Tobaccos John Middleton, Inc - Prince Albert

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-07-13		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

When I see anything other than four stars for Prince Albert, I have to remind myself that all of us are different and have different tastes and taste buds. It's hard to see such an old friend get anything but the high praise I believe it deserves. There's a reason this tobacco has been around for over a hundred years. It's just plain good. I have two bowls of the Prince every morning with my coffee. I always smoke it in the same corncob pipe that's reserved just for Prince Albert. This is the way to really enjoy this tobacco. If you let it, the subtle goodness of Burley tobacco will wash over you and take you to a simpler time and place. What a joy it is sitting on my porch each morning, puffing on my old cob full of Prince Albert tobacco with my favorite blend of coffee. I've been using tobacco in all imaginable forms for over thirty years. I recently quit using all forms of tobacco other than pipe tobacco as I think the pipe is better for my health than cigarettes, cigars and chewing tobacco. I'm not a "burley only" man. I like Virginia flake and English blends too, as well as some other favorites I smoke in my brier and meerschaum pipes, but each and every morning, it'll be Prince Albert in a cob that I reach for to enjoy with my coffee.

If you only want to be seen smoking Penzance in your three thousand dollar Dunhill pipe at your country club, than don't bother with Prince Albert. It probably isn't for you. If on the other hand, you think you might enjoy a nice, clean tasting, even burning, non-biting burley tobacco, I offer these suggestions.

Go to your local drugstore and get yourself a good quality corncob pipe. Look for the words "Missouri Meerschaum" on the bottom (they've been making these pipes since 1869). It'll set you back around five bucks. Buy a pouch of Prince Albert tobacco for under three dollars. Grab a pack of pipe cleaners and some stick matches for another two bucks. Total cost: around ten dollars. If you want to really splurge, you can buy a pipe tool for about three bucks. If not, a big headed nail or a stick work just as well for a tamper.

Now go find a nice quiet spot to sit and load up your pipe. Don't worry, you don't have to fill it in pinches and a third of a bowl at a time. Just put it in any way you want. Don't worry about a charring light either. It'll burn no matter what you do and you probably won't even need a re-light. Just put the match to it and start smoking. Oh, you don't have to be careful the way you smoke it. It's not going to bite your tongue like some of the other tobaccos do. Now just sit back and enjoy your smoke. That's all there is to it. Don't worry about breaking in the pipe by alternating half and full bowls either. Even though a corncob pipe does get better after you smoke it for a time, it'll still smoke great from the first bowl. Stays nice and cool too. I've started several of my friends smoking a pipe and this is what I started them off with. I can't think of any better way to get started in the hobby of pipe smoking than this. Also, this is the best tobacco I know of for breaking in a new brier. Makes a very smooth even cake.

94 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Flinthills Tex (27)	2013-06-05		Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I'll admit, for many years I was too much of a tobacco snob to try PA. I mean, come on, my grandpa smoked this stuff. But wait! I always loved going to visit Grandpa; I loved the scent of his pipe. So, I checked out the reviews here on this page, and they encouraged me to give PA a try. I had to wait till I was back in the States, though, since I cannot buy it here in Germany. Finally, in 2011, I had a chance. Well, I was pleasantly surprised...

Packaging: old-fashioned, but nostalgic, although I wish that the description on the pouch were better. Whether you buy the cellophane wrapped box with "luxury" pouch or the tub, both will have kept your PA from drying out. The "luxury" pouch is somewhat awkward and doesn't close well, making it difficult to keep the tobacco moist. The tub does a fantastic job of keeping the tobacco just right, even over a long period of time (right now, I am finishing a tub I opened 14 months ago, and the moisture content is just fine. Contrary to several other reviewers, I do not detect any traces of propylene glycol.

Pouch/tub note: typical nutty Burley aroma; I detect no additional flavoring.

Room note: pleasant, sweet, crowd pleasing, commonly draws remarks like: "Mmm! My grandpa used to smoke something that smelled like that!"

Smoke: PA has a fine cut, which allows for an initial gravity filling of the bowl. It packs well and lights up easily. The burn is cool and even. It is possible to rush this and get "tobacco juice" and tongue bite, but you really have to try hard. The taste is pleasant, ranging from coffee and chocolate to nuts and licorice.

As many have remarked, this is not a gourmet meal, but rather meat-n-potatoes. I would recommend this to any pipe smoker, expert or novice, fan of English or aromatic. It is a good smoke any time of day.

79 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3046)	2012-09-14		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

The lead component is the very nutty, earthy, woody, lightly sugary burleys. The Virginia cavendish chips in with a little grass, tart citrus, light sugar and a few drops of honey in the background. The bourbon and cocoa toppings mildly tone down the tobaccos, and have a lightly distracting chemical note. The strength, nic-hit and taste levels are mild. There is an inconsistency in the flavor because the topping will flash off a bit by the last quarter of the experience, and you may get a mild harshness and a few cigarette notes if you are a fast puffer. Won’t bite, and has a few small rough edges. Doesn't need to be relit much, packs very easily, and leaves little dampness in the bowl. Easily an all day smoke. One of the few tobaccos I have smoked that m'lady commented favorably on when she smelled it. I give it two and half stars because of aforementioned drawbacks.

UPDATE 6-28-2022. There are some changes in the new Dominican Republic production. The mildly applied bourbon is more dominant now, and the now weaker chocolate less so. Both are less sweet, and sport a very slight sourness not present in the American version. The toppings tone down the tobaccos approximately twenty percent more than before at first, but moderately flash off after the half way point. They don’t last as long as before, but you’ll still taste the toppings. The distracting chemical note in the older manufacture is barely obvious. The nuttiness from the burleys is three slots lower than before even when the toppings weaken. The burleys have a little more roughness, and I detect a hint of smoke from them as well. The latter characteristic was not there in the past. The Virginia cavendish mostly has the same effect as always with a touch less sugar and honey, and a lightly deeper citrus. Both varietals are just a little darker in color. The strength and nic-hit are a step and a half past the mild mark. The taste is a half notch more potent due to the smoke note. Won’t bite, and the chances of experiencing light harshness or cigarette notes for a fast puffer are much slimmer. Burns cool, slightly warm, and a tad fast. Overall, it’s not as sweet, less nutty, and even with the rougher burleys, is mildly smoother with a weaker flavor. Has a lightly lingering weaker after taste. The room note is a touch stronger now. Barely leaves any dampness in the bowl, and doesn’t require many relights. An all day smoke. My rating at TR is still two stars though I deduct the extra half star that I gave the original due to the lack of flavor depth.

-JimInks

59 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kashmir (21)	2011-06-29		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

What can I say that hasn't been said already? For an Over the Counter (OTC) blend, Prince Albert really has no counterpart. I rate it that high. Although switching hands several times, and perhaps tweaking the recipe along the way, this blend has been in continuous production since 1856. And that's all you need to know. It was there during the Civil War! PA has always been a very versatile tobacco, used not only for pipe smoking, but for roll your own cigarettes, as well as a chew. It has a tremendous history, and was a mainstay for generations of smokers, throughout the later part of the 19th Century, and all of the 20th Century as well. Now its still here as we begin the 21st Century. Something obviously must be right with this blend to have lasted so long.

It's primarily a burley blend, with a Virginia base, although I think the Virginias are less than 15%. There is a slight casing reminding me of anise or faint vanilla / chocolate.It's a crimp ribbon cut and packs by gravitation quite readily. Don't tamp too hard however as its a bit moist out of the tin and needs a light packing. It's easy to light and the whole bowl will burn on a single initial post-charring light. The blend smokes very smoothly and very cool. No tongue bite here, even if you pull forcefully. Smokes down to a pearly white ash, with nary a dottle remaining.

I use PA in my pipe tobacco rotations, and it is never far from reach. It's also an ideal blend to use for home blending. Try adding 15% Latakia to PA for a real nice smoke. I haven't tried adding Perique, but I know some pipe smokers that swear by it: a Burley / Perique blend. Also, what I really like about PA, is that it serves as an excellent palate cleanser. I am a Latakia hound and will consume Lat blends up to 50% (like Star of the East) with relish, bowl after bowl. However, it can produce a sensory overload, and a good way to clean the slate so to speak is to down a few bowls of PA. Then upon returning to the Lat blends, they taste a new and the palate is refreshed. A pipe smokers mouthwash if you will.

So, give the old PA a go, and as you smoke think of the countless number of grandfathers who lived off of the stuff. It'll bring a smile to your face, as the wisdom of the ages awashes your senses. I rate it four out of four stars!

Smoke in Health & Happiness,

Kashmir

47 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	A. Morley (97)	2006-12-31		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Allright you lot, you've picked on a good pal of mine for far too long now and it's high time I come to the aid good Prince with my own personal songs of praise. That's right, praise, and praise of the highest kind that I can here muster.

A little history here before we begin. For years I was a devoted English blend smoker, and the more Latakia, the better. If ever I would venture into any other sort of blend styles, you could bet that there would still be a good portion of condimental leaf to back them up. Sweet Mamma Latakia was my main squeeze, and Papa Perique was her Pimp Daddy. Gags and wheezes from all within a hundred yards of me be damned. Who needs friends when you have Pirate Kake?

One day, oh, about five years ago, I did something unexpected: I bought a pouch of Prince Albert. I cannot say just why. In my initial pipe smoking of the early years I had tried nearly all that my local drug store had to offer in the way of tobacco and, as far as I was concerned, I could go to the grave without ever tearing open a foil package again. I was amused by the voluptuous red envelope within the carton, how the supple, synthetic material would have made the tobacco inside feel fresh no matter how long it had been on the shelf. Upon opening, I was greeted with the sort of smell that was far from what I was accustomed to with the sort of blends I usually kept on hand; musty, nutty, but with a fresh sweetness. No great contrasts between brights and blacks here, just on uniform, friendly, woody brown. Phu...child's play. I supposed that I may as well smoke some all the same. With packing, I encountered not the cracking, dust dry tinder I had expected, nor the finger-sticking glycol goop that is the other much bemoaned end of the drug store spectrum. This felt like all blends should feel, fluffy, yet substantial. It packed well, then again, I almost always pack well, more me than the tobacco, I was sure. Well then, time to light up. 'Sweet mother of all that is good and pure!'

That's right. I was from that moment hooked. It was burley. It was the kind of burley that I had sometimes heard of, a cool, creamy, nutty leaf that is always there when you need a friend. It was the kind of burley that made me realize why this crop mutation from the eighteen sixties was kept around at all. Today and ever after Prince Albert is with me always. This is not to say that I have forsaken all other blends--I hate people who do that--just that I now have a standard against which all other tobacco is judged. Keep them coming you Pease's and Tarler's and Books' of the world, I'll gladly load up on anything you put out there, be assured though with them, as with all others, I am bold to say- 'Yes, it's good, but it's not PA.' (Please note that this review was written and posted some time ago and has merely been edited to remove simple errors. My opinion of Prince Albert as given here still holds, however)

Regards, A. Morley Jaques

38 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Noorrmm (192)	2002-01-27		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Appearance: Random smallish pieces, uniform medium brown

Aroma: Smells like just a plain burley, possibly a trace of top dressing. I can?t identify it, nor am I positive it?s even here.

Packing: Can be packed into any size bowl just by putting the pipe into the pouch and feeding with one finger. It is possible to pack a pipe in your car, with one hand on the wheel and your eyes on the road. However, see warning below

Lighting: Classic one-match light is the rule.

Initial flavor: Just Burley, nothing else. Nutty, and just a little bitter.

Mid-bowl: Nice cool dry smoke. You have to like Burley to enjoy this. There is a fairly good jolt of nicotine in it, so it MAY NOT be the best thing to smoke while driving.

Finish: A bit more harsh at the bottom, but not a problem.

Summary: An excellent choice in a cob. A good change of pace if you get tired of blends, or matured Virginias

34 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2008-09-16		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Oh yeah baby! I have purchased pouches of the Prince many times over the years and smoke the stuff up just for the fun and nostalgia. Pure burley, cool and pleasant. The room note sends the ladies running--in your direction!

If cheap and tasty rings your bell, then ding-a-ling, grab a pouch of the Prince!

29 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2012-08-16		Mild	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Until recently I never bothered to try Prince Albert. Maybe too many butt end of jokes, but I finally gave in. What can I say, this has become my daily go-to tobacco. It's just a pleasant, good tasting, all around daily blend. What else could I say, cheap and good. Great everyday tobacco.

27 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2013-11-02		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I really like this tobacco because of its value and because it smokes great! There is simply no bite with this tobacco and it's something that I can smoke everyday because its plain and simple it doesn't have a flavoring that you get tired of. If you just like tobacco and the taste of tobacco then I highly recommend this.

24 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Demetri (113)	2014-06-18		Mild	None Detected	Very Mild	Tolerable

As a dedicated English blend smoker for forty plus years who has fairly recently been taken with C&D's Burley flakes and especially Old Joe Krantz, I gave into the temptation to pick up a pouch of this a couple of days ago. In general I have enjoyed no codger blend with only Carter Hall getting a "dire emergency" pass. And I mean dire. But I had never tasted PA and it was time. Unlike everyone else here, my pouch must have languished on the shelf for quite some time. The dark, broken ribbons were dry. No evidence of PG ever being in it either - THAT dry. Pouch note was pure tobacco - no toppings/casings could I detect, just a dry grassy, musty, tobacco aroma. This was good news for me. I can't take flavorings in general.

Loading a corncob was easy, instant ignition with no relight necessary. Initial hit of flavor, just plain good burley. I debated with myself to rate it as "Extremely mild" in ratings as many have here. But honestly I could not place the flavor as added, just "seasoned" a tad. This means to me that the cavendish denotes slightly sweetened, not otherwise flavored. By the same token I don't consider sugar a flavoring in my cooking, just an enhancer like salt. Hence, seasoning. Same here.

I am smoking a cob right now as I type and thoroughly enjoying it. It's very mild, no Nic bomb here. It seems mostly dark burley which I like. Effortless smoking with only a too quick burn for disappointment, even after I added moisture. I thought adding some moisture would bring to the fore any casings; no, I can't find any.

Pleasant aftertaste, no bite to write about. I cannot liken it to any prepared blend, just my home mixes of Burley/Virginias - this better than mine. Effortless pleasure. I cannot see how this is compared to Carter Hall in the least except sitting on the same shelf at the retailer.

I thought I was buying a pouch destined to occupy my Jeep console for the times when I forget to pack a favorite blend. What I found was a keeper. No surprise it's in the Hall of Fame.

Pipe Used: Corn cobs

Age When Smoked: unknown

Purchased From: Cigar Express, McKees Rocks, PA

23 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2012-01-20		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Prince Albert is my favorite, narrowly edging out Carter Hall, another traditional burley and Virginia blend. The boiler plate above says "Air Cured," but it is my belief Prince Albert comprises both burley and flue cured tobaccos. It is slightly sweetened and flavored. Prince Albert may also contain a portion of Turkish.

What are the flavorings? For starters, there is a distinct aroma of cocoa. Camel cigarettes provide more clues. When Camels were introduced by R.J. Reynolds, which produced Prince Albert at the time, they were advertized as using the same new process as used for Prince Albert. One suspects that refers to the use of liquorice. (Tobacco-processing today consumes some 80% of the total liquorice production.) R.J. Reynolds today lists the ingredients for Camels as including cocoa, liquorice, and brown sugar. Types of tobacco are not differentiated, but we note that Camel has traditionally advertized it contains Turkish tobacco.

Whatever the ingredients, Prince Albert is a fine pipe tobacco. It burns unusually well, has a delightful flavor, and does not bite.

Prince Albert tobacco is named after the future King Edward VII of England, not his father, who was also a "Prince Albert." The Prince Albert tobacco tin briefly bore the inscription "Now King" during his reign. Albert's mom, who was a Victorian (snort), despised smoking and would not allow it in the palace. Reportedly the first thing Al or Ed did after being crowned was to stride into a drawing room with a stogie and announce, "Gentlemen, you may smoke."

22 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2013-06-15		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

This is a fine tobacco. It has a very earthy flavor and smell. Its not trying to be something its not. Prince Albert is a great everyday go to smoke, great for the workin man.

18 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Eulenburg (193)	2004-05-29		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild	Unnoticeable

"Cheap, sour burley" was my initial reaction to this old drugstore blend. Then it occurred to me that people who like bitter Dutch beer or black, unsugared coffee might enjoy the initial astringency of this otherwise mild burley cavendish. It is just the taste of Burley tobacco. And after I tried it in a small-bowled pipe and got it to smolder smooth and quiet, the cashew-nut gentleness kind of appealed to me. Nice, smokey after-taste. I managed the whole pipe with just one match. Considering that the pouch cost a couple of bucks (1 ½ ounce) members of the brotherhood on a fixed income might enjoy Prince Albert quite a bit, especially if they are slow-puffers. Overheat this and it will get sour and bite like hell.

I am not sure what "crimp cut" means, as it refers to some older American description. In the pouch, this looks, smells and is cut like a typical Cavendish burley blend. I don't quite see how one could roll it into a cigarette. Too thick.

Mind you, I am talking about the straight PA in the red-coloured pouch or can. AVOID the cased versions, they are AWFUL.

17 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	joeyB (3)	2014-11-11		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I've been smoking pipes for about 10 years. Based on everything I've read, I was expecting PA to be a very low quality smoke. One of those 'last resort' burleys that is either going to be as flat as a cigarette or as chock full of chemicals as cotton candy, or both. I've tried samples of some of the other OTC stuff that people have gifted to me (Half & Half, Carter Hall, Walnut), and came to the conclusion that I probably wasn't a burley fan. Those experiences were enough to reassure me that I was doing the right thing shelling out the big bucks for the high end Dunhill classics, pricey VaPers, quality aged virginias, and of course the powerful new english blends that today's master blenders are expertly cranking out. All of that stuff is great.

Then I recently bought a new pipe and had been thinking all week about what I might want to break it in with. I happened to be standing in line at the grocery store, and saw the familiar large tubs of PA, as well as the pouches. Just for the heck of it, I decided to pick up a pouch for $4. I'd always heard PA was great for breaking in pipes, so I figured, what the heck, I'd try a few bowls and if I liked it well enough I may break in the new Sav with it. Opening the pouch, the ribbons seemed to be of a basically perfect consistency and moisture. I'm not sure how long the pouch had been sitting on the shelf, but there was no trace of the dreaded crystalline goop that is expected with most OTC blends. It loaded in the bowl very nicely, and then I learned the first lesson: yes, as many here have said, it really is a "light it and forget it" tobacco. It is very easy to smoke the entire bowl on one light, without it ever getting hot or gurgley, or threatening to go out. The taste was very nice, cool and creamy. The smoke had body and flavor, but it wasn't overwhelming at all. One of the things I like about smoking lat blends is the nice, cool, thick creamy satisfying smoke on every draw, without ever burning too hot or biting. PA definitely has some of those qualities, but without the ashy-mouth charred-throat feeling that you sometimes get with a large bowl of a heavy duty english. Don't get me wrong, at certain times I like a bowl that will make your eyes water as much as the next guy. But PA is the first blend I've tried where I felt a very satisfying draw (unlike the empty hot-air feel that you can get from aros or even some great VAs), but then afterwards my mouth felt and tasted fresh, and the room note was really pretty pleasant. And I can see why people say it is a good break-in tobacco: the bowl just always seems to effortlessly burn down evenly with hardly a relight, and for me every single time the bowl is burned down 100% to a fine white ash. I can definitely see how this was kind of a "standard" blend for many, many years. Nothing about it is outstanding, but it doesn't have any real flaws either, and is pretty satisfying all the way around. I'm definitely not about to go toss out all of my wonderful fancy blends. But I probably will always keep a tub of PA around as a regular part of my rotation. And I will also keep around a tub of grains of salt for use when listening to the conventional wisdom and herd mentality regarding some of the fads that go around. I've paid many times this for tins that come highly recommended from websites and blogs and have ended up with blends far more disappointing than PA. I get the feeling that, if this tobacco had been discontinued for a few decades, people would probably be ranting and raving about how excellent it was and paying exorbitant rates for it in online auctions (like with, say, Edgeworth Sliced). A lot of pipe smokers seems to let the availability of a blend affect its perceived value. Don't let the fact that it is abundant and cheap lead you to miss out on this great tobacco.

For the record, my current top blends are: Frog Morton's Cellar, Dunhill My Mixture, FVF, Escudo

EDIT: It's almost a year since I've written this review, and I've kept PA as part of my regular rotation since then. I work it in every 3 or 4 bowls or so, and enjoy it thoroughly. I bought a couple of the big tubs very cheap at the grocery store and put it in some large mason jars, and I'm sure I'll be smoking that for a long time.

Pipe Used: MM cob, new Savinelli BIlliard

Age When Smoked: New pouch...may have been on shelf for a while!

Purchased From: Grocery store

14 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Smoking Sam (20)	2013-06-05		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

The Prince Albert in the can joke is older than I am. OTC blends are held in such distain that I avoided them, until now. Curiosity finally got the better of me.

The good: It's cheap, I mean - really cheap. It is readily available at almost any drug or grocery store. It comes in either a handy size 1.5 oz. pouch or the large jar. Perfect moisture right out of the pouch. To say that this blend lights easily would be an understatement. One simply has to touch the flame to the tobacco, and it lights instantly and fully. Burns superbly, almost no relights are necessary. Lots of smoke. Pleasant aroma. Burns COOL. Delicate taste. No bite. Zero dottle.

The bad: Very mild monochromatic taste. Must be sipped for maximum enjoyment. Puffing can and will cause the burley to become harsh, and the taste can erode quickly mid-bowl if this happens. Burns so easily that the bowl doesn't last all that long.

Recommendations: Gravity pack VERY loosely. Light touch with the tamper. Gentle light. Always sip.

I can see now why this blend has been around for decades, and why it was a staple of our grandfathers. For the money, it isn't half bad - a pleasant surprise. A nice change of pace from smoking Latakia bombs, Balkan's, aromatics, straight Virginia's, flakes, and the dreaded tongue burners.

13 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-04-29		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

As I recently tried Carter Hall (CH) and loved it, I will be brief with the Prince:

Like CH, the Prince has been around since at least 100 years. Maybe there is a reason to it. Maybe it's just because it is delicious, without any other pretense than giving the pipe smoker what he wants: a pleasurable smoking mixture!

However, the Prince is different than CH in that its aroma is rather on a tiny, sweet floral note that is interesting when smoked, and in the fact that the roomnote will become rather on a kind of cigarettish note by the last third or so.

This being said, it is not offensive like cigarettes.

A classic and uncomparable tobacco that must be tried... Highly recommended.

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Cobman (15)	2015-10-05		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Very Pleasant

I've been smoking PA for over 40 years. As others have said, there is a reason it's been in contentious production for over 100 years. It's not fancy, it's not complex...just a good burley smoke. No pretensions, no big claims...just a good, honest smoke for a very reasonable price. For the person who has nothing to prove.

I've never had PA bite or gurgle in any pipe I've ever smoked. The falvor is just good, nutty, slightly sweet burley. The subtle chocolate notes in the background are, I am sure, just from the burley, and not from junky casings. I've never tasted any glycol or preservatives.

You can smoke it straight, blend it with other tobaccos, flavor it with spirits or extracts, and you can even do what I used to do in my younger days. I spent a lot of time in the woods, so to keep my PA from drying out in the Texas heat, I would eat an apple, and throw a chunk of it in my pouch with the tobacco. This kept it at the perfect moisture, and gave it a very suble fresh apple top note. After a day or so, when the apple turns brown, (if there is any PA left), just toss it, and drop in ma new chunk. It doesn't get any simpler than this.

PA is like an old friend, always there when you need it, and always dependable. Prince Albert will never let you down.

Pipe Used: cob, briar, and pearwood

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: drug stores, tobacco stores,grocery stores, and even a hardware store.

Similar Blends: Edgeworth Ready-Rubbed, P & C Midtown Series Prince Andrew.

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-01-28		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Prince Albert is another one of the classic American burley-based blends, largely unchanged since its original formulation. The crimp-cut was intended for either cigarettes or pipe smoking. There's nothing in this blend but burleys; that's it. Today, since the Middleton Company took over the blending and sales, there has been some variations with flavoring, including a vanilla overcase and a brief attempt at menthol, but if you get the red can or the red pouch, then it's pretty close to what I smoked in the mid-1960s. This is a hard tobacco to objectively review: you either like it or hate it. I like it, because the flavor is the flavor of real tobacco, w/o casing and condimental tobaccos. I'm sure there's propylene glycol as a humictant, but PG burns off quickly WITH NO AFTERTASTE. PA: Best when fresh. Better in a pocket tin than in the pouch. PA can grow on you, in a mid size billiard on a cold morning sipping coffee before fishing or hunting, there's little better to smoke. It packs easily, lights quickly and after the initial bitterness, can settle into a pleasant smoke. It always seems to burn to a fine gray ash for me, w/o a lot of moisture. The room aroma can be bitter if you were expecting something other than tobacco. I have dedicated pipes for PA and H&H only, to preserve the quality of the smoking. But, I wouldn't recommend it to relatively new smokers.

