Tobaccos John Middleton, Inc - Hickory

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3025)	2017-09-19		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

The nutty, earthy, woody burleys have a touch of spice and molasses with a rough edge and sharp note as the major component. The grassy, mildly citrusy Virginia is mostly a background player. The lightly smoky hickory topping has a little depth, and though it does sublimate the tobaccos a bit, it also synergistically compliments their taste. The taste level is a step past mild. The nic-hit is mild. Needs to be sipped a little as it can tingle the tongue. Fast puffing may result in tongue bite. Burns a little warm at a reasonable pace with a mostly consistent flavor. The topping does lose a touch of strength toward the finish. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and needs just a few more than an average number of relights. Has a pleasantly lingering after taste and room note. An all day smoke. Two stars due to its bite potential; two and a half for the flavor.

-JimInks

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	A. Morley (97)	2014-03-07		Extremely Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is the drugstore tobacco that gives drugstore tobaccos a bad name. I love drugstore tobaccos, generally. I don't like that Smoker's Pride stuff. It's a Johnny come-lately, anyway, and doesn't deserve to be compared with the old, classic "codger" burleys. Come what may, I'll always fall back on the blends I can buy in plastic tubs from the local Rite Aid.

Hickory, though, is just awful. From the sad, little orange flecks of warehouse floor sweepings that the blend consists of, to it's bizarre, artificial fruit and nut smell, to the way it bights your tongue no matter how you smoke it or what you smoke it in, to it's gutless, pointless, abysmal lack of any nicotine. It's bad, you see, and I don't like it. If Hickory were the only pipe tobacco left in the world, I would seriously consider smoking autumn leaves liberally mixed with earthworms and dog droppings as an alternative. If hickory were the only pipe tobacco left in the world, I would likely resort to picking cigarette butts out of the gutters near a homeless camp in order to get a fix. If Hickory were the only pipe tobacco left in the world, I would think that anybody who smoked a pipe was a fool or a masochist.

Thank heaven; thank heaven, say I, that Hickory is not the only pipe tobacco left in the world.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Corncob3 (77)	2016-09-06		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Been doing some research on this one. From what I can gather, this was JM's attempt to win over fans of Half and Half and compete with HOW's Briggs. Just didn't catch on with the general public as they thought it would. Which might explain why Hickory gets little mention or has fallen into obscurity. Best way to describe the taste: Blender's Gold Cherry Cavendish, Half and Half and Sutliff's' BRG Mixture (a tribute to Briggs) rolled into one. The cherry flavor is toned down, the character is easy on the tongue and this has a nice woodsy or mesquite profile. No tongue bite but does leave burning sensation (akin to English types). Flavor stayed consistent. Didn't smoke hot, but has a warm nature to it as it smokes down the bowl. I think the issue most people have had with this one, is they were basing their assessment on the pouches or half consumed tins they might have come across. Given the last decade or so of tobacco companies phasing out older product lines, codgers like Hickory get tossed aside and suffer in quality. Must say, I enjoy this mixture. Aired out for half an hour and jarred for about a week before smoking again. The flavor was more well rounded and the hickory in this Match version didn't irritate the stomach, as it had done smoked out of the bag. So puff gently, take your time and keep an open mind. Caution: if you have a sensitive palate or stomach to hickory flavoring use this as an after dinner, outdoor or sitting by the fireplace type. A great smoke in any event. Only wish I had a can of the real thing, but those who have compared the Match to the original say it's a dead ringer with little to no bite. Hope this one is back into production soon.

Pipe Used: Corncob

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars

Similar Blends: Blender's Gold Cherry Cavendish, Half and Half, BRG Mixture.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pop pops pipe (28)	2014-08-07		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I miss hickory, it was a good codger blend. I loved the aroma and mouthfeel of it, it was so unique. I liked the package, plaid with two guns, reminded me of the old west. A good burley smoke with a tad of va for sweetness. It stayed cool and was satisfying. I remember when u could have got a can of this for 10 bucks ! Its a shame this disappeared, this was a good budget baccy.! I don't know what the topping was but it was unique. Nothing else was like it and nothing will replace it. It was kind of a cross between Kentucky club aromatic, walnut, and cherry blend. That's the best I could put it. Sorry this old friend is gone !

Pipe Used: cobs, briars

Age When Smoked: fresh, aged

Similar Blends: Walnut, Kentucky club aromatic and cherry blend combined..

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Loboatomy (41)	2006-05-22		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

UPDATE Just picked up a dusty sealed can of this from a tobacco shop for $10...nice to have tucked away now that it's out of production...

