Tobaccos Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) - Half & Half

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-07-12		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

UPDATE 10/19/16

Smoked about 2 oz of the new Lane version which addresses all of the problems with the Pinkerton version of my earlier review. This has no chemical, plastic taste and instead tastes like a reasonably well done mostly burley with a bit of bright Virginia leaf. This is something that I could smoke all the time if I had to, whereas the previous version is something I hope to never smoke again. Now this is probably one of the better OTC's available and is worth 3 stars. Good stuff!

ORIGINAL REVIEW I was gifted most of a large tub of this, an action I at first thought gracious - until I smoked a couple of bowls of it.

I neither see nor taste any virginia in this mess; just a lot of heavily cased probably raw off the stalk burley. This is definitely one of the 5 worst tobaccos I've ever smoked. If you can tolerate it in a pinch, my hat is off to you. If you actually like it, I salute you. But if you come to my house and want to try some from my tub and have never smoked it, I will do my best to dissuade you. If I cannot, you must sign a waiver that says you won't sue me as your host for jeopardizing your health and safety, as well as your taste buds.

I have a better idea. This might make a good fertilizer/weed killer.

34 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Fofo (81)	2008-05-19		Medium	Very Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

Simple and cheap smoke, along the lines of Carter Hall. If you like burley then give this a shot. One of my regular smokes, tasty, nutty, easy to smoke.

I often see bad reviews on long standing quality tobacco like this one, the reason? snobbery, plain and simple. Many new generations of pipe smokers seem to forget that pipe smoking is about rest and relaxation, smoking what pleases you and nothing more. While I do not disagree that sampling different blends is nice you have to keep in mind that most pipe smokers don't have the so called rotation or buy hundreds of different tins of foo foo blends.

Take it for what it is, for what it promises to be: a straight forward and relaxing smoke, nothing else. Want complexity? look elswere, as in a different price range, don't complain about the quality of a ford focus when you are used to driving a corvette.

34 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3047)	2012-11-03		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I tried this blend in the 1970s and hated it. I wasn't ready for burleys and certainly not this one. Very recently, I decided to give it a try when I learned Lane took over production from Pinkerton, and a number of people said this was better now. I had to wait until I finished a pouch before deciding what to think of this blend. I didn't like the first few bowls. I was put off by the strong chemical taste and smell. I had thought about not finishing the pouch, but I soldiered on. I'm glad I did. The taste grew on me a bit. The chemical taste became less noticeable after I dried it out, and started smoking it slowly in a cob and one dedicated briar. The alcohol/liquor, anise, and other toppings (one of which has a cherry-like essence) and spices fairly overpowers the Virginia (which is lightly grassy), and halfway does the same to the burly, though I do get a nutty, earthy, molasses taste from it. There is a slight cigarette note, too. The nic-hit is mild. The strength is just past the center of mild to medium, while the taste is a step past that. It burns cool at a reasonable pace, and gives you a decent amount of smoke, and a very consistent flavor. Didn't bite or get harsh, but left some moisture in the bowl. Requires an average number of relights. Can be an all day smoke. Two and a half stars.

-JimInks

28 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2007-05-01		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

A few points to add to the excellent review by "Hink" of a true American tobacco. Pinkerton has done a great job in maintaining one of the classic American tobaccos, some of the others being Prince Albert, Sir Walter Raleigh, and Edgeworth RRd. When H&H was an American Tobacco product, the burley was a little thicker cut, but basically, the aroma and the burn are the same. Nothing here but Kentucky and Tennessee burleys and virginia bright flake. Funny but I always found that this tobacco favored a larger billiard bowl, and would always smoke clean to the bottom, with a fragrant white-gray ash and very little moisture. It also has one of the most distinctive room fragrances that I ever encountered. It is still my "go to" tobacco if I'm traveling and run out of my normal smoke. The only complaint that I ever had was that if H&H was dry, it wouldn't rehydrate and that it would only re-blend with Paladin Black Cherry (3 parts H&H to 1 part PBC, evens out the PBC). I do prefer the can to the pouch, because the first cut from the can gives out some of the best fragrances of tobacco, especially like that of baking bread and autumn leaves. It may not be the best smoke to start a pipesmoking career, because it can be a little stout for a new smoker. Highly recommended as a change of pace smoke for the aromatically inclined, to taste what tobacco is really like.

I'm recanting my earlier heresy; this is a 4star tobacco. After finishing my second full can of H&H, I'm convinced that H&H may be, w/ PA, the best "go-to" tobaccos on the market. Acrid smoke, unique taste, never bites...Pinkerton, I'm sorry that I doubted your abilities. I will not mock the nay-sayers. I will only say that these blends bring it home for me, w/o pretension or guile.

23 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	northernpiper31 (2)	2014-02-07		Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I am setting the record straight. This tobacco is a very good smoker, it has a great taste, and is does not bite like people say, there is a little bite at the end of the bowl, but that is common with a lot of tobaccos. I say try it. You see the problem with most reviews are that 1. These people are newer to pipe( I'm 18 years running) 2. Haven't explored the range of tobaccos( I'm 830 blends stong 3. ( the big one) their palate isn't for this kind of tobacco ex:aromatic, english ect. This is a good blend, just give it a try before these bad reviews make it disapear forever.

Pipe Used: dunhills, falcons, peterson

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

20 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	smoke65 (4)	2009-08-23		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

BEST PART: finishing the pouch (hate to waste $$$$$)

WORST PART: buying the pouch (see answer above)

CONLUSION: don't waste your $$$ on this product

19 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Robdlouisville (10)	2013-07-24		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

When Skandanavik bought this brand they must have gone back to the original recipe. I smoked this in the 1970's and really liked it. Pinkerton tobacco changed the formula and it was horrible. I am not sure if it is still made in Owensboro, ky. The formula has gone back to the old one that I loved. When you buy this stuff, make sure it is stamped Skandanavik. Other wise, you will be getting the old production of less tasteful tobacco blend. SOme smokers have said this contains deer tongue tobacco. Others compare it to anise or cherry. It has a very unique taste. I love it personally. I sometimes mix it with other burleys to flavor it just a bit. I will be buying a few tins to keep on hand. This tobacco does not burn my tongue. It is smooth to me. Taste great in a cob or briar. Burns rather quickly. Easy to light. I am so glad they went back to the original formula.

18 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Olivermac (19)	2019-08-10		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Well, I'm going to finally add my 2 cents to the reviews of this tobacco. I've put it off for no particular reason. Maybe I just wanted to say the right things. This was the 1st tobacco I smoked that let me know that I am truly a pipe smoker and probably always will be. I, for the life of me, cannot understand why so many seem to dislike this blend. I absolutely love the pouch note and I think this is how pipe tobacco should smell. I just can't get enough of the aroma! I end up having to make myself stop smelling it so I can load it up to smoke it. I've smoked all kinds of pipe tobacco and have a veritable pipe tobacco store inside my house. This is in no way an uninformed review. I had the best pipe smoking experience of my life smoking this blend. It was one of those where you just sit back, close your eyes, and smile as you smoke. Not because you're trying to 'engage' that feeling and experience, but just because it's happening all on it's own. I'm not sitting here saying that just anyone can go buy a pouch of this and replicate my experience. All I can say is what I've personally experienced with half n half. I still have this in my rotation and it's flavor evolves with my tastes and I'm in a better than usual phase with this tobacco at the moment, but it is always good to me. People compare it to PA or CH, but for me, hnh is too different to directly compare to anything really. It stands on it's own as my favorite OTC blend. I will always have a place reserved for the tobacco that really properly introduced my to the wonderful, immensely enjoyable pastime that is pipe smoking.

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: My local Velero

13 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Moe (46)	2007-10-11		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A very very good all day smoke. Easy on the tongue as it is on the wallet. I have many tobaccos in my cellar that I dont enjoy nearly as much as this fine tasting blend. I feel that you really need to use a well burley seasoned pipe to get this tobacco. Keep telling yourself that you need to spend $5 an ounce on pipe tobacco before its any good. If Pease had his label on this blend, and a $50 per/lb price tag. The internet tobacco experts would all sing its praise.

13 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kashmir (21)	2015-05-12		Mild	Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

Well, after nearly 35 yrs. of piping I had yet to try Half & Half. Started out in the eighties with Captain Black White. And Prince Albert. But for the last fifteen years or so, a solid English and Balkan blend smoker. My mainstays being Abingdon, Westminster, Star of the East, Pirate Kake, Crown Achievement, London Mixture, Nightcap, Durbar, Aperitif, Black Mallory, Red Repparee, White Knight, etc. And occasionally the Virginia flake like Dark Star, and Blackwoods Flake, etc. And Escudo or Navy Rolls. Even St. Bruno I really like. All this is to say, I've been around the block quite a few times in regards to pipe tabac. Well, I must say, I truly enjoy H&H. Its a codger OTC burley. Been around forever. And with good reason. Its an all day smoke. Delivers a cool fine low nic burley bright smoke, with a hint of anise and perhaps cinnamon and cloves. I love it. Can't understand all the negative reviews. You know, if GL Pease made this the blend would receive outstanding reviews. Its that good. And, by the way, H&H was Civil War historian Shelbey Foote's favorite go to smoke. And if it was good enough for him, why its good enough for me. I'll be stocking up on H&H.

Pipe Used: Dunhill shells

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: JR Cigars

Similar Blends: Carter Hall, Prince Albert.

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2007-05-01		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Below is my original review of H&H done a couple of years ago. I have just had the opportunity to enjoy a tin of 30 year old H&H when it was produced by the old American Tobacco Company and there is quite a difference from the current Pinkerton Tobacco Company production of H&H. Although somewhat similar in taste, the original American Tobacco Company stuff is much smoother, had absolutely no bite and the smell upon opening the tin was "to die for." Additionally, the old stuff was headier - particularly in the nicotine department. I'm going to be on the lookout for more as the American Tobacco Company's version would be one of my all-time top-10 blends. The following review centers on the current production H&H.

Hey...this stuff isn't too bad. It has a bit of a sweet taste, and the Virginia seems to be of good quality. The burley keeps the smoke cool. I smoked a pouch of this over a three day period, and the only complaint I can find is that some bowls would produce a rank taste as I hit the strike zone. It can bite a bit if not respected. Nice room aroma.

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sunday (27)	2013-10-19		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Well it may seem that all I review are the standard OTC tobaccos which by nature have hundreds of reviews, but I feel compelled to set the record straight. Half and half is good, very good as a matter of fact. It isn't the absolute best blend of complex alchemy ever invented by tobacconists but because my grandfather smoked it I was biased to give it a try. Take this review with a grain of salt as I have only been smoking a pipe for a year but no bite, smooth, burned well, best pouch note of any OTC, and can be mixed with a black Cavendish for an even better burn, recommended to all my friends if I had any. LOL

Pipe Used: MM Cob

Purchased From: wvsmokeshop.com

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PhillyB (70)	2014-05-19		Very Mild	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

It seems like there are mixed feelings on this blend. I am personally of the crowd that likes it. I'm not really all that crazy about it but I do enjoy it. The smell from the pouch can put some people off, but I like it because we have a jar of potpourri that smells EXACTLY like this. For those of you who don't know what potpourri is imagine a very heavy bourbon mixed with citrus and cinnamon. Tasty, but will definitely put some people off. Tastes like a basic burley with a little added sweetness and (maybe) mulling spice. No bite, and could definitely smoke this all day if i wanted to. Just not to everyone's liking.

Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum Legend

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StageCarp (8)	2016-07-19		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I like the current Scandinavian Tobacco Group iteration. I realize that each persons taste & aroma impressions are highly subjective. Reading over the other reviews here, one sees every description of this blend from anise, to cherry, deer tongue, etc... to those who perceive it as uncased Burley & Virginia. Having tried this in the past ( ancient pouches on dusty drug store shelves) from past makers, I can't say I was too impressed.... dry and bland. As years go by, from time to time, one sees these old familiar blends for sale and cannot help but ask what gives them their staying power in the market for so many decades... and I pick up another sample. The latest was of the STG current product. After finishing the pouch, I went and ordered a tub from P&C's. It's sweeter and spicier than I'd remembered, and I couldn't place the flavors, but they were definitely there and pleasant. Going to the horse's mouth, the STG web page, it states that Half and Half has flavorings of Cardamom and Coriander.... in my book, a unique combo, and one that works very well here. I also felt redeemed in my describing it as a sweet-spice flavor. Also, better from the tub! This is a tobacco that some will love, and others, not so much. All a matter of tastes. But I've come to really enjoy it's flavor & aroma, and would encourage others to try it without any preconceived notions about it.. ( it's a "codger blend".. "it's too inexpensive to be any good" etc...) .... just be sure you get current production, and not a shelf-relic.

Pipe Used: MM Country Gentleman ... new for this blend

Age When Smoked: as bought

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars

Similar Blends: ...... pretty unique to my taste... nothing else springs to mind..

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Old Schoolr (14)	2011-04-06		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

This is my favorite pipe tobacco, my "Desert Island" pick. Yes, I like burley & yes, I like a cheap smoke. There is no shame in knowing what I like & admitting it. There isn't an activity I can do & smoke a pipe while doing that this doesn't fit. Walking the dog, fly fishing, doing yard work, Half & Half compliments them all. I like that the flavor is consistent from top to bottom & from bowl to bowl. I like the "mint" or "clove" essence (I'm not sure which it is). My only complaint w/ another “codger burley”, Prince Albert is its tendency to get bitter at the end of the bowl & Half & Half never gets bitter or bites. I can smoke this fresh out of a new pouch or when it's dry at the end & it still delivers a good smoke. The comments about “anise” or “licorice” are so far off the map I'm not sure where they come from. Or are people just repeating what they see other guys post? No anise flavor here. Nope, just a cargo of contentment.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	bobbysmokes (15)	2016-05-19		Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

I have recently been trying all the "old school" blends and have fallen in love with Half and Half (H&H). While many have commented on the simplicity of this blend as a negative, I think this is what gives this blend character. If you are looking for a smoke that tastes like tobacco, this is for you. I have been smoking this blend solely the last four days and find it to give me everything I look for in smoke - pleasant taste, easy to stay lit (low maintenance smoke), no tongue bite and a pleasant aftertaste when smoke is completed. I think I will make this my everyday smoke and know it will be available well after the evil FDA regulation goes into effect later this year. If you are looking for the Miller/Bud Light of tobaccos, this is it...simple and delicious!

Pipe Used: Dagner Devil Anse (P3) and Rhodesian (P4)

Age When Smoked: Unkown

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars

Similar Blends: Sir Walter Raleigh, Carter Hall, Haunted Bookshop (this blend is much lighter than the bookshop however).

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Douglas (1)	2020-07-24		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

As a kid I remember walking in a room where half and half had been smoked and loving the very aromatic after smell. Now as a pipe smoker in my 40s, it is my #1 go to brand and the best tasting tobacco I have ever put in a pipe. Perhaps my opinion of it being the best is based in a somewhat biased criteria as it gives me a mild sense of de ja vu of a simpler time. Still, biased or not doesn't change the fact that it's a very good smoke. Five stars from me.

Pipe Used: Ambassador and dr grabow briars

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	papapauly (24)	2016-12-29		Very Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Since lane got ahold of some of the older codger blends they have corrected the problems that plagued these brands over their years with Pinkerton. A few years ago half and half lost me, too much chemical taste and all around not an enjoyable smoke. Now lane has it and half and half is what it should be, smooth, slightly sweet cherry or anise flavor, and good quality burley/Virginia bright leaf tobacco's. I am a big fan of burley and I enjoy the old American blends more than I do the newer brands. I keep Prince Albert, granger, and others right next to my c&d and McClelland blends. I am glad half and half can join my tobacco cellar now that lane has fixed this classic pipe tobacco

Pipe Used: Missouri meerschaum and briar

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: smokers outlet

Similar Blends: Velvet and sir walter raleigh.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	scootertrash (10)	2016-06-17		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Update: (STG Lane)

Thought I would add an update now that Lane now produces Half and Half. I find it similar to the Pinkerton product, but I think they dialed down Half and Half's unique flavor a little. I still smoke it occasionally and still enjoy it.

Original Review: (Pinkerton Tobacco)

I smoke a few bowls of this tobacco a week. I do have a pipe dedicated to it. Maven's Choice in the Winter 97 issue of PipeSmoke Magazine described this tobacco as "Burley & Bright; cased with a basic combination of licorice, molasses, and invert sugars, the blend is then top-dressed with a spice flavoring derived from marinating cloves, cinnamon, and other spices in rum", and I believe that's probably right, especially the "clove" part, which I believe is what might make it a like it or hate it blend. Some reviewers stated it reminded them of cigarettes, & I agree. CAMEL was even mentioned. I smoked CAMELS most of my adult life (no longer do), and they didn't taste like H & H, but LUCKY STRIKE cigarettes when still made by AMERICAN TOBACCO tasted alot like Half & Half, and with good reason. A little history: My grandfather smoked Half & Half, he quit before I was born so I don't have fond memories of the aroma of his pipe. What I do have is his hardware collection stored in Half & Half tobacco tins. Some of these old tins looked very different from the one's we see now. Instead of saying "Burley & Bright" they have "Genuine Lucky Strike Roll Cut Tobacco" "& Buckingham Bright Cut Plug Smoking Tobacco" with the "Lucky Strike" residing in the very familiar red circle we see on Lucky Strike cigarette packs. It turns out H&H was originally formulated by mixing half & half two already existing tobacco brands acquired by the American Tobacco company in the early part of the 20th century. Also Lucky Strike cigarettes emerged after cigarette smoking became popular about the time of WW I. I thought the history might be interesting. I hope I didn't bore anyone. Half & Half is a drugstore tobacco that cost about $2 a pouch. I keep a pouch around and enjoy it occasionally. Maybe I smoke it for nostalgic reasons, but I don't find it an offensive smoke. I find it smokes cool & dry to the bottom of the bowl leaving a fine grey ash.

Pipe Used: Cobs and Briars

Age When Smoked: New to a couple of months

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	janim1 (2)	2016-06-09		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Bought my first pouch yesterday, first i was not sure if i want to spent my money on this because in my country it costs 15,50€ and all Peterson blends costs 20€ but im glad i did, this tobacco is just perfect to smoke while driving or whenever you want to JUST smoke and not over think the tobacco. At the first light it releases a barrage of flavors and mellows futher down the bowl, but every once in a while it reminds you that there's Half and Half in your pipe. It isn't an heavy aromatic i get more tobacco flavors than anything else. It burns cool and somewhat fast and doesn't bite at all. On the nicotine content its in the middle, more than enough for me. Dont become skeptical on reading these reviews here, this tobacco is a mist try. I myself been smoking pipe over a year mostly Petersons blends, English, balkans and everything between, so i dont shy from trying anything new, neither should you.

Pipe Used: cob, clay and Poker by CROW

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: Local kiosk

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SteelCowboy (685)	2014-03-13		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I have had decent luck with some of the OTC blends like Prince Albert and Carter Hall and I try to compare them to each other rather than to more expensive boutique tobaccos. Unfortunately, my experience with Half and Half just went from bad to worse. It starts with an awful pouch note that smells of medicine and goes downhill from there. In the pipe, I find the flavor to taste somewhat like burning plastic smells. It bites and will ghost a pipe. Whatever Virginia is in there, it is not of high quality and the Burley is well below average. There are simply better over the counter blends on the market. I also have a tip for those that say that it’s all about the price. If you compare the cost per ounce here in the US of Half and Half to the cost per ounce of a wide variety of bulk aromatics made by blenders like Lane Limited, Newminster, or Altadis you will find that they cost the same or are less expensive and of much higher quality. It is rare that I can’t find at least one redeeming quality in a pipe tobacco and as a result, I seldom post one star reviews. But Half and Half has well earned it.

Age When Smoked: new

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2013-10-05		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a wonderful cut of tobacco, period! It must be packed loosely in order to fully enjoy the flavor of this tobacco. It has a liquer casing to it and that is evident upon opening a canister. I was always told the canister has a better flavor so I went with that suggestion. I can see why this has been around for so long. I like the cigarette-like taste as have millions of others who've come before me. This is not a "sit down and concentrate on my bowl" but a mild tobacco blend made for the everyday smoker who has an addiction to nicotine. This is one of those old everyman, everyday tobaccos that smokers buy habitually and smoke the same. For all the negative reviews, I can understand why they gave it a bad review. You almost have to "learn" how to smoke this blend to fully enjoy it. Otherwise, this is a great go-to blend and will always be in my rotation along with SWR.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	fr_tom (393)	2013-05-17		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This was my father's daily smoke, and I have tried it every ten years or so. For my palate, it has a somewhat sour taste and does not have much to recommend it. You can get it everywhere, and some people seem to like it. I am not one of them.

FWIW, I did not taste any anise or liquor favor. There is a little grassy Virginia in there and the burley is a fairly non-descript nutty. The flavor improves when dried and the topping flashes off, but is still sour. From the pouch I get a chemical taste when first lighting.

Edit: I bought another pouch of this and found it better than I remembered. I finished this pouch and decided it needed more than 1 star.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-08-19		Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I bought a pouch of Half and Half because it's cheap and I was low on cash and I've seen it on the shelves of my local drug and grocery stores all my life so I thought I'd give it a shot. I needed some tobacco to take to work with me. I was very disappointed. I found it very wet and sticky and has the nastiest aroma. I puffed on it for about 10 seconds and had scoop the nasty stuff out of my bowl. I wanted to brush my teeth in the worst way. It really gummed up the bowl of my pipe. I figured maybe I should let some dry out then give it another go. That was also a mistake. It did load easier and didn't gum or plug up my pipe but it burned incredibly hot and the aroma, just can't get passed the smell or flavor of this.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Deckard Cain (39)	2022-05-23		Strong	Mild	Full	Pleasant

This is a seriously underrated tobacco, and I think most seasoned pipe smokers know this. My first experience with this, was when I was young. But at a drugstore while on vacation. I won't lie, I hated the taste. But I was young, and I really didn't know much about tobacco, all I smoked at the time was aromatic blends. I know, I know, dont say it. But in all of my youthful ignorance, I did make one good observation. This stuff has a truly unique room note.

