Tobaccos Hearth & Home - Prince Andrew (Mid-Town Series)

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	A. Morley (97)	2015-03-24		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Prince Albert: I love the stuff. It’s like a trademark of mine. It’s billed as an all day blend. Given that I smoke a pipe all day, an all day blend is just what I need.

Is there need for a Prince Albert clone, which is what Prince Andrew claims to be? Well, why not? So long as it’s done well. Prince Albert has gone up in price noticeably over the years and it is getting harder and harder to find in its conventional milieu of the drugstore. A clone from a well known and respected mail-order and online company like pipesandcigars might be just the ticket. So long, that is, if they get it right.

Did they get it right?

Friends, yes they did and then some. To begin with, in cut, smell, and overall appearance, Prince Andrew is nigh on indistinguishable from the original PA. As many times as I’ve packed Prince Albert into the bowl of a pipe, I’ve come to know it well. If there is any difference, Prince Andrew is a bit more light and fluffy, if you will, and does not seem sticky with the chemical humectants that they’ve added to Prince Albert over the years. The lack of such chemical adjuncts also seems to have regulated the overall flavor and palate consistency of Prince Andrew. With modern day, drugstore Prince Albert, those additives can, occasionally, make the tobacco taste off every few smokes. A sickening, syrupy acridness can come through, which is not at all what you want from the simple toasted burley of Prince Albert.

So, Prince Andrew, seemingly lacking in all of this junk, gives a great smoke throughout. It has all of the cool, nutty, creamy softness with the slight toasted edge and subtle chocolate essence that has made the original Prince Albert a favorite for something like a century now. Hearth & Home set out to replicate a classic and they did just that.

Would I switch over to Hearth & Home’s Prince Andrew exclusively? You bet. The tobacco is first rate and the price is excellent. The thing is, I do run out of tobacco sometimes and I don’t see why I wouldn't pop over to the corner store in my neighborhood that still sells Prince Albert. That’d hold me over, you see, until I could order more Prince Andrew.

36 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3046)	2015-01-21		Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

This is chocolate and nutty with some molasses, though a little less so than the original in those respects. The amount of dark fruit, earth, and a touch of grass from the Virginia is the same. The cut and look are identical. It burns a little cooler than the original, and while it does not have the syrupy flavor (and occasional chemical note) of PA, there’s a slight alcohol feel in the topping in a few spots. The level of mildness is the same, and the flavor is consistent to the finish. Burns at the same rate as the original and leaves a similar, lighter aftertaste. The original tends to be a little cigarettish at times, a little more so near the end. That’s not true of this version. If the chocolate, molasses and nut flavors were a little stronger, it’d be hard to tell the difference between the two, chemical hits of the original not withstanding. But the flavor is lighter here. I gave the original three stars, and this gets two and a half stars.

-JimInks

20 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	fr_tom (393)	2015-04-10		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I have been smoking through a 2-oz sample from P&C. I like this more than the original, and it is a 3-star match. The basics are there. Even the cut and texture are close. I smoked a pouch of Prince Albert last week, so this comparison is not based on cryptic notes or recollections of a distant past.

One difference is an improvement. I did not get any chemical note that is often part of "first light" with Prince Albert. The flavor is very clean, and the cocoa and nutty flavors are there. Another difference is a minus. I don't think the flavor is as "full" in Prince Andrew.

This was a light and easy smoke. It burned well, and did not have tendencies to get hot. It is a good smoke and it is easy to recommend. If you are looking for an "all-day" burley blend, you will like this. The rating is a solid three.

18 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2015-04-06		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I smoked this back to back with P Albert several times this weekend and I prefer this blend. The flavors are nearly a perfect match, but Andrew has more body and the flavor is a bit richer. More bang for the buck right here. Very well done. Highly recommended.

Mild to medium in body and flavor. Flavor is nearly medium. Mild in flavoring. Burns perfectly. No bite.

Pipe Used: MM Country Gentleman, MM Diplomat Apple

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

15 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2016-02-15		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

1 oz sample from an internet friend, who also gave me some PA to compare. In the bag they looked exactly alike although this one had more of a chocolately aroma while the original was more "burley".

In the pipe, this translated perfectly. The original was more nutty and cigarette-ish while this had just a bit more chocolate note. Other than that, they were very close in taste, except Andrew exhibited no trace of cigarette on initial light-up, relights and in the bottom fourth of the bowl. The basic nuttiness and grit of the original was more focused here, perhaps due to a finer grade of leaf. Differences between the two are likely noticeable only to those that are looking for them, for the most part. I did also compare these two to PA Choice, which I preferred over the other two, but is really not the same thing. While I felt this was a "better" tobacco (higher quality), I preferred the flavors presented by Choice. I'd give this 2.5 stars, the original PA 2 and the Choice 3. But I don't want to make too much of the differences. Choice is no longer available and is less like these two anyway. If I were a PA lover, I'd go for this and not miss a beat while saving some coin. If you're looking for depth and complexity, look elsewhere. If you're looking for PA, buy this instead! I doubt I'll smoke this again but I sure appreciated the opportunity! Thanks, friend!

