Tobaccos Hearth & Home - Chestnut (Mid-Town Series)

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3019)	2015-01-05		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

As many smokers know, Chestnut is a Match for the discontinued Walnut, and both are comprised of seven different varieties of varietals. In it, I get a light taste of woody, earthy, nutty sweet Kentucky with some grassy, tart and tangy citrusy Virginia (it forms the base of the blend is a support role), some nuts, earth, wood and molasses from the burley (which takes a very small lead), a touch of honey and citrus from the Virginia cavendish, and slight dry, woody, earthy, floral, vegetative, spice notes from the Oriental/Turkish. The Cyprian Latakia is a minor addition, but offers a very mild smoky, woody, earthy, leathery, sweet push to the other components. I know Maryland is in here, but I can’t taste it. The topping (rum?) is mildly sweet. Overall, it has nice subtlety, nuanced complexity of tobaccos that meld well together. The strength is just shy of the center of mild to medium, while the taste is a step past that center. The nic-hit is a slot past the mild mark. No chance of bite or harshness. Burns clean, cool and dry at a moderate pace with a very consistent flavor. Barely leaves any dampness in the bowl, and requires few relights. Has a lightly short lived, pleasant after taste and room note. It's an all day smoke.

What’s the difference between Chestnut and the original? The original sometimes has a slight chemical note from the topping that Chestnut does not, and it could get a slight bitter hit near the end, which Chestnut does not do. The original is a shade sweeter, and a tiny bit nuttier, while Chestnut has just a smidgen more Latakia. Otherwise, I can’t tell the difference. My description of Chestnut mirrors anything I would say about Walnut, except the noted differences. And if I hadn't spent all that time comparing the two blends (14 bowls each, often back to back), I doubt I'd have noticed any differences, which are very minor at best. I rated Chestnut at four stars, even though I rated Walnut at three, for how close it is to the original, and for being a little better smoke.

-JimInks

56 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	fr_tom (393)	2015-04-13		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I got a 2 oz sample from P&C and have been smoking it in a variety of briars. I have never smoked Walnut, so I am basing the review only on my experience with the match.

This has been a great smoke. I get a burley-forward VaBur with some Kentucky for muscle. The burley is nutty and a "heavier" sweet. The Virginias are there and grassy but a little subdued. The orientals and latakia are a very light touch and add just a whiff of smokey and spice. What very little topping there is seems to add to a sweet. I am not getting honey and there may be a little fruit, but it is very mild.

I can imagine Walnut was very popular back in the day, and I regret never trying it when it was in production. This is a solid 3 on the scale. If I end up buying it by the tub, I will bump it up to a 3.5. This is very good and worth trying.

19 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2015-04-08		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Have not had the original Walnut. This is a fine blend with many nuances of flavor. Every tobacco used is readily tasted with one exception and that would be the Maryland. This got me curious and after some searching I found the answer from Russ himself. At P&C you can find a page titled Ouellette's Tobacco Types/Descriptions and under Maryland you can find this description; "Maryland- Another rather neutral tobacco used in a number of American blends, it is extremely mild, which explains its broad use in cigarette tobacco. It is very useful in Burley blends when one wishes to reduce the sometimes heavy nuttiness." That explains why I haven't been able to detect it in two different Walnut match blends.

This blend is very tasty and I highly recommend it. Mild to medium in body and flavor. Burns perfectly and is very smooth. The very definition of an all day blend.

Pipe Used: MM Country Gentleman, MM Diplomat Apple

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

18 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2016-02-15		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Another sample from an internet friend. Nice to have friends! I haven't smoked Walnut in awhile but for some reason this strikes me as overall darker in color. Nice little wisp of latakia on the bag aroma. Seems like more latakia than the original.

The original Walnut captured my heart for a short while and then turned on me and became bitter. Whether that was me or the tobacco, I don't know. This one smoked very nicely, with the latakia being soft and in the background but still a bit of a driver. Burley was the main player with the rest of the components mildly noticeable but very submissive. What I enjoyed about this one is the depth of flavor, something the original did not possess for me. I would not call this complex (and that wouldn't be the point anyway) but it did subtly ask for my attention while I was smoking. The flavors were mellow but leaning towards rich, particularly in the finish. No cigarette notes or wimpy finish as I found in the original. And this stayed tasty all the way down the bowl instead of growing bitter. I won't smoke this a lot but I may pick up a tub just for certain occasions. If any Walnut smoker bemoans the absence of his favorite blend, I urge them to try this. Russ really seems to understand how to make a match blend.

13 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stinkypipe (155)	2017-04-01		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

What a super interesting blend. The open aroma is a bit smoky from the Latakia. It reminds you of many English blends out there. The multiple mixture is a real taste cornucopia of flavors. Lights fine and burns pretty cool. I get sweet hay, a bit sour, nutty and a little smoky that come and go all through the smoke. The nutty flavor is most predominant but the sweet, sour and smoky never go away. This is for sure an all day smoke that frankly should satisfy almost any pipe smoker. The room aroma is pretty mild and pleasant. This is certainly a five star smoke!

