John Middleton, Inc Walnut

This is an example of an "English" blend gone very wrong. There is a terrible taste of chemicals whilst smoking and as an aftertaste. I wouldn't let someone I disliked smoke this!!

Smoke in peace, brothers and sisters of the leaf.

I chose Walnut for my first review because I feel it reflects my overall philosophy; as much interested in performance and reliability as pedegree. Forget that it is an OTC, Walnut is a darn good tobacco, and far better than many more expensive blends. I do tend to favor aromatics and I do note a little bit of casting (Carter Hall like) when I open the lid. But it is not bad, just adds to the flavor. For me it has just the right amount of Latakia and Turkish to boost the burley. It can burn a bit warm if you puff too hard (Virginias) and that does not help the flavor, so go accordingly. The only real drawback is that the finish is a bit hollow, if you know what I mean. Sort of like a red wine with good to excellent flavor and characteristics, but a bit weak on the finish. Still, overall an excellent experience. Between three and four stars, I'll give it four. I always take a big baggie of it when I travel.

From reading the reviews here I knew I wanted to try Walnut but didnt know if I should buy it especially since it only comes in 12 oz tubs. I'm actually suprised at the amount of latakia in this blend, there's more than I expected although its not a lot. It is like others say an american style burley and not an english blend. The compexity is not comparable to english or balkan blends but I would not call it bland or only hitting one note.There is a few suprises in there and theyre all pleasant. At some points i can almost taste the topping applied to prince albert, and I dont mind that as I am a fan of PA as well but I think Walnut has surpassed PA and Carter Hall in strength, taste, and room note. I sure am glad I took a leap and bought this. It will be great when the season changes and the temps are cooler. Highly recommended... cool tub too!

The Walnut blend by John Middleton is probably the best tasting of the drugstore burley blends,it is a tad pricier than most being that a tub is 12oz. versus the standard 14oz size but it's not a no-brainer blend.The majority of the taste factor to Walnut is mostly burley but the wide range of tobaccos is mixed well enough to add variations.Basically if you smoke straight burley blends Walnut will strike you as a rich-tasting blend but heavy blend smokers may find it lacking.There's no sweetness to it or casing,just a 12oz. bucket of rich multi-tobacco taste.

This is one of those blends that I like to have around when I need a break from heavy Balkan blends. Is this an English blend? ... No, but it is at the high end of the "drug store" class of tobacco blends. Mostly what I taste here is burly with a touch of Virginia and some lightly sweetened Cavendish. I can't really taste any oriental tobacco and the Latakia is there but really in sparse quantity...it is really hard to detect. I don't find this blend complex in any way but I am used to very complex Balkan blends so it seems kind of monochromatic ... with a few surprises here and there.

Even though they say that there is no walnut flavoring agent in the blend I definitely taste some "nut like" flavoring agent however mild.

In the end this is one of the best tobaccos in it's class. It could easily be an all day smoke for the smoker that is a fan of these blends. I like it in the morning in the fall season. Nice with a cup of coffee while I wake up.

I would keep this around if I could still get it in a pouch. It is cheap enough but a tub would last me 5 years and it dosen't seem like age will help this stuff. 3 stars for what it is.

While this burns v hot for me (my fault, I'm sure), never a hint of a bite. It burned clean and easily, and was a nice tasting smoke, with no bitterness, all the way down to light ash with no relights. All-in-all, a nice OTC. The latakia was more in the aftertaste than the smoke, and the Turkish was more in the room note. Probably best for an aromatic smoker looking for a change of pace.

I havent had Walnut in at least ten years . Where I live now I never see it . while shopping online I see it but am wanting to buy something other than OTC . Enjoyed it years ago but was more an Edgeworth/Three Nuns junkie so I'd get around to it every now and then . lit some up the last few days and the instsnt I smelled and tasted it I was one happy SOB .It's cool smoking , perfect burning all the way ! It's a subtle complexity blend that I just cant get bored of .People compare it to an English blend ... why / It's freakin Walnut .I guess cause it has latakia in it [ ever so slight ]... It's not an english . If ya havent tried this blend and dont want to fork out the cash for a Lg tin then do a trade w/ a pipe buddy or something . A tasty [ med ] blend all the way ... very enjoyable

A little milder in both strength and Latakia than I expected, this is a fine change of pace from heavier blends. With a base of Burley, there is a nice nuttiness present. Walnut doesn't get unpleasantly bitter toward the end like many Burley blends, however.

Walnut is a great smoke when you are looking for something simple. It doesn't develop sweet complexity as the bowl burns, but remains pleasantly enjoyable throughout. I enjoy it when working outside or walking the dog and don't have time to focus on my smoke.

My only 'concern' is that the moisture level of the tobacco is absolutely perfect for smoking right away. I say concern, because I expect to have to re-humidify the tobacco part way through the container.

You could do a lot worse than choose this. In fact, when you look at value for your dollar, it's hard to find a better choice. I'm only 1/4 through my first 12 oz tub, but have already ordered 3 more.

This is my first try of an English style blend. This is a very enjoyable smoke after supper. The wife does not much like the room note compared to some other tobaccos I have tried.

Update after a few weeks. I got to try some other English blends and still find this a wonderful smoke. Most of the others I have tried have been so heavy on Latakia that you lose the subtle sweetness of the other tobaccos. I still place Walnut as my favorite smoke when not around the wife.