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Theosprey247 (73)	2016-04-02		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

This is supposed to be a clone for Prince Albert one of the greatest drugstore blends ever. Is it an exact match? No. Is it better? No. Is it cheaper? Yes about $10 less and you get 2 oz more. Is it a good smoke? Yes. It doesn't have the same chocolatly flavor and requires more relights, but it is a very pleasant all day kind of smoke. Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Briars

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Pipesandcigars.com

Similar Blends: Prince Albert.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	natibo (169)	2015-04-24		Medium	Mild to Medium	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a full bodied (as in taste not nicotine) blend that is just wonderful to smoke. It is a burley forward blend, with the Virginia's adding some background taste. The topping (chocolate?) is very light. Just enough to make this yummy. I can easily afford more expensive tobaccos and do enjoy those quite often. However, this is a great everyday blend. I plan on travelling with it.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Phototone (9)	2019-04-20		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Unnoticeable

I don't know what it is with these Hearth & Home "match" blends. I have tried 2 now. The subject of this review and Chatham Manor. Neither resembles the blend they are supposed to be a match to. This Prince Andrew doesn't look like, smell like or taste like Prince Albert. I have been smoking Prince Albert for decades, and it neither resembles the current Prince Albert or a pound tin I have of Prince Albert from the 1980's. I am giving this a "not recommended" rating because I believe the blend is not a Prince Albert clone. Taken on its own merits it is a pleasant blend, but won't scratch the Prince Albert itch.

Pipe Used: Cob

Age When Smoked: Fresh

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	gahdzila (61)	2017-03-20		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I smoke a ton of Prince Albert....while I find it very satisfactory, there's nothing that stands out for me, nothing that makes it better or worse than any other tobacco. It's just a lightly cased mild burley that is super easy to smoke.

Andrew smokes pretty good. The casing tasted very similar to Prince Albert, though maybe a bit less pronounced. The underlying tobacco tastes almost identical to Prince Albert. It requires a bit more tamping and relighting than Prince Albert...not a lot, mind you, just a bit more than Prince Albert.

I feel like I'm exploring the intricacies of vanilla soft serve ice cream at Dairy Queen versus Sonic. I wouldn't say they were identical, but I found them to be close enough to be virtually interchangeable. An extremely discerning palate could probably find more subtle difference than I did, but in the end they're both pretty much just plain jane soft serve.....errr, I mean, mild drugstore burley. Which, I suppose, means Hearth and Home hit a home run.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Earl Grey (34)	2016-01-09		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I love Prince Albert. It's a daily smoke for me. I decided to try H&H Prince Andrew for cost reasons. I still had some Prince Albert on hand when Prince Andrew arrived. Had the same color and texture, but Prince Andrew was a lot more moist and smelled sweeter. I tried a pinch in a small cob just to get a taste. It seemed good, almost exactly like the original with more of a "real" tobacco taste. I thought I found a more cost effective solution to Prince Albert. Wrong. This stuff is very sweet, has a heavy chocolate flavor and the moisture affects the burning quality. It also had sort of a cinnamon-like taste that gave me some bad tongue bite. I left the lid off for a week and it became more palatable then, but still doesn't hold a candle to the original IMHO. I'm keeping it cellared for one of those backup/emergency situations. I'll stick with the original.

Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum, Italian Briar

Age When Smoked: Fresh out of tin.

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Irishlefty (22)	2019-06-06		Very Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I've been stuck in a tobacco rut for the last few years. Prince Albert as my all day everyday smoke with some C&D & GL Pease blends as a special smoke. Saw the ad for Prince Andrew then read the reviews here on TobaccoReviews.com and decided to try 2 oz to see if I liked it. Well, the reviews on this forum did not lead me astray - they were right on! I love this stuff. For an all day, everyday smoke this is a great blend. Hard to tell the difference from PA but slightly milder. Costs less which is a plus.

Pipe Used: Dr. Grabow Freehand; Peterson Kildare

Age When Smoked: fresh from US Mail

Purchased From: PipesandCigars.com

Similar Blends: Prince Albert.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SmokeKing David (134)	2015-11-23		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Tolerable

Pretty much just a Plain-Jane. No bite but this seems like nothing to write home about. Even its simplicity is unremarkable. I prefer the MacBaren burley blends to this mix...but I am not partial to Prince Albert, either.

