Drug store tobacco group

sapo59 · Feb 17, 2010

The Drug store tobacco group activity is on the decline. I try to post in here somewhat regularly. Anyone that is interested in whats going on stop in and let us know your thoughts and input on your favorite drug store blends, or the ones you simply cannot stand. I'm just trying to get activity to pick up some. Hope to hear from everyone soon.

maxpeters · Feb 17, 2010

All I can find in the local drug store are a couple bulk blends. That's it. In the grocery store I can see Capt. Black in three versions, Carter Hall and Sir Walter Releigh. The small tobacco store carries mostly cigarettes, but also quite a few Middleton pipe tobaccos, Amphora, Capt. Black and Sir Walter Releigh as well as some others I can't remember.

I have to go to the Pipe and Cigar store to get anything else. Of course they are mostly selling cigars now days, but still carry a few more pipe tobaccos than the local drug and grocery stores.

I was told by the owner of the pipe and cigar store, that buying online was probably best for me as he couldn't carry the tobaccos I was interested in, as not many people buy them anymore.

maxpeters · Feb 17, 2010

As far as what types of drug store blends I like, I will admit that Middelton's Cherry Blend and Walnut are two of my favorite tobaccos. I tried Sugar Barrel, but did not care for it.

I Do not like Carter Hall at all. Something like a liquorice flavor seems to overide anything else.

Half & Half is fairly good, as well as Prince Albert, but they still have sort of a chemical taste to them.

I used to like Sir Walter Raleigh Lite Aromatic, but they quit making that.

I don't care for the Borkum Riff blends.

I don't like the Capt. Black blends either. Way too sweet for me.

Troost was always sort of bland. I haven't seen that in a while though.

dunendain · Feb 17, 2010

I just bought a pouch of tobacco called Red Cap. Has anyone heard of it? I like it. It taste very much like PA. The cost was 2.99.

ghost45 · Feb 17, 2010

Just posted a message but ill post it here to.
What is the best Drug Store Burley?
Prince Albert

Carter Hall

Half & Half
or another blend that is not posted.

sapo59 · Feb 17, 2010

Thank everyone. I'm trying to get people to participate in the group under the group tab you will find it. I've pasted your comments in there. Feel free to look it up and post in there if you would like. Thanks ghost I personal like PA the best but we know everyone's taste is different. Carter hall is good also. Half and half has Virginians in with the burley and I find it can bite a little if smoked to quickly. Like I said though in my opinion the one I like the best is PA. Dunendain I posted a response to the red cap in the Drug store tobacco group. Thank again everyone, look forward to hearing more from everyone.

josh · Feb 17, 2010

I have tried the "Drug Store" brands and don't really care for them that much.. Capt. Black is the only one that i think is tolerable.

dunendain · Feb 17, 2010

I have read that the drug store blends in the tubs are better than the ones in a pouch. The theory is: The tub tobacco doesn't need the preservatives in the tobacco to keep it from drying out.

igloo · Feb 17, 2010

Carter Hall in the tub and I let it age at least a year .

whitebriar · Jul 28, 2010

prince albert is my top choice; carter hall would be next----somehow H & H has always been more than i could take--didn't like the pouch aroma--

lordnoble · Jul 28, 2010

I've only smoked Captain Black regular (White) so far, but I'm looking at picking up some Blue the next time I'm somewhere that only sells that type of tobacco. Too many other blends to try when I'm at my tobacconist.
-Jason

cortezattic · Jul 29, 2010

@ whitebriar,

If like me, you're a real P.A. fan, I have to recommend "amping" it up a notch by adding two McClelland blenders in the following proportions by weight: 5% Perique, and 1¼% Latakia.
Since I hit on that mix, I won't smoke P.A. in any other way. I get a kick out of reporting on the "What Are You Smoking" thread that I'm (usually) smoking "just" P.A. But I'm really having an incredible smoke that tastes better than blends costing twice as much. (I think it might be loosely described as a Balkan with Burley -- loosely, that is, because the proportions are a bit different than you'd expect in a true Balkan blend.)

whitebriar · Jul 29, 2010

cortezattic wrote>>@ whitebriar,

If like me, you're a real P.A. fan, I have to recommend "amping" it up a notch by adding two McClelland blenders in the following proportions by weight: 5% Perique, and 1¼% Latakia.>>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ok cortezattic--that actually sounds pretty good to me--i have been plagued in the past with latakia causing me to have a headache, but at that ratio it may be OK--will do it when i can get to some bulk stuff--

cortezattic · Jul 29, 2010

Yup. It took me a long time to hit on this combo because Latakia is the last thing I'd like to see in a smoke.

But in this recipe it acts like a sprinkle of salt, not a smokey powerhouse.
For accuracy it's best to make a large batch. For a 14oz tub of P.A. I pre-mix ~20 grams of the Perique

and ~5 grams of the Latakia. I also found that using a huge wok-shaped bowl aids in thorough mixing;

layering P.A. and a thin sprinkle of the amendments, and finally blending by hand.

This minimizes the crumbling of the P.A.

funn · Aug 1, 2010

I'm lucky to enjoy all catagories of tobacco. I have tubs of Prince Albert, Carter Hall, Walnut, and Granger. I dip into them along with my Virginias,English and Aromatics. The funny thing is here in Baltimore drug stores no longer carry these, so you have to get them online or either at the cigarette stores. I've found the tubs are better in taste then the pouches. I have pouches of Middleton's Wine Berry,that I mix w/PA, Sir Walter Raleigh, regular & aromatic, and Five Brothers. I associate tobaccos to foods,there's too many different varieties of them not to try to appreciate them all. I'm not about to list all of the tobaccos I have in my "cellars".

classicgeek · Aug 1, 2010

I'm not about to list all of the tobaccos I have in my "cellars".

No, there's a thread for that!

http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/show-us-your-tobacco-stash
Simon

cortezattic · Aug 1, 2010

Funn, you sound like Bob, an eclectic tobacco taster and resident reviewer. I seem to get "locked-in" to specific genres, and go through phases. I don't find myself geting comfy with my pipe when I jump from one tobacco to the next unless they're related.
As to Simon's comment, it would be nice if you had some pix of your cellared stuff. It's a great way to get ideas for cellaring & aging without having to type a lot.

caliguy · Aug 1, 2010

The only drug store tobacco I've tried is Captain Black (white label). Think I might try some of the others, just to see how they hold up.
Looking at some of the old tobacco advertising it seems that once there were many more brands of drug store tobacco. Funny how all the smoking restrictions aimed at cigaret smoking seemed to have diminished the number of pipe tobaccos but the number of cigaret brands seemed to increase.

classicgeek · Aug 2, 2010

caliguy, that's a pretty interesting observation.
Around here, there's NO SUCH THING as "drug store" pipe tobacco. Drug stores stock cigarettes (a million different brands) and nothing else. Call it a strange side effect of legislation, but the only place to get pipe tobacco (excepting online) is at the tobacconist, and they stock mostly "the good stuff", with a few sad pouches of Amphora or Sail. I've only ever seen Captain Black once, and I've never seen PA.
Simon

admin · Aug 2, 2010

Of note to the discussion of "drug store tobaccos", the new Mac Baren Seven Seas line is coming out this month. It is Mac Baren's shot at the Captain Black market. I brought home samples from Denmark, but haven't tried them yet.

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