Time passed and I matured, after a few years of the normal pitfalls. The hard lessons, torched tongues, and general dissatisfaction with the flavor of smoke caused me to reevaluate everything and start a new from the basics. Corn cob pipes helped greatly to taste the true flavor of tobacco and become familiar with it. Cobs also help greatly to drop the pretentious image that so many young smokers pursue.

Eventually, years later I came back to this blend, and found it to be quite charming. It's an old time smoke. It smokes best from a cob. You don't puff this blend, little sips bring out its best. And yes, it still has a fantastic room note.

Pipe Used: Cobs, grabow briar

Age When Smoked: 1-2

Purchased From: Drugstore

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WorkingClassChap (197)	2022-01-30		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Smoking now:

Making my way though OTC blends. Next up, Half and Half. Bag smells like burley. Has a chocolate cherry brownie smell. Had a bit of that plastic smell similar to other pouch OTC blends.

Now I was super looking forward to this blend because the art work on the pouch and that it has Virginia in it.

The taste… it’s harsh. Burley tobacco usually bites me and does not agree with my Ph. This is no exception. I can’t tell if their is Virginia in this or not. It’s not sweet at all and has mostly burley flavors. Slight chocolate cherry flavor. Earthy nutty plastic burley. Has a sharp mouth feel… it’s not good. It’s not as bad as velvet, but not even close to SWR, Granger, or in the same league as CH. When smoked very slow with a coffee it’s doable. Probably am not finishing the pouch. Non smokers in the room with me said it wasn’t offensive but the aroma wasn’t good either.

Your great grandpa probably smoked it but if he had access to the internet he probably wouldn’t have.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Leon (85)	2021-03-16		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

Out of the pouch/tub you're introduced to a classic American old-fashion "codger" blend scent of anisette and perhaps just a drop of vanilla and cocoa from the Burley.

Upon smoking it, that sweet old-fashion pipe smell comes out immediately. It's very mellow, smooth, and satisfying. The role of the Virginia is not to provide the sweetness, but rather to smooth out the Burley cocoa flavor. The sweetness, in my opinion, comes more from the toppings.

Its flavor is balance between the different ingredients, not much to think about, just smoke it.

As are other codger blends, this one is very easy to pack and smoke. The cut is, again, an old fashion cube, which makes it very easy to deal with. The flavor doesn't change throughout the smoke, and the moisture level is perfect right out of the tub/pouch. Easily an all-day smoke. For me, however, the only issue with the codger blends is that they're a bit too mild in strength for me to smoke all day. However, if this was as is, with just more nicotine kick, I could've easily "live off" this blend alone.

Aside from the mild strength, the body is mild as well. It isn't complex, nor is it a one-dimensional blend. There's enough there to satisfy and not bore, but also not something to make you stop whatever you do and start analyze it.

You can call it names, degrade it, push it aside, and not think about it. But when I want to have a smoke, I often reach out to Half & Half as a default. It tastes good, very easy to smoke, no chance of bite, and very affordable.

Pipe Used: Medium-size billiards and Lovats

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	North State (72)	2020-04-03		Mild to Medium	Extra Strong	Mild to Medium	Very Strong

What a disappointment.

I have to say I was expecting a lot from Half & Half. It's a burley blend, and I love burley; it's been around for ages, so it has some degree of popularity at least. But already the pouch note is a little bit off: An aromatic? Smells like a laundromat, what the heck have they put in this, and above all, why? Good burley is good and needs no flavouring whatsoever, and bad burley - insofar as such a thing exists - would not be worth keeping at all.

Then, the first few puffs... What the... How... Why... Feels like a solid burley base, but in an effort to spice it up (Again: Why? WHY?) the taste is as if someone sprinkled my good burley liberally with washing powder. And now that I read the contents list here at TobaccoReviews I can see that they put aniseed in it and that pretty much explains everything; I hate the stuff up to the point of being almost allergic to it.

No, no, no, and no. Never again in my pipes; I'm pretty sure it even ghosted the one I was using with aniseed a little bit. What a waste of good burley tobacco!

(Now I'm actually a bit at a loss as to which Half & Half I should put this review under as there seem to be two identical articles for this tobacco in the database, but since mine came in a pouch and this has a picture of a pouch, I'll put it here.)

Pipe Used: various

Age When Smoked: Fresh from pouch

Purchased From: Tobacco shop in Turku Finland

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Seabhac (5)	2019-12-23		Mild	Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Beautiful Soft, nutty Smoke. Notes of raisin in the pouch- very slight on the palate. The Virginia sweetens the nuttiness of the Burley.This is NOT a complex blend. It is for slowing down and simple enjoyment. Plus it's AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE! 5 Stars for me. =

Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum Legend

Age When Smoked: New pack aged about 2 weeks in a Mason Jar

Purchased From: Local

Similar Blends: Incomparable in flavor to most OTCs. I would say it's similar to C&D Briar Fox with some raisin or plum rum topical notes..

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BingCrosby (162)	2019-03-07		Mild	Strong	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Knowing this blends reputation as a classic otc I was looking forward to trying it for quite sometime.. I was quite disappointed immediately after opening the pouch and smelling what I consider to be a rather aggressive and cloying chemically aroma.. but I figured it still may have a secret to two up its sleeve, so I lit it up hoping for some kind of Carter hall or prince albert level experience.. I really despised my first smoke.. I am stunned that some people refer to this as a 'natural' tobacco.. you really have to dig to get to the leaf.. and the leaf to me is very underwhelming.. I did come back to it again.. and like so many things after the initial letdown you can find things to like.. it does settle down as you go down the bowl.. but it just isn't for me.. I think you really have to like the flavoring to dig this one.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	dm (3)	2014-05-15		Very Mild	None Detected	Very Mild	Unnoticeable

This tobacco seems to me to be a nice blend of basic smoking tobaccos. It's chunky cut makes it pack nicely in my pipes. The smoke is a little unremarkable. I mean it smokes well enough, cool, even, and mellow, but it has little flavor or room note. It's not unpleasant mind you, just ok. It's a good all 'round under achiever for a rainy day staring out the window into the back garden.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	whippersnapper (6)	2014-02-21		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

For the life of me, I simply cannot understand why all the negative reviews of this brand. What do people expect from a pouch they paid less than $5 for???? H&H is a quality burley blend as far as OTC's go. The only thing I can think of that would explain all the negative reviews is that either A.} the reviewers are inexperienced with OTC blends and haven't triedvery many. They have probably only tried the fancier pipe tobacco blends. and B.} they probably never smoked cigarettes. Former cigarette smokers will find themselves right at home with H&H. If you've only ever smoked pipes and cigars, you'll probably be unimpressed with this and all other burley based OTC's.

All in all, H&H is nothing spectacular, it doesn't try and impress you by pretending it's something it isn't. It reveals to you what it is from the first puff and stays true to itself right on through to the last. It's a straight up burley based blend that will satisfy with it's bold burley flavor. Nothing more, nothing less.

Pipe Used: Cob

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: drug store

Similar Blends: most other OTC Brands..

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	FightingPipes (14)	2021-09-27		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I don't see what everyone is complaining about.. its another blend that's been around for over 100 years...sure it may not be perfect but for its price (approx. $2.25 per oz) what do you expect ? If Ouellette tossed this in a tin with his name on it you would all be lining up to kiss his feet and tell him how great it is... so unroll your jeans and show some respect to a codger blend you snot nose hipster...

Pipe Used: Peterson Pub

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	arcusMae (5)	2020-11-14		Mild	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

Upon opening this pouch for the first time, I had a flood of scent memories from when I was a young boy: green vinyl waiting-room chairs, push button handles on car doors, my grandpa's cabin in Northern Michigan.

I became interesting in pipe smoking because of the fond memories of my dad occasionally smoking one, but the smell of Half & Half is really like nothing I've ever experienced. It's taken me a long time to hammer down what it even smells like since I associate it so strongly with visions of my grandfather rather than scents. I can now confidently say there's a boozy nuttiness to it, like anise and almond. My wife said it smells strongly of licorice, where one of my friends said it smells exactly like Mallo Cups. As you can tell, the tin note is a bit of an enigma but I find it to be exquisite.

The cut is that rough, spongy "granola" people of speak of similar to other OTC STG brands. Though it says it right in the name, I don't see any "bright" (Virginia) tobacco - it looks identical to Sir Walter Raleigh which is all Burley. It has a nice moisture content, packs very easily and it lights with no fuss giving a smooth, velvety smoke that's easy on the nose and tastes faintly of the tin note. I can finish a bowl with no relights, but there's usually a decent amount of moisture at the base of the bowl. I love the taste and smell of the smoke, however my wife says it smells of cigarettes. There's little complexity here: it tastes of Burley with occasional hints of anise.

An all day smoke. One of my favorites - it's no wonder this brand has been around for so long.

Pipe Used: Peterson Kildare #87

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Corncob3 (77)	2019-11-02		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Smoking this as we speak. A fellow reviewer described Half and Half as stout. He is absolutely correct, which leads me right into the debate of OTC versus high end blends. If you're not use them, are new to OTC fare or have never learned how to prep before firing up a bowl then you're missing out on some very rewarding smokes. I admit Half and Half is not my favorite go to. However, it is a solid sipper type. As with all OTCs this should be dried out then crushed down somewhat before packing. Give it a false light, then light again. Sit back. puff gently and relax. The anise-cherry essences stand out. It's malty, a tinge sweet, spicy with a faint cocoa character-slightly earthy. It reminds me of Blender's Gold Royal Cherry after drying and being broken down. Half and Half is one of those blends you learn to appreciate but don't necessarily love or smoke all the time. The room note is quite nice: like brownies baking with a somewhat waxy finish. Being a loyal fan of Velvet I would probably rate this as three and half stars.

Pipe Used: Corncob

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Randy Tuggle (46)	2019-08-15		Very Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Splendid pouch note, perfect moisture level, and a great smoking experience. I taste a sugary sweetness (possibly deer tongue) with nutty burleys. Reminds me of everything good about Burley in one fantastic and unique purchase. Leaves a bit of a peppery taste mixed with something like molasses behind when finished. This is a love it or hate it smoke. I recommend everyone interested in something unique give it a try at least once.

Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum Eaton Cob

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Local B&M Tobacco Store

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Uncle Burl (7)	2017-08-04		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Having smoked a great many custom blends through the years I feel I finally have enough experience to evaluate and appreciate the old OTC brands. In my final evaluation I'd say that Half and Half is THE FINEST "Over The Counter" blend ever produced and still sold! That would be followed closely by Prince Albert, but H&H wins for me hands down. It has everything I was looking for in an everyday, anytime pipe tobacco. It's flavorful and the taste reminds me of a little bit of Ocean Spray Cranberry at times regardless of the companies actual listed toppings. It burns well and doesn't bite if it's not pushed by smoking to strong or fast. Though not PC today it's even mild enough to inhale coming from the time period long ago of a "crossover" blend (think lucky strike) tobacco for pipes and roll your own cigs. I frankly find myself reaching for it most always even though I have a wide variety of tobacco cellared away. I am well aware of how subjective taste among people, but I'm very pleased that a great many obviously agree with me since it's still being produced. Don't let older reviews keep you from trying and potentially enjoying this historical and familiar favorite of mine. If for some reason you happen to not enjoy it, you can send any left over my way! It's seriously that good to me. Some may call me common, but I've learned there's nothing wrong with that. I'm an "earthy" man, that comes from simple folks that worked the land by the sweat of their brow with calloused hands. Half and Half goes well after good honest work, wearing blue jeans and of course is best smoked from the venerable Missouri Meerschaum Corn Cob Pipe.

Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum Cob

Age When Smoked: 2017 new tub

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: Prince Albert I guess, but it really stands out alone..

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	dixcreek (184)	2016-11-09		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

Half and half has been around a while. Both as a pipe mix and a roll you own blend. Toasty nutty Burley and Bright Leaf Va. While Half And Half has taken some bad ratings, it is what it is, a simple solid no nonsense tobacco. Will it bite you, yes if you huff it too hard. Will it deliver the nicotine, yes an ample amount. Will it taste the same from top to bottom, I believe it does! While I don't smoke this everyday I do smoke it every week and I enjoy it. While this blend is not a top drawer blend it ain't exactly floor sweepings either. Solid 2 1/2 stars. I give it 3 because on the initial light it reminds me of my Grand Daddy and the Lucky Strikes he smoked.

Pipe Used: Various weapons

Age When Smoked: New and jarred for months

Purchased From: Local stores

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	MrPiper (31)	2015-02-11		Very Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I have seen a photo of President Gerald Ford in the oval office with a large tin of Half and Half on his desk. Perhaps it was in P&T Magazine. I have always thought of giving it a try but never got around to it with all of the other "new" and more glamorous choices and options. Still, when Lane sent me coupons to buy four pouches for only $1.00 each, I was finally ready and eager to give H&H a try.

Mind you, this is the 2015 vintage. Fresh and clean by Lane Limited owned at this time by STG and headquartered in Tucker, Georgia. I mention that for reference as I never tried the blend back in the late 70's when the President's smoke was available en mass.

The pouch looks plain and dated. No pizzaz, flashy color or slogan. Just the age old red white and green with the standard warning from California. The pouch was additionally enclosed in a cellophane pouch to further preserve the contents and no significant smell escaped to my senses before opening.

Once the cellophane was removed the pouch turned out to be a better than average keeper. It seem to be a more dense mylar / plastic blend that is completely opaque to light and thus I am sure going even further to protect the contents from light.

Once opened, the pouch aroma suddenly seemed familiar yet difficult to place. Over the next few minutes as I mused over the scent I wanted to call out the usual "dried fruit" but then there was even an almost chocolate mixed in. It seemed to have been in my memory but I just couldn't place it. I closed the pouch and left for a while returning to try again and this time the sensory recall was much more clear. The above analysis was correct but there was a very surprising reminiscence of Sir Walter Raleigh Regular. My first though was that Lane had simply altered a tidbit of the classic SWR recipe and was calling that Half and Half. It wasn't SWR, but it was close. Even the cut was not terribly dissimilar. The tobacco was clearly different, however, and appeared to live up to the classic tag line of "Burley and Bright." I thought to myself, We shall see.

The excellent "Chunky" cut packed softly and easily into a Stanwell Canadian with a good cake. The moisture content seemed just right from the pouch and no drying or moistening was in order. Lighting was effortless with a single match and although it may not have been needed, I let the charring light go out, gently tamped the ash with my favorite Victor Yashtylov tamper and struck match number two to begin the bowl. A rich flavor ensued that was unique to my palate.

Interestingly and rare, the flavor was quite similar to the pouch aroma. There was also clearly a tobacco flavor. I am fond of aromatics and a 25+ year smoker so my pace was set as such to move ahead slowly and yet deeply, ejecting dense clouds of grey blue smoke to curl up and over toward my table lamp. The flavor remained the same throughout the bowl with only a modest INCREASE in flavor as the bowl reached about half way. I usually find the opposite to be true with aromatics but here, the bowl did, in fact, get better as I went.

The predominate flavor was more of the "dried fruit" variety than chocolate and still I can't quite place it between plum and anise or some mix of the two. Each is very distinct and yet here, they were difficult to discern. The bowl went out just past 1/2 way and after a final relight, the tobacco burned well toward the bottom leaving only a bit of dottle and that fairly dry. The aftertaste was mild and very clearly tobacco and not topping. After the bowl was empty, a pipe cleaner was barely darkened. I used both ends and the second came out quite clean. No residue or evidence of propylene glycol.

My overall impression was that this is a tobacco well worth its price at retail and if it were in a tin with an interesting name and a story behind it their would be many who would extoll its virtue. Perhaps blind tested against a well aged virginia with a bit of quite old perique for flavor the seasoned smoker could tell which was which but most would be guessing. Many would prefer the Half and Half based on the smoothness of the flavor, inability to generate a bite to the tongue and overall pleasant experience. I enjoyed this enough to make it a regular event when I am in the mood for a classic burley blend. Maybe the reason all of the "Codger" Burley's have been around for so many decades is because if we give up our snobbery and forgo our homage to marketing of niche blends and "famous" blenders, these old classics for the most part are just good tobaccos.

Pipe Used: Stanwell Canadian

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Local Tobacco Shop

Similar Blends: Sir Walter Raleigh.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	oldcodger (74)	2014-08-21		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Half and Half is a smoking mixture that has been around since time immemorial, but it has not always been exactly the same.

Since pouch and tin declare "burley and bright", many have concluded this is an even mixture of burley and bright Virginia. It isn't, and never has been. This is a burley forward mixture with some Virginia. The "half and half" comes from its origin as a mixture of Lucky Strike smoking tobacco and something known as Buckingham Cut Plug. (You can find pictures of the tins on the internet under tobacco memorabilia.) For a brief time about 40 years ago a manufactured Half and Half cigarette was available.

During most of its long history Half and Half was a product of the American Tobacco Company. Somewhere along the way it wound up with Pinkerton, and then with Lane Ltd., Lane now being a part of the Scandinavian Tobacco Group.

For decades Half and Half has declared "cool smoking/ improved cut." The cut is fairly fine, and lights very easily. It smokes cool enough if puffed gently, but the fine cut will produce heat and bite if puffed aggressively.

The pouch (or tub) aroma is a bit off beat. Half and Half has a clearly discernible casing of anise or licorice. Traditionally it was top noted with cinnamon and clove. Lane's website notes a hint of cherry. Both with and before Lane, the sniff taste does not really discern the flavoring. The same is true with the smoking taste. Half and Half is a semi-aromatic, but the precise flavor is hard to describe.

The room note is equally a mystery. It is not quite natural tobacco, it is not quite aromatic. I personally find the aroma OK. The nicotine level is a bit below normal for a burley forward tobacco.

Pinkerton had some quality control issues. Lane Ltd. does not. But it seems to me that with Lane that the recipe has been altered. Lane's version is distinctly the better.

The current version of Half and Half provides a decent smoke in the budget priced category. It is far from being a gourmet product, but I find it to be a more than passable low price offering.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	albfneto (184)	2012-04-21		Mild	Mild	Mild	Tolerable

The classical American Burley-Virginia mixture.

Classically know to have "Virginia" regular tobacco, instead, their Pouch firms that it contains "Bright" Tobacco, not regular Virginia.

Bright Tobacco is a variety of Virginia,but generally flue-cured,for reduce their Nicotine ammount.

Half and Half is considered not aromatic, although for me, Half and Half haves a flavour, seems to me Flowers, Roses,

Very good tobacco for begginers and easy to find in any country.

This stuff is nowdays produced by the American company Pinkerton Tobacco Co, Kentucky.

RE EVALUATION: i bought a new pouch, in June 2013. Now I see that it is produced by Skandinavik

No more flavoured, seems pure tobacco,and a bad one!

The new formulation is made with very bad quality tobaccos, and common.

unfortunately, is very far from the good tobacco hat it was! Not more recommended! it is almost non more "smokable".

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	MM (12)	2022-06-27		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

My first impression of Half & Half was moderate, nothing exceptional. But over the years it grew on me the more that I’ve smoked it. It is somewhat mysterious albeit not complex. Easy to pack, tasty, consistent flavor throughout the bowl. Sometimes it needs no relights and burns clean. It performs better in a cob pipe. A satisfying, highly recommended tobacco.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Philomena (2)	2022-02-24		Medium	Medium to Strong	Extra Full	Strong

This stuff is vile.

So I'm a newbie pipe smoker, reveling in the experience of taste-testing the vast world of pipe tobacco. Not a snob, no preconceptions, and every 'baccy in this country costs the same (i.e. too much) so cost-cutting didn't enter into any buying decision. I caveat all this because some people try to paint criticism of OTC blends as some sort of class thing. It isn't.

“Notes of anise, cardamom and coriander.” Great! I think. I love those things! I eat Dutch licorice for fun. Buying it blind but can't go wrong, right?

Wrong. I bust open that bright retro pouch ready to meet my new favourite tobacco, and I'm immediately repelled by an overwhelming waft of cough syrup and vomit. It's like someone in a desperate and dark moment of life tried to chug a bottle of Robitussin and threw up into an ashtray. I'm not getting herb or spice, just sick-tinged cherry chemical.

But I'm a newbie so it's got to be me. I'm misjudging this stuff. So I half loaded my brand new dee-luxe MM Kingston Judge and took a sip. I was hit a sharp spike of pure chemical that caught my throat and made me gag as a actinic tang rushed through my sinuses and into my skull.

For some reason I soldiered on and finished the bowl. It never improved. The sweet and sour taste -- less reminiscent of Chinese takeaway and more of animal decomposition -- would fade into wet cigarette then blare up again as I hit another hellish flake of casing. I have never so badly wanted an aromatic to fail in its duty, and never had one so stubbornly, even spitefully, refuse to do so.

My head was reeling afterward, and it wasn't nicotine but some other nameless additive that was making my brain hurt. The tongue bite was the worst I've ever experienced, and my mouth felt like it was coated with burnt plastic. I went to brush my teeth. I always do this after a bowl, but this time I started seeing black, tarry soot slithering down the brush. --> Half & Half made me spit black tar! <--

I coughed for three days while my scorched throat healed, and a month later I'm still trying to get the vomit taste out of my poor snob-cob. I'm too cheap to throw the pouch out but I don't know what I'm going to do with it. I hear it shuffling and muttering in the night.

