Details
| Brand | John Middleton, Inc |
| Blended By | John Middleton, Inc. |
| Manufactured By | John Middleton, Inc. |
| Blend Type | Aromatic |
| Contents | Burley, Virginia |
| Flavoring | Other / Misc |
| Cut | Cube |
| Packaging | 1.5 ounce pouch, 7 ounce tin, 14 ounce tin |
| Country | United States |
| Production | No longer in production |
Profile
Strength
Mild
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Mild
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Mild to Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
2.38 / 4
|
Reviews
Please login to post a review.
Displaying 11 - 16 of 16 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Mar 03, 2004 | 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."
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."
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 05, 2014 | 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
PurchasedFrom:
K-Mart
Age When Smoked:
I was 20. The tobacco was maybe 1 year old.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 19, 2012 | 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!
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Aug 13, 2008 | 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!
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| May 28, 2005 | 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.
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.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Apr 16, 2005 | 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.
target="_blank"
