John Middleton, Inc Sugar Barrel

I see a few people boistering this is a burley when in fact it just aint so. Its a burely virginia blend and it tastes nothing like a burely. It doesn't even come close.

Sir walter Raleigh and Prince Albert come alot closer to the flavor of a burley. Prince Albert being the more accurate representation.

Not even Carter Hall is a burely. Its a Virginia Burely blend with dominance of virginia in flavor. Its quite good too.

This resembles C&D Crooner (w/deer tongue) very dry and stale flavor not at all pleasing. SB is quite stale indeed. Sugar barrel is by far the worst of the more popular OTC blends.

Yes there is a mild sweetness to it but the poor quality of the tobacco simply ruins any chance of enjoyment. Especially when you're able to buy other OTC's and compare all of them. You will most certainly note that Sugar barrel is a royal let down.

If this were the last tobacco on the the planet I would throw away my pipes and simply quit.

I cannot recommend SB at this time when there are much better tobaccos on the shelf right next to it.

Normally, when I want a simple OTC burley, Carter Hall is my choice...tasty, cheap and available, I have umpteen pouches put back just for these times. Well, a fellow forumite gifted me six or so ounces of Sugar Barrel recently, and in so doing has put a total monkey wrench in my plans.

Sugar Barrel is good. Real good.

Sweeter and more pleasant smelling than CH, my normal thought would be it would suck. I don't think much of aromatics, in particular the way the tobacco loses its' identity drowned in them. SB doesn't come off like an aromatic though, but a 'sugared' burley that's still burley. (I know, duh!) May be a subjective thing, I realize, but it is the best American style OTC I've pleasure to burn so far.

Actually, the only complaints I can attribute to it are it's ability to bite if pushed (but in a mild form even then), and the usual 'bitters' at the end of the bowl. However, smoking at even a moderate pace eliminates both.

I'm pleasantly surprised by SB, so much so, that I think most of my CH money will start being spent on SB tubs shortly. (Luckily for me, it is available locally too.)

As someone who usually gravitates towards Virginias, I admit I could name quite a few blends that I prefer over Sugar Barrel, but when you factor cost, availability and taste, I think it fair to rate it highly...and especially so if comparing it to other store brands.

Four (slightly conditional) stars.

Received my canister today and am enjoying this tobacco. Mine was a bit on the dry side and the odor in the tin was very very mild. Smells very much like "Half & Half" for obvious reasons. This smokes better than "Half & Half" though, I suppose the "sugar" makes the difference. The casing is slight, you can really enjoy the tobacco taste so I agree, aromatic smokers will be a tad disappointed. I look forward to using this as a blender with some of the stronger aromatics though but on its own, it smokes very nicely. Definitely recommend this for novice smokers for sure. A bit of a tongue bite if quickly smoked though.

I'm in love with this stuff...just got 2 oz. from 4Noggins & will probably order a can, it's amazing! Everything I expected from Carter Hall but without the chemical flavoring, everything I love about Prince Albert but just that extra bit more that makes it totally satisfying to me.

First light, it's nice & simple but still has a nice "full" taste, a tad sweet with a nutty flavor. About half-way through the bowl the nutty flavor becomes more pronounced. Burned down to white ash with very little at the bottom of the bowl.

This will be my go-to smoke, no doubt about it.

To me, this is Rum & Maple Light. My taste buds definitely pick up the same kind of topping (as do my nose, when catching the side stream), just less of it. The taste is quite mild. I much prefer Rum & Maple with its fuller taste. I was surprised at the scalding my gums took with this blend! I ordered a tub on the strength of the recommendations here. It will last me a long, long time. I'd recommend that burley lovers give this blend a try; I doubt if other smokers will find much to rave about.

What can I say, I love Burley! And on top of that, I love Sugar Barrel! Sweet, goopy, and/or bitter aromatics arent my bag. I prefer a more natural blend. That being said, when I want an occasional "sweet" smoke, I reach for Sugar Barrel. Pouch smell reminds me of oatmeal cookies. It tastes of burley, with a hint of sweetnes like brown sugar. It iskind of like a rich, brown sugary prince albert. It is great for after dinner, and AWESOME in a cob. Don't let the name fool you, it isn't a really sweet tobacco like you might think, so you aromatic smokers might be disappointed. The price is good, It is a classic, and if you are a Prince Albert/Carter Hall lover like me, you will like Sugar Barrel if you get a sweet tooth. If you are an aromatic/ or black cavendish lover, this is good if you want more of a straight tobacco taste.

I am as of late a latakia head and but have found myself mixing in some plain Jane burley blends here and there sort of as a reset button to break a slump when nothing seems to taste or smoke quite right.

A good bowl of PA or Carter Hall in a cob seems to make everything good again.

So, like Chet below I've seen a few good reviews of Sugar Barrel lately and decided to give it a whirl.

In short I love it.

It's sort of like PA, with pinch of sugar. It's interesting that it really does translate to me just as sweet and not flavored. It doesn't taste like vanilla or cherry it's just got a sweetness to it that I find exceptionally enjoyable.

For the last couple weeks I'm finding it's what I grab as a first smoke of the day. I pass up a whole shelf full of decent briars and drawers full of high end English blends and fill a cob Diplomat with some Sugar Barrel and just catch a good smoke.

No fuss no muss. You light it and pretty much forget it. I absent mindedly puff it when checking email and stuff like that and have yet to be bitten.

For my tastes this is the best OTC codger burley type blend out there. With all due respect to the Prince, Carter Hall, Walnut, et al. This one just tastes best to me. A joy to smoke.

4 stars in its category and 3 against the field. I can recommend this to just about anyone who smokes a pipe. I can't imagine you would despise it. Maybe find it a bit too pedestrian. But not offensive.

It certainly has found a pretty secure place among my regular smoking stock.

I go with the reviewers' tide on Sugar Barrel and add that this is apparently an under rated and mostly overlooked and unappreciated drug store blend that appears to be making a comeback. Justifiably so. A healthy, sweet aroma emerges from the cube cut leaf when you open the tub, packs well to the bowl, stays lit and smokes consistently well. But I wouldn't puff too hard as it can kick back and become a bit nippy.

A mild and tasty smoke that won't become elusive or lost outdoors. I pack it into one of my large "General" style Missouri corn cobs and I also reserved it for an old briar pipe I rehabilitated after years of inactivity. The result is just a very pleasant and pleasing smoke that goes the distance when you want a sweet burley and steady aromatic companion.

Of all of the "old codger" burley's that I've tried this is, for me, up near the top. For a lot of us who like burley tobacco, we're not looking for a nirvana experience necessarily. This has what I'm looking for. It looks and smells nice in the tub (though describing the smell is difficult for me.....). Loads very well with simple gravity feed and some tamping. I like the cut, not quite a cube cut but not the fine granular cut of, say, the Prince. Lights easily and tends to stay lit easily with only a few relights. Very mild, smooth and a hint of sweetness. Just a hint, but enough. Decent burley that tends to stay pretty nice all the way down. No bitters at the end. If I was going to have one all day smoke, this would be it. Very consistent. If you like burley you have to try this at least once.