My New Friend - Carter Hall

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bphilli75

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 27, 2013
246
5
Well I'll be darned. Why do I say that? I'm amazed at how much I enjoyed this $3 pouch of tobacco. Thanks to all you fine folks on this forum for the introduction. Here's where I'm coming from...

I'm still a newbie, been smoking a pipe for a little over three years now. My very modest "cellar" consists of 1Q, MM 965, Escudo Navy Deluxe, Frog Morton's Cellar, Dan's Blue Note and a bulk blend from my local B&M called Closest to Captain Black.

After seeing so many positive comments about Carter Hall, I picked up a little pouch a few days ago. I was immediately pleased with the simple aesthetic of the "luxury pouch," and when I stuck my nose into that little pouch and took a deep, slow whiff, I was greeted by a very nice, sweet, simple tobacco aroma. Wow, this is nice.

Again, thanks to my forum friends' many comments about the pleasure of Carter Hall in a cob, I loaded my Missouri Meerschaum with a couple generous pinches and headed for the porch.

I have always felt a mild frustration at what seemed to me an inability to really taste the different tobaccos I've tried. With 965, of course, I can taste the Latakia, and with some blends, I get a spicy, peppery aftertaste, but most of my experience of tobacco to this point has been of the olfactory sort. Well not so with Carter Hall. Especially with the first half of each bowl, I get a really nice, buttery, nutty, sweet flavor. The retrohale yields no nasal burn at all, and the nutty sweet aroma is simple, yet very nice.
Lately, in another thread, I expressed an issue I have had with requiring many relights and my desire to experiment with different drying methods. Well, with the CH right out of the pouch, I need only two relights after I got it going. Some occasional light tamping was all that was needed.
Well this sure simplifies things for now. Who knows how my tastes may change In the future, but for now I have no doubt that my new found preference for cobs and Carter Hall will surely make my budget happy, as well as my palate.
Thank y'all for the introduction to this nice tobacco.
Cheers,

Bill

 

flyguy

Lifer
Nov 20, 2012
1,018
4
Glad you enjoy it Billp. Many refer to CH as a condiment tobacco. I prefer to use it as a "base" or foundation tobacco and mix it with other blends to give it a little extra somethin'. CH is a great way to have an enjoyable smoke without going bankrupt.

As you stated, CH burns really well. It is a great tobacco to learn a smoking cadence as it burns a tad hot if you puff too hard.

 

smeigs

Lifer
Jun 26, 2012
1,049
7
I still smoke carter hall pretty frequently. Usually when I am cleaning the yard, at the lake or fly fishing.. Great blend for a quick smoke! Glad you enjoy it as well.

 

soggycitybob

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 30, 2013
222
0
Portland, OR
Like Flyguy, I also like to mix a little CH with other blends. One, it helps keep the bowl burning smooth and cool. And two, it also helps make my other more expensive aros last a lot longer.

 

brdavidson

Lifer
Dec 30, 2012
2,017
5
I find myself smoking this more than anything else right now, maybe its the summer weather who knows. Glad you enjoyed it, and yes it is easy on the bank account

 

plateauguy

Lifer
Mar 19, 2013
2,412
18
I can't believe I've never tried Carter Hall, but until last week I had never smoked Captain Black White. I had discounted these tobaccos because they are found at drugstores like RiteAid and Walgreens.
I'll get some CH today, but does it come in only one mixture or are there several that I should be aware of? For those of you that mix it - what do you mix it with?

 

brdavidson

Lifer
Dec 30, 2012
2,017
5
As far as I know it only comes in one blend. I've seen people mix it with 1Q, CBR, or virtually any other aromatic to tone down the sweetness and give them better burning qualities

 

tbradsim1

Lifer
Jan 14, 2012
9,092
11,008
Southwest Louisiana
I like it by itself or mixed with Boswells Northwoods, mixed it with Iwan Reis Blue and saved it for me, did not care for the Blue alone. Experiment and you will be happy, also mixes well with Walnut.

 

tennsmoker

Lifer
Jul 2, 2010
1,157
7
I love CH.
I have now mixed it with several other blends, such as Bradley mentioned: Walnut and aros.
Also I found out the other day mixing it a tiny bit with Edward G Robinson that it is just astoundingly good.
CH is one of the real treats out there that seemingly has a special mixing magic!

 

bryanf

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 16, 2013
742
8
While I like Carter Hall, and when I buy a pouch I probably burn through it faster than any other tobacco I smoke, as far as OTC's go, for me SIr Walter Raleigh is far better. Less added flavour and more of a pure ready rubbed burley. Give it a try. It also has more nicotine to my taste. I think I burn up Carter Hall so fast searching for nicotine which is almost non-existent in it somehow. Maybe that's the appeal for some folks that like to chain smoke it out and about or working in the shed. I could see that.

 

homeatsea

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 6, 2013
509
4
I still haven't given Carter Hall a try. Just grabbed a tub of Prince Albert from a local convenience store that I'm excited to try. It's my first "old codger" blend.

 

tennsmoker

Lifer
Jul 2, 2010
1,157
7
I should have mentioned earlier that I also smoke PA and SWR. I have smoked both since my college days when my professors were pretty much pipe smokers (all but my English prof, who chained Chesterfields, in the classroom!).
I keep tubs of CH, PA and some SWR (I'm not as fond of it as I once was) along with Walnut (thanks, Roth!). I find that these Codger Blends (I'm a codger after all), are not only a trip down memory lane, but also really excellent by themselves or mixed with, say, aros.

 

werdna

Can't Leave
Jun 6, 2013
360
2
CH, PA, and SWR are all in my rotation. I switch between them when I tire of one. SWR has a nice nutty, tart flavor, where CH is sweeter for me. I smoke the PA when my mouth is a little sore from puffing too hot, as it's light and mild.

 

ejames

Lifer
Oct 6, 2009
3,916
22
I'll get some CH today, but does it come in only one mixture or are there several that I should be aware of? For those of you that mix it - what do you mix it with?
As you can see from the replies above CH (and PA) can be mixed with about anything. I like ti mix it with English blends and VA's,especially Mac Baren VA#1 and McClelland 5100 Red Cake. At the moment I'm smoking Sutliff Sunrise Smoke mixed with CH.

 
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