Basic American burley with a Hickory top-dressing. Unbelievably appetizing scent out of the pouch, makes you consider eating it. Typically crunchy dry out of the pouch, moister in the can. Pouch tobacco does well with some judicious dH2O re-hydrating. A pleasant smoke, suitable for an all-day smoke. Can be a little hot burning at times, but not a flamethrower if smoked correctly. Good nicotine content. Smokes well out of a cob, will not impart off flavors into briar like some other cased blends. The rule of smoking bargain burleys holds here: Slow and steady, dump the bowl at about the 1/4 mark to avoid an "unhappy ending". Cheap too ($1.89 per pouch in my neck of the woods).

Recommended if you're into the drugstore burleys.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2004-09-26		Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

A few years ago at my pipe club's first anniversary meeting, we revisited many old blends just for fun. Hickory was one of those blends (we purchased a large tin from Iwan Ries & Co.)

I've never tasted a tobacco anything close to this one. The hickory nut flavoring was somewhat like grape vine in its presentation, and left a somewhat dry taste in my mouth with an aftertaste that I actually enjoyed. Mild to the hilt, watch your pipe carefully to make sure its still lit when you are smoking. Why? Because that hickory flavoring still comes through the shank and stem when you puff even when the pipe's not lit.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Henry Mars (21)	2009-01-04		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I am sad that this mulch is gone. For the life of me I don't know why I continued to buy it for so many years. I would still buy it if it was still being made. This stuff is heavily flavored and cased with a plethora of chemical additives but it doesn't taste too bad .. I assume that the flavoring is some kind of Hickory extract which seems to cover the taste of some real low grade tobacco. There is supposed to be some Virginia tobacco in the mixture ... possibly floor sweepings from a cigarette manufacturer not enough to get past the chemicals though. Despite all that I still enjoy this on a summer night ... it keeps the mosquitoes and gnats away.

When you open the pouch it is too wet to smoke so you have to dry it out for a few days. It packs easy and burns well. Be careful, it could make your tongue feel like the space shuttle's re-entry shield if smoked vigorously.

Not a bad offering for what it is but I wouldn't recommend this for beginners, it might turn them off to pipe smoking.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SopwithCamel (255)	2008-06-30		Very Mild	Mild	Mild	Tolerable

Well, another old blend is gone...

If you loved Hickory, you won't find one just like it. If you didn't get to try it, you aren't missing a world shaking experience. Hickory was made to be a cheap, reliable smoke.

That's exactly what it was...

Mellow puffs and dry ashes to you all.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Frosty (29)	2007-12-26		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Hickory is indeed an old school blend. As stated on the plastic tub, this is a good value for the money. The tobacco is mild, a bit of a bite, but not bad. I live in the midwest, where hickory trees abound, and having eaten many a hickory nut, I can say that this is indeed authentic flavoring. It has a buttery, tangy nutty smell and taste which I enjoy. As another reviewer stated, hickory nuts are very difficult to extract from the shell, so I am wondering how the blenders ever got enough for production. This tobacco is a must in the rotation of old school burley fanciers, and has enough Virginia's to keep thinks lively. A cob really brings out the best in this blend. And if one factors in how many pipe fills are in the 12 OZ tub, it is almost free!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	UncleGar (110)	2005-02-26		Mild	Medium to Strong	Mild	Very Pleasant

Good old friend, my first smoke back in '72. It now strikes me as the least tobacco-tasting of anything I've ever smoked. The casing is over-cloyingly cotton-candy sweet, the flavor more pineappley than Erinmore Flake ever dreamed. Impossible to keep lit out of the can. It sizzles like a cheap sausage on a hot grill. Minimum purchase is now 12 ounces; the pouches were apparently too cheap for the store shelf space. The quintessential drugstore blend that makes Captain Black look upscale.

Jab jab jab... That's why we're here. Sneer at unsophisticated aromatics and by extension, their smokers. Well, fie on sneerers. One likes what one likes.

By all logic and current preferences, I should despise Hickory, but how can I turn away an old friend whose aroma brings me back vivid memories of misspent youth? I took the plunge and bought a can last week. No regrets. I still love it. I may dilute it with other plain burleys to thin the flavoring though.

A suggestion: 12 ounces is an eternity if you dislike this. Beg a sample first.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2004-03-03		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This tobacco does not have those things which many so called "drug store" tobaccos have. It does not have an overwhelming odor of vanilla. It does not have the heavy, scent of cherry. It does not have an excess of moisture. It does not have any detectable artificial moisturizers.

