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Welcome to Codger Country, the series where we'll be smoking every Codger blend (common over-the-counter tobacco blends) we can find and ranking them in an effort to determine the "definitive" Codger blend. From Carter Hall to Super Value, we're giving them all a fair shake. Today, we're trying out Half and Half, a blend that's "cool smoking."
Half and Half is another old classic, with a history dating back to 1909. Originally produced by the great American Tobacco Company monopoly, they combined the classic Lucky Strike cigarette tobacco with another blend in their portfolio called Buckingham. Half and Half was an attempt to create a tobacco that would appeal to both pipe smokers and roll-your-own cigarette users, with tins originally boasting the Lucky Strike logo up until 1939. Like many Codgers, they've had their fair share of manufacturers before winding up in Scandinavian Tobacco Group's robust portfolio.
Half and Half was perhaps one of the first blends I became familiar with as a kid, seeing the tins in antique stores or in the basement of my great-grandparents' workshop. Despite this, I've never smoked it, but I did previously smoke Luckies when I was a cigarette smoker. Half and Half is Half Burley and Half Bright Virginia with hints of cardamom, coriander, and maize. Of all the codgers I've reviewed, this one seems polarizing. Some people love it, while some people really don't like it. Which camp will I fall into? Let's crack into it and find out.
Initial Impression
A standard 1.5oz pouch: crack it open and be instantly hit with a very strong spicy tobacco smell. It reminds me of Djarum Black Clove cigarettes. Right out of the pouch, it's at the perfect moisture level, no fuss at all. Load it in the corn cob, and it takes to the light nice and easy. First puff and I get a very heavy classic tobacco taste. This feels like a cigarette, a sentiment I'm not alone in, based on some other reviews I've seen.
The added spice elements are very soft on the taste. I'm mostly getting the nutty Burley and the hay-like Bright Virginia coming through. The spices I can detect feel like an afterthought. Of all the codgers I've smoked on this series, this feels the most one-dimensional. Frankly, I am not having a good time with this blend; it reminds me too much of an actual cigarette to really dissect. It burns cool and leaves very little dottle.
Is It Good?
Half and Half is not for me. I'm not sure what exactly it is about this blend that doesn't vibe with my senses, but over the course of a week with it, this was one I never looked forward to. It always left me feeling sick and with a headache. I don't think that has anything to do with how it's made. I just really don't think this was made for me.
That said, I think for others, this has good value. I think if you're looking for a classic tobacco profile, this could deliver that satisfaction. I don't think it has a particularly great room note; this was definitely one I smoked on the patio more than anywhere else. I wish I could give a better impression on this one, as I know it's a lot of people's favorite and one of the most famous Codgers, but it really doesn't play nicely with me.
I think if you're interested in Half and Half, the best thing you can do is look at others' reviews. A healthy mix of both good and bad should give you an impression of what to expect from people who didn't have an adverse reaction to it.
Half and Half is available both in 1.5-oz pouches and 7-oz tubs. Leave a comment down below sharing your thoughts on Half and Half, and join me next time as we continue our journey through Codger Country together.
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Comments
How about a slight cherry blend
I have always liked half and half. My grandfather smoked it. I have started combining it with sir Walter Raleigh and have a daily driver.
I always liked Half And Half, even if now I rarely indulge but for the sake of nostalgia. I would buy it in a tin or the small heavy foil pouch in a box. There were also Half And Half cigarettes/mini cigars, which have disappeared. This is an all-day mixture of real American heritage.
I actually like Half and Half. Having only smoked cigarettes on a few occasions, I don't get that vibe (especially the burning paper). I throw it in a corn cob pipe and head out to do my outside chores. Because its not a complex blend, I don't have to dedicate much thought to it while I work. It's easy to light and requires few relights (unless I get busy and forget to puff haha). I save my more complex blends for the times I can just sit, think and enjoy. In the end though, either you like it or you don't. That's one reason we have so many different blends. So smoke what you like and like what you smoke! Thanks for this series. I'm enjoying it.
Grampa and dad both smoked H & H alternating with Prince Albert which was mostly for work and Half & Half was for fishing and marathon backyard beer tasting. I think I remember gramps complaining that the H & H was 2 cents more expensive. Dad used a cob and grampa had a briar that I can only describe as a "chimney ". I carry on the tradition by usually reaching for one of my Missouri Merchaums.