Pipe Used: Boswell freehand

Age When Smoked: Fresh

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Corncob3 (77)	2015-03-11		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

I usually smoke Burley or Light English mixtures. Chestnut was a very rewarding departure from the run of the mill English types. Slightly sweet (Virginias very noticeable) and smoky with a faint floral note. Surprisingly mild for a blend that contains all those exotic tobaccos. Good body and very pleasant room note that isn't overwhelming. The Kentucky, Turkish and Maryland keep things in check. The Latakia is definitely there but has a nice interplay with the Virginias so it doesn't overpower. Highly recommended. Nice to see P&C bringing back these old time favorites. Did I mention the price? It's very affordable. Tin notes mention Chestnut as an all day smoke, but you might prefer with morning paper and coffee, after dinner or during a leisurely walk.

Pipe Used: Corncob and Briar

Similar Blends: Walnut.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	OldTallMike (13)	2015-02-08		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

Chestnut is a smooth blend match for Middleton Walnut. Great flavor, the Latakia does not take over the American blend. The smoke is stout, but not to the extent of a full Latakia blend, and it has a good flavor/scent through the nose. This could easily be an all day blend for a piper looking for something with some body.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Houndstooth (34)	2015-06-26		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

From the moment I learned of this tobacco, and the Mid-Town Series, I was intrigued. Being a great consumer of other light latakia blends from H&H, such as Daybreak, Sunjammer and American Heritage, it was incumbent on me to try Chestnut.

While, it wasn't love at first sip, the stuff has grown on me in a big way. The Burley persuasion is still novel to me for the first part. I took the chance right off on a 14 oz. tub, and initially thought I'd been brash... Did I tell you that the price was right on this, particularly when I purchased it?

While the latakia is there, I can't really call this a latakia blend- not for those who dearly love it and are hoping for that experience. Such folks might do with a sample first, but if that's what they're wanting in full, they'd do best to stay away in the first place. There, I've said it. The latakia is an accent, but not the meal. I think this burns a little quicker than most things I smoke, so a larger bowl is sometimes in order. That might well be due to the high presence of burley.

That said, imbibers-to-be are in for a wholesome smoke that works well in the summer. A grassiness prevails, along with nuts and/or woodiness. I'm not super aware of the Kentucky, but the Turkish is playing its part along with the Virginia, which is where the sweetness come in. This stuff is mellow and finishes well. I find that a cob seems to show it off to its best effect, although different pipes do seem to bring out different elements in it.

If this was going to be a cigar, it'd come in the neglected wrapper of yore- the candela. I do wish I'd been able to try the original Walnut, but for all we know, this might be better.

Pipe Used: MM Morgan and many others

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars

Similar Blends: rather unique, but said to be a knock-off of Walnut..

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	the_dalai_lama_himself (43)	2017-03-01		Very Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Tolerable

Honeysuckle like sweetness, the burley is the main attraction. I assume it is tamed by the Maryland as the varietals harsher attributes are not there. The oriental and Virginia play off the Kentucky and Latakia in a back and forth manner that keeps the blend interesting. It does create a sort of floral quality at times like elderflower or lilac, but quickly moves to honeyed nutty burley and Virginia, almost bready with smokiness evident. This sort of happens in waves with the sweetness. It's a very easy blend to recommend, all day smoking or in my case early morning. Burley, Latakia, orientals, Kentucky, virginia, Maryland... in order of prominence.

Pipe Used: MM country gent

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	GabrielCRT (115)	2016-01-17		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

When Chesnut was first released I smoked through a 2 ounce sample very quickly. A few months went by and I noticed that I kept thinking of this blend. The itch got great enough and I decided to grab the full tub. This is the quintessential all day blend. It is a mild American style English blend with a complex, rich flavor profile. The Burley is smooth and nutty, the Virginia is bright and sweet, the Latakia adds a subtle but always present smoky/wood component, and the Turkish leaf adds a spice note. The Kentucky is here to add some body and the Maryland helps round out the blend. The topping is a great addition. I can't identify exactly what it is but its mildly sweet and occasionally tart. The room note is very pleasant.

Pipe Used: Briars, Meerschaums, Cobs

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	babysinister (55)	2015-10-02		Mild	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Not much to say here, as this is my long sought-after substitute for the defunct and deeply lamented Walnut. Only that I like it better than I did Walnut and particularly appreciate that it is richer, smoother and more flavorful due to the finer tobacco used and the tastier topping/casing. Yet another plus factor is the usual Ouelletian blending finesse in general, which brings the seemingly disparate components into a whole of harmonious complexity. Three and a half stars.

