John Middleton, Inc Prince Albert

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!

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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

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!

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.