Govern Yourself Accordingly.

Pipe Used: briar and cob

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars

Similar Blends: Prince Albert, Half and Half.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Haroldt (26)	2015-08-04		Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

Prince Andrew They say this is a match to Prince Albert (which was the first tobacco I smoke when I started back in the 70’s.) It had been a long time since I had smoked Prince Albert, so when I ordered this, I went to the local store and brought Albert home.

In a side by side comparison, I do not see where these two match up, other than to say they are both very mild. I do feel that Hearth and Home has a better product, one that serves up a better taste.

The blend does smoke well. It’s very easy to light and it stays lite and burns very clean.

While I do not believe this will be a main stay in my cellar, but I can see getting a few ounces now and then.

Pipe Used: Corn Cob and Briar

Age When Smoked: just bought

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Aeronca (4)	2019-10-13		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant to Tolerable

Perhaps writing a review based on two-year-old impressions is unfair and subjective, but then again, it may help the blender improve the product. Whatever the case may be, onward with the review.

In brief, this is supposed to be a match for Prince Albert...but Russ got it wrong and then some.

This blend looks like Prince Albert, but otherwise is not a match at all. It isn't even close. It has some flavoring, but I couldn't precisely identity it. Strength was decent, and room note was bearable. Yet how it manages to be so sickeningly moist is beyond me. No amount of drying tamed it. All I ever got out of it was a hot, wet, and unpleasant smoke almoat totally devoid of flavor.

I did review Prince Albert a while back. (If you don't mind scrolling, my review of Prince Albert can be found on that blend's page, under "Emeritus Account," dated 18 September 2012.) In that review, I said Prince Albert was a classic. I'd now say it's an icon in the pipe tobacco world.

Prince Andrew, on the other hand, is a travesty. The concept of a Prince Albert match at a slightly lower price was a solid one. It's a little sad that, in trying to attain this goal, Prince Andrew fell flat on his face.

I finished the tub, but only because I was poor at the time. Had I been better off financially, at least 13 of 14 ounces would have been dumped.

Not recommend.

Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum Patriot

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CKC (15)	2023-02-08		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

Pleasant surprise. Nice, nutty burley, mild cocoa taste. Takes and keeps a light. Very nice all-day smoke. None of the chemical taste that you get at the first puffs of so many OTC blends - like this more than the tobacco it sought to copy.

Pipe Used: various cobbs/briars

Age When Smoked: 6 months

Purchased From: Tobacco Pipes

Similar Blends: Prince Albert.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrHoo (20)	2022-11-02		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Tolerable to Strong

This is exactly what is claims to be, an excellent match to Prince Albert. Perhaps unreasonably, I was hoping that, like a couple of the other H&H Match blends, better ingredients and the hand of a master blender would make this a bit better. Not so. I find PAlbert smokes too hot, too wet, and with too high a nic hit. I tried PAndrew, fresh out of the tub, in the 3 pretty good briars I save for burleys and had a nearly indistinguishable experience. PAndrew does smoke all the way to the bottom and has a slightly better room note. I'm going to give this 3 stars because it's what it claims to be. One star for me. I appreciate the very reasonable price of these blends but I wish there was an option to try out a smaller container. I'm not much for fussing with waiting for tobacco to dry out. I think it should arrive smokable. But I'll leave some of this one to dry for a week and revisit if necessary. Till then, I'll stick with the excellent Chestnut when I'm feeling nostalgic.

Pipe Used: Burley-only briars

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: tobaccopipes.com

Similar Blends: Prince Albert.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	K.E. Powell, III (15)	2022-10-08		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

As a clone, for lack of better term, of Middleton's famous "Prince Albert" burley blend, the immediate question that springs to mind is whether Prince Andrew succeeds as an imitation. In short, it does. Indeed, smoking the blends back-to-back, I could scarcely differentiate between them, and I imagine only those truly dedicated diehard fans of Albert will be able to do so with any consistency. This is a blend that mirrors its inspiration with a high degree of accuracy, and manages to be more readily available and affordable in the process. So, if you want some Albert, but want to save a few bucks or are tired of having to hunt down a pouch of the once ubiquitous blend, here is your answer to those problems. Read no further.

But to judge the blend on its own merits, there is still much to recommend. This is a classic burley "codger" blend through and through. The cut is classic ribbon style, which is the one and perhaps only major difference between it and Albert, which is a cube-cut blend. The tobacco takes to a light readily and requires few relights, and the tin note has that earthy, woodsy burley scent upfront, with hints of cocoa and vanilla to come; this tin note coincides with the flavor exactly.

