John Middleton, Inc Prince Albert

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!

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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?

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)!