Pipe Used: MM Kingston Judge (RIP)

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

Similar Blends: Embalming fluid.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Arkansas Piper (47)	2022-02-14		Very Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Tolerable

This was quite a disappointment. I was hoping, especially with the aromatic classification, for a unique, good-ole-days smoke. This was an odd smoke all around. First, I noticed no topic. I was confused as to how it was even classified as an aromatic. It just tasted and smelled like burley. That's all. Just bland all around. Perhaps it can be useful for a DIY blend, but I'm going to avoid it myself.

Pipe Used: Medico VFQ

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Local BM

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	REO (13)	2021-07-25		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

As an undergraduate at UGA I had a chemistry professor that always smoked his pipe during his lectures. I have found memories of the aroma in his lecture room, wood, chalk and the aroma of his pipe. There was always a pouch of Half and Half on his desk. Will never forget the mentor he became and the knowledge he imparted to me. I like good Virginias and VaPers but sometimes a simple satisfying bowl that does not require attention just good pipe tobacco flavor is special. Half and Half has that whiskey aroma that has not changed over the various iterations of this classic. Maybe not for the 'single malt moments' but sure goes good with coffee, coke or beer anytime. I always keep a pouch around for those contemplative porch sessions just to relax and enjoy the simple pleasures of life.

Pipe Used: Sav 673

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Smokingpipes

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	hrhf (38)	2021-01-04		Mild to Medium	Strong	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

I’ve given this stuff several tries within the past two weeks. I should have stopped at the first bowl, which wasn’t pleasant. But I decided everything deserves a second chance. So I left the pouch to air out a bit.

When I returned to it a few nights later, the second bowl was reasonably pleasant. Of course, it was in the wee hours of the morning after a long day of heavy smoking.

So I rise the next morning, cautiously optimistic, and reach for the same pipe... not completely finished. So I decide to give it a couple more puffs.

Oh god, what a mistake. Sour. Bitter. It was like inhaling throw-up. Clearly Half-and-Half is not one of those tobaccos you can let sit once you’ve started.

Anyway, I decided maybe that was my mistake and went about the task of packing a fresh bowl of H&H in a different pipe.

Nope. Read the other negative reviews here to get more detailed descriptions of my experience. Just lousy. Very chemical-y. Coats the mouth with a foul layer of vinyl.

I really tried. While, true, I apparently have caviar tastes when it comes to tobacco, I’m quite a spendthrift and would like nothing more than to be able to make my primary tobacco something economical. It certainly won’t be Half and Half.

Age When Smoked: 2 years

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	r (34)	2019-04-14		Very Mild	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Fresh off the pouch, this nicely cut mixture advertises its aromatic nature with a sweet and minty candy-like aroma. Moisture is "just right", and it packs easy.

The burley is unsurprisingly nutty. The virginia sits coyly on top and seems to struggle to come through most of the flavoring, which I can only imagine bonded strongly with it. The retrohale reveals some spicy mint, similar to the kick one gets with Wrigley’s spearmint chewing gum. The rest of the smoke is adorned with very pleasant anisette.

There is a very nice and copious smoke coming out of this blend, and it leaves with with a slightly pleasant aftertaste and a bit of a dry mouth, but no bite at all. This mixture is easy on the relights, leaves a little bit of messy ash, and above average moisture. Hard to go wrong with this aromatic mixture.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BROBS (67)	2018-03-24		Mild to Medium	Strong	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

A very good OTC blend with the aroma and flavor of black licorice. Will not bite and has a good strength both of tobacco and casing. I do like smoking it from a cob on a summer day in the yard. Will ghost your pipe so either really like the flavor (as in you want all your tobaccos to taste like half and half) or dedicate a cob or pipe to it. Can leave a little goopy sugar in your pipe, but it’s worth it.

Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum Cob

Age When Smoked: Direct from pouch.

Purchased From: National Cigar Store Waterloo, IA

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Paul swartz (1)	2018-01-04		Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

Otc blends are like bottom shelf whiskey,some are as good as the high end brands. I smoked H and H back in the 60's and always enjoyed it. Then another company took over and it all changed and not for the better. Every time I bought a pouch I always wish I had left it in the store.Then a couple of years ago I noticed H and H was in a new package. Went ahead and bought one and was very impressed! It was better than back in the 60's. Seems like every brand taken over by STG has improved. Just fill the bowl loosely,tamp once, light,tamp lightly, relight,and you're good to go to the very bottom of the bowl.Thanks STG for saving a good traditional blend.

Pipe Used: GBD cornwall Edwards freehand

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Grocery store

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2081)	2017-07-01		Medium	Strong	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Scandinavian Tobacco Group - Half & Half.

The most of Half & Half is almost cube cut, but there are a few ribbons, and smaller flecks, too. The pouch has quite a spicy/sharp aromatic aroma to it. The moisture level makes for fast a smoke without any need for drying.

It only took me a short while to work out I didn't like the topping, it tastes quite, what's the word? Rank. Astringent, sharp, maybe acidic, and heavy. The tobaccos are a redundant flavour, as the topping covers them. I'm guessing many peoples opinion on the strength of added flavour will differ, but to me if the added flavouring qualifies as horrible that's more than enough credence to mark Strong! Here's a good point: the burn. It has a steady, and medium temperature, burn. Getting back onto the bad points, it bites me.

I don't find the room-note TOO bad, and the nicotine from Half & Half sits at about medium, maybe higher.

Not a fan:

One star.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: Various

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Cat Jockey (21)	2017-04-30		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

This is a perfectly fine tobacco. It is a definite 3 star tobacco I am giving 4 stars to in order to offset it's low rating, as a couple others (at least) have noted, whom I have quoted below. The Burley is a bit more present than the Va, and it behaves very well in the bowl throughout the smoke. The flavoring is not overpowering, nor chemically. If you think this is a cherry and anisette blend, as noted here, that is not correct (I actually just changed the 'tin description' and flavoring to make it accurate, as it incorrectly stated cherry and anisette as the flavors). STG defines the flavoring as follows: 'A timeless mix of loose cut Burley and Virginia tobaccos with flavorful notes of Cardamom [spicy/herbal/citrus], Coriander [lemony/citrus] and Maze [Mace - part of the nutmeg nut and a bit lighter in flavor than nutmeg]'.

And they have done a nice job in the application of those interestingly flavorful notes to a VaBur base without drowning out the tobacco. Though an aro, the topping is not overpowering, nor chemically. It isn't cherry (there is a similar type flavor invovled), though, so don't go looking for that flavor. Don't let the lower price/OTC classification or aro status deter you from exploring. This is no more flavored than some other VaBurs well liked and not considered true aros.

A couple quotes from others:

"I am setting the record straight. This tobacco is a very good smoker, it has a great taste, and is does not bite like people say, there is a little bite at the end of the bowl, but that is common with a lot of tobaccos. I say try it. You see the problem with most reviews are that 1. These people are newer to pipe( I'm 18 years running) 2. Haven't explored the range of tobaccos( I'm 830 blends stong 3. ( the big one) their palate isn't for this kind of tobacco ex:aromatic, english ect. This is a good blend, just give it a try before these bad reviews make it disapear forever."

&

"Keep telling yourself that you need to spend $5 an ounce on pipe tobacco before its any good. If Pease had his label on this blend, and a $50 per/lb price tag. The internet tobacco experts would all sing its praise."

Pipe Used: Nuttin' but Cobs for me ...

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lager (53)	2017-02-11		Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

I avoided this for a long time as I tried it many years ago and had a bad experience with it. I recently went through a pouch and then bought a whole can. This is a simple mixture with a light topping so don't expect a flavor explosion of great magnitudes. I like it and can see why our fathers and grandfathers may have smoked it. It is a simple blend that was created in simpler times. Packing and lighting is easy, but don't go crazy on puffing or it well get hot. Judge this on what it is,not what you think it should be. This is a good, simple all day smoke that requires little thought. We live in a crazy world, simple is good!

Pipe Used: Various petersons, don carlos

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Pipes and cigars

Similar Blends: PA, CH.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	GabrielCRT (115)	2017-02-06		Mild	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

To be honest sometimes this stuff is just awful. It can smoke hot, bite, and taste terrible. On the flip-side it can be a wonderful simple Virginia/Burley with a nice top note. One out of every five bowls is a great smoke.

When it shines, the burley is very nutty with some chocolate. The Virginia is grassy with some hay. The topping is vaguely reminiscent of deer-tongue. It's herbal, tart, and sweet. It reminds me of ginger-ale. The retrohale shows some spice. I've grown to really enjoy this OTC Tobacco but it is tough to find the sweet spot of humidity. Too wet and it bites too dry and it tastes foul. Oh well one out of five bowls is good enough for me.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	J.R. Patton (106)	2016-12-11		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium	Pleasant

Never had any earlier versions of this stuff, so this review is of the current Lane production. I've recently gotten back into the ole drug store tobacco circuit, trying to rediscover the blends that launched me on the pipe journey. Half & half was one I missed along the way, being preoccupied with the Carter Hall, PA and SWR. It's not a bad smoke. Actually, and especially considering cost, this is a pretty decent blend. I don't find any virginia, but I do get a healthy dose of nutty, bready burley in there. The topping is reminiscent of a much tamer Velvet, which always reminded me of peppery cinnamon (specifically of the Big Red chewing gum variety). The topping in Velvet is a bit overdone, but much more balanced and relaxing in H&H. Keep in mind that burley is a love it or leave it kind of tobacco...some people like me can't live without it, others shudder at the thought it should ever touch their pipes. If you enjoy burley, this might be an affordable all day sort of blend for you, but if not you'll likely be another 1-star rating hater. It does burn well and never bites me. I'm giving it 2 stars, just because I'm more likely to go for Carter Hall or SWR burley when out with a pouch.

Pipe Used: MM cobs

Age When Smoked: Fresh pouch

Purchased From: B&M

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bat (2)	2015-09-07		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Very Pleasant

I'm confused. I've been smoking pipes for over 45 years and Half & Half has always been a good old standby. Now I'm reading about differences between the blend produced by Scandinavian Tobacco and the blend from Pinkerton. The Half & Half I've gotten, lately, that seemed odd, not quite as good, but still smokable is from Scandinavian. Which, I think, bought the brand from Pinkerton? So, it would be the newer? Seems to have a bit of bite that it used to never have. Conversely, I've got Half & Half from Pinkerton, bought from a local b&m and it seems to be much closer to what I recall from days of yore. Half & Half has always been a favorite to take along on fishing trips. For some reason, I always catch more fish when smoking Half & Half.

Pipe Used: cobs & briars

Age When Smoked: 65

Purchased From: online & local b&m

Similar Blends: Prince Albert, Carter Hall, Velvet, Sir Walter Raleigh natural.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Old German puffer (106)	2015-07-28		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

I just came back to this brand today. About 10 years ago in DC I bought enough to fill a large quart jar. It had been infused with honey. It was a shop special and seemed to sell. I just opened up the jar today and it has to be the sweetest thing I have smoked. I put it in a Dr. Grabow bulldog and fired it up. It smoked very fast but it was a small bowl. Wow. I am not a big fan of half and half but this tasted great. If I had known I would have bought more. Now if anyone knows how this shop did this please tell me!!! I might just burn up my pipe on this but the taste is Awesome.

Pipe Used: Dr. Grabow S. Bulldog

Age When Smoked: 10 years jared

Purchased From: WASH. DC

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	aguineapig (6)	2015-05-24		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The Lane LTD. rendition is really superb. Mild, good flavor. Nothing to fear here, if semi-aromatic burley blends are your thing. It's not the horror that it's made out to be.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Michael Kindt (18)	2015-02-17		Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is just not a good pipe tobacco, and I tried again and again to give it the benefit of the doubt because it's an old school blend that everybody's grandpa used to smoke and blah blah blah. Has an anise, woody, sharp scent while smoking that isn't exactly unpleasant, but I tired of it quickly. I sometimes got burnt sugar/caramel notes, too, which WAS kind of unpleasant. All it's pipe-tobacco-ness goes away after about half a bowl and it becomes basically a cigarette tobacco. Made it through most of my pouch, but every bowl was less enjoyable than the last until I was like "Why the hell am I smoking this?"

As a cigarette tobacco, this may be quite good and I could possibly see it as being a transition tobacco from cigarette smoking to pipe smoking, but I'm giving it one firm star.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipenick (28)	2015-01-13		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Been smoking pipe since e 1980's and still quite passionate about it.Smoked H&H back then. Found out from another blends(mostly so called English). Last Saturday got a tin of H&H from my uncle who's been smoking pipe around 60 years. This old fella smokes mostly Carter Hall,Prince Albert,Holland House,Erinmore flake and H&H. We have had discussions 100 times about H&H and finally adjusted my mind to this blend witch's made again by it's original recipe after Scandinavik started to make it .The tin aroma is sweet and little bit odd...is it from burley or what.I dunno.Took my old faithful Chacom Billiard with medium size bowl.The smoke was quite nice...the burley blends nice with sweet virginia...there's some kind of peculiar sweetness which I haven't met for awhile...No bite,burns nice and smokes cool all the way down to the end.Next day I smoked H&H with my old MM diplomat and now I understand my old Uncle...the smoke was quite rich,cool and pleasant. H&H is not my favourite blend or blends but let's say taste from old times...I'm gonna finish my tin and perhaps some day I'll buy a another.Too many people ignore this blend and I can imagine why-young lads with perhaps just a few years of smoking in their belt can have this absurd thought that pipe smoking is rocket science or feast for people with cultivated taste and etc...Give H&H a change...I should know after almost 30 years of smoking different blends from OTC's to posh blends.

Pipe Used: Chacom billiard and MM

Age When Smoked: Straight from tin

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	The Hun (38)	2014-10-30		Mild to Medium	Strong	Medium	Tolerable

I have no idea what the topping/casing is on this stuff (variously descibed as anise or fruit) but it disagrees with me in no uncertain terms. I have tried letting the tobacco "breathe", sometimes overnight, with no relief. I cannot get past two or three draws before the taste gags me and I have to dump it out.

I have attributed this to the topping/casing, but I guess it could be some other additive. Because of this reaction I cannot really gauge the strength of the blend. Some pipesters like this (obvious by those four star ratings) but I cannot recommend it.

Pipe Used: Various Briars, Corncobs

Age When Smoked: from tin

Purchased From: local b&m

Similar Blends: Granger.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Clarkus (36)	2013-09-04		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Update 6/17/2020 I’ve gone back and forth on this a couple of times. The first was unfortunately the Pinkerton version. In any case, I recently saw a pouch in a local shop and bought it. I got back in my car and lit up a bowl and after a few minutes wondered how I had missed what I was now experiencing. This is remarkably good stuff. I’ve been smoking pipes for 52 years but ignored Half and Half smoking only “fine” blends. The more I smoked it the more I enjoyed the lightly topped blend and now I smoke it a couple of times a day - sometimes more. I’m 71 years old now and my days of experimenting and trying every blend I come across or hear about are over. All I want is a quality simple blend to smoke and enjoy without analyzing it. I only have two “go to” blends now, H & H and Sutliff Victoria. Both are smooth, lightly topped, creamy (to my taste) and most importantly non distracting. I still have a number of higher end tins and a few ounces of Lane remakes of OTC’s when I want a quick change up. In the end, I am very satisfied with my two “go to’s”. I’m upping my rating of H & H to four stars because it is a four star tobacco for me even after having been around the tobacco block many many years. Update: I'm dropping my recommendation to two stars. I'm finding it burns to quickly and is too cigarette like.

First, the pouch aroma was offensive to me, however, it did not carry over to the smoke and as I continued through the pouch the pouch aroma became somewhat pleasing. I enjoy OTC blends - American classics actually - and often prefer them to tinned tobacco and continue to search for those I can stick with. I had tried H&H on previous occasions but this is the first time that I found myself liking it. It is a good simple one dimensional smoke and that is what I look for. I smoke a pipe to relax and forget life's complexities and the last thing I want is a complex smoke.

My father smoked H&H exclusively and it always smelled like home to me. He gave up the pipe for cigars in the 60's and I really missed the pipe tobacco aroma. I started smoking a pipe in the late 60's and having a tobacconist locally, I just bypassed drug store tobacco and it has only been the last couple of years I've starting smoking them. They are worthy tobacco blends and I now prefer them to tobacco shop "jar" tobacco. In all these years I've not found a bulk tobacco in a tobacco shop that is one I wanted to stick with. I'm actually finding more satisfying smoke in these classic American blends. As many reviewers have pointed out, they have been around for a hundred years for a reason. I will always have some tins of tobaccos around for an occasional treat but I have to tell you, I'm really stuck on the drug store stuff - simple, satisfying and reasonable price.

I find H&H to be a very pleasant smoke with decent nicotine and very little bite and my only problem with it is that it burns too quickly. I'm just getting into it and it is gone already. I recently purchased a tub of Granger which scratches the same itch as H&H but burns slower and I think has the edge on flavor as well. It does have more tongue bite though. Were it not for Granger, H&H would be a "go to" blend for me but I believe I will stick with Granger and enjoy a pouch of H&H on occasion. Like many others I enjoy it in a cob but I enjoy it more in a large bowl brier.

I have to give this tobacco a "recommended". This is definitely worthy of a try. I'm sure there are many people out there that would love this tobacco but they will never consider trying it. If I get bored with Granger and want a change of pace, I'll come back to this to fill the gap for sure.

As of now, I find Granger, Sugar Barrel and Walnut adequate to fill my mood and taste swings. I just wish there was greater availability of pouches of these classic blends. There are many others I would like to try that I can't find. I don't understand why stores no longer stock them. One day they were there, then they were gone.

I should mention that the pouch I bought last week was Pinkerton production. The shop only had Lane in the tub. I'll continue to look for a pouch of the Lane production as I want to sample that also.

Pipe Used: Various cons and briars

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Local shop

Similar Blends: C & D Pegasus.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-07-28		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Tolerable

Half tasteless, half aroma-less.. But 100% crappy stuff. Burley based tobacco with no taste. I cannot understand how something terrible as this can survive for so long. It seems like horrid cigarette smoke to me. Needless to say I hate cigarettes.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	OleFattGuy (27)	2006-05-23		Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

This was boring. I bought the 50g pouch because I remembered the name and it felt like a better buy than the rest of the bags in the convenience store, but no. I should have bought the Borkum Riff or the Greve Hamilton standards 'cause this one was just plain boring. A dark, dull Burley taste, makes it possible to use it as a blending base for some interesting Latakia home made mixes though. On its own, don't bother.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	zulujerk (146)	2006-04-11		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium	Tolerable

Searching through the Orlik website I came across this perennial favorite. Count me as uninformed, I didn't know it was possible that Orlik could have acquired such a horrible tobacco. And, according to their description, it is indeed a half burley and half virginia mix--another surprise. I've heard the claim before, though I always discounted the idea. I just naturally assumed that the Pinkerton people went about collecting cigarette butts off of parking lots and threw it all in a cement mixer with a fair portion of potpourri.

Amazing how anybody could screw up perfectly good tobacco this bad.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tantric (321)	2005-12-09		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

There were two very distinctive aromas I associated pipe smoking with when I was a kid: maple/vanilla, and what ever you chose to define Half &Half's (cider? apples? citrus?). An uncle used to smoke the former, and the father of one of my best friends the latter. I loved both, but always thought Half &Half's had a manlier note to it, as it was more discreet and tobacco-like. As teenagers I remember stealing some H&H from the canister in order to roll up cigarettes, and the aroma-compared to cigarettes-was absolutely out of this world.

Nowadays, many years later (and I mean many) I find H&H more of a trip down memory lane than a smoking experience proper. Together with Prince Albert, Carter Hall and some other Middleton concoctions, this is one of the ?classic? American tobaccos readily available in Mexico City. I don't smoke it that often, but every now and then, especially when in public or family reunions, this tobacco and the Prince do come in handy.

I don't know if the H&H version I used to smoke as rolled up cigarettes was the American Tobacco Cº version or if it was the Pinkerton rendering. Today I find this tobacco has an ?industrial? note to it: both in its presentation and in flavor. It is obviously machine processed and blended. More than cut, this tobacco is chopped and even if it isn't shag, I assume it can still be smoked in cigarette form.

As far as heavily industrialized drug store blends go, H&H is a pretty good smoke. It has a subtle and piquant aroma (not entirely sweet, not entirely sour, but somewhere in between), it packs and burns easily, it isn't prone to tongue bite (except if you puff too often and heavily), and it's cheap. In spite of the strange aroma/topping, what you actually get is an unmistakable burly taste (I don't detect any Virginias here). If you do smoke it too often, I find it dries up the palate. It won't age gracefully (like a good Virginia), but it will simply turn to dust. Like memories sometimes do.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Exiled Michigander (26)	2023-01-19		Mild	Mild	Very Mild	Tolerable

This is instantly, noticeably harsher on the throat and nostrils than Sir Walter Raleigh, and burns a bit hotter than most American OTC's I've tried. The flavor lacks the depth and rich nuttiness of more refined codger blends. With so many better American-style OTC"s readily available for the same price, I simply cannot recommend this blend

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HeadmasterOfHerf (25)	2023-01-09		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Another popular codger blend, H&H sets itself apart by being topped with an anise flavoring.

Mild, no tongue bite, forgiving of your pack, and readily available. Easily an all-day smoke with a pleasant enough room note.

Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum Ozark

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NVan29 (10)	2022-12-26		Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Tolerable to Strong

This disaster grew on me. It smells like cough syrup in the bag. It has a strong cigarette scent when smoked - you will have to wash if you don't like the smell lingering on you.

The first draw, I got cough syrup and bad ciggy taste....I tried to finish the bowl nd the more I smoked it, I found myself actually getting used to the cherry cough syrup nightmare.

I can see someone who enjoys cigarettes taking a liking to this, so I would recommend this to them.

I won't buy this again but it has encouraged me to try Cult.