Update: Since my first review of this blend, I hope that getting older has made me wiser. I have had the opportunity to smoke more PA than any other "Over-The-Counter" (OTC) blend. The term, "OTC" is so much more evocative of the tobacco's true nature of its ready availability than calling it a "drug-store" blend. In any case, despite sometimes being a little too moist in the plastic tub, and I only buy the tub since the pop-top pocket tin seems no longer to be available, PA is a genuinely fine all-day smoke. I no longer smoke Half and Half, because I cannot abide the industrial chemical taste. So many of my other OTC favorites are either disappearing or have become transmuted by their current marketers (to call them blenders insults every real blender). PA has risen to the top of the list as a steady, dependable burley based blend, cool and fragrant, easy on the tongue and respectful when smoked through the day. This blend is not great art, nor was it intended to be. But, PA lends a constancy to pipesmoking, w/o pretension or posturing. PA may be the best OTC blend on the market today. I alter my review to four stars.

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JosephJames (12)	2015-03-15		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Yes, this is an absurdly cheap tobacco. I bought the pouch at my local grocer for $3.

The pouch note reminds me of chewing tobacco.

I don't find this as good as SWR, but it is a very good burley based tobacco. Plenty of flavor and not likely to offend many bystanders as the odor is fairly pleasant. I did find this to be better than Carter Hall or Half and Half.

The old tins of this state "pipe and cigarette" tobacco; however, the cut of this is not what I would call a ribbon and must have changed over the years. Very easy to pack and light. No extra lighting needed. I didn't find this to burn fast or hot, but I got more flavor from it by sipping versus going steam train with it. No issues with it making my pipe wet. No real negatives, no super positives. This is about as plain Jane as it gets with tobacco.

If you do not have a huge budget for tobacco and lack a cellar stockpile, this is an inexpensive and decent tobacco that I would recommend as an all day smoke.

Edit: I like it so much I keep a can in the floorboard of my car now. It has become my most frequent smoke of late.

Pipe Used: MM cob

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: Ingles supermarket

Similar Blends: Carter Hall, Sir Walter Raleigh, Half and Half.

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-09-05		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Let me start by saying that I'm not the worlds biggest Burley fan. I very much prefer either pure Virginia's or English Mixtures. That being said, Prince Albert is decent.

Prince Albert provides an affordable, palatable and easy way for someone to learn pipesmoking. It lights and burns well, provides little tongue bite and doesn't leave the pipe smelling like a perfume factory. For regular pipe smokers, it is also consistent, available and smokes great either outdoors or inside with a cup of coffee and newspaper. Nicotine is noticeable, but certainly not overwhelming.

For Americans, who are accustomed to Burley in their cigarettes, Prince Albert may also be a great transition for those who wish to become 'pipe only' smokers. The old ads did say that it was great for pipes or cigarettes!

I enjoy a pipeful of Prince Albert while camping, or in the great outdoors. It is a great way to enjoy the simple things in life. Also great for blending.

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	scottyspipesebay (25)	2012-07-05		Extremely Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I just let Prince Albert out of the can today! Actually, this is nothing new to me...

I'd mostly recommend this to those new to the pipe, as it is a nice cool mellow nutty sweetish smoke. It needs no drying time out of the can. Even if you're learning to pack a pipe, you'd have little trouble with PA, and it would still burn well; stay lite, and burn cool for you, even if your pack were a bit uneven.

If your gal is one that doesn't cotton to the smell of smoke, she'd more likely tolerate PA because it's pretty darn pleasant, providing you don't pull on the pipe like a freight-train.

PA is not a gooey blend that will gum-up your pipe like some of the heavily cased cavs, and the scent that's left in the pipe is not too bad either, IF you stay on top of maintenance as anyone should if they want a good clean smoke each time.

I used to keep in on hand years ago, but lost interest as I progressed to higher end blends. But, today while shopping, I thought to give it another shot...it had been quite a while, and I'm glad I did. It's cheap, convenient, and I seem to like it more now than I did years ago. So there `ya go.

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2003-08-05		Extremely Mild	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Unnoticeable

I like all kinds of tobacco. English, Naturals, Aromatic, you name it, I like alot of them. So I am always willing to try something new. But when I ran out of my favorit tobacco, I stopped at a convienence store, in a small town, hoping they would have some pipe tobacco. Well they did, but only one, Prince Albert. Never tried it before, and since the selection was limited, I bought it, with my usual open mind towards a new tobacco. When I opened the pouch, I was expecting some form of aroma, but where was it? I placed the pouch right under my nose, and I did detect somewhat of an aroma of tobacco. Well, I filled my pipe, applied fire, and started to smoke. At least I thought I was smoking. Smoke was coming out of my pipe, I was puffing smoke from my mouth, but I could not detect any hint of flavor. I continued to smoke, wondering where the tobacco was. I still saw the smoke, puffed the smoke, but still nothing, except half way through, I was welcomed with a little bite. Soon after that, the tobacco was all burned. Didn't last long. There was not anything realy objectionable about this tobacco, there just was not anything at all to it. I've used some of it, to stretch some of my favorit blends, when I found myself running low, and for this it does fine. However, I still have the same pouch, and its been over three months since I bought it. I don't think I will be replacing it when it is gone. Maybe the Prince should think about abdicating.

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RyinMD (27)	2016-02-10		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I bought a tin at some sort of tobacco outlet in Kentucky - yeah, a burley in Kentucky. I had tried Sir Walter Raleigh and Half&Half. I was wanting to try another of the classic American burleys, and of course there's the joke. That sealed it. I gave it a try, and boy, am I glad I did.

On opening the tin, I got a whiff of burley. The aroma takes me back to the smell of a Kentucky tobacco barn in the late fall when the tobacco is curing. The cut is described as a crimp cut. It looks sort of like someone took a ribbon-cut and sliced the ribbons into shorter pieces. Maybe that's what other crimp cuts look like. I know of one or two B&M stores that do their own blending that offer crimp cut tobaccos, but I've never tried for comparison.

On lighting, I got the flavor of a mellow burley - nutty and tasty, not overwhelming. I don't taste a casing, but others have described one and have guessed at what it might be. As just about every tobacco - even English blends - have some sort of casing, I will buy that it's there, but it's so light that I didn't notice. What I get is a smooth, mellow burley without any bite. It's not overly strong, yet it still has enough nicotine to have it in a small-bowled pipe.

The tobacco in the tin was sufficiently dry, so I doubt it is treated with PG. If so, it is with a very light hand, not like some that are goopy and never dry out. That said, it has maintained its freshness in the tin and my fold-over pouch for quite some time.

My tastes run from a good English to straight VA and VAPER blends and even the occasional light aromatic. But, sometimes I just feel like an old-fashioned burley blend. PA has become my go-to for burley. While it is sufficiently strong enough to enjoy in a small pipe for a short smoke, I can go back to it over and over during the day without fear of tongue bite. I also agree with the reviewer who said it is a good palate cleanser. It has a great flavor, but it doesn't rob your ability to taste other tobaccos - or anything else for that matter.

To me, the room note smells of burley tobacco after I've left and come back with a little sweetness. That might be the casing others have detected. Whatever it is, the smell is burley to me.

Bottom line, if you like burley or want to try one out, then give this a try.

Pipe Used: Savinelli, GBD, Ben Wade, Peterson

Age When Smoked: Recently purchased.

Purchased From: A B&M Tobacco outlet in eastern Kentucky

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2015-10-24		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

PA in my opinion is the oatmeal of the tobacco world. There are no frills here, no subtle nuances, no changing a half, quarter or third of the way through the bowl. Maybe some cocoa, but very little, and good ole burley. In my experience, the best way to smoke the old drugstore blends is to not think about them very much. Its hard to pack it bad or wrong in any pipe and they stay lit exceptionally well. It doesn't bite or leave a nasty aftertaste. Good straightforward tobacco.

Pipe Used: many

Age When Smoked: aged and fresh

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	sjdugi (22)	2015-09-17		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I've heard so much about this blend and I'm glad I've finally had the opportunity to try it. Right out of the pouch the scent is quite enjoyable; I picked up a lot of the cocoa smell. Once lit, the smell is much more faint. PA has a great burley flavor and I can see now why it's so highly regarded, especially for an OTC blend. Tobacco burns nice and needs minimal tamping and relighting. I think that everyone should try this blend at least once; I'll certainly be smoking more of it myself!

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2015-03-13		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I first smoked this in an MM Patriot, narrow bowl with medium depth, and noticed that although it began too mild in flavor for me to enjoy it increased in flavor the further down I smoked. About the half bowl mark it had reached mild to medium status and I found myself really liking it. Then it ended too soon. Nutty with a little cocoa-like flavor riding on top. Simple, uncomplicated, but pleasant and satisfying. Next bowl I used an MM General which has a narrow bowl and is much deeper than the Patriot. Got much more time in the sweet spot with that bowl. I like this blend. It's not a blend that knocks my socks off, but it is a blend that I can get a lot of enjoyment from.

Mild in body. Mild to medium in flavor with the right pipe. Burns well. Moisture is perfect for immediate smoking.

Pipe Used: MM Patriot, MM General

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: http://wvsmokeshop.com/

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Der Pfeifenraucher (71)	2014-11-16		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I got a call the other day asking if I had Prince albert In a box. "Not anymore" says I. Click. This stuff is Very good. I'll give this the best bang for the buck I've yet tried. Hesitant at first because of some other "tobaccos" at the gas station, I read a bunch of reviews and decided to give Old Al a shot. Excellent pouch note. Some Va/Bur with brownie backbone. Light and springy, perfect moisture, packs and burns very well. Consistent flavor through the bowl, nose and palate agree, mostly burley nut with hints of Va. and chocolate and vanilla. Smokes nice and cool down to the bottom. Light it and forget it if you choose to.

PA is light enough to puff after lunch or when involved in another preoccupation but still complex enough for a thorough examination when a more thought provoking smoke is needed. Well done Prince, yet somehow, not quite King's fare. I hereby bestow upon thee the honor of three and a half stars and a place in the rotation.

5.25.15 update--I'm upgrading the prince to 4 star status and a favorite. I have a couple dozen different tins under my belt now but keep going back to PA. If it had more nic it would be perfect, as is, damn near.

Pipe Used: old cob, grabow briar

Age When Smoked: 0-4 months

Purchased From: C-store

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Old Puffer (42)	2008-10-22		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

10/22/2008 Can't complain a lot about this baccy but can't get excited either. It is near the top of the heap for a drug store blend but I have to say that I think Carter Hall has it beat hands down.

PA comes in about as perfect a form as possible. Just the right amount of moisture and a perfect cut with no chunks or sticks. The pouch aroma is very pleasant. It packs easily, lights easily, stays lit well, puts out clouds of smoke without having to suck up and has an acceptable room aroma. One problem I experienced was that from a full bowl, at about 2/3 down in the bowl, it started to get stronger and stronger until I had to dump it because of the foul taste it was putting out. Cutting the bowl pack to about 2/3 or smoking it in a wide bowl alleviates this. The only other problem, which I consider the worst, is that it leaves a really bad after odor in the pipe that lingers a long, long time.

If this were just a so,so blend, I would give it three stars but because it has some shortcomings that I cannot live with for continued use, I give it 2 stars.

Update 1/26/2010 Have learned by experience that this baccy has to be dried a bit to keep it from becoming overpowering in smoking it and from leaving bad after taste and odors in the pipe while smoking a full bowl. Upgrading to 3 stars and will continue to work with it.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	troyniss (38)	2020-06-03		Very Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Presentation: Nice, small ribbon and somewhat larger bits of rich brown and some darker black pieces. Moisture content is perfect and never had a problem with it drying out even when left alone to its device for weeks at a time. I have bought a 14oz tub as well but have not opened it. I assume the cut is the same given the uniformity of this blend for decades.

Palette: A lovely chocolate/molasses scent arises from the pouch. Flavor is of a very mild burley. Not as nutty or woodsy/dry as say a more expensive flake like MacBaren HH Burley. This blend is so smooth and mellow. Hints of prune as well from the bag. Flavor is somewhat nutty, buttery, cream and familiar. Something about this blend just says 'good'. Can get a little 'cigarettish' towards the bottom but I usually don't smoke all the way to the bottom on most days.

Performance: Burns effortlessly and rarely needs a second light. Has a short lived aftertaste. Can run a little hot if you are a hard puffer like me, but never found that it bites or it changes the flavor when that happens. Leaves a little moisture in the bowl and dottle. A nice ash. Little nicotine. I like to inhale this tobacco once in a while to get an extra dose.

Conclusion: It's been around for a long time and it's not hard to see why. I have put this blend up against SWR, SWR Armoatic, H&H, Velvet, Carter Hall and Edgeworth RR Match for the ultimate codger showdown. Prince Albert was a blend that I didn't initially like but after some time, I found myself reaching for it more and more and it is now my go to codger. Many people will hate on Prince Albert, and of course you can smoke a more boutique blend any day, but I suggest at least trying PA for the sake of reputation and its history in the pipe smoking community. There will be at least one codger blend you like. Some people prefer Half & Half and others Carter Hall. I prefer PA and that's just how it goes. I will always have some of this on hand and plan on buying multiple 14oz tubs for my cellar.

Pipe Used: Peterson Short 264

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: SP.com

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2080)	2017-07-06		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

John Middleton - Prince Albert.

A simple, high quality, blend. Basic, but good.

The appearance isn't anything spectacular, mostly a medium size, brown, ribbon. There's a few leafier pieces, but not enough to warrant the term 'coarse'. This was supplied bulk, so I'm unaware of the dampness/dryness of a sealed pouch. This looked good though.

If you want a rich Burley blend try this! It seems a fairly basic taste whilst lighting and steadying a burn. But in short time a rich chocolate flavour appears, with a slight sweetness. It doesn't taste as rustic, or rugged, as a lot of Burley blends can, the addition of Cavendish abates this side. The temperature from P.A. is amenable, and it gives a splendid burn. The only fluctuation in flavour is depth: as the bowl burns it seems to develop a little more weight.

The nicotine: mild to medium. Room-note: pleasant.

Not my usual type of thing, but worth three stars:

Recommended.

Pipe Used: Dagner Poker

Age When Smoked: Three weeks

Purchased From: Cup O' Joes

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Perique (163)	2013-01-17		Mild	Mild	Mild	Tolerable to Strong

I hate to insult the OTC lovers here, but this is not your Grand Father's PA. Just as the ingredients in cigarettes have changed dramatically over the years in favor of sheet tobacco and chemicals, I fear similar tampering with the PA formula. This is nasty tobacco. Little flavor, full of PG, and drying/aging makes it worse, not better. After a few months jarring it smelled like a cigarette ashtray. Flat, nasty.

If Burley is what you're after, there are much better choices made with real, unadulterated tobacco.

Update June 2014: I left the house on some errands with a couple of cobs, but forgot the tobacco. In a panic, I pulled into a gas station that offered a choice of RYO "pipe tobacco" or Prince Albert. I bought the Prince. Same lovely pouch note: so much promise. Delicate cocoa flavors caused me to doubt my long-held destain for the Prince. Then I smoked a bowl....

The charring light was quite good. Then the flavoring agent burned off to reveal the same ashiness, harsh chemical flavors, and hot burn. My opinion remains unchanged.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	LongJnSilver (3)	2008-12-07		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Well, laddies, when I was home in the States recently, on the strength of 1. old memories from rolling my own back in the 1980s, and 2. some recommendations here, I brought back (count 'em) TWO HUGE plastic tubs of PA. Eagerly, I went out on the back deck with one of my nice calabashes (a huge 1950s Kaywoodie) and lit up. UGH. I couldn't believe my tastebuds. Awful! But, full-of-faith, I put it off to having had Chinese with a heavy load of garlic. I'd try again later. WORSE! (The garlic had actually helped!) I've managed to give away one "tin" - and will play around with cutting some other blends with a bit of it, but without high hopes. Alas... a severe blow has been dealth to my nostalgia genes. And, I'll not mention here my impressions of the other old standby I returned with, CARTER HALL. Dang. LongJnSilver - London -

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Old Writer (2)	2021-07-11		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

For a bit, PA was not to be found as production was moved to the Dominican Republic, so when I noticed it was back in stock I bought a tub. Back in the eighties I went through many a small tub of PA. I still have one of the old metal tubs, as a matter of fact. It was a good smoke then; what is coming out of the D.R. now, is superior to the blend I smoked 40 years ago. To begin with, the cut (and this is subjective) is improved. The old, what was described on the can as 'crimp cut' was uneven, like it was cut-up ribbon. The current cut is ribbon and much less chopped-up like the old. It is fairly moist in the tub and could probably stand a bit of dry time first, to be honest about it. The tin note is a bit more faint, to me. I get the aroma of dark chocolate. It lights easy with the usual amount of relights. I don't detect some of the harsher notes as with the old blend which to me is another improvement over the older blend. My hands down favorite, C&D Pegasus has more harsh notes than this new blend does. It is advertised as having burley, which it is in spades, and cavendish. This is a classic burley. As others have said, it has been around for a long time, for good reason. It is not a strong blend that will curl your toes, like some that you dare not smoke all day, or on an empty stomach. You can smoke it all day. I recommend that all burley folk give the new blend a shot. Don't let the fact that it is now canned in the Dominican Republic put you off. Dominican tobacco is used in cigars and it is top-notch product. They know how to grow tobacco on the island.

Pipe Used: Peterson aran rustic

Age When Smoked: out of the tub

Purchased From: smokingpipes

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	gahdzila (61)	2017-03-20		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Ah, the ole Prince. Prince Albert holds a special nostalgia for me, since it was the first pipe tobacco I ever tried (save for a brief trial with some cherry stuff as a teenager....but that doesn't really count).

Simple? If you take it at face value, yeah. You can mindlessly puff PA, and just get that mild straight tobacco taste. If you pay attention, though, there really is a lot going on flavor wise. There's the nutty burley flavor. There's the sort of raisin-y pouch note that carries over to the smoke. There's an almost chocolate-esque flavor to the finish. There's some sweetness in there. And I get something else, too - a soft creamy flavor, sort of a butter-vanilla-butterscotch, but not really close enough to any of those to say "that's what it tastes like"....it's a very pleasant flavor, I assume must be from the topping. Perhaps I'm over analyzing. There's absolutely nothing wrong with just puffing away on PA and not picking apart the minutia of flavorings - that's the way I smoke it most of the time. But I figured the prince deserved a bit more than that in my review

If a newbie ever asks for a pipe baccy recommendation, PA is the first one I mention. It's the easiest to smoke blend I've found. It's never too moist, it's so easy to pack, and it takes a flame effortlessly. There aren't many blends that I could confidently claim to be able to finish a bowl with a single paper match, but I definitely could with PA, straight out of the pouch or tub.

Which brings up another point - pouch vs tub. Yes, they are the exact same blend. And there's nothing inherently wrong with PA in a pouch. But I've found the quality of the pouches to be a bit inconsistent. Sometimes you get one that tastes just like the stuff from a tub...but sometimes it's a little drier, and sometimes the flavor is a little muted. I assume this is due to the packaging not being able to keep it as fresh as long. It's not a huge difference, honestly...and I wouldn't recommend anyone buy a 14 ounce tub as their first trial run with any tobacco. But if you smoke PA regularly and usually buy pouches, you'd definitely be well served to buy yourself a tub next time.

Great tobacco, a staple in my cellar. Nothing pairs better with my morning coffee. Highly recommended!

(originally reviewed 9/9/2012)

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	canvas (337)	2016-04-04		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

At the time that I tried this I was bit skeptical since most of the inexpensive readily available tobaccos I've found had lived up to their price point. This one was billed as a good classic mainstay and so I was intrigued.

Upon opening the very tiny (and kind of a pain to use) pouch I was happy to find the leaves felt fresh with some moisture and springiness. Packed and burned well and would be a great first time tobacco to try.

The flavor was full, but not overwhelming. It was rich for what it was. Many of the more expensive brands I now use have a fuller complexity, but Prince Albert does fill a good niche.

Does a great job for the cost.

Sometimes you don't always want that top end espresso and just want a cup of joe from the diner. Enter Prince Albert.

Purchased From: Grocery Store

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Haebar (52)	2015-11-22		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Prince Albert is an old standard Burley-based pipe tobacco. My Dad's favorite pipe tobacco was Sir Walter Raleigh but if he couldn't find it, he would smoke Prince Albert. The appearance is a consistent reddish-brown fine ribbon cut; it is fine enough to roll into cigarettes. Because of its fine cut, it packs into a pipe and is lit easily. The flavor of the tobacco is of typical, unadorned Burley: a bold, nutty and somewhat cocoa taste. It tastes the same throughout the bowl and finishes dry and tasty. The smoke is of medium intensity; you don't have to puff hard to be satisfied. The nicotine strength is mild/medium. This is a simple tasting tobacco, not complex. It is of moderate richness but not sweet at all. I smoked it in a Missouri Meerschaum General, a tall stacked bowl.

Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum General

Age When Smoked: >10 years

Purchased From: a gift

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-08-25		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

PA is the tobacco I started with many years ago. I've only recently gotten off my high horse and returned to it. Always pleasant and unchanging. A good Burley with no bite. Benefits somewhat from cellaring for a year but pleasant enough right from the store. The room note is nothing to write home about but is not unpleasant. Smokers new to it should try it in a cob first.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	smoke65 (4)	2009-08-14		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

With age comes wisdom. I just discovered PA a couple of years ago and I wish I had sooner. It's a simple burley that is truly as reliable as a friend. The cost doesn't hurt the wallet.

For me it's premium smoke at a working man's price. Love it

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-07-13		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

It's taken me six months to finish a 2 oz or so sample that was gifted to me. I first smoked it in a briar but I kept tasting it when I was smoking other blends in that briar so I dedicated a cob to this blend. The tobacco was kept in a mason jar - not to age it but to keep it fresh and out of the plastic baggie it came to me in.

Ok, the quality of the tobacco is suspect, the room note made my kids think I had switched to cigarettes, and it pales in comparison to top-notch burleys but, you know what? This stuff tastes pretty decent! On top of that, it's fun to smoke! I enjoy nostalgic things and still own a slew of 78 RPM records. As the 78 is the ONLY way to listen to old Benny Goodman and Duke Ellington tunes, so too is PA the only pipe tobacco for the corncob pipe. Or is it, the corncob pipe is the only pipe for PA? Whatever - each brings out the best in the other.

This stuff is a half-step up from Carter Hall, a full step up from my memory of Granger and 10,000 light years ahead of Half & Half. No, it's not the best burley blend but will I buy it again? Well... I just might! I enjoyed this on rare occasions when I was feeling nostalgic, and that's a good feeling! The other test for a tobacco is the question of would I continue to smoke the pipe if this was all that was available? Unlike my impressions of Half & Half and Erinmore Mixture, with PA, the answer is yes I would. I'd be a little crankier but still puffing!

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	aadelma (67)	2008-03-09		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Tolerable

I wanted to give the Prince every chance of success, so I ordered a fresh can from JR since everyone says the tin is superior to the pouch. It smells, tastes, and burns like cigarette tobacco, because that's what it is. The bottom of the bowl tastes like an ashtray. If you like the idea of smoking a cigarette in your pipe, this is for you. If you are looking for a mild, easy to light, pleasant, economical burley blend, Lane's BLWAB is vastly superior to the Prince.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2006-04-22		Mild	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Starts good, ends bad.

Has a nice, straight forward taste at first. Stays lit well.

Becomes sour, tarry and harsh very quickly.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pkloop (53)	2005-07-24		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

The prince is a nice nutty burley thats pleasent enough but the room note is a bit cigarette like. Yes its better in a cob! Available almost everywhere and priced fairly; I smoke this one on occasion.

In the nearly 10 years since I've reviewed this blend it's seen more and more time in my rotation. Nice.. nutty and slightly sweet, doesn't bite, doesn't care how it's packed and burns cool and dry. A truly wonderful smoke. 3.5 stars for the occasional bitter finish, although that probably has more to do with me over puffing near the end and getting ash. So..rounding up to 4 stars.

...it's been over a decade since I first started here..yikes..time is flying by..

Pipe Used: Cobs, Briars, any kind will do with the Prince

Purchased From: all over..from drugstores to online

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2004-12-29		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Prince Albert is a non-aromatic all Burley tobacco. I bought some of it on a whim, both to try something different from my usual rotation of English and Balkan blends and because I have pleasant childhood memories of my grandfather smoking it in his pipes as well as using it to roll his own cigarettes. While Prince Albert packs easily, burns well, and brought back the same tobacco smell I remember from being around my grandfather years ago, it's only okay as far as pipe tobacco is concerned. The flavor isn't bad, there's just not much of it, which isn't really a surprise from an all-Burley tobacco. As an inexpensive "drugstore" type tobacco, it's better than average, but with so many better pipe tobaccos readily available both online and from tobacco shops, life's too short to settle for this stuff.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	FightingPipes (14)	2021-06-14		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

What can I say that hasn't already been said, been around forever a decent solid all day smoke that's affordable. burns nice down to ash with no problems...

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Rustedrailsmokes (293)	2021-05-27		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Prince Albert is a trip down memory lane for me like so many others. It was one of the two blends that my Grandfather smoked regularly and I remember the roomnote from my childhood.

