Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) Half & Half

Well, after nearly 35 yrs. of piping I had yet to try Half & Half. Started out in the eighties with Captain Black White. And Prince Albert. But for the last fifteen years or so, a solid English and Balkan blend smoker. My mainstays being Abingdon, Westminster, Star of the East, Pirate Kake, Crown Achievement, London Mixture, Nightcap, Durbar, Aperitif, Black Mallory, Red Repparee, White Knight, etc. And occasionally the Virginia flake like Dark Star, and Blackwoods Flake, etc. And Escudo or Navy Rolls. Even St. Bruno I really like. All this is to say, I've been around the block quite a few times in regards to pipe tabac. Well, I must say, I truly enjoy H&H. Its a codger OTC burley. Been around forever. And with good reason. Its an all day smoke. Delivers a cool fine low nic burley bright smoke, with a hint of anise and perhaps cinnamon and cloves. I love it. Can't understand all the negative reviews. You know, if GL Pease made this the blend would receive outstanding reviews. Its that good. And, by the way, H&H was Civil War historian Shelbey Foote's favorite go to smoke. And if it was good enough for him, why its good enough for me. I'll be stocking up on H&H.

Below is my original review of H&H done a couple of years ago. I have just had the opportunity to enjoy a tin of 30 year old H&H when it was produced by the old American Tobacco Company and there is quite a difference from the current Pinkerton Tobacco Company production of H&H. Although somewhat similar in taste, the original American Tobacco Company stuff is much smoother, had absolutely no bite and the smell upon opening the tin was "to die for." Additionally, the old stuff was headier - particularly in the nicotine department. I'm going to be on the lookout for more as the American Tobacco Company's version would be one of my all-time top-10 blends. The following review centers on the current production H&H.

Hey...this stuff isn't too bad. It has a bit of a sweet taste, and the Virginia seems to be of good quality. The burley keeps the smoke cool. I smoked a pouch of this over a three day period, and the only complaint I can find is that some bowls would produce a rank taste as I hit the strike zone. It can bite a bit if not respected. Nice room aroma.

It seems like there are mixed feelings on this blend. I am personally of the crowd that likes it. I'm not really all that crazy about it but I do enjoy it. The smell from the pouch can put some people off, but I like it because we have a jar of potpourri that smells EXACTLY like this. For those of you who don't know what potpourri is imagine a very heavy bourbon mixed with citrus and cinnamon. Tasty, but will definitely put some people off. Tastes like a basic burley with a little added sweetness and (maybe) mulling spice. No bite, and could definitely smoke this all day if i wanted to. Just not to everyone's liking.

Well it may seem that all I review are the standard OTC tobaccos which by nature have hundreds of reviews, but I feel compelled to set the record straight. Half and half is good, very good as a matter of fact. It isn't the absolute best blend of complex alchemy ever invented by tobacconists but because my grandfather smoked it I was biased to give it a try. Take this review with a grain of salt as I have only been smoking a pipe for a year but no bite, smooth, burned well, best pouch note of any OTC, and can be mixed with a black Cavendish for an even better burn, recommended to all my friends if I had any. LOL

I don't see what everyone is complaining about.. its another blend that's been around for over 100 years...sure it may not be perfect but for its price (approx. $2.25 per oz) what do you expect ? If Ouellette tossed this in a tin with his name on it you would all be lining up to kiss his feet and tell him how great it is... so unroll your jeans and show some respect to a codger blend you snot nose hipster...

Out of the pouch/tub you're introduced to a classic American old-fashion "codger" blend scent of anisette and perhaps just a drop of vanilla and cocoa from the Burley.

Upon smoking it, that sweet old-fashion pipe smell comes out immediately. It's very mellow, smooth, and satisfying. The role of the Virginia is not to provide the sweetness, but rather to smooth out the Burley cocoa flavor. The sweetness, in my opinion, comes more from the toppings.