Pipe Used: Clay pipe

Age When Smoked: 3 months old

Purchased From: Pipes and cigars

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Old Novice (1)	2022-10-12		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I WAS PLEASANTLY SURPRISED! Have been smoking pipes regularly for 6 years. Started with Capt Black and moved to bulk aromatics from a pipe shop, Lane 1-Q , BCA, RLP-6, some light burlys, and various fruit flavors, predominantly black raspberry. I am still experimenting with my mixture preferences. I recently ran out of tobacco and purchased a pouch of Half & Half to tide me over until I can get to the pipe shop & because the price was right $4.50. It was the first thing I ever smoked 46 years ago as a teenager and found it harsh with much bite. (In all fairness, as I remember the tobacco was dry & stale and I smoked too fast: no wonder harsh & biting!) Upon opening the pouch, I found it moist with only a slight aroma. When I lit it, I found it to be much more mild and pleasant than that first experience. I have to agree with the many other reviewers that rated it as a good "go-to", working man's smoke: by no means a " top-shelf" smoke, but a solid and frequently underrated value for the price. I give it 3 of 4 stars for what it is. Just for the record, it is now made in Denmark by Scandinavian Tobacco Group and imported by Scandinavian Tobacco Group Lane Ltd according to the package.

Pipe Used: Carolina Briar

Age When Smoked: Right from store

Purchased From: Mohican Discount Tobacco

Similar Blends: Bulk Burley and Mixture 79.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipefitter (51)	2022-06-06		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I visit Carolina Tobacco Emporium in Manchester Ct about once a month to buy high end MacBaren flake and Seattle Pipe Club plug , Peterson’s English blends and can get a little sore at the prices after paying Connecticuts 33% consumption tax on tobaccos , plus a 6.35% sales tax on top of that so it’s nice to find a more than smokable pouch of Burley and Virginia at $5 a pouch…… I started working in a foundry in the 70s ( when there was such a thing in the US ) and I remember the guys smoking it then , so I bought a pouch today for old times sake and I have to give it a recommend. It has a good stiff burly flavor that doesn’t bite and never gets hot, good balance with mild flavoring that doesn’t give palate fatigue and decent Virginia rounds it out. The second half of the bowl petered out a bit and Lane Limited doesn’t date it’s stuff for Ct sales; which peeves me , but all in all it’s a quality pipe tobacco….…I’ve spent a lot more money on “premium” tobacco from the major European companies with blends from around the world that I liked a less. Will I make this part of my rotation? Me thinks I may…..I’d like to see Scandinavian TG produce this in a flake.

Pipe Used: Cobb

Age When Smoked: ?

Purchased From: Carolina Tobacco Emporium in Manchester Ct.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	getyur@sstomars (26)	2021-09-20		Mild to Medium	Extra Strong	Overwhelming	Overwhelming

Wow, not in a good way. This is the worst stuff I have ever had the displeasure of paying for.

It looks nice, packs nice. It is a tad moist out the pouch but man oh man the smell is horrible. Talk about bad flavor science. That aniseed smell, neh the fake chemy aniseed smell almost made me gag I’m not exaggerating there. I once bout mixture 79 (the one hugh Hefner smoked) and it ghosted my falcon... the metal body. Swore I’d never go near that aniseed stuff again. Well unbeknownst to lil old me this stuff has it as well. Man these American otc/drugstore blends are a real mine field. I should have gotten velvet or Borkum riff or captain black but I didn’t want to pay the xtra 4 dollars.

I emptied the pouch out the car window not more than a block from where I got it. It was that bad.

I hate when blends don’t write what the hell is inthem on the tin. Oh well lesson learned and some of you well seasoned smokers who enjoy this atrocity should have your pipes confiscated by a government body much like DCFS will take your kids away for abusing them

Pipe Used: My poor devil anse MM

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: The devil himself

Similar Blends: Mixtures 79.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	thedoc333 (6)	2021-07-08		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I have only been reaching for half and half lately. A solid not too strong not too mild smoke with notes of spices that I like. My first foray was the pinkerton iteration which I think tasted more mysterious than STG however it bit (which I kind of liked). STG has more of a cherry flavor than the 10yr old pinkerton which had mysterious spicy topping. It was also darker. Maybe this is a product of age. Nevertheless I am enjoying the tin that I recently popped. Almost no humectant flavor compared to other OTCs that I have tried that leave a PG film in the mouth. This blend is smooth, sweet, fragrant and lends to inhaling if you are so inclined. Not for everyone and that's why I like it. Strong 'recommended'.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Black-Dutch-Jack (4)	2021-05-05		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Haven’t had any of this in a while. Rooting around in the cupboard and I came across the jar, aged about three years. Cracked it open, put some in the pipe; it lit and stayed lit.

Surprisingly, not much of a nic hit, and I’m not crazy about nicotine. Generally I steer clear of Burley tobacco’s for that reason. Bought this one for the sake of nostalgia, because it’s what the old man used to smoke in his pipe.

Now onto the taste. There is definitely sweetness in it, whether it’s the Virginia or the topping I cannot tell. I don’t recall having that experience the first time I opened it. And of course there is some spiciness. But the best surprise of all was that the coco definitely comes through. I would suggest that if you buy a new pouch of this That you let it age and get a little drier. It’s a very smooth, flavorful aromatic pipe tobacco. Apparently the old man did know something about pipe tobacco that I didn’t. Thanks, Pappy!

Pipe Used: Rossi Prince

Age When Smoked: 3 years

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Shayde (5)	2021-03-10		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Unnoticeable

All I can say is NO. This blend is not only bland but simply incorrigible. It most definitely has this nasty, soapy taste that isnt pleasant at all.

Pipe Used: Rossi Lucca 8611EX Dublin

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: Velvet.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jacinto Cupboard (209)	2020-10-26		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Not a true ribbon cut, but something a lot shorter, probably some kind of granulated or crimp cut. The tobacco is mostly mid to light browns. The pouch note is something fruity, my guess would be strawberry, but previous reviewers suggestions of cherry, cranberry, plum etc would not be out of the question. I don't get any of the spice or licorice/anisette notes in the product description or other reviewers opinions.

Descriptions of this tobacco are all over the place in the reviews. It is a mystery to me why this is so. Perhaps the brand has changed over time, or perhaps the Danish and US iterations vary. Perhaps even some reviews are of the now defunct Half & Half Light American. (There are dozens of reviews that [incredibly] mark this as having no flavouring. And dozens more marking it as having mild flavouring.) I say a mystery because there is nothing complicated about this tobacco at all. It is a pleasant medium strength aromatic. The taste and smell of course is a matter of opinion as to whether one finds it pleasant.

This is almost literally a one light tobacco. It will burn right down leaving very little dottle. It doesn't bite as such, but be careful as to your cadence, it will burn hot if you puff too hard. I found it left a coating in my mouth afterwards; this might be a deal breaker for some pipesters.

The top dressing fades as the bowl progresses, either that or I get sensory fatigue and just can't pick up on it after 15 or 20 minutes. The tobacco aromas and tastes are never really in evidence. Congrats to those who picked up Va and Burley aromas- clearly you are super smellers.

It is what it is. Cheap tobacco with a pretty fragrance that is a dream to take care of in the pipe. I am not surprised it has been a codger mainstay for generations. I quite like it. In truth somewhere between a 2 and a 3, I am aware that any recommendation for this tobacco will have to have some caveats. But I have rounded up because it does exactly what a codger tobacco should, and without pretense.

Similar Blends: Mac Baren - Original Choice. (H&H is however a better tobacco, milder and far less flavoured than OC).

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2020-10-08		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I find this tobacco uninspiring. It lights easily and stays lit. It produces plenty of smoke, but not much else. You do notice the burley right away, but you also get a taste of anise (black licorice), which I do not like.

Pipe Used: Cob

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Local

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bbrown626 (150)	2020-06-09		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

In the interests of full disclosure, I am not a big fan of burley-dominate blends and Half & Half is loaded with burley. So why did I order it? Morbid curiosity and occasionally I find a blend that I do like. This was not one of those blends. The pouch note was unremarkable. Upon lighting it I picked up a cocoa taste, not bad but it didn't last and gave way to the burley. On to better things...

Pipe Used: unmarked author

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Wally Frank Collector (46)	2020-05-25		Mild	Medium	Mild	Pleasant

Upon opening the pack I was met with a nice earthy tobacco fragrance with Anisette. The tobacco seemed very moist so I sat it out for an hour and a half and squeezed it between my fingers and the tobacco sprung out like it should although it still seemed moist to me and proceeded to load the Meerschaum and I noticed how small the pieces were. It filled easy enough but I drew and it plugged the pipe enough to make it draw hard, so no big deal. Re-filled and this time it did the same thing. Third time is a charm as they say and we were ready to go, or so I thought. By this time it has been two hours this tobacco has been sitting out under a ceiling fan drying.

Did the char and then lit it and was greeted by a nice flavor of light grass, light wood, anisette, liquor, touch of molasses and .... is that .. a very slight taste of cloves.... and a light, light touch of cherry? not bad I think. The smoke was average and the room note nice.

Then the fun began. Had to re-light after the first sip which is no big deal unless you have to relight after each sip. Obviously still to wet but I soldiered on liking the tastes that played well together leaving a pleasant and sweet aftertaste. Then we hit the halfway mark of the bowl three hours after getting the tobacco out and I noticed the taste fading and then a relight that was... well.. bleh... relight again and I got bit and the bleh taste again.... not a hard bite but enough to bring this to a halt.

I emptied the bowl and let the rest of the tobacco I took earlier out sit until it had been out for 7 hours. This time I grabbed my BBK Hunter and squeezed the tobacco and it felt perfect and reacted perfectly. I charred and then re-lit and the same nice taste and then the same not wanting to stay lit past one sip. So I turned up the heat drawing a bit harder and it finally limped along to past half the bowl and a repeat performance of the flavors fading rapidly and disappearing. A repeat of the bleh taste upon relighting followed by another bite while not severe was not a great deal of fun with that taste in my mouth. That was enough for me. The rest of the bowl was dumped out and just like in the meerschaum there was a good bit of moisture.

Half and Half has a pleasant taste which I enjoyed for half the bowl and after that bleh, and believe me that is the nicest word I could think of for what I tasted. The tobacco burned very inconsistently. It didnt want to light and when pushed it did light but then burned hot and eventually bit. The aftertaste for the first half of the bowl was pleasant. I enjoyed the flavors. The second half of the bowl I did not explore very deep for the taste was, shall we say way less than desirable.

How does one rate a Jekyll and Hyde experience like this? The taste of the top half of the bowl is a 3.5 and I enjoyed it immensely, the bottom half a 1.0. with a taste that I hope to never experience again. I like the cut of Half and Half it made filling the bowl a real pleasure a 3.5. I liked the room note a 3.5. I liked the smell and looks of the tobacco 3.0. The lack of burning then burning hot when finally lit was an interesting experience 2.0. I like to sip, not puff and do not like biting. I dont mind relighting for I am a slow smoker but, well, I can usually get a few sips in before relighting... But, the tipper on the scale is the last half of the bowl taste... a 1.0

I can see why those who love this tobacco do for it can be pleasant and I enjoyed it for the first half of the bowl. I can see why some ppl do not like this tobacco also from my experience with the bleh taste, the biting and the inconsistent burning which was not pleasant. I do not consider this a bad blend as some claim, I just think I should let it dry for a week before lighting the next time....maybe two weeks or perhaps three....May do a follow up review on this after more extensive drying of the tobacco to see if changes my review for I do want to really like this tobacco and I do not want to give up easily.

-updated to a 1 star rating. Tried numerous times to like but nothing changed. Gave the rest to someone who does like it.

.

Pipe Used: Meerschaum and BBK Hunter pipe

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: P&C

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NORVIN (5)	2019-11-04		Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Half & Half is OK. The tobacco in the pouch smells like a box of raisins. It doesn't really have a flavor. It has an earthy, tobacco taste. Half & Half would probably be a good choice for a former light cigarette smoker making the move to pipes. There are better OTCs available.

It is claimed this was Shelby Foote's favorite tobacco which appears to not be true. He did use it for a time to make a custom mix:

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/drgrabows/shelby-foote-s-tobacco-t7942.html http://uurrff.blogspot.com/2011/01/shelby-footes-pipe.html

Pipe Used: MM Corn Cobs & Dr. Grabow Royal Duke

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: JB Hawks Discount Tobacco & Vape

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ronnstein (29)	2019-07-20		Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I was never really a fan of this one, but when STG sent me coupons for my birthday I decided to use one and try this again (mainly because STG makes it now). It doesn't say on the pouch, but as the description on this site says...cardamom, coriander and maze (corn). Maze, not mace which is the outer shell of nutmeg. This description is on point. This STG version is so much better than any other older versions. Very easy pack and burn, couldn't bite if you wanted it to and a nice flavor. Makes for a good working in the yard smoke, really shines in a corncob. If you have had this in the past and didn't care for it like me, give it a try again. Now that STG makes it, it's actually smokeable. In this age where we get almost nothing but bad news about pipe tobacco, STG has given us some hope. What they are doing for the pipesmoker has been wonderful, with this and many other blends that they have taken control of, and now they will even bring back Dunhill blends.

Pipe Used: cobs

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: local B&M

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	anglocatholicpiper (34)	2018-12-26		Very Mild	Strong	Mild	Pleasant

Going back through some OTC blends for a change of pace and I have been pretty excited to try H&H. I knew it would be sweet, so I wasn’t turned off by the topping/flavoring. For me this blend sits inbetween Carter Hall (almost no flavoring?) and Captian Black (all flavoring?). That is, I can actually taste the VaBur tobacco (under the flavoring) and its very enjoyable. Having said that, the flavoring is VERY present. Thus, in the end, for a bit of nostalgia smoke, and as the only thing close to an aromatic in my cellar, I like it.

Pipe Used: CAO Meer

Age When Smoked: Pouch

Purchased From: P and C

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	mel64us (46)	2018-11-09		Medium to Strong	Strong	Full	Overwhelming

I am a big fan of some of the American standards like Carter Hall, various Capt. Black blends etc., but had never tried Half and Half until now. Like I always do with new blends, I loaded a cob with this blend. It packed fairly easily considering the excessive moisture level and lit well. I don't know how to explain the flavor except yuck. The room note was awful, as was the flavor. After drying some for a week, I tried again. Same cob, same bad flavor, same horrible room note. Half and Half and the cob now rest peacefully in the local dump, buried deep I hope.

Pipe Used: Cob

Age When Smoked: Fresh and dried a week.

Purchased From: Tobacco store

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2018-11-08		Mild	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

H&H was the first pipe tobacco I ever tried back when I was young. It is not forgiving of poor technique, and has a very broad array of flavors depending on how it is smoked. This can be good or bad, I guess. Burning strongly the smoky burley dominates. When it is going out there is a strong grassy flavor that I hate. In between there is literally a sweet spot where the sugars in the virginia and the casing carmelize, and combined with the nutty bread flavors of the burley you get a muffin flavor. Awesome with coffee! However, this sweetness can also get cloying for those who don't really like sweet in tobacco (like me). To get the best results (for me) I need to mix this with a straight burley like Granger. Those who like sweetness will find magic with careful smoking. Be sure to try a conical bowl pipe.

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: Local liquor store

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HabaneroHardy (403)	2017-12-06		Mild	Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Unnoticeable

I have a large can of this that I bought at least ten years ago when it had the Pinkerton label on it. For some reason I still have not opened it. I did buy a few pouches of this a year ago and am not sure what to think. It has a really funky spicy/fruity smell that I do not particularly care for. It does not seem to transcend when I smoke it which is good. It actually tastes a little bland but I enjoyed trying it out like I have with the other Over the Counter pipe tobaccos. Okay but not probably a repeat.

Pipe Used: Medico

Age When Smoked: New

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Virginia lover (218)	2017-11-16		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This OTC aromatic is exactly what to expect from the kind of tobacco. While others are utter garbage, H&H manages, notwithstanding the chemical cherry topping, to give some credence to the words cheap over the counter pipe tobacco.

The Virginia is slightly grassy and cigarette tasting, the Burley gives a lip service nutty flavor and both flavors are drown into a sea of cherry flavor. The smoking experience is not a great one but not that horrible either, each puff delivers creaminess or harshness. It' s a kind of Russian roulette and I think it's due to the chemical topping. The aftertaste is very ashy, the same as cigarettes.

I'm glad that I kept H&H for last in my journey in American OTCs, it's without a doubt the worst of them all. I say the worst but PB, CH and SWR are good tobaccos that I would not hesitate to smoke again, not so with H&H.

Virginia lover

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	doc pipes (110)	2017-11-05		Mild	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable

Cardamom and mace? Seriously? I am basing this review on the Pinkerton production, which may or may not be the same as the current Lane Ltd take on this ancient brand. I have to agree emphatically with several of the most recent reviews. This weed is heinous. This would make an excellent April fools gift, or perhaps a lump of coal stocking stuffer for the frenemy in your life. I do not taste any cherry, nor any anisette. This was mostly tasteless, ammonia tinted hot steam. The aroma is not necessarily offensive, but is not much better than a Marlboro light( I'm sorry "gold" rather). I certainly do not pick up on the promised cardamom, nutmeg, or mace and it is not for lack of trying. Personally, I find this stuff offensive, but clearly some folks out there are fans, it's still being made...

Pipe Used: Dr grabow lark

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Walgreens

Similar Blends: Merde Chèvre (I am not talking about the F&K product).

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	1979 (62)	2017-11-05		Mild	Strong	Overwhelming	Pleasant to Tolerable

Half & Half.

This is the nastiest thing I've ever smoked in a pipe, including the time I smoked dried maple leaves.  The taste was bitter and chemical-ly.  I guess it's supposed to be cherry - anise and I got that but can't say I enjoyed it for the reasons I mentioned.  Unless you really just enjoy this flavoring in particular...Come to think of it, Velvet has a similar flavor and is still a step up from this one in my opinion. I can smoke a pouch of Velvet in a pinch and be okay with that, I couldn't find anything enjoyable on Half & Half.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Polaris82 (22)	2017-08-11		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Growing up, I remember playing with my father's one and only Tabacco pipe. It was an old Dr. Gray bow with a narrow bowl. Dad had bought and used the pipe in the late 60s and early 70s enjoying campfires and listening to hounds run fox in the East Texas Piney woods. Over the years I heard him mention that Half and Half was the popular blend among the old time houndsmen.

Nearly 50 years later, October 2015, I was honeymooning in a small town called Craftsbury Vt, and went into the gas and fishing tackle store in town. As a was paying for my fishing license, there over the counter was two packages of half and half. I had never considered buying H&H, but here was my chance, and coming prepared with two pipes and a pouch of Boswells Northwoods I was eager to bet back to the cabin and experience a bowl while BBQing in the Vermont woods.

Upon opening the package the smell of the tobacco was of a pleasent earthy/ nutty notes. I don't know how old the pouch was at the time but the ribbon cut tobacco still had some noticable dampness. But even with that, I had no problem with having to relight. Starting the bowl the nutty characteristics remain and believe this is the burly tobacco in the blend. This stayed evident throughout the bowl. Though I'm not a Virgina fan, and am critical of virgina blend tobaccos I could detect the virginas but it was not overpowering or up front. Approaching the middle of the pipe, it began to gurgle with a small bit of hissing. Also burned hot. The room notes stayed pleasent with a constant nutty earth tone.

I've read many reviews stating that at some point in time the blend was changed, there being old H&H and new H&H, with the new blend getting many negative reviews. I will say that if this the "new" blend, I was completely satisfied with it. I could of asked my father to be the guinea pig to test between old and new and if there is a diffrence, I would much rather him remember it as he experienced it back in the day. For me and my experience, it's a winner!

Pipe Used: Vintage Amphora

Age When Smoked: unknown

Purchased From: The only gas station in Craftsbury, Vermont

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CherchezLaghost (52)	2017-08-03		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

One of my favorite otcs, and has for a few years now been an old friend. Ive only had the tubs, and i truly enjoy this blend. Its a humble, burley based American classic, and is very much in that tradition, however i think its composed of a slightly higher quality leaf than most. While burley is the base, it would be a good selection for someone looking for an otc with more virginia content, as the flavors are balanced and sweet. Definitely aromatic, but done well. For me it has almost Christmasey underpinnings, i get strong notes of allspice and subtle clove. Under that is just a quality burley and bright va present in each draw. Simple, but satisfying. Can burn hot, must be smoked with a controlled cadence to be truly enjoyed. Shines in a cob. I certainly do enjoy it.

Pipe Used: Cobs, briars

Age When Smoked: New to 2 yrs

Purchased From: PipesandCigars.com, smokers haven

Similar Blends: Sugar barrel, carter hall.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PhantomWolf (41)	2017-07-20		Mild	Medium to Strong	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I really wanted to like this. After recently being surprised by Carter Hall, I figured I'd give a few other classic OTC pouches a shot as the pouch is nearly as convenient as the price.

I cannot say how the blend smoked to the end because I could not finish the bowl. I packed a second attempt the following day and it was just as brutal. The note in the pouch was wonderful. The room note was okay, but the taste while smoking was unbearable. All I could taste was burning plastic. Whatever chemicals are in the topping and or casing are just ridiculously caustic to my palate. If all pipe tobacco was like this, I would pick a new vice. Seriously.. This is only the second time I have wasted pipe tobacco in my life. The first time was earlier the same day when I smoked Velvet (Also by STG and also mouth-assaulting, chemical garbage).

Final word: There is something rotten in Denmark. I have no idea what chemical in the topping or casing is the culprit, but it is pronounced and unnatural. I cannot imagine ever trying this again and in no way recommend you do either.

Buy Carter Hall if you need a cheap pouch of good tobacco.

Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum Cob

Age When Smoked: Fresh Pouch

Purchased From: PipesAndCigars.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	MickPiper (6)	2017-07-11		Strong	Extra Strong	Overwhelming	Tolerable

Smells like cough syrup, taste like cough syrup. This is absolutely horrible tobacco, literally taste like it was dipped in nyquil cough syrup. This is so bad I can't stomach the thought about finishing the bag let alone finishing a single bowl. Complete garbage

Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Piley (2)	2017-06-04		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

If you like Lucky Strikes this is the tobacco for you. Be sure to give half and half some time to air out before smoking. The only real negative is that the nicotine is not very strong for my tastes but this can be solved by inhaling now and then.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ecce_ego (24)	2017-05-16		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Yet another American style Burley blend, light, a bit bland, nutty, all day smoke. There can be little did about the blends other than that they were being smoked by our grandfather's and if it was good enough for them, it should be good enough for us.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Big Joe (1)	2017-03-03		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

When I was a kid on the farm we used to mix straw and hay and sneak behind the barn to smoke it in one of my fathers old corncob pipes. Try slow roasting it over some dried cow dung and----Get the picture?

Pipe Used: briar, corncob

Age When Smoked: ?

Purchased From: Jewel/osco

Similar Blends: NONE OF THE ABOVE.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	AcworthAl (38)	2016-12-01		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Nice long lasting smoke. As OTCs go to me this is one of the best. Almost the perfect all day smoke. Give this one a try . I have smoked Nightcap and Early Morning Pipe Peterson’s Balkan Delight Irish Flake 1792 Flake IRC Virginia Flake And this is just as enjoyable.

Pipe Used: Big Ben

Age When Smoked: New

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JosephJames (12)	2016-08-24		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable

I bought a pouch of this today. It was moist and had a strong anise smell.

I had to relight twice. I'm guessing this is from the humectant. Burn was good. No tongue bite, or other problems smoking this tobacco.

The anise was strong and even left an aftertaste for quite a while after smoking. I didn't find it disagreeable. The room note was merely tolerable.

While I prefer PA, CH and SWR in the OTC category, I would smoke this blend again, although I don't foresee it going into rotation. It wasn't a tobacco I feel I must keep on hand.

If you buy this, just bear in mind it is an OTC. It's not really comparable to a MacBaren grade tobacco. It's a plain Jane.

Pipe Used: Corn cob

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Discount tobacconist shop

Similar Blends: OTC burley based tobacco, such as Prince Albert..

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	manxman (82)	2016-06-15		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Unnoticeable

I don't understand why Half and Half is listed twice here. I would call this an American blend, not an aromatic. The pouch doesn't lie, it is cool smoking. However, I did get a slight tongue bite. Pouch aroma reminds me of those Christmas fruitcakes that came in a tin , like cherries or other fruit. The smoke tastes of anise initially. This fades to an ashy, cigarette taste. Mild enough to inhale, but there's no point, there's no nicotine. Inexpensive. Good about staying lit. Pleasant to retrohale.

Pipe Used: MM cob w filter,

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Convenience store

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	W. Carter (6)	2016-06-13		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Half and Half has become my go to tobacco that I smoke everyday. I have enjoyed all of the OTC blends but over time this has become the only one that I buy now. It is a no nonsense blend without any vanilla toppings like Carter Hall or Captain Black. The smell out of the can or pouch is pleasant with light sweet toppings and a pleasant room note. The price is right for 12 oz cans at around $22.00. A can lasts me about a month (sometimes less) so it's about as cheap as you can get. Every can that I have got is fresh and moist and the lid is easy to open unlike Carter Hall or Price Albert. It lights easy and burns/smokes good and I would recommend packing on the loose to medium loose side. If you pack it too tight it is hard to draw. It has a mild to medium taste with a good nicotene hit. I like to inhale so it is just right with no tongue or throat bite. I just received 2 cans delivered today so i'm a happy camper. For the price if you try it and don't like it, dump it in the trash you won't loose much. :)

Pipe Used: Dr. Grabow Grand Duke with Filter

Age When Smoked: New 12 oz Can

Purchased From: Smokers Outlet Online

Similar Blends: Prince Albert.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Nwpipesmker (27)	2016-04-07		Mild	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Burley and bright tobaccos just that simple. Has a note of figs or raisins. But definitely you get the great creamy nutty taste of the burley with the sweet Virginia notes. I enjoy half and half its just plain simple burley and bright. No casing no heavy topping.

Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Tobbaco depot

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Young Piper (304)	2016-02-27		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Just recently bought and opened a new tub of H&H and it was even better than the pouches! Same Cherry and Clove type topping (Christmasy) and great quality leaf. Just make sure the can or pouch names Scandinavian Tobacco Group on it to ensure a quality product.

Ah I sure am glad the Scandinavians are resurrecting these old blends (or just re-blending them with quality leaf) H&H and Sail are two off the top of my head that were not so good before and now have risen to the quality that they were before. My new pouches of H&H from Pipesandcigars listed STG as the manufacturer and once opened I could tell this was going to be a much better experience than my Pinkerton trials years ago. I get a Cherry / Anise like topping with the usual Kentucky Burley and Bright Virginia combo in a ribbon cut. My two pouches that I smoked did not have any sticks or stems, were mostly bite free and after ten minutes in the Las Vegas air, were dry enough to smoke to the bottom with one or two relights. Very happy to have decided to try H&H again and also pleased that STG has decided to make an old time OTC with the quality it deserves. 4 stars for quality to price ratio, 3 stars since its still not my favorite blend. Try it just to see the quality difference, you might be surprised like I was!

Age When Smoked: Fresh Pouches & Can / Tub

Purchased From: Pipesandcigars

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipewny (2)	2016-02-15		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Tolerable

After trying a variety of Tinned and bulk tobaccos (Aromatic, English, etc.) I've begun trying inexpensive OTC american pipe tobacco. After my initial plain but pleasant intro by way of PA, I decided to try Half and Half. I was not expecting the pipe smoking equivalent to a 5 star meal, but at least a serviceable, smooth tobacco. The "tin" note reminded me of vinegar or fermentation, but after I got past this, I could smell a possible hint of unsweetened cocoa and other indefinable odors. Overall unpleasant. I know that tin note has little to do with the quality of a smoke, so I soldiered on. This tobacco is very soft and pliable, and packed reasonably well. (Did not seem gummy) Unfortunately once I began smoking, I got hit with a moderate but clear taste and scent of chemicals. The cocoa (I think) came through a bit, but I couldn't shake the unpleasant chemical taste. I am a slow smoker and H&H smoked cool, but I had a slight sting on my tongue and lips by half bowl. (Not a steam burn, but proper tongue bite) The taste and odor was unpleasant, and this does not agree with my palate at all. After several attempts, I have been unable to force myself to finish a bowl yet. Bad scent, bad flavor, bad experience. At best, this offers a bland smoke, at worst, tongue bite and chemical taste that wont go away. I've thrown away what's left of my purchase. On to the next tobacco......

Pipe Used: Basket Briar

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: B & M

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	robinbj (11)	2015-05-09		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I disagree with the reviews of this blend. Sure there are better, more expensive burley va blends with aromatic casings added, but for a few bucks and a trip to the local drugstore, you can't go wrong.

Stays lit, simple straight forward easy flavor, a 1.5oz pack is just enough to try it. I smoke this predominantly in a Mis.Meer. corncob, and it tends to be just fine. Id choose Carter Hall over HnH but hey, its an option that I enjoy

Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum

Age When Smoked: New to 2yr aged

Purchased From: Local BM/Drugstore

Similar Blends: Any Va/Bur aromatic with subtle and light casing.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PastorPipe (21)	2014-12-28		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Back in the late 90's I bought a pouch of this (the pouch was in a box). I thought it was truly vile. My grandfather smoked H & H for many years. I always like the smell of it. However, when I tried it, I wondered how he could stand it. (I couldn't ask him because he's been gone for 34 years) It was awful. Burned like dry old kindling, was very hot, and the taste was so strong and unpleasant I couldn't finish the bowl. I tossed the pouch, and made the decision that I'd never smoke it again. It's about 17 years later; a friend gave me two pouches which I politely accepted. They have been sitting around my house unopened for a few months. Finally, I said, "What the h*ll. I 'll give it another try. I'm very glad I did. The pouch aroma was nice. I could detect a toping, almost raisin-like. I smoked it in a cob. The cut is a very fine ribbon, even a shag, I'd say. It packed well and lit well, didn't burn too quickly, didn't burn hot, wasn't at all goopy, and didn't burn my tongue. It was simple and straight forward. No complexity; and I wasn't expecting any. I could taste some Virginia, but mostly a pleasant nutty burely with a very faint hint of licorice. I smoked the whole bowl and enjoyed it thoroughly. It was a very relaxing no-nonsense smoke. This pouch is from the Scandinavian Group. The stuff I tried 17 years ago was probably Pinkerton, I'm not sure. All I know is it seems to me to have improved ten-fold. I will say this, I left it on the front seat of my car for two very hot summer days. The pouches expanded like balloons, but deflated after a while when I brought them into my air-conditioned house. Was this the secret? I don't know, but I must say, I enjoyed it, and will certainly smoke it again once in a while when I'm looking for an old fashioned bright and burley smoke and thinking about my dear old Grandpa.

Pipe Used: Cob

Age When Smoked: 5 months

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	guitar2mw (92)	2014-08-18		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Around here, drugstore blends were what the old timers smoked when I was a kid. This is one of those blends, and although I've been smoking a pipe off and on for about 10 years, I had never tried this blend until recently. Let me just say this: it isn't for everyone. No, it's not the finest grade of tobacco. No, it is not a complex blend. Will it bite? Yup, like a junkyard dog if you don't watch it. So why do I recommend it? Because it is what it is: a classic American burley blend with some young VA's thrown in somewhere (I can taste them about half-way through). Try it with your morning coffee and you'll see why old-timers loved it as well. It's one of my go-to wake-up smokes (the other being Sutliff's Great Outdoors).

Pipe Used: MM Cob

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Local tobacconist

Similar Blends: Prince Albert, SWR.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Motoyoshi (68)	2014-05-28		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Going to try and give this tobacco an honest review that it deserves. I see a lot of people saying that it's unsmokeable and absolutely disgusting, which it is not.

The pouch note is that of a nutri-grain bar. I want to say the word berry or the smell of blueberry but don't let it fool you. It is not a sticky goopy tobacco. It's actually pretty dry and at the right moisture level for smoking right out of the pouch.

It packs easily and burns very evenly. The smoke is pretty much mild on all fronts. Not too much Vitamin N, there is a hint of flavoring that I can't put my finger on, but it's there. PhillyB has a really good review of this and I pretty much agree with that poster's assesment of the baccy.

There isn't too much to rave about but to hear people say they would never smoke this if it was the last tobacco on earth kind of boggles my mind. It is not THAT bad and in a pinch, it could suffice (especially in a cob as it gets a little sweeter and nuttier)

It's a standard steak and potatoes burley pipe tobacco blend. If you want a tobacco to get a feel for a new pipe or to break it in/build a cake, this could be the one to leave in your cellar. If you're looking for a tobacco to refresh a bowl after a S/A treatment, this could be the one. If you're interested in tyring out a pipe and are afriad of Perique, not interested in Latakia, don't understand Orientals or are afraid of VAs, this could be the one. If you're looking for a cheap tobacco that has a great flavor, this probably isn't the one

I could see reviewers giving this a 3 but when compared to Prince Albert or Carter Hall and the other great OTC blends, I think this falls a little short. For that, it gets two stars.

Pipe Used: Cobs, Briars and Mortas

Similar Blends: John Middleton, Inc - Carter Hall, Prince Albert - Prince Albert.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	gam86 (49)	2014-01-08		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

A good and cheap tobacco that gives yu what you expect. It's not the best around but for its price is very good. You've to love the gender because if you don't like it it's just a waste of time and money.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	graygeek (10)	2013-07-02		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Just a good honest smoke. Nothing fancy, just a good old time Virginia/burley blend. Not interesting enough for an all day smoke, but a nice change of pace. Will continue to buy this from time to time. No tongue bite, and a pleasant aroma both in the ouch and room note. A nice change of pace from the ARO's that I normally smoke. this would be a great starter tobacco for someone just taking up the hobby. IMHO.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Buster Bluth (56)	2013-02-16		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I started smoking a pipe in 1995 while in college amidst the cigar boom, with a desire to sample all the finer things. Somehow the selection of these OTC burleys at RiteAid didn't match the mystique of Lane aromatics in jars at the mall tobacco shop. Later progressed to tinned tobaccos, and then sought to sample all the OTC burleys based on various Internet reviews.

I tried a pouch of half and half 4 years ago. I was put off by the sour aroma, appearance and overall taste of the tobacco. I tossed it after about 5 bowls.

Seeing that STG is manufacturing this now, I tried a pouch. It is different. Our tastes and observations are different and can change. This is different than i remember. I find the pouch aroma less sour cider. It actually now reminds me of a chocolate covered coconut Easter egg. The cut seems more consistent. Instead of dust from the floor, appears some longer pieces mixed in. Just a tad moister than preferred, but smokes great in a cob.

Burley forward. Mild and smooth. Slight vinegar and cider overtones during nasal exhale, along with what I sense as anise and coconut flavors peeking in and out. None of these flavors are cloying or chemical to me.

This tobacco is really enjoyable and refreshing. Great while doing home chores or for a quick break. . On a 2nd pouch, I foresee this becoming a standby, especially in the warmer months.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	musicman (131)	2012-12-19		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

As I sit here smoking a cob full of half and half I have to chuckle at myself. My maturation process as a pipe smoker has led me in a direction that at the onset I would have considered a degradation.

My journey in the wonderful world o tobacciana started in the cigar realm (I am still in the cigar realm, as I enjoy a good pipe and good cigar equally). One quickly learns in the cigar universe that there are two basic types of objects. There are cigars, and then there are things that look like cigars. Cigars come from a real tobacconists humidor, and CSO's (cigar shaped objects) come from the shelves of drug stores and gas stations. In the cigar world "drug store" cigars are essentially trash. Some can suit your purposes if you are fishing or what not but high quality and master craftsmanship can not be found on a shelf that also holds Newport cigarettes.

Having this knowledge I avoided all "over the counter" pipe blends when I first partook of the noble briar. I was too stuck up and distinguished to fill my pipes with any swill from a grocery store. Boy was I wrong. While this still holds true in the cigar world, pipes are remarkably different. Blends like carter hall, granger, prince albert, Sir Walter Raleigh, and half and half are excellent smokes at excellent prices.

This blend is really nice. It has a comforting flavor that it does not take a master piper to bring forth. The burn is excellent and the taste is good. This is a non thinking tobacco, you don't have to give it your complete focus to reap its benefits.

There is a flavoring here but I cant really distinguish what it is. Some say apple, and I can kinda believe that but I don't really think that is truly it. Whatever it is its intriguing and nice.

Pick yourself up a pouch. Its recommended.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2012-08-11		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

Incredible drugstore brand smoke. I picked up a pouch of this stuff and CB White, and I wish I hadn't wasted my money on the White. H&H has a great room note and it actually feels like you're smoking something. This is only my 4th blend (I'm a newbie) but this is by far my favorite all-around 'baccy so far. I have a tin of Nightcap which is incredibly powerful and packed with flavor, but I'm not quite sure it's for me anyways. This H&H will surely become a staple in my collection. Highly recommended.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipe4ever (204)	2012-02-24		Medium	Very Mild	Mild	Tolerable

Good American burley, very slightly flavored with Annis, nutty and without too much flavor, bite free, this is an easy and maintenance free smoke for outdoor that does not require your attention, also this is an excellent pipe tobacco for those who want to switch from cigarette to pipe.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dubinthedam (133)	2012-02-16		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Love it, the closest I've found in the eurozone to prince Albert and carter hall which aren't available here. This leans towards carter hall, but the added Virginia improves it, adding a nice fruit touch to the chocolate of the burley. I find the casing is very mild, only on the top of the bowl and in the pouch. A bit hot, it can bite, but a small price to pay for a great no nonsense smoke, this will be a regular purchase for me. Top stuff for the burley lover.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Wildcat (5)	2012-01-06		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is the tobacco I remember from my youth! Papa Jim always had some in his pipe and in his pocket!

I am taken back everytime I smoke this. While certainly not an aromatic, the room note is classic. No complaints from family or friends.

Nice flavor and good nicotene strength. Easy to smoke all day, several days in a row... or everyday like Papa Jim did! Works great blending with other tobacco as well.

Awesome OTC, codger blend. Takes me back. A real time machine!

Update 1/31/17: STG version is even better! Bumped it from 4 to 5 stars... Get ya some!

Pipe Used: Briar and cob

Purchased From: P&C

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	mr.vintage (7)	2011-10-06		Overwhelming	Very Strong	Overwhelming	Tolerable

Half-n-Half I'm just not a fan of. I wouldn't call this a 50/50 mixture- it's more like 75-80% sharp and bright Virginia, On top of this is a honey and cinnamon casing and it's pretty heavy making the tobacco too moist. It doesn't light well and gunks up my pipe when I get it running. I like the drugstore blends but Half-n- Half is one I don't enjoy.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Thbg (29)	2011-09-08		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A lot of bad reviews for this one.

First off, I don't detect any anise flavoring or topping or casing in this in any way. Maybe that is just my body chemistry.

The topping is what I would describe as "warm spice" (think cinnamon, allspice, brown sugar).

The tobacco is a bit rough...it is not aged. It can jump up and bite if not petted nicely.

I like the nuances of the tobacco, enjoy the topping and like the stronger strenghth this blend has as compared to CH or PA.

That said, it does get boring and it can get "hot". I have found that if I mix 4 parts H&H with 1 part Captain Black regular and let that dry overnight and then jar it, that it becomes a much better, dare I say, zen-like blend.

I recommend that blend in a big way if you are stuck with a 14OZ tub of H&H.

Overall, H&H is as American as hot dogs, but while I like hot dogs, I would not want to eat them everyday. Cheers.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2011-07-29		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is by far the best OTC Burley blend I have smoked to date. I have played with PA, SWR, CH,etc and still prefer this over the others. Everything else seems to get bitter the further into the bowl I get. The above tin descrition of heavy anise couldn't be further from the truth. Good burley that provides the nuttiness and VA to add a touch of sweet. I can smoke this all the way down with no bitterness. Absolutely fantastic in a cob, however it is good to go in briar as well. Also a good choice for someone to make the switch from cigarettes, as it provides a good nicotine kick. I always have a tub of this on hand, as I prefer the tub to the pouch. Just remember to sip slow as this dog will bite if provoked.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	chetking (54)	2011-07-19		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Old Schoolr's 04/06/2011 review of supermarket standard Half and Half pretty much approximates my own - there are certain props like the sun rising, Interstate Highways and good old summer time US American watermelon that you want around. It's mighty comforting to know that Half and Half is still here and may be for another generation or more.

I encountered that nostalgia on a recent trek to the Philippines where I had an unquenchable yen for a good old Kentucky burley after my special vacation stash was mislaid at my hotel; started to panic. I headed for the nearest mall knowing that you can't readily find native pipe tobacco in the Phils - maybe some pretty good cigar leaf here and there but no such thing as a great rhum soaked aromatic lying around in a tobac emporium somewhere.

Thankfully the tobacco kiosk had a few choices...several Borkum Riff varieties, some Leonard Dingler 1904 blends from South Africa and the reliable green and red H&H box with the trusty aluminium foil pouch tucked inside. Never mind that all these tobacco products, including H&H manufactured by the Pinkerton Tobacco Co. of Owensboro, KY, are actually owned today by a huge Scandanavian tobacco conglomerate known as "Swedish Match." I was just glad to get by hands on a few ounces of this stuff in a place so far away. It still pretty much tastes like the H&H I knew as a teenager. Back when we used to smoke it in the farm yard tree house along with the corn silk, Model, Old Briar and an occasional pack of Chesterfields.

Truth be told in these days of the Great Recession H&H remains a resilent, reliable and ready companion to provide that proverbial "cargo of contentment" Burley and mild aro lovers crave. Just a mild, sweet, steady and enjoyable draw as long as you sip it slowly and don't overheat the chamber - even in the 90+ degree humidity of the Pearl of the Orient.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Taylor3006 (47)	2010-12-07		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Half & Half is a nice tobacco. Great for blending, has a good nicotine kick, and overall is pleasant. There can be a bite to it if smoked too much so I rotate its use. Probably good in cigarettes as well so overall for the price, I say it is definitely worth a try. It's a tobacco that you probably won't write love poems about, just a decent smoke.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	hockey01 (29)	2010-10-14		Medium	Medium to Strong	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I admit being lured into trying this pipe tobacco by another reviewer's remarks about how this tobacco reminded him of his grandfther, Thanksgiving holidays enjoyed together, etc. So I went out and bought a big 'ol 14 oz. can from a local tobacconist (the only size he had) and I now have enough of the stuff to last me until Doomsday.

Upon opening the package, an immediate aroma was very noticeable which I would describe as being almost fruity, "liqueur-like", with maybe a dash of licorice. When smoked, however, I did not detect any taste of this flavoring, nor does it add to the room note. Other reviewers mentioned that H&H is a cube burley and maybe that's the way this tobacco was cut in years gone by, but it is not cube cut now; more of non-uniform size flakes. The tobacco seemed to be properly moist but not wet.

I found this tobacco easy to light in a briar pipe and it stayed lit during almost the entire smoke. Re-lights are easy. Not much of a room note but it is pleasant.

For those who experienced a lot of tongue bite from this blend, I'll just say that I've had better quality burley blends than H&H and they ALL bite somewhat. This blend is no worse as long as you smoke is slowly in small puffs. I'll also admit to a bit of residue at the bottom of the pipe after smoking but nothing a p/c can't handle.

