Best drugstore tobacco

[Perique]

For me, it's hands down Sir Walter Raleigh (regular, not aromatic).
With no more Sugar Barrel to be found, Carter Hall would be second choice.
For aromatic pipe smokers with a well-practiced cadence, Skandinavik Full Aroma.
For some reason, and I'm in the minority here, I can't stand the Prince. And Half and Half eludes my taste buds, though the topping might be appealing, at Christmastime, on a higher quality tobacco base.
But Jud has a great point: there are some very good codger blend recreations out there, made of high quality tobacco and emulating the days before sheet "tobacco" and chemicals. Angler's Dream by P&C (Russ) is my favorite of that group. They also have a Sugar Barrel match.

 

[newbroom]

Perique. SWR was my first OTC and is right there with the other primary codgers for me. I like its cut the best, and to pick one over the other for flavor is just such a close call it's not easy.

I did find, that as I tried these progressively that I had to get acclimated to each new to me codger before I became fond. They have their own flavors, each distinctive enough to provide a pleasant change of pace from one to the other....I just hate it when I empty a tub of any of them. Like cobs, they provide a consistently pleasant experience...especially IN cobs.

 

[doctorthoss]

I'll chime in for Carter Hall, as well. In fact, not only do I feel it's the best drugstore blend, but I also think it smokes circles around most tinned blends. It also excels as a blender and is the best stuff in the world for breaking In a new briar. Also, I think possibly the best American English blend out there is a 4-1 mix of CH and McClelland's blending Latakia.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Carter Hall here too.

 

[deathmetal]

OTCs are great for a low-complexity, quick pipe-smoking experience which is useful at work and in social situations. I tend to rank Five Brothers the best, but I've heard good things about Sir Walter Raleigh, Prince Albert and Carter Hall.

 

[ray47]

Mixture 79 :mrgreen:

 

[weezell]

Carter Hall

Sir Walter Raleigh Regular

Prince Albert...

 

[maxx]

I mix Carter Hall with Prince Albert. Recently tried Velvet and won't get it again, although it's not terrible. Don't recall the taste of Sid Walter Raleigh so will maybe try that again. Anything else I've tried in OTC, I disliked.

 

[seagullplayer]

For me it was a long time before I found something I liked better than Carter Hall.
Come to think of it, I don't know that I have yet...

 

[thomasmartin]

Around here there's MB Golden Blend (Golden Extra) that's widely available at kiosks and drugstores. That stuff is smokable. The rest is hideous stuff, Borkum Riff mostly. If you want a decent smoke you have to go to a tobacco store.

 

[tennsmoker]

MSO is on target when he says "I'd recommend P&C Midtown series, and especially the only non-aromatic in the series Chestnut. It's the best tub tobacco at near the lowest price for those who want a non-aromatic that really is non-aro."
+1 on that. I also love SWR non-aro, CH and PA. Let me also say that Cornell & Diehl has "Epiphany" which is a really good match for old Revelation. Russ has also matched Revelation at P&C.

 

[Snow Hill]

Sir Walter Raleigh, an amazing OTC.

 

[puffndave]

One that isn't sold in drugstores?
Depending on which State you live in, you are likely as not to pay more money for a lesser product (taxes are fucking evil in NY) than on most which are sold online. Take a look at Pipes and Cigars or PipesPlace before you waste your money.

 

[puffndave]

I know, you probably think my attitude toward DS brands is snobbery, and just the shortest while ago I too considered going to mine and picking up some Captain Black, just to find out for myself why its so hated or loved. Then I read a bit more on humectants (preservatives which enable it to remain on shelves for decades, not like some sales clerk is likely to care one way or the other), and the rude chemical aftertaste which is invariably reported by those with the experience to know that such a thing should not exist. Then I reflected back on my own experience with cigars from the same market, such as Backwoods, which I picked up when it was too late at night to visit the cigar store, and that's when I realized that I didn't need to know any more about that genre in pipe tobacco.