When I started pipe smoking again in 2017, PA was one of the blends I started with both in the regular and the vanilla version. As I learned about "higher-end" blends it found itself shuffled to the back row and basically forgotten about.

Recently (2021) there has been rumors again that it might be going out of production, so I decided to invest in a 14oz tub for nothing else than "old time sakes".

The tub-note is the same as I remember, there is a slight smell of something sweet, but mostly just burley. The moisture content is perfect from the tub without needing any drying. The cut makes it easy to pack in a pipe and it usually burns fine from the first light.

I have found myself reaching for it for my early day smoke along with my coffee. This spot in the rotation is usually covered by Corn Cob Pipe by CD or their Burley Cube Cut. I've found that it likes slightly taller bowls such as my radiators and/or Country Gent corncobs.

It's a great early smoke as the burley plays well with the coffee, it burns great without having to be messed with and it smolders consistently allowing for a nice slow smoke.

There is a reason that this blend has been around so long and I'm glad to have it around stiil. My wife compliments the room note which is a plus and it's on the list of "approved" blends for smoking on road-trips. It's also fairly easy to find on the road in case you find yourself traveling and needing something to hold you over.

Pipe Used: Radiator Pipes, Cobs

Age When Smoked: fresh from tub

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Old Shoe (25)	2020-06-21		Very Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Welcome young ones, glad you found your way here! I have been smoking this old time burley since it was selling for 49 cents a pouch. It is for many MANY pipe smokers a retreat from their regular rotations of English blends, or aromatic aficionados. Sometimes a person just has to “go home” I have read the other reviews here, I have noticed this same feeling amongst many of them. It’s a burley, it’s monochromatic ( perfect description, look it up if you don’t know its meaning ) and if if want to experience what the old guys smoked years ago, you have it here. Mild, will not bite if you don’t tug on it, and should be tried by all new pipers to give you a burley jumping off point for reference in your pipe smoking experience.

Pipe Used: Custombilt Lovat circa 1950’s

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Walgreens

Similar Blends: Grainger.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kokinhenik (93)	2020-04-30		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Now now, not bad at all! Comes with perfect moister level in the pouch, no need to dry. I smoked my first 2 oz of this through a naked Missouri Pride. I loved it! It lights easy with voluminous smoke. I get a wonderful nutty, toasted almond note from the burley in every puff. The Cavendish adds a slightly sweet and buttery smoothness. Beautiful pairing. The burley develops darker coffee notes mid bowl. I loved the flavor. It has hints of cocoa and honey. Honestly it's very smooth, tasty and gentelman like. It's not the earthy, bitter natural tobacco flavors you get with C&D burley. Rather it's more in the vain of Solani Aged Burley flake. I'm always worried about tongue bite with an OTC. I find Prince Albert to be very, very forgiving. Much more so than Velvet for example. I'm really surprised. Honestly I've avoided the OTC blends for a decade. Completely blown away by Prince Albert. Its great! Super nice. This is my version of the quintessential all day smoke! Adding in the great price per oz, I'm giving this 4 stars!

Pipe Used: Naked Missouri Pride

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Smoking pipes.com

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	archaeodane (3)	2019-01-11		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

This and Captain Black were my first pipe tobaccos. Eight or so years later, while I have since disembarked from the ship of Captain Black, a have remained a retainer at the court of Prince Albert.

Many reviewers have sung thoroughly enough the praises of this wonderful burley that anything I could try to add would be little more than fluff. But please, permit me to add some fluff:

The taste is simple, classic, and satisfying. It burns cool and slow and has almost single-handedly taught me the art of pipe smoking. Its a perfect tobacco for breaking in a new pipe as well as a new pipe smoker.

As a CRM archaeologist, I've seen more hundred-or-so-year-old tins of PA (sometimes with the labels in astoundingly good condition) in the wild corners of CO, NV, and WY than I can even remember. It reminds me every time that when I smoke PA I'm not smoking just another drug store tobacco, but rather a tobacco with a legacy of being rolled into the cigarettes and stuffed into the pipes of generations of shepherds, ranchers, cowboys, soldiers, miners, charcoal-makers, hunters, woodsmen, and other such colorful characters. If it was good enough for them, its good enough for me.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	doc'spipe (242)	2018-09-27		Very Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I first tried Prince Albert well over 30 years ago and only remember I didn't care for it much, finding it a bit ashy. I now blame that mostly on my novice technique. Well, I decided to revisit and purchased 5 sleeves of the boxed luxury pouch. These days I'm looking for a tobacco that can be enjoyed every day and at a good price; all the while trying to find "the" OTC that will satisfy. I've tried SWR regular, Capt Black (gravitating to the White mostly), Edgeworth and the reintroduced Lane RR, Half and Half, and Granger, and not being greatly satisfied. Granger came the closest but gave me a severe palate burn, and if not for that, I'd smoke it daily as I enjoyed it. Prince Albert seems to come the closest to Granger in taste but without the palate burn. The even brown crimp cut has a nice dark chocolate pouch note and is not only easy to load, but easy to keep lit. I also like the luxury pouch and find it easy to take with me when I go out and about. As a burleyphile I find PA quite satisfying. It certainly isn't Aged Burley Flake, but sometimes I don't want a strong smoke. It is way sweeter than ABF or Wessex BS for that matter and I do like it better than Mac Baren's HH Burley Flake. Plus as my daughter says, "it is very comforting" in the room note department. The after taste is pleasant as well. Only wish it would burn slower! All in all a good smoke and I'm happy to report the new-found change in my opinion from so long ago.

Pipe Used: Dr Grabow Duke

Age When Smoked: Fresh from luxury pouch

Purchased From: Smoker's Outlet

Similar Blends: Granger, HH Burley Flake.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Chili guy (14)	2018-04-16		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

My grandfathers favorite and an annual Christmas gift to him by me since the 1940’s. First time ive smoked it in years...good stuff, easy packing, easy lighting, easy burn, no relights to the bottom of the bowl, dry cool smoke. No bite. Light nicotine kick near the end. All around good tobacco.

Pipe Used: John Bertram Bulldog

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Stag, Santa Fe, NM

Similar Blends: John Middleton, Inc - Prince Albert.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sheldon Richman (15)	2018-04-02		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is the ultimate comfort tobacco. When you need a break from complexity, bite, and nic-hits, this is the place to land. Whatever topping it may have, it is so light as to be virtually nonexistent. I taste burley, which is fine by me. This is just a plain, pleasant smoke, and for me, a great way to start the morning.

PS (Aug 28, 2018): If all I could have were Prince Albert and a corn cob, I'd still be a pipe smoker.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: I forget.

Similar Blends: Granger, McClelland X30 Pressed Burley, Carter Hall.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TruckinDan (3)	2018-03-01		Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is the OTC brand I buy when Half and Half isn't available. It has a mild taste, delivers a good nicotine punch, and smells decent enough that nobody complains when I smoke it. An excellent "everyman" tobacco. Highly recommended, especially for beginners transitioning from cigarettes.

Pipe Used: Dr. Grabow, cob.

Age When Smoked: Fresh to nearly stale

Purchased From: Drug store usually

Similar Blends: This is basically Half and Half light..

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CnS Pipes (40)	2018-02-16		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Prince Albert is epic!!! What a awesome smoke straight up hands down no doubt about it. Its been years since I smoked Prince Albert I tried it a few times when I was about 19 years old and back then I did not really care for or appreciate it at all, I tried to smoke the stuff quite a few times and even tried to roll it and then gave up, I passed it up for years. I told my wife " hey I wanna buy some Prince Albert and try it again" and its funny cause I have smoked hundreds of blends including what I blend myself, how did this one slip by me all this time? The way I view tobacco and even taste it is very different now then when I was 19 because back then it was Lucky Strikes Captain Black Gold, White and Royal and Backwoods hell even some Copenhagen snuff when I was in the mood, that was then this is now. Later on down the road I gave up the toxic tobacco habits and became loyal to the pipe and sometimes cigars every now and then because there awesome as well, that's why so many of us love them in our blends as well right? Now on to my review with Prince Albert and I am honored to write out this one on a all American pipe tobacco that has stood the test of time and still stands strong in quality and taste. I was so excited to buy Prince Albert and I bought a pouch went right to my car and opened it up. The smell was one now I could really appreciate a nice burley with a hint and I mean a small hint of anise and chocolate which I thought at first was kinda a trip because my idea expecting a molasses or something like that but nope that's what I smelled. I shrugged my shoulders and grabbed my MM Marcus and packed her up. This was a easy light up job but still gave it a false light, tamped it down with my fingure and lit it up and like I said it lit up super easy. I was so happy with the taste of the burley because it was so smooth and sweet that was velvety, buttery and nutty, that's what I tasted. The taste of the light anise chocolate smell was not in there thank God so I kept on smoking and the more I smoked the more tobacco taste I got that remained nutty and sweet and I was really enjoying it so much. I puffed on it and inhaled it and repeated with great results remaining very smooth, by the time I got half way down the bowl it started to become very robust with depth and weight bit still remained smooth and the light bulb came on and quickly realized why Prince Albert has remained one of America's top pipe tobacco sellers easy. The natural burley taste is awesome and the topping does not get in the way of that and if anything compliments the blend all the way to the bottom of the bowl. I also love Carter Hall and the two are not the same in taste or constinincy but they both have one thing in common BURLEY!!! I think back and the only reason I passed it by for so many years is because I did not appreciate it when I was younger and later on didn't take the time to stop and try smoking it again, I really wish now that I did but hey! I am and have already burned through 12 pouches lol I'm buying a few tubs now. I also already have a few ideas for a couple blends I'm going to play with that will be fun but some deep thought will need to go into that cause this stuff has some serious potential in regards to blending. I would highly recommend this to any pipe smoker that has never smoked the stuff, it does not bite, it is very smooth, it stays lit up very easy and packs with no problem a very unique design in the cut of the tobacco that's for sure. I am smoking some Prince Albert right now to help me close this review that is one thing I love about smoking the pipe is that it really can help one go into deep thought and ponder on something, you cannot do that with a cigarette as that's more of a adult pasifier for nervous disorders known as anxiety. I will relax and continue to reduce the stress of this day with a bowl of Prince Albert and appreciate this fine old school pipe tobacco. I love the thought that our dads, grandpas and great grandpas smoked and we continue to smoke now for 2018. Thank you for taking the time to read this review and I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it out, God bless all my fellow pipe smokers and have a good rest of your evening. - Christopher

Pipe Used: MM Corn Cobs CnS Pipes and Kaywoodie

Age When Smoked: 39

Purchased From: Barneys in Pinehurst Idaho

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CR (30)	2018-02-06		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

There are nightmares lurking just beneath the seemingly refined and nostalgic surface of the pipe tobacco world. Not everyone arrives here prepared to face them. As a smoker who enjoys the taste of the leaf as much as its soothing effect on the mind, one should take note before venturing blindly into the field.

Let me start by saying that apart from buying a cheap bag of dry RYO and just smoking “cigarettes in a cob”, Prince Albert is the best way to transition to a pipe. It’s inexpensive, easy to get, stays lit, burns evenly, and tastes great. All cavendish burns a little wet - PA is no different in the stem, but it burns down to a fine powder in the bowl. There is a light flavoring in the casing, and it tastes a bit like the bourbon in Carter Hall to me. Some have said it tastes like anise, but it has a pleasant flavor and aroma that compliments the leaf nicely. Nevermind that, this is a Burley-flavored smoke, and the casing will all but burn off by mid-bowl - leaving only the nutty and tangy taste of the tobacco in its wake. It’s smooth, never bites, and for years I smoked Prince Albert every day.

But the truth of the matter is, I’ve also smoke those dry RYO tobaccos in cobs for years and still find many of them satisfying. I’m smoking one right now called Wild Horse - there’s some raw Burley flavor. It tastes like nutty raisins and cocoa, although I can taste some sweet Virginia hay in there. Nice, mild pepper on the retro. No chemicals that didn’t come out of the seed itself. It has a hearty nicotine kick, too; it’s half the price of PA, and it’s not even listed on this website. Sure, it also smells like cheap cigarettes, and the last half or third of the bowl can get really nasty, but I always keep a bag of it on hand. And not that it would deserve anything more than a “somewhat recommended” rating by any standard, really palatable only to cigarette smokers, but RYO is Prince Albert’s street-level competition after all.

Here is the singular problem with all of the OTC blends: additives. I went out and bought a pouch of PA recently and thoroughly enjoyed the bowl I packed sitting in the grocery store parking lot. I’ve smoked it on and off for the past two days, but today I’ve started to notice the strange and lingering sensation it leaves on my tongue. Now I’m sitting here an hour after having finished a bowl of PA and my tongue still feels coated. I’ve tried smoking it off with bowls of strong Perique and Kentucky blends, RYO, tried to wash it down with hot coffee and iced tea, but it persists! Carter Hall produces a similar effect on my tongue. Is it the bourbon in the casings? Or is it something else? PG, some other humectant or preservative, antifreeze? Liquor-cased tobaccos don’t coat my tongue like this, not any of the good ones.

I don’t taste anything overly “chemically” in PA, but that could be partially due to my biased love of Burley. Compared to everything else I’ve smoke tonight I think that might ring true. It could also be due to the discretion Middleton uses in their mix. Early into my pursuit of this hobby I found a cheap bag of Super Value Cherry Cavendish at a liquor store that destroyed my first briar and almost ruined my love of smoking. That Christmas a pouch of Captain Black I bought to smoke around my family brought me even closer to the brink. Prince Albert does not even compare to the hellish concoction of chemical waste that comprises these two. At the very least, “Uncle Albie” always gives a consistent Burley taste and a relaxing smoke without breaking the budget, and without an overtly nauseating malaise of chemical goop. It’s just that now it seems to leave my tongue feeling lacquered and numb.

Here’s the bottom line - anything you buy from the grocery, liquor store, or gas station that isn’t as dry as Bill W’s medicine cabinet is going to have some chemical additive mingled in with the leaf. I love the taste of PA but it leaves my tongue feeling like I’ve sucked on a 9volt battery. If OTCs are the only thing available to you, and you love the Burley leaf as much as I do, consider this a highly recommended tobacco choice. If you’re used to puffing on Lane or Sutliff aros, how have you not tried this? Otherwise, it doesn’t deserve the three stars I’m giving it. If you want a valid alternative, I highly recommend Newminster No. 702 - that’s what PA would taste like without the chemical bath.

Pipe Used: All of them

Purchased From: Anywhere That Sells Cigarettes

Similar Blends: A 9v battery.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Virginia lover (218)	2017-09-10		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Nice cocoa smelling tobacco with a medium cut and some thicker strands. Catches fire easily no need for tamping and the burn is somehow slow. Taste wise, a light nutty, cocoa flavor with some Bourbon and sweet licorice.

The good thing is that the topping and tobacco while light, compliment each other. The bad thing is that if you puff fast, the smoke becomes harsh, ashy and gears towards a cigarette. The aftertaste is an unpleasant cigarette taste. All in all, a good OTC pipe tobacco, cheap and readily available in the U.S. A less topped Carter Hall if you will. I would give it 2.5 stars.

Virginia lover

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Goose55 (33)	2017-06-07		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Tobaccos like Prince Albert & Sir Walter Raleigh (SWR) saved me from another aborted pipe smoking quest. After I burned out on Captain Black white label, and could not taste it anymore, a bit of dry SWR left over in a pouch someone had sent me, refreshed me. And then I tried Prince Albert, and found it delightful.

I have moved on from Captain Black, and other drug store blends to some great McClelland Virginia-Periques, and Gawith, Hoggarth Virginia Flake tobaccos. But, I still keep a small Kerr jar of Prince Albert handy, because it's just plain good. I'd even consider it one of my desert island tobaccos.

Pipe Used: Old carved half bent Stanwell

Age When Smoked: 18 months

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cakeanddottle (105)	2017-05-28		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Sometimes I think this is better than Carter Hall and sometimes not. It has some off notes to it, and the tobacco doesn't strike me as first tier. But, despite that PA just has something to it. There is more of an artificial cocoa/chocolate note here than in CH. The smoke doesn't develop, it's the same from start to finish.

Sometimes that simplicity is just the thing. I used to always keep CH and PA on hand. I've gotten away from them just because there are tastier alternatives from C&D and H&H that are priced similarly and are much better smokes.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	papapauly (24)	2016-12-17		Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

This was my dad's pipe tobacco, always Prince Albert and always in a Missouri meerschaum. I too prefer the corncobs but differ in that I sample as many tobacco blends as I can, classic or new, OTC or small batch I will give it a try. Most of the time I come away happy but very few blends occupy a permanent place in my rotation, but Prince Albert is one I never run out of. Sometimes I go weeks without loading up a pipe full of Prince Albert, other times I smoke it every day for a week or more. It is consistently mild and comforting. Doesn't bite, doesn't have a heavy flavoring or aroma. It just is, someone on here said PA is like a cup of coffee at the diner and that is a perfect description. It is timeless and just about every pipe smoker has sampled this simple burley at one time or another. I do have one cob dedicated to only PA, I have found having a set pipe for this tobacco allows the simple flavor to shine (nutty is the best way to describe the flavor, with a hint of vanilla maybe? These are not added flavors, just the natural taste of the burley) the Prince will be in my tobacco rotation for good, just asithas been for so many pipe smokers over the decades

Pipe Used: Missouri meerschaum

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: pipes and cigars

Similar Blends: Nothing is really similar to this one.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	GabrielCRT (115)	2016-07-26		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I've spent only a week with the Prince but having had about 14 bowls of it in 7 days I am a believer! It's charm is its simplicity. It's not much more than just some bitter Burley. There's sourness almost like Izmir going on. Occasionally there's some sweet chocolatey notes but they sure are subtle. PA is incredibly easy to pack, burns beautifully with one light, and is the definition of an all day smoke.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	bigd1979 (1)	2016-07-17		Mild	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Earthy, light and awesome. Bought this tobacco because I heard it was great for building good cake. Fell in love. The first half isn't always great but after you pack it and dump it once, it comes alive. The second half of the bowl is where this tobacco shines. I smoke this almost exclusively. So good.

Pipe Used: Militia, Savinelli, Sasieni, Peterson.

Age When Smoked: unknown, as bought.

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars.com

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JackalMike (7)	2016-06-03		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I'm a former cigarette smoker. So this burley-based blend is pleasing to me. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing fancy about it. It is just a pleasing smoke with enough nicotine to scratch that itch.

If you're seeking gourmet potatoes-au-gratin, this ain't it. If you're seeking tasty McD's french fries, you've found your blend.

I can make this tobacco bite. But you have to chug and work at it to make it happen. Load it in a cob, apply one round of flame and sit back and enjoy the buttery, nutty flavor. It heats up and burns quick so enjoy it while you can.

Happy Puffing,

Mike

Pipe Used: Cob, Briar, Hardwood

Age When Smoked: Unknown. Various tins and pouches

Purchased From: Local B&M

Similar Blends: Carter Hall.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	W. Carter (6)	2016-05-08		Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Wow, what can I add that hasn't already be said. Between Carter Hall and Prince Albert it is hard to choose which is better. They both are about the same price. Prince Albert to me seems to be a little stronger and has a tad bit more nicotene. Both are like a taste of OTC heaven. Nice sticky moist ribbon cut that packs easy. Just the right amount of moisture and freshness. Just light up and it's off to the races. All I can say is, after you have wasted your money on all the imported fu fu brands to look cool and feel like you are a connoisseur of fine exotic tobacco, come back down to earth and load your bowl with the lowly Prince. Then just kick back and relax. Very highly recommended!

Pipe Used: Shire Bent with Charcoal Filter

Age When Smoked: new, fresh

Purchased From: smokers outlet online

Similar Blends: Nothing comes close..

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kaywoodie Collector (4)	2016-03-31		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Ah The Prince. Subjected to so much opinions. I dare to say,that there are soooo many (experiancied) Pipers here. I feel inferior posting my thoughts. Being a pipe smoker for 40 years, I still dont have the experiance and palate to disinguish the fine hey grassy note of Virginia ,the so sublte notes of a fine macidonia leaf, the prized Syran or Cyeran latikia ,not to mention....ROSE of latikia. What ever that is. I never had Balken Sobranie, and from the really honest revewiers , Im glad I didnt. English/Balken.... well Stinks. Im a pure tobac lover and I for myself anyways, have taken The Prince arm and arm. Nice soft tobacco, easy to light, in a dedicated pipe, (which is key here).. simply down home to real life. A supreme all day smoke. Granted, there are soooo many boutique blends that are fabulous,and VERY expensive, and have tried many upon many, including the release of Balken Sobrainie, in which,I have 8 sealed tins, Prince calls me back on a daily basis. Take a hint GL Pease, and Craig Tarlor.....The 100+ years of PA still stands as a land mark.

Pipe Used: Kaywoodie natural burl, circa 050s

Age When Smoked: always fresh, it doesent last long around me

Purchased From: from my dad to any store

Similar Blends: There is no equal.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	brashboy (84)	2015-08-31		Extremely Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Back in the mid- to late-60's I used to smoke Prince Albert. Our maid, an older African-American lady, smoked PA in RYO form and nothing but. She could roll up a PA cig in no time; nice rolls, too. I used to buy her a tin every now and then because I would make RYO cigs and sometimes smoke it in a cob. Of course, it was never aged. Miss Ruby and I smoked it too fast for that. I have very definite memories of that tobacco and the odor. It was not noticeably sweet and was a classic nutty burley, with maybe the faintest overtone of chocolate but not enough to suggest it might be chocolate flavored; such a thing would never have occurred to me, who only smoked PA then and had no experience with flavored tobaccos. I would give that old RJ Reynolds PA three stars, maybe a little more, but not four.

The modern PA is not the same. I agree with PhillyB's review about the modern PA. It is sweeter and less nutty than the old PA. Of course, blends change for reasons various, and it is what it is. Maybe it is just my memory at issue, but I don't think so. I also agree that modern Carter Hall tastes and smells closer to the old PA than the modern PA. I can smoke the modern, although it is wetter and goopier than the old (I had little pipe-smoking experience but it always smoked down to ash back then). It is hardly enjoyable and I wouldn't buy it. If you think it's not goopy and chemical-laden, jar some of it for a few months and then try it. The people raving about modern PA would go apeshit over the old blend! I also find the modern PA to be rather bitey, even if smoked indolently.

Frankly, PA ain't cheap (about $40 for 1 lb.); for the cost of PA I can get much better tobacco. Two stars.

Pipe Used: Cob used for Burleys

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DeathMetal.org (231)	2015-08-11		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Summary: a good Burley blend with light vanilla, cocoa, and rum flavoring

The experience of Prince Albert consists of worry-free smoking with casual convenience. Pick up a packet -- or the "Prince Albert in a can" of telephone prank lore -- and stuff some in a pipe, light and go. It smolders for almost an hour in the average pipe, delivering consistently flavorful Burley smoke with overtones of cocoa and vanilla. The flavors complement each other, and unlike with an aromatic, the user tastes mostly tobacco and the added tastes fade in after that. It is mild in every sense, both smoke and nicotine, and leaves behind a pipe smoke smell that is inoffensive and sometimes pleasurable. If you are a tobacco snob, content yourself with the knowledge that this over-the-counter (OTC) blend has satisfied many for whom the candied aromatics further down the counter proved unworkable, and that the majority of its appeal is a seasoned Burley which delivers the warm nutty flavor typical of that variety. While I may not be a snob, but prefer the term "elitist" or one who favors quality over novelty or popularity, I hope that I never fail to recognize a quality tobacco like this one, which joins "Five Brothers" on my OTC shelf as a good all-day smoke for casual social events and solitary work.

2019 update: the "new" version of this blend has more of a traditional aromatic topping, giving it that Propylene glycol "cotton candy" flavor and soaking the leaf with flavoring. Gone is the subtle tang of Orientals and Virginias; this blend now feels like a typical white Burley aromatic with a small dose of dark Burley to give it some body and power. I would not bother smoking the newer version.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Black Sheep (25)	2015-07-06		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I was reluctant to spend a portion of my limited free time smoking a tobacco that has all the mystique of an inexpensive hand rolled cigarette tobacco, and had this particular brand tasted like a combination of dried leaves, cigarettes, and lawn clippings, I was prepared to author a witty one-star review. But that is not what happened. I enjoyed PA. It is mild and does not provide a tremendous amount of flavor, but it is far from bad. PA is certainly no masterpiece, but it smells and tastes like a pipe tobacco worthy of the title. The ribbon cut burly tobacco also burns quite well.

Pipe Used: Invicta Briar, Billiard

Age When Smoked: New, and then repeatedly for about six months

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Knightsmoker (218)	2015-05-05		Very Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

What can I say, this was my great grandfather's blend. One of my earliest memories is of him smoking this CH, and Cherry Blend. Smoking it reminds me of him. As far as OTC blends go this is a very good one. The burley is a little sweet, which suggests that it is topped/cased with something. I could also get a note of coffee and maybe licorice as a top note as well. All very mild and adds to rather than takes away from the earthy nuttiness of the burley. Nothing special and it will not break into my rotation other than on occasion when I am feeling nostalgic. Still a good blend and it should be tried by all pipe smokers not overlooked as a drugstore blend.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Flatticus (24)	2015-04-25		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

An excellent OTC burley. Great as a palate cleanser, handy to keep a pouch on hand. And it's what, 3 bucks for an ounce and a half? There's a reason this is a hall of fame blend although, personally, I reach for Carter Hall first when I want a nice cool easy smoking otc blend. I've smoked the snob blends and still do, but it's easy to see the attraction here and I really doubt the Prince will ever be fully out of my rotation. Yet to meet anyone who doesn't get a spark of pleasant nostalgia at the room note, either.

