley dominates the smoke with Half & Half; I find that I hardly notice the Virginia tobacco except for a little bit of grassiness under the anise topping. The topping is more mild than I expected, and frankly I wish it had a stronger flavor; it's comparable to the topping used in Sir Walter Raleigh but without SWR's molasses sweetness.

Half & Half is a little bit bitey if I try to smoke too fast, and it does burn rather hot and wet. The room note is just okay--I don't see a non-smoker caring much for it. There's just not a whole lot to recommend with Half & Half.

(STG version) Strange - I do like this blend. Thing is, I just don't desire to smoke it very often. And even when I do, it's usually just a bowl, and then I'm good for a while. I don't think this could ever be an all-day for me, but when I do crave it, nothing else will do. Half and Half has a somewhat unique topping, as far as OTC's go. I can't put my finger on it, other than the anise. You will have to like the topping to like this blend. I do think the STG version is much better than the goopy mess it was before. (That version I just trashed, way too heavy on the topping and/or PG). STG has rescued this classic from oblivion in my humble opinion. Thank you for that, STG. I will probably always have some around, even if it's not in my 'A list' rotation. 2.5 stars.

I had read a lot of reviews on this tobacco and decided to give it a try. I was not expecting much so at least I wasn't disappointed. The pouch smell is pretty unique. Cinnamon spice? I'm not quite sure. The first few draws scorched me quite badly. If you sip on this and I mean SIP, it can be very tame. Oddly enough I hardly detected any sweetness. Even with slow careful draws, it felt like warm steam. I was able to finish the bowl without further bite but I was unable to coax any flavor out of this good or bad. The room note reminds me of a rich dark cigarette. I can see how someone could enjoy this but I believe my mouth chemistry simply cannot tolerate something in this tobacco. 2 stars. Worth a try but this is not a weed that I will return to.

Not half bad 😉 I would go so far as to say the room note is a pleasant aromatic, but it could be much worse. The best part about this cheap otc is that it actually has some taste, unlike Carter Hall and Prince Albert. I would say the pouch smells like raisins or dates, like others have said, and that is what comes through as the predominant taste, as well.

However, saying it has a raisin or date aroma and taste is not really accurate. In truth, it is a rather indescribable aroma, and eveything about it that is different from raisins and dates is less enjoyable than raisins and dates. Furthermore, it is pretty loaded with the chemical. My nose is sensitive to the stuff, and this will dry it out pretty quickly.

This is the cheap otc I would buy in a pinch because Captain Black costs me $13, and that just seems wrong when I can get far superior tobacco for that price online.

YMMV