Its flavor is balance between the different ingredients, not much to think about, just smoke it.

As are other codger blends, this one is very easy to pack and smoke. The cut is, again, an old fashion cube, which makes it very easy to deal with. The flavor doesn't change throughout the smoke, and the moisture level is perfect right out of the tub/pouch. Easily an all-day smoke. For me, however, the only issue with the codger blends is that they're a bit too mild in strength for me to smoke all day. However, if this was as is, with just more nicotine kick, I could've easily "live off" this blend alone.

Aside from the mild strength, the body is mild as well. It isn't complex, nor is it a one-dimensional blend. There's enough there to satisfy and not bore, but also not something to make you stop whatever you do and start analyze it.

You can call it names, degrade it, push it aside, and not think about it. But when I want to have a smoke, I often reach out to Half & Half as a default. It tastes good, very easy to smoke, no chance of bite, and very affordable.

Since lane got ahold of some of the older codger blends they have corrected the problems that plagued these brands over their years with Pinkerton. A few years ago half and half lost me, too much chemical taste and all around not an enjoyable smoke. Now lane has it and half and half is what it should be, smooth, slightly sweet cherry or anise flavor, and good quality burley/Virginia bright leaf tobacco's. I am a big fan of burley and I enjoy the old American blends more than I do the newer brands. I keep Prince Albert, granger, and others right next to my c&d and McClelland blends. I am glad half and half can join my tobacco cellar now that lane has fixed this classic pipe tobacco

Update: (STG Lane)

Thought I would add an update now that Lane now produces Half and Half. I find it similar to the Pinkerton product, but I think they dialed down Half and Half's unique flavor a little. I still smoke it occasionally and still enjoy it.

Original Review: (Pinkerton Tobacco)

I smoke a few bowls of this tobacco a week. I do have a pipe dedicated to it. Maven's Choice in the Winter 97 issue of PipeSmoke Magazine described this tobacco as "Burley & Bright; cased with a basic combination of licorice, molasses, and invert sugars, the blend is then top-dressed with a spice flavoring derived from marinating cloves, cinnamon, and other spices in rum", and I believe that's probably right, especially the "clove" part, which I believe is what might make it a like it or hate it blend. Some reviewers stated it reminded them of cigarettes, & I agree. CAMEL was even mentioned. I smoked CAMELS most of my adult life (no longer do), and they didn't taste like H & H, but LUCKY STRIKE cigarettes when still made by AMERICAN TOBACCO tasted alot like Half & Half, and with good reason. A little history: My grandfather smoked Half & Half, he quit before I was born so I don't have fond memories of the aroma of his pipe. What I do have is his hardware collection stored in Half & Half tobacco tins. Some of these old tins looked very different from the one's we see now. Instead of saying "Burley & Bright" they have "Genuine Lucky Strike Roll Cut Tobacco" "& Buckingham Bright Cut Plug Smoking Tobacco" with the "Lucky Strike" residing in the very familiar red circle we see on Lucky Strike cigarette packs. It turns out H&H was originally formulated by mixing half & half two already existing tobacco brands acquired by the American Tobacco company in the early part of the 20th century. Also Lucky Strike cigarettes emerged after cigarette smoking became popular about the time of WW I. I thought the history might be interesting. I hope I didn't bore anyone. Half & Half is a drugstore tobacco that cost about $2 a pouch. I keep a pouch around and enjoy it occasionally. Maybe I smoke it for nostalgic reasons, but I don't find it an offensive smoke. I find it smokes cool & dry to the bottom of the bowl leaving a fine grey ash.

This tobacco seems to me to be a nice blend of basic smoking tobaccos. It's chunky cut makes it pack nicely in my pipes. The smoke is a little unremarkable. I mean it smokes well enough, cool, even, and mellow, but it has little flavor or room note. It's not unpleasant mind you, just ok. It's a good all 'round under achiever for a rainy day staring out the window into the back garden.