When I smoked off the shelf tobaccos, I usually smoked Carter Hall or Granger. When I tried Half and Half I was, to put it bluntly, let down. It wasn't that different from what I was used to, but it didn't leave a feeling of satisfaction that comes with a comforting smoke. I tried it several times and always had the same reaction. It's not for me.
I bought a pouch of this years ago, I still haven't finished it. It burns hot for me no matter how slow I sip it, and it gives me tongue bite. I no likey...
I like and enjoy the room note, that's 'bout it.
Enjoy the brand.
In listing of the spices, I find it interesting that I have seen the third type listed as:
Maze (a type of puzzle),
Maize ( corn)
But never
Mace (a variant of marjoram) which is the truer explanation for the flavoring
I actually like Half and Half quite a bit. I understand the reviewers who see it as uninteresting, or maybe even a waste of time. But for me, Half and Half is like a good dog. It’s always there for me when I turn around, it’ll provide some quick comfort if needed, and it’s up for whatever task I have ahead of me for that day. It’s a no frills, workhorse of a blend that I’ll always keep on hand.
My favorite of the codgers, it can be temperamental and needs a gentle cadence. I suspect as well maybe it ought to be smoked a bit dryer to help that, though I have not tested that.
The scent of the smoke coming out of the bowl is one of my favorite aspects of pipe smoking, and from Half and Half I have gotten spice rack one smoke, cereal another, other times particular aspects show themselves more.
The smell is great, and I get that as a shadow in the taste. The flavors compliment and enhance the natural tobacco, which I love.
Scandinavian Tobacco Group will not have my money, except for Half and Half and Sir Walter Raleigh whenever (if) that blend is fixed. Not holding my breath on that.
As for reactions, My Mixture 965 gives me a major sore mouth, I've been told the Macedonian bright may not be playing nice with my mouth. Only blend so far to do so, along with Sunjammer, which also uses that leaf.
Happy you covered Half and Half! Looking forward to what's next.
It's interesting that I had two big different takes from the author. The first is the room note. I've only gotten good reactions from people around me while smoking this. The second is what the author described as "one-dimensional". Out of all the "codger" blends, I find Half & Half the most complex. Prince Albert is one-dimensional (not bad), Sir Walter, which I love, is one-dimenstional. But Half & Half is full of flavor with the Burley leading with the Virginia sweetness in the background, and a bouquet of toppings filling up the gap.
I once smoked a 30-year old Half & Half and it was honestly one of the best smokes I've ever had. Not sure how much the changed formula or the age played the main difference, but with drying time which also mutes the toppings a bit (they can be a little overwhelming), this becomes a fantastic blend. One of my favorites.
I think what people find that disagree’s with them is the Cardamon. My Arabic friends put this in their coffee beans when they grind their coffee. They’ve told me some people are actually allergic to cardamom. It doesn’t agree with me in coffee either. It leaves me feeling queezy and nauseous in coffee and in Half And Half too!
I like it though, not as an everyday smoke. When I travel abroad this my go-to tobacco in my travel pouch. I find it enjoyable enough as a neutral end-of-day smoke. But not so expensive or valuable that if it gets lost or confiscated by some third-world customs official I don’t feel I am out too much.
After trying multiple aromatic blends that burned my palate, despite drying time and sipping; I went to Half and Half. It is a very good and cool smoking blend. No need to prove myself as a pipe smoker, with collecting foo foo blends that'll gather dust.
You make the same mistake many others have made, believing that the formula is half Burley and half Bright. Half and Half HAS NEVER SAID THAT, though they appear to imply it by the text on their packaging. As you correctly state, the original recipe was half Lucky Strike and half Buckingham. Half and Half is a catchy trademarked name, so while the formula changed, the name remained even though it no longer meant anything.
You have not smoked the pinkerton blend, or the older american tobacco version. You would know the critical ingredients are missing, and the new blend is just random floor sweepindgs.
Smoked Half & Half and Prince Albert from 1969 thru 1979 but later mixed with Black Cherry ... cheap fix.