Milan Tobacconist in Roanoke VA “Our” Blends

[Auxsender]

I’ve never had Carter Hall or Prince Albert but I did try some ounces of “Our” Carter Hall and “Our” Prince Albert from Milan Tobacconist in Roanoke VA.
They’re both super easy going, sweet, burley based codger blends that easily yield lots of flavorful smoke that’s easy to retrohale and enjoy the side stream which I appreciate.

This is my first foray into anything codgerish and I’m all in. Both blends are so easy to pack and smoke. Absolutely no bite with either blend. They’re both sweetly topped and they taste the way the public thinks pipe smoke smells which needless to say, is delicious.

I prefer the “Our” Carter Hall as it’s less chemically tasting and the toppings let the burley speak a little louder but they’re both good.
The topping lasts nearly all the way down but the tobacco seems to get a little richer in the last third which is a nice surprise.

Do these taste like the originals?
I have no idea.
Are they tasty and a joy to smoke?
Absolutely.

 

[spike]

Correction: Milan’s is in Roanoke, not Richmond.

 

[Auxsender]

Correction: Milan’s is in Roanoke, not Richmond.

Thank you.
My mistake.

 

[Hutch Piper]

So glad you have come upon these great match blends. I find that they are superior to the originals. The originals bite me and the Milan batch blends do not. I also just prefer the tastes of the match blends. They are close to the originals, for sure.

 

[Auxsender]

So glad you have come upon these great match blends. I find that they are superior to the originals. The originals bite me and the Milan batch blends do not. I also just prefer the tastes of the match blends. They are close to the originals, for sure.

Me too. They’re so simple yet done so well. I’ll probably get another QP of “Our” Carter Hall.

 

[Richmond B. Funkenhouser]

Jim says Carter Hall and Prince Albert have changed, he adjusted his reviews of both.

I haven't had the newer stuff, but I like the old stuff a lot.

I'm sure it'd be worth the gamble to get a tub of either and try it out, if you like the match blends.

 

[Auxsender]

Jim says Carter Hall and Prince Albert have changed, he adjusted his reviews of both.

I haven't had the newer stuff, but I like the old stuff a lot.

I'm sure it'd be worth the gamble to get a tub of either and try it out, if you like the match blends.

Jim’s new reviews for both new versions are not good. He infers that both products are worse now than they once were.
To me, this might be similar to Elizabethan Mixture v. Victorian Match in that it’s nearly unanimous that folks prefer Victorian Match over the latest trash in a tin that the Peterson brand is marketing and I agree.

I think I’ll just stick with these matches and probably not buy the newest iterations or search out the old stuff.
Also, I like supporting a small business.

 

[huntertrw]

Milan's "Our London Dock" is superb to my palate!

 

[burleybreath]

Milan's "Our London Dock" is superb to my palate!

I agree. But it seems nothing like the original--it's probably better. But that's going back decades. Could be me. Their "Kentucky Club Mixture" match is great too. But the top note is definitely not that of the original. I loved the smell of KC Mixture--in my case, one of the most nostalgic tobacco scents of all time. I had just finished a tub when it disappeared forever.

 

[NookersTheCat]

I agree. But it seems nothing like the original--it's probably better. But that's going back decades. Could be me. Their "Kentucky Club Mixture" match is great too. But the top note is definitely not that of the original. I loved the smell of KC Mixture--in my case, one of the most nostalgic tobacco scents of all time. I had just finished a tub when it disappeared forever.

I've found the same with "their" Middleton's Cherry as well.. that top note is just too proprietary to ever recreate imo without a chemist panel and GS/Mass Spectrometry analysis.

I'm def keen to try their PA/CH blends tho, esp before any potential Sutliff changes/substitutions... they seem to get rave reviews and I'm sure are easier to imitate due to their "generic" nature to start with

 

[Arkansas Paul]

No experience with their match blends but I will just say, if you're ever passing through it is very much worth a detour to visit their shop.
We were driving from Washington DC back to Arkansas and went about 40 minutes out of the way to stop there. Fantastic pipe shop. I've never been in a pipe shop where they were displayed so beautifully, like a jewelry store.