Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) Half & Half Regular

This tobacco does everything a tobacco should. "Drug Store" or not, I like it better than 90% of the expensive tobaccos I've tried. Good thing I don't always listen to people on the internet.

Half & Half won't take you to a far away land with elves and fairies and giant stags. But it hits the spot when you come home from work and it smells good enough that your non-pipe friends won't think it's cheap. I can see myself smoking quite a lot of it.

Edit: So far, l like it packed very loose in a cob. Better taste, no tongue burn to speak of and stays lit.

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 am going to review that latest version of this stuff put out by Scandinavian Tobacco Group. I have tried this in the past and found it to have a perfume type smell and taste that I did not care for. But with the new version being put out by STG, this blend is just wonderful. The first thing you will notice is that the pouch is not a foil pack inside a cardboard box like the old days. It is a quality roll-up pouch and does a good job of keep the product fresh. The pouch aroma is what you would expect and will still smell of perfume, but do not be discouraged. It packs nicely and lights easily. I do recommend a charring light on this one. The smoke is white are pretty thick. The taste is pure Burley, but with the brights over-shadowing the darks. The perfume is just lightly there and only adds to the smoothness of the smoke. It disappears about halfway down the bowl. The Burley taste is consistent down to the bottom of the bowl and you hardly know you are done when the smoke just fades out. The ash is fine and white and jumps out of the bowl with a knock. The nicotine level seems pretty tame to me. And, the room note is closer to a cigarette than most of the tobaccos in this genre. In other words, it won't win friends and influence people, but it goes away rather quickly. This is my 50th tobacco review and I cannot believe that I did not review this OTC standard years ago. I am glad I waited to review that latest incarnation of this find old blend. I think all Burley lovers should try this again and see the improvements STG has made.

This is probably one of the cheapest convenience store blends there is, but I think it is wrong to judge a tobacco by its price tag. Some reviewers seem to be saying this tobacco has changed over the years, but so far as the tin note is concerned, it has the same aroma so characteristic I remember from years ago, that is, sort of fermented oranges or citrusy with a tangy note to it. The moist content is about right and its ribbon cut is very loose, so you will find it easy to pack in your bowl. The strength of this blend is rather medium, and I think I'd say the same about its taste, though it can build up the more you progress every quarter of your bowl. I cannot detect any tongue bite or, at list, it is not apparent to me due to its mellow character. Despite this, this blend has failed to impress, but as an everyday's smoke, I think it is good enough for what it is. I am giving it 4 starts though, not so more because I might think it deserves it, but just to offset the bad reviews (I don't think this tobacco is as bad as many claim it to be). Just give it a go and find for yourself whether it might suit your smoking needs. If you take into account its price tag, you won't be loosing that much in case you get it wrong after all.

If you want a basic tobacco that has flavor and is not anything fancy or frilly then buy a pouch and try Half and Half. It's not fancy or exotic in blend or flavor. It has been for sale longer than any of us have been alive. I use this when I want a smoke I don't have to worry about pampering. It packs, lights, and burns well. The flavor is pleasant on the tongue. If you sip it like a fine scotch or bourbon you will see that it doesn't have to have anything else to make it good. I have heard all kinds of descriptions as to the flavorings used. All I know is I like it whatever they are? I keep this on hand to smoke on a calm Saturday morning or when I need to sit and think something through. I am planning on buying a tin to put on the shelf so I have it whenever I want it. Yes it is an old codger blend. Yes it has nothing but burley and Virginia in it. Most of all it has been around for 100 years or so. To make it that long there must be something right about this tobacco? I'll just keep smoking it for the next 20 years or so and see if I can figure it out!

**Update: I just purchased two more tins from Pipes and Cigars since i just adore the Scandinavian H&H version and they had a 20% off sale. Who knows what the Nazis at the FDA have in store for the future, (yes i know it seems ridiculous but everyone said i was crazy in 2008 or whenever the giant cigar tax took hold) so i am hording just a little at current prices... But the new version of H&H has the most intoxicating Christmas aroma in the tubs that translates to a delicious slightly aromatic Carter Hall IMHO. Be sure to get the tub as its much better but if you want to try a small amount to start. the old stuff came in foil pouches and the new stuff comes in a plastic like shiny pouch just as an FYI so you can tell the difference without looking for the manufacturer**

Ah I sure am glad the Scandinavians are resurrecting these old blends (or just re-blending them with quality leaf) H&H and Sail are two off the top of my head that were not so good before and now have risen to the quality that they were before (its too bad that Sail has been discontinued though). My new pouches of H&H from Pipesandcigars listed STG as the manufacturer and once opened I could tell this was going to be a much better experience than my Pinkerton trials years ago. I get a Cherry / Anise like topping with the usual Kentucky Burley and Bright Virginia combo in a ribbon cut. My two pouches that I smoked did not have any sticks or stems, were mostly bite free and after ten minutes in the Las Vegas air, were dry enough to smoke to the bottom with one or two relights. Very happy to have decided to try H&H again and also pleased that STG has decided to make an old time OTC with the quality it deserves. 4 stars for quality to price ratio and i just love the Christmas tub aroma! Try it just to see the quality difference, you might be surprised like I was!