On a whim I bought a 12 oz. plastic "can" of this tobacco at a local discount store for about $11.00. The tin literature says that it is a blend of Virginia in a base of Burley. It states that this blend has been in existence since the 1940s and that it strives to be the best tobacco in its price range. It boasts of a fruity scent and a long, cool smoke.

Looking at it I see a lot of Burley and some very light Virginia. I don't know what the "fruity" aroma is, but it is a little off putting to my nose. But, the short, narrow, slightly crimped ribbon packs well and lights and smokes easily.

It is mild, it smokes quite cool. More than anything, it tastes like a rather good tobacco, not great, but good for the price. John Middleton accomplished what he set out to do. I would not go looking for this tobacco again, but if I was out of tobacco and had to fall back on "drug store" brands, I would pick this over the cherry and vanilla glop that fills store shelves.

ADDENDUM: 03/03/2004 I need to start dating my reviews. However, I think that 8 to 10 months has passed since I first reviewed Hickory. And I now have a real tobacco cellar. As real as I am ever going to get. It is a 50+ year old Philco fridge that my sons rescued from a trip to the dump. It still seals up tight and I keep it in my basement shop. I keep all of my stash there now.

My hickory has been aging well. The fruity taste, which a fellow reviewer ID'd as actual hickory,is now quite subdued. I find myself enjoing it more and turning to it more often. Still a lingering sweet room note. Nice tobacco flavor. No bitterness. It really is a nice tobacco for the $. I am upgrading my rating from "might try again" to "I smoke on occasion."

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	El Blue Mule (3)	2014-04-05		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Circa 1980, I tried Hickory. I thought I was buying a tobacco that was going to taste like a hickory tree (yes, I was naive). What I tasted was nothing special, except for the tongue bite. Oh sure, I liked the pouch design and price--yellow color with a hickory tree for around $1.60. But, the tongue bite was enough to store the tobacco pouch into limbo. In around 1995, I found the pouch in a drawer. Uh....I just tossed it in the trash. I didn't bother to give it a second chance. I probably should have tried smoking a bowl. Back then, all OTC tobacco smelled like raisins to me, so I can't recall the pouch aroma of Hickory.That's all I can remember about Hickory, so I never bought it again.

Pipe Used: briar

Age When Smoked: I was 20. The tobacco was maybe 1 year old.

Purchased From: K-Mart

Similar Blends: Chewing on tiny tacks..

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dr.sadik (120)	2012-08-19		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

i tried a pouch of this tobacco a while back..i cannot say i am impressed. it reminds me of prince albert yet it have a stronger casing similar to cherry blend i guess however it lacks the good room note and the nutty burly taste that it should have. its an easy to pack and burn well blend with low maintenance. comes a bit on the dry side and have to be smoked slowly or it can be harsh. an uncomplicated smoke to fill your pipe on the go thats all i can say in its favor!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2008-08-13		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I don't know why this was put out of production? I used to call it Walnut on a budget! I liked the Hickory smell. I liked the two guns on the package, it reminded me of a tobacco that was possibly smoked during the old west era. It was sweet but not vanilla or cherry. It produced a nice sensation on the throat like many English blends do. If you compared Hickory's aroma with Walnut's aroma, you would find the similarities. Walnut had more types of tobacco in it, where Hickory was Burley based with a hint of VA. It was cheap, $10.00 for a 12oz tub! Now that it's out of production, everyone who smoked it will buy whatever they could find! Much like when they stopped importing Amphora to the U.S. Another " Good Old Blend " down the drain. Who knows, maybe House of Windsor will buy the rights to it, put it in 10oz cans, and sell it for $32.00!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2005-05-28		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium	Pleasant

This is not a tobacco for those who can't stand aromatics. It has a "perfume" smell that puts me off. It smokes well after the intial harshness of the first third of the bowl, and the last third is as good a smoke as anything out there. But it's work, getting by the perfume during loading and the harshness, for that last fifteen minutes of great smoking. I've mixed this with Burley London Blend and it has made a fine smoke of Hickory. And I've experimented with "parfait" loading of this with other burley blends and it works well.

So this blend isn't something I'd recommend rushing out to buy, but I'm glad I have that can of Hickory sitting on my shelf and in a year or so will have to replace it--that last fifteen minutes of a load of Hickory shouldn't be missed.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2005-04-16		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Like other Middleton blends I've tried, Hickory is a simple no frills burley that burns cool, dry and creates no goop. A simple lightly cased burley, with very subtle fruity notes with a pleasant taste. A dependable smoke.

1 person found this review helpful.