Old Codger Blends?

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youngpiper1

Might Stick Around
Jun 6, 2013
89
0
What exactly is an old codger blend? A friend of mine said carter hall is an "old codger blend" that is popular and old timers have been smoking it for years. Also what are some other, old codger blends?

 

brdavidson

Lifer
Dec 30, 2012
2,017
5
Generally they are your drug store blends. Prince Albert, sir. Walter Raleigh, Carter Hall, Captain Black, Granger are some examples. I personally have a tub of Captain Black and a tub of Carter Hall and every joy them both, in particular CH

 

brdavidson

Lifer
Dec 30, 2012
2,017
5
Check out 4noggins, they have a whole section called drug store blends, that's where you can find most of them.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
Half and Half, too. Don't forget it. Anything sold in a 12 or 14 oz can (these used to be 16 oz,

but never mind) is probably an over-the-counter tobacco that has been sold in groceries, drug

stores and tobacco shops for most of a century or more. The codgers mentioned started smoking

these as young men, often before World War Two, and during, or were strongly influenced by that

generation. Many of these guys smoked one of these blends pretty much all day, to the degree

they could. My dad was a Granger man. He bought it by the pouch, mostly, saying it was fresher

that way. He smoked briars and cobs. I'd love to know what brand briars he smoked, but he'd

smoke one pipe at a time, no rotation, until the bowl cracked. He'd keep some of these burnt out

pipes around to tide him over if the next one burnt out in a more extreme way. He burnt up the

occasional cob, Missouri Meerschaums I'm sure. Many of these guys stuck with one blend for

decades. Changing brand was a major life change, like changing the brand of car you drove.

These are honorable tobaccos to be taken seriously and smoked, now and then, with proper

reflection and ceremony.

 

youngpiper1

Might Stick Around
Jun 6, 2013
89
0
they have prince albert at my rite aide, and captain black, but I haven't seen carter hall. A friend recommended to start with carter hall

 

brdavidson

Lifer
Dec 30, 2012
2,017
5
Youngpiper, go to 4noggins.com and order online, they have almost every codger blend I've heard of and they sell them in 2oz samples so you don't have to buy them but the tub. Personally Carter Hall is one of my go to tobaccos, I've had more of that blend than any other. Although I've tried quite a few blends.

 

Wellington

Part of the Furniture Now
Dec 31, 2012
531
578
I second Half and Half, and also Sir Walter Raleigh hasn't been mentioned, thats a long time Codger Blend as well.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
Does Five Brothers count as a codger blend? I guess not, since it doesn't go back as far

as some of the others, so far as I know, and it isn't sold in a can. It's imported. But it

has that same rough and ready aura, although perhaps more kick than your average

all-day codger blend.

 

boudreaux

Part of the Furniture Now
Apr 7, 2013
676
1
What I might include for some other, more pricey blends that I remember from my last go-round with pipe smoking are ones like MacBaren Symphony and Dunhill Royal Yacht. I'm sure there are a million others.

 

ciderguy

Can't Leave
May 30, 2013
302
3
mso489, I count Five Brothers as an old codger blend. It goes back to the 1860s, started in the USA, and is full of burley goodness. I've only tried CH, PA, and SWR and I liked CH the best out of those three. I have some Five Brothers on the way, and I think my next OTC after that will be Walnut if I can find it.

 

papipeguy

Lifer
Jul 31, 2010
15,778
35
Bethlehem, Pa.
I have lost count of the blends I've smoked over the past 43 years but I did have most of the old blends. There were some good ones and many that were just crap. If anyone is interesterd in the styles of blends from the 1940's through the 1960's then I would recommend taking a look at the Sutliffe line. They offer close copies of the classic blends but with better quality tobaccos, in my opinion.

 

judcole

Lifer
Sep 14, 2011
7,149
32,920
Detroit
I would consider a "codger blend" to be one of the old time burleys that has been available for so long that nobody can remember when it wasn't. :) Aros of the Captain Black/Borkum Riff sort don't qualify. Most of 'em are available in pocket size pouches and larger tins of the 12-14 oz size. I'm not real fond of them, myself, with Walnut being the exception that proves the rule - and even that is not a "gotta have it" blend. :puffy:

 

durham270

(Bailey's Briar)
Jan 30, 2013
920
49
61
Kentucky
Jud, I've been wanting to try the Walnut myself for awhile and asked my local B&M to add some to their next order for me. Let's hope they get it in stock. Another I've been wanting to try but it's always either out of stock or on back order is Holiday Excursion. Would I be wasting my money on a tin of this?

 
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