Pipe Used: Briar, cob, meerschaum

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Appalachian Scholar (34)	2014-08-20		Very Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Gurgle-free smoke! Classic example of how my taste buds have changed in my 16 years of pipe-smoking. The first time around, I thought this blend was pretty boring. Perhaps I had yet to acquire a decent taste-testing pipe. I bought a pouch last week and what a difference time makes!

In the pouch, the aroma smelled like a cross between Carter Hall and MacBaren Honey and Chocolate. The aroma did not translate into taste. I can't put my finger on the exact taste, but somewhat like burley with a light coffee and hazelnut flavor. That is probably the natural flavor of the tobacco as no flavorings are listed on the pouch The overall flavor leans more to a Virginia mellowed by burley. The room aroma has no equal, giving off a pleasant burnt caramel scent.

I highly recommend this for VA lovers who want a change of pace or Aromatic lovers who need a break between overly-sweet blends. I can think of several so-called premium blends that have been beaten by the Prince.

I wish I had tried this earlier. It keeps fresh in a tub for many months and never loses flavor or goes stale.

Update 11/29/25

I have smoked many blends including English and VAs. I used to smoke mostly aromatics. However, I found that this was the perfect all day smoke. I then smoked an aromatic. Now I can taste the PG in all of them whereas I never noticed before. I think Prince Albert is the only thing I'll ever be smoking again because there are no chemicals.

Pipe Used: Roma-bent billiard

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Rite Aid

Similar Blends: Carter Hall.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PhillyB (70)	2014-05-18		Very Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

When I first opened this I immediately thought 'Carter Hall' as I had smoked that before and love it. The packaging is almost exactly the same in description as Carter Hall, just arranged differently. Also just a little disappointed that it no longer comes in a tin, making the famous 'Prince Albert in a can' joke a little sad. It has a mildly sweet smell and faint chocolate to it, and that's about it. A very very pleasant smell, just not all that complicated. What did occur to me was that the smell seemed a little forced and unnatural. In smoking this feeling of it being unnatural subsided but did not go away. It has a mainly sweet tobacco taste with a little licorice added to it. Even though I used a filtered cob I still got a little bite but this can likely be attributed to the fact that I rushed a little and was outside in the wind. A firm pack and slow smoke would rectify this easily. Not exactly ground shaking but I can definitely appreciate why people can smoke this all day every day. Personally, I'm gonna stick with Carter Hall.

(Side note) My grandfather and great-grandfather both smoked this in the past (1920s to 1960s). My grandfather is still alive, and when he tried it again he said it was a fair bit sweeter and less nutty than he remembered. He also tried Cater Hall and said that is what he remembered Prince Albert as.

Two years after above posting: I have now tried the original Prince Albert in the form of a tucked away tin from 1950. Having tried it I can honestly say that the modern interpretation, while accurate in some aspects, can't hold a candle to the original. The original has none of the artificial taste, more nuttiness, and a room note that will win over even the most finicky nose. I don't know what Middleton thinks they're making, but it's NOT the original Prince Albert. Carter Hall is DEFINITELY closer to the original.

Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum Legend

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	fr_tom (393)	2014-01-14		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Prince Albert is a basic mild burley smoke with a slight topping I can't identify and a chemical note when first lit. There is a little cocoa in there and some nuttiness. It is reliable and easily found. I have smoked pounds of this over the years, so I am not basing this review on a single bowl or anything. I found some other options and moved on.

I am not likely to buy this again unless it is the only option. I think Carter Hall and Granger are better OTC smokes. Having said all this, PA is a decent OTC, and it is one I think all pipe smokers should try. It works well for some smokers, and I get that. I am just not one of the fans.

Edit 2017: Thanks to a generous sample of PA from the 80's, I have had a recent chance to taste some of this from 30 or so years ago. I found the tobacco itself to be softer to the touch and slightly darker in color. There was no chemical note when lighting. In terms of flavor, Prince Andrew nails it.

Edit 2018: The Prince has new packaging, and I have smoked a few pouches and am finding I like it more than I thought. It does not give me the chemical note on lighting, and seems to have a slightly better flavor. Perhaps I am the one who has changed?

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	zulujerk (146)	2005-08-22		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I had to buy this because it is a classic. I admit, I was curious, and seeing the many number of people that recommended this as a straight burley tobacco, I had to see what it was about.

I purchased a pouch for four dollars at the local drug store and walking out, I immediately opened it up to be greeted by the wonderful aroma of chocolate that typifies a good burley. I couldn't wait to get home and smoke this..but upon that first puff I was just disgusted.

To me, it's like smoking cigarette tobacco out of a pipe. Big disappointment.

When I think of Prince Albert in a can, I want to light a match--for other reasons.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrDyson (148)	2020-06-03		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

A friend in the USA sent a sample of this excellent tobacco to me here in the UK. It's the perfect all day smoke - tasty, undemanding; absolutely perfect! The only downside, as far as I'm concerned, is that a pipeful is too soon gone; but you can always have another, after all. Why, Oh, why does someone not start importing it to the UK? It seems ridiculous that we can't get it over here. Perhaps we UK pipesters should start a campaign for its introduction.

For reasons that I can't really explain on this site, 'Prince Albert' would not be an ideal name for it in the UK. I understand that it was a favourite of P.G. Wodehouse. Maybe it could be called Wodehouse Mixture, or something along those lines?

Anyway - a first-rate smoke. Warmly recommended, if you can get it.

Pipe Used: Comoy's Canadian

Age When Smoked: Fresh

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	F4phantomdriver (8)	2019-12-16		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This by far is my favorite Classic Codger blend. I wouldn't call it an OTC anymore because no store around me sells it. At first my favorite was Sir Walter Raleigh regular, then I was on a Carter Hall kick for a while. Back when you could buy PA at wal-mart I did buy a pouch. It sat in my tobacco drawer for weeks. I finally opened it out of boredom and packed a bowl. It was instant love! It was smooth, velvety and had like a cocoay like flavor to it. The aroma is very pipey. Not like a Captain Black way, but a typical old fashioned pleasant sweet pipe smell. It smells NOTHING like a cigarette at all!!! I don't know where some people get that from because if cigarettes smelled like Prince Albert there wouldn't be too many complaints. It's not a gourmet tobacco nor does it try to be. It is just a basic Burley steamed and crimped with a delicious topping. A light topping but its there. It smokes well in all my pipes. It doesn't matter if it's a cob or briar, it's great in any of them. It has a perfect nicotine hit, it scratches that itch first thing in the morning. It goes perfectly with morning coffee!

Pipe Used: All my briars and cobs

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Wal-mart and Pipesandcigars.com

Similar Blends: Carter Hall , Chatham Manor.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Randy Tuggle (46)	2019-01-18		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

I'm not a blend snob. I like it. It suits me just fine as a regular smoke for anyone who loves burley. It's also a great blend for anyone looking to try their first pipe - (If you can enjoy this as a first pipe, you'll LOVE smoking other blends that are popular and readily available). Furthermore, it's available at about any store - no need to order online. As for me, I'm looking to stop smoking cigarettes and this blend is the perfect selection to help me lay down the 'nails' for good. Wish me luck!

Pipe Used: Missouri Meershaum Little Devil Cutty

Age When Smoked: Fresh

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	wbradk (16)	2018-12-14		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Like many other reviewers, I finally decided to order the big red can, having formerly distained the idea of a "drug store tobacco." When I was young you could not go into a drug store without seeing this stuff. Of course, that was before the anti-smoking Nazis came to power. I was pleased with Prince Albert. It has a consistent pleasant taste; a nice mellow all day smoke. It burns cleanly to the end, needs few relights, and delivers a nice room note. It does make a pleasant--and inexpensive--addition to your menu. Having smoked it now for a year or two since writing the above, I can say that PA has grown on me to a greater appreciation. Wonderful stuff!

Pipe Used: various

Age When Smoked: new

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HabaneroHardy (401)	2018-03-30		Mild	Mild	Mild	Unnoticeable

Ring, Ring. Drugstore employee answering, hello may I help you? Phone caller, yes, do you have Prince Albert in a can? Why yes, we do sir. Phone caller, well you had better let him out he is suffocating. Click. I actually remember seeing the small tin cans around when I was a kid. To me this is one of the better Over the Counter blends I have tried. I also get a kick out of reading the box. “Soft Luxury Pouch Inside” (Aluminum Foil). And then all the reasons why smokers like Prince Albert, i.e. “Taste, Aroma, Cool, Mild, No Bite, Slow Burning, The Cut, Priced Right, Best There Is”. I found this very mild, tasted great in my corn cobs and would recommend trying it. This one surprised me with well over 400 reviews, so it indeed must be popular.

Pipe Used: Corn Cob

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Similar Blends: Maybe Carter Hall, which I also like but it has been awhile since I have had it..

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tomasz (9)	2017-11-19		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I knew at some point I'd be reviewing this one. I kept reading about it but it was never available in any of the stores I went to for some reason. If you are familiar with Carter Hall then you already have an idea of what Prince Albert is about. I finally ordered a pouch online and tore into it as soon as the mailman dropped it off. I love the pouch smell. Reminds me of earth and cocoa. Easy pack. Easy light. Produces a lot of smoke. Room note smells like a quality cigarette and dirt. I like the smell though. Taste makes me think of earth, coffee, bitter dark chocolate. I understand why people like this stuff. Smokes cool and easy. I still prefer SWR and Edgeworth(match) as these seem to have more depth but I think I'll have to include a pouch of PA from time to time. I like it. As head to head with Carter Hall, for me I prefer PA. This is a must try, a rite of passage for all pipe smokers.

Pipe Used: MM Corn Cobs, Stanwll 86

Age When Smoked: smoked fresh

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

Similar Blends: Carter Hall..

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Davetopay2 (16)	2017-09-24		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I tried it ages ago and wasn't a fan. Trying it again, and I'm still not a fan. This was an older pouch I had laying around and thought I'd give it a shot. I tend to be a Va, VaBur, VaPer, and higher end aro piper. I also like aged burley flake tobaccos. This is just a cheap smoking experience. It will get the job done if you want to Puff mindlessly and need to get some nic to fight off the beast. It burns a little hot in the bowl, but won't burn your tongue unless you freight train this stuff. I need to watch my pace as I keep trying to get it to taste like something with some depth, and it just doesn't. It reminds me of a cheap cigarette with a bit of scent added to it. It will get ashy and taste like pencils as you get down towards the bottom of the bowl. On the plus side, it doesn't get as bitter as some burleys can.

All that said, it isn't BAD tobacco, just not something I'd seek out. If I HAD to choose between one of those giant bags of drugstore goo, Carter Hall, this stuff, or god forbid, Borkum Riff.....Carter Hall, then the Prince, the goo...I'll walk away from the BR all together. Two stars even.

Pipe Used: Big Ben fantasia billiard

Age When Smoked: Unknown

Purchased From: Unknown

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	dixcreek (184)	2017-02-16		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Another oldie but a goodie! Wish I had a dollar for every ounce of this stuff that has been smoked over the last century. Burley and Cavendish at its simplistic best. Everyday smoke for me st dome point during my day, always have done in a jar somewhere on the property. Often overlooked because it is not trendy enough for some. That's a shame, cause they don't know the simple pleasure they are missing. PA is not a heavy or even a medium nicotine blend, just mild and smooth. Really good with some black coffee at 3 or 4 in the a.m. Will continue to smoke this in my regular rotation for years to come

Pipe Used: Cobs

Age When Smoked: New, well aged and somewhere in between

Purchased From: Local smoke shop/ drug store/ supermarket

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	LannarkGent (145)	2016-12-18		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

After smoking so many things, I still come back to this. This differs in taste and Style from, say Escudo. This is a smooth, clean bring burley blend that has a hint of cocoa in the mix. A class ribbon cut, it always light easily. I still smoke it from time to time.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StageCarp (8)	2016-02-24		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Well.... had to try it. Picked up a pouch while on a road trip... Figured it's been around so long, it must have some positive attributes. This was a pleasant surprise for me. I smoke all sorts of blends, and appreciate most. This has a mild simplicity of flavor and aroma I've come to enjoy. While taste is very subjective, I get a very lightly sweet, nutty burley & a coffee-ish - cocoa-ish scent & flavor from this.. and not heavy flavors either.. hence my across the board "Mild" ratings. It has joined my Morning Pipe rotation. If one were to equate the McClellans, Gawiths, and other top brands of the pipe world with the Starbucks and such of the Coffee world, Prince Albert would be the Folgers or Maxwell house with cream & sugar in the morning...( it even sorta looks like coffee in the tub) nothing wrong with it at all, especially when not on the mood for heavier offerings. It also costs little to try.

Pipe Used: Big Ben full bent

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: some nameless store front cigarette shop in Indiana

Similar Blends: Carter Hall.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Old German puffer (106)	2015-09-19		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Brisk morning and I decided to pull out a small pouch of PA. It is not the world's greatest tobacco but a very basic burley mixture. Easy to pack, light and smoke. Taste can get bitter very quick if you smoke to fast. Good room note and cheap. Watching football with this brings back memories of old. Guess that's why I picked it today. Try not to let it go out and relight. Flavor always goes to hell as an aftertaste. Enjoyed with Miller beer. kiss applys here.

Pipe Used: cobb

Age When Smoked: New Pouch

Purchased From: TRO

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Papillon6 (24)	2015-08-26		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

My wife picked up a bag of this for me from a Native American tobacco outlet that was shutting down. Although my bag was a little dry(easily remedied by humidifying of course) I found it to be a very nice mild Burley blend, don't think there is any Virginia in there, ranged from red to brown in colour. The strength was moderate, smoked rather quickly but left no tongue bite nor was it particularly hot. It turned to ash quickly but burned evenly to the bottom. It is a great Burley nut taste to it that definately grew sweet for the last half of the bowl. Goes great with coffee. I'm actually quite impressed for the money my wife threw down for it. My wife did not pay much for it so it was a nice surprise, she picked it up knowing I was out of my favourite blend and others I have in the mail so it was a welcomed and new blend to try. My grandfather used to buy this by the larger jar and many "oldtimers" puff this blend and only this blend so it is worth the moderate price and is easy to find. I do recommend it for Burley lovers for sure. I'm also getting into Aromatics and Prince Albert offers Cherry and Vanilla/Cherry cased blends I'm curious to try.

Pipe Used: Keywoodie Drinkless Billiard Style

Age When Smoked: Opened from new pouch

Purchased From: Native American tobacco outlet but can be found in Drug Stores and just about anywhere

Similar Blends: Other medium to high grade Burleys.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	guitar2mw (92)	2014-12-01		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

This is an American classic for good reason. I've always loved this tobacco, as it was one of the first pipe tobaccos that I ever smoked. I remember my grandfather smoking this from time to time (he was never a long-time pipe smoker), and I loved the smell when I was young. If you don't like burley, you won't like this blend! It is a burley mixture through and through. I honestly can't taste any other tobaccos in the mix. It has a sweet, somewhat fruity pouch note, but once in the pipe it changes to a soft, sweet, almost "toasted vanilla" aroma.

It packs well into anything you stuff it into, and it always lights on one light. The taste seems to vary for me depending on when I smoke it and what I smoke it in; I have got everything from toffee, coffee, toasted grains, vanilla, chocolate, pepper, cream...it's all over the place. I think this blend is best enjoyed, however, early in the morning in a cob with a cup of coffee. Nothing else wakes you up quite like that combo!

I suppose the only down side to this tobacco is that - being a burley-based blend - it tends to burn pretty fast. It can bite you as well if you aren't careful. I like it much better than Carter Hall, but not as much as Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic (my go-to drugstore blend). It's a great smoke any time of day in any pipe. If you've been wary of this blend, just pick up a pack and try it...but only if you're a burley fan!

Pipe Used: MM cobs, various briars

Age When Smoked: Fresh and aged 6+ months

Purchased From: Local gas station

Similar Blends: Carter Hall, Velvet, Sir Walter Raleigh.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tantric (321)	2007-01-26		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Very Mild	Pleasant

Though definitely a drug store blend, with an acute ?industrialised? taste, Prince Albert is not that bad. For one thing it is not cased or doused with sauces of any kind. Secondly, it is cheap, and easy to pack and light. Sour? Only if smoked very quickly. It is not as tongue biting as Sir Walter Raleigh and it has a straightforward, unmistakeable Burley flavour and aroma. Not at all a great tobacco, in the sense that it is not elegant, refined or complex (compared to PA, Orlik Golden Sliced is majestic and imperial!). But compared to any drug store blend (save perhaps Capt. Black white label) it is very good and enjoyable. It can be smoked practically anywhere, anytime, and if you have to put out the pipe for whatever reason, there is no sorrow or regret. Simplicity at its best.

Best kept in an emergency kit in the cellar, together with a battery lantern, a knife, a couple of corn cob pipes, matches, and a flask of Jack Daniels.

Addendum (January 2007) It may be that I'm getting old, or maybe the fact that I can find this blend virtually anywhere (and always at an afforadable price)but somehow the Prince has really grown on me. It may be a bit monotonous after a while, but, hey, as a simple every day smoke this stuff is very good. A nice companion (and I still go for the Jack Daniels)!

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JamesMartin1132 (1)	2022-01-20		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Been a favorite of mine for many years always a great smoke in my pipe or rolled into cigarettes but after they moved overseas it’s has a bad bite to it and taste more like a cigar don't let this sit long or it will become sicking

Pipe Used: Dr grabow

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Ingles

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PaulMcCoy (78)	2021-09-13		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I always have this or Carter Hall in my bag. It’s a great all day smoke. Burns fantastically, and it’s excellent for breaking in new pipes.

Pipe Used: All of my pipes

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Local B&M

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	nkulk8r (90)	2021-02-17		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Hall of Fame inductee, indeed . . .

If this is the "bottom shelf" then Prince Albert it is the tobacco equivalent of 2-Buck-Chuck.

The smells -- the nutty and the cocoa -- conjure the earliest memories of my childhood, when men readily smoked pipes (just as readily as they smoked Prince Albert, when it was the "Budweiser" of tobacco back in the mid-1960s.

I can smoke it, and I can mix it. Bang-for-the-buck, this is a decent burley blend.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ocelot (33)	2020-11-04		Very Mild	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

This blend was a pure satisfaction for me. The nutty and chocolaty flavour is heavenly. I don´t know why and how, but Prince Albert won my affection. Totally recommended not only for burley lovers, but also for pipe smoker beginners. I would never regret the lighting the flame of this leaf.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Swiss-smoker (87)	2020-02-19		Very Mild	Medium	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

The producer claims that it is a non-flavoured Burley blend. There are definitely plenty of artificial additions in this blend, but they are not aiming to reproduce a specific flavour of a fruit, a liquor, a food, etc. I guess the artificial flavouring in this blend is meant to somehow enhance the blend, donating a recognisable, typical, natural pipe tobacco aroma, whatever this might be exactly. And some additions are clearly there, to create a pleasant smell for the bystanders. The good news is, it is not sweet. God bless!

I am surprised, I kind of like this light blend, although the overall taste is faint and blunt, maybe slightly nutty with a hint of dark chocolate. There is no aroma palette to dig in and no aftertaste at all. It is an unpretentious, easy-going all day several bowls in a row type of tobacco with its own merit.

The cut of this mixture is what I would call a flaky, fluffy, coarse Shag. It is definitely not a traditional ribbon cut. It is very easy to load and light. It has an even, steady and rather fast burn. It easily burns completely into ash, without leaving a remnant in the pipe. You cannot do anything wrong, it just works. The nicotine level is very low. The room note is nutty and quite ok. It is a great mixture for beginners before heading up towards “real” pipe tobacco, searching your way through the huge variety of different tobaccos of natural tastes.

Age When Smoked: New, out of the 14 ounce container.

Purchased From: 4noggins.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	who broke my clay pipe? (70)	2020-01-28		Mild	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Vintage standing up tin, "PRINCE ALBERT CRIMP CUT long burning pipe and cigarette tobacco".

A few years ago i was scoring vintage tins from EBAY from USA, Europe and the UK with the strict of advice of "this is not for smoking, this sale is for the packaging only" etc disclaimer. I wanted to collect some vintage stuff to display with my vintage pipes, and while i was hunting managed to score quite a few vintage prince albert bargains.

Today i thought i would open one up and try it it. You could tell it was vintage by the wax paper coupon written in a mid century style font with a special offer of sending 2 bucks and some collected coupons to get a Dr Grabow pipe. Must be at least pre 1980 .

Pulling out the wax paper parcel and sniffing the tobacco it smelt what i have been looking for; that elusive white coffee/cocoa burley i have always smelled when cleaning old vintage briar bowls i have purchased from USA down the last 10 years. It was bone dry but good clean condition golden and medium brown fine ribbons ready to smoke.

I loaded a briar falcon pipe and lit match. Hmm? I had no initial idea that this even had a casing but putting the match to my bowl I got a powerful medicinal chemical cherry fruity aroma that went up my nostrils like a cough sweet. Followed by lots of fizzing popping gun powder like micro combustions.

I nearly dumped bowl to save my briar but persevered because despite its self combusting nature it wasnt getting hot. Yes it had a degree of that elusive vending machine white coffee & cocoa taste but it has also an unexpected casing/ topping that tastes like a poormans Condor Ready Rubbed. Infact it reminded me of space dust candy that pops on your tongue from the 70s.

I finished the bowl anyway then loaded up a different falcon with a more open draught stem and a wider deeper bowl figuring this would soften out the rough spots. This it did but not to a super degree. Tried it in a vintage Missouri Meerschaum Cob to give it the benefit of the doubt, this gave a different more open cocoa taste and backed off the topping a bit.

The noise PA makes whilst smoking sounds like a man urinating on a barbeque so it doesnt set the bin on fire. It sizzle pops and steam hisses and isnt a quiet session. Light taste, strong flavour, light strength, cigarette room note, sausages on a grill sound. Not the worst tobacco I ever tasted but nothing to cherish.

Burns to fine ash and leaves no dottle gunk. Use a gas lighter to touch it and it gently burns itself ,dont pull hard while lighting or it will spoil. Does bite a little bit but its not awful.

I think I prefer British style OTC brands in comparison like condor and st bruno to this. This is closer to aromatic status tobacco than strait tobacco. I think i will give some 1942 Five Brothers a go next.

2 Stars** Hopefully i will find a pipe combo that makes the best of this, perhaps a large chamber pipe from one of my lot pipes.

(UPDATE 1 Hour Later.

Up one star to 3 star*, I had to learn how to smoke this by changing my style of smoking and not my pipe. This is an automatic smoke that does it all for you so you dont have to do anything else except sip it gently. Now everything tastes gentle and legendary. Juts let the tobacco burn itself and sip the smoke from it rather than puffing to coax taste by your own made combustion. Now i get the nutty nutella like natural molasis burley and that white coffee taste of the smooth cool tobacco. This goes on forever and is possibly one of the slowest smokes I have ever smoked! I didnt waste my money after all.)

Pipe Used: Falcon, solid meerschaum, cob

Age When Smoked: Pre 1980 at least.

Purchased From: EBAY

Similar Blends: Mclintock Creme De Cassis. Other cherry vanilla cavendish blends.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NORVIN (5)	2019-11-03		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Prince Albert is your best friend once you let him out of the can or the pouch. This is my second favorite drugstore/OTC pipe tobacco. I am smoking it now as I type this review. It pairs well with a nice cup of coffee. The taste is good. There is no tongue bite as long as you don't smoke it (or any other tobacco) like a freight train. It stays lit and burns down well. It makes a perfect, all day smoke. Light it and don't sweat it.

It is getting harder to find this OTC. Stores like Walgreens and Walmart no longer carry it in my part of the country. Several gas stations that use to carry it no longer do. The only place I could find it locally was at an in-and-out, discount, cigarette store.

I am now in the process of cellaring it. I might open the sealed plastic tins and put them in jars. I haven't decided on that yet. I think the plastic tins are probably OK as long as the seal is not broken. I am cellaring Prince Albert along with Carter Hall (my favorite OTC) and some premium pipe tobacco from C&D--not for taste, but for future availability. I plan to add Hearth & Home Mid-Town Chatham Manor & Prince Andrew if they taste the same or extremely close to Carter Hall & Prince Albert. Search http://www.pipesandcigars.com for "A Princely Punchout".

Pipe Used: MM Corn Cobs & Dr. Grabow Royal Duke

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: https://www.pipesandcigars.com/p/a-princely-punchout/2007603/

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	KS Codger (4)	2019-09-01		Extremely Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a great all around daily smoke. Very affordable and you know what to expect. Nothing special, but it's a straightforward Burley blend that burns well and tastes good. It was perfect moisture level straight from the pouch with no relights. Packed loosely, this provides a very enjoyable smoke.

