Prince Albert and Carter Hall?

tpollock · Oct 7, 2013

I'm still relatively new to pipe smoking, only 2-3yrs. I started smoking a pipe with aromatics trying to quit cigarettes. Over the last couple of months I have been doing tobacco reviews for Sutliff. It seems like the more blends I try, the more I find myself liking the straight tobacco blends (non aromatic). I can't do the Latakia no matter how hard I try, my tastes just rebel against it. I feel unqualified to be doing reviews to start with, but was asked to do so anyway and I really enjoy doing them. Two of my favorite non aromatics are Prince Albert and Carter Hall and I find myself mixing these with my aromatics to get a better burn and a more pleasing taste to me. Can any one tell me more about these two tobaccos? Are they mostly Virginia or Burley, do they have any casings, etc. I appreciate any info and help as I strive to learn more about tobacco in general and hope to be a better reviewer.

Thanks,

Tim

petes03 · Oct 7, 2013

I believe Carter Hall is a straight Burley, I could be wrong. Prince Albert is mostly Burley, with some Virginia and a little Turkish, If I remember correctly. Smoked straight, I prefer CH, but PA is good straight too! I mix PA 50/50 with Smoker's Pride for a blend I call "Fat Albert". It's just a good, cheap, no frills, easy to mix smoke. You might also want to try Half&Half, it's a good Old Codger blend as well, it's also completely different than CH or PA.

tpollock · Oct 7, 2013

Thanks for the reply petes03! I started to buy a pouch of Half and Half today actually. I'll give it a try. I'm still trying to learn what the different basic tobaccos flavors are. For example what plain Virginia or plain Burley taste like so that I'll be better able to understand what taste/flavor I detect in the blends I review.

Thanks again for the reply!

Tim

taerin · Oct 7, 2013

Try some Sugar Barrel, it's along the lines of Carter Hall but I hear it is more complex and a better, fuller smoke in general. It's a burly/VA with mostly burly. I don't classify it under "aromatic" because I can't taste it in the smoke or smell it, but I can sure get that pure tobacco taste that is awesome and well behaved.

tpollock · Oct 7, 2013

Thanks for the recommendation Eric! I have asked my local tobacco store (the only one) to try to order me some Sugar Barrel. It's been about a month now and they have not gotten any in yet! I would love to try some if I can find it somewhere.

taerin · Oct 7, 2013

I sent you a pm tpollock.

tpollock · Oct 8, 2013

Got it Eric and sent you one as well.

Thanks,

Tim

papipeguy · Oct 8, 2013

The Otc or Codger Blemds yppou mention have been around forever which is testimony to their staying power. I've smoked most, if not all, of them over 49+ years. Those remaining may have changed somewhat from years ago. Half&Half used to have deer tongue in it and that has been removed in the newer version.

Eric mentioned Sugar Barrel and as I recall it was a very nice burley blend. You may wat to visit the Sutliff site to look at their offerings. They make s lot of blends that mimic the classic OTC's and do a good job of things. They have an interactive tool to match your tastes and suggest blends you may want to try.

Good luck in your piping ventures.

tpollock · Oct 8, 2013

Thank you Sir. As a new member here especially, I certainly appreciate the friendliness and help!

Tim

mso489 · Oct 8, 2013

For OTC, I also like Granger. If you want to try tobacco with no or minimal dressing, something like

McClellands Red Virginia Cake and Lanes Burley Without Bite, and others of that ilk, will give a a baseline

idea of what those tobaccos taste like. Try 'em in small quantities in bulk, like 2 oz, to see if you like them.

They are also good to mix with each other, Cavendish, or OTCs.

tpollock · Oct 8, 2013

Thank you Sir! I haven't tried Grainger yet either. I don't think my local B&M carries it but I'll see if I can find some.

Tying to figure out how to post a picture. If this works this is a pipe that I made.

papipeguy · Oct 8, 2013

If you have the time you may want to peruse the Cornell&Diehl site, They offer over 200 blends and have something for everyone. I'm a big fan of their stuff. I really like Gentleman Caller which is a burley blend with deer tongue and reminds me of the Half&Half of 30 years ago. Many fun blends.

cortezattic · Oct 8, 2013

If you want to learn the pure, unadulterated tastes of the various tobacco leaves, buy an ounce of each of

the blending tobaccos offered by 4noggins. An ounce, that is, of everything except deertongue.

An ounce of that would be a lifetime supply, so just ask Rich to provide a tiny sample. I'm pretty sure he'd be obliging.
Not only could you taste the basic tobacco, but you would probably have enough to start learning how combinations behave.

Also, check out the blending varieties offered by other sponsors, since they may fill some gaps in the array.
Lastly, check out LuxuryTobaccoReviews.com's homepage. The left hand column has tobacco blends organized by genre, or category.

Try sampling some of the highly rated or interesting blends in order to learn to distinguish one blend type from another.

tpollock · Oct 8, 2013

Sorry the picture came out so large guys! Just trying to find my way around the forum and how it works. Do all pictures post that size or is there a way to reduce to size.

tpollock · Oct 8, 2013

Thanks Cortez, I had been wandering if there was somewhere that a person could get the individual types of tobacco unblended. I know I'm a newbie, but please tell me you guys don't mean actual deer's tongue? Lol
You fella's are great, Makes me feel right at home. Thanks for taking the time to share this information with the New Guy!!!

Tim

bryanf · Oct 8, 2013

Nice pipe. You have some skill. Don't forget to try Sir Walter Raleigh. In my opinion, the best smoke with a cup of coffee in existence. More nicotine, too. Nice nutty flavor and I don't perceive any extra added flavors. Something about it- the nicotine in it really hits me good, and I have a vey high tolerance. If I smoke a big bowl with coffee, it really wakes me up!

tpollock · Oct 8, 2013

I sure will bryanf. I know my local B&M carries it but I haven't tried it yet. I want to be able to do a better job for Sutliff at reviewing their blends, so hopefully trying some of these basics you guys have recommended will help me in that. And thank you very much for the kind words about my pipe! I've only been making pipes for a few months now, but I really enjoy the art of pipe making.

checotah · Oct 8, 2013

When I first started piping, after trying several different brands without really finding anything I liked, a coworker offered me some Sir Walter Raleigh. Found I liked it, even though it was mostly Burley. Smoked it for many years. I also smoked PA a lot. Was only last year I finally got around to Carter Hall, and it is now my regular Codger brand Burley. I never could get into Half/Half. Found out it apparently has a licorice casing, and I can't stand licorice/Anise.

There are a whole lot of other types of blends that are not aromatics, so give us a shout if you want to move beyond the Codger burleys...
Good luck on your quest.

cortezattic · Oct 8, 2013

Deertongue -- named for the general shape of its leaves, is an herb sometimes called vanilla leaf, or wild vanilla, because it emits coumarin's vanilla-like odor when the leaves are crushed. Personally I don't think it has a true vanilla flavor. To me it is a spicy but pleasant herbal aromatic that is at once sweet and somewhat piquant (hot, pinching). When blended in tobacco it seems to produce a taste in the domain of the pastry spices -- unlike, but analogous to, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, mace, etc.

tpollock · Oct 8, 2013

Thanks again guys for all the responses. I really appreciate it! And thank you Cortez for clearing up the deer tongue mystery for me. Lol All this information is very helpful and I love to learn!

Tim

Prince Albert and Carter Hall?

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