Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) Half & Half

I bought a pouch of Half and Half because it's cheap and I was low on cash and I've seen it on the shelves of my local drug and grocery stores all my life so I thought I'd give it a shot. I needed some tobacco to take to work with me. I was very disappointed. I found it very wet and sticky and has the nastiest aroma. I puffed on it for about 10 seconds and had scoop the nasty stuff out of my bowl. I wanted to brush my teeth in the worst way. It really gummed up the bowl of my pipe. I figured maybe I should let some dry out then give it another go. That was also a mistake. It did load easier and didn't gum or plug up my pipe but it burned incredibly hot and the aroma, just can't get passed the smell or flavor of this.

Upon opening this pouch for the first time, I had a flood of scent memories from when I was a young boy: green vinyl waiting-room chairs, push button handles on car doors, my grandpa's cabin in Northern Michigan.

I became interesting in pipe smoking because of the fond memories of my dad occasionally smoking one, but the smell of Half & Half is really like nothing I've ever experienced. It's taken me a long time to hammer down what it even smells like since I associate it so strongly with visions of my grandfather rather than scents. I can now confidently say there's a boozy nuttiness to it, like anise and almond. My wife said it smells strongly of licorice, where one of my friends said it smells exactly like Mallo Cups. As you can tell, the tin note is a bit of an enigma but I find it to be exquisite.

The cut is that rough, spongy "granola" people of speak of similar to other OTC STG brands. Though it says it right in the name, I don't see any "bright" (Virginia) tobacco - it looks identical to Sir Walter Raleigh which is all Burley. It has a nice moisture content, packs very easily and it lights with no fuss giving a smooth, velvety smoke that's easy on the nose and tastes faintly of the tin note. I can finish a bowl with no relights, but there's usually a decent amount of moisture at the base of the bowl. I love the taste and smell of the smoke, however my wife says it smells of cigarettes. There's little complexity here: it tastes of Burley with occasional hints of anise.

An all day smoke. One of my favorites - it's no wonder this brand has been around for so long.

Smoking this as we speak. A fellow reviewer described Half and Half as stout. He is absolutely correct, which leads me right into the debate of OTC versus high end blends. If you're not use them, are new to OTC fare or have never learned how to prep before firing up a bowl then you're missing out on some very rewarding smokes. I admit Half and Half is not my favorite go to. However, it is a solid sipper type. As with all OTCs this should be dried out then crushed down somewhat before packing. Give it a false light, then light again. Sit back. puff gently and relax. The anise-cherry essences stand out. It's malty, a tinge sweet, spicy with a faint cocoa character-slightly earthy. It reminds me of Blender's Gold Royal Cherry after drying and being broken down. Half and Half is one of those blends you learn to appreciate but don't necessarily love or smoke all the time. The room note is quite nice: like brownies baking with a somewhat waxy finish. Being a loyal fan of Velvet I would probably rate this as three and half stars.

Splendid pouch note, perfect moisture level, and a great smoking experience. I taste a sugary sweetness (possibly deer tongue) with nutty burleys. Reminds me of everything good about Burley in one fantastic and unique purchase. Leaves a bit of a peppery taste mixed with something like molasses behind when finished. This is a love it or hate it smoke. I recommend everyone interested in something unique give it a try at least once.

Having smoked a great many custom blends through the years I feel I finally have enough experience to evaluate and appreciate the old OTC brands. In my final evaluation I'd say that Half and Half is THE FINEST "Over The Counter" blend ever produced and still sold! That would be followed closely by Prince Albert, but H&H wins for me hands down. It has everything I was looking for in an everyday, anytime pipe tobacco. It's flavorful and the taste reminds me of a little bit of Ocean Spray Cranberry at times regardless of the companies actual listed toppings. It burns well and doesn't bite if it's not pushed by smoking to strong or fast. Though not PC today it's even mild enough to inhale coming from the time period long ago of a "crossover" blend (think lucky strike) tobacco for pipes and roll your own cigs. I frankly find myself reaching for it most always even though I have a wide variety of tobacco cellared away. I am well aware of how subjective taste among people, but I'm very pleased that a great many obviously agree with me since it's still being produced. Don't let older reviews keep you from trying and potentially enjoying this historical and familiar favorite of mine. If for some reason you happen to not enjoy it, you can send any left over my way! It's seriously that good to me. Some may call me common, but I've learned there's nothing wrong with that. I'm an "earthy" man, that comes from simple folks that worked the land by the sweat of their brow with calloused hands. Half and Half goes well after good honest work, wearing blue jeans and of course is best smoked from the venerable Missouri Meerschaum Corn Cob Pipe.