Pipe Used: MM Legend

Age When Smoked: Fresh from package

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sherm Natman (5)	2019-01-23		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

A perfect baseline smoke. PA is especially great for brand-new pipers coming from a cigarette background. PA does not attempt to be anything other than what it is: an absolutely steady and satisfying straight-down-the-middle tobacco experience with no surprises, nor any bite/heat/juice - unless you are smoking far too fast. Another bonus with PA, is that you can get it so easily at Drug Stores, Gas Stations, RYO Shops, etc; you never have to be without Prince Albert when away from your tobacco cellar/chest. With the myriad of interesting choices in pipe tobacco for various smoking experiences available for fun, frivolity, or exotic flavor, PA makes for a fantastic primary daily smoke; especially for the beginners developing their pallet. Packs easily and generally burns right and steady from the first lighting. It's a classic for a very good reason. Considering the history of PA with loyal and long-standing appreciators for over 100 years, shouldn't every piper try this pipe-smokers classic at least once in their life?

Pipe Used: Brigham: Heritage (39) Lrg. Bent Apple

Age When Smoked: Fresh from pouch

Purchased From: Local Brick & Mortar Store

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	K Rockport (4)	2018-10-13		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I'm both a fairly new (2 yrs) and infrequent (once a week or less) pipe smoker. I've never smoked cigarettes or cigars, so I have no other experience with tobacco. I've been trying to explore the different varieties of pipe tobacco to see what I like, and I've probably tried about 12-15 different kinds, aromatics, English and Virginia blends. I guess I'm not very discriminating, because I've liked almost every one I've tried, although I'm maybe not that big a fan of the straight Virginia ones, which so far have seemed a bit harsh to me.

Prince Albert was my first old-school "drugstore" brand. I got a 1.5 oz pouch, and when I first opened it, I wondered if I got an old package. Instead of that bright, strong fresh tobacco smell that I seemed to get with almost every other kind that I tried, this one smelled more like stale, musty raisins. I didn't think it was a pleasant smell, and I was disappointed, considering the history and popularity of PA.

When I smoked it, however, I surprisingly found it very pleasant. It didn't seem very complex to my (uneducated) tobacco palate, but it was very nice. I could taste a little molasses and raisin flavor, although I didn't really notice the chocolate that is frequently mentioned. It packed and burned very easily, and seemed a very cool smoke with no bite.

After I finished, I went back and opened the pouch to smell it again. I don't know what it was, but now the aroma seemed quite pleasant to me.

Growing up as a kid in the late 70's, when pipe smoking was more common, the aroma immediately brought me back to visiting various uncles and family friends who smoked pipes--I imagine this is almost certainly what they were smoking at least some of the time.

I'm a bit of a history buff, too, and it's pretty cool to think that this blend has been enjoyed by so many pipe smokers over so many years (since 1907, I understand?) So yeah, I guess the romantic nostalgia factor does factor into my review. But I will definitely keep some of this on hand from now on, as I can see myself going back to this whenever I want something simple, pleasant and classic.

Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum Ozark Mountain Hardwood

Age When Smoked: New from pouch

Purchased From: WV SmokeShop online

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	dbl-bbl (45)	2017-04-23		Very Mild	Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

I bought this PA several months ago along with a couple other codger blends (Carter Hall & Sir Walter Raleigh). I immediately opened it, performed the sniff test, and loaded up a pipe for the first smoke. Not bad stuff, monochromatic and cool smoking as others have noted. With plenty of other blends available, I then socked away the remainder of the pouch into a mason jar. After several months I came back to the jar & decided to give it another whirl (after smoking many more so-called "complex" blends). Here is what I've found ... there are times when less is actually better ... and this is one of those times. PA is just a good, clean, nutty, lightly sweet, primarily good ole Burley blend. Nothing complex ... just a good cool smoking tobacco taste & aroma. This is certainly an all day smoke if one so desires. It's understandable why this one has withstood the test of time. IMHO it truly smokes & tastes best out of a cob pipe.

Pipe Used: Briars, Meerschaums & Cobs

Age When Smoked: Fresh & Aged Several Months

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tburglar (7)	2017-04-10		Very Mild	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Strong

Am I being punked? How does this tobacco have any favorable reviews? The best way I can describe Prince Albert's room note and taste is that it was like cleaning out the inside of a Phillies Blunt and dumping it in my pipe. Worse yet... it's loaded with the chemical. It immediately dried out and stuffed up my nose like a 99 cent cigar. I'm not a snob. I like Captain Black and don't mind Half and Half, but Prince Albert doesn't belong in a pipe.

Pipe Used: MM Cob Pipe

Purchased From: Walmart

Similar Blends: Carter Hall, and any of the giant bargain bags of tobacco..

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Raizel_234 (8)	2017-01-16		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Another classic OTC blend. This stuff is unassuming and straight forward. The notes say there's Burley and Cavendish in there but all I get is the the Burley. It's nutty with the occasional hint of coco making the way to the front. It's not particularly sweet, but neither is it bitter. It's very one dimensional, but that's the appeal. There was a time when this was my go to tobacco, but it's been supplanted by Carter Hall. This is a very close second however. I can understand why this isn't everyone's cup of tea b t if you've never had it you should definitely try it! If for no other reason than its a classic for a reason and its cheap!

Pipe Used: Various cobs and briars over the years

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Local Super market and general stores.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	LV9 (85)	2016-04-16		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

Burley at its simplest, once someone told me that there was a minute amount of oriental in the original version but I doubt it, this I the kinda tobacco that doesn't call attention to itself but could keep you happy forever, easy to pack and easy to light, notes of cocoa, nuts and tobacco and tobacco it's the important key grandpa had no other intention than to get his nicotine fix quick. I think if you are a American pipe smoker you should smoke all the classics before you attempt to make more "refine" blends, (know you past so you can understand the present). So would I buy this again... absolutely as matter of fact I have a 2 8zn tins stashed away.

Pipe Used: Brebbia , Kirsten, Missouri meerschaum diplomat

Age When Smoked: 6 years

Purchased From: Winn Dixie

Similar Blends: In it own class..

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	mnadz (69)	2016-03-31		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Not much to add to this classic Burley blend. Packs and smokes well right out of the pouch. Simple Burley blend with simple Burley taste. I will say that there are better and tastier Burley blends out there (check out Cornell & Diehl's Burleys), but for the price point, rock and smoke on! Had no need to relight most of the time. No tongue bite (and I smoke like a coal locomotive). Wife enjoyed the room note which is always a plus. If you are a fan of Burkeys, set your expectations lower than usual, and you will be pleasantly surprised with this one.

Pipe Used: Ben Wades

Age When Smoked: Fresh

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Xortex (6)	2016-03-25		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

It's the Prince. Even nonsmokers know the Prince. My all day, no BS, bystander approved tobacco. You can even pack it while driving. I love the fine fancy tobaccos, but as others have said, there's a reason it's still around. Two generations of my family have smoked the Prince. May he live on when I am gone.

Pipe Used: mm cob, czech seconds

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: custom blends, York pa

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Theosprey247 (73)	2016-03-06		Mild	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

If your looking for a complex blend to impress your friends then I suggest you look elsewhere. However, if your looking for a mild and smooth (and inexpensive to boot) all day everyday smoke then Albert's your man. I like to smoke this easy burn tobacco in the morning.

Pipe Used: Neerup

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: The corner store

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mos6502 (4)	2015-12-24		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Tolerable

I'll have to judge Prince Albert relative to its OTC peers; Carter Hall, Captain Black, Half and Half, and Sir Walter Raleigh.

To be honest there's not much to write about here. Out of the pouch it has a sweet licorice/anise smell, but this is not detectable once smoked. You get tobacco flavor, and it burns all the way down to white ash. It will tolerate careless puffing without biting or turning overly bitter. So if you just want "a tobacco" this will suffice. That's what it is, a tobacco.

It's not as sweet as Captain Black or Sir Walter Raleigh. It's not as bitter as Half and Half. It's not as light as Carter Hall. It is really a neutral tobacco, a yardstick by which other OTC brands may be measured. Unassuming, unadventurous, reliable, available.

I tend to mix a pouch of PA into a pouch of Captain Black, which helps the CB burn more completely, and lends it a little bit more of a kick.

Trivia: Early cans of PA have a patent date on them of July 30th 1907. This relates to a patent (US 862115 A) for killing the microorganisms living on tobacco by exposing them to formaldehyde. Then the tobacco would be exposed to microorganisms that grow on "good" tobacco (for according to the patent, good tobacco tastes good because of the microorganisms which grow on it) and allowed to ferment/cure, or be treated with licorice. Given the anise smell of PA, I suppose it was/is treated with licorice rather than additional microorganisms.

Pipe Used: CC

Age When Smoked: right out of the pouch

Purchased From: Walmart

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Clinthulhu (8)	2015-09-15		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable to Strong

Over the last few months I've been working my way through some of the classic "Drug Store" brands of tobacco. Of course in doing so I was bound to run into Prince Albert at some point. Years ago I was given a few pouches of OTC tobacco for Christmas as a joke and Prince Albert was one of them but I honestly don't remember if I even smoked it. In any event, every week or so I visit the tobacco shop and pick up a different OTC tobacco and take it for a spin.

When you open the little foil pouch the first thing you will notice is that there isn't anything fancy here just the mild smell of straight tobacco. It would put you in the mind of a RYO tobacco like Bugler cigarette tobacco. Over all the moisture wasn't too bad, I did notice that the little foil pouch wasn't "sealed" and I don't know if it is supposed to be that way or if it was a mistake. I fluffed it up a little bit and then filled my bowl.

Packing and lighting was fine and once it was going I didn't need to relight it.

Now comes the bad part... This just doesn't taste like pipe tobacco. It has a sharp almost cigarette like quality to it that doesn't smoke well in a pipe. It actually tastes like wet mulch or straw. I'm usually a fan of non-aromatic blends but I don't even know if I can call Prince Albert that. I try not to review tobacco based on 1 bowl or even 2 bowls so I've smoked about 3/4 of the pouch before writing this review. Strong points here are that the smoke was dry I didn't get any gurgle but it wasn't cool by any means. I took my time and smoked it slow and still found that it was hot. I didn't burn my mouth but it wasn't pleasant by any means. As far as the "Room Note" I honestly think it smells like a cigarette in that department as well.

At the end of the day I would probably avoid Prince Albert. I can put it in my tobacco journal as something I have tried but just don't think I will be revisiting. As this is the tobacco that my Grandfather smoked I'm a little disappointed that I didn't enjoy it more.

UPDATE 9/28/2015 - I'm going to give Prince Albert 1 additional star. I'm still not sold that it is any better than that however I dedicated myself to finishing a pouch of this because I hate to see tobacco go to waste. It takes a little getting used to the simple flavors that are present in PA and until I dedicated one of my Cobs to smoking it I wasn't too impressed. Once it is smoked without the ghost of other "stronger" tobaccos present however the subtle flavors of the tobacco are far more noticeable and pleasing. It still might not be fore everyone but I would give it a fair go before you make the same mistake I did and judge it too soon.

Pipe Used: Cob

Age When Smoked: Fresh Pouch

Purchased From: Cheap Tobacco

Similar Blends: John Middleton, Inc - Carter Hall.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Nathan (15)	2015-07-25		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

A sweet/nutty pouch aroma. Slight creamy/wheat taste with a pleasant room note. If you're ever in need of a quick cheap purchase this is a safe choice. I found it best when smoked in a cob as the cob seemed to bring out more flavor.

Pipe Used: Cob/Briar

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tank Man (10)	2015-07-16		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Pouch note- Vanilla, Slight grass smell. Placed in jar to keep fresh. Moisture content good. Packs easily. Burns easily with infrequent lights. Can get little harsh if pushed too fast. Otherwise cool mild smoke. Decent flavors. Little dry and slightly nutty. Every day smoker. Not great but not horrible.

Pipe Used: Kay Woodie

Age When Smoked: Pouch New Some aging

Purchased From: Local Tobacco Stores

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Adrian B. (29)	2015-03-11		Very Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Sometimes you want a gourmet meal accompanied by the finest wine you can afford. Sometimes you want mac & cheese washed down with a Pepsi.

Prince Albert is mac & cheese, and there's certainly nothing wrong with that. It's your basic American burley blend, hints of chocolate and some fruity sweetness and of course the nuttiness from the burley. I like it better than Sir Walter I think, and it's much better imho than Half & Half. Good, basic, all day smoke. 2.5 stars

Pipe Used: Briars and Cobs

Age When Smoked: Pouch fresh

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JtotheCtotheL (3)	2014-08-15		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Love it or hate it, but at $4 a pouch everyone should try it.

I personally love it. I'm a pipe-smoking newb though-- 10 years on and off. Finally gave up the cigarettes and went full time.

I wish this had been the first tobacco I'd tried. And I wish I'd just bought a cheap MM cob instead of fancy Briars. These burleys are just as good or better in a cob. Cobs don't impress anyone but the smoker, and that's all that matters.

PA has a very light flavor, no heavy casing. Maybe a touch of mint or menthol at the very start. After that it's straight up with a mild toasted-almond taste. Pack light, keep the fire stoked, and it doesn't burn the tongue.

Pipe Used: MM eaton cob

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: P&C

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Laserboy (16)	2014-08-13		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Every time I smoke "The Prince" I find myself bemused: "Why do I like this stuff so much?" I continually ask myself. The flavor is extremely mild with just a hint of sweetness augmenting the basic burley nuttiness. The nicotine level is modest. The room note is inoffensive but certainly not in the category of the mouth-watering aromatics. While there's nothing bad or off-putting about this most classic of the classics, neither is there anything that I can point to and say "_that_ is why I have several pounds of this stashed in my cellar!" And yet, time and again, I find myself reaching for the big red tub and truly enjoying a pipe or three of it. And that may be the key to its attractiveness: Prince Albert is a simple and very comfortable tobacco. It is unchallenging and dependably pleasant. At less than two dollars per ounce (if you shop carefully), the economics of each fill are of little importance (compare this with, say, Solani's "Aged Burley Flake," which makes me feel as though I need to be extracting some minor epiphany with each puff in order to get my money's worth--fortunately, that blend in fact delivers, but that's another review). With The Prince, I know I can expect a decent half hour out of each fill, not feel wobbly from the nicotine but still get a pleasant perk-up, not worry excessively about overpuffing and getting my tongue bit, and not drive the neighbors to take up a petition against me.

Prince Albert is a blend that every pipe smoker should at least try, and try with a mind freed from the very high expectations that we bring to the "boutique" artisanal blends. It is a simple, straightforward, and, under the right circumstances, immensely satisfying blend.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	El Blue Mule (3)	2014-08-05		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Yes, I've read most of the reviews for Prince Albert. I like this tobacco. The trick to smoking this tobacco is to take the time to slowly experience it. It takes soft, gentle draws to keep the pipe from heating up. When drawn properly, the flavors do present themselves. The flavors are nutty and mildly sweet. I'm not intending to sound negative or sarcastic, but the best description of the flavor reminds me of walking into the shower and smelling scented soap. Women love those little decorative balls of soap that give off that musty sweet scent. That's the flavor I'm reminded of with Prince Albert. The entire time of smoking is to keep a careful draw so as not to over-heat the pipe--that's the trick.

Pipe Used: Dr. Grabow Royal Duke Billiard 1980's

Age When Smoked: 2 years old

Purchased From: The shop is closed now in Dekalb, Illinois

Similar Blends: sweet scented decorative bath soap.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SteelCowboy (685)	2011-09-07		Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

One of the better over the counter US blends with a nice nutty flavor and a little kick from Lady N. It burns quickly and can bite if pushed hard. Like many others have said, every pipe smoker should they this and the other OTC blends. Pipestud recommended a fifty-fifty mixture of this and Five Brothers and I love it. Each blend is just ok, but when paired together, magic happens. Two and a half stars for the Prince.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dubinthedam (133)	2009-05-26		Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

It's all been said...I love the stuff...I'm amazed I hadn't reviewed this already. It's hard to find in the Eurozone, but if you like Burley....it's worth looking for. My wife loves it too, what more can a man say.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	beaupipe (102)	2009-01-18		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Tolerable to Strong

This is one of a handful of tobaccos which smokes way beyond its price-point. I picked up a pouch of this and and one of Sir Walter Raleigh when I stopped into a little place to pick up some cobs. Total price for the two pouches and a trio of cobs? $14.20. Twenty minutes earlier I'd bought four tins of various things at a fancier (and cob-less) shop. Total price? $57 and change. (Which, as a northerner, is about half what I would pay in the land of Maple Leafs and Blue Jays, so I'm not complaining.)

If someone were to draw up a big price/quality ratio chart for all of the tobaccos on this board, this may well come out as the king of tobaccos. (The name change to 'King Albert' would, of course, cause an immediate decline in sales as reviewers would complain about how their unpretentious little Prince had changed somehow.)

I'd pretty much sworn off the cheap and cheerful blends of the past after trying vile Half & Half and viler still Borkum Riff Cherry Cavendish, but there was the Prince and the noble knight and I thought, ahhh what the heck.

I'm kind of glad the fancy place had no cobs because Prince Albert is a thoroughly decent Burley. Sure it's plain, short on intensity, and a little lacking in vigor. But it is also pleasant. There is a vaguely fruity topnote to the tobacco in the pouch, but the star here is the clean burning, mildly hazelnutty Burley.

I'm sure that this would bore me all the way down to my socks if it was all that was available. But it isn't all that's available. It makes a nice little change of pace from all that porn star intensity I normally crave. It's kind of like making out under the covers, gentle, tender, quiet, familiar.

My one complaint: I'm not much of a fan of the thoroughly cigarette-ish room note, I have to say.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-01-08		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

I wanted to like this tobacco. I wanted to like it so much I actually forced myself to smoke 1 1/2 bowls before I threw away the can. I actually had to throw away my pipe about a week later when I couldnt stand the smell anymore. It made my throat sore and gave me a headache. Captain Pete couldnt have put it any better "pee soaked cardboard" just about says it all.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	oldmanpipe (62)	2006-11-01		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Unlike so many oldtime blends, Prince Albert has gotten better since I first tried it 35 years ago. I am no fan of Middleton, but this, along with the Kentucky Club blends, proves the exception.

My grandfather was a pipe smoker, and it was he who first put the notion in my head. He usually smoked Half & Half, which is noxious in ANY decade, but occasionally he would buy a tin (yes, a TIN) of Prince Albert. Not a can, but a 2-ounce tin that collapsed as the contents dwindled...just as H & H once did.

When I first tried P. A., it was just about as bad. But in its current iteration, it is a delightful, comforting smoke that is available anywhere.

There is no bite at all; the nicotine content will satisfy anyone; the taste and side-stream aroma are that of homemade bread.

A great "go-to" smoke for any but the tobacco "snob" when you all you want is the pleasure that only a pipe can provide.

It is dry, cool, politically correct, and will do for anyone in a pinch.

If only it were a bit "nuttier," I would give it four stars.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kage (7)	2022-06-18		Mild	Mild	Mild	Unnoticeable

I bought a large tub of this years ago. Not my favorite burley and I was way more into English blends like Middleton's Walnut, Dunhill Nightcap, My Mixture 965 and a few others. That was of course before I got into Va/pers for a while in the late summer and fall of 2010. I loaded it up in a Savenilli Churchwarden, no filter and PA became my morning smoke, which back then, I had a personal rule of no morning smoking smoking. I broke that rule once before, that was with a Romeo y Julieta cigar to celebrate my High School graduation. Granted, I didn't even drink coffee back then as I was mostly stright edge, minus the odd bit of pipe tobacco or cigar, since I didn't want to get hooked to nicotine. Thankfully, Prince Albert was never high on nicotine and I broke my morning rule and for a while, it was consistent. I would wake up and have the prince wilst going over my work itinerary for the day. My favorite pipe to smoke this in was a used W/O Larsen sandblasted volcano shape, which I brought from the legend himself, Frenchy. Yes, the one that has a blend named for him. I recently bought a pouch and experienced it in a MM corncob. Still a very good blend, albeit slightly boring compared to other more complex blends. That said, do not be afraid to try it, as boring doesn't mean bad. It is nutty and toasty all the way to the end and less sweet than Granger. Goes great with a black cup of coffee. Experiment with how you like it. I personally seem to perfer my Prince Albert bone dry, but you might like yours slighty more moist. Either way, Prince Albert lives up to his title as a royal way to start the day, or end one. Your choice.

Pipe Used: MM Corncob

Age When Smoked: Brand New

Purchased From: Local Shop

Similar Blends: Sir Walter Raleigh, Granger.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Nathaniel (38)	2021-10-09		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Strong

What am I missing? I’ve always been curious about this tobacco, with its history and the old (ooold) joke, and the cheapness of it and the availability of it, and the fact that it comes in the big tubs that I like. Not super high on my list, being a burley blend, but I grabbed two of the LUXURY pouches (“FEEL THE FRESHNESS”) at Walmart when I was getting some new jeans. The pouches sat for a while. Maybe to their detriment. I don’t know why I picked one of them up when I was really jonesing for a smoke. The first smoke in a month or so, and after a road trip with my brother who likes a cigarette. I don’t, but I missed having a pipe and tobacco with me, for the social aspect.

So, sitting on my patio on a Friday night, at the end of a long and stressful work week, I picked up one of those pouches with anticipation. Hmm, it’s kept its moisture pretty well... almost too well, in that unnatural way that bodes badly, in my experience. It smells weird too. Kind of salty-sour. It reminds me of play-doh or this gross fish food we used to feed our goldfish, big orange flakes that reeked from their little metal tins. Not as strong, this, but unattractive in that way.

Light up, and it takes the flame. The taste is an acrid ashiness that sets me coughing even though I don’t inhale. Nuttiness? Burley? I’m not getting it. Is this better fresh? Well, that pouch isn’t doing it’s job. Is it better in the can? I don’t want to smoke this tobacco in that amount. I’m smoking a bowl of Carter Hall to get that flavor out of my mouth. The only way I’ll finish these two pouches is if I mix it with something— like Carter Hall.

I don’t think I’ll be letting Prince Albert out of the can, or pouch, again any time soon.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	riobrew (80)	2021-05-04		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Truly haven't had this sense the 70's. A very enjoyable smoke. Very old school. You basics American burley aromatic. Easy to load, light, and smoke. Scoop and go.

Pipe Used: Several

Age When Smoked: 3 years old

Purchased From: Gift

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	James martin (1)	2021-02-17		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

It's the best tobacco I ever used been using for many years as my grandfather and great grandfather and uncle just simply a great smoke for the money just as it should be

Pipe Used: Dr grabow

Age When Smoked: 53

Purchased From: Grocery store

Similar Blends: Nothing but the best never is.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	crosscountry (23)	2020-12-31		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Prince Albert is exactly as advertized, a pipe tobacco that smells and tastes like a pipe tobacco. My palate isn't as refined as others on here, and I don't taste Virginia or any topping, just Burley.

This was my first Burley purchase, and I was pleasantly surprised. That said, I like the "tastes like tobacco" qualities and will continue to keep some Burley around even after this pouch is gone.

Pipe Used: many

Age When Smoked: new from "luxury pouch"

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CaptainCanuck (3)	2020-11-16		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I had to get this sent out from the US to England, as I really wanted to ty this blend. I was surprised at how inexpensive the whole transaction and shipment was! Anyway, when the "deluxe" pouch arrived I smirked slightly. But the tinfoil-paper bag is actually rather a good idea. Why don't we use more of that to plastic? Upon opening the bag I sniffed the contents. It was reminiscent of old cigars, dry grass, and just a hint of cocoa. Moisture wise it was just right for me (I've since put it in a jar). I stuffed it into my pipe and went apple picking. It lit very well, and was quite pleasant to smoke. No bite, no fuss. Very mild in the nicotine, I scarcely noticed that I was smoking it if it wasn't for the smoke itself. It's only what I can call "smooth"; good tobacco taste, slightly picking up that sweet topping. It burned through very fast, and I was frankly quite shocked. It didn't burn hot at all, for the speed at which it disappeared. I emptied the bowl, and looked inside; fairly dry. Shrugging, I filled it again, packing slightly tighter this time, and lit it. This time it burned slightly longer, and I likewise enjoyed roughly under a 15 minute smoke, which is still a bit fast. It works better in a larger bowled pipe overall, as the smaller bowls seem to eat it up too quick. I would suggest Prince Albert for those who don't have a lot of time to smoke their pipe, and just want to enjoy a break with a mug of coffee. Not bad at all for the price.

Pipe Used: Peterson 317, various billiards.

Age When Smoked: New, out of the bag.

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Zarathustra (11)	2020-08-15		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Pipe snobs beware. A perfect blend for beginners as it burns cool and clean and makes it easy to discern the sweet burley and cherry cavendish.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Michael D (33)	2020-07-01		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

Update 2021: Now made in DOMINICAN REPUBLIC! Taste just as good.. but it seems the supply line dries up? maybe due to hoarders? After all, it is an everyday smoke that been an American Icon for many many years... This is the world we live in now.. Global companies.. not Country companies.. blame the Governments that ran them out with regulations... along with the greed they share.. it is what it is...

