Hearth & Home Chatham Manor

Carter Hall, which, as we all know, Chatham Manor is meant to replicate, has always been an also ran for me in the realm of classic OTC tobacco. It's alright, but it's never my first choice. I feel exactly the same way about Chatham Manor though, interestingly, I don't think Chatham Manor is really all that much like carter hall.

It's composed of burley and Virginia, yes, and it has a mild, indistinct top dressing, but that's about it. The cut of Chatham Manor is thicker and more random than is Carter Hall. The top dressing is far more reminiscent of chocolate or maple or what have you. Carter Hall always just smelt "different" to me and not like anything in particular. With chatham Manor you have a natural leaning aromatic with a predominately mild burley flavor.

It's nice enough. Really more passable than anything else. It's mild and reassuringly bland, rarely hot, and, if conceivably offensive, only so in its lack of notability. It's cut is also far from uniform and it can pack and burn badly every one in a while.

Again, though, wholly distinguishable from Carter Hall and nowhere near as good as Prince Albert and its assorted clones.

Well, a match for Carter Hall this is not, although there is some similarity, but the chocolate flavoring is way over the top and overpowers any other flavors this might have. I just bought a fresh pack of Carter Hall to compare, and there is very little aroma from the tobacco in Carter Hall, while this Chatham Manor overpowers you with strong aroma upon opening the tub. The cut is slightly different also, but Chatham Manor is OK on that point, the cut burns fine. Carter Hall has a delicious balanced flavor (balanced between the tobacco and the toppings). Chatham Manor is a one-note Chocolate bomb to me. So I am just giving this 2 stars, because I bought it as a Carter Hall match, and I am disappointed that it is not. Others may like it on its own merits and give it a higher rating, but I wanted a lower-priced Carter Hall. Fortunately Carter Hall is still being made. This makes me quite reluctant to try the Prince Albert match, as I like Prince Albert just the way it is.

Nose in the jar, it mostly reminds me of molasses. Smells a lot like American chewing tobacco, but with a hint of cocoa powder.

The topping is evident as soon as flame touches leaf. It is never overpowering, but I wouldn’t want it to be any stronger than it is. It is there throughout the bowl, but the burley is the main player here. The Virginia adds some sweetness, and the smoke is thick and velvety. The burley is very soft through the first three quarters of the bowl, but gains some strength and a little spiciness at the end. The nicotine level is extremely mild, almost undetectable. This is a great choice for smokers of English blends that are looking for a change of pace, but aren’t fans of full-blown aromatic blends. Leaves some moisture in the bowl, but not enough to gurgle. It never dries out my mouth like most aromatics do, and goes great with a cup of coffee and a porch swing. I’d say it’s a three and a half star blend, but I’d round it up to four. Quite nice.

This is a first impression and side by side comparison review of CM vs Ch . The CM has a heavier booze taste and more chocolate with more red Virginias and much grassier and less nuttier . This is right from my 2 oz bag with no dry time . Slightly bitey and not as full tasting. Still no bad at all . The CH i smoked yesterday was like it always is to me . Very little booze notes and more cocoa nutty tasting . Will Never bite at all but sometimes has a light chemical taste . So far I like the CH better but i am going to dry this CM out a little bit and let it sit in the jar a while and come back to it later as it seems very fresh with the red Virginias too young . CH seems more of a burley dominant tobacco to me and a little stronger . I don’t really think this is a great match at all . I love almost all of Russ’s blends and he is my favorite blender . CH is right out of the pouch always the same with the right moisture and the only OTC i have ever really liked even though I don’t smoke it that much .

Been looking for something a little more wife-friendly than my typical English and Balkan blends - or the more hardcore burley blends like Old Joe Krantz - all of which I enjoy. I’ve had a pouch of Carter Hall - and while not offensive at all - it just didn’t float my boat. To me - it had a slight chemical taste and was a little sticky. Wanting to try something reminiscent of the old school American tubs - I went in for a 2-ounce bag or Chatham Manor.

Note upon opening the bag was cocoa powder, vanilla, and something boozy. Not overwhelming - but definitely pleasant. Moisture was a tad high for my liking, but I packed it up straight away.

Charring light and true light - and we’re off and running. Cocoa and maybe some vanilla are present - but not too strong to detract from the fact that you are smoking tobacco. This is absolutely not a candy bar aromatic. This stuff burns so easily. Mindlessly even. Smoke gets a little thin... oops I forgot to tamp. Tamp and again you’re off and running. No relights - just maybe the occasional touch up. I tend to be a fast smoker - and sometimes smoke to hot and get bit in the process. No such thing going on here. You’d have to work pretty hard and have the tobacco pretty wet to get bit. Again - like I said - it’s an effortless smoke.