I have seen a photo of President Gerald Ford in the oval office with a large tin of Half and Half on his desk. Perhaps it was in P&T Magazine. I have always thought of giving it a try but never got around to it with all of the other "new" and more glamorous choices and options. Still, when Lane sent me coupons to buy four pouches for only $1.00 each, I was finally ready and eager to give H&H a try.

Mind you, this is the 2015 vintage. Fresh and clean by Lane Limited owned at this time by STG and headquartered in Tucker, Georgia. I mention that for reference as I never tried the blend back in the late 70's when the President's smoke was available en mass.

The pouch looks plain and dated. No pizzaz, flashy color or slogan. Just the age old red white and green with the standard warning from California. The pouch was additionally enclosed in a cellophane pouch to further preserve the contents and no significant smell escaped to my senses before opening.

Once the cellophane was removed the pouch turned out to be a better than average keeper. It seem to be a more dense mylar / plastic blend that is completely opaque to light and thus I am sure going even further to protect the contents from light.

Once opened, the pouch aroma suddenly seemed familiar yet difficult to place. Over the next few minutes as I mused over the scent I wanted to call out the usual "dried fruit" but then there was even an almost chocolate mixed in. It seemed to have been in my memory but I just couldn't place it. I closed the pouch and left for a while returning to try again and this time the sensory recall was much more clear. The above analysis was correct but there was a very surprising reminiscence of Sir Walter Raleigh Regular. My first though was that Lane had simply altered a tidbit of the classic SWR recipe and was calling that Half and Half. It wasn't SWR, but it was close. Even the cut was not terribly dissimilar. The tobacco was clearly different, however, and appeared to live up to the classic tag line of "Burley and Bright." I thought to myself, We shall see.

The excellent "Chunky" cut packed softly and easily into a Stanwell Canadian with a good cake. The moisture content seemed just right from the pouch and no drying or moistening was in order. Lighting was effortless with a single match and although it may not have been needed, I let the charring light go out, gently tamped the ash with my favorite Victor Yashtylov tamper and struck match number two to begin the bowl. A rich flavor ensued that was unique to my palate.

Interestingly and rare, the flavor was quite similar to the pouch aroma. There was also clearly a tobacco flavor. I am fond of aromatics and a 25+ year smoker so my pace was set as such to move ahead slowly and yet deeply, ejecting dense clouds of grey blue smoke to curl up and over toward my table lamp. The flavor remained the same throughout the bowl with only a modest INCREASE in flavor as the bowl reached about half way. I usually find the opposite to be true with aromatics but here, the bowl did, in fact, get better as I went.

The predominate flavor was more of the "dried fruit" variety than chocolate and still I can't quite place it between plum and anise or some mix of the two. Each is very distinct and yet here, they were difficult to discern. The bowl went out just past 1/2 way and after a final relight, the tobacco burned well toward the bottom leaving only a bit of dottle and that fairly dry. The aftertaste was mild and very clearly tobacco and not topping. After the bowl was empty, a pipe cleaner was barely darkened. I used both ends and the second came out quite clean. No residue or evidence of propylene glycol.

