Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) Half & Half

I agree with the cranberry comments. As a new piper I bought a pouch of H&H, vaguely recognizing it as an old standby. Then I read the reveiws here and thought maybe I ought not open it, but did anyway. Its not nearly as bad as I was led to believe. As someone else here mentioned it has a nice cranberry smell in the pouch. Heeding the advice of other reviewers I tried it in my corncop pipe and took specal care to keep it as cool as possible with short puffs. It was very flavorable and pleasant. As long as you don't pull on the pipe like you're drinking a frozen milkshake H&H is very enjoyable. I didn't notice much of a room note because I smoked it outside on my back porch, but what I did smell seemed pleasant. I will add it to my rotation.

you know I never tried this blend until recently. I always figured it to be nore of a cigarette tobacco. I am now growing quite fond of it. I have consumed most of one pouch and have another ready to go. I most likely will purchase a canister of it next to see if any improvement comes along with time. It tends to burn a little warm in the pipe but doesnt seem to make it to the mouth that way. I have heard others mention spiced apples and I would tend to agree with that flavor both in the pouch and in the flavor of the blend. Wish I could have an older sample as many people say the older blend was better. It burns down well with no noticable goop in the heel. Smokes best for me in a Sasieni Ruff root dark pipe .

I actually had to go out of my way to find some of this previously ubiquitous "drugstore pipe tobacco," as it seems to have mostly vanished from the shelves of convenience stores in my area.

Years ago, when I mostly puffed on Captain Black and didn't really know any better, I tried this blend and didn't think much of it. It seemed quite strong to me and very different than what I was used to. It says "Burley and Bright" on the box, "Bright" being a term for virginia tobaccos. Once could assume that its half virginia and half burley.

Now, however, as I have gravitated towards stronger and more natural tobaccos, I find that this in fact tastes pretty good to me now. I have taken straight virginias and mixed in some burley as experiments, and I find that Half and Half in fact tastes very much like those blends which I have made. It has a nutty sort of flavor from the burleys and there is a bit of tang and sweetness from the virginias present. Smoked slowly, it is a fine smoke with pretty good "real tobacco" flavor.

As far as to whether it is cased or not, I'm rather unsure. It has a sweet and quite strong pouch aroma that reminds me of raisins or apples or something. It smells pretty good I think. It could very well just be that the virginias used are high sugar variants because the pouch aroma is somewhat reminiscent of chewing tobaccos like Red Man. If some kind of casing is used, it seems to serve only to enhance the flavors that are typical of straight virginias anyways. Casing or no, I don't think anybody would describe Half and Half as an aromatic.

It is fairly strong for a drugstore blend, and it is much different from milder burley based blends like Prince Albert and Carter Hall. I'd have to recommend this blend actually. I think that if I was out on the road and running low on tobacco, I'd look for this blend in preference to others.

Overall, not bad, and certainly better than a two-star. New pipesters might not like this much but if you are into stronger tobaccos then you might enjoy this once in a while. I think I'll keep picking up the odd pouch now and again.

Pipe tobacco doesn't get more American than Half and Half. This has been one of the best selling pipe tobaccos in the world (particularly in the U.S.) since the 1920s, and for good reason. This is wonderful stuff.

The pouch aroma is a slightly sweet, spicy scent, and, once lit, a slightly sweet, spicy scent will rise from your pipe. This has a great room note and burns nicely, though it can be induced to nip at your tongue if you're not careful. The blend of Burley and Virginia is perfect, and the comparisons of this blend to cigarettes are puzzling to me. This is pure pipey goodness, folks.

Half and Half does not deserve the bad reviews it gets here. This is quality tobacco, albeit nothing spectacular. But it's honest, consistent, and actually gets better down the bowl. There will always be room in my rotation for Half and Half.

About three times a week I have a smoking itch that only this blend can scratch. I can't explain it other than to say I like black licorice and this blend reminds me of that taste.

I find that straight from a newly opened can, this blend is a hard sell. I let it age a few months in a couple of glass humidors and add a packet of Pow Wow blend from American Spirit. The thick goopiness of the H&H goes away after a few months and I have a really good smoke in one of my many hardworking cobs. I'll keep some H&H on hand at all times, "a cargo of contentment in every bowl."

In my attempt not to be a tobacco snob, I once in a while pick up some drugstore blends. I was pleasantly surprised with Capt Black White a few years ago, though I never could finish the pouch. But Half-and-Half is perhaps the most god-awful thing I've ever tasted. It seems overcased with some kind of cheap whiskey which gives the smoke a sickly syrupy thickness that is beyond any conception I had had of wretched. Granted, I may have gotten a bad batch, it had probably been sitting on the shelf far too long. But even if this is so, the lurking potential will forever unsettle me whenever I espy this on a tobacconist's shelf. If you're one to use leaches to improve circulation, you might consider using Half-and-Half as an emetic.

I purchased this one day at the checkout of my local supermarket. They had a four pouch bundle labled "buy two get two free". So I took the deal. The first pouch had an aroma of baked bread and tasted like a simple burley, creamy and nutty. I enjoyed that pouch. The second smelled like leaves in the Fall, and had a completely different flavor, not like burley tobacco at all. The third smelled like cinnamon but was harsh an acridic. The fourth pouch was like smoking raisin bran cerial. Being a fancier of burley, the lack of the no frills burley taste was a disappointment.

Originally an American Tobacco Co. product, Pinkerton Tobacco Co has attempted and failed to maintain H&H properly. Along with "Granger" another no frills burley, Pinkerton seems to have a serious quality control problem mainly being inconsistancy in their products. This is NOT the H&H of years gone by. Velvet is the only burley smoke Pinkerton makes that smokes with a consistant flavor and aroma. If you want to try a Pinkerton Product go for Velvet and leave H&H alone.

After reading so many unfavorable reviews of this American icon I just had to give it a try. Color me surprised because I really do like it. But then again I enjoy Burleys and Virginias so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. I won't try to defend this tobacco by saying it's a decent drug-store blend because it truly is better than a lot of so called premium high dollar offerings I've tried. It is an enjoyable tobacco, plain and simple... but of course like all things that does not mean it is for everyone.

The arguments used against H&H are with respects to it's pouch aroma, room note and ability to "take over" a pipe. I would gleefully agree because to me, those are positives attributes.

As others of you, I wanted to like this for sentimental reasons and the fact that it is relatively inexpensive. I still remember Grandad sitting by the fireplace in his easy chair smoking this in one of his Dr. Grabows. But this being one of the few tobaks I've dumped after a minute or two of smoking it.....well, you get the picture. Kept the pouch for a reminder. Nuff sed. It just doesn't work for me.