John Middleton, Inc Hickory

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.

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.

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!

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!

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.