The buttery and slightly woody tastes of the burley are present throughout the entirety of the smoke, and the cocoa and vanilla swirl together and interplay nicely, never sublimating the burley. There is not much complexity here, but what is lacking in depth is made up for in consistency and pleasantness. This is an all day smoke that has very few rough edges and just enough body and a nicotine hit to give it some oomph.

Full disclosure: when it comes to the so-called "codger" or over-the-counter (OTC) blends, Prince Albert has been one of my favorites. But for my money, Andrew gets a slight edge by delivering the same result in a cheaper and easier to acquire product. I also find this to be an exceptional blend for breaking in new pipes. For some hardcore burley fans, this may be a little too light. And for the discerning aromatic fans, the sweetness and flavor just a bit too thin. But for most, this will hit that sweet spot. I know it does for me. A fine blend for beginners and aficionados alike!

Pipe Used: Chacom bent billiard

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: pipesandcigars

Similar Blends: Prince Albert.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	canvas (337)	2021-12-02		Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Tolerable

Will Prince Albert ever abdicate in favor of his brother (here)? That is what we all want to know, right? I am operating under the assumption this is a match blend, so my review is with comparative notes in mind.

Right off the bat, Prince Albert comes in a vertical beast of a baggy with a narrow mouth (making entry a little annoying) vs the much smaller, half ounce lighter, foil finished little red carrying pouch made for tiny hands. The tobacco itself is much dryer without the waxy, rubbery casing of Albert, and has a mulch aroma behind the advertised cocoa (not a sugary affair, more like baking chocolate). My memory is not all intact, but I don't recall Albert being a chocolate leaning Aromatic. In any case, Prince Andrew was approachable and ready for fire.

The bouncy mix needed no drying, yet needed to be mashed in good, having a penchant to expand. Sparked quickly and delivered a mild, rather dry and bland smoke I found boring for being an Aromatic. It never had a chemical finish, but I was oddly yearning for the 'fake' taste of the King whom will remain on his throne.

One of the things I liked about Prince Albert was it's rubbery feel and "this ain't natural" taste, this match was just another boring Burley blend I'll easily forget, though if pressed, I could concede some similar notes here.

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bbrown626 (150)	2019-08-12		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

First let me say that I am not one that smokes many straight burley blends, but occasionally have the taste to light one up. The pouch noted was very chocolaty. The tobacco moisture was right on the mark. It packed well and stayed lit with a reasonable number of relights. The taste was a nutty chocolate, very pleasant. All day smoke - not a bad burley blend

Pipe Used: mm Legend

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WorkingClassChap (197)	2023-03-05		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Bag note is grassy hay with a smell similar to play dough. It’s sweet smelling. Ribbons of various dimensions with the perfect feel and moisture content. Packs and lights like a dream.

On lighting this I’m not met with any sort of play dough, PG, or chemical taste. I do however get an alcohol flavor and the taste of walnuts. The rest is burley. Wood, grains, nuts, molasses. Nuts being prominent, like walnuts. It’s fairly nutty and boozy which is delicious. Later on I did get some cocoa flavor too. Now I’ve never smoked Prince Albert in a can… so I can’t compare. However the quality of this here is above average and this was an enjoyable smoke. Leaves little aftertaste, a bit of a mouth tingle, and a bit of harshness for me. Burleys tend to bite me. Little nicotine which is a plus for me. I enjoyed the top notes which makes this 3 stars. Something I would definitely buy again.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jevverrett (106)	2021-09-25		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I bought this to smoke as a replacement for Prince Albert when it disappeared during the great COVID pandemic of 2020. For you all in the future, that’s when the world went nuts over the super sniffles for a year or so.

As a sub for the prince, it is not what it tries to be. That’s not a bad thing, it actually does stand on its own, I believe. The blender is really good at what he does, and he made a good all day burley blend reminiscent of drug store burley blends.

It’s a better cut than the original, and I think the leaf is better too. Mostly brown and gold. Has a tin note of molasses and cocoa, very faint though. Just a little whiff of sweetness. The moisture was good as it came. It packs and smokes more like a premium blend would. The dip in the pouch method requires some thought here. It burns well, if a bit slower than the original. The flavor is burley, with a light hint of topping. It is lacking the preservation agents you would expect, so it burns a bit drier.

Overall, it is a good all day burley. It smokes well and tastes good. Smells pleasant also, and doesn’t get boring. I tend to smoke a good deal of these sorts in cobs at work all day, so I should know. Well worth a try, as it’s a good value for the product.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Pipes and cigars

Similar Blends: Prince Albert.

Nobody has rated this review yet.