John Middleton, Inc Walnut

I tried a bit that a friend gave me and was totally underwhelmed. Little flavor at all. I'll try it again in a different pipe just to see if I can detect any taste at all.

I first tried this blend in the mid 60s. My friend's father smoked it and gave me some to try. At the time, I was in college and thinking of myself as very sophisticated, really gave it short shrift. Through the years I found myself smoking Balkan Sobranie and when it was discontinued, Red Raparee. Recently, I saw this blend at my tobacconist's and decided to try it again. What a pleasant surprise! This blend seems to have all that want in a smoke. Orientals, Burley and Latakia, but in a very mild presentation. I have begun to smoke it as my "early morning pipe" or any other time I want an uncomplicated tobacco. There is absolutely no tongue bite and it lights up easily with little or no need for relights. The bowl aroma toward the bottom emphasizes the latakia very sneakily. Overall, highly recommended as a rest for English or Scottish lovers.

Just received a fresh can of this and thought I had better fess up and rate it. Had been seeing reports that this blend had degraded from past blends and just wasn't as good. Don't know how far back to go, but I find no big differences or particular problems from past usage.

The new tub was drier than in the past but the flavor was the same; slightly sweet and almost aromatic, but pure baccy with no discernible chemicals or toppings. I know that this is a mixture of a large number of tobacco types but I really cannot discern any specific type in the smoking. it is well blended and aged (married).

Out of the can, my only complaint that was never noted in the past was a bunch of sticks that I have to keep picking out (hate that). The moisture was just right and although there was some large chunks of leaves, it packed easily and well. Does not light easily. After getting a good light, smoking went OK but tends to smoke hot and is stingy with smoke volume. Stays lit well and smokes to the bottom leaving a dry, dark grey ash. No gurgles. Does not get harsh as it burns down. No bad aftertaste or bad after odor in the pipe. No trace of trying to bite.

Over all, this is a pleasant smoke that never disappoints. Will continue to keep it on hand. Recommend for newbies.

There's no walnut, in Walnut. Middleton's original location was 219 Walnut Street. Mystery solved. (Elementary). The tub had about an inch of harsh dust on the outside of it, as it sat in the smoke shop, as I am told by the owner, for years. The price was spectacular as he wanted to make room on the shelf for other smoker items. Once home, plastic wrap removed and tub washed, it opened to reveal dry product, but, Middleton went out of business some years ago. I recalled about 25 years ago the wetness of Walnut and its harshness, but thought maybe this tub mellowed out with time. Indeed, it did. The only thing done, was to place the tobacco into a crockery jar from a thrift shop (oh yeah, I love a good value; flea markets and thrift shops), and covered the jar with the oak wood lid. It sat from March 2010 until July 2010, when my razor keen fermented squash of a brain remembered about it. There was instant tongue rip upon lighting the pipe. At about one quarter into the tub contents, the tongue rip, continues. The strength pleasantly mild. No casings tasted, only good blending. The taste, very nice. A hint of Cavendish in the background. Here's where Latakia does not balance. For the blend, it should be cut back about 50%, because there is Turkish tobacco present, and in my opinion, the Turkish should have been increased about 50%. It's my personal opinion. The audience over 150 years perhaps felt different, and over time refrigeration replaced pickled goods and people eat less vinegar condiments as they did long ago. I tested it. With pickles at lunch or dinner, then smoke Walnut. Like Edgeworth, the matching compatability of flavors were akin to meshing gears. In my world, the Turkish blends are very interesting and should have Turkish tobacco front and center. Smoke through my nostrils confirmed this. The room note is barely noticable. I am rating Walnut at Two Stars. Smoking it through various pipes, I will state that the larger bores (stick your thumb in it, size) work better, as do longer shank and stem, set ups. There is, a caramel taste finish to this tobacco. I would modestly recommend Walnut, though not overly joyous about it. For an old, Over The Counter tobacco, it's very nice, but not the stuff tobacconist legends are made of. Would I buy another tub if offered? Perhaps. I am more interested in a Turkish blend in which requires one to be Fez attired.

I've tried this in a briar and a cob, and it always bites me; moreover, it's a chemical delayed-action bite that doesn't seem present during the smoke. The smoke itself I find uneventful, with none of the appealing smokey aroma in the jar coming through. If there's Latakia in there, it's very little. (Smoke extract is available as a food additive, and I suspect there's more of that than Lat.) Not for me, though others clearly enjoy it. Prince Albert and Carter Hall are the most popular Middleton blends for good reason - they're the best!

I'm on a bit of a drug store blend odyssey.

Walnut is good stuff. Better to my taste than PA and Carter Hall which while more pure Burley Bullies are pretty comparable.

I know this is named after a street but I swear there a slight walnutty aroma in the "tin". I also agree with others who say they pick up some occasional very subtle maple. But this is in no way an aromatic. This is good honest pipe tobacco.

Just a beautiful no-nonsense, easy burning, tasty smoke.

I bet if this had a catchy name and came from a blender like Cornell and Diehl or Hearth and Home, we'd all be singing even higher praises.

Mileage does indeed vary but I give this a very solid recommend against the field and would rate it 4 stars if factoring in cost.

By the way, 4 Noggins has this in 2 OZ quantities if you don't' want a whole tub. Getcha some.

Been smoking Walnut for about 6 months now, It seems to be fairly popular and I can see why, It taste good, Smokes good No real bite. Tub contents are not overly moist. Just right. I suspect its got more burley than anything else Sometimes I can detect What might be a slight maple-ish flavor. I keep coming back to Walnut Daily. I don't see anybody that has this in Pouches, So you'd have to buy the Tub. I recommend this to anyone.

I'm a sucker for a good OTC and this is a really nice one. The light topping really brings this blend together, the burley is high quality, the cut is really easy to manage, it burns really well, and the hint of latakia is lovely. I am only giving it three stars because it can tend to get a bit ashy in flavor towards the bottom of the bowl, which is a problem shared by most burley blends. (I wonder what this would be like with a bit of perique? I find a lot of times that perique stays strong in flavor throughout the bowl... hmmm...)

Frankly, this blend puts a lot of more expensive blends to shame. Really worth trying, if the idea of a light aromatic burley blend with latakia sounds appealing.

Best OTC I've ever smoked, so far!

Now that I have that out of the way... this is a wonderful American burley blend with a hint of latakia. Normally I don't want any latakia in a blend unless it's the "driver" of that blend. In this case it serves its purpose as the mildest of spices, a wisp that just adds a tang to the burley. I can understand why many call this an "all day" blend because I find myself reaching for it several times a day. It always delivers.

As mentioned in other reviews, this is a great change of pace for the smokers of PA and CH and a nice "pseudo-aromatic" for the English smokers that want something less offensive to those around them. It's an unassuming blend, and by not trying to do too much, it ends up doing everything right to my palate. And it's dirt cheap... for now!

UPDATE 12/20/11

This blend has turned on me! The last three tubs I've had were bitter and bitey. I find it doubtful that they changed the recipe so I can't explain this turn of events. But I no longer find this nearly as enjoyable as I used to. Taking away 2 stars.