Middleton Walnut

Ever have a pipe tobacco that at first meeting was just...meh...OK...not bad...not great but not bad? Then, after you let it sit for a while, was absolutely amazing. I discovered Middleton Walnut in this context only today. You see, everything was in my pipe bag EXCEPT my pouch of Old Joe Krantz. When it came time for the morning smoke break I discovered that my equipment was lacking. Only then did I remember there was just a little Walnut left in the tub which is part of my collection of Dead Soldiers that decorate my cubicle (the others being Prince Albert, Carter Hall, Edgeworth Ready Rubbed and Half and Half. As I looked at the probably five or six bowl portion of Walnut, I thought "Any port in a storm, right?" When I loaded it in my four digit Kaywoodie and adjourned to the lanai for my morning smoke break I was amazed at just how great this stuff had become. On paper it is classified as an American/English blend. Which is kind of an oxymoron as this blend is predominantly burley and burley of course was illegal in the UK until 1986. It does however have a bit more of an English flair to it than most American Codger Burlies. The burley is mixed with healthy portions of Virginia, and Oriental, as well as (so they say) latakia.

Needless to say, Walnut is neither the predominant taste nor room note of this blend. The name is taken from the street in Philadelphia, where Middleton tobacco has blended and sold this blend since the late 1700s. It really was considerably better after a bit of aging. This is rather odd since, unlike Virginias, Burley blends seldom benefit much from aging. For the price it's tough to beat and I may just include a tub in my next T.A.D. order. If you're looking for an easy but full American English blend you could do much worse than Walnut. It has excellent smoking manners and is also quite affordable.