Pipe Used: Savinelli Tortuga 804 ks

Age When Smoked: None

Purchased From: gifted

Similar Blends: Middleton's Walnut.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Robdlouisville (10)	2015-12-26		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

A perfect strength of various tobaccos and latakia leaf. For me it is the right flavor. The value is great as well. P&C delivers quick and arrives well packaged. I bought the 14 oz. tub. Glad I did.

Pipe Used: Full Bent no name, straight briar hand made

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars

Similar Blends: A lighter version of Iwan Reis Proper English and Lord Nelson from Smokershavenwny.com.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bassrep (25)	2015-10-29		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Complex is the key word here. Mild, smooth, no bite, rich, and low maintenance. Only smoking a pipe for a few years but am kinda of a tobacco junky. I started out with aros and still love some of them. To be honest, there's only so many ways you can blend chocolate, vanilla, cherry, and sweetness. As an experiment, I have placed "reject" aros into a large coffee tin with a nice tight fitting lid. After I add a new one, I give it a stir and smoke it up. Taste doesn't seem to change from addition to addition. ANYWAY... I really like this smoke. I got into "English" kinda by mistake and have been branching out from there.

Pipe Used: Chacom Briar

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	andythebeagle (2)	2018-11-19		Mild	Mild	Overwhelming	Tolerable

I've always been moderately interested in the series because they represent a less expensive way to enjoy some of the blends you have always liked, but have thought they were just more expensive than they should be. The major manufacturers and well known blenders have always protected their recipes and methods by copyrights, patents and some unknown other methods. The Hearth & Home Mid Town Series are advertised as being the "same thing" as well known blends and much less expensive.

When I saw that P&C was packaging these in a 2oz size for sampling, they suddenly became worthy of trial. The idea of buying a large canister of a tobacco that I wouldn't like and might find unable to smoke had always stopped me cold. I do like getting a small amount because If I can't smoke it, it's no great loss if there is a need to toss or otherwise put it in an inaccessible place. I might be able to revisit it later just to test myself.

I decided to buy 2 of the blends to see if they were what I remembered, and test P&C.

Of the 2, one was their take on "Walnut", a very good tobacco from my past, that at one time was really enjoyable, and named "Chestnut". The other is Derby Club, which is supposed to be the same as Kentucky Club Aromatic. My memory is usually rather good, especially if it is something I have seen, or tasted.

First, the Chestnut. Something about this blend is different from the original. The original "Walnut" had been a mild tasting, very nut like tasting tobacco that I smoked on occasion just to taste something different from what was my go to, Prince Albert. I really liked it. When I put effort into recalling it, I could almost taste it. The Chestnut is not even a close approximation. There is something about it that makes it a radical departure from the memory of Walnut. The toppings, flavoring, tobaccos used to build the blend and it's feel (texture, moisture level) are way too different. This tobacco blend is bitter, tongue bitey, harsh on the inhale and retro-hale, bad mouth feel, nasty after taste, lingering bad effects of nastiness, and so many other things that I am so glad I waited until a "sample size" was available. I've recently discovered Cyprian Latikia and quickly found that it can be a living monster when used incorrectly. I really enjoy the flavor and everything Latikia when used as a condiment to bring a sort of roundness to a Balkan or English/Scottish blend, or even to make a different American Blend Aromatic or OTC Burley blend of your own liking. The way it is used in this Chestnut, along with the other leaf that should bring balance and all things good smelling is totally lacking. The character of the Chestnut is one of the least friendly, least likable, least tasty (good) difficult to pack in a way that helps it be a good smoker, and the "tin note", "room note" and effect it has on other people in the room are all massively against it. Based on my experience with the Chestnut, and I've given it several tries at different times, I doubt if I will ever buy another Hearth & Home Mid Town blend. Like almost all of the Match Series, it ain't even a close call. Both the Chestnut and most of the Match Series are reminiscent of just one thing. That's the smell of what I remember the barn smelled like when being raised on a farm and tending animals.

Now, the Derby Club Aromatic. Char light is good. That's all. It tastes nasty. I is hot, bitter, burny mouth feel, bad after taste, rough inhale, almost a chokey feeling, nasty smelling "tin and room note", nasty overall burning smell, lingering foul odor, miserable smoking properties, and fights all the way against being a decent smoke, which is the only reason to use a pipe in the first place. I'm not going to break it all down for you. I will sum it up as "this just ain't gonna work" and may be a good way to ruin an otherwise decent pipe.

My overall assessment? Never again, with any of the Hearth & Home Mid Town Series.

