John Middleton, Inc Kentucky Club

OK, I'll admit it. I've been on a real nostalgic Americana OTC Burley blend kick this summer.

KC (Mild - in the Blue tin/pouch) is my latest um, "subject" and frankly, it reminds me of Carter Hall Light. To me, both Carter Hall and Kentucky Club share a similar sweet "apple-ish" aroma and to some extent, taste.

It's a very light and mild blend with a touch of artificial sweetness that finishes in the mouth. The cube cut also has some Prince Albert-ish "crimp cut" mixed in so it's easier to light and keep lit than say, Edgeworth. However, Edgeworth is a much classier blend all the way around.

Right now, Edgeworth is clearly top dog in my book followed by Prince Albert, while Carter Hall and Kentucky Club are tied in third place. But wait....Velvet and Granger are in the queue, so it ain't over quite yet.

I've come to really appreciate (if not love) these old American Burley blends but since I've almost forgotten what Latakia tastes like, Autumn needs to hurry up and get here.

In the meantime, you can catch me on the porch with Kentucky Club which, by the way, earns (and deserves) three solid stars.

I've been smoking this as a change of pace for the last 35+ years. I remember buying many pipes from a catalog that Kentucky Club used to publish and provide points coupons for discounts. I remember pipes selling for as little as $ 1.25 then.

Objectively, a mild, burley tobacco, with very little character. Not harsh, tongue bite is not a problem. A good smoke when golfing and doing household chores. I think it smokes best in a cob.

Recommended.

First off I should say I am a fan of burley blends and blends that have existed forever. Kentucky Club sadly has been overlooked by me for it is so cheap ($1.79 per pouch). I am not a pipe tobacco snob but I was wary that it was so cheap for negative reasons. I was wrong. The pouch aroma is nice but seems to have no continuing scent upon putting it under the flame. Once lit you get mild tasting burley that stays lit and stays smooth on the palate. I like Prince Albert for to me PA is nuttier and Kentucky Club to be fair seems more mellow in taste. I have been smoking bowl after bowl of this since the first and find it to be a good all day smoke when you don't want to think about what your smoking. Possibly the best intro to burley due to the mildness.

Hard to find in the Northwestern U.S. I believe this was one ordered online. Perfect moisture level, packs easy using the scoop and tamp lightly method. Lights easy, burns very well with little attention. Smells very good for a non-Aromatic and reminds me of some of the pouches Grandpa used to smoke in the nineteen fifties. I don't know what the lingering room note would be like as I am almost entirely an outdoor smoker.

If you like Burley blends I highly recommend it. Or if you just want to try something like Grandpa used to smoke (or Great Grandpa), give it a go. You could do a lot worse than this.

I like Kentucky Club for the simple reason that I like Burley. I have become more of a Virginia smoker in recent times, but I cannot say that I will ever give up blends that have a heavy Burley component or are just simply Burley. Kentucky Club is good old white Burley in a very fine, almost shag cut. It does not pack tight, it is the easiest in the world to light and keep lit. The flavor is among the best examples of Burley's endearing softness and simplicity that I have so far encountered. It tastes of hazel nuts and cream simply by virtue of the naked leaf. It never bites the tongue and one is free to smoke it from early morning well into the night, such as I was so often moved to do. If only it were more available in my area of the country. Thank the gods for mail order.

Regards,

A. Morley Jaques

I have to admit that I only revisited this blend after reading the reviews on it here. For years I tried picking up pipe smoking, only ever having it last for a few months to a year. This was due to two factors; cheap tobacco and cheap pipes. But truthfully, many of the drugstore tobaccos are just as expensive as the bulk blends at any tobacconist. I never really enjoyed it the way I do now that I buy good pipes and really good tobacco.

That being said, I got to say that Kentucky Club was one of those blends I remembered having a fairly positive experience with. Along with Sail, it was really the only decent pipe mixture to be had where I lived. I enjoyed it then because it had a good tobacco taste rather than the heavy aroma of vanilla or cherries like many of the cheaper aromatics.

I picked up a pouch today, and it instantly brought back memories of my first pipe smoking days over 20 years ago. The aroma in the pouch was like trail mix (nutty and fruity), but pleasant. Upon lighting, the flavor (more like the taste of the aroma) was reminiscent of sweetgrass. But, it almost immediately burned off. It didn't bite like a virginia, but didn't assault my nostrils like a cavendish. The rest of the bowl was just nice and slightly sweet, but not sickenly so.

It was actually very pleasant to revisit this after so many years, and with a really good pipe. I think many of us will secretly admit to not being real conessieurs (heck, I can't even spell it) of tobacco; we either know what we like or we don't. But, if you don't mind owning up to the admission, and being seen with a pouch of $1.79 Kentucky Club in your smoking kit, life just got better for you.

Edit: I just compared this blend to what is considered a "really good" burley at my local tobacconist (blend called Sailor's Burley). The aroma of Kentucky Club (mild) was stronger than the Sailor's, possibly due to some kind of mild topping, or maybe the humectorant. The flavor of the Sailor's was a little milder, but a little cooler. The main difference is that I really got that burley "mentholatum burn" at the bottom of the bowl with the Sailor's Burley (got to be careful not to get mixed up and tell people I enjoyed the burley sailor). This comparison having been done, I will say that the Kentucky Club strikes me as a better tasting, fuller flavored smoke. But it was also more tarry, requiring twice the work to clean out the pipe.

Just happened across some of this when I was desperate for some tobacco at a quick stop store. Really enjoyed it at the time I must say. Just simple Burley , just what you might expect. I smoked the whole package over the next week. Kind of took me back in time. Very similar to Prince Albert and Carter Hall. Recommended when your in a jam but could never replace higher grade tobaccos.

A real mild burley. A good tobacco for smoking with company. Nice aroma. Not enough taste for me however. This is similar to Prince Albert krimp. It's a little dry too.

This smells wonderful in the pouch, similar to fresh clover. I really like this tobacco, it has become my work smoke, for when I want a solid blend that keeps me happy, but doesn't require much attention. It has a nutty 'fresh' flavor, hard to describe. Better than Carter Hall which is the only other drugstore burley I have enjoyed. No tongue bite and it only got sour at the bottom of the bowl. Overall a very good tobacco, when you need a simple easy smoke.