Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) Half & Half Regular

Funny thing. I once bought a box of this wonderfully soft, easy burning, chocolatey type of burley....but someone poured the nastiest cough medicine all over it!

This stuff would be pretty good if not for the topping. I almost can't believe some people like this. It is so horrible that it left a bad taste in my mouth for DAYS. And I do NOT have a sensitive palate. Tried unsuccessfully to make it through a bowl in hopes I would discover something good. When I first discovered Latakia it took a few bowls to get it, and now I love and crave it. I thought I might have the same experience with this stuff. But I couldn't even make it through a half bowl. Dumped the rest and tossed the package. I wouldn't even give this garbage away.

This was the first pipe tobacco I ever smoked. My great uncle smoked, and still does smoke this blend pretty much exclusively. I'm not going to bash it, I did enjoy it at the time. It's really just that I have moved on in my range of taste. I can still remember my aunt complaining about the smell of it when I smoked it in the house. She said it had always been rotgut, and tried to tell me about aromatic blends lol.

It has an excellent burn quality and a unique flavor. Think of a heavily cased version of Prince Albert. Same kind of cut too. It is also pretty inexpensive.

I'm not going to recommend this to others, chances are they will encounter this whether they want to or not. It everywhere, usually on the shelf next to Prince albert, carter hall and captain black.

Once again I'm out in the garage, puffing my pipe. Just trying to make it through the second heat dome of the summer in Houston.

Taste is a very subjective thing. Kind of like art. And music.

So I decided to give the venerable Half and Half a try. I'm on a "codger" blend kick, you see. Because, well, I'm a codger now. And in truth, find myself wanting simple pleasures.

I tried this iconic pipe mixture in a Missouri Meerschaum Morgan and a GBD Century Restlite.

The pouch aroma was like Granger: smelled to me of apples.

The aroma, though, was nowhere apparent in the taste. In fact, the taste was essentially tasteless. Like hot leaves. In fact, the grapevines I smoked in Boy Scouts produced more flavor. Rather woody they were.

The best result for HnH was in the corncob. But it was a strain for my old tastebuds to get much out of the smoke.

In all honesty, if you want a walk down memory lane, I say give Sutliff's Matches a try. I especially like Holiday, Barking Dog, and Ready Rubbed. Country Doctor and Revelation are okay, too. Or put Milan's Carter Hall and Prince Albert in your pipe -- those are excellent smokes. Created with the input of hundreds of CH and PA smokers.

Or even the iconic Sir Walter Raleigh in a corncob will fit the contemplative bill.

But Half and Half? I just can't recommend it. It gets kicked to the curb.

Avoid this like the plague.

It stinks, tastes horrible, bites every part of your mouth and makes you look like an idiot for buying this.

I would rather smoke my own finger nails mixed with floor wax.

Luckily I was giftes with this mess and did not spend money on it.

Half & Half - Half & Half Regular.

Firstly, there's no way this is a ribbon, it looks very similar to Sir Walter Raleigh: the cut's nearly the same (cube), it's just a little brighter in colour. To tell the truth, I didn't realise this was an aromatic, so what was going to be a blend to enjoy transpired into a 'quick review' job! The aromatic appurtenance is easy to identify pre-light, and the moisture's good from a fresh pouch.

The first word that jumps to mind upon lighting it is 'cheap', it just tastes cheap and nasty. The tobacco's may be of a decent quality, or they may not be, I wouldn't know as the disgusting topping fulminates any chance of them gaining praise. This topping, lol, may have anisette, cherry, and licorice included, but that's 'by-the-by', it just tastes horrible, so I'm not fussed about what the ingredients are: like fellow reviewer Mcnulty said, 'nasty cough medicine'.

Okay, I'll write a few of the positives to try and make this not a total thrashing: it burns well, the smoke's quite cool, it doesn't bite, and the nicotine's medium.

One of the worst blends I've ever smoked, not recommended:

One star.

Half and Half produced a consistent anise topped smoke. It was pleasantly easy to smoke, at first, and had a hint of nuttiness which came through the added flavorings. This was stronger than some other Burley blends, like PA, but I found myself feeling inundated by the aroma...the flavoring was just too overdone and left a chemical taste which lingered. Additionally, this was harsh for most of the bowl and left my mouth feeling a little "burned" and irritated. Some may like this, good amount of smoke, packed and burned just fine, so at least the basics were met. In the end I have to say that the tin is half empty rather than half full. 🙂 PTLOGJ

I tried this years ago because my dad used to smoke it. He wasn't very good at tobacco selection. It was hot, steamy, and filled with foul, dangerous chemicals. Avoid at all costs.

Picked a box up at the local smoke shop to give a try. Not to my liking at all. Reminds me of passing the local refinery in taste. Chemical taste was very strong and unpleasant. If there were a tobacco taste I did not notice it. I do not recommend this at all.

Disgraceful! I would not tell anyone to bother with it.It's neither this or that,except VERY FOUL!