This is Pipe Tobacco, still my favorite. It has been around longer than any of us and there is a reason.. it is just a plain good Burley tobacco flavor. Don't be fooled.. it is not just an OTC blend for the working man.. It was good enough for a King. Snobbery, has a can hidden in the desk for when others are not around. Between The Prince and Carter Hall, these are my everyday smokes.. Availability, Taste and Cost makes Prince Albert a winner. From the mild cocoa aroma from the pouch, too the mild sweet flavor of the Burley Cavendish blend turning to a pleasant ash, an easily lit blend that never bites, I just find it a pleasure to light up in any pipe at any time.

Pipe Used: Grabow, Medico,Savinelli and all others.

Age When Smoked: NEW

Purchased From: P&C

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Faberdei (11)	2019-12-23		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I wanted to taste OTC blend just to be fair with these kinds of tobacco. Not a bad idea. I am still alive and my pipes too :)

It is chocolate (sweeter than cocoa) and a kind of molasse taste. You can also get nuttiness (all along the bowl) and earthy taste (second half of the bowl). It burns to ash well. It plays better in a corn cob (for me). So far an easy-going tobacco with a good return on investment. A grandfather's smoke under the porch (I am a marketing victim:) )

It helps a lot to cake a pipe: a slow burn at a low temperature with no ghost. No need to relight.

Pipe Used: briar, morta, corn cob

Age When Smoked: ?

Purchased From: OTC

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NeoPolis (12)	2019-08-28		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

First thoughts:

This is very, very good, and impressive on several levels. I'm going to miss this when I head back to Europe and plan to stock some in my bags. The pouch note is pleasant, very chocolatey and it covers up the tobacco. Don't be fooled! I didn't catch many notes at all of this topping when smoked, as it sublimates into the tobacco perfectly. It almost comes across as if there is a "natural tobacco" casing if that is possible. I do not notice any of the "chemical" notes that some reviewers report.

Something that really impressed me was the texture of the draw. It is not as thick and velvety as something oriental heavy like Squadron Leader, but it is extremely soft and like the package says, it is smooth, very, very smooth. I never expect any aromatic to have a draw that is as substantial and as pleasantly tactile as I found this to be.

If you are an English blend lover who wants to find an aromatic to try and enjoy, this should be on your list.

The flavor is a gently sweet natural one that comes close to Amphora Full, minus that blend's oriental spice and tang. It is not a grassy or honey Virginia sweet, but a good, round "sweet, mild natural cigar" burley, but lighter than most, but not at all bright. The "nutty" flavor is very present, and the taste of the burley is FAR more prominent here than in any other blend I have had. It is very good and earns a place in my steady rotation just for that alone. My cadence is slow, and this does not turn harsh for me or bite, but your milage may vary. It definitely benefits from a soft easy flame on the lights. Treat it gently like you would a delicate Virginia.

Towards the end of the bowl, the tobacco does not shine as well as the premium Kentuckys will, or even something like Kentucky Bird does when treated well, so the real star here may be the superb casing that is paired with a not-super-excellent tobacco, but certainly a very much above-average tobacco. This lack of "last third of the bowl" performance is the only reason I don't give this one full stars. Jar age and a (needed) small amount of drying may help here. Time will tell. This certainly leaves chemical-heavy OTC dreck like "golden blend" far, far behind.

The moisture out of the pouch was near PERFECT for me. I did not expect this at all. I don't usually pack two bowls in a row, but this one passes that test BRILLIANTLY, even right out of the new pouch, two with the same pipe, with NO bitterness and no extra dampness. This is a "low maintenance" easy tobacco. Most good-quality aromatics are VERY fussy and have an unforgivingly small window of moisture where the topping and the humidity are perfectly balanced for the maximum flavor. This one just WORKS.

I do admit that at first touch, I had expected to need to dry it, especially for a burley blend. Miraculously, the flavor was not only present, but the rich fullness of it blew me away. Most burley blends I have had, even the best ones, simply lose ALL flavor when even a tad bit damp, NOT this one. I'm glad I did my "calibration" for the first bowl and did not dry it.

I did not have high expectations for this blend, but it has remained a favorite with pipe smokers for more than a hundred years for a reason. I'd easily rank it in my top-5 and it is a TRULY superior OTC. If you are looking to break in a new pipe, or "palette cleanse" an old one, you could not do much better than to use this blend.

Also, on the more "intangible" level, some tobaccos are just more "peaceful" or "joyful" than others. Small-leaf Brebbia blends are "joyful." Early Morning Pipe (my favorite of all time) feels comforting and clarifying. Aperitif feels like steak and potatoes, etc. - Prince Albert seems to be saturated with an extraordinarily "peaceful" feeling that has little if nothing to do with the (mild) strength. Perhaps I should credit Rupert Sheldrake's "morphic resonance" - all those decades of pipers enjoying this blend has probably dented the universe somewhat. Try out this one, and know you stand in a long line of happy people who enjoy something that is just simply good.

Pipe Used: Savinelli 313 unfinished, no filter

Age When Smoked: new in pouch

Purchased From: OTC

Similar Blends: Amphora Full.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ChadwickGHurlburt (24)	2019-04-22		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Prince Albert is one of a handful of blends that I consider examples of the Classic American OTC style. These are mild burly based blends that are mildly aromatic in their room note while having a flavor that is true to the taste of an easy smoking mild burly. Of the American OTC blends that are still readily available, I consider Prince Albert to be one of the best. Although, there isn't a great deal of difference between Prince Albert and many other American style OTC blends to my tastes. They are all immediately identifiable as American OTC style blends when you smell them and when you smoke them. They have a lot in common. Although, mild differences exist, and if I had to choose just one American OTC to smoke, I would choose Prince Albert.

Prince Albert has a nice nutty burly tobacco taste that seems slightly sweet and is easy to smoke. It doesn't bite, it is easy to lite and keep lit. It can burn cool if you pace yourself, but it will allow you to burn hot if you smoke too fast. If you smoke it cool, it is a nice pleasant and mild burly blend that is rather satisfying. If you smoke it hot, it becomes rough around the edges, will taste bad, and will transform your pipe into a gurgling mess. Smoke it properly and you will find it is a very even burning and well behaved blend. The room note is generally regarded as pleasant. It smells very good considering it isn't a vanilla soaked Black Cavendish based aromatic.

Prince Albert is the perfect tobacco to stash in a tackle box, in a nook in a cabin retreat, or in the glove box of your car/truck. Keep a cob stashed too and you will never be without a pretty good smoke within reach. I also like to keep it on hand for breaking in new pipes and offering to others when they become pipe-curious.

It's nice to see that this blend is still around after being on the market for about 100 years. It's easy to see why. It's good. I'm rating PA with a solid "recommended" rating of 3 stars.

Purchased From: local cigarette store

Similar Blends: Other American burly based OTC blends.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TheGCDoc (8)	2019-02-16		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

Initially this blend wasn't on my radar as I assumed this to be another Half & Half OTC (which didn't impress me much). To my defense, my ignorance of the actual blend was my own fault until finding this site, learning the difference, and seeing what others had to say. The pouch note was mild and nutty, but hard for me to detect as my mason jar had been sitting in my heated yet cold shop all winter. Needed a fake and true light to get it rolling, but once accomplished I immediately loved the thick white smoke. Initially tasted the full dark chocolate notes with a hint of a nuttiness akin to walnut for it's oily mouth feel. It burned really nice and cool even with some aggressive puffing. The room note of this leaf is really nice, definitely dark chocolate, molasses and wood smoke. Relight produced a slight sour that I compare to worn leather with some flashes of cedar smoke. Further into the bowl increased a definite star anise aroma and tasting note which I liked. Through and through a great experience that impressed me immensely! Once again a cheap blend that produces satisfying results. Gets a strong recommendation from me at 4 stars.

Pipe Used: Missouri Pride Bent - Missouri Meerschaum Cob

Age When Smoked: 6 months

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jacinto Cupboard (209)	2019-01-07		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The pouch note has plenty of cocoa aromas, whether artificial or not I cannot say. To be honest it reminds me of space food sticks. It doesn't translate to the actual smoke tho. What comes thru on the light is some sort of berry flavouring. I suspect this is something similar to what has been added to its rivals SWR and CH. It is pleasant, probably enough for it to be considered a semi aromatic in my book. It has more of it than either of those competitors however and is considerably sweeter.

Other than the cocoa pouch note there isn't a lot of tobacco aroma to be had, altho I daresay this is not the case for the room note. The neutral burley is there only really for body, smoke and nicotine.

It is what it is. An everyday, pleasant, easy burning tobacco that is neither challenging nor disappointing. If it has a significant downside it is the humectants, which I find tend to coat my mouth. Not a deal breaker, but if you are after pure or close to unadulterated baccy, might be best to look elsewhere.

For me, somewhere between 2 and 3 stars. I doubt I'd buy it ahead of SWR or CH.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	mel64us (46)	2018-12-08		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I was introduced to the amazing room note of Prince Albert as a boy back in the 1950's. My grandfather only smoked PA. I don't remember him smoking anything else except for the occasional cigar. He smoked cobs at home and briars when they went out. I first tried Prince Albert as a 16 year old experimenting with pipes. That was 1966 and I still enjoy the Prince on a regular basis. Other blends dominate my rotation, but PA has a reserved and revered place. Always the right moisture level from pouch or tub, this loads easily, lights readily, and smokes cool and nutty sweet to the end of the bowl. I smoke aromatics, English blends, and burleys almost evenly, but regularly return to Prince Albert for a smoke I don't have to think about, just enjoy. Every pipe smoker should at least give it a try. It might not suit your taste, but it is worth a try. " Smoke what you like and like what you smoke".

Pipe Used: Cobs and briars

Age When Smoked: Fresh to 5 years old

Purchased From: Various stores and shops

Similar Blends: .

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	redwhiskeypete (1)	2018-11-17		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I'm not going to pretend I'm a very experienced pipe smoker. I have plenty of pipes but have always been a cigar smoker. That being said I have been smoking a pipes a lot more these days. I really like the Mac Baren Navy Flake but after reading reviews I tried Prince Albert. I have to say I really, really like it. Very hard to get a bite from smoking it. I'm starting to use corncob pipes excursively now. I have never had one single problem with a corncob pipe. I have much more expensive pipes but I have had issues with all of them. I'm starting to learn don't worry about what other people think. If you like a cheap corncob, cheap Prince Albert then your golden. Its burns very steady much less relights and a fraction of the price of most other tobacco. When I picked up a pouch at a store here the clerk said your the first person to not say “I couldn't find this any other place.” This will probably be my everyday smoke but will still smoke others such as my Mac Baren.

Pipe Used: corncob

Age When Smoked: 11/12/18

Purchased From: discount tobacco store

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WoodcraftSmoker (21)	2018-10-21		Mild	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable

This was one of my first tobaccos. I found it dry, bitter and without any noticeable taste. It required few relights, and was consistently flavorless yet bitter throughout the bowl. I find this a characterless tobacco. I guess I am not a burley tobacco fan. I suppose there is some pleasure in smoking a tried and true tobacco that has been around for a long time, but with so many more tobaccos that have so much more flavor than this, I would spend my time smoking something else. Not because other tobaccos have something to prove, but because they have more flavor.

Pipe Used: Savenelli bent pot

Age When Smoked: unknown

Purchased From: local tobacco shop

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bluesmoke (75)	2014-11-24		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Simple!! And in its simplicity I find a rich nutty consistency which never fails to deliver when I'm n the mood. There is a peculiar aftertaste when finishing a few bowls, but I care not. This is a staple, a classic, a truly American weed that brings back memories of seeing it in its box or jar as a kid and wondering what lie therein. Thanks PA, for the memories gone by and the new ones yet to come. MJCABY

Pipe Used: All of them

Age When Smoked: 6 months old

Purchased From: CVS

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bonneville (52)	2014-11-01		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

As a mostly Virginia smoker, why in the hell did I try this drug store Burley? Mainly for some historical perspective, as it is one of those tobaccos that have been around forever and all of the old boys smoked this.

What it God's name was I thinking? Horrible chemical taste, with an underlying Burley-esque tobacco flavor.

Bottom line- if tobacco was a black market product, this is the stuff they would use to "cut" more premium blends to increase their profits. Spare yourself the misery. Gross!

If it's Burley you're looking for, there are plenty of offerings that blow this out of the water for the same price. Lane's BL/WB comes to mind.

Pipe Used: MM Cob

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RJ Beattie Jr (4)	2014-10-18		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

What can you say about a smoke that's been around for over 100 years, that speaks volumes. This is my all day, everyday tobacco. I just think its great, but I'm not a flavoured tobacco smoker, I like tobacco to taste like tobacco.

Pipe Used: MM General, MM hardwood

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: pipes and cigars. com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Grovesy (32)	2014-10-02		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

After dragging my feet I finally bought a few ounces of PA to try, if nothing else I thought it would be good to break in new pipes with. I was pleasantly surprised by PA slightly sweet, nutty smoke. Not my favorite, but a great go fart around in the garage type of smoke. =Updated 7-3-15= There is something about the Prince that just keeps me coming back. I was primarily using it for breaking in new pipes, but those new pipes are broken in and I continue to grab the PA jar more frequently than any of my other high end blends. It is just a great smoke. Relaxing, tastes good, and smells great, I can use it any of my pipes without fear of ghosting. I absolutely love everything about it. PA is firmly set in my rotation and I'm not embarrassed a bit to say it.

Pipe Used: various

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	wmf (14)	2014-10-01		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I would love to put this stuff in a fancy pants tin with some really pro looking artwork under a different name and charge boutique prices for it. My guess is that snobby puffers that wouldn't likely be caught dead with a bag of PA would rave. They'd probably talk about it's superior coco richness on the front, with a light tobacco earthiness on the back of the palate. And how it smokes so easily and to almost no dottle. I'd double down that they'd completely coo over the aroma and how meditative a smoke this has been. But that will never happen. Too bad for them- more for me.

Pipe Used: just put it in something and smoke it

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: Wally World

Similar Blends: This has no equal..

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jevverrett (106)	2014-09-06		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

I can't believe I haven't gotten around to reviewing this yet. Next to half and bald or capt black. The prince is the best known pipe tobacco in the us. It's tobacco royalty nonetheless. Even now, while smoking some rattrays highland targe I can bring to mind it's well rounded flavor. I still use it to break in new pipes that are being stubborn.

It burns nice and cool and stays lit very well. It also has a fairly tolerable room note that at least doesn't offend cig smokers. It's flavor is predominantly nutty burley goodness. It has hints at times of baking choc, coffee and something else I can't place. Maybe black licorice. It can get a little sloppy towards the end if you burn it too hot, but it's lack of bite prevents you knowing that until it's nearly too late.

This is the one to grab if you have to get it from a drugstore. Or maybe a gas station in the middle of nowhere. It's sold almost everywhere you can buy tobacco. It's a good solid, uncomplicated smoke for any time of day. It goes well with coffee in the morning, or beer at night. And it's cheap haha. So if it's not for you, you're not out that much money.

Pipe Used: Various Grabows, MM cobs

Age When Smoked: Fresh pouches

Purchased From: Just about anywhere

Similar Blends: Most drugstore burley blends.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CapnStuby (33)	2014-07-24		Mild	None Detected	Very Mild	Pleasant

Cheap, smells good in the pouch, burns well and has a good room note. However, I used an unfiltered pipe and the smoke didn't do anything but burn the back of my throat, even though the smoke itself seemed mild in strength and taste. 28 hours later and my tonsils are still raw and I can taste the tobacco in my mouth after a half dozen brushings. Maybe there's some chemical casing on it or something that I am allergic to.

I guess the true value of this tobacco is in the amount of pain and suffering you can inflict upon yourself for only a few bucks. This is terrible.

Pipe Used: Savinelli

Age When Smoked: From drugstore shelf

Similar Blends: Shredded cardboard, Carter Hall, Half and Half, Sail, Top.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mark O (6)	2014-07-20		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

Prince Albert is a burley blend that every pipe smoker should try at least once. It has a straight ahead spicy, nutty, burley flavor with a pleasant room note that's not fruity or sickly sweet. It's doesn't taste as sweet at Carter Hall and doesn't have the chemical overtones of Half and Half. It burns great....won't go out.....and requires little attention when smoking making it a perfect smoke for working or driving. PA is an American classic and should be in everyone's rotation. PA also is a great smoke between aromatics to put your pipe back on an even keel.....

Pipe Used: I'll smoke this in anything.....

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Young Piper (304)	2014-06-18		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Wow how tastes change over the years. PA has become my all day, 5 bowls a day blend. I either smoke small cobs or smoke 3/4's of a large pipe since the last quarter or so of a large bowl doesn't taste nearly as nice. Really sip it and enjoy the chocolaty burley and cedar aroma when blown through the nose and on the tip of your tongue. The Prince really grows on you!

Prince Albert is Carter Halls brother but where Carter Hall has some bright notes ( I think there's a tiny bit of yellow Virginia) the prince has all low bass notes. I do occasionally use some PA in my RYO smokes and it's also a great blend to break in a pipe and will not offend anyone in the room note department as it's just old timey and neutral. Four stars due to it being non offensive and a very good product for the price!

Pipe Used: cob, briar, meerschaum

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: WV Smokeshop

Similar Blends: John Middleton, Inc - Carter Hall.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimpBarber (1)	2014-06-03		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I have enjoyed pipe smoking off and on over the last 30 years. I live in a small community where good tobacco is hard to find, not impossible just hard. I have tried several different brands of tobacco over the years. Most over the counter prepackaged stuff is awful. Acrid, biting, and oh boy WET. I have been really going through the tobaccos here lately, mostly trying them and throwing them out. But, I was looking for a new Czech tool and spotted PA. I thought, my Great Grandfather smoked it. I should give it a try. Wow, my first bowl took me back to 1968 sitting on my Grandfathers knee. The aroma was not over powering, the taste was mild, the smoke was full and immediate. It packed well, lit right up, no need to false light. Now mind you, it is strong, so if you are not used to a light buzz, then sit down! I love it, it is now my daily go to tobacco. I love it! The burly leaves a nice aftertaste, fine ash, and of course that old time pleasant aroma. I would recommend to anyone that wants a great in the middle price and smoke. Not to mention a little nostalgia!

Pipe Used: Med burl bowl, filtered.

Age When Smoked: unknown, fresh from pouch.

Purchased From: Scapoose Cigars and Tobacco - Scapoose Oregon

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	The Right Reverend (36)	2014-05-31		Mild	Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Not bad, not fantastic. A plain burley that I could suck on all day, but not really much in the taste department, and I do love burelys. Burns great right down to ashes. I will say it has a very full feeling in the mouth, very pleasant. I have ended up using it regularly to mellow out sharper aromatics as well as give them some body. Think of it as a mellow bass note under the symphony. So only somewhat recommended as a regular smoke, though for the sake of a classic it is worth a try, and like a classic it is dependable, it might be just the thing to light up your pipe. Highly recommended as a blending burley, it has proved fantastic in that department.

Pipe Used: Cob

Age When Smoked: Fresh out of packet

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stutter818 (51)	2014-05-08		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild	Tolerable to Strong

This was my very very first tobacco to try pipe smoking with last month. I thought it tasted and smelled like...cigarettes to be honest. The pouch smells better - slightly chocolatey and nutty. I felt it was slightly harsh and slightly bitter. I have tried 2 more bowls since, and it may have improved a smidgen, but I'll come back to this one when I've sampled more tobacco and perhaps l can appreciate this one more.

--UPDATE-- have since smoked quite a bit of blends in albeit a short amount of time. This morning in an Eaton cob, for the first time again, enjoyed this blend and moved it up a notch. I can see how this is enjoyed at all times any day. It is a smokier smoke, but def has a slight sweetness to it like cocoa. Goes well in the morning with coffee. Will be coming back to it again in a few months!

Pipe Used: Missouri meerschaum mini corn cob

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Pipes and cigars online.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	manxman (82)	2014-03-12		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Tolerable

I picked up the next to the last pouch at Walmart for only $4.73. That's a bargain here in tax heavy Connecticut. Seemed to have been on the shelf awhile as the tobac was dry. Probably why it lit right up and needed minimal relighting. It also burned fast, but did stay cool. No tongue bite. I've been on a tour of all the classic OTC blends, this is the latest stop. Smells sweet in the pouch, but that doesn't transfer to the smoke. Didn't find any nicotine, so I was disappointed. I used most of the pouch to blend with some amaretto tobacco I bought in bulk, and the rest with Altadis Smoker Friendly Jamaican Rum, because neither would stay lit. Both hid the cigarette taste of the PA, but I didn't like either concoction. I gave them both away.

Pipe Used: Missouri Meerscham Hardwood

Age When Smoked: new?

Purchased From: Walmart

Similar Blends: Carter Hall.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gosmoke (1)	2013-10-22		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I still think the best part of this hobby is the endless tobaccos you find to try. Even the ones I may not like, somebody else does so getting too specific on pipe tobacco is in my mind...redundant. I'm in sales and travel for a living, mostly driving with a territory that covers New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana and straight up to Montana, North Dakota and Minnesota. Don't have the wherewithal to pack a boatload of different tobacco so this is my go to. Love it. Just plain and simple good pipe smoking. I use it to mix with the experimental ones that I try that knock me off the porch!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	LivingFreeinTN (24)	2013-09-16		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

If people can get past the pretentious notion that they'd be smoking an OTC like some pauper, you will find PA to be a rather pleasant smoke. It's not going to dazzle you with complex flavor; it's just a simple, straightforward, all day smoke. It hasn't been around for so long for no good reason. Keep a pouch for camping or fishing. If you drop it off the boat by accident, it's no big deal. It cost $2.50 a pouch in my neck of the woods, and there's nothing wrong with that for sure. I keep this on hand for days when a simple smoke is all I want/need. A real working man's tobacco. It doesn't pretend to be something it isn't.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrT999 (318)	2013-09-06		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I tried this many years ago (around 35 years ago). Back then, I liked Captain Black and similar blends, and disliked this. Having tried it again, I found I rather like it. Basic, mild, straightforward, perhaps even generic, I still found this slightly nutty/not too sweet OTC to be a surprisingly pleasant smoke. Since I know there are many tobaccos out there I would rate a 4, the question arises would I rebuy this particular tobacco, assuming my tastes don't change much more. In this case, the answer is yes.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-12-22		Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Nothing fancy here. Just burley burley and more burley. Pouch aroma is reminiscent of chewing tobacco that is typical to this genre. Packs and lights well. Smokes with no bite. Nutty tobacco is the what I get. I struggle to find the sweetness here that others do. I have nothing negative to say about this tobacco, but there is nothing remotely memorable here to me either. Taste is an opinionated thing and you might just enjoy the heck out of this, but for me there are better inexpensive burley options out there. For the price it's worth a shot just to see for yourself.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JohnnyMcPiperson (119)	2011-01-28		Very Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I can't tell you how much I detest this tobacco, the flavor would be okay, except every time I smoke it I get this horrible taste of chemicals, I don't know what it is, but I can't stand it. People recommend this to break in a pipe and I've tried several times and never gotten through a bowl. Simply terrible, that's all I can say about it.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tripjoker (65)	2011-01-04		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Tolerable

I have never been one to buy drugstore blends. I was a seasoned smoker before I moved to the pipe, and was accustomed to better quality tobacco from the start having smoked cigarettes rolled from quality Dutch tobaccos and of course, fine cigars from Davidoff.

That being said, I think the flavor profiles that I am used to have prejudiced me because I cannot for the life of me understand why anyone would smoke Prince Albert.

The tobacco is cased with something harsh and chemical tasting. The predominate flavor is akin to the odor of 'Playdough'. The tobaccos used are of inferior quality and would not be good even if the topping were not used. I can't even begin to describe how nasty this weed is. And 'weed' is the proper word for this stuff. You might as well go out in the yard and scrap some grass clippings off the bottom of your lawnmower, I'm positive that more satisfaction would result.

If this is one of the best drugstore blends out there, then I can forego any further experimentation on this level. It would only be a waste of money and time.

Nostalgia can be a tricky thing for people. Memories are often more about the details one cannot remember than the things one does remember. This is a prime example of that. Grandpa may have smoked this, but your love and respect of him does not make this tobacco any better than what it is in reality.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tmoney (25)	2010-12-05		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

This tobacco was great, but not as great as the man himself.

I remember the great Prince. He was a tall, slender man of a gentle age. His attitude was that of a jolly fat man, however he wasnt large at all. Because of all the tobacco he consumed and occupied his time with, his appetite was rather stunted. The great Prince always found himself with a cane and many times fashioned his top hat and a large flower on his breast pocket. The combination of these three aesthetic apparel items, always attracted to him female attention. What can be said? The man had a weakness for women. Which is why he expressed his reasons for never marrying; he never wanted to disappoint a wife and child with the unpleasantness of infidelity. Constantly the man would bring me along on many of his hazy, smoke filled adventures amongst the brothels. Albert had a way with the women, even at such a gentle age. He was just as successful in bed as he was in business.