The essence of cocoa and booze are present throughout. But they seem rather complementary to the basic tobacco taste, sitting in the background but consistently making their presence know - enhancing it, rather than dominating it.

Large volumes of delicious smoke. No real complaints from the wife - so that’s always a plus. Not much strength. But calming in the aspect that you’re partaking in a hobby that you enjoy, and you don’t have to put much effort into enjoying this blend. Pack it. Light it. Tamp it. And go on with your business or your leisure.

I’ve had several bowls out of several briars. No ghosting that I can tell - but I’ve never been very good at noticing that anyway. Always gives the same pleasant, easy smoking experience. Easily repeatable. Easily and enjoyable all-day smoke. Pairs nicely with your morning coffee. Goes great on your morning drive. Can’t say enough of about the simple pleasures of this tobacco.

I’m quite glad I’ve returned to this type of blend and have rediscovered the simplistic pleasures of smoking and American style burley without the bite. This won’t blow your socks off - but it won’t disappoint if you just want to smoke and not think about anything at all. I plan to add a 14 ounce tub to my cabinet and return to this regularly. Lastly - I’d highly recommend this for beginning smokers.

I received a sealed tub of CM in trade for about 8oz of aged (7 years old) Limerick from my new-found pipe smoking friend, Harold Harker. Thank you Harold!

A very nice presentation of blacks and browns in a short ribbon cut with a nice chocolate/vanilla aroma and something alcoholic coming from its contents. Loading and lighting were quite easy as was keeping it lit throughout the smoke. I did notice the presence of the chocolate/vanilla taste, weakening somewhat past the half way point of the smoke. There wasn't much of a tobacco taste with the exception of a mild nuttiness and present only if concentrating on the after taste of the smoke. It nipped at the front of my tongue and more than mildly irritated the back of my tongue.I never smoked Carter Hall so can't comment on any similarities with it. I find this most similar to Capt Black White, but slightly better. For those who enjoy aromatic type tobaccos this would certainly fit the bill. I would have enjoyed more of a Burley taste that I have come to enjoy over the years, but for what this is, it's an OK smoke.

I love Carter Hall. It was one of my first daily smokes, and I still smoke it almost every day. I decided to try H&H Chatham Manor for cost reasons. I had some CH on hand when the CM arrived. It looked similar, but had significantly higher moisture and smelled a lot sweeter. Seems CM, like the Prince Andrew I tried, lack the subtleties and simplicity of their Middleton counterparts. Why so much extra, stronger flavors? Why so damp? I left the lid off of the tub for a week and it improved the flavor and burning qualities, but not enough to replace Carter Hall for me. I cellared it with the Prince Andrew for an emergency/backup. I will stick with Carter Hall.

I received a tub a few days ago. It is a mild burley with essence of chocolate and a grassy taste which has been attributed to Virginias. This seems to be a good grade of tobacco. It came a bit moist in the tub so will have to be dried out some. I don't care for the grassiness. In all honesty, I find it boring. Carter Hall has an aroma which many have attributed to bourbon. CH is more complex and tasty. It also finishes a bit better. I don't think Chatham Manor really compares to it. Despite the obvious chemical additives in Carter Hall I still like it better. Two stars for Chatham Manor. It just doesn't have the flavor to compare with Carter Hall which is worth the extra bucks.

I have to add - if you want a tobacco like Carter Hall, why not buy Carter Hall. It's not that expensive.

I have gone through several bowls of this stuff and it has become my "go to" blend. It lights well and stays lit (no charring light required, just fire it up and go), is easy to maintain and provides a pleasant, cool smoke from top to bottom -- absolutely no tongue bite. I have done a couple of side-by-side comparisons with Carter Hall and I think Chatham Manor is a clearly superior tobacco. The cocoa/chocolate flavor is slightly more noticeable, but it enhances, rather than overshadows the flavor of the tobaccos, which are of very good quality and provide a pleasant nutty flavor. When I smoked the first couple of bowls of CM I did get an occasional chemical taste, but I have not noticed this in the last half-dozen or so bowls that I smoked. Chatham Manor also burns considerably longer than Carter Hall. As has been noted elsewhere, Chatham Manor is a tobacco that one can easily puff while doing yard work or other tasks, but there is also enough going on with this tobacco to reward a slower, more contemplative smoke as well. In my opinion, Russ has hit a home run with this blend and, considering the superior quality of the tobaccos and the lower price, it is the clear choice over Carter Hall (and a lot of other blends, for that matter).