All in all, not my favorite OTC blend but not bad and...good thing because i've got 14 oz. of it to soldier my way through.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	kyrider54 (5)	2010-07-25		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

I enjoyed H/H very much.Had a great taste,and a nice after taste.It lit well and burned well.I would recommend this blend to a beginner in a merchum or a cob.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Duke (41)	2010-07-23		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

With the unbearable summer heat, I have had little enjoyment in my smoking. In fact I've been rubbing snuff in place of the pipe. The other day I had a pipe, no snuff or tobacco, so I bought some Half and Half. Yes it's loaded with humectants, but it's surprisingly tasty with adequate nicotine. Maybe it's the newness of its flavor, but its working in this hot climate. Half Burly and half bright Virginian, cased with a bygone recipe makes for a surprising break of pace. Don't pack it too tight or the smoke will be burdensome. If I find myself smoking bowl after bowl then there's something pleasing for me.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ruffinogold (112)	2009-11-15		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

this stuff makes great cigarettes ! This stuf is so / so pipe tobacco . If yer broke and wanna smoke a pipe go buy SWR aromatic ... it's much better and costs the same .

Update 8/23/2012. Lane is now making H&H . I havent had H&H in a long time and didnt realize it had changed . I bought a pouch last week and have almost ripped through it , on top of the other blends I've smoked . This newer [ dont know how long Lanes been making it ] stuff is pretty damn nice ! It lights well and is easy to keep lit . It has a nutty and " bright " lemony flavor . I never know what the Topnote is but this one is mild and done very well . It's alittle darker than I remember it to be from the past . The cut is alittle different too . It also feels softer than I remember . I think Lane has done a killer job w/ it . I also got my hands on some H&H from the 1980's [ from a pal at PSF ] and compared the two . They are pretty close . So , if you dig the H&H from the 80's , I think you will like smoking this Lane product as well !

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kilmarnock Piper (251)	2009-10-12		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Tried the blend below and it's honestly not bad. Maybe this is how I can finally get rid of my CBW. Might reverse the proportions, however. Half & Half by itself is my favorite codger burley. This seems to be what my grandfather smoked (according to my mother's description of the can). I'm sure this blend has changed over the years. I like the pouch aroma; kind of reminds me slightly of coconuts! This tobacco, along with the Prince, is best in a cob. This seems to be a good way to deal with the fast burning qualities. Half & Half is honest, simple tobacco, and I always keep some around.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	doc'spipe (242)	2009-10-10		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Half & Half is not a bad blend - if you can tolerate the peculiar, hard to describe flavoring. Even though Pinkerton Tobacco Co is the producer listed, it is interesting that the Orlik Tobacco Co in Denmark has this listed on their website as one of the blends they manufacture. When I have frequented Half & Half, I can't say that I noticed any chemical smell or taste that others have described, but the overall taste was spicy in a way that is not typical of any Perique, Orientals, or Latakia. Someone has mentioned cloves and perhaps that is what it was. It was very reminiscent of my first pipe tobacco - London Dock. What I also found Half & Half useful for was in combination with Captain Black White. One part H&H to two parts CBW. I was at a Civil War re-enactment years ago and I smelled what I knew to be CBW coming from someone's pipe, but with a difference. The old gentleman who was smoking this mix told me of this combo. I have since coined it "Civil War Blend." For those of you that are interested, it's 2 parts CBW to 1 part H & H.

Not a bad blend by any means. Very "old school" and charming. Many have described this as a "scented" tobacco rather than an aromatic. I can agree with that and would go further by stating that it is very "Lakeland-like" in that regard. You can actually smell what you are smoking with this one and the taste is very agreeable. 3 stars easily.

UPDATE 6-29-11: I just won a 7oz sealed can from the 1950's (all metal with a key for lid opening) from ebay. The can was moderately swollen and upon opening the content was very sweet smelling and a medium-dark brown riff cut. It was springy to the touch without any evidence of a chemical smell. It smoked like a charm. The manufacturer was The American Tobacco Co. This old sample is definitely a 4 star smoke and I'll be sorry when it's gone. My daughter said that the room note was very comforting. I will now have to try a pouch of the Orlik version for comparison.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	poppy43 (11)	2009-06-03		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

My father used to smoke this in his RYO cigarettes, I tried it in my pipe, it wasn't bad, so then I tried mixing it 1 pouch of Half & Half and 1 pouch of Sir Walter Raleih and it was pretty good. I don 't smoke it anymore but I could in a pinch.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Haebar (52)	2009-04-02		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This is a very satisfying blend in terms of strength (nicotine) and burley flavor. I particularly like the uniform cut that burns so consistently. I have smoked a lot of this tobacco over the years and still respect the flavor and body of this tobacco. It never fails to satisfy although it can get cloying if it is all that you smoke.

Edit (11/2/2017): This is not a cube cut; I had it confused with another blend.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BlacksmithTim (10)	2009-03-23		Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

In my experience this blend has been very reliable. "You can't go much wrong with H&H in a cob." I've only smoked pouches of it, the quality has been consistent. It burns relatively cool with very little bite. A dry smoke too. I had steered clear of it as "old man's weed" for many years, and when I started my migration back to the pipe from cigarettes, a tobacconist recommended it and several burleys for my consideration. I have to say I agree with it. It's fairly forgiving of mis-smoking, and cool enough if you draw too much/fast. I have also found it useful in some of my "low end blending experiments". That black cavendish that smells wonderful and smokes terrible, is much improved when left to dry a day and cut with Half and Half. (No, this is not a recommendation for those with more refined palates.) It is no longer my regular smoke, but if you're starting out, or curious to maybe migrate from cigarettes to pipe, do yourself a favor and get a pouch, a cheap cob, and ask someone to show you how to pack a bowl. Revision: I recently bought a can and the product is rather different. Straight from the can it is gloppy wet and burns hot no matter what I did. I put a few handfuls out to air for two days and it was almost back to the stuff I'd come to like.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	periqueguy (43)	2009-03-06		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

This tobacco has been around forever and for a good reason. It's inexpensive, consistant and provides a decent and enjoyable smoke. Although I smoke primarily english blends, I occasionally smoke a few bowls of this for a change of pace and I really love the room note that can only be observed by the smoker after he is finished.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Captain bob (38)	2009-02-11		Mild	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

I smoked H&H for many years and still do once in a while. I now prefer Riverboat Gambler by C&D. In my opinion, similar, but pleasingly stronger than H&H and contains no preservative.

H&H must be sipped, not gulped. It has one of the finest aroma's to ever be sniffed. Taste is excellent, as well.

I would never hesitate to recommend it to any pipe smoker. After all, it has stood the test of time and deserves respect for its enduring success. In my opinion, one of the finest tobacco's ever produced among others such as Prince Albert and Sir Walter Raleigh.

Smoke it slowly and savor the experience or it will get hot and goopy because it contains a preservative. Best enjoyed in bulk (tin) rather than the pouch.

Everyone should try Half and Half. It's a classic.

UPDATE: 08/01/2009

I must say I have reduced the recommendation to "Somewhat Recommended". I recently sampled some after a very long time. Simply put, it is not what it used to be. In my opinion the change is they have removed the herb deer-tongue from this blend. The herb is increasingly difficult to come by these days. It adds what I call a rich-vanilla or cinnamon-apple flavor depending on how much is used in a blend. If you are looking for a replacement, try a new blend by C&D called "Gentleman Callers". It picks up where H&H has left off!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-02-04		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Half and Half is actually a very nice blend in the realm of American Burleys but it would be fair to say this is a medium bodied smoke not designed for someone new to burley by any means.Half and Half has a rum raisin topping which goes nicely with the burley and adds a touch of flavor to the blend.It is slightly moist in the pouch so airing out the tobacco would be necessary.Beyond that it's a tastey smoke and i would recommend this blend as a progression once you've progressed from a plain burley.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CornCob (94)	2009-02-01		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

In my opinion this is as good as it gets when talking burley blends. It packs well, stays lit and smells/tastes good. Its an everyday smoke for me and has been for years.It also makes a great base for blending at home.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Glorfindel (86)	2008-09-16		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This gets three stars from me - after finally trying it;)

The tobacco has a nice light body evolving from a smooth, even, burley character with the VA tang and creamy texture revealing itself at times, hinting at what I have tasted in premium VA blends. NICE! It really is "Half and Half" in the burley/VA flavor spectrum. Though, I don't find any burley nuttiness here with the VA seeming to peek through more often with the burley notes providing background structure - which I like.

Burns great with few to no re-lights and minimal packing required. This stuff will burn and burn - GREAT!

This is a true classic. I will certainly keep some on hand at all times. Give Half and Half a try!!

2 stars = Price and availability + 1 star for solid quality

3 stars overall!

Good Draw to You,

Glorfindel

Pipe Used: Any

Age When Smoked: New Pouch

Purchased From: PipesandCigars.com

Similar Blends: NA.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Loboatomy (41)	2008-06-02		Medium	Strong	Medium to Full	Tolerable

The "Wild side" of "Codger Burley"....a yummy licoricey, raisiny rummy somewhat rough character lurking on the shelf in it's dusty box.

As noted in the previous reviews-either you love it or hate it.

I tend to like this tobacco, but with a few caveats:

1) It is quite batch inconsistent. I've had pouches which are fantastic and others which are terrible. If your tobacconist has a few on the shelf (they come in sleeves of 6 boxed pouches) and the one you get is one of the "good ones", buy the rest.

2)One of the few tobaccos that I reccomend ONLY be smoked out of a well broken in corncob for proper effect. It just doesn't smoke well out of any of my briars for me but it's fantastic out of a cob. It NEEDS the narrow, deep bowl of a cob to burn right, IMHO.

This is a classic blend, try it.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sailorjack (57)	2008-02-16		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Never really tried any of the 'American Classic Drugstore Blends' but I bought a pouch of this in a pinch recently. You know no matter what anyone says this ain't half bad(no pun intended). I like burley and there is nothing to dislike here. Nothing spectacular but good honest burley flavor and aroma. I will probable pick up a pouch every now and again, not because I'm in a pinch but because I just enjoy it. Now put that in your pipe and smoke it!

It probably doesn't quite deserve three stars but I want to make sure everybody knows I enjoyed it.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Frosty (29)	2007-12-26		Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I smoke this stuff by the tub. It does indeed have a wonderful boozy, cranberry, clove fragrance, and while it does have somewhat of an odd industrial taste, I just love it. I like the nice nicotine level, the one match ignition, the old school aura, and the fact that it's readily available. I smoke this in my old collection of drugstore pipes, and find it is wonderful in any shape or size. To me, at midbowl and beyond it tastes rather like a butterscotch milkshake. It has a noticeable tobacco flavor, even through all the condiments. This tobacco will build a cake faster than any other tobacco I have ever tried. After much deliberation, I must award this 4 stars, even though it is not a boutique blend, and many people don't like it. Yum. I hope they never quit making this. ==update== I have been smoking this blend for years now, and I have recently come close to perfecting the "Frank" method of pipe loading. This brings out the very best from Half & Half. A properly charged pipe using this method will give well over an hour of gentle puffing. I now love this blend even more! I humbly invite my fellow pipe smokers to give it a whirl.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SopwithCamel (255)	2007-05-03		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

I recently retried this blend. My first attempt was very bad, leading me to believe I may have had a defective sample. I have had some trouble with Granger, which is also produced by Pinkerton.

This time around, the foil pouch was perfectly folded inside the box. The tobacco was surprisingly dry as well. This is about the eighth pouch of this I've tried. It is certainly the best. Maybe the QC folks at Pinkerton have been reading these reviews? I would love to think so.

Another reviewer pegged the topping as having cranberry in it, and I must say I agree. I detect cranberry, cloves, cinnamon, and maybe rum. The cut of this blend allows it to burn very hot, so take care. Puff it up and the flavor becomes rancid.

If you take your time with it, it can be a pleasant smoke, for very little money. I can find it just about anywhere where I live.

If you love H&H , count your blessings! You are laughing all the way to the bank...

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2007-03-19		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Very Pleasant

Half and Half is my favorite tobacco. I have smoked it for the last 15 years since I went back to pipe smoking after a 15 year absence. I also smoke English mixtures such as 965, but I get a real thrill out of Half and Half. It is a simple straight forward tobacco, it smolders wonderfully in a pipe, but you have to have just the right technique to really get the most from it. I hope this tobacco will continue to be around for a long time to come.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2006-11-17		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This is my absolute favorite tobacco. There is no other smoke I have ever tried that tastes or smells like Half & Half! While Rattray's Terry Red, Dunhill's Early Morning Pipe and Brigg's are my top favorites, Half and Half is the crown jewel in my rotation. Even my wife thinks this is the best smelling tobacco I smoke and makes a point to tell me when I light up. This being said, I am forever surprised by the number of people who do not like this tobacco. It is full of flavor (and nicotine!) and is simply WONDERFUL! To put it frankly, a world without H&H just might not be a world worth living in.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2006-05-17		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Strong

Update 12/09/10: H&H was the first tobacco I ever smoked at the tender age of 14. (45 years ago). H&H stuck by me through my US Army years, college years, accountant years and into retirement. It definitely tastes different to me now than in the 1960's; however, I think that a person loses his senses of taste and smell as he ages. Being a burley guy, I never strayed too far from Half and Half. When I was a boy, my uncle smoked H&H and the aroma was wonderful. He looked so content smoking that soon I followed in his footsteps. (My father did not smoke.)

I venture to say that if we could go back into time and get a package from 1968, it would taste much the same as 2010 stuff, just different due to personal limitations. The younger fellows of today have a much greater selection of fine tobaccos to choose from, but nowhere to smoke. (That's another story.) I always have personally preferred the OTC stuff to the fancy tobacco, primarily due to what I began smoking. When I was young, pipe tobacco was sold everywhere, but all of it was H&H or Prince Albert genre.

It's natural to assume that a person who starts his smoking hobby with high end tobaccos is not going to like H&H and his lowly burley brothers.

All in all, Half and Half is an American classic that has stood the test of time. Very highly recommended.

Original review:I've been a pipe smoker for over 40 years, and Half and Half is the first tobacco I smoked. I think the pocket pouch was under 20 cents at that time. I feel that the quality of the blend has lessened over the years, however, today's Half and Half tastes much the same as it did 40 years ago.

The room note of this tobacco is unmistakable for any other brand. The slogan cool smoking, improved cut has been on the package as long as I have been smoking. This tobacco will always be in my rotation.

All in all, still an excellent smoke, however, not for everyone. Best in a thick wall corncob, smoked slowly to minimize bite.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HunterTRW (6)	2005-07-14		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Strong

Half and Half was my late paternal grandfather's favorite pipe-tobacco. Every time I smoke this blend today I am instantly whisked back in time, and can see him stoking his ever-present Falcon billard with it from the dark leather pouch he carried in his pocket.

The casing of this blend (if cased it be) reminds me of apples, however, I do not find it to be either goopy or objectionable. Having said that I will admit that it DOES tend to taint both pipe and room. I had an opportunity to visit Grandpa's old house years after he died, during a period when it was vacant, and I could still smell the lingering, delightful aroma of Half and Half! Some might find this to be objectionable. I don't. Rather, I am reminded of a staunch loyalty to brand that is sadly lacking in our world today.

Half and Half is a working-man's smoke that burns cleanly and wears well. It is admirable in a Popeyeish "I am what I am and that's all that I am" sort of way, and I recommend it.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NMpiper (5)	2023-04-29		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Tolerable

Nope! This is one of the worst tobaccos Ive ever tasted. It has a flavor that reminds me of rotten fruit. Or like fruit juice that has gone bad. Bag note smells like jailhouse hooch and tastes just as bad. Never again.

Pipe Used: Cob

Purchased From: Pipesandcigars

Similar Blends: Rotten grapes.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pip'n'Piper (54)	2022-05-09		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Tin note is all over the place. I smell molasses, cocoa or choclate, some citrus, but there's a fruit smell there I could not for the life of me figure out. Closest I could figure was juicy fruit gum. I got the opinions of several people, and the consensus was currants. That smells about right. I guess it could be cardamon, but I am NO cardamon aficianado. Do cardamon aficianados exist? Probably. Even Cheetos has flavour experts. Annnyways, taste is good, but totally different from anything Ive smoked previous. The tobaccos themselves are kind of subdued by the topping, at first. The burley is predominant, molasses and nuts, and the virginia I only notice in the citrus notes. By halfway all that remains is the burley and it's pretty darn good. The cocoa and molasses notes pick up. All with that cardamon or currant flavour right there, lingering on in the aftertaste. Like other reviewers here, this stuff kinda grew on me. It's inexpensive, so that's a star. It burns well and doesn't bite much, so that's a star. The flavour is decent and has some nuance, that's half a star. 2.5. All in all, this stuff is a bit bizarre, but good. It really shines in the latter half of the bowl, after the topping has dwindled. I'd recommend to every pipe smoker, because it is so unique a flavour profile you won't likely forget it, for better or worse. Based on the reviews, you may hate it, you may just love it, but no matter what, you'll have an experience you can discuss for years to come. That's worth half a star, I figure. 3 stars.

Pipe Used: Cob

Age When Smoked: Fresh

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Covedog (5)	2022-04-18		Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

So far this is the best OTC tobacco I have tried. Lights very easily and stays lit. No tongue bite and doesn't get overly ashy near the bottom of the bowl. Can definitely taste hints of citrus, couldn't detect any plastic chemical flavoring like a lot of others have noted. Overall a really smooth smoke, will definitely be adding it to the rotation.

Pipe Used: Corn Cob, Briar, Clay

Age When Smoked: New

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Farshid Houshmand (8)	2021-10-18		Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I'm smoking the Pinkerton version after a long long time, well here's the story: I had tried and hated Half & Half in my earlier pipe smoking days, you know, those Captain Black pouch smoking days in the old 2000's, and had decided not to smoke it anymore, and had actually put an opened half used pouch in a pack with other pouch tobaccos I didn't use and dumped it in my father's house about ten years ago before I moved to live in another City... About three weeks ago I was looking for a painting brush in my old stuff and found that same pack full of tobaccos and revived the moisture on some of them to try after all these years to see what I think now that I'm more of an experienced pipe smoker. I'm not a burley Fan and usually I hate burley based tobaccos but, man, oh, man. Being a pouch tobacco and all, it's fairly good. I've had the same experience with Amphora full aroma recently and am very happy with this find, I'll get some STG Version and try that too of course and will compare the two versions on my YouTube channel later. And now for the review: It feels more like a Virginia Based blend to me rather than Burley Based. This does not have that tangy taste I get from most burleys and is sweet, I dono if it's the aging or something else. But it's good, no tongue bite, burns cool and good. i Don't get any of the tastes mentioned here from this tobacco now that I'm half way done with the bowl, tastes like a good straight Virginia to me, with an undertone of honey in the room note.

Pipe Used: A rustic Real briar straight billiard

Age When Smoked: 10 years at least

Purchased From: Local tobacconist

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PennsylvaniaPiper (20)	2021-03-10		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

A beautiful American traditional mixture that I have enjoyed in my rotation for many years.

USER TIP: When I get a new pouch, I dump the contents on to a clean piece of paper and add two large "pinches" of Lane's BCA. I mix this together and allow to dry overnight. The next morning I stuff it all back in the pouch. I learned this trick from my Pop-Pop when I was a boy and saw his H&H spread out all over his workbench.

I also believe that STG has improved the overall quality of this blend. If you haven't tried it in a while it may be time to check 'er out again.

Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum/ Diplomat apple

Age When Smoked: fresh pouch

Similar Blends: H&H is one of a kind.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	D.K. (58)	2020-12-15		Very Mild	Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Very Pleasant

Not bad. Tin is definitely better than the pouch. I almost stopped at a pouch. I literally scraped my last bowl out of the pouch that I had thrown in the glovebox, just barely having enough to make it home (forgot my main baccy), and I thought "hmmm there's something there" so I bought the tin. This has an excellent flavor if smoked slow. Almost a sweet ginger, butter and honey on bread flavor. It wont knock your socks off, but you'll like it. Another good, clean, all day smoke. My #2 next to SWR. They alternate days very well. Whereas SWR is a light molasses/anise flavor, this is a light zesty spice flavor. Its hard to narrow down the flavor. I don't want to say dill, that's clearly not right, but I've smelled this before in a pouch of "pickling spice". My grandmother made preserves of various things, pears apricots etc, and used an odd spice combo like this for some recipes. I have to add, I opened a can of Velvet and Half/Half at the same time, side by side. They look identical, and several of us could tell no difference between the tin odor. Once emptied into glass jars, and allowed to rest, a slight detection was made of a hint of cherry in the Velvet. Which is odd, 'cause Half/Half, supposedly has a slight cherry topping also (or so I have been told).

Pipe Used: All

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: BnB

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tropicalretriever (23)	2020-05-08		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable

Half and Half has been around for a long time. I am not sure why. Maybe it is the low price point, maybe some just like it. It is easy to pack and light, but the taste is horrible. All I taste is licorice which I do not like. Not. One. Bit. So I had to try it due to the great reviews, but I will not buy it again.

Pipe Used: Peterson

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	MrKovacs (6)	2020-01-28		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This has to be the salt and vinegar chips of pipe tobacco. You either love it or hate it.

Me being a Va-VaPer and English smoker I don't have a soft spot for heavy casing. This stuff will gunk up your pipe like crazy after a bowl, even though it's not too heavily cased like lots of Aromatics (I'm looking at you molto dolce). Maybe the cube cut hides it. I'm also not a fan of burley tobacco.

Why do I have it in my rotation? Sometimes I crave different. Earthy smoke without Latakia/orientals and lack of fake sweetness. Pros: Full smoke, unique flavor and cheap price. I haven't tasted another blend like it.