He had been able to use his status a handsome young prince, to gain notoriety amongst not only the nobility, but also amongst the common folk. He loved women of the common folk, especially women with large posteriors, this led him through forbidden doors to promiscuous ventures with women of the darker complexion. To interracial scandal. Oh, Albert, You really were disheveled fox when it came to women.

At one point, Albert had become so enthralled in one woman, hailing from the Caribbeans. She was a practiced witch in the religion of voodoo. (He had planted his seed within her, hence producing a baby. They named him Middleton.) Their practices were rather uncouth, and quite frankly shocking. One day, Albert had disclosed, in confidence to me some of the rituals of the voodoo practice he had become wrapped up in. One of the rituals he had discussed with me had involved 2 slaughtered swine and an artificial phallus to say the least.

Albert's behavior became quite unorthodox until he reached his death bed 16 years later. Yet despite his sporadic behavior, he managed to maintain his image amongst the people, surprisingly enough, the upper class nobility of the very judgmental Victorian era people. On his death bed, he expressed to me his wishes to maintain the company's image and dedication to premium pipe tobacco. Yet, upon his death, his company was handed over to his milano, half-breed, muggle son. The son would later ruin the company by changing the name from "Prince Albert", a name of dignity and honor, to "Middleton" a name of disgust and of low character. He would also ruin the company by replacing the eloquent pipe tobacco with cheap fluted tip cigars. Just like his uncircumcised phallitic manhood.

What happened to this man was a travesty, when they released his old recipe back onto the market, I was enthused to see it once again. Yet the taste was forever tainted by a past full of bitter memories. Now all will know how one man had it all and lost it all. Rest in Peace, Mighty Prince Albert.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	The Persian Slipper (30)	2010-03-10		Mild	Very Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant to Tolerable

I hate to do this to a blend, but Prince Albert just didn't sit well with me. I found it to be bland for the most part, and when it did have taste, it tasted like burning peanuts. I still prefer Captain Black as the best drug store blend and I would not recommend Prince Albert to any beginning smoker, as it would put them off the hobby.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WmZiggy (81)	2009-10-29		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

There was a time in my life when I was to "good" (perhaps the word should be "arrogant") to ever let PA touch one of my pipes. My father-in-law, whose funeral I am attending this weekend - he was 90, and who I wish I could share this with, smoked PA and I always rolled my eyes about his taste in tobaccos. Often I sent him boutique blends so he could see what he was missing. Youth has a way of making an ass out of one.

Then I read a review of PA in Cigar Magazine that gave it high marks for an old old Burley brand. I saw a tin at our local BX for $15.00 and thought it was time to give it a true testing. I must preface this review by saying I like Burley and Burley blends when I want a change from VA flakes - my normal 'go to' tobaks. I enjoy Edgeworth, G.L. Pease Burley and Hearth and Home Burley Kake. That said, I was pleasantly surprised by the Prince.

Relegated to #4 size GBDs and an old Charatan blasted bulldog lovat (a 'go to' for Burley blends) I found the smoke was not harsh and filled with annoying traits. It held 'no surprises' from a Burley stand point. It was earthy and nutty in taste and aroma. It burned well, was not harsh, and did not bite my tongue or coat my palate. In the tin, the tobacco is a crimp cut, and was not filled with dust and stems. It has a top dressing, as most Burleys do, but I did not find it objectionable nor could I tell what it is. I am giving this three stars because true to so many Burley/Burley based blends PA grew somewhat strong and bitter towards the bottom of the bowl.

Balancing everything, PA is a great smoke, especially for Fall and the change of seasons. The price is right, especially for this classic American icon. And if it was good enough for my father-in-law, a veteran of World War II and the Army Air Corp, I am glad to say it is good enough for me.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	al1 (58)	2009-02-09		Mild	Mild	Mild	Tolerable

I have to admit this is not really bad. I had tried this in the past and really did not care for it, in fact I was opposed to it being allowed into the hall of fame. Recently I decided to give it another shot.

This time around I found the tobacco to be much better, but I did buy the 14oz tub as I've heard they are somehow better. I also have a few thousand bowls of many other blends under my belt since I last tried PA. Don't get me wrong PA will never replace my GL Pease tins for the most part but it will do fine as a fill in blend for a workday smoke. Or when I want something simple

I find the tin aroma to be of apples and maybe a hint of chocolate.

The tobacco itself is not particularly high quality but I have honestly smoked worse that cost quite a bit more.

As far as the smoking goes it was pretty smooth and a bit buttery/creamy tasting. I think this is great with a cup of coffee. As long as you don't rush it there is no bite, although there is a hint of bitterness through the second half of a bowl.

One major point, I can't say there is no PG in this but it is fairly dry in the tub and leaves the pipe dry and burns all the way to the bottom leaving the pipe clean. So if it contains PG, it is very minimal.

I won't be smoking this exclusively by any means but it is nice to have some on hand. Considering I paid less than $14 for a tub I would consider it a good value.

I do regret any negative statements I may have made about PA prior to now. However I do agree with others that you can get a better or worse batch of this. Overall it is smokable, affordable, and obtainable. Therefore I will assign it three stars. It is one of the very few burley blends I can tollerate.

With the way our economy is these days it's nice to know something decent is out there for an affordable price.

Update: Two stars, I can smoke it but it does grow boring rather quickly. It does hit the spot once and a while but I'm neutral on this one. I think it leaves it's character in the pipe a bit too strongly for me. Considering the price, it's not the worst out there.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	strongirish (249)	2009-01-03		Very Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I like to have PA in a corncob or in my quick smoke breaks as it hits the spot as far as nicotime urge and it's mild enough to smoke fast and not scorch the tongue. I find myself going to it att least once a day, generally at bedtime. It has a sweet not aromatic smell in the bag and once lit, it stays lit all the way to the bottom. It also burns very well and leaves a nice peppery ash in the bottom of the bowl. I tend towards burleys in my tobacco and this one just satisfys. While too basic to be my all the time smoke, it deserves and has a place among my tobacco shelf and it is in my opinion the best emergncy stock for when one finds themsleves out of tobacco both because of availability and the fact it makes a great mixer with other tobaccos. Not to mention the price!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	½ bowl (103)	2008-11-17		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

05/23/2008 With over 100 reviews of Prince Albert to date, add my vote to the chorus of recommendations. Nothing in life gets much better than the morning paper, a cup of coffee, and a bowl of P.A.

It has a great, uncomplicated tobacco flavor with a nut-like character and minimal sweetness. It develops a pleasant, very gentle salinity that keeps me coming back for more. It burns cleanly to the bottom of the bowl every time, leaving only dry gray ash ...and a craving for just one more puff.

11/17/2008 FYI: I stumbled upon this tidbit of information and thought you'd like to know...

According to tobacco.org's "Tobacco Timeline -- NOTES" author Gene Borio states, in a news item dated 1913, that Prince Albert is a blend of 3 tobaccos: Piedmont Bright, a flavored and sweetened Burley from Kentucky, and 10% Turkish leaf.

Things may have changed since 1913, but I doubt it.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SopwithCamel (255)	2007-11-09		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

"Gentlemen, you may smoke..." Boy will you ever if you fire up Prince Albert! You will get huge, billowing clouds of grey smoke. Perfect for blowing beautiful smoke rings.

The flavor is mild, slightly nutty,grassy with hints of rye toast coming through. I get no sweetness out of this. Just plain, honest tobacco flavor. The room note is just as plain as the taste.

You have to pack this properly. If you give it too much room to roam, it will burn hot and turn acrid and bitter. Sipped slowly, it will give a satisfying smoke.

This has some humectant in it, but certainly not enough to gunk up a pipe. This is a decent mixer, and great for burning out aromatic residues. I have blended it with Carter Hall, and Rum & Maple with good results.

Very masculine and straight forward, this has been the go to blend blend for legions of hard working, American men for decades.

It has been around for over a century, and it will probably be with us long after many boutique blends disappear into oblivion...

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Captain Pete (83)	2007-02-04		Mild	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable

Remember the old joke, "Do you have Prince Albert in a can?" Well, if you do, keep him there. Do not, under any circumstances let him out. Of course, these days Al comes in a foil pouch. But, I think the same would apply.

Out of cigarette rolling tobacco, and remembering that this stuff was supposed to be cut to smoke both in ryo and pipes, I picked up a pouch at the local supermarket (only thing they had that would make cigarettes). It was terrible as a cigarette, so I thought maybe it would be better suited for the pipe afterall. The human mouth cannot properly form the words that I would use to describe the taste of this stuff.

The pouch smell was bland. It packed with difficulty; constantly springing up over the top of the bowl no matter how I tamped it. I can only be thankful that I did not light this stuff up in my own house. First light elicited an odor not completely unlike what I imagine a fireman's dirty socks to smell like. And it tasted just as bad as it smelled; maybe worse. The first thing that came to mind when I tasted this stuff was "urine soaked cardboard".

I have never had the occasion of putting a urine soaked piece of cardboard in my mouth, but there are some things that one can just imagine how they must smell and taste. And after smoking Prince Albert, I found myself imagining just how good a piece of pee stained cardboard must taste. It really is that bad.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2006-01-11		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I have smoked this blend on and off for years now. I've heard others speak of how there are good and not-so-good issue years for it, but I've always found it to be consistent. There is nothing fancy about this classic 'drug store' blend, instead one gets an honest burley smoke. It burns without trouble and leaves very little residue in the bowl. For me, the mild nutty flavor tends to build in intensity from start to finish. I've often wondered if the blender might be using some economy wine for caseing because I taste a port-like influence to the flavor on occasion. There is nothing spectacular to this smoke - but it is at once familiar and comforting. It's not unusual for others around me to recognize the fragrance when I'm smoking it - very often they will associate it with 'ol grandad, who must have burned it without pause or change. It is to be found almost everywhere tobacco is sold, so it is never hard to find or costly to obtain. This blend taught me to smoke a pipe slowly for full flavor and to avoid incinerating my mouth. I don't usually cellar this blend because I have no difficulty finding it whenever I get a yen for it.

Meerschaum Man Smoking a noname billiard meer

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-10-07		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Another Middleton classic, and an all-around decent tobacco. I personally prefer Carter Hall, but I enjoy this stuff as well. If you were stuck in the boondocks without your baccies, you could find this at most any drugstore and it would get you by, quite pleasantly if I dare say. Not bad at all...

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2004-09-11		Mild	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable to Strong

This is a simple, cheap, drug store tobacco for everyone in the world that can't afford to stock their shelves with 10 dollar an ounce premium leaf and twenty year old classic tins. It is what it is; burley. I found it to be plain, but it burned pretty well (maybe a tad dry). I probably won't spend time stocking my shelves with it, but at a buck and a half, I didn't loose too much. Every once in a while, I still crave it.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pounder 5000 (178)	2004-03-12		Mild	Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Tolerable to Strong

Well, I finally found myself breaking down and trying this stuff. I actually got it from a friend who wanted to see my reaction. Well I was sorry to disappoint, but this stuff wasn't too bad for a cheap burley. I have certainly had worse. It has little to bring me back, but I would be perfectly content smoking it in a corn cob castin' for some lazy fish. It certainly has its place in the hierarchy.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pxi106 (18)	2002-09-09		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Being a young man, I find I have Dunhill tastes and a Dr. Grabow pocketbook. Believe it or not, I like this smoke--it's cheap, lights well, lets the tobacco speak for itself and doesn't gunk up your pipe (I didn't like to have to throw any of mine out at all).

It doesn't bite or leave an overwhelming taste--but to my experience it can burn quite hot so be careful. That said, I like it, and whenever I am broke or breaking in a new pipe, I use Prince Albert.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2002-08-26		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Very Pleasant

You have to be old yourself to remember what the old guys smoked. This is one of them. My wife has never tried smoking anything. Yet, when she saw my pouch of Prince Albert, she pointed to it and said "Prince Albert in a can." That is an old commercial from the old days. The pouch aroma is Burley. The taste is definitely Burley. It smokes a bit on the rough side, but it is smokeable. I enjoy stuffing it into a no name pipe. Put the pipe in the bag and pack it in with the good old index finger. I like to fill a room with the smoke just to return to that room for the aroma. The aroma takes me back in time when I was young and watched the old guys smoke. If I could afford it, I would hire someone to smoke it for me just so that I could sniff the magic aroma. Its not a regular smoke, but I'll always have some around for the times when I want to go back to those good old days.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2002-01-30		Medium	Mild	Mild	Tolerable

I smoked Prince Albert occasionally in the 70s and liked it enough to use it both in a pipe and rolled as a cigarette. I think my tastes have changed now because I really don't like this stuff anymore at all. It's just too bitter and too monochromatic. I think the taste has changed some over the years, too, but that's hard to tell as I didn't keep detailed tasting notes in my youth . Even as a youth, though, I found Captain Black to be a big step up from Prince Albert and Borkum Riff, the first brands I tried. If you're a diehard Burley fan, you will probably like this, though, as it's inexpensive and pretty much just plain ol' Burley. If you're like me, though, I suspect you might like Edgeworth Slices even more, and it goes without saying the Greg Pease's Barbary Coast will give you a whole new definition of "burley."

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jon Benett (3)	2023-04-30		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

PA is a nice burley lovers smoke. All day every day enjoyment. Do puff slowly. I can taste a ‘black tea’ flavor. I smoke it every day!

Pipe Used: MM Cob

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: 4Noggins

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	East Man (1)	2023-02-22		Mild	Mild	Mild	Tolerable

I give a 5 star review to God,my Wife and family,my Country,my front porch,my Dog,my morning cup of coffee,my Dr.Grabow's and my MM cobs,my Prince Albert pipe tobacco,my Zippo and my Old Timer pocket knife.Although I give the Prince a 5 star,I give John Middleton Inc.flat ZERO stars.I would enjoy taking the company CEO on a short fishing trip in my old jonboat.While fishing I would have a few questions for him.Concerning moving the company from the good old USA to the Dominican Republic.Question #1.How many US workers lost their jobs?#2 What was the average hourly wage paid to the US workers? #3 What is the average hourly wage to the Dominican's? #4 How much money did the company save by leaving the USA,and avoiding Taxes?I'm sure after hearing a few of his answers I would throw him overboard.Of course after his second time surfacing I would toss him a life preserver.But I'm sure he would have to swim back to shore.

Pipe Used: Dr,Grabow Bulldog

Age When Smoked: 63

Purchased From: Local tobacco shop

Similar Blends: Carter Hall.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Antonius Blok (192)	2023-02-03		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

I really wanted to try this tobacco because I like burley and because this is a classic, but I was also a little afraid that I wouldn't like it since it would be a “trouble” to have to find what to do with 14 oz. of tobacco. Inside its tub it has a soft aroma of cocoa that is reproduced later during the smoke, although without completely covering the flavor of the burley, which makes this a pleasant mixture. It kind of reminded me of Makhuwa, from HU, burley with the added mild sweetness coming from the cocoa mixed with the earthiness of the burley. The nicotine makes itself felt.

I recommend reading the reviews of this tobacco, since they have a higher emotional component than others due to the age of the mixture, although according to the veterans, it has changed over time.

Age When Smoked: 15 years

Similar Blends: Makhuwa (HU).

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Cherry picker 1779 (52)	2023-01-29		Mild	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Prince Albert. Wow. 20 years after lighting my first pipe and I finally found my desert island smoke…. Go figure. Smoked everything under the sun from penzance to half and half and EVERYTHING in between. I won’t even try to explain it besides saying that this has natural tobacco flavor and is pure bliss to smoke. The smoothest stuff you will ever try. It’s the literal definition of bite free and all day smoke. One thing I learned in finally trying this absolute amazing tobacco is that you don’t know the definition of an all day smoke unless you have had PA. Every tobacco can bite even if it’s a little bit, but not PA. ….. and it was right in front of my nose this whole time …. Dang

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	willie b (37)	2022-10-24		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

now this is a classic. having been able to smoke from the late sixties till present there is little change. this was an all for one tobacco. roll your own or in a pipe. compared to our variety of gourmet blends of today this is still quite good. nutty and sweet with a touch of sour. aroma of fresh cut hay. prices have gone up considerably which reflect the demand. I suspect more enjoy this then we know. a true American classic.

Pipe Used: all

Age When Smoked: fresh and aged.

Purchased From: local store

Similar Blends: velvet..

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	b7q (54)	2022-04-17		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I've been a pipe smoker for 15 years. I used to smoke a lot of cigarettes, Now I smoke my pipe about 10 times a day. I don't like the tobacco that is often unavailable or expensive.，Smoking a day looks something like this： Am: Lane Limited - Vanilla Black Cavendish(Give wife a good impression, now stop production, Hope to find a replacement)、pipesandcigars.com - Angler's Dream、4noggins - Three Blind Moose。 Afternoon: John Middleton, Inc. - Prince Albert or Carter Hall、Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) - Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic、Mac Baren - Navy Flake。 after dinner：John Patton - Storm Front、Sutliff Tobacco Company - Match Victorian、Peter Stokkebye - Luxury Navy Flake、or-Rattray - Old Gowrie (British Collection)、Peterson - Nightcap。 I often come here to read the comments, and there are probably two kinds of people, 1: People who try blindly according to their own inherent habits will complain when they encounter unaccustomed tastes. 2: Has a good sense of taste, objectively comment on the level of tobacco preparation. I have pipes of all kinds,Corn Cob、Briar、Clay、Meerschaum，Corresponding to different varieties of tobacco. Tobacco seasoning levels like a cook,We can't eat one food every day,The same level of cooking takes the talent of the chef,The same goes for tobacco,The same recipe is compared at the level of the blender,No need to criticize Cavendish in English,There is no need to comment on Virginia, Burley, Perique than good or bad，Find a good cook in food，After all, we buy tobacco in order to smoke. This is just my personal opinion.

Pipe Used: Corn Cob,Meerschaum

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com,cupojoes.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Old Schoolr (14)	2021-12-08		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

As noted by a previous poster, this is the standard for simple, enjoyable pipe smoking. A great starter tobacco or an all day, every day choice for an old timer. Simple crimp cut burley that’s easy to pack in a cob or an expensive briar. No bite or messy wet dottle in the bowl post smoke. My only problem with this (and it’s me) is it often gives me terrible heart burn. Regardless of which pipe I use, how I pack it or how I puff I’ll get the belches. Don’t let my experience stop you from trying PA, it’s been around forever for a reason. It really shines in a cob pipe.

Pipe Used: Various

Purchased From: Almost anywhere

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PipeMaker (2)	2021-05-19		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

MADE IN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC! So much for an American iconic blend. This was a good tobacco, too bad John Middleton's sold us out. I'm very disappointed in their decision to move production over seas. I enjoyed PA very much, one of the best OTC tobacco available. I do not believe I can support them any longer.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	D.K. (58)	2020-12-15		Extremely Mild	Extremely Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Unnoticeable

You know, if everyone that posted 4 stars for this, would have actually smoked it, this would still be for sale. So it's the most sold baccy for pipe smokers, and they quit making it Ive been told? Makes sense. Seems fishy. To me, I think half of the reviews on this are from people who have only read others reviews. This stuff is perfectly bland middle of the road, trenches of WW1 tobacco. Yes it truly is clean tasting. Really clean, like you just swished your mouth out with warm water. But the tobacco flavor is sooooo mild, you have to really look for it. When I'm smoking a pipe I want to reflect, and think. Not think about where my flavor is. I can see a thimble full in a small bowl, just to get the day going, but I can't see it being my main tobacco. It truly is closer to cigarette tobacco. Have had people tell me I smell like I've been smoking cigarette tobacco. Reminds me of Raleigh cigarettes of the 60s. SWR, HalfHalf, Carter Hall......all much better taste and room note. In a tiny 1 pinky knuckle bowled briar, sipped occasional, I get a clean black peppery sort of flavor on the back of my tongue, and a hint of sweet on the tip. I have read reviews of casings and toppings, flavorings, etc. I have no idea what they are talking about. I have smoked from vintage tins, new pouches and also tubs,...they all taste remarkably the same unremarkable way.

I mean you gotta try it, just to figure out what a baseline is, and how this fit into history. One of the first truly mass produced tobaccos. I'm half way through a can, and honestly just can't figure the charm. So many better smokes out there. I will update that this burns like dried newspaper. Probably the only pipe tobacco I've smoked that I consider a true fire hazard. Pack a bowl, light it, walk away, and it will smoke itself.

EDIT: Was recently able to smoke a good amount of 40 and 50year old R.J.R P.Albert from two different collectors. I can say, all thing considered, they were actually pretty close overall to modern Middleton P. Albert. Surprisingly. The 1980s sample did have slight floralish or fruitish hint to the flavor (Almost a hint of tea/fig newton), as opposed to the black pepper/coffeeish hints I usually get with modern PA, and it had a more snuff like odor to the raw tobacco (again tea/fig like). Plus it had an amazing nic buzz. The early 70's sample had a more earthy tobacco odor, musty but by no means gross. Hard to describe. Taste was again a smidge fruity, but consistent. How much of this is age or manufacturer is unknown. Being samples were from 2 separate individuals, I think the slight floral/tea/fig transition may be an effect of aging of PA, at least from the early 70s through early 80s. Visually all years looked the same. Personally, still none impressed me.

Pipe Used: All

Age When Smoked: new, 40 and 50 years

Purchased From: several vendors

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SirAlbertHallCodger (4)	2020-10-23		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

At first I hated it. Then after a few pipes it grew on me. Turns out our Grandfathers knew what they were doing all along! Has now become one of my favorites! Along with Carter Hall, Half n Half, Sir Walker Rawleigh, Five Brothers

Pipe Used: MM Cob

Age When Smoked: 1 Week

Purchased From: P&C

Similar Blends: Carter Hall.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tropicalretriever (23)	2020-05-09		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Tolerable

So I tried Prince Albert a while back and didn't like it. The main reason was the licorice taste. I never have liked licorice and still don't. To be fair, the tobacco was fresh, lit easily, but had a harsh room note. I will not be purchasing this again.

Pipe Used: Peterson

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Local B&M

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cam91 (23)	2019-12-01		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a wonderful tobacco. If you like burley, as I do, you will love this. It may be topped with a little whiskey, but I don't care- it is delicious. You get a little sour, earthy funk. And some nice organic sweetness, like a bowl of corn flakes. Very smooth. If you go crazy with it you can get a tad bit of burley mouth. But, overall this might be my favorite smoke. Highly recommended.

[Edit] I take issue with this blend now. It seems to be touted as a good all day smoking blend, but from my experience there is a ph issue with it that plagues many burley blends. In short, it causes tongue bite. Bad enough to cause some of the skin on the roof of my mouth to peal. Oral cancer is not something to take lightly. I'm knocking this down to 1 star.

Similar Blends: Haunted bookshop. Carter Hall.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	rattdogg99 (53)	2019-05-26		Strong	Mild	Overwhelming	Strong

God, this is horrible! I've been revisiting classic over the counter blends and picked up a pouch of PA today. Loaded a bowl fired it up and gagged. This old time blend was bitter, had a strange metallic, chemical taste and was hotter than a firecracker too boot. I dumped the pipe and pitched the pouch in the garbage. It is bad, bad, bad.

Pipe Used: Cob

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Local smoke shop

Similar Blends: Pesticides.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gerry P (39)	2019-04-05		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

When I first picked up a pipe decades ago, I always bought pipe tobacco at b&m tobacco shops with the exception of a single pouch of Captain Black from CVS. It was OK, but compared to my usual choices it came up short in the taste department. Maybe it's not a fair comparision since I was mainly a cigar smoker at the time and my pipe tobacco preferences included Nightcap, EMP, Red Rapparee, Escudo, and several McClelland blends. So, my experience with el cheapo pipe tobacco was practically nil.

Fast forward to last year, when I resumed pipe smoking and picked up a pouch of The Captain. Still not bad...it smoked well had nice aroma, but soon after I picked up a tin of MM965 for the first time. The Captain was tossed overboard, and I picked up where I had left off in terms of tobacco preference. I also branched out into strong burley blends, some of which I enjoyed greatly.

I was in Walmart today, and on a whim picked up a 1.5 oz. box of Prince Albert. As is my wont when I buy a new tobacco, I opened the box and the pouch inside to give it a smell. It was mostly a slight chemical aroma and raisins. Airing it out a little might have improved this, since after I got home and opened the pouch the chemical smell had mostly dissipated and I got raisins and light cocoa.

The Prince packs and burns well. No relights necessary for this cannon fuse of a tobacco. It burned to the bottom with minimal effort on my part, i.e. tamping it down twice.

At first I got a fairly unpleasant chemical taste, but this seemed to burn off after a couple minutes. After that it was just nutty burley and a light, sweet, cocoa flavor. It burned a little hot when pushed, but tongue bite was non-existent. It burns nice and cool when smoked moderately. Room note seemed nice, but I haven't heard a second opinion on that yet.

Based on my minimal OTC experience, I'd say that this is a better fit for me than Captain Black, which for some reason reminded me of marshmallows made in a chemistry lab. Prince Albert won't be walking the plank of the S.S. Gerry P. and joining the Captain in Davy Jones' Locker, and that's the last nautical reference in this review. You certainly can't beat the Prince's price at around 4 bucks a pouch. I can actually see myself buying this in a pinch, and it has encouraged my to try some other OTC tobaccos. I'd consider Prince Albert to be a good, cheap starter tobacco, especially as an introduction to burley, and there's enough flavor to satisfy a cheapskate fan of milder burley blends.