My overall impression was that this is a tobacco well worth its price at retail and if it were in a tin with an interesting name and a story behind it their would be many who would extoll its virtue. Perhaps blind tested against a well aged virginia with a bit of quite old perique for flavor the seasoned smoker could tell which was which but most would be guessing. Many would prefer the Half and Half based on the smoothness of the flavor, inability to generate a bite to the tongue and overall pleasant experience. I enjoyed this enough to make it a regular event when I am in the mood for a classic burley blend. Maybe the reason all of the "Codger" Burley's have been around for so many decades is because if we give up our snobbery and forgo our homage to marketing of niche blends and "famous" blenders, these old classics for the most part are just good tobaccos.

Half and Half is a smoking mixture that has been around since time immemorial, but it has not always been exactly the same.

Since pouch and tin declare "burley and bright", many have concluded this is an even mixture of burley and bright Virginia. It isn't, and never has been. This is a burley forward mixture with some Virginia. The "half and half" comes from its origin as a mixture of Lucky Strike smoking tobacco and something known as Buckingham Cut Plug. (You can find pictures of the tins on the internet under tobacco memorabilia.) For a brief time about 40 years ago a manufactured Half and Half cigarette was available.

During most of its long history Half and Half was a product of the American Tobacco Company. Somewhere along the way it wound up with Pinkerton, and then with Lane Ltd., Lane now being a part of the Scandinavian Tobacco Group.

For decades Half and Half has declared "cool smoking/ improved cut." The cut is fairly fine, and lights very easily. It smokes cool enough if puffed gently, but the fine cut will produce heat and bite if puffed aggressively.

The pouch (or tub) aroma is a bit off beat. Half and Half has a clearly discernible casing of anise or licorice. Traditionally it was top noted with cinnamon and clove. Lane's website notes a hint of cherry. Both with and before Lane, the sniff taste does not really discern the flavoring. The same is true with the smoking taste. Half and Half is a semi-aromatic, but the precise flavor is hard to describe.

The room note is equally a mystery. It is not quite natural tobacco, it is not quite aromatic. I personally find the aroma OK. The nicotine level is a bit below normal for a burley forward tobacco.

Pinkerton had some quality control issues. Lane Ltd. does not. But it seems to me that with Lane that the recipe has been altered. Lane's version is distinctly the better.

The current version of Half and Half provides a decent smoke in the budget priced category. It is far from being a gourmet product, but I find it to be a more than passable low price offering.

I have had decent luck with some of the OTC blends like Prince Albert and Carter Hall and I try to compare them to each other rather than to more expensive boutique tobaccos. Unfortunately, my experience with Half and Half just went from bad to worse. It starts with an awful pouch note that smells of medicine and goes downhill from there. In the pipe, I find the flavor to taste somewhat like burning plastic smells. It bites and will ghost a pipe. Whatever Virginia is in there, it is not of high quality and the Burley is well below average. There are simply better over the counter blends on the market. I also have a tip for those that say that it’s all about the price. If you compare the cost per ounce here in the US of Half and Half to the cost per ounce of a wide variety of bulk aromatics made by blenders like Lane Limited, Newminster, or Altadis you will find that they cost the same or are less expensive and of much higher quality. It is rare that I can’t find at least one redeeming quality in a pipe tobacco and as a result, I seldom post one star reviews. But Half and Half has well earned it.

The classical American Burley-Virginia mixture.

Classically know to have "Virginia" regular tobacco, instead, their Pouch firms that it contains "Bright" Tobacco, not regular Virginia.

Bright Tobacco is a variety of Virginia,but generally flue-cured,for reduce their Nicotine ammount.

Half and Half is considered not aromatic, although for me, Half and Half haves a flavour, seems to me Flowers, Roses,

Very good tobacco for begginers and easy to find in any country.

This stuff is nowdays produced by the American company Pinkerton Tobacco Co, Kentucky.

RE EVALUATION: i bought a new pouch, in June 2013. Now I see that it is produced by Skandinavik

No more flavoured, seems pure tobacco,and a bad one!

The new formulation is made with very bad quality tobaccos, and common.

unfortunately, is very far from the good tobacco hat it was! Not more recommended! it is almost non more "smokable".