A tour of drug store blends, stop two: John Middleton's Prince Albert
John Middleton Co. - Prince Albert
Much like Carter Hall there is no description of this tobacco on the package but just the smokers "accolades" of it. The front of the package reads: What smokers like about Prince Albert… Taste, Aroma, Cool, Mild, No Bite, Slow Burning, The Cut, Priced Right, Best There Is. So once again one has to take the plunge on this tobacco based on its longevity and reputation.
In The Tin/Pouch
The pouch is filled with a light brown ribbon cut tobacco, that is soft to the touch, but not too moist (at least for my standards). The smell reminds me of Carter Hall, a sweet and slightly pungent odor of raisins and tobacco.
The Burn
This tobacco will burn well straight out of the pouch it lights with just one match and burns well, a little fast, but not as fast as Carter Hall (there goes the claim that it is slow burning). One of the good things about this tobacco is that I got no moisture collecting in the bottom of my pipe from this blend, I didn't even find the need to run a pipe cleaner down my pipe during the smoke, which is always nice.
The Smoke
This seems to me like Carter Hall's boring brother. It has a hint of sweetness, but it also seems a little flat and bland to me. Don't get me wrong, there is a nice warm toasty straight forward tobacco taste, it just seems like Carter Hall light to me. The front of the pouch says that smokers like it because of its "taste" and that it is "cool and mild" while I would certainly agree that it is cool and very mild, I do not agree that its taste is something to be touted. The taste reminds me of someone who doesn't want to offend anyone so they never speak, they're just kind of there, but they never take a stand on anything. I would have liked this tobacco to "take a stand" we might not get along, but then again we might, and then we might get to know each other really well. The pouch also claims that this tobacco doesn't bite, and I found this to be true, whether smoked fast or slow, this stuff simply won't bite.
The Aroma
Best I can tell this produces a light neutral tobacco smell, not an awesome room note but not overpowering.
The Packaging, and Price
Like most drug store blends, this tobacco is available in both a pouch and tub. I purchased this from www.wvsmokeshop.com and paid $2.99 for a 1.5 ounce pouch, that works out to $1.99 an ounce. They also sell a pack of 6 pouches (9 ounces) for $16.95 that works out to $1.88 per ounce, and the 14 ounce tub for $24.89 which works out to $1.77 per ounce.
The Bottom Line
I know that there are plenty of people who smoke this as there daily blend, but I personally don't feel that this is a great tobacco. Maybe once upon a time, before the internet, when people could only go to the drug store or a tobacconist where the selection was limited this was a good choice, but in today's environment where there are hundreds if not thousands of blends available to everyone with an address and a computer I fail to see why anyone would buy this tobacco. That being said, it does seem to be good for building cake in a pipe, but so is Carter Hall and CH has a better flavor profile. Maybe I am being unfair comparing this to Carter Hall, but being an OTC blend I feel that it should be compared to other OTC blends. The pouch claimed that this was "best there is" and I would respectfully disagree, don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with this tobacco, and I am not going to say I will never buy this again, but I probably will not.
John Middleton Co. - Prince Albert
Much like Carter Hall there is no description of this tobacco on the package but just the smokers "accolades" of it. The front of the package reads: What smokers like about Prince Albert… Taste, Aroma, Cool, Mild, No Bite, Slow Burning, The Cut, Priced Right, Best There Is. So once again one has to take the plunge on this tobacco based on its longevity and reputation.
In The Tin/Pouch
The pouch is filled with a light brown ribbon cut tobacco, that is soft to the touch, but not too moist (at least for my standards). The smell reminds me of Carter Hall, a sweet and slightly pungent odor of raisins and tobacco.
The Burn
This tobacco will burn well straight out of the pouch it lights with just one match and burns well, a little fast, but not as fast as Carter Hall (there goes the claim that it is slow burning). One of the good things about this tobacco is that I got no moisture collecting in the bottom of my pipe from this blend, I didn't even find the need to run a pipe cleaner down my pipe during the smoke, which is always nice.
The Smoke
This seems to me like Carter Hall's boring brother. It has a hint of sweetness, but it also seems a little flat and bland to me. Don't get me wrong, there is a nice warm toasty straight forward tobacco taste, it just seems like Carter Hall light to me. The front of the pouch says that smokers like it because of its "taste" and that it is "cool and mild" while I would certainly agree that it is cool and very mild, I do not agree that its taste is something to be touted. The taste reminds me of someone who doesn't want to offend anyone so they never speak, they're just kind of there, but they never take a stand on anything. I would have liked this tobacco to "take a stand" we might not get along, but then again we might, and then we might get to know each other really well. The pouch also claims that this tobacco doesn't bite, and I found this to be true, whether smoked fast or slow, this stuff simply won't bite.
The Aroma
Best I can tell this produces a light neutral tobacco smell, not an awesome room note but not overpowering.
The Packaging, and Price
Like most drug store blends, this tobacco is available in both a pouch and tub. I purchased this from www.wvsmokeshop.com and paid $2.99 for a 1.5 ounce pouch, that works out to $1.99 an ounce. They also sell a pack of 6 pouches (9 ounces) for $16.95 that works out to $1.88 per ounce, and the 14 ounce tub for $24.89 which works out to $1.77 per ounce.
The Bottom Line
I know that there are plenty of people who smoke this as there daily blend, but I personally don't feel that this is a great tobacco. Maybe once upon a time, before the internet, when people could only go to the drug store or a tobacconist where the selection was limited this was a good choice, but in today's environment where there are hundreds if not thousands of blends available to everyone with an address and a computer I fail to see why anyone would buy this tobacco. That being said, it does seem to be good for building cake in a pipe, but so is Carter Hall and CH has a better flavor profile. Maybe I am being unfair comparing this to Carter Hall, but being an OTC blend I feel that it should be compared to other OTC blends. The pouch claimed that this was "best there is" and I would respectfully disagree, don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with this tobacco, and I am not going to say I will never buy this again, but I probably will not.