Cons: Pipe raping topping Cigarette like tarry aftertaste like most burley blends

Pipe Used: Butz Choquin sitter

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Local B&M

Similar Blends: Nothing else.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RingGrain (10)	2019-07-23		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I'm mainly a Burley and Virginia lover, and I love thyem in whatever pecentage of mix. Now, where I live H&H it's not so easy to get, but 2 years ago I got some pouches and I started to smoke it fresh, but I also put 2 of them in a jar. I didn't like it so much when fresh, it was too bitey and kind of acrid to my mucoses. Now in these days I opened the jar and I'm smoking this old pipe weed... I can say it's better now. I don't find any anisette or staff here, nice tobacco taste, little Virginia and more of rude Burley, little sweetness too. It's still a little acrid but far less than before, and less bitey too now. Not bad really, but it's not in my ViBur mix Olimpo. I can say that its rudeness makes it a good Vir-Bur after dinner, where my best is usually a mix of 1792 and Park Lane 9, 50/50....

Pipe Used: Savinelli Punto Oro, many of them...

Age When Smoked: fresh and 2 years old.

Similar Blends: Clan Raw Blend, Mc Baren Golden Blend.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	OhioTony76 (59)	2018-11-26		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I think it smells great out of the pouch. Course cut, needs some dry time. Burns so so. Likes to go out with no warning. Not really an aromatic. Has a topping though. The topping is very mild and ambiguous. Doesn’t ‘bite’ me really, but it does have that prickly kinda mouth feel. One note. Kind of has a wet cardboard taste. Sounds bad, but it’s really not terrible. Nic hit is very mild. Builds good cake. Good blend to break in a new pipe. 1.5 stars.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BlueTomorrow (15)	2018-05-02		Mild	Mild	Mild	Tolerable

The flavor of burley dominates the smoke with Half & Half; I find that I hardly notice the Virginia tobacco except for a little bit of grassiness under the anise topping. The topping is more mild than I expected, and frankly I wish it had a stronger flavor; it's comparable to the topping used in Sir Walter Raleigh but without SWR's molasses sweetness.

Half & Half is a little bit bitey if I try to smoke too fast, and it does burn rather hot and wet. The room note is just okay--I don't see a non-smoker caring much for it. There's just not a whole lot to recommend with Half & Half.

Pipe Used: MM cob

Age When Smoked: pouch

Similar Blends: Sir Walter Raleigh.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Grayskwerl (8)	2018-01-30		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

(STG version) Strange - I do like this blend. Thing is, I just don't desire to smoke it very often. And even when I do, it's usually just a bowl, and then I'm good for a while. I don't think this could ever be an all-day for me, but when I do crave it, nothing else will do. Half and Half has a somewhat unique topping, as far as OTC's go. I can't put my finger on it, other than the anise. You will have to like the topping to like this blend. I do think the STG version is much better than the goopy mess it was before. (That version I just trashed, way too heavy on the topping and/or PG). STG has rescued this classic from oblivion in my humble opinion. Thank you for that, STG. I will probably always have some around, even if it's not in my 'A list' rotation. 2.5 stars.

Pipe Used: Cob, various

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: B&M

Similar Blends: somewhat unique.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tomasz (9)	2017-08-24		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Tolerable

I had read a lot of reviews on this tobacco and decided to give it a try. I was not expecting much so at least I wasn't disappointed. The pouch smell is pretty unique. Cinnamon spice? I'm not quite sure. The first few draws scorched me quite badly. If you sip on this and I mean SIP, it can be very tame. Oddly enough I hardly detected any sweetness. Even with slow careful draws, it felt like warm steam. I was able to finish the bowl without further bite but I was unable to coax any flavor out of this good or bad. The room note reminds me of a rich dark cigarette. I can see how someone could enjoy this but I believe my mouth chemistry simply cannot tolerate something in this tobacco. 2 stars. Worth a try but this is not a weed that I will return to.

Pipe Used: MM Country Gentleman

Age When Smoked: right out of pouch

Purchased From: cigarsinternational.com

Similar Blends: not sure.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tburglar (7)	2017-04-10		Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Not half bad ;) I would go so far as to say the room note is a pleasant aromatic, but it could be much worse. The best part about this cheap otc is that it actually has some taste, unlike Carter Hall and Prince Albert. I would say the pouch smells like raisins or dates, like others have said, and that is what comes through as the predominant taste, as well.

However, saying it has a raisin or date aroma and taste is not really accurate. In truth, it is a rather indescribable aroma, and eveything about it that is different from raisins and dates is less enjoyable than raisins and dates. Furthermore, it is pretty loaded with the chemical. My nose is sensitive to the stuff, and this will dry it out pretty quickly.

This is the cheap otc I would buy in a pinch because Captain Black costs me $13, and that just seems wrong when I can get far superior tobacco for that price online.

YMMV

Pipe Used: John Bull billiard by Sasieni

Purchased From: Local otc

Similar Blends: Has no equal, and it should probaby stay that way..

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	mnadz (69)	2016-04-28		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This blend is so similar to Carter Hall and Prince Albert. If you do not like this blend, then you are just not a fan of OTC burleys (or straight Burleys in general). That is pretty much what H&H is. The flavoring is so light, I find it interesting that it is classified as an aromatic. Saying that, I will admit there are much better Burley blends on the market - for that, check any of C&Ds blends. Otherwise, for an OTC blend, H&H is not shabby for its price point. Packs well, smoke w/o relighting, no tongue bite. Just know what you are buying and realize this is NOT really an aromatic.

Pipe Used: Ben Wades for Burleys

Age When Smoked: Fresh from pouch

Similar Blends: Prince Albert.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	William H. Hardy (95)	2016-04-22		Medium	Strong	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

Just where do I begin? Many people hate it. Some love it. I can't stop smoking it... I don't smoke it every day, but every once in a while I get the urge to buy a pouch of it and sit back and puff on it ceaselessly. A lot of pipe smokers berate Half & Half and make jokes about it. Are they wrong to do so? Doubtful, as I can understand what they mean and what they despise about it. Half & Half just seems to be my guilty pleasure.

The anise/licorice/whatever-else topping is perversely over-the-top, but it does fade about a quarter of the way into the bowl. It never fully goes away, but it becomes more a part of it; more of a melding and compliment to the burleys and Virginias (Mostly to the Burleys, I suppose). Half & Half, to me, is like a train wreck. You know, it's terrible, but you can't stop yourself from looking. Maybe that's not a good analogy, but it suits my purposes.

This tobacco is, in my opinion, worth trying. I can't give it more than two stars, because I can't recommend it without reservations. Although to me it's a solid three-star blend. Their tagline should be, "Half & Half: It's so bad it's good!"

Pipe Used: Custom-Bilts

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Vogi Tobacco (3)	2015-09-04		Very Mild	Strong	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Very Pleasant

This tobacco just fails all around. This tobacco is extremely moist and takes about half a box of matches to light. There is instant tongue burn and the taste is extremely sweet and artificial. If i could rate this a 0 out of four I would.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	L'Italiano (233)	2015-05-04		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Unpretentious tobacco, simple, easy, quite smooth. Burley and Virginia flavored with artificial (not natural) essences. Not a strong casing but a mild to medium flavoring (you can taste the tobacco too). Don’t think to have a great tobacco and don’t think to have a trash. Simply average tobacco. Two stars, that’s all!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Houndstooth (34)	2015-04-06		Strong	Medium	Full	Tolerable

It was a matter of time that I tried the whole OTC thing- a long time at that. To think that I spent the better part of a decade in a smoke shop without hardly sampling anything of the ilk is sort of funny; I was always yanking down those jars of Peter Stokkebye which, after a while often failed to give me what I was looking for until I began to try my hand at creating my own blend. But the other aspect keeping me from getting there was the knowledge that anything in a pouch was sure to be dry as a bone; pipe smoking customers were few and far between, and when they did come, they were not looking for the OTC products.

As a teen I know I tried pouches of god knows what with a buddy or two, only to have the corn cob fall apart and suffer some bad tongue bite. But here it is nearly 20 years that I began to smoke a pipe in earnest and still know nothing at all about what Prince Albert is- or was.

See, a certain well-known tobacco marketer (which will go nameless here) has gone and put out a line of variations on OTC blends- the usual mostly burley concoctions. Having a great appreciation for this company's blends, I've been thinking about pulling the trigger on a canister, but knowing myself well enough I thought I should first go out and do the genuine OTC thing first- before I got myself in trouble buying 14 ounces of something stinky not at all to my liking.

So finally- I stopped at a shop and bought a pouch. The young clerk had to point me in the direction I needed to go, and there wasn't much there- mostly cig tobaccos. But there was H&H, looking traditional. The clerk said nothing when I told him I'd never tried it but was a pipe-smoking vet. He didn't even grunt as he rang me up.

Once home, I grabbed my thick-walled no-name black Italian sitter and filled it. I knew I wasn't going to be doing somersaults of joy, but what I found was something smokeable- with some undefinable flavor. It wasn't real love, but it wasn't bad. Having a slightly contrarian nature and being a full fledged adult used to things sometimes initially unpleasant , I chuckled to myself as I fired up the screen and read the ugly reviews. I'd not looked at any reviews of H&H- at least not lately- I knew what I was going to find was cocked eyebrows and unmitigated scorn. And so it was.

Not once did I feel the need to ditch my bowl, and it never did get truly nasty on me. I stopped smoking when hunger took over, and when I looked later at the dottle I found little of anything left- knowing I'd stopped smoking at just the right time by some strange chance. I'll give the detractors one concession- H&H burns hot fired up like an old steam locomotive ready to jump the tracks in a fury of combustion.

The next night I used my antique Drury Lane sitter from London. The walls of the bowl are like Fort Knox or the Pentagon. I reclined on my couch and read, not paying too much attention to the fire under my nose- but this time was more pleasant than my first try. That time I noticed the nicotine a little more, but it's not considerable.

I'm glad I've tried H&H. It'll never be a go-to for me, but something a little more modern and refined might be. After all, there is zero Orientals, Latakia or Perique in it- so how wonderful could it be? Burley as an element is still a little new for me when its there in strength. As a lover of the past though- I went there, and found it none so cautionary as modern critics might have it. My guess is that H&H has been reincarnated more times than once, though.

To those "modernes" who find this so horrid- I might ask if its that bad, you'd never have gotten habituated to a pipe to begin with if things like this were basically all there was? Really?

Pipe Used: thick walled sitters

Age When Smoked: fresh in a wonderfully sealed pouch

Purchased From: Big Smoke- a local chain store

Similar Blends: Not quite enough experience and memory to judge.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Der Pfeifenraucher (71)	2015-04-02		Very Mild	Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

H&H is smokable, that gets it a 2 star rating on this scale. That is really the best that can be said for half and Half. Looks good in the pouch, smells OK, packs and light really well. Upon puff #1 I wasn't impressed and this weed didn't impress me upon finishing the bowl or the pouch. Weak flavor, weak nicotine, and burns a little hot. NEXT.

Pipe Used: crusty old cob, crusty old briar

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: local smoke shop

Similar Blends: Hardwood sawdust mixed with ground hickory shells.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Newbie2010 (18)	2015-02-26		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

UPDATE 4/8/2015: Scraped the bowl and salt treated my Peterson System 315 for two days and I can still faintly detect the ghost of Half & Half.

My late grandfather smoked this, and I remember being at the grocery store with my mom or dad, and we would buy him some when he would visit. I buy it every so often because of him. My guess is that he liked it because of the anise-like flavor. Half & Half certainly conjures the anise of Italian cookies and anisette that were more than familiar to our family of Italian heritage. It is not a go-to blend, but I do enjoy it somewhat. What I don't enjoy is how it ghosts a briar pipe, especially a Peterson System. It lingers and it relentlessly finds its way into subsequent bowls of different blends, no matter how hearty. IMHO, this should be enjoyed in a cob dedicated to Half & Half. Doing so will save you a lot of frustration.

Pipe Used: Peterson System 315 and MM

Age When Smoked: One month from purchase

Purchased From: Local B&M

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CoreyR (36)	2014-09-29		Extremely Strong	Strong	Overwhelming	Extra Strong

I tried this many years ago and did not care for it. Recently I purchased pouch to give it another chance on the thought taht, maybe, my tastes have changed. I was wrong. This stuff is little better than cigarette tobacco. It may be very good cagarette tobacco, I wouldn't know not being a cig smoker, but none the less... I simply cannot bring myself to like it. However, if you are transitioning to pipes from cigarettes, this stuff may be a good "crossover" tobacco. Until you can be introduced to something better.

Pipe Used: Cobs

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mark O (6)	2014-07-20		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This "old codger burley" smells nice in the pouch and has a pleasant room note. It burns well and produces a fairly fine ash. It starts out pleasantly sweet; however, the problem I have with this tobacco is an almost overwhelming "cough syrup", chemical taste. I found it so displeasing I threw the pouch away after only a partial bowl. I didn't even elect to add it to my mixed tobacco jar. I love coder burleys but Half and Half is just not for me.....

Pipe Used: Old England #44 Canadian Briar

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tleek (51)	2014-07-05		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

To me, this blend is very different than the other classic American burley blends. The licorice or anise topping is very noticeable in pouch note, room note, and flavor. I do not understand how smokers cannot taste the topping in this. It does work well with the tobacco, and the classic burley nuttiness is never masked. I am sure the virginias add sweetness to the blend, but they are a bit hard to detect beneath the topping and the burly.

This is not a bad smoke by any means, most drug store tobaccos are quite good. It has a nice simple flavor and is very enjoyable. The topping leaves a sort of fresh or cool feeling in the mouth that is reminiscent of menthol cigarettes, although much less intense, and lacking the menthol flavor. Also, unlike Prince Albert, Carter Hall, Sir Walter Raleigh, it is pretty moist in the pouch and can use a bit of drying out.

Personally I prefer Carter Hall but to each their own. This stuff is not half bad.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	artielon (6)	2014-06-03		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

This one´s a stinger. If you´re stuck with some, mix it with something very mellow to get a smoother smoke. Lights well, burns well, tastes sharp - recommended (with reservations) to novice smokers. No special flavors to confuse (or thirll) you. Availability a plus (to me). Look elsewhere for an experience to remember. Later: mixed this 40:60 with McBaren´s Vanilla and got a very smooth and satisfying smoke!

Pipe Used: Falcon Coolway with filter

Age When Smoked: fresh from pouch

Purchased From: R-kioski, Finland

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Flinthills Tex (27)	2013-09-08		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Tolerable

On a recent trip to the US I decided to try as many of the OTC or "drugstore" tobaccos as I could. Half & Half is the only one I could also get in most tobacconists over here in Germany, so I was hoping for a pleasant experience.

Upon opening the pouch, my first impression was that this was RYO cigarette tobacco being marketed as pipe tobacco to lower the tax. Both the look and the aroma were clearly those of cigarette tobacco. I even detected a very slight hint of something like menthol, which I don't like. The smoke left me with the same impression: RYO cigarette tobacco. I very rarely chuck tobacco, but in this case I did it with a clear conscience.

To sum it up, if you are a cigarette smoker wanting to try pipe smoking, then maybe this is for you. I will not buy nor smoke this tobacco again. If you are a true pleasure pipe smoker, then I would advise you to steer clear of H&H.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BigNick (59)	2013-06-25		Mild	Medium to Strong	Medium	Tolerable

Saw it at CVS, never desired to try it, really liked the pouch and its colors, reminded me of Hangar 24 craft brewery in Redlands, I don't really know why, but it did. My fondness over the pouch could not be said about the contents inside of it. To be blunt, to think what ingredients constitutes this filth simply repulses me. Soap is the main taste I can detect. The room note is just strange and somewhat musty. There is an okay amount of vitamin N, and thankfully no bite, and its not real harsh. Pipe was goopy, but I smoked only in a cob...if partaking in trying this goop, I recommend using only a cob. The main problem I have with it is the weird, creamy, caking aftertaste it leaves. It isn't even an aftertaste, it's almost a lining in the mouth, and it lingers! Maybe one day I will drink enough, marshal the courage (or stupidity) and smoke another bowl from a different pouch. I know that it is possible I bought a bad pouch, and in order to obtain valid and accurate result of a test, one must sample further. This review may contain erroneous statements about this tobacco, but for now I'm going to maintain my belief that this is crap. I don't often bash on a brand, especially an older drugstore brand, usually because you know what you are buying isn't the best in the first place, but at least it's pretty consistent. Half & Half was not consistent, it was a curve ball. I know I'm being rather harsh but at least I said the pouch was pretty...

Pipe Used: MM legend, MM Mizzou

Age When Smoked: N/A

Purchased From: CVS

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Shoog (13)	2013-03-13		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

2 stars for excellent burning qualities and no tongue bite. I just couldn't get behind the flavoring they used, but I could see how some could.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Suttonwood (12)	2012-12-26		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Just ok, I would smoke this if I had nothing else. I did detect some chemical notes, but nothing unusual. Just figured I would give it a shot.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	friar_jay (5)	2012-12-13		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable

Not knowing where to buy pipe tobacco I stopped in at a local "head shop" and was directed towards a pouch of Half & Half. This tobacco served as my introduction to pipe smoking and honestly if this was all there was I would have quit. To me it tasted and smelled like I was smoking a cigarette, which was a huge turn off. I will never pack my pipe with Half & Half again.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ColonelStJames (14)	2012-11-15		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I tried some Half & Half a while back, and while I couldn't find anything wrong with it, I really could find much to write home about either. I am now in the process of re-discovering this blend, and I like it more and more with each bowl. It packs and lights easily, and I have no trouble keeping it lit all the way through. It's flavor is interesting, and while it doesn't compare with CH, it's still better the PA or SWR. They bore me to death! The room note has gotten several favorable comments, and that's always nice. Doesn't bite at all, and as far as OTCs are concerned, I think it'll be my first choice behind CH. Quite nice!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Earl Grey (34)	2012-04-13		Mild	Mild	Mild	Unnoticeable

Half and Half is about as simple as they come. Burley and Virginia with an anise casing. To me it has a plain jane Virginia forward taste to it, almost like a cigarette tobacco. The anise flavor fades as the bowl progresses. It started scorching hell out of my tongue, so I avoid this stuff from now on. I had about a third of a tin that ended up in the trash.

Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum, Kaywoodie, Italian Briar

Age When Smoked: Fresh out of tin and pouch.

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.om

Similar Blends: Sir Walter Raleigh.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Arkie (129)	2012-03-27		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable

There are worse OTC blends but this close to the bottom of the list of tobacco I would ever buy again. It has a harsh taste that could best be described as acrid. I suspect roll-your-own ciggy stuff would be better.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Connoisseur (47)	2012-02-15		Mild	Mild	Mild	Tolerable

Like so many of these old style "drug store" blends, consistency seems to be a problem. I have smoked Half-Half a few times over the years both the large tin and pouched variety and can say it is probably one of the better blends in this genre. I totally agree with Thbg in that it does have a light spicy (cinnamon/fruit cake?) backnote and certainly nothing resembling "vicks" or anything chemical as some have quoted. Also my guess is it is predominately white burley with a touch of virginia - not the half and half of each that could be inferred. Further it's not a rubbed out flake as some have described it but a typical "crimp" cut not unlike Prince Albert and Granger. It's mild with little tongue bite and a decent bowl full will burn slowley for a couple of hours if you let it. Having said that, it's quality is debatable - particularly to those of us spoilt with quality tobaccos - but it presents a reasonable good smoke at value for money as it's intended.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2011-12-02		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

This is great stuff. Really. It's been around for decades for a reason. Just because it's wicked cheap by comparison to all the foofoo candy junk, don't let that fool you. It's beautifully simple with a spice. 4 stars.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	juvat (36)	2011-10-28		Mild	Mild	Mild	Tolerable

Yuck. Smells like Vick's Vapor Rub; tastes like crap. No thanks.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TEO (33)	2011-10-23		Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is quite ok. I think I am smoking the DK one, the one sold here in Italy, I had it as a present from a fellow tobacconist. I noticed a Medium to strong liquor/wine flavouring as I opened to pouch but it almost fades away when I started puffing. The baccy came in a little on the dry side but it doesn't bite, having the care of puffing slowly. The taste is mild to medium and and may be an easy all-day smoke. I found the strength to be less than what I expected. Not really a shiny blend but not bad at all.

Update...I won't smoke it as an everyday smoke, the liquor casing tends to be disturbing after some bowls. anyway too much burley in it, I wish it was 30&70 or something :)!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrT999 (318)	2011-10-01		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Mild (I just get a hint of the anise) and reliable, if not exciting in any way -- a nice basic smoke.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tom Servo (58)	2011-03-29		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Inside the chewing tobacco style foil pouch, I encounter the competing aromas of dried fruit, cranberry, clove, and cinnamon. Also a strange chemical menthol odor that makes you think of public restroom disinfectant. The tobacco packs well, but burns unevenly.

Smoke is light and dominated by an artificial berry and menthol casing. Flavors fade as the bowl progresses, Burley is stronger in the second half, but it has a musty flavor. Either low-grade or over processed Burley (or both) for sure. Tended to get hot, but careful puffing kept it cool enough.

By the last third, The chemical flavors have mostly dissipated, the tobacco starts to taste a little like burning paper. Going further brings back some of that clean men's room smell and some sour notes. Bottom half of the bowl delivers strong rations of nicotine.

