Prince Albert vs. Carter Hall

[deathmetal]

Having smoked a fair amount of each during the past week, here is my assessment:
Carter Hall: this is a Burley/Virginia mix, but the Virginias dominate with sweetness. As a result, the top flavoring or aromatic flavoring is less noticed, but it melds with the sweetness. This is a great blend, but it is often too sweet for me.
Price Albert: this is a Burley/Virginia mix, or a Burley blend, depending on who you talk to. Its dominant trait is that the Burley dominates, with a slighter influence of sweetness, whether from the topping or Virginias. Its weakness is that the topping makes it burn hot, and its strength is the melding of Vanilla, cacao and Burley forms a chord that rings out strong.
It is impossible for me to say which is better, but I like Prince Albert the best, only -- I wish it were stronger, and had less of a topping, so that it burned more like natural leaf.
Carter Hall is just great as an introductory blend. Burns cool, easy flavor. Mix the two for a rare treat, or if you are heading toward expert piper level, mix Prince Albert with Old Joe Krantz.
Either way, I hope that someday I encounter a palette of each of these blends. OTC does not mean B.S., nor does aromatic. There are some great flavors/sensations out there.
I submit this report on the 22nd day of September, 2016. Or 1945. Or 1917... I cannot tell any longer.

 

[aldecaker]

Taken as stand-alone blends, the "plainness" of CH fades it back to second place. But as a base for a home-brew "American-English", boy does it work some sweet, sweet magic.

 

[randelli]

Great thoughts. I have not tried either but wondered what they were like.

 

[metalheadycigarguy]

I just tried Prince Albert for the first time today, and had a couple bowls. I can tell already I'm not going to enjoy this blend. I was never a cigarette smoker, but I imagine that this is what its like to smoke cigarettes. Carter Hall was more enjoyable to me. Unless something magical happens, I won't be buying Prince Albert again.

 

[aldecaker]

Interesting. Second time today I've run across the Prince Albert/cigarettes simile.

 

[rfernand]

I like both, a lot. But I like PA more often. CH does wonders for brand new pipes - the cake builds up nicely. And there's something about PA and my authors that's just pure joy.
Sadly, PA is hard for me to get... So I buy tubs when I see them.

 

[pagan]

Interesting. Second time today I've run across the Prince Albert/cigarettes simile.

The similarity is wide known

 

[aldecaker]

Yes, it is very widely known. Out of simple curiosity, I think I may start a thread with two poll questions:
1) Does PA in some way remind you of cigarettes?
and
2) Have you ever been a cigarette smoker?
just to see if the comparison is more prevalent among cig smokers or non. I wonder if it is more room-note related, or flavor related. As a former (and occasional current) cigarette smoker, the comparison is lost on me.

 

[rfernand]

Yes, yes

 

[aldecaker]

Or, we can just start the polling now!
PA may become more widely available soon, depending on how this FDA thing shakes out. I guess that's good for those of us who like it but find it hard to come by.

 

[cobguy]

Wait ... you made Prince Ludwig before you even spent time with PA?? Impressive! ::
To me, CH seems less topped and has a more natural "nutty" flavor while PA expresses the chocolate liquor more.
Both are gone from my rotation now ... PS Cube Cut and J. Patton Storm Front have filled those shoes.

 

[aldecaker]

@Coyote- I have to agree with you. I would say the only way PA and CH "smoke alike" is that I find the burn characteristics to be pretty similar. Flavor profiles? Quite different.

 

[wilson]

I prefer CH over PA. But, taste is a subjective thing so there is no right or wrong (except when it comes to Mixture 79 -- that is just wrong).
However, if you are smoking CH it cannot be 1945 or 1917. CH was introduced in the 50's. (I looked at some old posts -- it seems that it was introduced August 13, 1956. Carter Hall day was more than a month ago. I'm surprised it was not celebrated by the folks here. We should all be ashamed of ourselves!) PA, however, has been around since 1907.

 

[deathmetal]

Wait ... you made Prince Ludwig before you even spent time with PA?

This last week, I was able to take some time to really compare the two. I have had experience with Prince Albert in the past. While I enjoy it, it can be a bit bitey because of the topping, and Prince Ludwig is hopefully milder in that aspect.

To me, CH seems less topped and has a more natural "nutty" flavor while PA expresses the chocolate liquor more.

I agree. With Carter Hall I taste the Virginias more, even if they are a smaller portion, but with Prince Albert I taste the chocolate. My conjecture is that the higher amount of topping creates more heat when burning, causing that cigarette sensation; what we know of as cigarettes in this country are generally Burley leaves and they burn hotter than pipes, causing the attributes of their smoke. When you smoke Burley too fast, it smells like cigarettes, in my experience.

 

[shutterbugg]

I don't like either of those cheap drugstore blends and never did. As long as there are better tobaccos available, and there are dozens of them that by their intro dates will pass muster with the new FDA regs, I see no reason to smoke CH or PA.

 

[aldecaker]

If you don't like them, I wouldn't think you'd smoke them regardless of what else is available. Have you tried Nightcap? A lot of people like it, but it's a bit too cigarette-ish for me.

 

[pagan]

Or, we can just start the polling now!

Yes/No, did I win?

 

[pipesmokingtom]

When you smoke Burley too fast, it smells like cigarettes, in my experience.

I think this is spot on. Cigarettes burn much hotter and the difference in combustion is what causes the cigarette smell. Burleys don't always smell offputting like cigarettes, but hot burleys often seem to.
I can smoke Haunted Bookshop in a pipe in my house - no problem. If I stuff a tube and try to light it up, I get ejected.
Which is interesting to me, because I've heard people on the procurement side of the pipe tobacco industry sample tobacco by smoking it in rolling papers. To me, a LOT is lost in flavor when tobacco burns that hot.

 

[aldecaker]

@Pagan- Yes, you did in fact win! Your valuable prize is in the mail, and thanks for playing. :wink:
@Tom- I occasionally roll a cigarette with pipe tobacco, and notice that I smoke them more "cigar style". I had never really thought about it, but the temp/taste relationship is probably why.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Funny, to me CH is more like a cigarette. PA has too much of an aromatic quality. But, maybe it depends on what cigarettes you're talking about. I was a Camel guy, so Virginias and VaPers really appealed to me, Astleys 109 was what I slid into from Camels Lights with perfect ease. Chesterfields were a latakia cigarettes, so probably one of those guys would be attracted more to an English. Marlboro is more burley-ish. Maybe it is those that people assume taste more like PA?