Half & Half - Not Nearly As Bad As I Remember

[aldecaker]

My local grocery store started carrying Half & Half again, so as an impulse buy I bought a pouch. I don't remember the last time I tried it, but I'm pretty sure I threw away more of it than I smoked. I decided to give it another go, though, for several reasons. I tend to really like codger burleys in a cob; I have heard that the manufacturer changed and the current iteration is better; I think my brain is trying to get me used to drugstore blends in case the FDA thing goes to worst case scenario...
Anyway, I liked it much more this go-round. Instead of having an unpleasant taste, it just has a very plain taste. I find it not unacceptable, just super-plain. Light tobacco taste that has a topping, but not much. Probably not going to become one of my "go-to" blends, but a reasonable substitute if I were not able to find my other codger burleys. Lane Ready Rubbed is MUCH more to my liking, but not available on the shelf here, and may be going away soon. CH and PA are available on the shelf here, but as a last resort, I would smoke Half & Half.

 

[papipeguy]

H&H is one of the many blends that went through changes over the years. When I started smoking it, it had deer tongue in the blend. I'm not sure when that disappeared and was replaced by some other artificial flavoring. Now, I have not had any recently so maybe they decided to get closer to what it was 40 years ago. That would be a good thing.

 

[didimauw]

When I started smoking a pipe a few years ago, I used to smoke half and half. Shortly after that I discovered Carter Hall. Game over.

 

[aldecaker]

Yeah, let's just say H&H vs. CH is nowhere near a fair fight for my affections!

 

[mso489]

I had some about four or five years ago. First it tasted pretty good, nice old burley blend. But then it kept tasting a little harsh and gave some tongue bite, nothing terrible, but with not enough pleasant in return. If it's been tweaked, that may be good. I think I'll stick with my non-aros and a few more artfully blended aros for now.

 

[pagan]

I was given H&H and CB when I started, still cant get to like H&H, just bad

 

[shutterbugg]

I had a similar experience revisting H&H after some years. At one time, a veteran pipesmoker (you know, the kind who just called it smoking a pipe, not "a hobby") told me it was called Half and Half because it was 50% horse manure and 50% cow manure. I tried some and agreed wholeheartedly.
Then some years later I was out of town and ran out of tobacco and reluctantly picked up a pouch of H&H at a drugstore. This time I came to the conclusion my original opinion was far too harsh, that it probably didn't contain cow manure at all.

 

[weezell]

In the 1970's it was one of my favorites. Tried some a couple years ago(bought a tub), and hated it! Gave the tub away to a homeless guy I knew...

 

[ophiuchus]

I like Half & Half. I don't love it, but I like it. It's a pleasant enough smoke for mowing the lawn, though it falls apart in the third act. I rarely smoke this to the bottom of the bowl. At least in my experience, it's better in a cob than in a briar.
I like it best from the tub, after the seal is popped and the tub is left in a cabinet for three or four years. I wouldn't say the stuff ages, but it dries and mellows out and takes on a nice spicy-honey flavor.

 

[alexnorth]

What exactly is the FDA ''thing''?

 

[mso489]

alexnorth, go back to the "Tobacco Legislation" threads and review the new FDA regulations. This has been a continual discussion on Forums for months. You have to sign on more often.

 

[alexnorth]

I will from now on!

 

[mso489]

Come to think of it, the title on this thread says it all.

 

[jabo]

Got a batch of the "old" codger blends. Half&Half,Carter Hall, Prince Albert,and Sir Walter Raleigh. Got ta pick up a few more . All are pretty good. Staying away from Middleton Cherry Blend,Borcom Riff and some others I had bad experiences with in my youth. ;-0