However, good or bad, life's too short for drugstore tobacco. Support your local (or online) tobacconist, and do yourself a favor.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mac (20)	2011-01-12		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable

I have been looking forward to trying this one for along time. At A$35 for 45 grams what a let down .I can get SG Blends for the same price or less .This is not anywhere near as good as Granger or Carter Hall which i can buy online from the US if i want to run the risk of paying the duty if customs cotton on to it.It may have been a good blend years ago but not now.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	chgo.piper (37)	2010-12-10		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable

I remember my dad smoking H&H and Velvet from his Dr. Grabow before switching to Prince Albert and staying with the prince for the past 30 years now. My dad never kicked back and enjoyed a pipe once or twice a day, this man smoked that pipe ALWAYS and would probably take it to bed with him if he could. I don't know why he switched to PA, I never asked but I think I will now (dad is 78). These tobaccos were my first smokes before spreading my wings with wonderful virginia blends and few high quality burley blends. So anyway, I picked up a pouch of H&H just a few days ago for old-time sake, smoked a bowl and put the rest in the trash. I don't know what happened to this tobacco but I'm very disappointed, not because of the $2.50 I lost but because I remember this tobacco being a pretty damn good little smoke... (What a shame)

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TK Pipe (101)	2010-12-09		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Half and Half... Many years ago, this was my daily smoke; it had a nice Cavendish type flavor, with a decent burley front end. I recently bought a pouch for old time's sake. Only a shadow remains, maybe it is just me, getting older and such. Whatever the reason for the change really does not matter, it is what it is. Giving this stuff 2 stars is a gift.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrDyson (148)	2010-10-23		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

Half and Half was only a name to me until a friend gave me some to try, with a warm recommendation; apparently everybody in the USA used to smoke it back in the day. Maybe it was pleasant in granddad's time, and, as in the case of many old tobaccos, an established name has been retained for something since degraded by a cost-cutting manufacturer (cf. Gold Block; Player's Whiskey; Three Nuns). I make due allowance for the fact that my taste-buds aren't attuned to American tobaccos; but I disliked the casing and thought it smelt and tasted cheap and artificial. I found also that it smokes hot and very wet.

Each to his own, of course, and I suppose it'd be all right if you couldn't get anything else; it isn't hateful – but I wouldn't recommend it. I think I'd give it one and a half stars if that were possible. It might be all right to smoke it while doing something else, just for the sake of a smoke; but I can't imagine anyone sitting in their armchair and enjoying a bowl of this for its own sake.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Peppino (74)	2010-09-24		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Well I tried it..............and that's gonna be it! Terrible taste and hot smoking,left the bowl wet. I guess that covers it.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Steden (100)	2010-07-23		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Update 08/28/2010

After another try I have to downgrade a star: not at all bad but discontinuous and a bit boring.

Original review:

H&H smells of fermented fruits/liquor Kirsch like (strong but far to being unpleasant), you can detect the casing even during the smoke but in a feeble way compared to the pouch smell and the dry clean ash on the bottom of the bowl tells it is lighter than first impression; the taste is predominately Burley but with a tangy Virginia note, it smokes cool without gurgles and leaving a clean aftertaste. Wife no commented room note. Not a memorable or refined blend but enjoyable for sure, to retry sometimes.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	krg1000 (183)	2010-07-03		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Another of the OTC stops on my way down this vein. Upon opening the Ziplock with a 2 ounce supply, it seems to be one of the better ones I have smelled. The ribbon cut makes it quite easy to pack and get lit. The room note seems to have passed the wife test. The nicotine is about average for the OTC blends I have tried thus far. I have had a number of bowls today and it seems to satisfy me nicely. The downside is that it seems not to burn down to ash, it leaves a lot of dottle and the amount of smoke seems lacking. I think there are better OTC blends out there like CH or PA.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	paulw (76)	2010-06-06		Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

I can't believe this used to be lucky strike cigarette tobacco boy can you tell . try it if your a nicotine junkie, it is a very old blend!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2010-02-08		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Good smoke. Like the nic content. Taste is great by itself and mixes well with aromatics.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-10-25		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The tin aroma of this crimp-cut mixture is dominated by licorice and a cloyingly sweet/sour topping reminiscent of amaretto.

The flavor is tart with bright VA with only occasional flashes of burley character manifesting. Added sweeteners, and perhaps a touch of licorice, sublimate the natural sweetness of the VA while the unique aromatic topping remains present throughout.

Half & Half is a unique and distinctive concoction which is curiously compelling. Its unequivocally spicy peculiarity will quickly ghost a briar. This went well in a chamber of any gauge.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	quantumboy (130)	2009-10-23		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Okay for what it is, but I'm simply not a fan of OTC burleys. The flavoring is unappealing.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Skando (203)	2009-10-17		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Well, I should try this one soon or late...

After the first bowl, had in a old Savinelli de Luxe shape 101 (chubby billiard, which I have dedicated to Burley blends), I'm just scared to have a second one ! I don't even think I will have it.

It's really a strange fellow: that sort of cheap cherry liquor topping doesn't really reflects so much in the smoke. In some way I recall Skandinavik White.

The weed smokes steady and well behaves if you sip it short. Flavour is nothing special as you may expect from a OTC blend.

The thing which is really disgusting me so much is the chemical residue which is left in the pipe, it's really bad !

I don't see any good reason to recommend H&H, even somewhat.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-09-03		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

What I expected was a simple burley. What I got was something that was sweetened far too much. There was some sort of flavoring added that I couldn't quite put my finger on. It tastes almost like it smells so smell some before you buy it.

It's not horrible but it's not grand either. Not something I would smoke every day or even every week. Taste buds are taste buds and your millage may vary. I won't throw it out but it will be a while in the old mason jar before I smoke it again. Maybe it will mellow with age.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-07-13		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I tried smoking this right after I bought it. I didn't like the taste that much. After leaving the pouch open for two weeks on the table, it's much better. The flavor is more subtle now. Not too bad really for the price. Just make sure you let it dry out a lot before trying to smoke it. If the taste is still too strong you can cut it with Prince Albert or Carter Hall maybe. Just a little of this flavoring goes a long way.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JLong (36)	2009-01-25		Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium	Tolerable

Because I'm partial to burley, I like the taste. After a few bowls, it left me with cotton mouth to a point where it turned me off on pipe smoking for a day. It is something I will smoke on occasion.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	strongirish (249)	2009-01-13		Very Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

While I can see this as a popular RYO blend, it just never cut it with me. It has a good room note and burns well but for some reason something in it always makes me queasy. Never have figured out what it is as it's the only one to ever do this. I does remind me of old men and grandpas when I smell the aroma of it and I tried and tried to like it.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dr.sadik (120)	2008-12-20		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable to Strong

pure burly blend to my taste! the nuttiness and sour taste of burly dominates each and every bowl i engaged with. the anised flavoring wasnt to my liking and the room note feedback was less favorable to others (some even similarized it to cigs). now the blend it self has a cube cut orintation that gives it a slower burning rate, good for breaking in a new pipe. burns very well and leave no gunk.). i think it is an essential choice for new begginer to appreciate the taste of basic tobaccos and this case its the burly(you cant go wrong with the price this blend is retailed for),,i have a tub that i reach for from time to time.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	beaupipe (102)	2008-11-26		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I sure hope that the stuff I've tried to smoke on several occasions over the past two months is not the popular stuff of old. It's one thing to learn that your father is not superman, that he's just a normal, flawed soul. It's another thing entirely--and oh so heartbreaking--to learn that his palate and sniffer were both busted.

I'm pretty sure I've had a whole bowl of it now after a half dozen episodes of fumus interruptus. I now feel qualified to announce...

This stuff is awful.

There's a vague and unpleasant anise-like aroma that drifts off this nasty blend. And the series of part-bowls I forced down made me feel like I was sucking on the business end of a blowtorch.

The world is full of good Virginias and Burleys. Try one of them instead.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kerdy (43)	2008-11-01		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

After years of hearing how this was a much loved American classic tobacco, and seeing a box in the tobacco shop, I thought I would try it out. It had an odd smell, not bad, just different. Had just the right amout of moisture and lit right up. Had lots and lots of nice smoke. Then it started to go out and until halfway into the bowl, didnt burn without relighting it. It became VERY hot! Too hot to hold the pipe and it felt like I was sucking on a hair dryer. Had an ok aroma. While I can see where some people may like this, and it isnt "bad", its not for me. I will probably finish what I have over a long period of time, but in this level of tobacco I think Carter Hall is a much better choice. I think my grandfather smoked this, but am not sure. Well Gramps, this bowl was for you, but I dont think there will be many more. Sorry.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WillardFan (90)	2008-10-01		Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I'm not so sure that there's not a topping in this blend. There's something in this almost akin to a very light menthol taste and smell. I'm not an expert, but having smoked Newports for almost 20 years, I'd say there's something in this besides tobacco. I happen to like this blend, but not as much as Carter Hall. It's appearance is a well chopped ribbon cut, so it loads quite easily. Upon opening the pouch, there's a definite sweet smelling odor. This tobacco tastes much better, upon reaching the halfway point of the bowl. This is a bit too mild for my tastes, so I only gave it two stars. Easy on the wallet, and a good intro for new pipers wanting to try something in a Burley blend

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Xeneize (275)	2008-08-25		Mild to Medium	Medium	Very Mild	Pleasant

This gunk is truly barely smokable. I know that one's not supposed to compare drugstore blends to the real thing, but this is aweful even compared to Granger and others. Pure chemical taste, no tobacco whatsoever, and a rabid tongue biter.

As a reviewer said: if this was all I had to smoke, I'd quite smoking without a second thought.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2008-08-21		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

If you like Granger or Velvet, how can you not like this. This is much dryer than Velvet though. Too me Velvet is too moist, and needs some air time to get it in the zone. Granger is the strongest of the three, with H&H running a close second. Grangers quality control has been slumping though. I don't get it! How could a company who makes both tobaccos have high consistancy with one, and low consistancy with the other? Half and Half is a mix of dark and light burley. There may be a hit of VA. in it too to give it it's sweetness. It has a good natural flavor and a pleasant aroma. Just a good old school burley. Lots of nicotine too. This produces an extemely cool smoke no matter how you pack it. It doesn't burn my gums like Prince Albert or Carter Hall. Half & Half is a very smooth smoke. The flavor is that of tobacco and raisins, but very, very mild on the raisin note. This is readily available in my area! Just a walk aroud the corner to my local Rite-Aid, and I could get a 14oz can or a pouch easily! I was smoking fancy, class A virginia for awhile, but I can't afford them no more. For $16.00 I could get a can of old standby, H & H. This smoke definitely takes me back in time. The 1920's and 1930's, and of course, smelling my grandad's pipe filled with this when it still came in the metal cans! ENJOY!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Auroraboy (22)	2008-07-07		Mild to Medium	Strong	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Like all other classic American pipe blends, I want with all my heart to support and enjoy this stuff. It just doesn't make it easy!

Mostly it's the smell upon opening the cheap foil pouch. I don't know WHAT that is, but on different given days, it can make me think,"Hmm, not bad," or "Gaackk, what IS that??" All I can liken it to is the smell of an overloaded spice cabinet on a hot day. Cheap burley mixed with mint, cloves, and some rotten raisinjack from under the counter? Amazingly, sometimes it smokes very well, and doesn't taste like it smells. Other reviewers note the batch inconsistency, and I've seen a little of that too (I've only had the pouch).

I'm sorry to say, with so many other choices, this just doesn't seem worth the effort.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SirShaggy (28)	2008-07-01		Mild	Mild	Mild	Tolerable

Wow. This is one that had me running. I opened it up, then gaged a little. I don't like raisin's, cranberries or whatever the heck they put in the can! Reminded me of Raisin Bran cereal only stronger. I stuffed it in a pipe anyway, thought maybe it tasted good. Guess I was wrong for thinking. I really didn't get much flavor, what I got I couldn't describe to you, go lick someone's foot-that would be close! At the end of the first bowl, I could smell an ammonia smell! I thought I must be crazy. I tried again a day later, there it was again, good ole ammonia. Must be my chemistry............

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipe (20)	2008-06-13		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Tolerable

Update: 9-24-10 attempted again foolishly this stuff is shit. never again

Update: after some storage time, this stuff is Still Awfull. Really makes you wonder why these old blends are still around

Best thing for this mulch is in Potpourri

it smells half way good

Sooner or later most pipe smokers are gonna sample the grocery store blends. Its just our nature. Half & Half? Hmmm

just don't do it. absolutely awfull.

If this was all I had to smoke, I'd quit

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Benton (13)	2008-04-01		Mild	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

I don't know why I dislike this blend so much because the topping aroma is very similar to Carter Hall, which I enjoy. H&H has a coarser cut and its color is darker, but the pouch aroma of H&H and Carter Hall seem very similar. When a match hits it, though, H&H looses all of its charm. I have never made it through more than half a bowl before it makes me nauseous.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Eonwe (22)	2008-01-24		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I cant comment on the older incarnations of this blend. But I can say that the Pinkerton version is by far the greatest of the drug store blends. and factor in that it costs a measly 2 bucks, Its worth a try. I do agree with the other reviews in that I can detect a plethora of fruit-like flavors, yet I feel that it is more of a dry muted taste, like that of a cheap Merlot. upone opening the pouch I saw a tobacco that appeared to be too wet to smoke. color me amazed, because this smoked cool and dry, with very minimal bite. I did like that it held its smolder through most of the bowl. I would agree with the past assesments that this is a good smoke for when your doing something else. the room note was nothing to write home about, but I would agree to the comment on it smelling a tad like a cigarette, and it finished with a non-descript bland gray ash. I gave it 2 stars because I do require my tobacco to have at least a hint of nicotine, I had to inhale every 3rd puff, just to feed that monkey. Has anyone out there aged any of this tobacco? perhaps that would bring out the Virginia a bit? or maybe that would just be an exercise in futility...but again...at 2 dollars a pouch, its worth a go.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jaybee (77)	2007-12-06		Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I enjoyed smoking this concoction years ago....they even commercially produced half & half cigarettes. At that time it was available in a long, thin, metal tin with a narrow hinged lid on top. The tobacco inside was compressed into a wax paper lining and you had to dig it out with your fingers. The tobacco tended to be dry, but the flavoring seemed infused into the leaf, as opposed to being sprayed on top. Today's version is loosely packed and the flavoring, although essentially the same, seems artificial and somewhat bitter. If I could still buy the old version there's no doubt that it would remain a favorite...Too Bad

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2007-12-04		Mild	Very Strong	Overwhelming	Tolerable

Why does this taste so bad to me? I don't know, I wish I knew. The only drugstore Burley I can tolerate to any degree is Prince Albert. I don't know why, I wish I knew. Man, I can't even taste tobacco hardly in this. It smells like tobacco and who knows what else in the bag, then you put the match to it and the inside of your head is instantly coated in chocolate raisins for the next two hours. Do not attempt at home.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2007-10-22		Mild to Medium	Strong	Medium to Full	Strong

Pouch: This is ribbon, cut into small pieces(fine cut), and smells like cheap hot-cinnamon and chocolate candy, so powerful it can be smelt outside the resealed pouch.(One reviewer called it a typical medicinal burley smell.) No fruity presentation at all, H&H is a classic aromatic blend where the added casings predominate over the untreated tobacco qualities.

Lighting & Packing: The chemical accelerant got it to light up easily. H&H is sticky, and leaves a residue on the fingers when it's rolled into a ball. Aromatics will definitely put down a cake around the inside of your bowl. I smoked them for 27 years and it took a drill and grinding bit to get back down to briar or Meerschaum, in my current set of pipes, before I finally got edumacated to quality tobaccos described in TobaccosReviews.com. That's why this review is based on a corncob.

Taste & Aroma: Supposing this is half VA bright flake, it is impossible to detect it over the casing. I have some C&D's #170 Bright Flake blending tobacco, so I know what it should be like. None of the VA tang is present in H&H. I do not detect a natural burley like that which is present in C&D's Pegasus, which I am also currently sampling.

Nicotine: mild to medium

Room Note: low quality scented candles; industrial, synthetic, plastic

Overall: Burleys are known, and often used, for their ability to absorb and drink up flavorings. Unfortunately, after having read the reviews, I have been unable to get one review out of my head, the association of the smell of H&H to urinal cake. This is an undue emphasis, but, "for a nickel more, you can go first class."

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2007-07-03		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

An okay burley, but there's so many better drug store burley blends out there. It's the kind of tobacco to smoke when you're down to your last bit of tobacco. Look elsewhere to spend five bucks,

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2007-05-01		Mild to Medium	Medium	Overwhelming	Strong

I bought some of this based on the recommendation of my father-in-law who used to smoke this when he was younger. I normally smoke Virginias and Balkans so I bought a corncob for this blend to make sure I don't ruin any of my current pipes. Let me tell you, this stuff was absolutely and genuinely horrible. The smell of it in the foil pouch reminded me of a used urinal cake in a dirty gas station men's room. I almost gagged. Cloves? I don't think so. Upon lighting some of the foulest smelling and tasting smoke wafted up through the air and caused one of my cats to run out of the room. I immediately went out into the garage and continued smoking this awful weed to see if it had any hint of possible redemption. It didn't. I dipped the pipe in a bucket of water and threw it and the tobacco straight into the trash. I ran inside and rinsed my mouth out with Captain Morgan to get rid of the dreadful taste in my mouth. If this site let you dish out negative scores, this "tobacco" would get a minus 4. This was absolutely, unequivocally the WORST experience I've EVER had smoking a pipe.

Don't squander any of your time or money on this, you'll go to your grave cursing the manufacturer for the moments of your life wasted smoking it.

Like someone else said, life is too short to waste it on bad, atrocious, god-awful, stinking, foul, garbage tobacco.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2007-03-21		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Funny thing about this genre that I have affectionately dubbed "Codger Burlies", you either love them or can't stand them and the reviews on H/H certainly bear this out. Like its' contemporaries Prince Albert and Carter Hall, H/H is no frills old school, blue collar pipe smoking. If you review it from this perspective, this is a very good blend. If you review it expecting more, you are almost sure to be disappointed. Having planned an extensive list of burlies to try, I started at the top of the list with Prince Albert from there instead of moving on to more high brow burlies like I had planned, I liked the Prince so well that I decided to do some experimentation with the three prominent codger burlies out there, Prince Albert, Carter Hall and Half and Half. I must admit that it had been a long time since I had smoked H/H by itself. Initial light up it was a little hot, bitey and grassy. Back to basics says I, so I ran a pipe cleaner through the pipe lightly tamped and slowed down the puff rate. This produced magic. Again not fancy, somewhat unassuming but very good. I wouldn't say Prince Albert good but as others have said it's a close second and seems perhaps just a bit less one dimensional than PA and CH. Typical of a good Codger Burley, it's not fancy, not spendy, but very enjoyable and tasty. This has taken a place in my regular rotation and will undoubtedly be smoked by itself as well as being used in various blending experiments. Ever wonder what 5% Perique would do to this stuff? UPDATE 03/21/07: I have decided to enter a Codger Burley Phase until the end of summer. I bought a tub of PA and tub of Carter Hall and a tub of Half and Half. I very much like all three alone but gradually I'm learning that there are also a lot of really good hybrids to be made from this lot. One I'm smoking right now is 1:1 Half & Half/Prince Albert. Very nice indeed with a hot cup of coffee.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	porterman (5)	2006-12-30		Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Hot burning straw and alfalfa, Wanted to like this Old School Tobac, and couldn't find anything about it to like..Bland at first, smokes hot and degrades into some horrible chemical tasting monster...pitched the rest of it.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Dottle (162)	2006-12-08		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

HALF of this blend was very bad. The other HALF was not nearly as good. This ?old gray mare? ain?t (can?t be) what she used to be???..

A cigarette is to be smoked. A cigar is to be enjoyed. A pipe is to be savored.

I rate this blend 0.001000600401 out of 10.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	OSR (78)	2006-11-07		Mild	Extremely Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant to Tolerable

Hot air that bites the tongue and gets acidic (bitter) quickly.

To each his own.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	constantsmoker (65)	2006-11-02		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Tolerable

I would hazard a guess that many, many pipe smokers cut their teeth (or, more appropriately, first bit into their pipe stems) on this tobacco. My uncle, who lived to the age of 95, smoked this stuff, and ONLY this stuff, virtually every hour that he was awake. I bought a pouch of it recently, after a hiatus of 30-plus years, and was happy to note that the moisture content is a lot better than I recall (my pipes habitually gurgled when I smoked the stuff). Today's incarnation is basically a non-descript, servicable smoke. My son says that its like "smoking air"; light, inoffensive to the taste, but not noteworthy. From a cost standpoint, it is a far better alternative to shelling out for pricier, pedestrian offerings that are not even up to this blend's standards (read the reviews!).

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Philo Beddoe (221)	2006-02-25		Mild	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

The smell in the pouch was medicinal. I was uneasy about even trying it, after I lit the bowl it actually tasted just like it smelled, possibly menthol or eucalyptus. Not for beginners as this would turn you off the pipe altogether, if this was all you thought tobacco could be, by the way I detected no Virginia flavor at all. Maybe the pouch/box I purchased was not mixed properly but I can see no reason to burden yourself with this mixture.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Satc001 (67)	2005-09-22		Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Tolerable

What possessed me to buy this, I don't know. I went in to a tobacco outlet to get pipe cleaners, saw this stuff for a buck and 67 cents, and said, "Why Not?" I wanted to like this, I really did, but when I opened the pouch and saw the cut, which reminded me of decomposing grass clippings, I knew it wasn't going to be great. The smoke tasted of hot steam. And this stuff will really gum up your pipe. The room note is not terribly pleasant and I found no enjoyment whatsoever. If you want a mild aromatic tobacco, please go to your tobacconist and find a bulk lane offering that you like, or order it offline. I will never find 1Q to be poor quality again. Not recommended at all.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	sasha (228)	2005-07-08		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Good, honest, easy...the perfect newcomer's tobacco. You can really learn pipesmoking with this blend, and it's a good ""cake-builder" too. As far ad taste, it's nutty, earthy unflavoured burley, just a little sweetened by the virginias. I like more complex blends, but H&H is a good smoke when you have to concentrate on something else but still want the company of a pipe.

1 person found this review helpful.