John Middleton, Inc Prince Albert

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.