Wholly Decided on Half & Half

[exterminatewho]

I'm a little late to this party, but I actually enjoy Half & Half. I bought some pouches of Carter Hall, Prince Albert, Half & Half, and Sir Walter Raleigh to do a review on OTC blends (I plan on picking up some Velvet, Granger, Chestnut, and Sweet Cask as well). Well I actually liked all of them so much I picked up tubs of all four of them. I think Carter Hall and Prince Albert are pretty similar, but with just slight differences in each to keep it from tasting the same. I guess I just really enjoy burley. SWR was my least favorite, but I still enjoyed it. Like I said, any straightforward mild burley blend seems to agree with me for some reason.
But, the H&H was my favorite. I get a slight sweetness in the beginning of the draw, then I taste the nuttiness in the burley, and there's this slight spice (VERY slight) from what I assume comes from the cinnamon type casing on there, not sure. I like it. It's smooth, it's just the right amount of sweetness (almost seems like an aromatic tbh) and I still get that burley nuttiness that I love. Overall, this is probably my favorite OTC blend at the moment.

 

[mso489]

If you haven't tried Half & Half, buy a pouch and give it a go. Some people love it. I think it varies a little more than some other OTC's. For a good old Americana smoke of Burley, Virginia, and black Cavendish, I like PC/Russ O.'s Log Cabin and various of the C & D blends with burley like Billy Budd and Old Joe Krantz. My experience with H & H fluctuated from pretty good to annoyingly harsh for an old time blend with not much nicotine that I could detect. A pouch will give you a taste, limit your investment, and give you a chance to jar it and try it again in a year if you don't like it now. Lest I get corrected, I know H&H doesn't have any black Cavendish, but that's another old time recipe that is often successful. Exterm', I've tried SWR and couldn't taste it at all; a Forums member suggested I try the recent aromatic version, which I might do by buying a pouch, taking my own advice.

 

[indianafrank]

Haven't tried H&H. But of all the codger blends I like CH.
So much that I smoke it constantly. I just can't acquire a taste for full Virginia's, Latakia, English blends, etc. And I have tins of them. I guess I'm a burley guy.
Plus, CH seems easier to light and to stay lit.
I'll try HH eventually though.

 

[aldecaker]

I re-tried H&H recently, and awarded it a good, solid, "tolerable".

 

[didimauw]

I did my time with Half and Half for a while. But after smoking Carter Hall for so long, half and half burns my tongue.

 

[mortonbriar]

I don't mind it, but will not buy a second pouch. The stench of PG when you open the bag is a little off putting but it goes away when you shake it. After trying through most of the OTC pouches SWR is the only one I will repurchase.
Isaac

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

Could anybody tell if Prince Albert has stronger /bolder taste in comparition to CH,past year I've smoked few pouches of CH and SWR regular and for the price I find both are pretty satisfactory

 

[deathmetal]

Carter Hall mostly tasted sweet to me, where Prince Albert is more Burley-forward with a sweet-sour thing going on in the background, and the chocolate-raisin-whisky flavoring they spike it with.

 

[newbroom]

One not on the list that really deserves a spot is Mixture 79.

Since this thread was started I've learned a little more about what these blends offer, what to expect, and that it usually requires a learning period when changing to a new otc codger blend to access its best qualities.

 

[deathmetal]

Mixture 79 was better than expected.
But we need a blend to pick on, and apparently the nanner baccy is pretty good (although bananas are made from goo and ooze).
I mean, we couldn't just go around slandering Penzance, could we?

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

DeathMetal: Thanks for added info,sounds just pretty appealing to me,

 

[ophiuchus]

I like the current iteration of Half & Half (it was better 30 years ago), but it's unusually finicky for an American codger blend. It doesn't work well in just any pipe; H&H likes cobs better than most briars, and it's an exercise in smoker masochism in a Medico briar. On a humid day, the bowl doesn't consistently end well. And this stuff has got too much propylene glycol in it to enjoy right out of the pouch. I find I enjoy it best (your experience may differ) if you buy it in the tub, pop the seal, and let the stuff dry for a year or more; it'll be fine without jarring. Sounds like a lot of trouble, but Half & Half can be a very serviceable, enjoyable smoke it sipped slowly in a bowl that dissipates heat well. I enjoy it in a medium/small chambered Grabow ... go figure. ::