Pipe Used: 2 meers and several briars

Age When Smoked: new from seller

Purchased From: P&C

Similar Blends: On it's own. Nothing similar.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Adam T Valleau (21)	2018-04-07		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

I've been working my way thru Hearth & Home's Midtown Series this winter. So far, I've been very pleased with Chatham Manor and Chestnut. As noted, Chestnut is intended to be a reincarnation (match) of Middleton's Walnut, which is no longer in production. I can't do a comparison as I never smoked Walnut. But I have found Chestnut to be a smooth and mellow blend which still manages to provide some degree of complexity. It does NOT taste like chestnuts, although some nuttiness is present from the burley. But a chestnut-flavored tobacco might not be a bad idea. Russ?. Actually, I think both Walnut and Chestnut are named for streets in Philadelphia (not certain on this). Anyway, the flavors are subtle but certainly present. This blend has burley, Turkish, Latakia, Virginia, Kentucky, Maryland, and maybe a few other states. I could smell the Latakia at once upon opening the tub, with the burley being present, too. There is also some kind of lightly sweet topping, I think. The smoke imparts the Latikia immediately upon lighting, but it is not at all overwhelming. The burley is quite noticeable, too, and the Virginia does pop in from time to time. The Kentucky and Turkish were hard for me to detect, but I recon both give this blend some body and balance. The Maryland I could not taste at all, but I guess that's to be expected. I still could not tell what the topping is, but it didn't override the tobacco flavors. Overall, this blend provides a creamy, satisfying smoke with good taste and which has some extra dimension to it. Very nice smoke and worth trying out. I recommend it.

Pipe Used: Various, including cobs.

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars, Bethlehem, PA

Similar Blends: G.L. Pease Chelsea Morning.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Rylander (5)	2018-02-07		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Wow!!! Let me start by saying that this is the best price for value smoke I’ve ever had! Tastes like John cotton no1 ultra light or John Cotton no.5 if you will. A very mild English that would be suitable anytime. Just a whisper of orientals and a kiss of Latakia that is heavenly in the retrohale. Perfect if you like light English blends or if you’re new to English blends. Homerun!!!

Pipe Used: Brigham Canadian

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Saint Del (5)	2016-08-07		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I like this blend a lot. Nice full smoke, good smoky/nutty taste, enough strength to satisfy without being overpowering. Smokes dry. Room note a bit pungent, so an outside smoke for me. One of my standards, I keep this in stock.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Earl Grey (34)	2016-01-09		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I never tried the original Walnut, and I'm still kicking myself for that today. So, as a lover of most things Middleton, I ended up trying the H&H version Chestnut. Upon opening the tub, I was greeted by the leathery smell that is characteristic of most English blends. Now, I didn't find this to be a Latakia bomb, like Nightcap or something, but I thought it was way more Latakia forward than other reviewers have stated. I didn't find much complexity in this blend at all. Mainly Latakia and Kentucky. I did find it smooth and even burning. Just a tamp, one relight, and then it burned to a fine white ash. My wife liked the room note, she said it smelled like a camp fire. This is one I'll dip into now and then, but won't be buying again.

Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum, Italian Briar

Age When Smoked: Right out of tin.

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	dixcreek (182)	2021-02-01		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Very tasty, good blend. A plethora of flavors meet you at first light. They run from sweet to sour and from nutty to earthy. With the number of varieties of leaf in this blend it isn’t any wonder. While none take over I do feel that the Burley is the star. Plenty of earthy nuttiness here. The Virginia gives a smooth hay/citrus note as well. Not enough Latakia to push it to an English blend, but enough for nuance. All in all a winner for me. Russ seems to have a knack for pulling off amazing blends and this is no exception! Good smoke in any pipe and at any time of the day!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lager (51)	2021-08-28		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I bought this when you could only buy the tub. I smoked quite a bit of it and cellared the rest. Believe it or not it aged well and mellowed somewhat.

To me this has just the right mix and is definitely and all day smoke. Push it and it can get nippy.

My summation on this is the Kentucky for strength, the Virginia for sweetness,the Orientals for spice and the latakia for some mild smokiness.

If your curious at least you can buy it in small quantities.

Good job Russ

Lager

Pipe Used: Savs, Petersons

Age When Smoked: New and 4 years

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Michael D (29)	2021-08-26		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A very nice Burley base, although it does leave an ever so light/citrus/tingle bite on the tongue from the Virginia, which I usually hate. In this case, the citrus fits this blend and I cannot believe I said that! Might be the Maryland and Burley controlling the flavors. I enjoy the light Nicotine and creamy very light Latakia all the way through the bowl, with the presence of a light & slight honey sweetness along the way. Burns quickly and cleanly to the bottom. A tub with a good pinch of blending latakia per ounce, has made this one of my favorites.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TotoPipeDreams (44)	2021-07-17		Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

A Haiku Review: Chestnut

Carter Hall’s brother

Less sweet, more spice, more smokey

Simple summer smoke

A perfect codger style blend. Better than Carter Hall imo. About as cheap.

Nobody has rated this review yet.