John Middleton, Inc Walnut

A great all day smoke! And at a great price! This ranks right up there for me, with my favorite "American English" blend, Revelation. Just a perfect, mild, old school blend that has stood the test of time. I really must say that Walnut tastes just as good to me as many of the "High End" American Style English blends I have smoked over the years. I know some people will be offended that I said that, so I won't mention which blends this compares to! For $14 a tub from Jr Cigar, I will always have this fine old "Drug Store" blend on hand! Highly Recommended!!

I love this blend so much that I have to give it four stars. A blend must be truly exceptional for me to do that and I really wanted not to rate this tobacco so high but I just couldn't go with "recommend." I think anyone who loves to smoke a pipe should try this one and I "highly recommend" it.

Walnut has a rich taste that is mild but satisfying, complex but not overpowering, unique but only in tobacco flavor--no topping. It burns easily, never bites, and lasts long enough to let a fella know he just had a great SMOKE.

I would say that this is the best Middleton blend I've tried and I enjoy other Middleton blends. Because it's a "drugstore" blend, the price is reasonable and belies the quality of the smoking experience it provides. You can bet I'll never be without this tobacco.

Appearance and Tin Aroma: Golden ribbons and black course cut interspread throughout beautiful Light and medium brown crip cut weed. Tin aroma is of real tobacco sweet burley and latakia.

Packing and lighting: Packs easily, lights easy and burns all the way to the bottom of the bowl into a fine gray ash .

Initial Flavor: Real tobacco. The buttery, nutty flavor of quality burley bursts forth as soon as fire meets weed. This is immediately followed by the smooth creaminess of Latakia. The initial interplay of subtle flavors is simply mouth watering.

Mid-Bowl: The burley and Latakia start to come together, the burn is cool, even and slow. Thick billows of smoke form and the flavor between the burley and latakia begins to deepen and gain complexity.

Bottom of Bowl: The complexity of taste and aroma are sublime. Subtle yet satisfying while deep and rich. Already thinking of packing another bowl.

Overall: This is NOT a cheap drugstore blend. It is a very fine blend, masterfully crafted that brings lots of enjoyment. All this at a great price. This is a real sleeper that I feel many miss out on simply because it's a Middleton product. That's okay, cause thats just more for me!

Rating: Solid 4 out of 4 stars.

"Walnut" was my first experience with English blends and I find myself going back to it again and again. It contains just enough Latakia to offer a freindly introduction to the earthy, musty, smokey quality of that varietal without overwhelimng the newcomer.

Walnut lights easily and burns well after a couple of charring lights, producing just the right amount of smoke to unleash the harmony of the blend. The relatively high Burley content produces a delcious nuttiness that I really enjoy when my nose catches a whiff right off the smoldering bowl.

I enjoy Walnut most when smoked in a full bent pipe which places the bowl below and closer to the nose.

Though not as strong or full as many other English blends, Walnut is a great blend that I highly recommend. I give it 10 out of 10.

A pleasant surprise. Tired of harsh tasting Latakias'? Give this a try. As the first pipe after work or during lunch in a medium or larger pipe. Smokes a bit fast as it is a finely shredded tobac. Very tasty indeed! Satisfies without hitting you over the head with too much nicotine.

*** Be sure to read the last paragraph for an explanation of the overall rating awarded this tobacco***

The venerable Walnut. This one has been around for a while, and in fact, I have had a ?tub? of it for a while. I have put off trying it, half expecting it to be a typical drugstore tobacco trying to be more than it really is.

I was pleasantly surprised when I finally opened it up. The expected wet mess wasn?t there at all, and when rubbed between the fingers there is no greasy feeling to the leaf.

I know that this blend was named after a street, but I have to wonder if maybe the idea to do that didn?t come from the container aroma? It does have a bit of a black walnut aroma to it.

Walnut is a nice light English style blend without any flavorings added. There is a veritable smorgasbord of tobacco types in this mixture. Everything is quite well balanced, with no real complexity, just a well-rounded taste that is pleasant to smoke. Reach for this one when you want something that tastes good, but you don?t want to have to think about it as you smoke it.

If you factor in the price, this could possibly be one of the best values in the tobacco world. I?ll give Walnut 4 Stars on a modified scale. Compared to a Dunhill or Pease blend it would never rate anywhere near this high, of course. But keeping in mind that this is a Middleton blend ? essentially a drugstore tobacco, it?s worthy of the rating. It definitely stands head and shoulders above its peers.

For a cheap, crummy, drugstore tobacco, this stuff is really good! Heck, for any class of tobacco it's good. There is a nice, mild tobacco flavor, free of casings or toppings, and none of the sour taste one occasionally finds in the so-called "drugstore" brands. While it lacks the tang of a Squadron Leader or Presbyterian Mixture, the taste is still highly appealing. It kept its mildness throughout the bowl,and burned to a fine white ash, with no glop or dottle left in the bottom.Walnut also lacked a bite, even when I smoked it hot.

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One caveat: the ash it produces is quite fine, so either smoke it outside or sitting down, so you won't be spreading ash throughout the room.

Walnut is one of the nicest surprises I have come across in months. I had been reading post about it on one of the boards that peaked my interest in finding a very affordable all day smoke. Well I found it. I really like this tobacco. It is definitely a Burley based blend with a fair amount of what appears to be Red Virginia that probably accounts for the sweetness although it is subtle. There are a few black flecks that are the Latikia and bright yellow flecks that appear and taste like a Turkish leaf. The Burley is almost a plug cut and the Virginia is a short ribbon cut. What I have tried so far has been free of any humicants (PG) or other preservatives. I really like that aspect of Walnut. It has just the right moisture content out of the tub. It packs and lights very well not even really needing a relight except for the customary initial tamp and relight. I find it to be very flavorable with a slightly sweet and spicey combination yet not complex. This flavor remains constant all the way through the bowl. the tobacco burns cool and even all the way down to a light gray ash. In my humble opinion this is a great economical all day smoke. Simple and pleasureable. I will have this on hand from now on.

justpipes

I agree with previous reviewers that this is a great all-day smoke for English lovers because it does taste well and it is extremely affordable if you are going to smoke a lot. I wish there was a little more Latakia in this however, because I really like the smoky taste Latakia brings to an English blend. I?ve certainly tasted better quality English blends but for puttering around you can?t beat the combination of taste and price on Walnut. This is a good, solid, mild English blend and I smoke it on a regular basis because I always have to watch the pocketbook. Pipestud said this is a hard brand to locate, and not to sound like and advertisement, but I buy this at JR Cigar and it only costs $13.50 for the 12 oz. canister and it is always in stock. Helluva deal I think.