I'd give this blend 3 stars if it wasn't for that chemical thing.

Pipe Used: MM BPS Pipe of the Year cob

Purchased From: Walmart, Chalmette LA

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lager (53)	2019-02-19		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

John Middleton-Prince Albert I always thought I hated Burly but I am finding out if treated with respect it can be very rewarding. There are many Burly blends I do not like as they are bitter, sharp and tasteless. I never figured I would like this as much as I do as I haven't stopped smoking it for the past three days. It's mild, tasty, easy to pack and inexpensive. The foil pouch is a joke but for the price who cares. Simple tobacco for a simpler time and at my age simple is good. Recommended! Smoke in Peace-Lager

Pipe Used: Cobs, Petes

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: A local smoke shop

Similar Blends: Carter Hall.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PickyPiper (11)	2019-02-11		Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I decided to buy a "luxury pouch" (note: not luxury, it's a cheap foil fold-over that's even worse than Captain Black packaging) since I've heard of its legendary reputation for breaking in pipes. Upon opening it, I was greeted with a fantastic dark chocolate smell. It's a larger cut, not quite flake and not quite ribbon. A little moist and sticky out of the bag, but nothing too bad.

As expected from a burley, it's a little hard to light and keep lit. Definitely one to take slower. Notes of bitter cocoa, classic "pipe smell" room note. I can see why people keep going back to this, but it's not for me.

Pipe Used: Bent Apple of unknown brand I use for aromatics

Age When Smoked: Fresh (pouch)

Purchased From: PipesandCigars

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	youngFella (1)	2018-11-04		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This was the brand that got me into pipe smoking. It's been about 3-4 years since I've started this amazing hobby and since I live in Canada I have only managed to try just over 20 different blends. Prince Albert was recommended to me since it was one of cheapest tobaccos and still to this day, I enjoy smoking it.

Pipe Used: Medico Husky Tan Sandblast

Age When Smoked: 20

Purchased From: West Virginia

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RonR (85)	2018-10-25		Very Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Very Pleasant

3rdguy

Not sure why you would smoke nor review this if you did not like burleys.

Unpretentious in every aspect, a fantastic offering for it's class. An all day, affordable, easy to light blend. No fuss to light or keep light. It is what it is and does it well. Not much else to say.

Pipe Used: All

Age When Smoked: 14 months

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BlueTomorrow (15)	2018-04-20		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild	Strong

This is a very simple burley blend with no added flavors that I can detect. It's toasty and nutty like burleys should be but it just didn't do much for this smoker. Maybe I'm just not a guy for straight burleys.

Prince Albert was really dry straight from the "luxury pouch" which I found odd given the plastic wrap outside the box--maybe I got an old pack. The pouch note was light and very unremarkable to me, but perhaps it's more enjoyable for tried and true burley fans.

PA smoked a little too hot for my comfort which surprised me because it was so dry. It does pack and light very well, but I got a little tongue bite smoking this each time I tried it.

If you're looking for a burley OTC this may well fit the bill for you, but my personal recommendation is to give Granger a try: it does everything PA does but, in my opinion, just a little bit better.

Pipe Used: MM cob

Age When Smoked: pouch

Purchased From: SmokingPipes.com

Similar Blends: Granger.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	slithery (2)	2017-08-28		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

While not readily available in Canada and, like all tobacco here, certainly not cheap, I imported a tub of this and even with customs, did not pay that much. I will be reviewing based off my personal preference. I like this. It is a bit nutty, with what I can only guesstimately describe to be unsalted cashews, easy to pack and light, and quite good. I will try not to let the cheap price cloud my judgment but I am glad I have 14oz. of this and will be purchasing more when my supply runs low. It's average tobacco, yes, but that is the beauty of it, is it not? Simple burley, I can't detect any casing or toppings though I remember a slight scent of anise when first opening the tub. None in the flavour though and that anise is either gone or my nostrils have adjusted and just ignore it now. Good quality, cheap, easy to import and damn pleasant. Now wow, but pleasant. I have a Missouri Meerschaum 'second' cob which I believe to be of the Cobbit line, but with a shorter stem, which thus far has been my dedicated Prince Albert pipe. Smokes well in my estate Turkish meerschaum as well. When my new pear wood churchwarden pipe had a bit of ghost, I smoked some Prince Albert through it as a reviewer on here mentioned this tobacco is good for getting rid of ghosts and it seem to be working after a few bowls. Don't let my 2 star review fool you. It is honestly more 2.5/5 but I view this tobacco as average thus it gets the middle star. Trust me, I believe there needs to be a 0 star option as well. I know this is sold almost everywhere in the U.S. for just a hair above pocket change and while some here claim the pouch is of inferior quality to the tub, for that price is it really much of a loss? Worth trying once at the very least and don't let the codger reputation nor the budget cost fool you. This has been around for, what, since the American civil war era? If it were bad it would have not stood the test of time. An average every day simple smoke. 2.5/5 stars. Oh, one thing. I am Canadian and while I no longer smoke cigarettes, when I did Canadian cigarettes I remember reading Virginia tobacco on them while American cigarettes are made of burley. Now I do not know what kind of Virginia's they use in cigarettes as none have the pipe tobacco flavour, but I will be unable to say if this smells, tastes, or has the room note of cigarettes as I am ignorant on cigarettes made with burley tobacco.

Pipe Used: corn cob, Turkish meerschaum, pear wood

Age When Smoked: Immediately

Purchased From: 4noggins

Similar Blends: Granger.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DC MacBean (32)	2017-05-04		Mild	Mild	Mild	Tolerable

Not as good as Carter Hall. Prince Albert reminded me of cigarettes which I detest. Overall, not a very pleasant smoke for me. It was the second pipe tobacco that I tried after using Captain Black exclusively, and it seemed overly harsh to me at the time. I will go back and try it again eventually.

Pipe Used: Medico Zulu Crest #47

Purchased From: Truck Stop in Oklahoma

Similar Blends: Camel non-filtered..

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	taima (12)	2016-08-20		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

I got some in a pouch at the drugstore once. Cheap and good from the get-go, burns evenly to the bottom with a "classic" tobacco taste. It's a bit like cigarettes but the nutty flavor is very pleasant. Solid and simple.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	r (34)	2015-11-06		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

Available in pouch or tub, this brown mixture comes in a very easy going ribbon cut, which feels perfectly moist. There is a nice nutty and sweet aroma right off the bat.

It packs very easily and burns evenly. There is a sweet plum aroma that is sure to please your companions. Nuts dominate with the topping always present. Some sweet liquor flavor insinuates itself behind some plum every now and then. Very little moisture left. If smoked too quickly, it tastes like Marlboro Reds. Generous smoke production.

Reliable, classic, cheap, and friendly. For the price, I can only highly recommend it.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jason h. (51)	2015-08-01		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Pretty straightforward tobacco. You cant go wrong with this stuff. You can smoke it all day, and it wont bite the hell out of your tounge. This stuff is a no-nonsense blend that you don't have to think about, or hit it, and forget it. If you cant find a blend that does it for you, try this, you will be glad you did.

Pipe Used: Chapius Chacom

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Pipes and Tobaccos

Similar Blends: Carter Hall with less of a topping..

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Relapse (18)	2015-02-19		Medium	None Detected	Mild	Tolerable

Among my earliest memories of my father are those of him sitting by the radio, listening to some SW foreign station, reading a book and smoking a pipe. The ubiquitous flat red can was the first tobacco I have a memory of.

I've been smoking pipes for 50 years, with the exception of a few years I quitted tobacco. Prince Albert, naturally was one of my first staples, in a time when a cellar or a rotation were unheard of, at least among my acquaintances. It was then a matter of what you smoked.

As I grew older and somewhat savvier tobacco-wise, I managed to keep a few blends at hand and P.A. recessed, until for the better part of twenty years I hadn't tasted it again. Recently, looking for what I described as the equivalent of a lemon sherbet between courses in a banquet, somebody said "Burley! get P.A. or Carter Hall" so I did. I'm now angry that I neglected this simple but excellent blend for so many years.

My regular smokes are upper echelon Balkan/English blends, VaPers and the occasional Cavendish for a break in the routine. Prince Albert was both a revelation as a rediscovery, like an encounter with an old flame. Not enough to tempt you to divorce but something that cartainly stirrs up your heart rate.

The characteristics are well described by the other reviewers, so I won't go there save to say that the ease of packing, lighting and smoking are still there. The cool burn to the very bottom of the pipe leaving only gray-white ash, the zero tongue bite, the simple sweet and nutty flavor, the nice aroma that almost no one will object, plus the workingman price for the huge 400g plastic tin, have made this the prodigal son of my cellar, and gave it a prominent place in my rotation.

It's also probably one of the best blends for a beginner. No wonder it's still going strong after 100 years.

Pipe Used: Meerschaum Calabash, MM Cob, Briar Billiard, etc.

Age When Smoked: A few months.

Purchased From: 4noggins

Similar Blends: Carter Hall..

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Motoyoshi (68)	2014-12-19		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

A no nonsense old codger blend that is a monument in the pipe tobacco world.

The cut is very coarse, and I like that. It's dry out of the pouch and packs and burns easily. You may even be able to get this to the bottom in one light with concious puffing and gentle tamping. It almost always burns to a fine white ash with little to no dottle.

No flavor surprised here, it's a burley. I find it to have a very earthy and mossy flavor profile with subtle hints of nuttiness and a slight cocoa flavor (not that anything like has been added). I wouldn't be surprised if sugar or something like that was used to case this but I highly doubt there is any topping. Just a nice natural burley flavor throughout the smoke.

I will admit I was grazed by the N train sometimes. Didn't knock me on my ass but you can feel it if you haven't eaten anything or aren't hydrated.

While I prefer the sweetness of Carter Hall over PA, it's still a great smoke, especially in a cob. This is a great tobacco used to break in a pipe as it doesn't ghost and will form a nice cake. For the OTC burleys I list them as 1. Carter Hall 2. SWR/PA 3. Half and Half. Still gotta get some granger one of these days...

Pipe Used: Cobs and briars

Age When Smoked: Was definetly an old pouch in my tobacconist.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	The Hun (38)	2014-11-07		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I keep coming back to PA with the hope of finding it to be more than semi-tolerable pipe fodder. It is readily available and I like the option of picking this up whenever I want it, but I have failed to come to terms with this blend.

Some things recommend this age-old blend. PA is well behaved in the bowl, smokes quickly, and leaves very little dottle. Others write of the hints of cocoa and other flavors in this blend. I get much more of that from Sutliff's Edgeworth Ready Rub match, which I find to be a superior blend when I want a burley blast. I used to get good flavors from Sir Walter Raleigh Regular, but that's another story.

However, PA has some kind of a whang in it that doesn't appeal to me. Some have suggested that this is a chemical in the blend. I don't know what it is, but I seem to fixate on it every time I smoke PA.

I can only recommend this somewhat.

Pipe Used: Various briars and cobs

Age When Smoked: fresh from tub

Purchased From: Local b&m

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Old6String (27)	2014-10-02		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable

How can you go wrong with this tobacco? It's just good ol' basic burley. Not too much to go wrong here. Remember, reviews are nothing more than opinions and well you know what they liken them to; Yep, a______s! For the price you cannot go wrong. Don't like it, gift it away and then choose another to try.

Pipe Used: No name briar

Age When Smoked: Fresh from pouch

Purchased From: Local smoke shop

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	all.day.smoker (7)	2014-09-15		Very Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

This tobacco is delicious! It's a very mild and gentle burley. I smoked it in a 9mm filterpipe and there was still enough flavour. This was one of the best burleys (burley-based) i tried so far.

Pipe Used: Peterson Sherlock Holmes bent bulldog

Purchased From: 4noggins

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Irishlefty (22)	2014-08-26		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

I can't believe I haven't reviewed this before! I started smoking PA when I was a teenager because my Uncle who visited from Ireland smoked it and 'forgot' a small pouch and a Corn Cob when he left. I really liked it then and over the years I tried dozens of different tobacco's and have liked many of them yet I keep coming back to good old reliable Prince Albert. Cool, consistent smoke with no bite, pleasant taste and smokes well in all kinds of pipes. I smoke about 5 pipes in an average day and at least 2 are PA

Pipe Used: Corn Cob; Sasieni; Dr. Grabow; Comoy's; Peterson

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	old biker (4)	2014-08-19		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Ahhhh! Prince Albert! For me it don't get no better than this. Smooth, mild, consistent flavor, NO tongue bite, NO aftertaste. A real pleasure to smoke! I have been buying this steady for 3 years online from Smoker's Outlet. Great price- great service- great smoke.

Pipe Used: corn cob/hardwood

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: smokers outlet

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Paul S. (10)	2014-07-16		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

A smoke that's been around forever and has found it's way into the hearts of many. A pleasant tobacco, the dominant flavours being cocoa-like and nutty. I also get a slight marzipan note. Burns consistently, though a tad hot, but doesn't bite. Overall a very nice experience!

Pipe Used: Nording Sandblasted Dublin

Similar Blends: Carter Hall.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BullseyeNat93 (1)	2014-07-14		Extremely Mild	None Detected	Medium	Very Pleasant

When I'm enjoying Price Albert pipe tobacco I get aromas and flavors like apples, cherries, chocolate, cinnamon, sweet hay and licorice also when I'm at the local tobacco shop buying Prince Albert pipe tobacco someone will come up to me and ask me why am I buying that cheap low quality pipe tobacco and I'll remember what my great grandfather would always say to me when I would ask him the same thing and my great grandfather would say something like it's not the price of something that tells you and shows you the quality and the value of it it's the way it feels, it's the way it looks, it's the way it smells, it's the way it sounds and it's the way it tastes when you're enjoying it that tells you and shows you the true quality and the true value of it and I would tell them the same thing my great grandfather told me.

Pipe Used: Briar and Corn Cob

Age When Smoked: One Month

Purchased From: Local Tobacco Store

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Highlander (6)	2014-03-16		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Strong

As a novice pipe smoker, I had been directed to aromatics. The experience was unsettling ... tongue burn, strange chemical tastes, hard to keep lit bowls. I decided to look for what I hoped would be a straightforward, bland, solid tobacco. I thought that an old standard would be a good choice, so I chose Prince Albert.

I was delighted with the choice. It was drier and easier to dry, had a solid consistent flavor -- very woody (a sense of autumn leaves burning), smoked as close to a complete bowl of ash as I had experienced, and was, well, dependable. The bite was much reduced over the aromatics. I smoked about five or six bowls in a row and the experience of being able to know what to expect was comforting.

After moving on and trying other tobaccos, I return to Prince Albert on a regular basis. Frankly, the taste now seems flatter than when I first smoked it, no nuance, at times approaching boring. But it is the one tobacco that I know will deliver a decent, if unexciting, bowl.

Pipe Used: Brindisi

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: 4noggins

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	AmdisShikariBrone (5)	2014-01-16		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Oh were to start with this wonderful blend, I picked it up for two reasons, One its said to be the grandfather smoke, and what would one want more than to feel like their grandfather? and secondly I work at walmart [commence the mockery] and they sell it for a rather low price, 1.5 ounce for 5.12 after tax. Its wonderful, it has hints of what I feel to be caramel and a slight nutty taste, it smokes a little too fast for my taste but is quite convenient for a smoke break. It doesnt seem to smoke hot or give any tongue bite. contrary to some reviews on here I found it to be one of the most enjoyable smokes Ive had.

Pipe Used: Wooden

Age When Smoked: Fresh out of pouch, doesnt last long enough to age

Purchased From: Walmart

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Backwoods Piper (70)	2014-01-13		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

PA is plain ole and good ole tobacco. Plain and simple ribbon cut burly tobacco grown and processed in the USA. Its smooth and cool burning and has a mild nic hit with a nutty sweet tobacco flavor. Love smoking it in my cobs. I love the aroma it really takes me back to a simpler time. Nothing fancy but something special from the USA.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kerdy (43)	2013-11-29		Very Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Tolerable

This is, by far, my favorite of the OTC tobaccos. It is not something you want to sit around and ponder over life’s problems. It is far too one dimensional for that. It is; however, something you want when you are taking a walk with the dog, working on a fence, or fishing. Easy to smoke, satisfying and inexpensive. A good ol burley without any frills. Reminds me of my grandfather and his friends.

Pipe Used: various, does better in a straight

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	J.G. (7)	2013-09-12		Mild	Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable

I tried to like this. I smoked a pouch and a half of Prince Albert (for a total of about 2 ounces of tobacco). Then I threw the rest in the trash.

The Basics: Prince Albert is a burley blend of pipe tobacco. It's an OTC (over the counter) blend which is widely available in the US, at pretty much every grocery store and convenience store. It's been around for a long time. And, it's inexpensive. A 1.5 ounce sack costs about $3.50. A 14 ounce tub costs about $30. The crimp-cut of the tobacco makes it easy to pack and easy to light, and it generally stays lit. The nicotine content is mild to medium.

The Good: The flavor, when I could taste any flavor, was delicious. There was a rich tobacco taste, with moderate sweetness. There was a casing that tasted sometimes like figs and sometimes like chocolate but which was not overpowering.

The Bad: I often could not taste anything at all. Often, it was like smoking hot air. I got the best results in pipes with small, shallow, wide bowls. I got almost no taste in pipes with tall, narrow, or medium sized bowls.

Worse: I always got a nasty, chemical-type burn in my mouth and nose. That was the one consistent "flavor." I might or might not be able to taste the tobacco, but my mouth and nose always felt like they were being singed by chemicals.

Conclusion: I give Prince Albert 2 stars out of 4. One star is for my own disappointing experience. Another star is because many other people have enjoyed it. People's tastes are different. It's worth trying at least once because it has become an American classic. But, you might want to look for something else, too.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2013-08-17		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

When you need a job done right, on time, and within budget, you don't take a chance with someone new. You call on "old reliable."

When your boss is coming over for dinner, you don't experiment with a new dish. You reach for that "old reliable" recipe.

But when it comes to that moment of the day where you can escape the clutches of the world... where you can sit and meditate in peace... where you can choose a tobacco to truly enjoy... why would you settle for "old reliable"?

I inherited a large can of Prince Albert recently. Lady Heseltine's grandfather departed this world, leaving her a legacy... and leaving me a half-empty can of "old reliable" tobacco.

And it says a lot that the "can" is now made of plastic.

Allow me to make an analogy: Prince Albert is to pipe tobacco what Kia is to automobiles.

There's very little to dislike about a Kia, but I can't imagine anyone truly desiring one. There's very little to dislike about Prince Albert, but I can't imagine anyone truly desiring it.

Yet it's widely available. It's cheap as chips. And it's pleasant enough to be inoffensive just about anywhere.

I would never fault anyone for smoking and enjoying this "old reliable" tobacco, but please don't let this become the extent of your piping experience.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Shoog (13)	2013-03-13		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

The tobacco in the pouch smells pretty good, like dark chocolate. PA has great burning qualities. Burns cool and clean down to white ash with very few relights. The first half of the bowl is very mildly sweet and nutty. The second half, the mild sweet taste burns off and the nutty tends to bitter. It does have a very pleasant nostalgic room note.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	M42 (11)	2012-11-08		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Prince Albert is a classic old time favorite. I can remember as a boy watching old men roll their own cigarettes with this tobacco. My father also smoked it in his pipe and I loved walking into a room where it was being smoked.

I find it tastes a bit like its room aroma for the first half bowl. It is not a complex tobacco and is rather one dimensional in its flavor, as are all the classics - Carter Hall, Sir Walter Raleigh and Half n Half. But unlike the others, the Prince will suddenly drop its flavor about mid way down the bowl. It simply goes flat and if you keep smoking it develops a taste not unlike that of a dirty mop. Still, despite its flaws it is cheap enough that I can smoke it down to the point where the flavor drops out and empty the bowl and have another.

Of all the classics, Carter Hall is the mildest. Half and Half has the fullest flavor, with SWR sitting in the middle. The Prince is second in mildness to CH, but lacking in the flavor the others give you.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	William H. Hardy (95)	2012-10-01		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

It's an old codger burley. It's an OTC blend. It's cheap. It's ubiquitous. It's pretty damn good. If you love burley, I can't see how you would dislike it. Yeah, it has some PG, but that evaporates rather quickly if you leave it out for a little while (I like my tobaccos a little on the dryer side, anyway). Yeah, PA is a little on the sweet side, when compared with Carter Hall, Granger, and Sir Walter Raleigh. But, there's nothing like it when you're in the mood for it. This tobacco was what your grandfather probably smoked. Enjoy it.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2012-09-18		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

When I saw that Wal-Mart had Prince Albert on offer, I figured it was time to try a classic. My sample came out of the pouch a little on the moist side, but still very usable. It smokes cool, and is pretty good about staying lit. My sample was cased with a flavoring not unlike Black and Mild, but a lot more subtle; some tobacco taste actually came through. This blend is a little light for me, though; I've come to prefer blends with a little more of a kick.

As others have noted, this is the pipe-tobacco equivalent of Budweiser. Its main advantage is that, like Budweiser, it should be widely available. If you need a widely available blend to hold you over until your next tobacco order arrives, or you're somewhere that a good tobacconist cannot be found, you could do a hell of a lot worse than Prince Albert.

Recommended, for its status as a classic and availability. Try it in a cob!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Phonomet (44)	2012-09-13		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I'm one who enjoys a good IPA, or a stout, but sometimes it's nice to have a Budweiser. This is a Budweiser kind of smoke. I just finished my first pouch and I enjoyed every bowl. Because of the price and availability here in the States, this is one comes recommended and is a tobacco I'll keep on hand. The taste and smell do suggest cigarettes (as a former cigarette smoker I am particularly reminded of Camel lights). For those who could do without cigarette analogies, this is a simple burley tobacco with very little casing. If there are chemicals added, they don't show up in the taste. The description says "alcohol" casing, but compared to Half and Half or other drug store blends, this one is au naturale.

Edit 1/25/14

Well, I've had some more experience with burleys since my first review. After trying C&D's dark burley for example, my idea of au naturale has changed a bit. Now, to my palate Prince Albert has some obvious casing, and (as others have noted) it does get bitter and sticky around mid-bowl to bottom. I'm taking away a star, but it's still a good blender.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PeterD (91)	2012-09-08		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

...when I started smoking a pipe in 1960, Prince Albert, SWR and Half & Half were my everyday day mixtures...very inexpensive at the time, reasonable smoke and available anywhere.

the last 45 years I have spent smoking strong Virginia Plugs/Flakes and they are still my preference...However, every few years I pull a tub of PA out and smoke a few bowls for the memories...

The last few weeks I have been smoking PA and this time around, I quite like this...and since I'm not a Burley fan...the aroma, taste and smoking characteristics of PA have almost made this a daily go to smoke.

The tub I am smoking out of is about 22 years old but I've also purchased a few pouches over the last two weeks as well...little to no difference, so consistency is there for sure...

I have not yet decided to keep this in my top 15 tobaccos I smoke in rotation, but it is close to being there...a most worthwhile tobacco I think, and one that I have come to appreciate more and more...

Perfect in a larger size pipe , group 4 size or higher...

...a pipe is to be savored...

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	atomicbuster (79)	2012-08-05		Extremely Mild	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Unnoticeable

This blend smells and tastes like empty smoke. If you want flavor, go somewhere else. Most cigars and regular cigarettes have more flavor than this. Oh well, at least you can't say the smell is offensive. On the flip side, if you just want the act of smoking without having to worry about flavor, this might suit you. Another good thing is that it burns well, even out of the box.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Earl Grey (34)	2012-04-14		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Prince Albert has become my everyday go to smoke. Nice nutty Burley flavor with very faint cacao notes. Moisture level is always perfect. Just a nice straight up smoke that I can enjoy any time of the day. People can turn up their noses all they want, but there's a reason it's been in production since 1907.

Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum, Falcon, Kaywoodie

Age When Smoked: Fresh out of tub.

Purchased From: B&M Tobacco Shop

Similar Blends: Prince Albert Choice Blend, Carter Hall, Granger.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ecce_ego (24)	2012-04-03		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Well, I never tried this tobacco even though it's been around forever. Much like other smokers maybe I just assumed it can't be good if it's available at Wal-Mart for a decent price. Well, I am not here to tell you it's good, but it's not bad. Not at all.

Bland and mild, with that familiar aroma that you know from your grampa or other old memories, it's just a really simple smoke. Tastes good to me, though nothing special, just kind of a sweetish taste. Burns great from top to bottom, provides the nic that I like. It's a great pouch of tobacco to have on hand for lean times or when you're waiting for an order of high end stuff.

Weird thing about this smoke. This is the coolest pipe tobacco I've ever smoked. I mean, it felt like I was drawing the smoke over ice cubes, compared to other tobaccos. I did not 'feel' this smoke in my mouth the way I do with all other tobacco smoke. Can't really decide if this is a good thing or a bad thing. At first I thought I was puffing air when i took the long draw, but sure enough i blew the biggest, fluffiest cloud of pure white smoke ever! Crazy how cool this stuff is, seriously.

1 person found this review helpful.