Hearth & Home Chestnut

Another sample from an internet friend. Nice to have friends! I haven't smoked Walnut in awhile but for some reason this strikes me as overall darker in color. Nice little wisp of latakia on the bag aroma. Seems like more latakia than the original.

The original Walnut captured my heart for a short while and then turned on me and became bitter. Whether that was me or the tobacco, I don't know. This one smoked very nicely, with the latakia being soft and in the background but still a bit of a driver. Burley was the main player with the rest of the components mildly noticeable but very submissive. What I enjoyed about this one is the depth of flavor, something the original did not possess for me. I would not call this complex (and that wouldn't be the point anyway) but it did subtly ask for my attention while I was smoking. The flavors were mellow but leaning towards rich, particularly in the finish. No cigarette notes or wimpy finish as I found in the original. And this stayed tasty all the way down the bowl instead of growing bitter. I won't smoke this a lot but I may pick up a tub just for certain occasions. If any Walnut smoker bemoans the absence of his favorite blend, I urge them to try this. Russ really seems to understand how to make a match blend.

Honeysuckle like sweetness, the burley is the main attraction. I assume it is tamed by the Maryland as the varietals harsher attributes are not there. The oriental and Virginia play off the Kentucky and Latakia in a back and forth manner that keeps the blend interesting. It does create a sort of floral quality at times like elderflower or lilac, but quickly moves to honeyed nutty burley and Virginia, almost bready with smokiness evident. This sort of happens in waves with the sweetness. It's a very easy blend to recommend, all day smoking or in my case early morning. Burley, Latakia, orientals, Kentucky, virginia, Maryland... in order of prominence.

From the moment I learned of this tobacco, and the Mid-Town Series, I was intrigued. Being a great consumer of other light latakia blends from H&H, such as Daybreak, Sunjammer and American Heritage, it was incumbent on me to try Chestnut.

While, it wasn't love at first sip, the stuff has grown on me in a big way. The Burley persuasion is still novel to me for the first part. I took the chance right off on a 14 oz. tub, and initially thought I'd been brash... Did I tell you that the price was right on this, particularly when I purchased it?

While the latakia is there, I can't really call this a latakia blend- not for those who dearly love it and are hoping for that experience. Such folks might do with a sample first, but if that's what they're wanting in full, they'd do best to stay away in the first place. There, I've said it. The latakia is an accent, but not the meal. I think this burns a little quicker than most things I smoke, so a larger bowl is sometimes in order. That might well be due to the high presence of burley.

That said, imbibers-to-be are in for a wholesome smoke that works well in the summer. A grassiness prevails, along with nuts and/or woodiness. I'm not super aware of the Kentucky, but the Turkish is playing its part along with the Virginia, which is where the sweetness come in. This stuff is mellow and finishes well. I find that a cob seems to show it off to its best effect, although different pipes do seem to bring out different elements in it.

If this was going to be a cigar, it'd come in the neglected wrapper of yore- the candela. I do wish I'd been able to try the original Walnut, but for all we know, this might be better.

Not much to say here, as this is my long sought-after substitute for the defunct and deeply lamented Walnut. Only that I like it better than I did Walnut and particularly appreciate that it is richer, smoother and more flavorful due to the finer tobacco used and the tastier topping/casing. Yet another plus factor is the usual Ouelletian blending finesse in general, which brings the seemingly disparate components into a whole of harmonious complexity. Three and a half stars.

I've been working my way thru Hearth & Home's Midtown Series this winter. So far, I've been very pleased with Chatham Manor and Chestnut. As noted, Chestnut is intended to be a reincarnation (match) of Middleton's Walnut, which is no longer in production. I can't do a comparison as I never smoked Walnut. But I have found Chestnut to be a smooth and mellow blend which still manages to provide some degree of complexity. It does NOT taste like chestnuts, although some nuttiness is present from the burley. But a chestnut-flavored tobacco might not be a bad idea. Russ?. Actually, I think both Walnut and Chestnut are named for streets in Philadelphia (not certain on this). Anyway, the flavors are subtle but certainly present. This blend has burley, Turkish, Latakia, Virginia, Kentucky, Maryland, and maybe a few other states. I could smell the Latakia at once upon opening the tub, with the burley being present, too. There is also some kind of lightly sweet topping, I think. The smoke imparts the Latikia immediately upon lighting, but it is not at all overwhelming. The burley is quite noticeable, too, and the Virginia does pop in from time to time. The Kentucky and Turkish were hard for me to detect, but I recon both give this blend some body and balance. The Maryland I could not taste at all, but I guess that's to be expected. I still could not tell what the topping is, but it didn't override the tobacco flavors. Overall, this blend provides a creamy, satisfying smoke with good taste and which has some extra dimension to it. Very nice smoke and worth trying out. I recommend it.

A Haiku Review: Chestnut

Carter Hall’s brother

Less sweet, more spice, more smokey

Simple summer smoke

A perfect codger style blend. Better than Carter Hall imo. About as cheap.